"Mm, thanks," Ye Chen said with a smile.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Hurry up and tell me how we're supposed to find that white-bearded, bald senior. Otherwise, we won't have any idea how to leave this weird planet," Yang Han said after seeing Ye Chen smile.
Ye Chen thought for a moment and said, "Let me think."
So Evan Yang and Ye Chen each started thinking about how to leave this place.
As for General Northcliff, he returned to the Fiend Realm furious, even wanting to apply to go to the Human World, but he hesitated when he remembered there were even more experts there than in the Fiend Realm.
Just then, a group of people arrived at the tunnel entrance.
This group was dressed just like people from the Human World, which made General Northcliff even more angry. He shouted, "No one's allowed out. Nobody is allowed to leave."
Captain Lee knew General Northcliff was in a bad mood and didn't dare say much. He could only announce to the crowd, "Today's exit is temporarily canceled."
"Since when does the Fiend Realm have a rule like this, not letting people leave?" a young man in the crowd asked suspiciously.
No one beside the youth spoke, so he continued, which made General Northcliff snort coldly and say, "I said so. What are you going to do about it?"
"How dare you!" At that moment, the elder standing to the youth's left moved. He stretched out his hand, and everyone heard a crackling sound—several new slap marks appeared on Northcliff's face.
The people around were shocked, and Northcliff was furious. "Stop these people for me! They're way too arrogant!"
"Still haven't learned your lesson?" The elder snorted coldly when Northcliff failed to realize what was happening.
"You—" Northcliff was about to curse, but saw the elder's hand reach out again.
It was only then that Northcliff realized the elder was no ordinary figure—someone who could strike him from a distance, unseen by anyone, must be terrifyingly strong.
"Are you letting us through or not?" the elder asked.
Northcliff knew he'd only suffer if he kept pushing, so he snorted coldly and said, "Fine, let them through. Let them pass."
The Fiend Palace people withdrew, and the youth walked into the tunnel with his group. Just before entering, Northcliff couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, why are people from the Human World always so hateful?"
At that moment, the youth stopped. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Why do you care what my name is? Just mind your own business," Northcliff said, unable to win against either the elder or the youth.
"Take him with us," the youth said to the elder after a brief pause.
While everyone was wondering what that meant, the elder made his move—Northcliff collapsed to the ground, his face twisted in pain.
"You—you dare attack a Fiend Palace officer? You people from the Human World are truly hateful!" Northcliff cursed.
The people around were all shocked. Just as Chiba was hesitating about whether to intervene, the elder pulled out a command token and barked at Chiba, "Seventh-Rank General, when you see a Second-Rank General, why aren't you kneeling?"
"Second-Rank General?" Everyone looked at each other, then took a closer look at the token—it was blue, the distinctive mark of a Second-Rank General.
They immediately knelt, not daring to hesitate for a second.
Northcliff hadn't expected this group, dressed like Human World people, to actually be from Fiend Palace—and with a Second-Rank General among them. Then who was this youth?
"No one is to speak of what happened today. If you do, I'll come back and settle accounts with you," the elder said, putting away the token. He then took Northcliff and left with the group.
In the tunnel, the youth noticed Northcliff trembling all over, as if he'd encountered someone he should never have provoked. "Tell me, what really happened today? Why did you try to block us?"
Northcliff didn't dare admit it was his own fault, so he quickly told them about Evan Yang, even complaining about how nasty Evan was. The youth listened with interest. "So that's what happened!"
"Exactly. I was about to catch him, but he escaped. And since I didn't have a Human World Pass Token, that lord wouldn't let me pursue him," Northcliff said, frustrated.
"If you run into him again in the Human World, you'll recognize him, right?" the youth asked curiously.
"I'd recognize him even if he turned to ashes," Northcliff replied confidently.
"Alright then, you can come with us," the youth said with a smile.
The elder beside them frowned. "Young master, he doesn't have a Pass Token."
Northcliff hadn't expected the youth to take him along and stared blankly at the group.
"No Pass Token? That's fine, as long as we have ours," the youth said with a smile.
"But the man outside—" the elder said, wary of him.
"Don't worry. If I insist on taking him, that guy won't make a fuss. But let's change his clothes first," the youth replied, glancing at Northcliff's red armor.
The elder was reluctant but had no choice, so he ordered someone to give Northcliff a new outfit.
Northcliff followed the group outside. Along the way, he gradually realized who these people were, and the youth's identity was so shocking he could only pray the youth wouldn't remember how he'd just threatened him.
The group soon arrived at the outer platform, where the Cloaked Warden appeared again. Seeing the youth, the elder, and the others, he asked, "Are you all heading to the Human World too?"
"Senior, my father wants me to gain more experience, so I'm planning to go to the Human World. Besides, my elder brother is already there, isn't he?" the youth replied politely.
The Cloaked Warden frowned and asked, "What about him?" He pointed at Northcliff.
