Seeing the aura around the black-clad leader suddenly surge, Evan Chu instantly understood what was happening and urgently called out to Roxanne Lin.
Roxanne also sensed something was wrong. Evan’s move clearly couldn’t harm the enemy, so even before he finished speaking, she launched her attack.
"Ocean of Blossoms!" This was her most powerful technique so far. Though it consumed a huge amount of stellar force, if it could wound the black-clad leader, it was worth it.
In an instant, countless sword-qi flower petals, infused with stellar force, swept toward the black-clad leader as if he were trapped in a sea of blossoms.
But by now, the black-clad leader had already shattered Evan’s Tempest Shroud, staring at the incoming petals with a demonic glare.
"I didn’t expect you two to be this strong. Seems I’ve underestimated you. Do you really think an eighth-level Xuanwu attack can hurt me?"
The leader’s words dripped with contempt; he didn’t take Roxanne’s sword-qi petals seriously at all.
Suddenly, a longsword appeared in his hand. He slashed several times in quick succession, each strike unleashing a wave of powerful sword-qi—strength Evan had never witnessed before.
Sword-qi collided with the petals and tore through Roxanne’s attack as if crushing dry weeds—unstoppable and overwhelming.
Though Roxanne was at eighth-level Xuanwu, her Ocean of Blossoms was a Earth-tier martial art, strong enough to rival a ninth-level Xuanwu expert’s strike.
But in front of an Earth Martial expert, even ten ninth-level Xuanwu cultivators wouldn’t stand a chance.
Several sword-qi blasts were blocked by the petals, but one streak shot toward Roxanne. If it landed, she’d be seriously wounded.
Sword-qi was invisible—only the ripples of stellar force could be seen. Roxanne spotted those faint fluctuations just in time.
Her instincts screamed danger. She dodged to the side, barely escaping the formless attack at the last second.
But a few strands of her hair were sliced off—showing just how close she came to disaster.
Evan felt a surge of panic. Seeing Roxanne’s hair flutter to the ground, an unprecedented rage ignited in his heart.
Roxanne was his fiancée—the most important person in his life. How could he let anyone hurt her? A dragon has its reverse scale; Roxanne was Evan’s reverse scale.
"Die, you bastard!" Evan unleashed Tempest Shroud again, holding nothing back.
A tornado rapidly formed, roaring toward the black-clad leader.
"That move again? Kid, are you done yet? Today, I’ll finish you off!"
The black-clad leader’s longsword suddenly flashed with a fierce, chilling light. Its sword-qi surged, and most bizarre of all, the glow was blood-red—so red it was almost frightening.
Just then, Luna’s voice rang out in Evan’s mind: "You can’t block this move. Dodge now, and make that girl fall back—I have a way to deal with him."
Luna’s timely warning filled Evan with confidence.
He used Shifting Position twice in quick succession, shifting more than ten meters in an instant. No matter how strong the leader’s attack was, it couldn’t reach that far.
"Roxanne, go back and check on the situation! I’ll handle this guy!" Evan shouted.
"No, I’m staying with you. Even if I die today, I’ll die by your side!" Roxanne refused Evan’s request outright.
She thought Evan was trying to protect her by facing this Earth Martial first-level enemy alone.
"Listen to me—go! I promise I’ll be fine!" Evan grew anxious; if the leader attacked Roxanne again, she wouldn’t be able to dodge in time.
"Hahaha! Touching, isn’t it? Kid, it seems this girl doesn’t appreciate your concern. Relax, I won’t kill her.
As long as I kill you, my mission is complete. And as for her—she’s so beautiful, how could I bear to kill her? Wouldn’t it be more fun to enjoy her later?"
"Shameless!"
"Despicable!"
"Roxanne, when have I ever lied to you? Listen to me—leave now, I’ll be right behind you!" Evan pleaded again.
Roxanne hesitated, but seeing the anxious, hopeful look on Evan’s face, she finally nodded.
"Evan, you have to come back! If anything happens to you, I swear I’ll never live on alone!" Tears streamed from Roxanne’s eyes as she turned and ran.
"Trying to run? Not a chance!" The black-clad leader saw Roxanne fleeing and immediately chased after her, leaving a residual shadow behind.
"Scum! Prepare to die!" Evan hurriedly used his fastest Shifting Position, attacking with Tempest Shroud again.
The leader was fast, but Evan’s Shifting Position was even faster. Combined with Tempest Shroud’s power, the leader had no choice but to stop and defend himself.
That gave Roxanne enough time to escape, leaving the leader fuming with rage.
But what surprised Evan most was that, even after using Shifting Position and Tempest Shroud so many times today, only part of his stellar force seemed to be used up. It was strange.
By all rights, his energy should’ve been depleted long ago. The only explanation was the Chaos Qi inside him.
"Kid, you’re strong. At your age, to have such power—you’re a genius. With training, you might reach Earth Martial in five years.
But you won’t get that chance. Blame your bad luck! Now die!"
The leader’s sword flared red again. After shattering Evan’s Tempest Shroud earlier, its leftover force had gouged a deep pit in the ground.
Now he was using the same move. All Evan could do was rely on Shifting Position to dodge and survive.
Just as Evan prepared to dodge, Luna told him to face the attack head-on. The leader’s power-boosting technique must have a time limit; if Evan could hold out, he could kill him.
Though hesitant, Evan trusted Luna. He madly circulated his stellar force—and even the mysterious Chaos Qi.
Frostbane Sword in hand, sword-qi slowly extended from one foot to one meter, then nearly two meters. It was the first time he’d ever drawn such long sword-qi from Frostbane.
Except for that one time with Luna, of course. The leader was stunned at the sight.
"Sword-qi like that only appears at Earth Martial level. Is this kid really Earth Martial? Impossible!" he wondered.
Evan didn’t use any fancy moves—just a single, full-force slash, letting the overwhelming sword-qi attack the enemy.
Boom! A deafening explosion rang out. The already ruined ground suffered another wave of destruction.
A several-meters-deep trench appeared beneath their feet. If Evan hadn’t reacted quickly and jumped aside, he might’ve fallen in.
But something happened that Evan never expected—the black-clad leader fell in instead.
He was covered in blood, coughing up mouthfuls of it, and the most shocking part—a fist-sized hole in his chest.
On the verge of death, he gasped, "What… what martial art did you use…?" Unwilling to die without knowing, he struggled to ask.
Evan felt he still had half his stellar force left—enough, he hoped, to save the Chu Family. He grinned, "That’s my exclusive move! Earth-tier martial art—Dog-Slayer Slash!"
"Earth-tier martial art… Dog-Slayer Slash… I… I…" Before he could finish, the leader died.
Evan didn’t linger. Using Wave-Skimming Steps, he left a residual shadow as he raced toward the Chu estate. "Hope I’m not too late!"