King of Ten Thousand Years

Staring at the gleeful man and bird in the northwest corner, Yue Jing and his two companions looked absolutely livid.

Yue Jing’s original intention had been to sabotage Luo Tian. Even if he couldn’t get him killed, he wanted Luo Tian to suffer a major setback, such as a severe injury or disability.

But in the end, all he had done was gift the other party a massive number of achievements. It was more galling than being slapped in the face.

Luo Tian’s speed at harvesting Demon Cores was enough to make Silver Students burn with envy. Even Golden Students had to take notice.

”Senior Yue, I think the key to Luo Tian’s high efficiency is that Combat Pet of his,” the seductive-looking young woman said, her eyes shimmering.

”That’s right. That Crow has a bizarre ability to draw the fire of the avian beasts, allowing Luo Tian to reap their cores without restraint.”

The purple-haired youth agreed, his face tinged with jealousy.

Avian beasts were highly mobile, but their defenses were generally weaker than those of terrestrial beasts.

’If I had a Combat Pet like that, I could also rack up kills with impunity, maybe even better than Luo Tian,’ he thought.

”Yes, that Crow is certainly something special.”

A hint of covetousness flashed in Yue Jing’s eyes as he stared at the charred, smoking Crow in the distance.

After a moment, Yue Jing sent someone to switch Luo Tian out.

”Junior Luo, you rushed all the way back here only to be thrown into another fierce battle. You must be exhausted. I’ll grant you half a day’s leave to go rest up inside the Battle Castle,” Yue Jing said with a gentle voice and a smile.

’Hm?’

Luo Tian gave him a strange look. ’Why is this high and mighty Golden Lord suddenly being so polite?’

”What do you want?”

Luo Tian’s expression was frosty. ’To be so courteous for no reason means you’re up to no good.’

”Heh heh, this Combat Pet of yours is quite something. Where did you find it?”

Yue Jing smiled as he sized up the Crow.

Before, he’d thought the Crow was hideous. So what if it could talk? It wasn’t a big deal.

But now, it seemed the Crow’s ugliness had style, even a certain panache. It was uniquely hideous.

’Coupled with its high intelligence and peculiar abilities, it might even be the descendant of some Ancient Exotic Beast.’

”I found it lying around.”

Luo Tian replied nonchalantly.

Yue Jing was inwardly displeased, but this only strengthened his belief that the Crow was extraordinary. ’Luo Tian must be deliberately hiding its origins.’

”Name a price. Sell the Combat Pet to me, and I will owe you a personal favor,” Yue Jing said calmly.

As a top figure in the Golden Area and the nephew of the Vice Manor Master, no Silver Student would ever refuse a chance to get on his good side.

”Luo Tian, if you sell the Crow to Senior Yue, you can not only win his forgiveness but also earn a favor. It’s a win-win, why refuse?” the seductive young woman cooed, her voice as soft as velvet.

Luo Tian was just about to refuse.

”CAW CAW... Young man, you have a truly discerning eye! Could it be you have recognized my noble visage as the Ancient First Divine Beast?”

The Crow flapped its wings, looking arrogant and smug, and proactively flew over to land on Yue Jing’s shoulder.

It looked for all the world as if it had abandoned Luo Tian and decided to follow Yue Jing instead.

”Hahaha! A wise bird chooses the best tree to nest in! What do you say to that, Luo Tian? Do you admit defeat?”

Yue Jing laughed heartily.

’As expected of a highly intelligent Combat Pet. It has its own independent judgment and knows that its future lies with me.’

All his previous displeasure vanished. Yue Jing sized up Luo Tian with a mocking gaze.

The corner of Luo Tian’s mouth twitched as he exchanged a glance with the Crow’s cunning eyes.

”Alright. Five hundred Spiritual Essence Coins.”

Luo Tian seemed helpless as he agreed to the deal.

He was well aware of the Ugly Bird’s talent for tormenting people. The massive Beast Tide that had attacked the village earlier was very likely the bird’s doing.

Besides, according to the Ugly Bird itself, it had only ”temporarily” suppressed a certain aura, preventing it from being sensed by Demon Beasts at a distance.

