Ryan Ouyang's saber howled through the air, its blade-qi slicing fiercely toward Evan Chu. He really did mean to kill him outright—but he was underestimating Evan. With a single teleport, Evan dodged the strike with ease.
"Heh, so this is how the White Tiger Clan treats guests? I’ve finally seen it for myself. I’d like your temple master to give me an explanation. Sure, the White Tiger Temple is powerful, but my own status is no less than his. If your master saw me, he wouldn’t dare treat me this way." Evan snapped angrily.
"Evan Chu, don’t try to bluff me. I know exactly what kind of trash you are—don’t think I’d forget. Today, you’re going to pay for what you did back then!" Ryan Ouyang barked, seeing his attack fail to hurt Evan.
"Ryan, did you leave your brain at home? Just because you got the Netherghost Violet Orchid and awakened your bloodline, you think you’re hot stuff? In my eyes, you’re nothing. If I really wanted to kill you, one move would be enough. Don’t push me, or you’ll regret it." Evan retorted.
The crowd found Evan’s words hard to stomach. Arrogance was normal for young geniuses, but being this outrageous was borderline insane. The Second Elder snapped, "Kid, don’t get ahead of yourself. Do you really think the White Tiger Temple is a place for you to act up? If the temple master were here, you’d already be dead. We wouldn’t let you run wild for a second."
Evan had glanced at the Second Elder when he entered; he figured this was the strongest person in the hall, but still only Saint Martial Realm, fourth layer. Honestly, Evan barely considered them a threat.
If he didn’t need Ryan Ouyang’s help to enter the Netherworld, Evan could have wiped out the White Tiger Temple without a second thought. He also realized something else: if the White Tiger Temple was only this strong, the Phoenix Temple couldn’t be much better. He could probably walk all over them too.
But as for the Dragon Shrine, that was a different story. There were seven-clawed Golden Dragons guarding the place, with unfathomable strength. Evan wouldn’t dare act up there—at least not until he’d entered the Netherworld and gotten the Netherghost Violet Orchid. Some things couldn’t be rushed.
Evan glanced at the Second Elder and said, "You really think you can take me down right now? If I didn’t care about future plans, I could wipe out your White Tiger Temple on the spot. Don’t test my limits—especially you, Ryan. Don’t forget, you used to beg to be my little brother. What, now you’re pretending that never happened?"
Ryan Ouyang never expected Evan to bring up the past. Now, as the young master of the White Tiger Temple, his status was higher than ever. But being humiliated like this in front of everyone made him want to kill Evan on the spot.
"Evan Chu, don’t say I never gave you a chance. If you can beat me, you’re free to leave the White Tiger Temple. But if you lose, your life ends here. Back then I was seriously injured, how could I have been your match? You took advantage of my weakness—don’t you feel any shame? I’m embarrassed for you!" Ryan Ouyang sneered.
Evan grinned, "Heh, after two years, your cultivation hasn’t improved much, but your mouth sure got sharper. I just want to know where your temple master went and how I can see him—I’ve got business to discuss."
"Kid, give you a little color and you think you can run the whole show? See our temple master? You? Dream on! Go take a leak and look at your own reflection—see if you’re even qualified!" a middle-aged man mocked.
Evan shot him a look and replied, "Whether I’m qualified isn’t for you to decide. Even your temple master would have to show me respect. Today I’ll let your temple master teach you some manners!" With that, he swung his arm and unleashed Demon-Breaking Fist.
Evan’s Demon-Breaking Fist carried five-element force and shot out at incredible speed, the massive punch energy blasting toward his opponent. The middle-aged man reacted quickly, swinging out a palm strike—their attacks collided in an instant.
Bang! With a thunderous crash, Evan stood unmoving while the middle-aged man was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing several meters away and struggling to get up, blood gushing from his mouth.
That man was a White Tiger Temple Guardian, already at ninth-layer Divine Martial Realm, but Evan had crippled him with a single, casual blow. The crowd was stunned by Evan’s overwhelming strength.
In fact, Evan had held back, using only fifty percent of his strength. If he’d gone up to eighty, the man would be dead. Evan wasn’t looking to start a massacre—he had no deep grudge against the White Tiger Clan and didn’t want a fight to the death.
He’d come here to find a way out and get Ryan Ouyang to join him, preparing for the future task of breaking the Netherworld barrier. The middle-aged man’s mouth was just too foul—Evan couldn’t help but dish out a little punishment.
"You’ve got guts, Evan Chu! Daring to injure a Temple Guardian of my White Tiger Clan—even the King of Heaven couldn’t save you now!" Ryan Ouyang roared, swinging his saber at Evan again.
Evan didn’t even glance at him; instead, he addressed the Second Elder: "You’d better know your place. My status isn’t lower than your temple master’s. If he really thinks I’m not worth meeting, I might just do something he’ll regret."
At that moment, Ryan Ouyang’s saber slammed down less than a meter in front of Evan. The power of the blade-qi was terrifying—if it landed, the consequences would be disastrous.
Everyone thought Evan couldn’t possibly withstand the strike, but he instantly teleported, dodging Ryan’s blow yet again. Ryan was so frustrated he nearly spat blood, finally shouting, "Evan Chu, are you even a man? All you ever do is dodge! You were like this before and you’re still like this now—makes me feel sorry for you."
Evan just shrugged it off and laughed, "Can you move this fast? I just don’t feel like fighting you. If I really went all out, I’d break your spirit even worse—don’t push your luck."
"You’re driving me insane—go to hell!" Ryan Ouyang was completely enraged. His saber surged with blade-qi, making the whole hall tremble; he was clearly about to unleash a powerful martial skill.
"Young master, don’t! You’ll destroy the hall—if the temple master blames us, no one can bear it!" the Second Elder hurriedly warned.
Evan burst out laughing, "Just as I thought, all brawn and no brains. If you want to duel, fine, but let’s make a bet. If you lose, you do one thing for me. If I lose, my life’s yours—deal?" (To be continued at dawn)