King of Ten Thousand Years

”This... How is this possible!”

The Silver-armored Youth was stunned, unable to believe the scene before him.

The two Ancient Giant Pythons guarding the Dragon Scale Grass were stronger than the average Spirit Sea Realm cultivator. He would have been defeated for sure if he had faced even one of them.

But that man and bird had just casually strolled over.

A single sharp rebuke.

And they had actually driven away the two Cyan-striped Pythons.

’Are these two Ancient Giant Pythons all bark and no bite?’

Luo Tian’s simulated Demon Emperor aura was only effective at close range, so the Silver-armored Youth hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

’I have to harvest them quickly!’

Luo Tian executed his Cloud Traveling Step, drifting onto the cliff face and quickly harvesting the Dragon Scale Grass.

Although his Fake Demon Emperor aura had scared off the two Ancient Giant Pythons, they were still quite intelligent and might come to their senses.

”Stop right there!”

The Silver-armored Youth flew into a rage upon seeing Luo Tian picking the Dragon Scale Grass.

He had been the first to discover the Dragon Scale Grass. He had been waiting nearby to contact the other members of the Royal Family.

But before the people he contacted could arrive, some brat at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening had beaten him to it.

Luo Tian ignored the Silver-armored Youth.

There were six or seven mature stalks of Dragon Scale Grass on the cliff.

He moved swiftly and quickly finished harvesting them.

As for the immature stalks, they didn’t possess the legendary divine effects, so he might as well leave them for those who came after.

”CAW CAW... Boy! This god helped you find this Dragon Scale Grass, so this god wants half.”

The Crow said with a haughty air.

”Hmph! What use would an Ugly Bird like you have for Dragon Scale Grass?”

Luo Tian said disdainfully.

Dragon Scale Grass could increase one’s strength and constitution, making it more suitable for Body Refinement. It had nothing to do with this flimsy Crow.

”Who says it’s useless! A place where Dragon Scale Grass grows must have been where the blood of a great dragon or its descendant was once spilled. This leaf can help this god recover his true form,”

the Crow declared in an old, knowing tone.

”I’ll give you half a stalk. No more.”

Luo Tian didn’t deny it. The Crow had a sharp eye, spotting the Dragon Scale Grass from so far away.

”Half a stalk? YAAAH...”

The Crow howled with rage, its black feathers trembling.

”Bastard! Hand over the Dragon Scale Grass!”

The Silver-armored Youth arrived.

Seeing the man and bird haggling, completely ignoring him—a Spirit Sea Realm expert—he became absolutely furious.

’He’s just at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening, why am I even wasting words on him!’

The Silver-armored Youth unleashed the might of the Spirit Sea Realm, flew into the air toward the cliff, and sent a palm strike at Luo Tian.

The power of this single palm was enough to crush someone at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening.

”Get lost!”

A thick, crystalline-yellow layer formed on Luo Tian’s palm. With a loud SLAP, he knocked the Silver-armored Youth off the cliff.

THUD!

The Silver-armored Youth landed in a daze, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

”You... you’re Luo Tian?”

The Silver-armored Youth suddenly realized something, and a hint of fear mixed with his shock and anger.

Among the top ten of the Wu Mansion’s recent grand assembly, only Luo Tian was at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening, yet he possessed the combat power of someone in the top five of the Human List.

The Silver-armored Youth’s strength was only in the teens of the Human List; naturally, he was no match.

”What if I am?”

Luo Tian was open and direct, not holding back at all.

”Treasures belong to the capable. You were here for ages but didn’t dare to make a move, and now you have the audacity to act so presumptuously!”

”You win!”

The Silver-armored Youth gritted his teeth, shot Luo Tian a resentful glare, and retreated in a certain direction.

”Ugly Bird, did you see that? Treasures must be protected by strength. I, your master, am the one qualified to take the lion’s share,”

Luo Tian chuckled.

He wanted the Crow to understand that to get a reward, it had to put in real effort.

After speaking, Luo Tian tossed one stalk of Dragon Scale Grass to the Crow.

”This is infuriating!”

The Crow looked dejected, but it quit while it was ahead and swallowed the Dragon Scale Grass in one gulp.

A few breaths later.

The aura on the Crow’s body began to rise, and its muscles and skeleton started to strengthen.

Luo Tian clicked his tongue in amazement. The effects of the Dragon Scale Grass were truly miraculous. He wondered what would happen if he took it himself.

He was just about to find a place to consume the Dragon Scale Grass.

”AH!”

