"So, Nether Monarch, it seems your clone is nothing special after all. If I wanted to kill you, I could do it anytime. But out of respect for our years of friendship, I'll let you off this once. I suggest you take care of yourself." Zander Xiang said.
"If you think you're so tough, go ahead and try. My Nether-Soul Spirit-Rending Slash isn't something you want to mess with. If I have to, I'll just hand the win to the Ghost King. If you're dreaming of the Human Clan unifying the Netherworld, Zander Xiang, that's never going to happen." the Nether Monarch retorted angrily.
"Fine, you're tough. I won't bother with you today. My main goal in coming here is to kill the one who murdered my disciple. Once that's done, I'll settle things with you later. If you still don't know your place by then, don't blame me for wiping out the Netherkin Clan. Don't think I can't do it." Zander Xiang said.
"Want to kill Evan Chu? I don't think you're qualified. Even if you weren't injured, you still wouldn't be his match. Do you know who he is? If I told you his true identity, you'd be scared to death!" the Nether Monarch replied.
"Heh, there's no one in the Netherworld whose identity could make me flinch. Not even those from the Death-Tower Grounds, let alone some snot-nosed brat. If you're going to try and bluff me, Nether Monarch, at least come up with something believable. Do you really think I'd buy such a weak excuse?" Zander Xiang laughed.
But just then, a hearty laugh rang out in the sky: "Old man, you're pretty strong—actually managed to beat the Nether Monarch. Guess I underestimated you. You even made it into the Death-Tower Grounds? Not bad at all."
As the voice appeared, Evan Chu and Faye Knox were already at the Nether Monarch's side. Seeing her father so badly wounded, Faye Knox instantly flared up: "Zander Xiang, you have to die today! How dare you hurt my father—take this!"
Before Faye could attack, Evan Chu stopped her. "Faye, don't be reckless. You're no match for this old bastard. Take care of your father instead—and you'd better get away from here. Leave this guy to me. As for the issues between me and your father, we'll settle those when I get back!"
Faye Knox wanted to protest, but when she saw the determination in Evan Chu's eyes, she immediately fell silent. The Nether Monarch, meanwhile, laughed and said, "Frostbane, Zander Xiang is seriously strong. He's mastered the Clone Grand Art. If you can't beat him, you'd better run—I trust that with your speed, he won't be able to catch you."
"Don't worry, Nether Monarch. Even if he's mastered the Clone Grand Art, I'm not afraid. You focus on recovering—I'll handle him. We'll talk about my issues with you when I get back!" With that, Evan Chu flashed forward, appearing right in front of Zander Xiang.
Zander Xiang could hear every word exchanged between Evan Chu and the Nether Monarch. The brat was flat-out ignoring him—talk about arrogance! Old and new grudges made Zander’s heart bleed with rage. “You’ve actually got the guts to come back here, kill my beloved disciple, defile Cindy, and still act like you’re some big shot? You’re no better than a beast! If I don’t tear you to pieces, I’m letting you off way too easy!”
Evan Chu just grinned, unfazed. “Oh? Double Domain? Or are you going to pull out your Clone Grand Art? I’m honestly curious how you got into the Death-Tower Grounds. How about we chat a bit before we start smashing each other’s faces?” he said, completely unconcerned. Now that he’d broken through to Seventh-Layer Saint Martial, his power was several times what it used to be—he wasn’t afraid of Zander anymore.
“You talk too damn much, brat! Eat my palm!” Zander Xiang roared, then shot out his hand with a thunderous wind, slamming it straight at Evan Chu.
Evan didn’t dodge. Instead, he swung his fist to meet the blow head-on. This was the perfect chance to test how strong he’d become after breaking through. He poured eighty percent of his strength into that punch.
Back in the day, Zander Xiang could block even Evan’s Star-Cleave head-on—his attack and defense were off the charts. This eighty-percent punch would be enough to probe his true strength.
Seeing Evan Chu actually dare to clash with him directly, Zander’s lips curled into a smug grin. This punk really thinks he’s hot stuff? Let’s see how you die this time! Zander laughed to himself.
His palm strike looked casual, but he was actually using at least ninety percent of his power. For someone he hated to the bone, he wasn’t holding back a bit. If he could kill Evan outright, great. If not, he’d take his time and play him to death.
Nice plan—except the result was nothing like he expected. The storm of energy from their fists and palms shook the space, kicking up dust that filled the sky like the end of the world.
