Evan Chu reached out to touch Luna’s body, and was startled to find a faint but real sensation, as if she truly existed—though it was so weak it almost felt illusory. The feeling was strange and confusing.
“Wh-what’s going on? Are you about to recover your body?” Evan blurted out in shock.
Luna chuckled, “Heh, how could that be? I’ll need your help to fully restore my body. The reason you can feel me at all now is because you broke through to the Saint Martial Realm—I can recover about a third of my body’s form. As for Jade Chu being able to hold my hand, it’s because she’s an artifact spirit too, and we share certain unique traits. You’ll understand more in the future.”
Hearing this, Evan’s heart stirred. He immediately pulled Luna into his arms. The sensation was ethereal but still somewhat real—being able to hold Luna close was something Evan had always dreamed of, and now it was finally coming true, even if only barely.
Luna didn’t resist; instead, she quietly nestled against Evan’s chest. She’d been waiting for this moment for a long time too—if her body was fully restored right now, she wouldn’t hesitate to give Evan her first kiss.
“Luna, I swear I’ll help you recover your body. I don’t know if you’ll leave me once you’re whole again, but even if you do, I’ll find a way to bring you back—because I love you,” Evan said.
“Let’s worry about the future when it comes. For now, your realm has already broken through—it’s time to focus on our mission in the Netherworld. Netherghost Violet Orchids may be rare, but I believe you’ll be able to get plenty,” Luna said softly.
A mountain breeze drifted by, carrying Luna’s faint body fragrance into Evan’s nose—a subtle, unique scent that, once smelled, could never be forgotten. Evan let go of Luna and said, “No matter how bitter or hard things get, I’ll make it happen—for you. Let’s go see how many Ghost Clan people Faye Knox has slaughtered.”
Luna nodded. Evan grabbed Jade Chu and Luna, and together they soared into the sky. “Big brother, why isn’t there any sun here? The plants aren’t green—what kind of place is this?” Jade Chu asked.
“This is the Netherworld—a place with no moon, stars, or sun. But the people here are really strong. Qing’er, you have to be careful and don’t run off, okay?” Evan warned.
“Of course I won’t run off. I’ll just stick with you, big brother. But this place really isn’t any fun—when are we going home?” Jade Chu asked, looking visibly frustrated.
“We’ll go home once I finish my mission. For now, I need your help, Qing’er. By the way, how far can your divine sense reach these days?” Evan asked.
“Oh, I can see this whole place! But you know, this place is way bigger than the Divine Battlefield—there are even a few spots with restrictions that my divine sense can’t get through,” Jade Chu replied.
Evan was stunned to hear this. Luna’s divine sense could only cover about a third of the Land of the Undead, but Jade Chu could sweep the whole area—her spiritual power was truly incredible.
But on second thought, it made sense—the Wind-Binding Pearl’s artifact spirit had existed for a million years and could even form a physical body. With her help, Evan was like a tiger growing wings in the Netherworld.
Most importantly, she could immobilize enemies. Even if Evan was outmatched, with her ability to lock down opponents, he’d still have a way to kill them.
“Big brother, just tell me what you need—I’ll help with anything I can!” Jade Chu said eagerly, thrilled to be useful to Evan.
“There are lots of Ghost Clan people in the Land of the Undead, and they’re easy to spot because of their thick ghost-qi. Can you scan a few thousand li around us and tell me where the densest clusters are? I need to take their wooden tokens,” Evan explained.
“Ghost-qi? What’s ghost-qi?” Jade Chu asked, puzzled.
Evan was about to show her by covering himself in ghost-qi, but realized all the ghost-qi he’d absorbed before had vanished—probably burned away by his breakthrough. He’d have to absorb more to rebuild his disguise.
“Ghost-qi is a kind of aura that Ghost Clan people have. Most of them are pretty ugly, so they’re easy to spot. With your abilities, Qing’er, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding them,” Evan said, unsure how to explain.
Jade Chu didn’t reply. A cyan light shot from her brow, and after a few breaths she said, “Big brother, there are lots of those people about a thousand li ahead. Should we go check it out?”
Being able to instantly sense things a thousand li away—Jade Chu’s spiritual sense really was extraordinary. Evan immediately grabbed his companions and used instant movement; now that he’d reached the Saint Martial Realm, his teleportation range was much farther, and a thousand li passed in a single blink. It was unbelievable.
The three of them hovered in the air, quietly observing the ground below. Sure enough, over a hundred Ghost Clan people were fighting fiercely—clearly two teams battling to snatch each other’s wooden tokens.
“Wait here for a moment—I need to absorb some ghost-qi first,” Evan said, then flashed down to the battlefield.
Most people didn’t notice Evan’s arrival—everyone was fighting for their lives, too busy to care. Only a few nearby Ghost Clan members saw him appear out of nowhere and found it odd.
Evan didn’t attack right away. Instead, he unleashed the Star-Siphon Method on one Ghost Clan member, wildly drawing in energy. Now that his strength had grown, the Star-Siphon Method was much more powerful—once he locked onto a target, they couldn’t escape, and the absorption was much faster. In less than a minute, he drained all the ghost-qi and energy from his victim.
Draining them dry meant death. In just half a stick of incense, Evan absorbed more than ten Ghost Clan members, and his body was now surrounded by thick ghost-qi. The fighting paused—everyone realized a new enemy had arrived, one both sides would have to face together.
One Ghost Clan fighter shouted at Evan, “Who are you? Why are you absorbing our ghost-qi?”
Such a foolish question made Evan laugh. “You don’t need to know who I am—because you’re all going to die here. Knowing won’t make it any easier!”
It was an outrageous claim. All the Ghost Clan fighters sneered at him, but after seeing how quickly he’d drained their comrades, they were afraid and didn’t dare approach.
“Lin Feng, there’s no need to waste words with them. Now that you’ve broken through to the Saint Martial Realm, why not test your attack power?” Luna’s voice echoed in Evan’s mind.
Evan smiled. “Time to see what Heaven-Cleave can do now!” He darted back a hundred meters, summoned the Frostbane Sword, and unleashed a fierce Heaven-Cleave strike…