Leo Drake cursed as soon as he heard the noise outside. "Damn it, they've found me again."
"What's going on?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Don't even ask. I offended some people—they're petty as hell. Can't beat me, but they keep coming back for a fight. One turns into two, now who knows how many they've dragged over." Leo said, frustrated.
Outside was already chaotic. After Leo finished speaking, he walked out. Evan, curious, followed behind to see what was happening.
Outside, one person stood in front with three others behind him. The leader saw Leo, then Evan, and sneered, "Leo, didn't expect you to change your style and start forming gangs. Aren't you going to introduce your new friend?" "Forming gangs? You're really overthinking it. He's just a new friend I met. If I want to fight you, I don't need his help—I can finish you off myself," Leo replied coldly.
"Arrogant. You think it'll be like the last few times? This time, you'll see what real strength is." The man sneered, then someone stepped out from behind him, wreathed in demonic qi—clearly from the Devil Realm.
"Devil Realm? Who are you?" Leo asked.
"Devil Realm. Venom Finger," the man said.
"Venom Finger? What kind of name is that? Weird. Are you really here to challenge me on their behalf?" Leo asked.
"That's right. I heard your strength is close to Demon Emperor level, and you've beaten people at least five tiers above you. I want to see for myself." Venom Finger sneered. "What level are you at?" Leo asked.
"Me? Devil Emperor, fifth tier—exactly five tiers above you. So I'm here to see how you handle someone five tiers higher." Venom Finger said with a grin.
"Damn, what's with all this tier talk? Everyone who gets in here can challenge people several tiers above anyway." Leo muttered. Evan heard it clearly and understood: anyone who makes it here has huge potential, so even if Venom Finger claims Devil Emperor fifth tier, his real strength is probably sixth tier or higher, maybe even several realms above. If Leo fights like usual, he might actually lose this time.
Not just Evan—everyone thought the same. Leo was anxious, but steadied himself and said, "If that's the case, I'll take you on."
"Let's start. Head outside—no fighting here, old rules." Venom Finger said.
Leo nodded, "Right, let's go to the surface." With that, he led Evan to the water's surface, the others following behind.
Once they reached the surface, Leo said to Evan, "Wait here for me. If I get seriously hurt, make sure to bring me back. As long as we return to the Coral Pavilion, it's safe."
"Are you sure you want to fight?" Evan asked, seeing Leo wasn't confident.
"Yeah. A person can lose, but never their pride. That's your human saying, but in our Demon-Beast Realm, dignity matters even more—especially for a proud beast like me." Leo smiled.
Evan thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, go for it. I hope you win."
Leo had only met Evan briefly, yet Evan felt unfathomable to him. Their personalities clicked, so Leo trusted Evan with his life—if danger came, Evan would be responsible for him.
Leo walked out onto the water, Venom Finger followed, and Evan stood to the side with the others.
The two barely stopped before exchanging a few words and immediately started fighting.
"Hey, you look unfamiliar. New here?" The guy who disliked Leo asked Evan with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm new." Evan replied.
"New, huh? Why hang out with Leo the pest? You'd be better off with me—look, I've got experts by my side. If you ever need help, I've got your back." The man said, smiling.
"With you? You think I'd switch sides at a time like this?" Evan just smiled lightly.
That response made the man angry. He snorted coldly, "Acting all high and mighty, huh? Once Leo's dealt with, you're next. Remember my name!"
"Oh? What's your name?" Evan asked.
"Ethan Dunn. Everyone calls me Young Master Dunn!" the man introduced himself.
"I see. I'll remember that. By the way, my name's Evan Yang. You might want to remember it, too." Evan smiled.
"Who do you think you are? Like I care? So full of yourself." Ethan Dunn snorted.
Evan ignored him and focused on the fight. It was clear Leo could barely match a Devil Emperor fifth tier, but Venom Finger's real power was way beyond that. Fighting on the water, Leo kept getting hit by water attacks.
Leo was already wounded in several places, even bleeding, but he gritted his teeth and kept fighting.
Seeing Leo like that, Ethan Dunn laughed loudly, "Pest, that's what you get for going against me! Ha!"
"Tch, if you've got guts, fight me yourself." Leo snapped.
"Why should I bother? It's enough to let others teach you a lesson. Unless you beg for mercy, maybe I'll let you off if I'm in a good mood." Ethan Dunn replied.
