"That's right, this is Phantasite. But the one you've got here is a pretty low-grade piece. You should store it separately in your storage belt—if you toss it in your storage ring, its illusion power will scramble some of your items, making them a huge pain to find later." Luna explained.
"There's a side effect like that? So it's basically useless—might as well just chuck it," Evan Chu grumbled. If his items got illusion-scrambled, it would be a real hassle. Imagine pills turning into Starstones, or herbs into something else entirely.
"Don’t underestimate Phantasite. The whole Netherworld only produces it here. Sure, it’s not much use for you, but for your Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, it’s extremely valuable. Don’t forget, she’s an illusion specialist—you’ve seen firsthand how powerful her transformations can be." Luna said.
Of course, Evan Chu hadn’t forgotten how the Violet Thunder Fox had once transformed into Jenny Sima’s appearance—he’d been completely fooled, and if Luna hadn’t warned him, he never would have known. Since Phantasite could let him fly here and also help Macy Mei, there was no way he’d let it go.
Thinking of Macy Mei, Evan Chu felt a strong pang of longing. He wondered how her breakthrough was going—she’d said that if she reached the nine-tailed stage, she could take full human form. Given her beauty, he couldn’t help but look forward to it.
Evan Chu put the Phantasite into his storage belt. Since it was useful, he needed to find his next target. He began moving quickly around the area, scanning constantly with his divine sense. It didn’t take long before he locked onto his next prey.
About a hundred meters ahead, Evan Chu sensed faint energy fluctuations. He knew it had to be another monster, so he sprinted over and stopped about ten meters away from the source.
As soon as he steadied himself, the ground trembled—and a creature twice the size of the Bonewraith he’d just fought erupted in front of Evan Chu.
Evan Chu wasn’t afraid of the monster at all—with his current defenses, he had nothing to fear. Last time, his nerves had just been acting up. This time, he didn’t flinch. He drew the Frostbane Sword and, before the creature could react, unleashed Earthsplitter straight at it.
With Evan Chu’s current strength, Earthsplitter’s attack could crush even a fifth-layer Saint Martial expert. The combined force of five elements and thunder was terrifying—a single sword strike split the Bonewraith that had just crawled out of the earth clean in half.
Countless bones scattered across the ground—the monster hadn’t even resisted before being cut down. But this time, no Phantasite appeared. Evan Chu was a bit surprised; a creature that huge ought to have dropped one. He could only sigh inwardly.
"Don’t be surprised. I told you—not every Bonewraith drops Phantasite. In the Land of the Undead, only those monsters that can transform into human form are guaranteed to have it. Those could be from any of the Five Netherworld Races, and their illusion arts are terrifying. Get ready, and don’t let yourself get fooled by illusions." Luna warned.
Evan Chu nodded helplessly and kept moving forward. Since he couldn’t fly, he relied on Shifting Position to boost his speed. Along the way, he killed dozens of Bonewraiths, but only got five pieces of Phantasite.
Soon, Evan Chu reached a lakeshore. The water was crystal clear, full of visible fish and shrimp. He found a large rock by the lake, sat down, and began to recover his Chaos Dragon Force. Killing so many Bonewraiths had drained him quite a bit.
As he absorbed Starstones, Evan Chu made sure to sweep his divine sense over several hundred meters around him—nothing seemed off. But once he entered meditation, something completely unexpected happened.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a gray robe appeared before Evan Chu. His face was identical to Victor Chu’s. Seeing Evan Chu absorbing energy from Starstones, he slowly walked up to him.
"Lin Feng, danger!" Luna called out urgently.
Evan Chu snapped his eyes open. But when he saw Victor Chu standing before him, he froze for a moment. "Dad, what are you doing here? You have to leave—this place is extremely dangerous!"
"Fenger, I came here just to find you. How many pieces of Phantasite have you gotten? Give them to me—I need them urgently," Victor Chu said.
Evan Chu glanced at Victor Chu and asked, "Dad, how did you even get into the Land of the Undead? And what do you need Phantasite for?"
"Fenger, don’t ask so many questions. I’ve been here for quite a while—came in when you entered the Netherworld. I urgently need Phantasite to boost my strength. Hand it over, quick!" Victor Chu insisted.
Evan Chu stared at Victor Chu, unconvinced. Entering the Netherworld required the combined power of the Four Divine Beasts to open the six-pointed star formation—how could his father have gotten in? And the Land of the Undead wasn’t somewhere you could just walk into. Something was seriously off here.
"Dad, I don’t have any Phantasite. If you need Starstones, I can give you a few—here, I’ll get them for you right now!" Evan Chu said.
"Unfilial child! I clearly saw you kill several Bonewraiths, and you claim you have no Phantasite? How dare you lie to me! How could the Chu family produce such a rebellious son? You’re driving me mad!" Victor Chu roared.
For a moment, Evan Chu hesitated. Luna had told him before that monsters in the Land of the Undead could freely transform into the likeness of his loved ones and friends. The person before him was almost certainly a monster in disguise.
Just as Evan Chu was wavering, Luna spoke: "Lin Feng, this is obviously a monster in disguise. Only you four Divine Beasts could enter the Netherworld. Don’t overthink it—there’s only one solution: cut it down."
"But he’s my father! I really can’t bring myself to kill my own dad," Evan Chu said helplessly.
"Idiot! Illusions are what make the Land of the Undead so dangerous. They can see everything in your heart—the higher the monster’s level, the stronger this ability. Your secrets are completely exposed. This guy is just average, but if you don’t kill him, he might kill you instead.
Don’t think your defenses will keep you safe—they can invade your body and devour your soul, taking your place. Trust me, there’s no way your real father would be here. He should be at the General’s Manor in the Tianlong Empire right now." Luna said, exasperated.
Evan Chu finally understood. "You’re right—this guy can’t possibly be my father. He must be a monster in disguise. I have to kill him."
"Since you want Phantasite, I’ll give it to you. But this place is extremely dangerous, Dad—you should leave as soon as you can!" Evan Chu said to Victor Chu.
"I know—the Netherworld is very dangerous. You need to be careful too, Fenger," Victor Chu replied.
Evan Chu immediately drew the Frostbane Sword from his storage ring and shouted, "Monster, how dare you impersonate my father! Go to hell!" A powerful sword aura burst from the Frostbane Sword, slashing toward Victor Chu...