The streets of Nine-Shade City were even livelier than the Royal Capital of the Heavenly Dragon Kingdom back in the day. People from all five major races bustled about. When Evan Chu first entered, he hadn't paid much attention, but now he was a little surprised.
Not only were there quite a few people at the eighth or ninth layer of the Saint Martial Realm, but even some Venerable Martial experts were present—and they came from every race. This really was a place full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
“Roxy, do you know what you want to buy? Nine-Shade City is pretty big—maybe we’ll run into something rare.” Evan Chu tried to start a conversation.
“I haven’t decided what to buy yet. Let’s look around first! See all those people gathered up ahead? Want to go check it out?” Roxy pointed to a spot not far away.
“Let’s go have a look. It’s rare to get a peaceful day—hopefully that brat Ivy doesn’t wake up too soon!” Evan Chu said.
“Don’t mention her in front of me. Just thinking about it pisses me off. But since it’s already happened, I hope you won’t make the same mistake again. Otherwise, don’t expect me to pay you any attention—let alone let you touch me.” Roxy said.
“That might be a bit tough. To get stronger, I have to absorb a woman’s yin qi. I might need to absorb one more woman’s yin qi, Roxy—but I promise you, this will be the last. Deal?” Evan Chu said. He had to absorb Faye Knox’s yin qi, or he’d be no match for the real powerhouses of the Netherworld.
“One more? Evan, are you trying to piss me off on purpose? I already put up with Princess Ivy as my last concession, and now you want to push it even further? Do you really think us sisters are so easy to bully? Before we came to the Netherworld, Sophia and Serena told me to keep an eye on you and not let you mess around with other women. But you just keep going, one after another! How am I supposed to explain this to them when we get back? I promised them!” Roxy snapped, instantly furious.
“Roxy, this is a world where the weak get eaten alive. If you don’t have strength, you’ll just get bullied. I have a huge mission to carry out—even if you all disagree, I’ll still do what I have to. As my woman, you should understand how tough this is for me, not make it harder or give me more to worry about. I know you’re the most understanding of all the sisters, so I hope you can see where I’m coming from.
Do you really think I fall in love with every woman I meet? If that were true, I’d have more women than the emperor! This is the Netherworld, not Azure Tide Ruins—danger is everywhere. Here, we don’t have friends or family to rely on. If trouble comes, no one’s going to help us. So we can only depend on ourselves, and the simplest way is to get stronger. As long as our strength is overwhelming, all the problems and dangers we run into will be solved.” Evan said seriously to Roxy.
Of all his women, Evan felt the deepest bond with Roxy—she definitely ranked second. First place was, without a doubt, Selene Xuanyuan. Dream Princess would probably be third. As for the others, he’d need to think carefully before deciding.
Roxy didn’t speak; she just stood there quietly. After a long moment, she finally smiled and said, “Evan, I’ll support you—no matter what you do. I’ve thought it through. No matter how many women you have, I won’t mind, because I know I have a place in your heart. I was your first woman, and nothing can ever change that.”
“Roxy, I’m relieved to hear you say that. Let’s go see what treasures the Netherworld has to offer!” Evan said, grabbing Roxy’s soft hand and squeezing into the crowd.
The vendor was a human—a middle-aged man whose strength was impossible to gauge, probably on purpose. He’d laid out several items in front of him: pitch-black stones, sparkling gems, and a single blood-red flower. The flower was special, giving off a mysterious vibe; Evan could tell at a glance it was no ordinary herb.
The crowd was gathered for the flower—most had never seen it before, but some recognized it. Just then, an old man in the crowd spoke up: “How much for that Bloodsoul Flower? Name your price!”
“Bloodsoul Flower? So that really is a Bloodsoul Flower! I’ve never seen one before!” someone in the crowd exclaimed.
“I’ve heard Bloodsoul Flowers are insanely vicious. If you grind one into powder and someone takes it, even Venerable Martial experts won’t survive. It’s a truly rare medicinal herb.” another person said.
Evan was instantly shaken. He remembered clearly—the Obsidian Tortoise Clan’s patriarch had once asked him, if he ever came to the Netherworld, to bring back a Bloodsoul Flower so they could use it against the Mystic Whale Clan. But with his current strength, killing the Mystic Whales’ strongest experts was no longer a problem, so he didn’t need the flower anymore.
Evan decided to pass on the Bloodsoul Flower. As nice as it was, it wouldn’t do much for him—and judging by the looks of things, it was bound to be expensive. He didn’t need to make a splash.
“One hundred thousand Netherstones. Not a single stone less. If you want it, buy it.” The vendor said simply, then fell silent.
“One hundred thousand Netherstones? That’s insanely expensive. I wonder who could even afford it.” someone in the crowd said.
“Let’s go, Roxy. There’s nothing worth watching here!” Evan said.
“Evan, you really are an idiot. A heaven-sent opportunity is right in front of you and you don’t even recognize it. What am I supposed to say to you?” Luna, the Sword Spirit, suddenly spoke up.
“You mean that Bloodsoul Flower? It costs a hundred thousand Netherstones—I’m not wasting that kind of money. If I want to kill the Mystic Whale Clan’s experts, I have more than enough strength now.” Evan said.
“Evan, why are you just standing there? Weren’t you going to leave?” Roxy asked, puzzled by his sudden freeze.
“Wait, Luna’s talking to me—don’t interrupt!” Evan said to Roxy. “So it’s not the Bloodsoul Flower? Is it those two beads on the ground?”
“That’s right, you’re not completely hopeless. I don’t recognize those two beads myself, but I can tell they’re extraordinary. You have to buy them, no matter the cost. I have a strong feeling they’re related to the light and darkness elements. I’ve never seen those elements before, but I’m sure of it.” Luna urged anxiously.
Evan was startled. The final two transformations of Ninefold Stellar Transformation were the Light and Darkness stages. According to Luna, no one had ever mastered them—because they couldn’t obtain the Light Spirit Pearl or Darkness Spirit Pearl.
These two beads didn’t look exactly like Spirit Pearls, but they were definitely related. If he could get them, maybe he’d finally have a shot at the Light and Darkness Pearls.
Thinking it through, Evan immediately asked the vendor, “How much for these two beads?”
The middle-aged man glanced at Evan, looking slightly surprised, then said, “Two hundred thousand Netherstones for both. Not a single stone less…”
PS: Please give Xiaoxiao some motivation to keep writing!