The old man casually blocked the middle-aged man's punch—no one saw how he moved, but the next instant, the man was sent flying and crashed to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
Shock! Absolute shock! No one expected the old man's strength to be so terrifying; with a single casual move, he nearly killed a Ghost Clan middle-aged man with ghost-general-level power.
In that moment, no one dared look down on the old man anymore. Even those who had considered robbing him dropped the idea—trying that would be suicide. This guy had at least reached the Ninth Layer of the Saint Martial Realm.
But think about it and it makes sense: if you want to sell something truly precious out in the open, you’d need to be insanely strong. Only fools would think otherwise.
Ryan Ouyang’s heart was shaken again and again. Now he truly understood what Evan Chu meant about Netherworld experts being terrifying—at his current strength, it was nearly impossible to survive here.
“No, I have to stick with this old man. Maybe following him will let me power up fast, and even if not, at least I’ll be safe for a while.” Ryan muttered to himself.
“Looks like no one’s buying my stuff today. In that case, I won’t sell. If you need anything, come back in half a month—I’ll be here then.” The old man finished speaking, and with no visible movement, the three items in front of him vanished instantly.
Then, he left his spot and suddenly appeared in the crowd, right in front of Ryan Ouyang. “Young man, I know you have a lot of questions. Come with me!” he said.
The Ghost Clan middle-aged man on the ground struggled to his feet and shouted, “You old bastard, half a month from now you’d better be ready to die!” He stormed off angrily, but everyone knew it was just empty talk.
How could someone with that kind of power be threatened by a mere ghost general? Even most ghost kings wouldn’t be his match, and this was Beast King City, not Blackspirit City—who would dare act so recklessly here?
Ryan Ouyang stared in shock at the old man and asked, “Elder, are you really talking to me?” It was obvious he thought he’d misheard.
The old man didn’t reply—he just nodded, and then his figure instantly appeared dozens of meters away. The movement was as uncanny as Evan Chu’s teleportation; if Evan were here, he’d be shocked to see the old man using the same technique.
Ryan wasn’t stupid—this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so he hurried after the old man. The two quickly vanished from the crowd’s envious and astonished gazes.
Once outside Beast King City, the old man flew straight into the sky. His speed wasn’t too fast, so Ryan could barely keep up. After about an hour, they arrived above a mountain valley, and the old man descended to the ground.
“Young man, you must be wondering why I brought you here!” The old man hadn’t spoken the entire way, but now he finally said something.
“I really don’t know why you called me here, Senior. Please enlighten me. With your strength, you clearly don’t need my help for anything, so I’m pretty confused.” Ryan asked right away.
“Come with me. Don’t worry—I mean you no harm. Not just anyone can enter this place.” the old man said. With a wave of his hand, an invisible Teleportation Gate appeared before Ryan.
Ryan had never seen anything so magical before. He realized he might really have stumbled into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—a chance to power up fast and maybe even surpass Evan Chu. He swore he’d show Evan what he was made of someday.
The two of them stepped into the Teleportation Gate. Ryan felt a pulling force, and suddenly he was in a place filled with birdsong and blooming flowers. There were no green plants, but some flowers somehow bloomed in green.
Ryan looked around and realized this was like a hidden paradise: a neat little thatched cottage, a pavilion, and a pond spanning dozens of mu, with lots of beautiful little fish swimming happily inside.
The old man led Ryan Ouyang to sit in the pavilion. Just then, the door of the cottage swung open and a beautiful young girl ran out, heading straight for the old man.
“Grandpa, you’re back!” she called, but when she saw Ryan standing nearby, she immediately closed her mouth and quietly studied him.
Ryan looked at her too. The girl was stunning, with bright, expressive eyes that seemed to speak, giving off a warm and friendly vibe.
But her face flushed red, maybe because Ryan was staring, and she quickly turned away.
“Qin’er, go back to your room for now. I need to talk with this young man.” The old man said kindly, smiling at her.
The girl nodded and left. Ryan thought to himself, “So her name’s Qin’er—what a nice name.”
“You must be wondering why I brought you here?” the old man asked Ryan.
“It’s definitely strange. Please enlighten me, Senior!” Ryan replied respectfully. He’d asked before, but the old man hadn’t answered.
“You’re from the Azure Tide Ruins, aren’t you? Don’t be surprised—I have my reasons for saying this. Your identity is very special, and the Netherworld really isn’t suited for you. Why did you come here?” the old man asked.
Those words hit Ryan like a thunderclap. Of course he was shocked; for a moment, he didn’t know how to answer. But the old man didn’t seem hostile, so Ryan thought for a bit and said, “Why do you say that, Senior? How did you figure it out?”
Ryan didn’t answer directly—he still wasn’t sure of the old man’s motives. If the old man wanted Ryan to take them back to the Azure Tide Ruins, there was no way he could do it. He had to be careful.
“You have the aura of a sacred beast—if I’m not mistaken, it’s the White Tiger. And you didn’t come alone; at least three others came with you. I wonder where they are now?” the old man said with a smile.
“How do you know there are three of us? Who are you, Senior? I don’t think we’ve ever met!” Ryan couldn’t stay calm—this old guy was incredible, and Ryan had to figure him out. If he tried anything against Luna, Evan, or Roxy, it would be a disaster.
“The Netherworld Gate was sealed ten thousand years ago, and no one from the Azure Tide Ruins has appeared here since. You carry a faint trace of Stellar Power—it’s weak, but I can sense it.
Of course, only a tiny handful of humans can sense this aura, so don’t worry about your friends’ identities getting exposed. Since you showed up here, I’m sure at least three others did too—maybe more, but the entrance can only transfer up to six people at once.” The old man explained…