Evan Chu couldn't help but smile inwardly after hearing this. Wasn't this almost the same as back at Heavenly Dragon Academy? Only, back then it was the Misty Forest, and now it's the Land of the Undead. As for this trial, he was confident he could easily collect a hundred wooden tokens.
Now that he had mastered Fivefold Element-Shift, sneaking up on opponents after hiding his presence was way too easy. Maybe he could even absorb some ghost-qi or grab a few Netherstones while he was at it. Just thinking about it made his heart race with excitement.
Just then, the yellow sands began to shake violently, and a gigantic stone gate erupted from beneath the sand. Evan took one look and knew this had to be the Teleportation Gate that guy mentioned earlier—only, this gate was absolutely massive, the biggest he'd ever seen.
"Everyone, enter in order. Necropolis City is extremely dangerous inside. There are also members of all five major races, but these people have lost their minds. If you run into them, they'll chase you endlessly. The only way to shake them off is to cut them down—don't hesitate, just kill! Because these undead can illusionarily transform into the faces of your dearest loved ones—maybe your parents, maybe your lover, maybe your siblings!
At the same time, these undead might drop some very strange items, and those will be a huge help in the next elimination round. Do your best to get them! All right, future elites—fight for your dreams! When time's up, you'll be teleported back here, so don't worry about finding the exit." The overseer's voice rang out again.
Soon after, everyone filed into the Teleportation Gate one by one, and before long, all the contestants were sent away. At that moment, two figures appeared in the sky—both middle-aged men, their looks not much different from humans.
"City Lord, do you think we'll get any surprises this time? Last time, one of the elite disciples managed to collect over six hundred wooden tokens and more than three hundred Phantasites. Hopefully, someone will surpass that record!" one of the middle-aged men said.
"I doubt it. I just scanned their strength a moment ago—the strongest among them is only at early eighth-layer Saint Martial Realm. Last time, the champion was ninth-layer Saint Martial. You and I both know the gap between those realms. Even ten eighth-layer experts might not be able to beat a single ninth-layer one.
Right now, it's a turbulent time. Our Ghost Clan may be the strongest of the five races, but the Netherkin and Humans aren't to be underestimated either. Things have been peaceful for a long while, but I bet war will break out again soon. The Ghost King is still in seclusion, so we have to do everything we can to nurture top talent. You'll have your work cut out for you this time," the other middle-aged man said.
This middle-aged man was actually the City Lord of Grimchart City, already at first-layer Venerable Martial Realm. He was famous for his thirst for talent—anyone he set his sights on, he'd do everything in his power to cultivate. Most of the Ghost Clan held him in great respect.
"City Lord, this is my duty. For the strength of our Ghost Clan, I'll give everything I've got, even if it kills me!" the middle-aged man said solemnly.
This middle-aged man was the same one speaking just now—the commander of this tournament. He was already at peak ninth-layer Saint Martial Realm, making him the second strongest in Grimchart City, right behind City Lord Victor Wang.
At that moment, Evan was teleported into a dense forest, surrounded by towering trees dozens of meters high, all with bright red leaves that looked stunning. Even the weeds on the ground were red, giving the place an indescribable beauty.
Evan swept his divine sense over the area and found nothing unusual—within several hundred meters, there wasn't a single Ghost Clan contestant in sight.
"No way, is the Land of the Undead really that huge? With only half a month to get a hundred wooden tokens, this is actually kind of tough," Evan muttered to himself.
"Lin Feng, the Land of the Undead is a famous place in the Netherworld. Its danger is no less than the Divine Battlefield. You need to stay on high alert—lots of creatures here use illusion arts, so be extra careful," Luna said at that moment.
Evan was feeling bored, so Luna's words gave him something to talk about. He asked, "So what's the deal with Necropolis City? Why call it 'Undead'? Are there really that many dead people in there?"
"That's right. There are not just dead people, but living ones too. You could run into anyone from the five major races in there. The Land of the Undead is a special zone—lots of people and monsters will erupt from underground, and most of them are skeletons, seriously tough ones," Luna explained.
"So it's a special zone? Is it like the Misty Forest—created by someone powerful?" Evan asked. When he couldn't figure something out, he could only ask Luna.
