Evan Chu shook out his limp, powerless arm, forcing a bitter smile. "I really did it—I killed the Ghost King, and in just one strike. It almost feels unreal. The raw, domineering power of the Unicorn Arm fused with Star-Cleave is overwhelming, but this hollow weakness left in its wake... it's torture."
But the Ghost King never could have foreseen that his ultimate trump card would backfire completely, leaving him fatally wounded instead of victorious. Sometimes, fate twists in ways no one can predict.
Evan glanced toward the distant Shade Lord and saw him struggling to hold on. The Beast King's strength was monstrous—he could endure inside the Shade Lord's illusion domain, proving himself a true apex predator. Evan's mind raced, and in a flash, he teleported to the Shade Lord's side.
When Evan arrived, the Shade Lord finally let out a shaky breath. His pale face managed a strained smile. "Evan, you scared the hell out of me. Even the Ghost King's Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Soul couldn't touch you. Hard to believe, honestly."
"Father-in-law, you give me too much credit. Honestly, I just got lucky. But what about the Beast King? You're clearly drained—maybe it's time to let him out. With both of us, even if we can't take him down, we can at least make him think twice about sticking around," Evan replied, his eyes sharp with resolve.
After unleashing Star-Cleave with the Unicorn Arm, Evan could feel his Chaos Dragon Force running dangerously low. At best, he had one last Star-Cleave left in him. If that final blow couldn't cripple the Beast King, he'd be the one lying broken—or worse, dead.
Evan wasn't worried about his own survival. With his current teleportation speed, nobody in the Netherworld could hope to catch him—he could vanish in an instant if he needed to. But abandoning the Shade Lord wasn't an option; Evan owed him too much.
After all, the Shade Lord had always treated Evan well—and he was Ivy's father. If Ivy ever learned Evan had left her father to die just to save himself, she'd probably tear the sky apart in fury.
The Shade Lord nodded, withdrew his illusion domain, and let out a heavy breath. "The Beast King is a nightmare. His attacks may not be the strongest, but his defense is second to none. We can't afford a single mistake—especially since he hasn't revealed his true form yet. When he does, that's when his power will truly explode."
"What's the Beast King's true form? Father-in-law, you should know, right? Honestly, it's easier to deal with a Netherbeast in its real body than one in human shape. You can find the weak points on the true body, but when it's in human form, it's way harder to spot—and with a smaller, nimbler body, it's much tougher to kill," Evan asked.
"Not many people know the Beast King's true form, but I'm one of them. He's a descendant of an ancient Nether Dragon. His most terrifying power is his dragonflame. Today, we might just get to see it for ourselves," said the Shade Lord.
"Nether Dragon? That's seriously scary. But don't worry, Father-in-law—if it really gets out of hand, you can retreat first. He can't catch me, not with my speed, so you don't need to worry about my safety," Evan said.
Just then, the Beast King broke free from the illusion domain and burst out laughing. "Shade Lord, your Nether Phantom Void isn't all that! I thought it was something amazing, but look—I escaped just fine!"
The man hadn't appeared yet, but his voice came first—the Beast King was seriously arrogant. Evan hated this kind of self-important guy the most, so he shouted back, "Beast King, did you get brain damage in that illusion? You think Nether Phantom Void is so easy to break out of? My father-in-law let you go on purpose, just to make it easier to kill you. And here you are, bragging—don't you know you're courting death?"
The Beast King suddenly appeared not far from Evan and the Shade Lord. When he saw Evan, he froze, surprise flashing across his face. This kid was just fighting the Ghost King, and once the Shade Lord activated Nether Phantom Void, he couldn't attack the Ghost King. Now Evan was here—so where was the Ghost King? Could Evan have killed him? No way. Even in his true form, the Beast King could only fight the Ghost King to a draw.
The Beast King had already seen Evan's strength—he was a bit weaker than the Beast King himself. But now the Ghost King was nowhere to be seen, which was truly bizarre. The Beast King asked immediately, "Kid, you really are lucky. You actually escaped from the Ghost King's hands. Looks like you're the number one escape artist in the Netherworld. But today, I'm going to make sure you can't run away again."
"Hahahaha! Old fool, did you get stupid in that illusion? If the Ghost King were still here, how could I be chatting with you so casually? Let me tell you the truth—the almighty Ghost King you worship has already been killed by me. Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Soul is just child's play in front of me. You gave him way too much credit," Evan laughed loudly.