"Dream on. Only if you're dead!" Leo sneered.
"You! Venom, keep going!" Ethan Dunn shouted angrily. Venom Finger controlled the water, infusing it with demonic qi. The demonic energy invaded Leo's wounds, spreading pain so intense Leo nearly fainted, but he forced himself to keep fighting. "Didn't expect demonic qi to hurt this much," Leo muttered.
"Of course—and that's just a shallow dose. If I keep going, your body will be half-crippled, and it'll be hard to recover. You'd better beg for mercy," Venom Finger said.
"Beg for mercy? Dream on. No way. Keep going—even if I go mad from qi deviation, I'll still take you down!" Leo said stubbornly.
They kept fighting, but Leo's injuries piled up. Soon his lips, skin, and even blood turned black—too much demonic qi had invaded his body.
(Irrelevant webnovel system message, skip translation.)
Evan wondered—why could Venom Finger condense demonic qi here? Not only that, Leo could condense demon-beast qi. Does this underwater palace allow any kind of energy to manifest?
Ethan Dunn's face was already lit up with a big smile, eager to see Leo collapse.
But Leo's demonic qi saturation got worse—his face looked wrong, and his mind started to blur. Evan realized that if this kept up, Leo would be in real danger. So he flashed forward, grabbed Leo, sealed several key points, and with a wave of his hand, instantly froze the water under Venom Finger's feet.
Everyone was shocked—no one expected Evan to step in. Not only that, after freezing Venom Finger, Evan flickered away with Leo.
Ethan Dunn and his group were stunned, then cursed loudly, "Go after them! Don't let them get back!"
Venom Finger was furious. With a surge of force, he shattered the ice and chased after Evan, but Evan's speed was just as fast—he quickly returned to the Coral Pavilion.
Once inside the Coral Pavilion, Evan went to his residence. After a short while, Ethan Dunn and the others arrived at his door, cursing angrily, "Evan Yang, get out here!"
Evan ignored them. According to the rules, no fighting was allowed here—unless they wanted to die. So Evan set up a soundproofing formation and let them yell outside. He laid Leo down, sent Heaven-Cold energy into him, and gradually absorbed all the demonic qi from Leo's body. When it was all gone, Leo woke up feeling great, as if he'd never fought, and all his wounds were healed.
Leo looked at Evan in surprise. "You saved me?" "I know a bit of healing arts, so I helped you out," Evan replied with a smile.
"You're a real lifesaver. Thanks. If it weren't for you, I'd have been finished by those guys—Venom Finger's strength is scary." Leo said, frustrated.
"He's strong, so next time be careful," Evan said.
"Yeah. As long as I stay inside the Coral Pavilion, they won't dare make a move. But you—now you're in danger, sorry about that," Leo said awkwardly.
"What's so dangerous? They're right outside now." Evan removed the soundproofing formation, and immediately curses erupted outside until Evan and Leo walked out.
Venom Finger was shocked to see Leo perfectly fine—he knew Leo's condition, and a bit more demonic qi would have forced him into qi deviation.
Ethan Dunn glared at Evan. "Newcomer, you really don't get the rules. Are you trying to go against me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Evan asked.
"You—!" Ethan Dunn hadn't expected Evan to actually challenge him, and he noticed Leo's change as well—he couldn't believe it.
"Ha, looks like my luck held out today. You guys can go home now," Leo laughed.
"Pest, come out and duel me if you've got guts!" Ethan Dunn shouted angrily.
"Unless you duel me yourself, I might consider it. If it's anyone else, forget it." Leo glanced at Venom Finger, then sneered at Ethan Dunn.
Ethan Dunn knew Leo wouldn't fall for it again, but still snorted at Evan, "Kid, you're new here. Just wait—next time, I'll make sure you die."
With that, he turned and left. As Venom Finger left, he said to Evan, "See you at the Newcomer Ceremony."
Evan had no idea what the Newcomer Ceremony was, but Leo looked worried.
"What's wrong?" Evan asked.
"You're new, so within a month they'll arrange a Newcomer Ceremony. It's for everyone here to get to know you, and they'll have someone test your cultivation," Leo said, frowning.
"Really? But why did Venom Finger mention it? Can he kill me at the ceremony?" Evan asked curiously.
"He can't kill you, but he can challenge you," Leo said.
"Challenge me? Why?" Evan asked, puzzled.