The battle in the sky raged on. Under the influence of that overwhelming magical power, the air transformed into a hurricane, sweeping across the land. The entire horizon darkened.
The golden-armored deity continued to swing his powerful arms, each strike sending shockwaves through the air, creating a piercing howl of wind. The immense pressure swirled like a tornado, forming barriers of wind that made every step forward a grueling struggle for Evan Reed.
On the other side, the white figure darted swiftly through the storm. Each swing of his sword unleashed a lightning-like sword beam that split the sky, crashing into the earth below and leaving deep fissures in its wake.
Evan had to carefully dodge the residual attacks raining down from above. He sprinted through the wind pressure, weaved between lightning strikes, dashed through the forest, and leaped over boulders, moving with the agility of a monkey as he raced toward the peak of Verdant Mist Mountain.
Only there could he reach the immortals in the sky and have a chance to speak with them.
Suddenly, a flash of light erupted in the sky. Evan instinctively dove forward. Behind him, a lightning sword beam slashed down, striking the large rock where he had just stood, shattering it into fragments. The shockwave blasted him into the air.
He grunted, spitting out a mouthful of blood, then sprang up, grabbing a vine dangling from a tree and swinging forward.
The closer he got, the more devastating the battle's aftermath became. By the time he reached the mountainside, the air was thick with raging winds and sword energy surging like tidal waves, with sand and stones flying everywhere.
Then, Evan's steps came to a halt.
He had no choice but to stop.
The forest that once shielded him was gone—the entire peak of Verdant Mist Mountain had been reduced to a barren wasteland.
Sword energy and relentless wind pressure spun wildly around the summit, whipping up a vortex of destruction. To move any closer would mean certain death.
*Could he not even get near them?*
Evan stared helplessly at the sky.
Above, the two figures locked in combat had reached the peak of their struggle.
Suddenly, a blurred silhouette emerged behind the golden-armored deity. The moment it appeared; Evan felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. He couldn't discern its features, only sensing its towering presence—standing between heaven and earth, feet rooted in the ground, head brushing the void. Its majesty was so immense that he couldn't look directly at it, and an instinctive urge to kneel and worship welled up within him.
Evan nearly succumbed to the impulse to bow. Just then, the white figure shouted, "Rise!"
From the barren peak of Verdant Mist Mountain, a brilliant light burst forth, weaving into a vast net that sealed the entire space, ensnaring the golden-armored deity within.
"The Eight Gates Heaven-Lock Formation! Lorian Vale, you were prepared all along!" the golden-armored deity roared. The silhouette behind him slammed a fist into the net.
The net quaked, emitting a blinding radiance, and the space within the formation trembled. The vibrations rippled outward like ocean waves, surging beyond the formation and sweeping toward the outside world.
Evan's face paled in alarm. He turned and ran without hesitation, diving behind a large rock.
A howling gust roared over his head, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. The force persisted for several seconds before fading, and even the boulder wobbled dangerously, nearly crushing him.
"Damn, is this an atomic bomb?" Evan muttered under his breath.
In truth, it paled in comparison to an atomic bomb, but its power was still equivalent to several thousand tons of high explosives.
With that earth-shattering strike, the golden-armored deity shattered the Eight Gates Heaven-Lock Formation, leveling half the peak of Verdant Mist Mountain. The terrifying might was undeniable.
Yet, the silhouette behind the deity vanished after that blow. Seizing the moment, the white figure swung his sword, striking the deity squarely in the chest.
"Ah!" A scream rang out as blood sprayed into the air.
The golden-armored deity staggered in the sky, nearly plummeting from the clouds. The sword had clearly wounded him gravely.
Without a moment's pause, he turned and fled, shouting as he departed, "Lorian Vale, you won't escape! When my master arrives, you're finished!"
His voice echoed as he transformed into a streak of golden light, vanishing into the horizon.
The white figure in the sky didn't give chase. He watched his foe disappear, then suddenly swayed, spitting out blood before flying off in the opposite direction.
"Senior! Wait for me!" Seeing this, Evan rushed out, chasing after the white figure.
But the figure moved like lightning, soaring through the air. Evan had no hope of keeping up. In an instant, the figure vanished from sight, leaving no trace behind.
At the entrance of Riverside Village, the villagers waited anxiously.
The smoke from the distant battle had cleared, the immortals had departed, and only a scene of devastation remained. A lone figure approached from afar.
