Evan Chu and the Emerald Immortal Empress exchanged glances after hearing this; they both felt the news was promising. By rights, Princess Ivy and Chase Chu have already been in the Netherworld for some time, so they might very well be among those selected. That means they’ll naturally have the chance to meet them.
“I heard that King Victor Zhao’s daughter has already reached the Nether Emperor Realm. She’s terrifyingly strong and incredibly beautiful—anyone who could marry her would have lived a life worth living,” a middle-aged man said.
“Forget about that—without Nether Emperor cultivation, you’re not even qualified. But this time King Victor Zhao has publicly declared that if a truly heaven-defying genius appears in the selection, he might become Princess Serene’s Royal Consort. Princess Serene herself has tacitly agreed.”
That’s why so many people are joining the selection this time—the excitement is off the charts. We absolutely have to go see for ourselves!” the first middle-aged man said.
“There are still five days until the selection. That’s plenty of time to reach Serene Nether City. Are you two interested in going?”
“Of course we’re going! How could we miss such a lively event? We should leave today—if we’re late, we might not even find a place to stay,” another person replied.
Evan glanced at Jade and asked, “When should we set out? This news came at the perfect time, but I’m worried whether Chase and Ivy’s cultivation is high enough. If not, finding them will be troublesome.”
“Young master, there’s no need to worry. They’ve surely reached the Nether General Realm by now. That’s basically the same as the Golden Immortal Realm. Chase has Hidden Divine Meridians—he’s probably already surpassed it. Princess Ivy is bright and talented; it’s very likely she’s reached the Nether General Realm too,” Jade said.
Evan found Jade’s reasoning convincing and laughed, “In that case, let’s head out soon. If we get to Serene Nether City early, we might even run into them ahead of time.”
After eating a bit longer, the two paid their bill and left the city. They hadn’t expected such explosive news, and it really caught them off guard. It’s just like the saying: ‘You search high and low, only to find it when you least expect it.’
After leaving the city, Evan took out a jade tablet and checked it, discovering that Serene Nether City was actually tens of thousands of li away. The Netherworld contains four main royal capitals, each ruled by a Nether Emperor.
Serene Nether City’s lord is King Victor Zhao—the most respected ruler in the Netherworld, and also the one with the largest power base. But he doesn’t get along with the other three city lords, who are closely allied and harbor deep prejudice against him. Open and covert conflicts are common, and if not for fear of his strength, they’d have attacked him long ago.
After confirming their direction, Evan and Jade teleported, moving at incredible speed. Both are absolute top-tier experts, so their travel is lightning-fast. In the Netherworld, they don’t dare summon Goldwing, since that would draw suspicion.
After half a day in flight, Evan and Jade descended from the sky. Now they could see the massive Serene Nether City ahead. The main road was packed with people, and even the sky was crowded with cultivators rushing toward the city.
“Looks like King Victor Zhao’s offer to let Princess Serene choose a husband has drawn a huge crowd. I bet something’s bound to happen—someone will definitely stir up trouble,” Evan said.
“If it does, it’s none of our business. We just need to find Chase and Princess Ivy, nothing else matters. Once we do, what’s your plan, young master? Bring them back to the Immortal Realm, or let them stay here?” Jade asked.
“We don’t even know where they are yet. Let’s find them first, then decide. For now, let’s get into the city and see what’s going on,” Evan replied.
Following the crowd, the two arrived at the city gate. Serene Nether City was far larger than any city in the Immortal Realm. Dozens of guards stood watch on the walls and at the gate, with defenses extremely tight.
Every guard was at the Immortal Lord Realm equivalent, showing just how powerful Serene Nether City was. No wonder the other three powers didn’t dare provoke them.
To enter, everyone had to pay one mid-grade Netherstone. Evan handed over two Netherstones and entered the city with Jade.
Jade wore a veil, since she was a peerless beauty and wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble. Walking through the packed streets, she felt it was extremely crowded.
Most people on the street were young, all here to participate in the selection tournament. Every race was represented: some looked handsome and refined, others fierce and brutish, wandering everywhere and making the city lively.
Street vendors shouted nonstop, adding to the noise. The vast Serene Nether City suddenly felt small with so many people.
Evan and Jade moved slowly through the crowd. Now they had to find a place to stay and wait for the tournament, but it was incredibly hard to find an inn or tavern with any space.
They asked at many inns and taverns, but all were full. Even offering double the price didn’t help, leaving both of them frustrated.
“Young master, I think we should just find a quiet spot to rest for a few days. Finding an inn here is too difficult. Who would’ve thought the Netherworld is even more crowded than the Immortal Realm? It’s hard to believe,” Jade said.
“I refuse to believe we can’t find an inn. With all these people, where are they staying? Maybe we should just go straight to the royal compound. With our strength, it’ll be easy to get in—maybe they’ll even treat us as honored guests,” Evan said.
“How do you want to go in? Walk straight through the front gate, or sneak in?” Jade asked.
“Of course we walk in directly. If anyone tries to stop us, we’ll subdue them—maybe that’ll draw out the mansion’s top experts. Once we explain our purpose, I’m sure they’ll receive us. Naturally, we’ll be courteous first and only use force if they refuse to listen,” Evan said.
Jade had originally thought they needed to keep a low profile in the Netherworld, but seeing his attitude, she realized that wasn’t necessary. She didn’t know what kind of trouble this might cause, but with his power, there was nothing to fear. Maybe this was the only way Chase and Princess Ivy could find them.
Suddenly, Jade understood Evan’s intent. With so many people and their loved ones just nameless faces in the crowd, only by making a big enough commotion could they attract attention. If Chase and Princess Ivy were somewhere out there, they’d definitely hear about it.
“Alright, let’s go to the City Lord’s Mansion and see what happens. Maybe we’ll get an unexpected result,” Jade said...
PS: Sorry for the light updates these two days. On the night of the 27th I fell off my bike and injured my arm. I mentioned this in the group chat, but many readers who aren’t in the group might not know. Thankfully, it’s not a broken bone, but the ligaments are badly hurt—it’s pretty serious. I won’t say more, but I’m doing my best to keep updating...