The Shade Lord was already at the end of his rope, held up only by sheer, stubborn faith—and that faith was Evan Chu. He believed Evan would come, and now, finally, it had come true.
Every race has a terrifying ultimate technique—one designed for mutual destruction. The Ghost King has his Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Soul, the Beast King his Death Blood Curse, and the Shade Lord also possesses a skill that even the Nether Monarch fears: the Netherglow Sure-Kill Art.
Just the name alone—Netherglow Sure-Kill Art—sounds horrifying. To use it, the Shade Lord must pour all his essence, qi, and blood into the technique, unleashing countless longswords. Each sword carries the power of a Fifth-Layer Venerable strike.
And once unleashed, the swords will pursue their target relentlessly—never stopping until one side dies. Unless every sword is blocked, they’ll chase you to the ends of the earth. It’s a truly heaven-defying move; even the Nether Monarch, strong as he is, can’t withstand thousands of sword strikes at once, so he’s been steadily draining the Shade Lord’s energy instead.
He knows the Shade Lord would never use the Netherglow Sure-Kill Art unless absolutely desperate. Evan’s arrival confirms his suspicions—but also gives him a jolt of shock.
“Father-in-law, are you alright?” Evan stepped up and pressed his palm to the Shade Lord’s back, channeling wood-element energy into him.
“Not dead yet. If you’d been any later, you really might never have seen me again. The Nether Monarch is terrifying—far stronger than we thought. He’s broken through to Sixth-Layer Venerable and we didn’t even know. More than half our men are dead; this loss is just too much.” The Shade Lord said.
Evan was startled, but he’d already suspected the Nether Monarch was at Sixth-Layer Venerable. He just didn’t know if it was the late stage or a fresh breakthrough—or whether he was stronger than Zander Xiang.
The Nether Monarch spoke up: “Kid, you really are hard to kill. You actually escaped Zander Xiang—seems you’ve got some skills. But now that you’re here, I won’t be as stupid as him and let you get away.”
Evan sneered, “Nether Monarch, you really think I’m afraid of you? I’ve been waiting to settle our old score. You may have broken through to Sixth-Layer Venerable, but I still don’t put you in my eyes!”
The Nether Monarch was briefly stunned, his face full of suspicion. Suddenly, as if something clicked, he asked in shock, “You’re Frostbane? You didn’t die?”
“Looks like you remember. That’s right, I am Frostbane. Ten thousand years ago, you and the Blood Emperor did what you did on the Divine Battlefield—today, I’ll pay it back a hundredfold. Bet you never dreamed I’d show up in the Netherworld!” Evan said.
“It’s true, I didn’t expect it. I never thought you’d have the skill to enter the Netherworld. But do you really think you have the strength to kill me? The one who entered the Azure Tide Ruins back then was just one of my clones. Netherworld beings can’t casually enter the outside world—you know this as well as anyone. Back then, I’d just finished cultivating the clone, so I sent it out to see your world.
Never thought I’d run into Venerable Solus. Later I found out I’d been used by him, but I don’t blame him—he let me see firsthand how weak your Human race really is on the Divine Battlefield. Honestly, you people are far too feeble. Any random Venerable from the Netherworld could wipe you out.
But we can’t stay long under sunlight—otherwise your world would’ve been destroyed ages ago. Now, you think you can kill me with your current strength? What a joke! Last time you humiliated my Faye, she’s been in agony ever since. If I don’t kill you today, I’ll never be rid of this hatred. Show me everything you’ve got—let’s see how strong you’ve become.” said the Nether Monarch.
The Shade Lord was utterly shocked. He hadn’t expected Evan to be a powerhouse from ten thousand years ago—no wonder his strength was so terrifying, and his actions so mature, totally at odds with his apparent age.
Evan said to the Shade Lord, “Father-in-law, you’re injured—you’d better leave. This is a personal grudge between me and the Nether Monarch. Let me handle it myself.”
“Be careful. The Nether Monarch is terrifying, especially his three clones. Each one has the power of a Fifth-Layer Venerable. Don’t be reckless—if you can’t win, run and save your life.” the Shade Lord said worriedly.
“Got it. Now go—don’t distract me!” Evan said. He’d gained a new understanding of the Nether Monarch’s strength. If the Shade Lord was right, the Nether Monarch was even stronger than Zander Xiang, with attacks rivaling a Seventh-Layer Venerable. Winning was basically impossible—unless, unless he could get Faye’s Nether Yin Qi to break through his realm.
The Shade Lord knew staying would only make him a burden. For a proud race king, it was a bitter feeling—but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. With a flash, he vanished into the sky.
The Nether Monarch didn’t chase after him, or even say a word. In his eyes, Evan was the real opponent. On the surface, Evan looked like just a Fifth-Layer Saint Martial, but his true combat power rivaled Sixth-Layer Venerables—and with all his tricks, he was a nightmare to deal with.
“Nether Monarch, before we fight, I want you to promise me one thing. If you won’t, then we’ll have to battle another day. Let me make this clear: if you’re thinking of trapping me with your domain, forget it. Zander Xiang’s Double Domain couldn’t hold me, and I doubt yours is stronger. My speed in the Netherworld is unmatched—otherwise, I wouldn’t be the only one here right now.” Evan said.
“What do you want me to promise? Frostbane, once the top powerhouse of the Azure Tide Ruins, now you’re just nagging—kind of disappointing!” the Nether Monarch laughed.
“It’s nothing complicated. I just want to see Faye. Even if you disapprove of me and Faye together, I truly love her. I know she thinks about me all the time—you wouldn’t refuse such a simple request, would you?” Evan said.
“I absolutely refuse. If you want to see my daughter, you’ll have to defeat me. Otherwise, forget about seeing Faye!” the Nether Monarch snapped.
“Don’t make me use my trump card. You’ve heard of Sunflare Stone, right? I don’t need to tell you what it does to Netherworld beings. If you let me see Faye, maybe I won’t use Sunflare Stone against you—we can fight fair. Otherwise, you know the consequences.” Evan said.
“Sunflare Stone? You actually have Sunflare Stone—how is that possible? Let me think about this.” The Nether Monarch’s face changed instantly, suspicion flickering in his eyes as he looked at Evan.