The Silver-armored Youth had only walked a few hundred meters when a blood-curdling scream was heard.

Hmm?

Luo Tian’s expression hardened. He immediately saw the Silver-armored Youth’s corpse lying beside a large tree.

Standing on that tree was a strange man in a black robe.

”Who are you!”

Luo Tian’s gaze was sharp as he stared at the Black-robed Man.

He was certain that this person was not among the fifty people from the Azure Cloud Kingdom who had entered the Secret Garden.

When the Royal Secret Garden was opened, Luo Tian’s Qi Observation Skill had swept over everyone. Even if he didn’t know them, he would have had at least some impression.

”You’re next!”

After killing the Silver-armored Youth, the Black-robed Man gave a sinister smile.

Instantly!

A ghostly black afterimage rapidly closed in on Luo Tian.

WHOOSH!

A deep purple, domineering Palm Shadow, exuding a sinister, cold wind, rushed toward him.

Luo Tian felt a pressure equivalent to someone in the top five of the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s Human List.

CLANG! HISS!

The [Wind and Snow Sword] left its sheath, unleashing a cold sword light as brilliant as a star, which instantly sliced the Black-robed Man’s Palm Shadow in two.

SWOOSH! HISS!

The Black-robed Man’s figure drifted back, a bloody, frost-covered gash left on his arm.

’This kid’s strength is approaching the top five of the Qiu Yue Kingdom’s Human List.’

The Black-robed Man grunted, gasping in astonishment.

The top five on the Qiu Yue Kingdom’s Human List were no weaker than the top three on the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s.

The Black-robed Man had underestimated his opponent and hadn’t used his full strength, so he had suffered a loss.

After comprehending Xia Bingyue’s True Sword Dao Intent, Luo Tian’s *Celestial Star Sword Technique* had improved further, its power increasing significantly.

In that last strike, he hadn’t even truly used his Divine Vein Power.

”Hmph! You got lucky this time!”

The Black-robed Man gave a cold smile. Instead of getting entangled, he turned into an afterimage and darted into the nearby woods.

Luo Tian didn’t give chase. He walked over to the Silver-armored Youth’s corpse.

On the Silver-armored Youth’s chest was a purplish-black Palm Seal. The domineering and venomous Palm Force had penetrated his internal organs.

’What’s the origin of that man? To think he’d use such a lethal move against a genius from the Azure Cloud Kingdom.’

Luo Tian’s expression turned cold.

He suddenly recalled the many auras of calamity he had seen with his Qi Observation Skill before entering the Secret Garden.

Just then.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

A man and two women rushed toward the cliff where the Dragon Scale Grass had been.

The man in the lead was the Seventh Prince, Li Yao.

The two women beside him were Liu Ziyan and a black-robed beauty who served as a bodyguard.

”Luo Tian!”

When Li Yao and Liu Ziyan saw Luo Tian, their expressions turned grim.

”Huang Xing’s body!”

Li Yao immediately noticed the Silver-armored Youth’s corpse, and his eyes grew cold.

Members of the Royal Family had tools to communicate with one another, allowing them to send simple signals to express things like a call for help or a warning of danger.

Huang Xing’s message indicated that a great treasure had appeared, which was why he had rushed to this location.

”There are immature stalks of Dragon Scale Grass on that cliff, as well as signs of harvesting and a fight,”

the black-robed beauty said calmly.

’Dragon Scale Grass?’

A trace of greed flashed in Li Yao’s eyes, and his face turned murderous.

”So it was you, Luo Tian! You actually murdered him for his treasure! Huang Xing was related to the Royal Family.”

SWOOSH! WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

Li Yao, Liu Ziyan, and the black-robed beauty immediately formed a triangle, surrounding Luo Tian.

All three of them possessed Spirit Sea Realm combat power.

Liu Ziyan had taken the Spiritual Pearl Liquid given to her by Li Yao, and her Cultivation had broken through to the Half-step Spirit Sea realm.

The strongest was the black-robed beauty. The True Qi fluctuations radiating from her had reached the Spirit Sea Realm Second Layer, and her strength was at least comparable to the top three on the Human List.

”Heh! Why don’t you take a look? Does the fatal wound on this corpse have anything to do with me?”

Luo Tian sneered, completely unafraid.

With his current strength, Body Martial Skill, and the immense growth of his Nether Dragon Divine Vein, he had at least the power to protect himself even when facing an attack from all three.

”This wound was left by the Town’s Ultimate Skill of the Qiu Yue Kingdom’s ’Purple Luo Holy Mansion’.”