The Beast King trembled all over when he heard that. Those words carried serious weight. If the Ghost King was really here, Evan wouldn't be so relaxed talking with him. That left only two possibilities: either the Ghost King escaped, or he was killed. But the Beast King didn't believe Evan could kill the Ghost King—maybe he just lured him away, like he did with the Beast King. This kid was full of tricks, you couldn't let your guard down.
"Kid, you sure talk big. Aren't you afraid the wind will twist your tongue? If you really killed the Ghost King, your strength must be something else. Looks like I underestimated you. Today, I'll show you my true power!" the Beast King declared, as a suffocating aura surged toward Evan and the Shade Lord.
"Beast King, aren't you a bit too arrogant? You're facing two powerhouses right now. Do you really think your true form can beat us both? Well, let's see just how strong your real body is," the Shade Lord said.
(End of this section—click next page for more exciting content!)
Scaring off the Beast King would be the best outcome. Otherwise, if a big fight broke out, nobody could say who'd live or die. Evan's battle with the Ghost King had definitely drained him, and the Shade Lord could only use about half his strength. Facing the Beast King's true form—a Nether Dragon—was seriously dangerous.
"Shade Lord, you're running on fumes now. Do you really think I'd be scared of you? Cut the nonsense—today I'll take both your lives to avenge my people in Beast King City and my son. Prepare to die!" the Beast King roared.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed across the world as a massive blue dragon appeared in the sky. The Beast King had transformed into his Nether Dragon body, stretching hundreds of meters long—truly terrifying.
Evan's face changed slightly. The Beast King was really stubborn—if he couldn't scare him off, then it was do-or-die. Evan gripped the hilt of his Frostbane Sword, spreading his spiritual sense, and started resonating with the lightning element in the sky. He was ready to hit this arrogant Nether Dragon with a thunder strike and show him who's boss.
"Lin Feng, now that the Beast King has transformed, his defense is insane. Normal attacks won't even scratch him, and with a body that huge, seriously injuring him is even harder. I think we should split up and run in opposite directions—no matter how strong he is, he can only chase one of us. That way, at least one of us might survive," the Shade Lord suggested.
"Don't worry, Father-in-law. The Beast King may be tough, but I'm no pushover. How about you leave first? I'll handle him. Even if I can't kill him, running away won't be a problem. Honestly, I've been wanting to see what this Nether Dragon can really do," Evan said.
At that moment, Evan made up his mind. When the Beast King revealed his true form, Evan saw he was just a three-clawed dragon—a very low rank in the Dragon Clan. If Evan transformed into his own Divine Dragon form, his aura would totally overpower the Beast King, weakening him significantly.
"That's not a good idea. Why don't we just fight him together and leave our fate to the heavens?" the Shade Lord said, firmly rejecting the plan.
"Father-in-law, don't you trust me? If I say I can do it, I have the strength to back it up. Right now, Yuxi and Yiyi's lives are uncertain, so you should head back to Nine Nether City and check on them. I've already sent Xiao Qiang and the Second Elder ahead. Find a safe place to recover, and once I deal with this guy, I'll come find you," Evan said seriously.
The Shade Lord glanced at Evan, feeling a bit helpless. For a clan leader to run away was humiliating, but seeing Evan's confident eyes, he said, "Be careful, then. We'll be waiting for you to come back!"
The Shade Lord flashed away, teleporting instantly. The Beast King, now in his Nether Dragon form, was surprised to see the Shade Lord flee. He shook his massive body and said, "Shade Lord, you really have some nerve—running away at the sight of my true form! You've disgraced your whole clan!"
"Old fool, can't you see I'm still here? Two-on-one is overkill. I can handle a little mudfish like you by myself. I just sent my father-in-law back to get the drinks ready for our victory party—I'll be bringing your dragon head as a trophy!" Evan said.
"Aoo!" A dragon's roar shook the world as the Beast King was completely enraged by Evan's words. A blast of blue dragonflame shot toward Evan, but Evan was ready. As soon as the Beast King opened his mouth, Evan's body flickered, dodging to the side, all while gathering more lightning element for a surprise attack.
"Old fool, you dare use dragonflame in front of me? Today I'll show you what real dragonflame looks like!" Evan shouted, and with a thought, let out a thunderous dragon's roar. A golden dragon appeared before the Beast King.
(Late-night update! Only three days left until regular updates resume—I'll be discharged on the 28th!)