The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

In Yunyazhou, Heaven-Reaching Cloud Cliff Peak stood like a sword blade thrust between the mountains, its astonishing ninety-degree cliff face soaring straight through the sea of clouds.

Fierce winds howled across the peak, which was barren save for a hundred-square-meter stone outcrop.

A black rift suddenly tore open on the peak, and Chen Dong and the others stepped out.

"What do I do?" Chen Dong asked.

The Netherworld God slowly replied, "Wait."

Half a red sun peeked over the horizon of the churning sea of clouds, and behind it was an even larger, dark red halo.

The Netherworld God slowly opened his eyes and let another drop of blood fall from his arm. The blood tore through the void, but unlike the usual black rifts, this tear opened directly into the Netherworld, where countless vengeful souls roared.

He casually reached in and, in an instant, pulled out hundreds of Earth Beasts, tossing them one by one onto the sea of clouds. There were enormous golden water buffalo, giant white tigers with wings sprouting from their flanks, mountain-sized turtles clad in armor, and boars with deer antlers—all manner of strange creatures.

These were the very same Earth Beasts that Chen Dong had spent the last three months helping to capture. The Netherworld God had not killed them, but had instead imprisoned them in the Netherworld.

The moment the Emperor Bull was out, it bellowed pitifully, "My Lord, I beg you, please let us go! That place is terrifying! It's no place for a bull!"

"Nor a tiger!"

"And certainly not a boar!"

A clamor arose as the words instantly struck a chord with the other beasts.

The Netherworld God spoke softly, "Quiet."

The beasts instantly fell silent.

The Emperor Bull mustered its courage and spoke again. "My Lord, you've already taken the Earth Veins, the lake springs, and the marsh hearts. Why are you still keeping us imprisoned?"

The Netherworld God's voice was cold. "A blood sacrifice."

Panic immediately erupted among the beasts! Some flew about in a frenzy, some unleashed Secret Techniques to escape, some shrieked chaotically, and others simply flopped onto the clouds and played dead.

With a casual wave of his hand, the Netherworld God caused countless black runes to surge up from the sea of clouds. They linked together, forming an Array that trapped the beasts within.

The golden bull that had been playing dead shook its head. "Forget it. We're dead either way. Better this than being locked up in that terrifying place!"

The Netherworld God said calmly, "There is no need for such despair. The blood sacrifice does not require your lives, only half of your blood essence."

The beasts calmed somewhat at these words, but their expressions were far from relieved. They had been captured shortly after awakening, their strength not yet recovered. Now, they had to give up half their blood essence. They would be plunged into a state of extreme weakness, one from which it would take a millennium to recover.

The Netherworld God paid them no mind. Forming hand seals, he activated the great Array and began to forcibly extract the blood essence from the beasts.

Droplets of blood essence began to form between the brows of each beast before floating up to converge in the Netherworld God's hands.

At the same time, he slit his own arm, and a torrent of his blood flowed onto the ground, forming another vast Array—one that was crimson, ancient, and sacred.

The beasts' blood essence in his hand also dripped, drop by drop, into the Array, imbuing it with a primordial and boundless aura. As more blood flowed, the Array expanded to fill the sky, blanketing the entire sea of clouds.

The sun was now fully above the horizon, its warm light causing the Array to shine in brilliant concert.

The dark red halo behind the sun cast down a pillar of light that enveloped Heaven-Reaching Cloud Cliff Peak, before finally shrinking to a three-meter-wide circle.

The Netherworld God spoke. "Chen Dong, it is your turn. Stand inside the Light Array."

Chen Dong's expression was grimly resolute. This was decided long ago; he could not back down. 'This life of mine, traded for the lives of countless others... It's worth it!'

The moment he stepped into the Light Array, Chen Dong felt something being drawn out of him.

The Corpse Dove cawed excitedly from the side. "It's finally happening! Even though I can't go, just watching is getting me all fired up!"

Li Wang frowned. "What is going on? Something's wrong with Chen Dong!" She took a step toward him, only to find that the area around her was sealed.

She cried out in a panic, "What are you doing?! Let me go! Let Chen Dong go!"

Chen Dong's face was twisted in pain. He could feel a seven-colored radiance being stripped away from him. 'So that's my fortune,' he thought. Seeing Li Wang's reaction, he managed a bitter smile and tried to comfort her. "Wang, don't worry. I'll be fine!"

A pang of pain shot through Li Wang's heart, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. "I don't believe you! I don't believe you!" With a flash of light from her bracelet, two flying swords shot out and hacked at the sealing Array.

But how could she possibly break a sealing Array set by the Netherworld God himself? She struck again and again, but it was all in vain.

The Netherworld God sighed. "You have yet to awaken the memories of your past life and are still lost in your attachment to this world. In time, you will understand."

Chen Dong felt himself growing weaker, his very essence, energy, and spirit draining away. He collapsed limply inside the Light Array and murmured to the Netherworld God, "You promised me... you'd take care of her!"

Before the Netherworld God could answer, Li Wang roared, "I don't need his protection!" Simultaneously, a flash of sword light erupted from her, shattering the god's seal. She soared into the air, bursting through the sea of clouds.

The Netherworld God frowned.

A figure in a red dress descended with breathtaking grace. Her waist was impossibly slender, her long black hair flowed behind her, and her dark brows were fixed in an icy glare. A Fairy of the mortal world had arrived, riding her sword.

She leveled her sword. "Release him!"

The Netherworld God shook his head slightly, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes. "Why must you do this? If we do not use his fortune, tens of millions in this world must die before the passage can be opened!"

"What does that have to do with me? I only want him to be safe!"

"It is too late," the Netherworld God said. "His fortune has been completely stripped away."

As the Netherworld God's voice faded, the dark sun behind the red one fully emerged. Two suns now hung in the sky, and a magnificent passage forged from pure golden light materialized above Cloud Cliff Peak.