"It's Brother Evan! It's Brother Evan!" Yaya, with her keen eyes, was the first to recognize him and cried out in joy.
"It's Evan—he's alive!"
The village erupted in cheers. The crowd surged forward, surrounding him with questions and concern. Seeing he was unharmed, just disheveled and dusty, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness you're not dead," Uncle Li said with a hearty laugh.
Yaya hugged Evan and asked, "Brother Evan, did you meet the immortals?"
Evan shook his head and smiled softly. "I couldn't catch up to them… I couldn't even get close… I failed."
His tone was calm, his smile genuine, but everyone could sense the reluctance lurking beneath.
"Failing's fine—as long as you're alive."
"Yeah, what's more important than staying alive?"
"Evan, not to nag, but you should let go of this cultivation obsession. Immortal fate is rare, and joining an immortal sect isn't easy. Seeking immortality isn't for poor folks like us."
"Exactly. People should know their place."
"Right, Evan, why not buy back those three acres of land? Talk to Old Zhang—he'll agree."
The villagers chimed in with a mix of heartfelt advice, gentle mockery, warm comfort, and subtle disdain.
Uncle Li scolded him outright, "You rascal, are you really willing to throw your life away just to seek immortality?"
"I'm just striving for what I want."
"Even if it means dying?"
"Yes! These days, many have dreams, but few are willing to pay the price for them."
Uncle Li froze, stunned by such words from a boy his age.
Though Evan's first attempt to seek immortality had ended in failure, he harbored no regrets.
He had tried, he had fought, he had even risked his life.
As long as he pursued his dream, failure carried no shame.
Far from fading, his desire to tread the path of immortality burned even brighter.
*One day, I'll soar through the heavens like them, no matter the hardships ahead!*
Evan vowed silently.
After the incident, life in Riverside Village returned to normal. The villagers resumed their daily toil from dawn to dusk.
Evan, too, worked alongside them, seemingly abandoning his lofty fantasies.
But in his free time, he would climb Verdant Mist Mountain alone, sitting in silence, gazing at the sky above.
The trees destroyed in the battle had begun to regrow. In a world brimming with spiritual energy, life proved remarkably resilient.
Within days, the peak was cloaked in green once more. Golden rays of sunlight bathed the land, casting a faint glow on Evan.
He sat like a statue atop the mountain…
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
The fieldwork was long done, yet Evan still went to the mountain every day.
To him, it had become a ritual. The villagers saw it and sighed inwardly.
Today, Evan spent another day on the mountain. By the time he returned, dusk was settling in.
As he neared his home, he found Yaya waiting at the door.
The little girl looked at him with her bright eyes and murmured, "You went to the mountain again?"
"Yeah," Evan replied, stepping toward the house.
Yaya grabbed his arm. "Brother Evan, what are you doing? The villagers say you've lost your mind. The immortals are gone, yet you still go up there every day. What are you hoping for?"
The villagers had asked him this countless times.
Evan had never answered.
But today, after a brief pause, he said, "During that battle, I saw the white-robed man was injured. Badly…"
"How do you know he was badly hurt?"
"Because he didn't pursue the other one… I think it wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't," Evan replied.
"So…"
"So I think he probably didn't go far. The best thing for him would be to find a place nearby to heal right away."
"That's why you go to the mountain every day, hoping to find him? You still haven't given up?" Yaya's face flushed with frustration.
"I've never given up," Evan said calmly. "Even if I fail this time, I won't give up. In a year, I'll leave this place, explore the world, and seek the immortals."
To Evan, a month of searching the mountain was just another failure in his quest for immortality.
Two failures were far from enough to deter him.
A true dream was worth pursuing through countless setbacks.
"You…" Yaya's frustration boiled over, tears welling in her eyes.
Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped him.
The sting burned.
"Evan Reed, you jerk!" she shouted with all her might, then turned and ran off.
Watching her flee, Evan sighed, silently apologizing in his heart.
He hadn't meant to hurt her, especially not a girl who cared for him so deeply. Torn, he wondered if he should chase after her to offer comfort, yet feared it might only deepen her attachment. As he hesitated, he heard the faint sound of hooves in the distance. Dust rose on the horizon, and the thunderous galloping suggested a large group approaching.
In an instant, a murderous troop appeared—riders on tall horses, unarmored but armed with steel blades. The leaders raised short bows, aiming in his direction.
