The thought that had already been dismissed resurfaced once again in Evan Parker's mind. That strange red light flashed again in Evan Parker's memory. Even that lofty, god-like person suffered such a tragedy when illuminated by the red light—could it be that the things happening to himself were also related to that red light?

The fist imprint had already turned into a huge lake. Evan Parker looked at the calm surface of the water and, without hesitation, jumped in. He had searched before when there was no water and found absolutely no clues. Now that it was filled with water, was there still a way to find anything?

However, Evan Parker had his own method. If something really had affected that immortal, then in such a situation, the thing to be attacked would definitely be the place where his fist power was most concentrated. He really was foolish—not realizing it in such a simple situation back then, and only now, when it had become a lake, did he think of this crucial point.

But with such a massive fist imprint, it was impossible to find the exact spot in a short time. He could only get to an approximate location, then Evan Parker began to try adjusting his breathing in the water, sensing whether there were any obstacles around that interfered with his cultivation.

This was by no means an easy task. First, although Evan Parker's swimming skills could keep him from dying in the water, he couldn't guarantee he could maintain the proper posture for cultivation and regulate his breath. Second, this should be the place where that strange influence was strongest, and wanting to regulate his breath normally and ensure nothing went wrong was extremely difficult.

Sure enough, as expected, as soon as Evan Parker assumed the posture and mobilized his true energy, it felt as if his whole body had entered a viscous liquid. The breath coming from his dantian was as slow as a snail. Not only that, as soon as the true energy left the dantian, it became uncontrollable, rampaging wildly. Although the flow of true energy was slow, its power was not to be underestimated. Under intense pain, Evan Parker spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot and lost consciousness.

Fortunately, he was in the water. After just a brief faint, the cool water woke Evan Parker up again. He no longer dared to attempt such a dangerous thing, struggling to climb ashore and moving far away. Only after crossing a mountain did he dare to sit down and regulate his breath, but even so, he still couldn't restore his chaotic true energy to normal.

Just this one attempt left Evan Parker seriously injured. What exactly was under that fist imprint, that not only caused that immortal to fail at the last moment, but also left Evan Parker in such a state?

No matter what, in his current condition, Evan Parker was in no shape to investigate what was in that place again. His injuries were only being forcibly suppressed and would need much more time to heal.

Even though Evan Parker still didn't know this was the so-called land of fierce evil, he was well aware it was not a good place. Staying far away from the fist imprint, for several days Evan Parker was unable to restore his true energy to normal; instead, his injuries became increasingly unmanageable. With no other choice, he could only leave his hometown and seek out a renowned medical expert he once knew.

That was a high monk whom Evan Parker had met by chance during his time in the army. On one mission, Evan Parker happened to save the monk's life and thus became acquainted with him. Although the monk did not possess great martial arts skills, his medical expertise was unparalleled in Evan Parker's experience. It just so happened that the monk's residence was not far from Evan Parker's current place of seclusion—only a few days' journey at full speed—making him the most suitable person to treat his injuries.

Chapter Two: Mysterious Injuries (Part Two)

In the quiet woods behind the temple, Edward Carter withdrew his fingers from Evan Parker's wrist and let out a long sigh. To Evan Parker's surprise, he did not mention his injuries, but instead stared intently at Evan Parker's face, examining him carefully over and over.

Evan Parker felt a bit uneasy under Edward Carter's gaze. His physical injuries made him nervous as well. The master's behavior must have a reason, so Evan Parker could only frown and ask, "Master, is there something wrong?"

"Mm!" The master nodded, responding profoundly, but did not answer further. Instead, he examined other parts of Evan Parker's body even more carefully. After a long while, he finally frowned and asked, "Have you recently come into contact with anything unclean, young friend?" Such a form of address was reserved only for Evan Parker; to others, the master always used the term "benefactor."

"Unclean things? Master, what do you mean?" Evan Parker didn't quite understand the master's words. He looked at himself for a long time—aside from the injuries to his meridians, he didn't feel anything was wrong. Could the master be referring to that red light?

"I mean things that shouldn't exist in the mortal world at all." The master's brows remained tightly furrowed. "You carry a heavy aura of killing, murderous intent radiates from your body, and ordinary ghosts and spirits would not dare approach you. Could it be that some extraordinary demon has appeared?"

"Demon?" Evan Parker had heard such supernatural tales before, but had never believed them. Yet after what happened that day, and the changes in himself, the master's words made him unable not to believe.