The black-robed beauty’s expression changed as she looked at the corpse.

”The Qiu Yue Kingdom?”

Luo Tian’s heart skipped a beat.

The Qiu Yue Kingdom was currently invading the Azure Cloud Kingdom.

’Could it be that the Qiu Yue Kingdom used some method to send a group of people into the Royal Secret Garden?’

”What a joke! How could people from the Qiu Yue Kingdom possibly enter the Royal Secret Garden?”

Li Yao’s face was full of ridicule, and his eyes revealed a clear killing intent.

It no longer mattered whether Luo Tian was the real culprit or not.

Catching Luo Tian alone in the Royal Secret Garden was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill him.

Besides.

This brat had actually obtained the legendary Dragon Scale Grass, which could grant an ordinary person immense strength upon consumption.

”Kill him!”

Li Yao drew his Treasure Saber and slashed out, creating a massive blade of light that blazed fiercely.

The black-robed beauty released an even stronger Spiritual Power, gathering a ball of dark blue light in her palm as she prepared to unleash a devastating strike.

However, before Li Yao could strike, Luo Tian moved first.

SWOOSH!

Like a wisp of ethereal smoke, Luo Tian instantly appeared at Liu Ziyan’s side.

He used Liu Ziyan to block Li Yao’s saber strike.

BANG! CRACK!

Luo Tian executed the Guiyuan Hand, and his heavy, glowing-yellow Palm Shadow, surging with cold waves, clashed with Liu Ziyan’s palm.

This palm strike, infused with fifty percent of his Divine Vein Cold Power, was no small matter.

BOOM! WAH!

Liu Ziyan’s delicate body was sent flying, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood, heavily injured.

”This kid’s strength...”

Li Yao and the black-robed beauty looked on in astonishment.

Liu Ziyan’s pretty face was pale with disbelief.

After ascending to the Half-step Spirit Sea realm, her strength had reached a new level, approaching the top ten of the Human List, yet she had been defeated by a casual move from Luo Tian.

”Well, everyone? Still want to fight?”

Luo Tian said with a faint smile.

With a single move, he had broken the weakest link among the three, rendering their encirclement useless.

”CAW CAW! Someone’s coming!”

The Crow suddenly cried out from mid-air.

Hmm?

Luo Tian’s Spiritual Sense detected a hint of crisis.

He looked into the distance.

From the woods not far away, three figures leaped out, exuding a domineering and unrestrained aura.

The one in the center was a silver-haired youth.

On his left and right were a burly man and a man in a black robe.

The black-robed man was the one who had just fought Luo Tian; among the three, his aura was the weakest.

”Retreat!”

Luo Tian felt a sense of pressure from the silver-haired youth, similar to what he felt from Xia Bingyue.

SWOOSH!

Luo Tian and the Crow shook off Li Yao’s group at an incredible speed.

Li Yao and his companions were stunned.

They wanted to chase after Luo Tian.

But the three strangers—the silver-haired youth’s group—were exuding a powerful aura and closing in.

”Senior Dongmen, that kid from before got away.”

The Black-robed Man stared resentfully in the direction the man and bird had fled.

”Heh! Just a minor character. We’ve caught a big fish now.”

The silver-haired youth’s eyes flashed as he saw Li Yao’s group.

”Who are you? How did you get into the Royal Secret Garden?”

Li Yao shouted, demanding an answer.

”The Seventh Prince, Li Yao?”

The silver-haired youth walked forward with his hands behind his back, a playful smirk on his lips. He actually recognized the Seventh Prince.

”Seventh Prince, be careful! This person is dangerous!”

The black-robed beauty’s face was grim.

WHOOSH-BOOM!

The dark blue light gathered in the black-robed beauty’s palm erupted into a majestic Palm Force like a tidal wave, blasting toward the approaching silver-haired youth.

This was an Attack from a Spirit Sea Realm Second Layer expert, with power comparable to the top three on the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s Human List.

”Hmph!”

The silver-haired youth looked disdainful as he slowly raised his pale hand.

POP!

A dazzling silver vortex of light appeared and expanded several meters. The black-robed beauty’s Palm Force vanished into it as if it were a stone sinking into the sea, annihilated in an instant.

Before she could react.

PFFT!

A silver afterimage flashed through the air and struck the black-robed beauty.

WAH! BANG!

The black-robed beauty’s Protective True Qi shattered. A bloody hole appeared in her abdomen as her delicate body was sent flying more than ten meters.