Evan Chu flashed through the void, teleporting at lightning speed. In no time, he reached the entrance to the Netherworld. With his current power, tearing open the Netherworld Gate was child’s play—he no longer needed the Four Sacred Beasts. Even if he did, they’d be helpless before his strength now.
Lin Ruoxi was nowhere to be found in the lower realm, and the other two were probably deep in seclusion. Besides, there simply wasn’t time to wait for them.
Evan eyed the barrier entrance, Chaos Immortal Force roaring inside him. Though he’d suppressed his cultivation to ordinary Immortal level, the power he could unleash rivaled a Da Luo Golden Immortal—breaking through was laughably easy.
With a single Heart-Sword strike, the barrier entrance split open. Evan strode through, and a massive force yanked him up—he appeared high above the Netherworld, surveying the blood-red sky.
The Netherworld sky was that familiar dark red, not a speck of green in sight. Evan gazed at this place—so familiar, yet so distant—and a wave of emotion surged in his chest. He had spent almost three years here.
Memories flooded back, as vivid as yesterday. He thought of the three women he’d left behind—maybe they had children now, kids grown as tall as Ethan and Lynn.
He flew for a while before spotting a sizable city. The Netherworld’s current state was a mystery to him, so he’d have to gather intel and figure out where he was before making his next move.
Landing quietly near the city gate, Evan blended in with the crowd, following the flow of people toward the entrance.
He glanced up at the city wall—'Moonwell City' was carved in bold characters. Fishing some Netherstones from his storage ring, he paid the entry fee and stepped inside. The city bustled with vendors and shouting, a lively chaos filling his ears.
Most of the crowd were Netherkin, with other races scattered here and there. This was clearly Netherkin territory—Faye Knox’s domain. Once he got his bearings, he could head for the royal city. To his surprise, the first woman he’d seek out on this trip was her.
Faye Knox was the first woman he’d met in the Netherworld—maybe fate had arranged this. Evan spotted a decent-sized restaurant ahead and walked over, ready to see what information he could gather.
At the door, the waiter greeted Evan with practiced enthusiasm and led him to a window seat. Evan ordered a few house specialties and some wine, settling in to observe.
The restaurant was packed—Netherkin, other races, all mingling. The air buzzed with chatter, but none of it mattered to Evan. He drank alone, quietly sizing up the place.
After half an incense stick, a noisy commotion erupted outside. Two extravagantly dressed youths strode in and headed straight for the counter.
One barked at the shopkeeper, "Clear out every customer within half an incense stick—our young master wants the place to himself. Don’t worry, you’ll get paid in Netherstones."
"If our young master arrives and finds anyone still here, you know what’ll happen. Your restaurant might just vanish from Moonwell City."
The voice was loud—every diner heard it clearly. The shopkeeper’s face darkened, sweat pouring from his brow. He was terrified of the young master these two served.
Evan sized up the two newcomers. They looked about twenty, but in the Netherworld, appearances meant nothing—they could easily be centuries old.
He despised this kind of spoiled bully, and was curious about the young master they served. In the Netherworld, it was rare to see such brazen arrogance—especially among Netherkin. Had Faye Knox neglected these cities?
Since he was here, Evan resolved to help Faye Knox clean house. He was ready to teach these two—and their master—a lesson. If necessary, he’d kill them on the spot.
At this moment, the shopkeeper’s heart was filled with misery—the young master these two spoke of was none other than the son of Moonwell City’s City Lord.
Moonwell City’s City Lord had a truly special status—she was once the Netherworld King’s beloved daughter. Ever since she took over Moonwell City, she rarely bothered with city affairs, leaving them to the Grand Elder and Second Elder of the City Lord’s Mansion.
She herself remained in closed-door cultivation, never sparing time for her precious son. As a result, he’d grown into a rampaging tyrant—bullying the market, preying on the people, and leaving everyone furious but afraid to speak out.
People even gave him a mocking nickname: Young Lord Hades. The name was ugly, but he loved it—treating it like a badge of honor. Most folks would retreat three steps the moment they saw him.
The shopkeeper now stepped into the main hall and announced, "Honored guests, I’m truly sorry for today. Your meals are on the house, but I hope you understand my predicament—Young Lord Hades isn’t someone you can afford to offend. Please, for my sake, leave the restaurant quickly."
Many diners wore angry expressions, but none dared lash out. These two attendants were Young Lord Hades’s favorites—offending them could mean disaster. For a single meal, risking your life was pointless. Besides, with the bill waived, all they could do was accept it.
So the guests left one after another, secretly wishing that someday a powerful expert would cut down Young Lord Hades and rid them of this scourge.
As the hall emptied, the two youths smirked in triumph. Evan Chu, however, acted oblivious—still sipping his wine, not even glancing at them.
The shopkeeper hurried to Evan’s table, pleading, "Sir, please leave quickly! Young Lord Hades isn’t someone you can provoke. All of Moonwell City fears him—if you stay, you may lose your life."
Evan looked up and asked, "Is Young Lord Hades really that formidable, or is it just that everyone fears the power behind him?"
"Young Lord Hades is always flanked by two Third-Layer Venerable Martial Realm experts. Anyone who catches his eye gets punished—or even killed. For your own safety, you should leave as soon as possible," the shopkeeper urged.
Evan took another sip and asked, "How many Netherstones is this restaurant worth? I’ll buy it. Today, I want to see just how wild Young Lord Hades can get."
The shopkeeper was stunned, his face pale with horror. "Don’t! Please, sir, just leave while you still can!"
Just then, the two youths strode over. One sneered, "Leave? Too late. Today, we’ll show you exactly who you can’t afford to mess with in Moonwell City!"
With that, he slammed his palm down, shattering Evan’s table to splinters... (Continues at midnight)