"That, I'm not sure about. But I can tell you this much: this so-called Netherworld is actually just a tiny offshoot of the real Netherworld—a branch so small you can't even imagine. The real Netherworld is so vast that even with your current teleportation speed, it would take hundreds of years to fly from one end to the other."
And the true ruler of the Netherworld isn't called the Netherworld Lord, but the Nether King—a being whose power is beyond anything you can imagine. For now, don't overthink it. Just keep an eye out, because at any moment something might erupt from underground and attack you," Luna warned.
Evan was a bit stunned—this was just too much. Flying for hundreds of years? How big was this place? The Azure Tide Ruins must be just a tiny speck compared to the real Netherworld. He honestly couldn't figure out what kind of world Luna came from; everything about it sounded utterly mind-blowing.
Evan glanced around the forest and decided to leave the woods first. Maybe then he'd run into some Ghost Clan contestants—if he cut them down, he'd get their wooden tokens.
He focused his mind, ready to take flight—but suddenly realized he couldn't fly at all. The Chaos Dragon Force inside him still flowed perfectly, but he just couldn't take to the air. Shifting Position worked, but true teleportation was out. Evan was genuinely shocked by this.
With the Land of the Undead so huge, how was he supposed to gather a hundred wooden tokens without being able to fly? He started to get anxious and quickly asked Luna, "Sis Luna, why can't I fly here? What's going on?"
"I forgot to mention—actually, you can fly in the Land of the Undead, but you need a certain amount of Phantasite. There's an invisible force here that stops you from using heaven-and-earth power, but if you get enough Phantasite, you can break through that suppression. So, if you want a top score, you have to collect Phantasite first.
You can only get Phantasite from the creatures or people in the Land of the Undead. Go for it, Lin Feng! I believe you can do it!" Luna encouraged.
After hearing all this, Evan was no longer surprised by the wonders of this place. He kept using Shifting Position—each time, he could move nearly a hundred meters, almost as fast as flying. Soon, he left the forest and arrived at a barren stretch of yellow earth.
He scanned the area with his divine sense—still no sign of any Ghost Clan contestants who'd entered with him. But not far away, he sensed faint energy fluctuations. "Could it be...?" Evan wondered, instantly alert.
He dashed toward the source of the energy, but stopped about ten meters away. Luna had said these creatures were fierce—if that was true, he'd better be careful.
Quickly, Evan drew his Frostblade from his storage ring and crept toward the source of the energy fluctuation. Suddenly, the ground shook violently—a gigantic white skeleton, several meters tall, burst out from the yellow earth.
It was the skeleton of a Netherbeast—no flesh anywhere, just bone. Yet, in its eye sockets, a glowing core shone eerily, and the whole skeleton was wrapped in a kind of energy Evan had never seen before.
A hoarse roar, like something from the depths of hell, erupted from the skeletal monster. Evan had no idea how the thing could make noise—it was all bone, yet somehow it moved. It was downright freaky.
The skeleton monster suddenly rushed at Evan, its bones spreading out like a forest of spikes, while its four limbs anchored its body. The whole thing happened so weirdly and suddenly that, even with Evan's caution, he was caught off guard.
Instinctively, Evan darted backward, narrowly avoiding the monster's bone spikes. "What the hell is this thing? How can it be alive, and why is its attack so bizarre?" Evan shouted in frustration.
"That's a Bonewraith, part of the Netherkin, but also considered a Ghost Clan creation. It's the most common creature in the Land of the Dead, and also the weakest—usually not even reaching Saint Martial Realm. With your defenses, it can't hurt you at all. I really don't get why you backed off," Luna said with a hint of disdain.
"How was I supposed to know what would pop up? Didn't you say this place was super dangerous? Of course I have to be careful—better safe than sorry. If this thing's weak, I'll just kill it and see if it drops any Phantasite," Evan replied.
"Most Bonewraiths don't have Phantasite, but a few do—it's all up to your luck!" Luna said.
Evan grinned. "I've always been lucky—watch this!" He swung Frostblade in a wide arc, unleashing Earth Slash. The Bonewraith's bones shattered, scattering in all directions.
But then Evan saw a small red stone fall from the Bonewraith's skull. "Phantasite?" he murmured nervously, and quickly darted forward to grab the stone.