"Can you chill for a second—damn, your hand just dove right for my crotch!"
"What, you don't like it? Doesn't it feel awesome when I touch you like this?"
...
At that moment, Ryan Ling and Zoe Zhong were basically a pile of dry tinder and raging fire—ready to blow up any second!
Plus, with Zoe’s nonstop seduction, Ryan’s inner flames were totally out of control. Ever since he broke through to Nascent Soul great circle, he hadn’t had a real chance to let loose—and with his cultivation this wild, any regular human beauty would’ve been vaporized on the spot. Only a beauty ghost like Zoe, with her crazy appetite, could even handle it.
But just when Ryan was all set—and Zoe was stripped bare by him—the Ghost Elder, that old perv, suddenly crashed in.
"Are you nuts?!" Ryan blurted, totally thrown off as he scrambled to get dressed.
Zoe was just as flustered, face burning red as she dove straight into Ryan’s arms.
"Sorry, you two—not trying to ruin the mood, but someone’s coming! No, wait—scratch that, some ghost is coming!" yelled the Ghost Elder.
"A ghost? Don’t tell me it’s one of the Western Pacifying King’s goons?" Zoe gritted her teeth, clearly pissed.
"Nope. I think it’s Warren Damon himself—the Western Pacifying King’s son. That guy’s got serious power; we do NOT want to mess with him right now!" The Ghost Elder finished, and Zoe Zhong’s face went pale.
Ryan didn’t say a word, just threw his clothes on quick. His senses were dialed up to eleven—he could already feel a crazy strong, dark power closing in. Stronger than the combined twenty-something Kunlun League Protectors. No doubt, this was a Heaven-Tribulation Stage monster.
Right now, Ryan was at Nascent Soul perfection. If he had to go all out against a Heaven-Tribulation first-layer expert, he could probably take them down. But this was the mortal world, and Huaxia had just survived a catastrophe.
If he started a Heaven-Tribulation fight here, it’d be the innocent people who got wrecked—and the damage would be even bigger.
Ryan refused to let Huaxia take another hit!
"Don’t go head-to-head—let’s drop down to the Netherworld and dodge him!" Ryan steadied himself. The only way to avoid this guy was to head for the Netherworld, which he was planning anyway—he still needed to rescue Daniel Deng and Gabriel Xue’s souls.
"Good call. Let’s go straight to Lord Yama’s palace and make it official—let’s get you two married in public! I’d like to see them try anything then!" The Ghost Elder nodded. Since Warren Damon was trying to force a marriage, might as well make Ryan and Zoe’s relationship public. Even the Western Pacifying King wouldn’t dare snatch her after that.
Sure, the Western Pacifying King and Lord Yama might be rivals, but if he really tried to snatch Zoe, the entire Netherworld would riot!
"Let’s move! That guy’s seriously bad news!" Zoe nodded fast—she already knew how brutal Warren Damon could be. Her ripped clothes were all thanks to him.
"Go!" Ryan didn’t hesitate—he disappeared in a flash. Not that he was scared of Warren Damon; if push came to shove, he was confident he could take him on. But right now, caution was the smart play.
...
Right as Ryan and the crew vanished, a wave of bone-chilling power swept in. The temperature dropped more than ten degrees in an instant—water everywhere froze, and ghostly howls filled the air. This felt way less like a place for the living, way more like a haunted graveyard.
"Little Prince, looks like that slut’s gone!" A cold aura twisted into a tall, skinny figure, while the other was a huge, fat blob. Both were spirit bodies, but their power was no joke—the ground itself trembled as if scared of them.
"She ran for it—and someone helped her!" The fat one was obviously Warren Damon, the Western Pacifying King’s son. He looked sleazy, but those eyes were sharp. He sniffed the air, already catching Ryan Ling’s scent.
"Someone took her? Who the hell’s got the guts to mess with the Little Prince’s woman!" the skinny one snapped.
"No need to guess—it was that punk Ryan Ling! Those KL League losers STILL couldn’t kill him. They all deserve to rot in Hell!" Warren Damon spat, grinding his teeth.
"Should I chase them down? That guy only got promoted because he’s Lord Yama’s foster son—now he’s a First-Grade Spirit Officer. I’ve wanted to waste him for ages!" the skinny one said, eyes flashing.
"Forget it, we can’t catch them now—they’ve probably already dropped down to the Netherworld. Let’s head back; this human world reeks!" Warren Damon pinched his nose in disgust.
"Once they’re in the Netherworld, it’s like they’re in our jaws—we can do whatever we want!" the skinny one sneered.
"Alright, let’s bounce. My old man and Lord Yama haven’t officially gone to war yet, so the show must go on. If Ryan hands over Zoe, I’ll act like nothing happened. If not, I’ll make sure every ghost in the Netherworld sees how pathetic Lord Yama’s son really is—and I’ll strip him of that First-Grade Spirit Officer badge!" Warren Damon finished, and the skinny one immediately clapped and cheered.
"The Little Prince is right—let’s do it. We couldn’t touch him before, since he was an official in the mortal world. But now he’s snatched our girl and dropped into the Netherworld—he’s in for it!"
"Let's go!" Warren Damon flashed a grin, then vanished into thin air.
...
Ryan had no clue what Warren Damon was scheming. He, Zoe, and the Ghost Elder went straight down to the Netherworld, met up with Granny Soul, and hustled to the heart of Hell Court—Lord Yama’s palace!
Ryan had dropped into the Netherworld plenty of times, but this was the first time he’d seen Yama Hall up close. He’d met Lord Yama a few times subconsciously, but now, facing him for real, Ryan was actually kinda nervous.
"Sis! You okay?" As Ryan got close to Yama Hall, a voice boomed out—it was none other than the demon-queller Marshal Zhong Kui.
"Bro, you finally showed up—I nearly got wrecked by Warren Damon!" Zoe burst into tears the moment she saw her brother.
"Marshal Zhong Kui?" Ryan swallowed nervously. The guy was legendary in the mortal world—second only to Lord Yama. Seeing him up close, Ryan realized he was a red-faced, heavyset guy, but his features were fierce and intimidating, just like Zoe—enough to send chills down your spine.
But Ryan wasn’t just gawking at appearances—he was sizing up Marshal Zhong Kui’s power. Right now, he was probably at the second or third layer of the Heaven-Tribulation Stage, a step above the newbies.
If Ryan had to go toe-to-toe with him, he probably wasn’t strong enough yet.
Of course, if Ryan ever stepped into the Heaven-Tribulation Stage, he might actually go toe-to-toe with Marshal Zhong Kui.
"Ghost Elder, Granny Soul, long time no see—good to have you here!" Marshal Zhong Kui turned to them, clearly old friends who only needed a glance to communicate.
"Alright, bro, let me introduce—" Zoe hurriedly yanked Ryan over, wanting to do the formal intro before their wedding.
"No need, I know him well! Come on, your dad’s been waiting forever—today you two finally get to meet. Big congrats!" Marshal Zhong Kui grabbed Ryan, and Ryan felt like he’d just been hit with a jolt of electricity.
"My dad knows I’m here?" Ryan froze—his nerves were through the roof.
"Of course! We all know what you did in the mortal world. Huaxia only survived because of you, and now you’re qualified to take your old man’s seat!" Marshal Zhong Kui finished, and the doors to Yama Hall swung open.
Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence stood to either side. All the Hell Marshals watched Ryan solemnly, eyes full of expectation.
"Has my son arrived?" A warm voice echoed out—Ryan had heard it more than once before.
"Dad?" Ryan swallowed hard—he and his father were finally about to meet. For a moment, he was totally at a loss. But just then...