Their attacks collided in an instant. Evan’s fist carried the power of the Five-Elements and lightning—its raw force was every bit as deadly as Star-Cleave, maybe even stronger.
Zander thought his palm strike would crush Evan, but the moment their powers clashed, he realized he was dead wrong. It was like smashing into a steel wall—his arm throbbed with pain despite his monstrous defense.
Strangely enough, he also felt a kind of numbness, and for the first time ever, his palm split open, blood dripping nonstop. The powerful recoil sent him flying hundreds of meters before he could steady himself. His arm was completely useless, as if the bones had shattered from the impact.
Zander Xiang could never have imagined this. In just two days, the brat seemed like a completely different person—his attack power now surpassed Zander’s own. If the Nether Monarch was the only one in the Netherworld who could match him, then Evan Chu had now become the enemy he feared most.
Evan Chu was also sent flying hundreds of meters by Zander’s strike, but he wasn’t hurt at all. His fist just tingled a little, but the pain faded quickly. This clash showed him the gap between their strengths—he was now more than qualified to crush Zander.
With a flash, Evan appeared before Zander Xiang, grinning. “Old man, looks like your strength is nothing special. How’s the taste—arm gone numb and can’t lift it? I told you we should’ve talked, but you just had to come for my life. Did you really think I was easy prey? Why don’t we chat about the Death-Tower Grounds now?”
Zander Xiang’s face turned liver-colored with rage at Evan’s words. “You’ve gone too far, brat! Your strength really is incredible—maybe you’re the strongest opponent I’ve ever faced. But if you think that means you can beat me, you’re dreaming.”
Evan laughed, “Angry now, huh? Human King? With that look, you think you deserve the title? Do you even know what a woman tastes like? Ever heard their sweet moans under you? You’re a virgin ant and you call yourself Human King? Human scum fits you better. Ready to use your Double Domain now? Hahaha!” Evan’s booming voice echoed through the world.
The killing intent around Zander Xiang surged. “You must die today!” It was as if he’d run out of words—other than swearing Evan’s death, he couldn’t say anything else. He was like a crazed tiger, ready to devour Evan alive.
Evan soon noticed the change in the surrounding space. After breaking through to Seventh-Layer Saint Martial, his perception of spatial elements had grown keener. A tremendous pressure bore down on him, but now he could withstand it directly—unlike back in Trinity Waters City.
It was the same water-fire elemental domain. Under this Double Domain, Evan felt like he was carrying tens of thousands of pounds on his back. With his current physique, it was like the pressure he’d faced in the gravity chamber before—very strong, but he could endure it. Maybe this was another way to temper his body.
If Zander Xiang knew Evan Chu was using his Double Domain as body-tempering practice, he’d probably cough up blood in frustration. Seeing Evan immobilized by the domain’s pressure, Zander laughed, “Thought you were tough, huh? Now you can’t even speak? Still, I have to admit, you’re the first to last this long under my Double Domain—you should be proud.”
Evan burst out laughing, “Old man, you really think your Double Domain is something special? The pressure’s not bad—I was just using it for body training. Water-fire domain? My domain is the Five-Elements. Want to give it a try?”
Zander was so shocked he couldn’t speak. He’d thought Evan was barely hanging on, unable to talk, but Evan was perfectly relaxed. Even worse, he was using Zander’s Double Domain as body training! Who was this guy? Too freakish—getting mixed up with him was pure bad luck.
“Five-Elements Domain? You think you can use domains?” Zander said. “I’ll admit your defense is strong, but it won’t be easy to break out of my Double Domain. Since that’s the case, I’ll send you on your way early—no sense letting things drag out.”
He immediately produced a sword as thin as a cicada’s wing. Evan laughed, “Old man, planning to slice me up again? Why not bring out your clones? Otherwise, you’re no match for me. This is your last chance—don’t waste it.”
Actually, when Zander pulled out the sword, Evan had already resonated with the water and fire elements in the Double Domain, and the pressure vanished. He thought about using those elements to counterattack, but wanted to test his Star-Cleave’s strength instead. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t use Divine-Cleave; he’d tried back in Faye Knox’s boudoir.
The method for using Divine-Cleave just wouldn’t appear in his mind. Evan knew it was probably because he wasn’t strong enough. Even at Seventh-Layer Saint Martial, he still couldn’t use Divine-Cleave. How powerful would it be, anyway? Maybe when he finally could, he’d be able to destroy half the Netherworld…