"Huh? Ryan? What are you doing here?" Xinyu asked in confusion.
A young man with a single blue horn hovered above the Hellhole City as if he was waiting for them. He was full of smiles as he waved at them while the wind ruffled his fire-like hair.
Too bad, the rest wasn't as friendly as Xinyu. They all pulled out their weapons and aimed them at Ryan's head while circling around Xuefeng.
"Whoa, whoa, chill! I'm friendly!" Ryan cried out as he raised his arms to surrender. "Peace, peace!"
The girls didn't mess around when it came to their husband's protection, especially after the earlier events. They were even more on alert than before. Not to mention the King of Heaven's announcement that made any cultivator a potential enemy.
"She asked you a question," Wuying repeated, ready to launch an attack if she didn't like his answer.
"I swear, I didn't come here to fight you! I promise! It is a pure coincidence we met here," Ryan called out in defense but Wuying only squinted her eyes.
"If you don't tell us the truth, you will die," Nuwa said as she raised her hand lazily, wrapping Ryan with her Soul Power. "I will count to three."
Since Nuwa took action, everyone relaxed but then Ryan surprised them by moving around casually. Nuwa frowned and used more power but Ryan's muscles only tensed a little as he stretched to display his superiority.
"I'm sorry but I only play like this with my girl in the bedroom. For some reason, she really likes tying me up with ropes and doing whatever she pleases," Ryan explained with a sigh. "If you really insist though, you should first find some single ladies cause I'm not hitting on taken. Too much trouble for a single night."
"It's not you, it's him. Soul Attacks won't work on him easily because of his race," Xinyu dispelled Nuwa's doubts. "He is an Earth Demon in his Beast form. Because of their natural predators, they are extremely resistant to Soul Attacks and other outside pressure. That was the reason how he managed to get top one on the Dragon Steps."
"I see," Nuwa nodded while retreating her powers. "I'm still confident I can kill him. Get lost before I decide to test it."
"Oof, is there really a need to be so aggressive? I already said that I want to be friends," Ryan explained with a sigh. "It was really a coincidence that we met but the reason I'm here is actually to meet you all. After I heard the King of Heaven's announcement, I tried to think of a place you can hide and cultivate without people bothering you. I figured the best place would be the Hellhole so here I am."
"Oh, that's cool but I'm not really sure what you expect." Xuefeng finally replied, flying in front of his wives. "If you plan to join us then the answer is no. We don't accept outsiders into our team. I can't trust you fully enough to let you follow us."
"That's reasonable. I also wouldn't trust some random stranger if I was in your situation. It is always best to be careful in this world. Well done," Ryan approved eagerly before simply changing the subject as he pointed at the ruins of the City. "Is that your doing? Cool! I heard this place was a breading of criminals but now they are all gone. Well done."
Ryan put his hands in his pockets and just looked around while whistling.
"Ryan! You heard Xuefeng. We are not searching for any team members right now," Xinyu called out speechlessly.
"Oh, I heard already. Don't worry, I understand," Ryan assured. "Treat it as if I'm not here. I'm just admiring the scenery."
"Aren't you going to leave then?" Xuefeng asked while squinting his eyes.
"Why should I? This place is nice. I like it here," Ryan replied as he nodded eagerly while looking around. "Don't mind me and leave whenever you want. You should be going down the Hellhole, right? Maybe I will go there too later, who knows."
Xuefeng found it hard to resist his smile. It was the first time he actually met someone who rivaled him in shamelessness.
"You…" Xinyu was lost for words. "I honestly don't know how does your wife handles you."
"Oh, we are really good with each other. My Rose is so understanding," Ryan replied dreamily. "She is an Angel. When I told her I'm leaving for the Hellhole she disagreed firmly but she eventually allowed me to go. I remember she stomped and said, 'Fine, do whatever you want!' Isn't she amazing? I kissed her goodbye and did exactly that."
"Pffft," Xuefeng laughed, realizing that man probably wasn't lying. "Who is going to tell him?"
Xuefeng at least had some common sense while Ryan seemed like he was clueless about what his wife meant.
"Tell me what?" Ryan questioned curiously.
"That your wife didn't want you to go. Idiot. She was waiting for you to say you will stay for her," Xinyu translated while rolling her eyes.
"Oh! It's fine. She will understand. I asked her to come and she didn't want to so it's not my fault," Ryan shrugged. "How could I miss so much fun? I have always wanted to venture into the Hellhole and I finally found an excuse to go."
He raised his fist in the air and called out happily, "We will defeat all the beasts with the power of friendship!"
Ryan glanced at them excitedly as if waiting for someone to join him.
"Anyone? Okay. I guess we need some coordination. We will work on our war cry later," Ryan muttered before simply staring at them while waiting.
"I think we are blessed with Xuefeng. At least he listens from time to time," Princess Shan pointed out. "He always listens to your arguments and we compromise."
"True." His wives nodded at the same time.
"So what are we going to do with him?" Xinyu questioned. "Are we going to ignore him and proceed? He will just follow us."
"We can kill him to solve the problem," Nuwa proposed casually.
Just as they debated, Sena appeared out of nowhere once again.
"Daddy! I can help!"
They all looked at Sena before exchanging glances as if they figured out the same idea.