Lillian Zhang didn’t answer Evan Chu right away. Instead, she slowly took out her cicada-wing-thin longsword from her storage ring and said, "Do you know what sword this is? Do you know why I entered the Death-Tower Grounds?"
"I don’t know. Only if you tell me will I know, of course. If you feel it’s too personal and don’t want to share, I won’t force you. But I do know you must’ve gone through a lot to achieve what you have today." Evan Chu replied seriously, gone was his usual glib, careless attitude.
"The Death-Tower Grounds really are an extremely dangerous place. If you ask me what’s the most mysterious and deadly spot in the Netherworld, it’s definitely the Death-Tower Grounds. Entering there is gambling with your life. If someone manages to survive and come out, their strength will skyrocket, or they’ll get something truly heaven-defying." Lillian Zhang said.
Evan Chu listened quietly. He knew the more he learned about the Death-Tower Grounds, the better his chances. He’d already decided to go in alone this time; if he entered with Lillian, he had no idea what might happen between them—some things were hard to control, and if he hurt her, he’d just end up owing another emotional debt.
"I followed my father into the Death-Tower Grounds. We had no choice—at the time, my clan was being hunted by enemies, and my mother was killed. My dad escaped with me into the Death-Tower Grounds and only then managed to save our lives. But he was too badly wounded, and after just a few days inside, he died, leaving me—a kid not even ten years old—alone. Can you imagine what that was like?"
"It must’ve been helpless and heartbreaking. Who were your enemies? Want me to go take them out and avenge you?" Evan Chu said. He knew Lillian Zhang must be in turmoil, and for her to share these secrets with him wasn’t easy at all.
"The fact that you’d even offer shows you’re not totally hopeless. When I came out of the Death-Tower Grounds, I killed every last one of my enemies myself—over three hundred people dead in a single night, and nobody ever found out who did it, because I left not a single clue behind.
Actually, there are a lot of people living inside the Death-Tower Grounds. Some have a good life there—some even get married and have kids. Outsiders see it as a death trap, but the people inside think of it as a hidden paradise. If it weren’t for revenge, maybe I wouldn’t have ever left."
The more Evan Chu listened, the more confused he got—how could the Death-Tower Grounds be a paradise? He’d never heard anything like it. "Didn’t you say it was dangerous? How could it turn into a hidden paradise?"
"That’s exactly the secret of the Death-Tower Grounds. Once you go in, the environment is brutal—flying sand and tumbling stones everywhere, Glasswind cold surges all over the place. Most people die in those conditions. Entering the Death-Tower Grounds is like stepping into a giant illusion; you can’t find the way out at all.
But if you make it through that deadly zone, it’s a whole different world—clear mountains, bright waters, birds singing and flowers blooming. Three giant towers stand there, and that’s where the name ‘Death-Tower Grounds’ comes from," Lillian Zhang explained.
The more Evan Chu listened, the more interested he became. He knew those three towers had to be special—maybe the soul of that Immortal-Realm expert Luna talked about was inside one of them.
"Are those towers weird? Are there really tons of precious things inside? I remember Zander Xiang got his clone-type martial art from there—how did he manage to leave?" Evan Chu asked.
"Heh, Zander Xiang only got the simplest martial art, really. The truly profound and powerful techniques are in the third tower, but nobody can get close—there’s an invisible force blocking the way, and if you try to force your way in, you’ll just end up dead.
Zander Xiang only got something from the third floor of the first tower. Each Death-Tower Grounds tower has seven floors—the lower three are open, but starting from the fourth floor, there’s a prohibition barrier you have to break through to enter.
With Zander Xiang’s strength, he couldn’t break into the fourth floor at all. There’s a line on the third floor that fires everyone up: the higher the floor, the more precious the treasures inside. If you want the best stuff, you have to break through floor by floor—that’s why so many people stay there.
At the same time, leaving the Death-Tower Grounds is almost impossible—basically no one gets out. I don’t know how Zander Xiang managed it. As for me, my master helped me escape, but that exit was insanely dangerous too. I was covered in wounds and took half a month to recover.
Lin Feng, if you really plan to go to the Death-Tower Grounds, think carefully. If you can’t get out, you’ll be stuck inside forever. Of course, I believe you’ll make it out someday—once you master the martial arts in the towers, you can leave, but nobody knows how long that’ll take. Some people have been in there for tens of thousands of years.
Their strength is terrifying, but all they care about is martial arts—they don’t even bother with weaker people. But you can’t afford to offend them, or you’ll pay the price," Lillian Zhang warned.
Now Evan Chu had a rough idea of the Death-Tower Grounds: up front was a deadly natural barrier, but if you made it through, you’d reach the three towers—a place to power up.
Inside the towers are martial arts and treasures, each floor holding something different—the higher you go, the better the loot. The first two towers are accessible, but the third is sealed by a powerful barrier; you’ll have to break it if you want in.
One more thing—it’s easy to enter, but hard to leave. The Death-Tower Grounds are like an illusion realm; you have to find a way to break out. Evan Chu wasn’t worried about this, though—he had Luna as his formation strategist and Tom Chu for illusion mastery. With them, he was confident he could escape.
(End of this chapter. ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
So the most critical thing was breaking through the barrier on the third tower—maybe that was where he’d find what he wanted most, though he had no idea what it would be.
"Thank you, Lillian. Once you become Human King, you’ll have plenty to handle—I don’t think you should come with me to the Death-Tower Grounds. I’m sure I can handle it alone," Evan Chu said.
Lillian Zhang was momentarily stunned—Evan’s words left her feeling a little cold. Clearly, he was drawing a line between them, maybe because she’d refused his request outright.
"Are you sure you don’t need my help? Only I know the route out of the Death-Tower Grounds. What if you’re trapped for hundreds or thousands of years—have you thought about your women and friends, how worried they’d be?" Lillian Zhang asked.
"I’ve thought it through. Sooner or later, I’ll have to leave the Netherworld—I don’t want any entanglements with you. If we enter together, I know I’d end up doing something I’d regret, so I’ll go alone. Just help keep them safe for me," Evan Chu said.
Lillian Zhang didn’t press further—she couldn’t just force herself to go along. Even though she was worried, she could only let Evan go by himself. "Be careful. There are plenty of experts in the Death-Tower Grounds—don’t stir up trouble, or you’ll be in danger. Plenty of people stronger than Zander Xiang are in there."
"I know. It’s getting late—go get some rest. I’ll have the Shade Lord and Nether Monarch come to the capital, don’t worry! Just give me the exact location of the Death-Tower Grounds and I’ll handle the rest," Evan Chu said.