Northcliff was worried when the finger pointed at him, but the youth smiled and said, "Senior, I'm going to temper myself, and I need someone to handle things for me. I think he's suitable, so I brought him along. We left in a hurry and didn't arrange a Pass Token for him. Please make an exception."
The Cloaked Warden thought for a moment and said, "Alright, but you'd better not stay too long in the Human World."
"Got it," the youth replied with a smile.
With that, the Cloaked Warden vanished. The youth smiled and said, "Let's go. We're safe now."
Northcliff finally realized how powerful the youth's background was, secretly delighted. He even felt energized, thinking to himself, "Kid, just wait. I'm coming for you. I'll take all your treasures—and your life."
The group followed the youth and departed.
In the Fiend Realm, after seeing a Second-Rank General take Northcliff away, General Kellan didn't dare say a word and ordered everyone to keep quiet about the incident, then left reluctantly.
Captain Lee resumed his routine patrol duties.
Not long after, the Nether Patriarch arrived.
"Hello, Captain Lee," the Nether Patriarch greeted with a smile.
"Nether Patriarch?" Captain Lee replied with a smile.
"Captain Lee, what happened here? Why were so many people gathered, and then suddenly gone?" the Nether Patriarch asked curiously.
Captain Lee saw that the Nether Patriarch was unaware, so he explained that Evan Yang had left, which was why so many people had gathered. When the Nether Patriarch heard that Evan Yang had left the Fiend Realm, his eyes turned pitch black.
Captain Lee was startled. "What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing. Just a side effect from recent cultivation," the Nether Patriarch replied, seeing Captain Lee's alarm.
Hearing it was just cultivation, Captain Lee relaxed. "I thought something had happened to you."
"It's fine now, thank you," the Nether Patriarch replied with a smile.
After saying goodbye to Captain Lee, the Nether Patriarch entered the void. His eyes turned black again as he muttered, "Gone, have you? Let's see where you can escape to!"
After that, the Nether Patriarch went to get a Pass Token. Once everything was ready, he arrived at the tunnel entrance and left the Fiend Realm.
"Wasn't that the Nether Patriarch just now? Why is he going to the Human World too?" Captain Lee wondered aloud after seeing the Nether Patriarch leave through the tunnel.
The Nether Patriarch made his way outside, used his Pass Token, and passed through the teleportation array. The Cloaked Warden appeared again. "You're heading to the Human World?" he asked.
The Nether Patriarch nodded. "Yes."
"Pass Token," the Cloaked Warden demanded. The Nether Patriarch produced a token—the Pass Token for the Human World.
After checking the token, the Cloaked Warden handed it back to the Nether Patriarch.
Once the Nether Patriarch had left, the Cloaked Warden muttered, "He feels like a dead man—no aura at all."
The Cloaked Warden found it odd—the Nether Patriarch's words sounded lifeless, but he was otherwise no different from a living person. The Warden was left very curious.
But the Cloaked Warden couldn't find anything, so he disappeared again.
Leaving the mountain, the Nether Patriarch muttered, "Almost got discovered."
Then the Nether Patriarch vanished as well.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang, on the other side of the planet, had no idea two groups had followed after he left.
"Have you gotten in touch yet?" Evan Yang asked after waiting a while.
"Yeah, we should have, logically. They should be here soon," Ye Chen replied.
Evan Yang was curious. Last time, the White‑Bearded Elder had arrived in just a few breaths. Why was he taking so long this time?
Just as Evan Yang was puzzled, someone appeared before the two of them.
"Senior!" Evan Yang and Ye Chen said in unison.
"You're—you two are still alive!" The White‑Bearded Elder had assumed the news was a mistake, so he ignored it at first. When he got another message, he came to check. Now, seeing Evan Yang and Ye Chen, he could hardly believe it.
"Of course we're alive. What, did you think we died?" Ye Chen laughed.
"Strange. That guy said you entered the River of Death. How could you possibly survive?" the White‑Bearded Elder asked, puzzled.
"River of Death? We did go in," Ye Chen replied.
"What happened? Tell me everything," the White‑Bearded Elder demanded, excited that they survived the River of Death.
Evan Yang knew he couldn't hide it, so he explained he had a spatial artifact and briefly described what happened afterward.
The White‑Bearded Elder clicked his tongue. "So that's it. Your artifact is incredible. But don't tell anyone. If they find out, they'll hunt you every day, trying to capture you."
Seeing the Elder wasn't greedy for his artifact, Evan Yang smiled. "Thank you, Senior."
"No need for thanks. I have high hopes for you," the White‑Bearded Elder replied with a smile.
"Senior, that's making me nervous," Evan Yang said with an awkward smile.
"Enough talk. Someone's noticed I'm here and is rushing over," the White‑Bearded Elder said, sensing the Cloaked Warden approaching.
"Who?" Evan Yang and Ye Chen exchanged glances. Then the Cloaked Warden appeared before the three of them.
"I'm just here to pick up these two. Why so tense?" the White‑Bearded Elder said cheerfully when the Cloaked Warden arrived.