After mastering Windshift, Evan Chu’s instant-movement speed and range improved dramatically. The wind howled past his ears as he traveled, and before long he arrived in Skyspear City. He found the Shade Lord, explained his intentions, and then hurriedly left.
Naturally, the Shade Lord agreed to Evan’s request. These days, even if Evan weren’t his son-in-law, the Shade Lord wouldn’t dare offend someone with his current strength.
Evan pressed on with his journey, and after half an hour arrived at the Netherkin Royal City. He didn’t go inside, but instead used secret sound transmission to summon Nether Monarch Ming to meet him.
If not for Evan, Nether Monarch Ming would’ve died long ago at Zander Xiang’s hands. On top of past misunderstandings, the monarch was sure to come.
After a short wait, Nether Monarch Ming arrived. Seeing Evan, he asked, “Why not come inside and sit for a while? I could at least prepare some wine and we could share a drink!”
“I asked you out here because there’s something important. The drinks can wait. The Human King candidate has been decided—it’s a Human woman named Lillian Zhang. I’d like you and the Shade Lord to go congratulate her when the time comes, and make sure you don’t offend her. Her strength isn’t much weaker than mine. I was in such a rush that I forgot to give her anything; here are five thousand Netherstones, please pass them on for me. She really needs Netherstones right now.” As Evan finished, he took out Zander Xiang’s storage ring from his own.
Of course, the Netherghost Violet Lotus had already been taken out, so aside from the Netherstones, nothing else was left in the ring. Nether Monarch Ming was shrewd—he knew exactly what Evan meant, so he smiled and said, “I’ll prepare a generous gift for her myself. Don’t worry!”
“Alright, I’ll be leaving for a while. I’ll have to trouble you with this matter. If you run into Faye and the others, please help explain—I didn’t tell them I was leaving.” Evan said.
“Go on, just be careful!” Nether Monarch Ming replied. Evan then left the Netherkin Royal City and, following Lillian Zhang’s directions, flew south. Half a day later, he arrived at a desolate, uninhabited desert.
Evan stopped midair, looking down at the yellow sands below. “This really is a bitter, cold place,” he muttered. “I wonder where the entrance to the Death‑Tower Grounds is.”
“Let Jade Chu help you. With her spiritual sense, she should be able to find it easily. I think you should bring both of them out—since the Death‑Tower Grounds is so dangerous, having them with you adds another layer of safety.” Luna said.
“Why aren’t you coming out? I’d really like to see you. It’s been so long, I still miss you, you know.” Evan grinned, and with a thought, Jade Chu and Tom Chu appeared at his side.
“Big Brother, you finally remembered to let us out! We’ve been cooped up in the storage ring way too long. I need some fresh air!” Jade Chu said.
“Big Brother, this is just a desert! Why’d you bring us here? It’s not pretty at all. How about we go somewhere else?” Tom Chu complained.
“Tom, don’t mess around. Big Brother has something important for Jade to help with. There’s a giant stone stele somewhere in these yellow sands, with the words ‘Death‑Tower Grounds’ carved on it. That’s where we’re headed, and it’s extremely dangerous—so you both need to be careful.” Evan said.
“Give me a second, Big Brother, I’ll use my spiritual sense to scout for you!” Jade Chu said.
With Jade Chu and Tom Chu by his side, Evan had a lot fewer headaches. He truly regarded the two of them as little brother and sister from the bottom of his heart.
“I won’t come out, Evan. Last time I used the Immortal‑Slaying Sword Array, it already drew the attention of the Imperial Palace Sect. If I show up again, they might send someone after me—and that would be a real problem.” Luna said.
What Luna didn’t know was that she’d already attracted attention last time. Her fiancé, Logan Vaughn, had been sent down to search for her. Now, descending to the lower realm is a hassle—several top experts have to join forces to tear open the void, and they’re still short one Immortal Emperor, who won’t be out of seclusion for another six months. Otherwise, Luna’s slightest move would’ve brought them running.
After a while, Jade Chu said, “Big Brother, there’s a huge stone stele about a thousand miles to the left, but I couldn’t see if there were any words—it was during a sandstorm, so I couldn’t make it out. There’s another stele to the right, but it’s much smaller. Which one do you want to check out?”
“We’ll check both—let’s look at the one on the right first. If it’s not the right one, we’ll go to the left. Are you two flying over, or should I carry you?” Evan asked.
“Of course you should carry us, Big Brother! You’re so fast, why would we waste our own energy? Isn’t that right, Tom?” Jade Chu said.
“Jade’s right. Hard labor like this is Big Brother’s job. You don’t expect us to do all the work, do you?” Tom Chu chimed in.
Evan shot the two of them a look. “I really can’t do anything with you two. Fine, Big Brother will carry you!”
Evan grabbed them by the hands, and with a flash, instant-moved toward the dangerous spot Jade Chu had described. In the blink of an eye, they were standing in front of the stele.
Evan glanced at the stele and saw there were no words on it. Its surface was rough and uneven—probably just an ordinary stone. The fact that a single stone stood out among all the yellow sand was weird enough, but what was stranger was that the sand hadn’t buried it.
Even though it was odd, Evan didn’t plan to stick around. If the other stele turned out to be the right one, he could always come back later—he didn’t want to waste time here.
He grabbed Jade Chu and Tom Chu again and flew toward the other stele. Just as quickly, they arrived; the sandstorm had passed, but the air was still thick with dust.
Evan looked at the stele and saw that this one actually had words—four characters, though they were blurry and unfamiliar. Still, he was sure it said ‘Death‑Tower Grounds.’
Evan felt a surge of excitement. He was about to enter the Death‑Tower Grounds, but had no idea what awaited him. He was certain, though, that something heaven‑defying lay inside.
After carefully checking the surroundings, Evan still couldn’t figure out where the entrance was. Aside from the special stele, it was just endless yellow sand—he had no idea which way to go.
Just as he was hesitating, Tom Chu spoke up: “Big Brother, why aren’t you going in? Why are you just standing here?”
“Tom, I don’t know how to get in! It’s all sand—I can’t find the way. Do you know?” Evan blurted, suddenly realizing.
“The entrance? It’s right in front of you, Big Brother. There’s a little illusion gate here—you just have to look closely and you’ll see it. There’s an energy fluctuation, too. Try it and see for yourself!” Tom Chu said.