King of Ten Thousand Years

Everyone from the three powerful teams instantly felt the silver threads around them speed up.

Caught off guard, many Martial Artists were grazed by the silver threads, which instantly left behind bloody wounds.

Worse still, one Martial Artist at the Earth Element Realm Eighth Layer was sliced into several pieces, dying horribly on the spot!

Everyone was startled, and a wave of panic erupted.

They also immediately noticed that the silver threads within a one-meter radius of Luo Tian moved very slowly, making them easy to dodge.

Luo Tian had been the last one to come over, yet he was moving the fastest, even surpassing Teng Yuanxing. He easily caught up and overtook the other Martial Artists one by one.

”What Mechanism did that kid trigger? It increased the difficulty of our trial and decreased his own!”

”How utterly shameless!”

”I saw him take a chess piece just now. Could that piece be the key?”

In that moment, Luo Tian became the center of attention.

The three teams had just reached an agreement not to attack each other.

Otherwise, the members of the Asura Thief Gang and the Sea Demon Palace would have already moved to capture Luo Tian and force the secret out of him.

’Can I pass through safely just by taking a chess piece?’

One of the Asura Thieves stared at the chessboard, his eyes burning with intensity.

He had only advanced a third of the way but was already feeling immense pressure.

SWOOSH!

The Asura Thief immediately retreated. He returned to the chessboard and also took a black piece!

His face lit up with excitement as he prepared to re-enter the area of silver threads!

But he suddenly discovered dozens of silver threads hurtling toward him at an incredible speed!

”What’s going on? No!”

The Asura Thief cried out in terror!

’Why is it that when Luo Tian took a piece, his path became easy, but when I take one, I’m met with a ferocious assault from the silver threads?!’

He was instantly surrounded.

SHK SHK SHK! SPLAT!

The Asura Thief was sliced into chunks of flesh and blood, which scattered across the floor.

The chess piece in his hand flew back to the chessboard on its own.

This scene made all the Martial Artists who had been considering the same thing shudder and abandon the thought.

At that moment, within the Sea Demon Palace team.

”I understand!”

A man in green robes with a refined, scholarly air suddenly spoke.

”Go on,” Teng Yuanxing said, glancing at him.

The man in green had the nickname ”Scholar-Warrior.” He was not a member of the Sea Demon Palace; he had entered through the Martial City Spirit Hall and been forcibly recruited into the team by Teng Yuanxing.

”The layout of the pieces on this chessboard contains profound mysteries. Furthermore, it’s connected to the silver thread trial here by a specific pattern!”

”If you can decipher and solve the chess game, you can pass this stage with ease. But taking a piece at random and disrupting the board will bring disaster!”

A glint of starlight flashed in the Scholar-Warrior’s eyes.

’A chess game?’

The vast majority of Martial Artists present didn’t understand chess; at most, they knew a few simple rules.

The few who had dabbled in it were certainly not skilled enough to solve the chess puzzle left by the Thief King.

Teng Yuanxing didn’t understand chess either. He shook his head slightly and continued onward.

He was confident he could force his way through with his own strength and had no need for clever tricks.

SWOOSH!

The Scholar-Warrior immediately turned back, wanting to try and decipher the secrets of the chess game.

He had a great personal interest in chess.

”Let’s retreat for now!”

”Let’s see if the Scholar-Warrior can solve this stage.”

Many who were not confident they could pass the trial retreated and gathered around the chessboard.

Most of them weren’t confident they could solve the chess puzzle either, but the Scholar-Warrior was present. It was said that he was well-versed in the four arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—as well as Alchemy, Mechanisms, and Arrays.

The Scholar-Warrior stroked his chin, staring at the chessboard as he fell into deep thought.

A dozen breaths later.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. ”Found it!”

The Scholar-Warrior reached out to take a white chess piece!

But the people around him had been watching his every move. They reacted instantly, all of them lunging to snatch that white chess piece.

The agreement between the three teams was not to attack each other; since they were currently fighting over a chess piece, they were not technically violating the pact.

BAM! BAM! CRACK!

A series of collisions erupted, sending figures stumbling backward.

The Scholar-Warrior emerged calmly from the crowd, a white chess piece held between two fingers.

The Scholar-Warrior’s own Cultivation was at the Peak of Earth Element Realm Ninth Layer, and his combat prowess was considerable. All the others who had tried to snatch the piece had failed.

The Scholar-Warrior entered the area of silver threads once again.

As expected.

The silver threads around him slowed down considerably.

But in response, the silver threads around everyone else sped up.

Gaining an advantage for oneself was equivalent to plundering the opportunities of others.

This showed that the Void Thief King’s trials were designed to encourage fierce competition and bloodshed!

Soon.

Teng Yuanxing—the genius of the Sea Demon Palace and second on the Earth List—was the first to pass through the trapped area and reach the other side of the hall.

”In the face of true power, clever tricks are meaningless.”

Teng Yuanxing’s expression was calm and composed.

Immediately after, Lü Hongyi and Lü Hanye also made it through successfully.

Two breaths later.

