"Three people are enough. I’ll handle the Beast King myself; the rest of the Beast Clan is up to you and your friend. With your strength, destroying a city will be a breeze. My identity is special—if I personally slaughter these Beast Clan members, the other three races will definitely join forces against me. Even if we win their territory, all our efforts would just benefit others." said the Shade Lord.
Evan Chu naturally understood what the Shade Lord meant. "I’m your son-in-law, and plenty of people know me. Wouldn’t that still bring trouble for the Shade Clan?" Evan said.
"I’ve already thought of that. Ivy and Roxy both know disguise arts. They’ll change your appearance, so you don’t need to worry. What I’m really concerned about is whether you can handle the other Beast Clan powerhouses. If you lose, everything goes down the drain," said the Shade Lord.
"I can say for sure, even facing the Beast King, I won’t lose. I might not be able to kill him, but I can definitely hold my own for a few hours. Otherwise, what was the point of my closed-door cultivation?" Evan said.
"Good, that puts my mind at ease. Rest well today—tomorrow we’ll head to Beast territory. Back in Nine-Shade City, the Beast King snubbed me. I need to settle that score," said the Shade Lord.
Afterwards, Evan Chu left the room and, stepping out of the City Lord’s Mansion, headed straight into Nine-Shade City’s streets. He was looking for someone: the old Sacred Sword Sect Master, Sean Xiao. He hadn’t shown up at the wedding, maybe because he was busy absorbing the Spirit Stones Evan had given him.
Half a year had passed, and Evan believed Sean should have finished his seclusion by now. He went to the inn where they’d agreed to meet, but Sean wasn’t there. That disappointed Evan—a missing powerhouse could seriously affect their attack on the Beast Clan.
Just as Evan stepped out of the inn, he heard a familiar yet changed voice in his ear: "You finally showed up, kid. I’ve been waiting here for three whole months. Wait for me at the inn—I’ll be there soon."
Evan grinned. "That guy’s pulling tricks on me again—he must’ve gotten even stronger." The speaker was none other than Sean Xiao, the man Evan had been searching for.
As soon as the words fell, a middle-aged man appeared at the inn entrance. Evan looked—who else could it be but Sean Xiao? The strange part was, after half a year, the guy had gone from old man to middle-aged. He’d actually turned back the years—unbelievable.
Evan booked a private room and had the waiter bring some food and wine. "Sean Xiao, what’s going on with you? Did you run into some lucky encounter to get so much younger, or did you find some miracle pill?"
"Surprised, right? It’s all thanks to the Spirit Stones. Before, I only had Netherstones to absorb, and that made me age prematurely. Once I switched to Spirit Stones, I naturally regained my original appearance. I owe it all to your Spirit Stones," Sean Xiao said.
"Enough chit-chat. Let’s get down to business. I need your help with something earth-shaking. If we mess it up, we’ll be hunted all over the Netherworld. You got the guts for it?" Evan said.
"Spit it out—what is it? You think there’s anything I’m afraid of? Unless you’re asking me to kill all five apex rulers, I’m fine with anything else," Sean Xiao said.
"That’s right—we’re going to kill the Beast King. Not you, though; the Shade Lord will do that. Our job is to wipe out the Beast King’s city and a bunch of strong Beast Clan experts. Easy enough, right?" Evan grinned.
"Are you serious? That’s suicide! Why are you dragging me into this? The Shade Lord really plans to wipe out the Beast Clan? You’re not joking?" Sean Xiao asked in shock. This wasn’t a small matter—it was downright insane. Only someone like Lord Frostbane would try something so crazy.
"Who else would I ask? You’re my brother—if I die, I’m dragging you with me. Besides, it’s not as bad as you think. I’m fully confident we can annihilate the Beast Clan, so just relax. You’ll get plenty of benefits out of it," Evan said.
Sean Xiao shot Evan a look and gave a bitter laugh. "Look at you and look at me—who’d believe we’re brothers? Honestly, I still don’t trust you. With your current Fifth-Layer Saint Martial Realm strength, even if you’re still Lord Frostbane, so what? This is the Netherworld, not the Azure Tide Ruins. Here, Eighth- and Ninth-Layer Saint Martial experts are everywhere. Can you really take them on?"
"Isn’t that why I need you? Otherwise, why invite you? Don’t worry—you’ll see what I’m really capable of soon enough. Tomorrow, we go to the Beast Clan. Let’s just drink for now and drop the topic," Evan said with a smile.
After a few rounds of drinks, Evan left the inn, telling Sean Xiao to wait there for him. Tomorrow, they’d head to the Beast Clan together. Watching Evan go, Sean Xiao gave a wry smile. "Who knows if we’ll ever make it back to the Azure Tide Ruins after this Beast Clan trip? Damn brat Frostbane, you’ve really dragged me into deep water this time."
When Evan Chu returned, Princess Ivy and Roxanne Lin were already up. But after last night’s intense dual cultivation, both women stayed in their room, too exhausted to go out.
"Evan Chu, did you do this on purpose—wear us out so we’d be too weak to go with you?" Princess Ivy demanded.
"Don’t overthink it. Only three people are going to the Beast Clan, and no one else is allowed. That’s your father’s decision—we need to keep it secret. I was going to have you two disguise me, but seeing you like this, I’ll have to find another way," Evan said.
Roxanne Lin didn’t speak; she just stared at Evan Chu. She knew what he was capable of and wasn’t too worried about this mission—she only hoped he’d finish quickly and return so they could go back to the Azure Tide Ruins. Life in the Netherworld was luxurious, but she never felt at home.
Princess Ivy wanted to say something, but Roxanne Lin stopped her. "Ivy, let him go. If we went, we’d just be a burden. Don’t worry, this guy’s a total monster—there’s nothing he can’t do. We’ll just wait for him here."
Evan Chu chuckled. "Roxy, Ivy, wait for me to come back for another three hundred rounds. Next time, I’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed for three days..." With that, he vanished in a flash.
"Evan Chu, you bastard, get back here!" Princess Ivy’s furious voice echoed from the room...