The Netherkin girl was slowly approaching Evan Chu, her movements cautious and deliberate. Evan’s display of strength had clearly shocked her; she didn’t believe for a second that he’d really been killed by her attack.
Even at her slow pace, she eventually reached him. But when she was just two meters away, Evan Chu suddenly vanished into thin air right before her eyes.
Aside from the marks left where Evan had crashed into the ground, there was no trace of him at all. The surrounding space showed no hint of energy fluctuations either. The boy’s sudden disappearance was simply unbelievable to her.
She immediately released her spiritual sense to scan the area, searching for any sign of him. But after a long while, she still found nothing. Just as confusion set in, Evan Chu’s voice rang in her ears.
"Hey, silly girl, are you looking for me? I have to admit, your attack packs a punch—almost took this young master’s life. But if that’s all you’ve got, you’re still a bit short of killing me. How about we have a proper chat instead?" Evan Chu appeared five meters behind the girl as he spoke.
He’d picked this spot deliberately—it was far enough to avoid any sudden counterattack from her. Evan had calculated everything in advance.
The girl spun around and stared at this unscathed giant of a youth. "Who are you, really? There’s no one like you among the Ghost Clan’s experts. If you tell the truth, maybe I’ll let you off—for now."
"Heh, are you trying to beg for mercy? That’s easy—if you tell me your name, I’ll tell you mine. Fair trade, right? Don’t think I don’t know who you are. There’s no expert like you in the Ghost Clan, but maybe in the Netherkin, huh?" Evan Chu laughed, his eyes fixed squarely on her, wanting to see her reaction.
Sure enough, his words made the Netherkin girl tremble all over, her face full of shock. She couldn’t understand how this youth had seen through her identity so easily—or maybe she’d already been exposed. She was determined to get to the bottom of it.
"What nonsense are you spouting? What does the Netherkin have to do with me? If you don’t explain yourself today, this won’t end well for you." The girl’s voice was cold and serious, her killing intent so strong it was frightening.
"Heh, you can't do anything to me right now, can you? Relax, I won't spill your secret. How about this—let's make a deal: you let me go and I promise not to say a word about you. Sound fair?" Evan Chu grinned.
The Netherkin girl shot Evan a glance and said coldly, "You think I'd believe you? In my eyes, only the dead can keep secrets—it's the safest way. So you have to die. Your strength is decent, but to me, you're still too weak. This time, I won't hold back."
"Hold back? So you were going easy on me just now? I knew it, you wouldn't really hurt me. After all, I'm the first man who's ever seen your body. From now on, you'll never let another man see you, or you'd be unclean. Am I right?" Evan teased.
"I've seen shameless people before, but never anyone as shameless as you! I'm not some old-fashioned prude—so what if you saw me? Once I kill you, no one will ever know. Give up!" the Netherkin girl snapped, readying her sword for another attack.
"Hey, I said you're naive and you really are. If you could kill me so easily, why would I bother talking so much? Ninth-layer Saint Martial power might terrify others, but to me, it's nothing special. I may not be able to beat you, but you can't stop me from escaping. Don't believe me? Try it. If you push me, I'll tell everyone what happened today and expose your real identity. You'll be hunted by the entire Ghost Clan!" Evan threatened, voice full of bravado.
The Netherkin girl knew Evan wasn't bluffing. His vanishing act earlier proved it—he could disappear right under her nose. Unless she could kill him in one blow, which seemed impossible given his insane defense, she was at a loss for what to do.
Seeing her hesitate, Evan was secretly delighted. He was about to extort her when Luna's voice echoed in his mind: "Evan, you must win this girl's favor, not make her your enemy. I've discovered she's a Nether Yin Constitution! You know what that means—this physique is even rarer than Serena Dream's Gold Yin Constitution.
If she becomes your woman, and you get the Netherghost Violet Orchid, your cultivation could leap two or three realms instantly. This is your chance; I can only help you so much. The rest is up to you!"
