Evan Chu stared unblinkingly at the brutal fight between the two slaves below. In this world where the strong prey on the weak, death is inevitable—no one shows even a shred of sympathy. If you die, it only means your skills weren't good enough.
But this complete disregard for human life made it hard for him to accept. Everyone wants to survive—even ants cling to life, let alone people. It's just that fate treats each person differently. In his heart, Evan felt sympathy; he wished every slave here could someday gain their freedom.
"Evan, isn't it strange? Why do they scramble for Violet Cloud Crystals even when they're fighting?" Blue-Shade God-Venerable whispered to Evan Chu.
"I am a bit confused. Is it that whoever collects the most Violet Cloud Crystals can win their freedom?" Evan Chu asked.
"That's part of it. In the Slave Ward, there's a special rule: the winner of a duel can be taken away by a buyer, and if a slave collects enough Violet Cloud Crystals, they can skip fighting for a month," Blue-Shade God-Venerable explained.
"A month off from fighting? Why? Isn't this a chance to see daylight again? Don't these people value it? Or do they actually fear the duels?" Evan grew more puzzled.
"The winner gets freedom, but the loser isn't so lucky—they're executed on the spot. That's why everyone fears losing. And those Violet Cloud Crystals let them live another month. Can you blame them for fighting over them?" Blue-Shade God-Venerable replied.
Evan Chu suddenly understood—the whole point was to force slaves to give it their all in every fight. If you lose, you lose your life. And even the Violet Cloud Crystals aren't a guaranteed lifeline; if you don't have enough, only the winner leaves, and the loser dies.
The fight raged on—both slaves were battered and bleeding, their bodies covered in bruises and welts. Evan watched as one man's ribs broke and protruded from his side—the pain must have been unbearable.
But no matter how agonizing the pain, they had to endure it—otherwise, there'd be no chance to survive. Even knowing death was likely, they fought with everything they had. To live, they had to fight.
At that moment, one slave was sent flying by a punch to the chest, blood spraying through the air. In that arc, Evan Chu clearly saw the slave’s face—a handsome, strikingly familiar face, and those eyes... even more familiar.
It was as if he had been struck by lightning—his body trembled uncontrollably, and his face went deathly pale.
"Evan, what's wrong with you?" Blue-Shade God-Venerable was startled by Evan Chu’s reaction—he had never seen him like this before—and quickly asked.
"Old brother, save him! That's my woman!" Evan Chu cried out, now certain that the slave was indeed Lynn Ling.
Lynn Ling’s disguise arts were formidable—this time, she had disguised herself as a man. Evan could only imagine the suffering she’d endured as a slave. Yet, she had broken through to early-stage God-Lord. If not for those familiar eyes and face, Evan would never have recognized her.
Because the face she wore was none other than his own. Only someone who knew him best would choose his face. Maybe she did it so he could find her more easily.
The thought cut Evan’s heart like a knife. At that moment, Blue-Shade God-Venerable flashed down into the pit, drew Lynn up with a wave of his hand, and brought her back in an instant.
Only then did the two managers react—in the Slave Ward, no one dared break the rules. But Blue-Shade God-Venerable was unfazed; even if the Freewind Sect Master himself came, he’d still give way for a single slave.
The two God-Emperor managers flew up, but when they sensed Blue-Shade God-Venerable’s overwhelming aura, their anger cooled, though their tone remained stiff: "Who are you, and why did you snatch this slave? Aren’t you afraid of breaking the Slave Ward’s rules?"
"I want this slave—name your price in Violet Cloud Crystals!" Evan Chu declared, then took out a second-grade healing pill from his Coiling-Dragon Ring and had Lynn Ling swallow it.
No one watching had expected such a dramatic scene—someone actually chose the wounded slave. Either this person was crazy or an idiot; everyone stared curiously at Evan Chu and Blue-Shade God-Venerable.
"To take away this slave, you need to pay a hundred thousand Violet Cloud Crystals. If not, please return him—the fight isn’t over yet. You’d better not break the rules. This is Freewind Sect territory, and you know how strong our Sect Master is," one God-Emperor said.
Evan Chu said nothing; he simply took out a storage ring and poured out a hundred supreme Violet Cloud Crystals, leaving everyone stunned.
Regulars knew that buying a victorious slave only cost ten thousand Violet Cloud Crystals. The God-Emperor’s demand for a hundred thousand was obvious extortion, likely because Blue-Shade God-Venerable’s actions had embarrassed them.
But the demanded hundred thousand Violet Cloud Crystals were produced with ease, stunning the crowd. Evan Chu looked plain and unimpressive—no one expected him to have so much wealth, all in supreme grade.
The crowd buzzed with speculation about Evan Chu’s identity, but a few recognized Blue-Shade God-Venerable. Anyone who could travel with such a powerhouse was clearly extraordinary.
If the two God-Emperor managers didn’t know their place, the consequences could be dire. Some people even started gloating, expecting the coming excitement to outshine the slave fight itself.
Evan Chu finally spoke: "I’ve already paid the Violet Cloud Crystals. Does this slave belong to me now?"
The God-Emperor was embarrassed to argue—Evan had met the demand in front of everyone, so he could only relent: "He’s yours. But next time, if you jump down and take someone directly, don’t blame us for being rude."
Evan Chu knew the manager was just saving face and didn’t bother to argue. Instead, he focused all his attention on the slave—he was certain this was Lynn Ling, disguised as a man.