The woman beside him...
When Evan Lin saw the message from Damon Wang, he instinctively looked over at Lily Zhao, who was standing nearby.
At some point, Lily Zhao's gaze had shifted from the severed finger in the box to Evan himself.
Her eyes were calm, yet within them was a light Evan couldn’t quite read.
Outside the window, the snow suddenly seemed to fall even harder.
Inside the room, the sound of the wind outside could still be heard.
Evan silently watched Lily standing there, and Lily was watching him too.
Damon Wang’s simple message had thrown Evan’s mind into chaos.
How could the severed finger in the box possibly belong to Lily Zhao?
The murderous aura on that finger was so dense it made one’s scalp tingle.
But what does this have to do with Lily Zhao?
"What did that person say to you?"
Lily Zhao spoke softly, her tone faint and distant.
In this empty room, a chill suddenly filled the air.
"He said that severed finger is yours."
Evan Lin had no intention of hiding anything.
The Lily Zhao before him wasn’t his master Lily Zhao—these were two Lilys from different times, almost like past and present incarnations.
Still, Evan didn’t want to hide anything from her.
Besides, there were many things Evan simply couldn’t figure out.
What surprised Evan was that Lily Zhao showed no shock, anger, or even any urge to defend herself—she just stayed quiet.
She stood there silently, watching Evan, her brows furrowed.
Her gaze drifted between Evan and the severed finger, unable to settle.
"What do you really know? Can you tell me?"
Seeing her refuse to speak, Evan felt a strange, indescribable emotion flash through him.
"This severed finger is called the Demon-Culling Finger."
Lily Zhao was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Demon-Culling?"
Yes. On the Immortal Martial Continent, countless people seek immortality. Most defy fate and rely on their own abilities, but some are born unsuited for cultivation and still crave eternal life. They turn to unconventional paths—using parasitic arts to siphon power from others, refining people as fuel, and forcefully strengthening themselves. This branch is called demon.
Lily Zhao spoke softly.
These words made Evan Lin ponder deeply.
In Evan Lin’s memories, even though the Immortal Martial Continent had countless sects and clans, the existence of demons seemed to leave no trace at all.
Unlike those immortals that only existed in legends or ancient records, vague and elusive,
Immortals at least had some written history.
But demons? There was never any real mention, never known to anyone.
Even as the Nine Mysteries Immortal Lord, after experiencing countless things, he still had no memory of anything related to demons.
Let alone something like this so-called Demon-Culling Finger before him.
"Why have I never heard of demons before?"
Evan vaguely sensed that Lily Zhao knew far more than he did.
Maybe the Immortal Martial Continent wasn’t as simple as he thought.
"All demons were buried by a single person in a war no one remembers."
Lily Zhao looked at Evan Lin, her eyes flickering.
She pondered for a moment: "This piece really is the Demon-Culling Finger. It was once refined into a true immortal artifact, but because it was too powerful and violated the rules of the Heavenly Dao, its spiritual energy was forcibly erased."
Immortal artifact!
Even with Evan’s composure, hearing the words ‘immortal artifact’ made his heart stir.
The ranking of treasures starts from the lowest—mundane weapons, then magic artifacts, treasure artifacts, spirit artifacts, and profound spirit treasures.
But immortal artifacts stand above them all.
Only a true immortal could refine an immortal artifact.
And for the Demon-Culling Finger, with power rivaling an immortal artifact, to be forcibly stripped of its spiritual energy by the Heavenly Dao...
Anything that could provoke the Heavenly Dao must have unimaginable strength.
Just how strong must it have been to move the Heavenly Dao itself?