Most importantly, Luo Tian had ultimate control over the Crow. Yue Jing could never truly take it from him.

”Here’s one hundred Spiritual Essence Coins. We’ll deal with the rest later.”

Yue Jing’s face was full of pleasant surprise. He hadn’t expected the deal to be completed so easily.

Five hundred Spiritual Essence Coins for such a miraculous Combat Pet was an absolute steal. Not only did Yue Jing have no intention of paying the full amount, but he also didn’t plan on letting Luo Tian make it back to the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion alive.

Luo Tian took the one hundred Spiritual Essence Coins and returned to the Battle Castle, planning to rest a bit.

In front of the castle, Yue Jing and a few other Silver Students stared curiously at the charred, smoking Crow.

”Crow, tell me, what abilities or specialties do you have?” Yue Jing asked, full of expectation.

Other than its trait of attracting attacks from Demon Beasts, he was desperate to know what other abilities it possessed.

”My stunning good looks!”

The Crow puffed out its chest and said with immense pride.

”...”

There was dead silence. Yue Jing and the other Silver Students were all utterly dumbfounded.

This Crow was either blind or had an aesthetic sense so warped it could make gods and ghosts weep.

”Besides that?”

Yue Jing’s mouth twitched as he continued to ask.

’Such a peculiar Exotic Beast must have more to it than just attracting attacks from Demon Beasts. Otherwise, it would be far too useless.’

”Singing!”

”My singing voice is the most heavenly melody from Ancient Times! Countless experts have dreamed of hearing just one of my songs.”

The Crow was even more confident.

”Singing? Could this Combat Pet be skilled in the Sound Dao Skill?”

”That’s an extremely rare special ability!”

The nearby Silver Students started discussing among themselves.

A smile also appeared on Yue Jing’s face. He looked at the Crow expectantly, motioning for it to give a demonstration.

”CAW CAW CAW! CAW CAW...”

A demonic, grating squawk that sounded like scraping metal erupted without warning.

The power of that demonic cry was several times stronger than during the Wu Mansion assessment.

”Aargh! This is unbearable...!”

Before the city wall, all the students felt their scalps tingle. They grew agitated and irritable, and one by one, they couldn’t help but clutch their heads and roar in frustration.

...

Luo Tian had just entered the Battle Castle when he heard the Crow’s ”singing” from a great distance. Even so far away, it still gave him goosebumps.

Luo Tian couldn’t help but shake his head. ’Let them suffer.’

Inside the Battle Castle, in addition to students from the nearby Wu Mansions, there were also elite soldiers of the Azure Cloud Kingdom stationed there.

Luo Tian first went to the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion’s stronghold to exchange all the Demon Cores in his possession for corresponding Contribution Points.

Those Demon Cores were mostly from Mid-Low Tier Demon Beasts, with seven or eight from High Tier Demon Beasts.

Under the astonished gaze of Steward Fan, Luo Tian exchanged them for over one thousand six hundred Contribution Points.

”Senior Luo.”

A soft and pleasant female voice called out, sounding somewhat familiar.

From the side, an elegant young woman with a noble bearing approached, drawing astonished looks from the nearby Martial Artists and students.

”Princess Yunxiu?”

Luo Tian was slightly taken aback as the intimate scene of him treating the Commandery Princess inexplicably flashed through his mind.

As her eyes met Luo Tian’s, Princess Yunxiu also seemed to recall something, and a faint blush crept onto her beautiful face.

”It’s been a while. How is your condition, Your Highness?” Luo Tian said with a smile.

”It’s much better since that day. Also, the prescription Senior Luo gave me was very effective. It even earned the admiration of several famous doctors in the Royal Capital.”

Princess Yunxiu beamed, her cheeks rosy.

’A prescription?’

Luo Tian paused for a moment, then quickly remembered that after treating Princess Yunxiu, he had deduced a prescription to help her recuperate and suppress the Yin Evil Power in her body.

In fact, Princess Yunxiu had been delayed from returning to the Holy Mansion for so long precisely because she was gathering the medicinal ingredients listed on that prescription.

”Senior Luo, this Spirit Coin Card holds one thousand Spiritual Essence Coins as payment for your treatment.”