Evan's heart raced. He dropped to the ground instinctively.
Ever since being stabbed to death in his past life, he reacted reflexively whenever a weapon was aimed at him.
This instinct saved him. As he hit the dirt, an arrow whizzed past his scalp, embedding itself in the wooden house behind him, its tail still quivering.
"Bandits!" Evan rolled to his feet and sprinted toward the back of the house, shouting, "Bandits are here! It's the bandits from Wild Valley Plains!"
In Anyang Prefecture, bandits roamed freely, plundering at will. The most ruthless among them slaughtered entire villages, leaving nothing behind. The bandits of Wild Valley Plains were notorious for their brutality.
Evan had heard tales of them but never imagined he'd face them himself.
As he dodged and yelled, another bowstring twanged. The bandits fired an arrow at Yaya.
"Yaya, get down!" Evan screamed desperately.
But unlike him, the little girl lacked his reflexes. Frozen in terror as the bandits charged into view, she didn't move.
The arrow pierced her chest with a dull thud. Her body swayed, then crumpled to the ground.
Moments later, hundreds of bandits swarmed in. Their leader, a burly man wielding a nine-ringed broadsword, pointed ahead and bellowed, "Kill! Slaughter everything, take it all!"
"No!" Evan cried out in anguish as Yaya fell.
The bandits stormed the village, raising their blades against the unprepared villagers. Blood soon stained the sky.
Some hunters grabbed their weapons, but they were no match for the mounted raiders. A gleaming blade, fueled by a horse's momentum, severed a hunter's head from his body.
More villagers fled in panic, only to be chased down, impaled by spears, or beheaded by sabers.
The bandits whooped and laughed, sparing neither the old nor the young.
Tiger Cub, Granny Hu, Uncle He…
Hiding behind the house, Evan watched as one villager after another fell, his heart ablaze with fury.
Uncle Li burst from a nearby house, saw his daughter lying in a pool of blood, and wailed as he ran toward her.
"Don't come out!" Evan shouted.
A bandit spotted Uncle Li and, with a savage grin, spurred his horse forward.
"Damn it!" Evan gritted his teeth and charged, hurling his dagger at the bandit.
The bandit reacted swiftly, deflecting the dagger with a precise swing of his blade. His horse slammed into Uncle Li, and with one stroke, he cut him down. Turning to Evan, he sneered, "Another one!"
He urged his horse toward Evan.
Seeing the danger, Evan bolted toward the forest behind the mountain, taking the roughest paths. But the horse was fast, closing in quickly. The bandit raised his saber again. Just as it descended, Evan dove forward, dodging the strike. Spinning around, he grabbed a rake from the backyard.
The rake struck the bandit's waist. Unprepared for a counterattack from a mere boy, the bandit had no defense. The nine prongs sank deep into his flesh, and he howled in pain. At the same time, the horse crashed into Evan, sending him flying. His ribs felt shattered as he hit the ground, wracked with agony.
The bandit yanked out the rake and dismounted, advancing menacingly. "You little brat, you're dead today!"
A seasoned fighter, he couldn't fathom being wounded by a child. Enraged, he vowed to rip Evan apart.
As he approached, Evan flung a handful of dirt into his eyes. With all his strength, he lunged forward. The bandit, slowed by his waist injury, bent forward, and Evan clamped his teeth onto his throat.
The bandit grunted in pain and slashed Evan's back with his saber. At such close range, the blade's power was diminished. Driven by a do-or-die resolve, Evan ignored the cut and bit down harder on the bandit's windpipe.
Desperate, the bandit summoned all his strength and shoved Evan away with a powerful palm strike. But this only hastened his doom.
Using the push, Evan tore out the bandit's trachea. Blood gushed like a fountain, and the bandit clutched his throat, staggering a few steps before collapsing.
Evan crashed to the ground as well.
He'd taken a slash to the back, been rammed by the horse, and now struck by the bandit's full-force blow. His injuries were severe, but he crawled to the bandit's side and pried the saber from his hand.
The bandit, not yet dead, glared at Evan with wide eyes.
Evan met his gaze coldly. "What are you staring at, you beast?"
He slit the bandit's throat with the saber.
Only then did Evan spit out a mouthful of blood and lean weakly against a tree.
Though it was his first kill, he felt no fear—only endless hatred for these monsters.
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the heavens, resounding through the skies:
"Insolent thieves, slaughtering the innocent—prepare to die!"