What Evan Chu was doing now was actually extremely risky. If the Beast King chose to self-detonate at this moment, then no matter how strong Evan's defense was, he'd be torn apart by the overwhelming blast. Luna, the sword spirit, was so frustrated she wanted to smack him.
"Lin Feng, you maniac, get back here! If the Beast King self-destructs, even I can't protect you!" Luna shouted anxiously.
"I know it's dangerous, but the Beast King's storage ring is way too tempting. I can't just let it slip by. Don't worry, Luna, I know what I'm doing!" Evan said, stepping up to face the Beast King.
At the same time, he spoke to Jade Chu and Tom Chu inside the storage ring: "Protect me! This guy's self-detonation will be brutal—I can't take it alone. You two need to give it everything you've got!"
"Don't worry, Big Bro. Just now, not even the Ghost King's 'Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Soul' could break through Tom's defense. Even if this guy self-destructs, he can't hurt you. This time, I'll shield you, and Tom can see just how awesome his sister really is." Jade Chu said.
"Sis, you have to protect Big Bro! Or I can add another layer of defense barrier on him, just to make sure he's totally safe." Tom Chu spoke up immediately.
"That's fine too! But your barrier might end up just like mine last time—completely unnecessary. Let's get started, Tom!" Jade Chu replied.
Evan felt a surge of emotion at their words. Having these two treasure spirits was the greatest luck of his life—without them, he really would be in danger. Just then, two faint glows, one blue and one yellow, appeared around his body.
"Beast King, are you really going to blow yourself up? You're a monarch of the Dragon Clan, and you resort to something so pathetic? You're disgracing our whole clan! I'll give you one last chance—hand over your storage ring, and I'll spare your life. You'll still have a shot at revenge. If you choose to self-destruct, that's it—no more chances.
Do you really think your self-detonation can hurt me? If I'm standing here, it's because I know exactly how powerful it is. Don't throw your life away for nothing—this is your final chance. My patience is running out, so go ahead, try me if you don't believe it." Evan said coldly.
The Beast King was at a loss—if he self-destructed now, he’d die for sure, but what if he couldn’t even hurt Evan? That would be a pointless death. Watching Evan stand so calmly in front of him, maybe he really wasn’t afraid. But giving up his storage ring was unthinkable. For a moment, he was torn, his energy fluctuations growing chaotic.
"I know you’re hesitating. Let me be straight with you: soon, I’m going to wipe out the Netherkin and the humans, and let the Shade Clan rule the Netherworld for real. If you stay alive, maybe you’ll get a chance to team up with the Nether Monarch and Human King to take me down. That’s your only shot at revenge. If you die now, you’ll never get another chance." Evan continued.
"Dream on if you think you’ll get my storage ring! I’d rather die than let you win. As a Nether Dragon, I have my pride—even if I can’t kill you, I won’t cling to life like a coward!" the Beast King roared, his energy turning wild and violent.
"Heh, what’s so great about reckless courage? You really think that makes you a hero? If you let go of your hatred, maybe I’ll let your Beast Clan stay independent, just because you’re a fellow dragon. That’s my promise to you. If you don’t believe me, suit yourself. But don’t forget—I’m a Golden Dragon. My word is ironclad." Evan said, though inside he was worried. If the Beast King didn’t buy it, all his talking would be for nothing.
The Beast King’s energy calmed a bit after hearing this. "You mean it? You’d really let my Beast Clan go?"
Seeing the Beast King soften, Evan immediately replied, "I’m a Golden Dragon—my word counts. Of course, you don’t have to trust me, but I’m done wasting breath. Are you in or not? If you think I’m lying, then go ahead and self-destruct—I’d love to see how strong it really is. Don’t forget, not even the Ghost King’s Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Soul could break my defense. The Golden Dragon Clan’s power isn’t something you can imagine."
The Beast King struggled inside. Sometimes, a king had to make sacrifices for his clan. Thinking of Evan’s strength, he decided to gamble—if Evan really would spare him, great. If not, he could still self-destruct later.
"Fine, I’ll agree—but you have to promise never to attack my Beast Clan again. Otherwise, I’d rather die than hand over my storage ring!" the Beast King said.
"You can count on it. I, Evan Chu, always keep my word. I came to the Netherworld to revive the Dragon Clan, and I’ll be leaving soon. You’re a fellow dragon, so you have a duty. Before I go, I’ll clear some obstacles for you. Now, hand over the storage ring!" Evan said.
The Beast King opened his mouth and spat out a black ring. Evan teleported it into his hand and laughed. "I promised not to kill you, so I won’t. But if you want to revive your Beast Clan, you’d better not side with the Nether Monarch or Human King against me. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee I’ll spare you next time!"
"Of course I understand. Just don’t go back on your word!" the Beast King said worriedly.
At this point, Evan felt awkward about killing him. He was just about to leave when suddenly a flash appeared between his brows—a silvery-white miniature sword shot out, instantly transforming into the figure of a young woman.
Evan was startled. He didn’t understand why Luna would show up now. He was about to ask, but saw the little sword in her hand suddenly grow huge, then fly into the air and split into countless sword shadows. Ten massive swords appeared before the Beast King.
"Luna, what are you doing? Are you really going to kill him?" Evan asked in shock.
"That’s right. He’s way too strong—if you let him go, it’s like releasing a tiger back into the wild. If he joins forces with the Nether Monarch and Human King, do you really think you can take on all three at once? Lin Feng, sometimes you can’t afford to be too merciful. You should know that by now." Luna said.
She immediately activated the Immortal-Slaying Sword Array. The ten swords grew to enormous size, and since the Beast King had trusted Evan and stopped channeling his Netherforce, he couldn’t self-destruct anymore. Panicking, he shouted, "You faithless scoundrel—even if I die, I won’t forgive you!"
Suddenly, blue light erupted from the Beast King’s body. All the blood in the huge crater surged skyward, weaving itself into a bizarre six-pointed star in midair.
Luna saw the hexagram and was startled too. Without hesitating, she sent the ten giant swords slashing at the Beast King. Just then, the Beast King’s body shrank sharply, and a blue pillar of light shot toward the hexagram. Instantly, the dragon-blood hexagram blazed with light, illuminating the whole battlefield.
"Lin Feng, dodge! This is the Nether Dragon clan’s exclusive Death Blood Hex—it’ll inflict massive damage on you!" Luna shouted.
"Death Blood Hex? What the hell is that?" Evan asked, baffled. He’d never even heard of the name before…