"Nether Yin Constitution? Are you serious? I never planned on finding a woman in the Netherworld! Serena and Selena already won't let me take any more partners... This is a real headache. Besides, she's so strong—how could I ever conquer her?" Evan muttered helplessly.
Luna's words sent a jolt through him. He hadn't even solved his own problems—how could he think about women now?
"Whether you can escape or not, we'll see. Trying to scare me? You're not even qualified!" the Netherkin girl snapped.
Evan looked at her and said, "Honestly, I want to be friends with you. I didn't mean to see you like that earlier—don't take it to heart. If it bothers you, I could just marry you. After all, I doubt you'd ever marry anyone else now. Netherkin women value chastity more than life, you know that better than I do.
I know you must have a serious mission infiltrating the Ghost Clan. If you kill me, you'll probably feel too ashamed to live after you're done here. Wouldn't it be a waste if we both died? So think it over—if nothing else, let's at least be friends. If fate allows, maybe we can talk about more later."
"You've got it all figured out, huh? You think I'll let you go? I'd rather die than marry a Ghost clansman. You're right—if I kill you, I'll take my own life after my mission's done. So today, you're doomed!" the Netherkin girl said, her face mirroring Evan's helplessness.
"Not marrying a Ghost clansman? What about a Human?" Evan pressed, still hiding his own identity.
"Not marrying anyone. Not a single one. Stop stalling—no other Ghost clansmen are coming. Now, let me show you my Netherkin heaven-grade martial art: Netherflame Sword Art!" The girl's patience finally snapped as she prepared to strike.
A heaven-grade martial art—at the hands of a Ninth-layer Saint Martial expert, Evan wondered if the whole area would be obliterated. He didn't dare imagine the consequences. Right now, making friends with this girl was the most important thing.
Since she's Netherkin, with such insane power and martial skills, her status must be high. Maybe she has the Netherghost Violet Orchid I need. If I can get it, I won't even need to go to Grimchart City.
"I know exactly what kind of man you want—he's Human, and only a Pure Yang Constitution can match your Nether Yin Constitution. I don't know your status in the Netherkin clan, but it's definitely high. If you trust me, I know where to find such a man," Evan said.
The Netherkin girl was shocked. This Ghost Clan youth knew her deepest secret—a secret known only to a handful of her closest kin. Yet they'd just met, and barely spent an hour together. It was uncanny.
"Stop talking nonsense! I don't believe a word you say! Take this!" the Netherkin girl snapped, striking out with her sword.
"If you don't believe me, fine. I'll stand right here and let you strike. But if you kill me, you'll never know where the Pure Yang Human is. I'm the only one in the world who knows his whereabouts. I guarantee it!" Evan said solemnly.
Her attack was fierce, but Evan was confident his defense could take it—even if he couldn't block it completely, he wouldn't be seriously hurt. He guessed that mentioning the Pure Yang Human would stop her from using the full Netherflame Sword Art.
"Then let's see!" the girl snapped, swinging her sword. Evan recognized the move—it was the same Heaven-Cleave-like strike she'd used before. He knew he'd bet right.
But Evan didn't dodge. He wanted her to see he meant what he said, and to make her regret thinking she'd really killed him—so he could hear her true thoughts.
The sword-qi reached Evan. The Netherkin girl hadn't expected him not to dodge, but it was too late to pull back—she could only watch as her blade struck him.
Boom! With a thunderous crash, the girl felt as if she'd struck solid stone. The recoil numbed her wrist—she'd never imagined his defense could be this monstrous.
Evan was sent flying dozens of meters, smashing through several trees before landing motionless on the ground—just like before.
But last time he'd used martial arts to counter; this time, it was just raw defense. The girl flashed over to Evan, only to see gold-tinged blood trickling from his lips.
His wounds were so deep the bone showed, and he lay perfectly still, as if not even breathing. Strangely, all his ghost-qi had vanished, revealing his true handsome face.
The girl was stunned. This youth was actually Human—a Human who'd taken her full-powered strike head-on...