Princess Yunxiu smiled and handed over a silver card made of jade.

Spirit Coin Cards were jointly issued by the Martial City’s Commerce Alliance and several superpowers, and they were valid across the entire Continent.

The card alone was worth one hundred Spiritual Essence Coins, something an ordinary Meridian Opening Realm practitioner could never afford.

”A Spirit Coin Card?”

Luo Tian’s eyes lit up.

It was his first time seeing one. With this, he could deposit all his Spiritual Essence Coins at the Commerce Alliance in the Martial City.

”Um, Senior Luo.”

Princess Yunxiu began, looking a little shy and fidgety, ”It has been quite a while since my last treatment... Are you free now, Senior?”

”No problem, I have time.”

Luo Tian agreed readily.

’Getting paid to perform close-contact healing on a beautiful member of the Royal Family? Of course I’ll give it my all!’

And just like that, Luo Tian accompanied Princess Yunxiu to a residence in the center of the Battle Castle.

The sight left the many Martial Artists and students inside the Battle Castle wide-eyed with astonishment and envy.

”Damn it! What’s that kid’s relationship with Princess Yunxiu?”

”That pretty boy actually managed to latch onto a high branch of the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s Royal Family.”

”From what I’ve heard, the current Sovereign has three sons but no daughters. He treats Princess Yunxiu as if she were his own flesh and blood.”

...

After a short while, Princess Yunxiu brought Luo Tian to the residence in the center of the Battle Castle.

This residence was specially prepared for members of the Royal Family or other high-ranking figures.

Along the way, Luo Tian sensed the presence of several Spirit Sea Realm experts.

”Senior, please come in.”

Princess Yunxiu’s face flushed as she led Luo Tian into her private chambers.

At that moment, Luo Tian could feel several searing gazes fixed on him from within the residence.

Inside the room, just as before, Princess Yunxiu loosened her robes to reveal her smooth, fair abdomen, then lay down on the bed, overcome with bashfulness.

”Here I go.”

Luo Tian calmed his mind, placed his hand over the Shenque Acupoint on her navel, and began to draw out the Yin Evil Power from her body.

This time, Luo Tian spent a full hour drawing out the power—twice as long as before.

On one hand, Princess Yunxiu’s Martial Vein was recovering, providing some resistance.

On the other hand, the prescription Luo Tian had given her last time had a clear suppressive effect on the Yin Evil Power.

As a result, Luo Tian’s extraction speed was also twice as fast as before.

All told, the amount of Yin Netherworld Power he extracted and refined this time was three to four times greater than the last!

Luo Tian felt a profound, chilling power spread throughout his body.

BUZZ!

On the surface of the Nether Dragon Divine Vein inside his body, even more blue, scale-like patterns lit up, growing brighter and more distinct.

At the very end of the Dragon-shaped Divine Vein, Luo Tian could faintly make out the pattern of a gap.

’Could it be... that by using this method, along with absorbing that potent poison from Liu Ziyan last time, I can actually enhance and repair my Incomplete Divine Vein?’

Luo Tian was thrilled.

Right now, his Divine Vein Power alone was nearly equivalent to the might of the Eighth Layer of Meridian Opening.

’If I can absorb it a few more times, combined with my progress in cultivation and martial skills, I might even have a shot at becoming a Golden Student!’

’If I can become a Golden Student, I won’t have to deal with Yue Jing anymore, and Liu Ziyan will no longer be a major threat.’

Luo Tian felt a surge of both surprise and anticipation.

”Thank you for your trouble, Senior.”

Nearby, Princess Yunxiu had dressed and regulated her breathing. Her face was rosy, making her look even more radiant and lovely.

Luo Tian didn’t stay long and said his goodbyes.

Princess Yunxiu stood up, preparing to see him out of the residence.

However, just as the two of them stepped out of the room...

”Yunxiu, is this the ’master physician’ who’s been treating you?”

A beautiful woman in yellow robes stood outside, a medicine case slung over her back. Her cold, hostile eyes were fixed on Luo Tian before turning to Princess Yunxiu with a flicker of disappointment.