The fourth person to pass the trial appeared.

It was not one of the Half-step Celestial Pool Realm geniuses, but Luo Tian, at the Peak of Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer!

He was the first to discover the secret of the chess game, allowing him an easy passage that let him surpass all the Half-step Celestial Pool Realm geniuses!

Hu Yuefeng’s face was filled with embarrassment.

Just a moment ago, he had thought he would finally leave Luo Tian in the dust.

But as it turned out, Luo Tian had deciphered the trap’s secret, come from behind, and surpassed him.

”Captain Luo, you’re amazing.”

Hu Yuefeng forced an ugly smile and laid on the flattery, worried Luo Tian would hold a grudge and retaliate.

”I didn’t expect you to understand chess puzzles and Arrays.”

Lü Hongyi glanced at Luo Tian a few times.

Throughout their collaboration in the Thief King’s Treasure Land, Luo Tian’s performance had been repeatedly, unexpectedly astonishing, forcing Lü Hongyi to constantly re-evaluate her impression of him.

There were so many experts present, each one an elite with a multitude of skills and abilities.

Yet Luo Tian was the first to discover the secret of the chess game; even the Scholar-Warrior had only realized the key point after being inspired by Luo Tian’s actions.

”I don’t really understand it. I just randomly picked a piece and happened to get lucky.”

Luo Tian said calmly.

”Excessive modesty is hypocrisy.”

The Scholar-Warrior suddenly interjected.

Luo Tian’s performance had attracted his attention, as well as his displeasure.

After all, he was proficient in the four arts, and especially skilled in chess and Arrays. Yet Luo Tian, a self-proclaimed ”ignorant” layman, had managed to solve the trap first.

SWISH!

The Scholar-Warrior also passed through the trap area smoothly.

Those who had passed the Silver Thread Trap didn’t wait for the others, continuing onward.

After passing through the great hall, they came upon a second great hall, identical in appearance to the first, creating the illusion that they had returned to the starting point.

The group walked in slowly.

Below the palace floor was a pool of water. A fine drizzle fell ceaselessly from the air.

But a closer look revealed it wasn’t rain at all, but streams of Golden Needles!

The Golden Needles fell into the water below, flowed to the sides, returned to the ceiling, and fell again in an endless loop.

”These are Element-Breaking Needles! They can easily pierce any True Essence Shield below the Celestial Pool Realm!”

Lü Hongyi’s expression darkened.

The Thief King’s trials were truly difficult.

Even a True Essence Shield from a Celestial Pool Realm expert couldn’t block too many Element-Breaking Needles.

However, the group discovered that the Element-Breaking Needles did not cover the entire area. They fell randomly in scattered places, meaning it was possible to pass through the trap unharmed by finding the gaps.

And so, the group stopped, carefully observing and analyzing the pattern.

”There doesn’t seem to be a pattern!”

”Then what do we do? Try our luck?”

”Not only can these Element-Breaking Needles easily pierce a True Essence Shield, but their Penetration Power is also extremely high. They can easily pierce right into your body.”

Everyone was starting to get a headache.

”There must be a way to solve this trap, too!”

The Scholar-Warrior muttered, his profound gaze sweeping across the area.

’This time, I will find the solution before Luo Tian does.’

Hearing the Scholar-Warrior’s words, the other Martial Artists also began to search, while a few others turned to look at Luo Tian.

After all, Luo Tian had been the first to solve the Silver Thread Trap and pass the trial with ease, leaving a deep impression on everyone.

”Why are you all looking at me? It was just luck last time.”

Luo Tian couldn’t help but chuckle.

While the group was thinking and observing, more people managed to pass the Silver Thread Trap and arrive at the second palace.

The trap in the second palace was more difficult than the one in the first.

Even the most powerful geniuses were not completely confident, let alone the others.

Thus, most people were inclined to look for a solution, just as Luo Tian and the Scholar-Warrior had done in the first stage.

But a solution was not so easily found!

Besides Luo Tian and the Scholar-Warrior, only one other person had managed to solve the chess puzzle of the first trial; the rest had been unable to decipher it.

And trying recklessly would only invite greater danger.

Luo Tian was also observing his surroundings, wanting to try and find a solution on his own.

”There’s a chessboard here, too.”

Luo Tian walked over and reached out, preparing to pick up a chess piece to examine it.

WHOOSH!

A swift shadow shot past. It was a disciple from the Sea Demon Palace, who snatched the very piece Luo Tian had been about to take.

”Hahaha, I got it! Luo Tian, your luck is mine now!”

With a loud laugh, the Sea Demon Palace disciple immediately leaped out into the ”rain” of Element-Breaking Needles.

Luo Tian didn’t even have time to call out a warning.

TING! TING!

The Element-Breaking Needles rained down. Several of them pierced his True Essence Protection and sank into his flesh.

”Oh no! Why isn’t it working?”

The Sea Demon Palace disciple was instantly overcome with panic.

For every breath he remained in the rain of needles, at least four or five more pierced his body.

He scrambled to retreat.

But at the last moment, two Element-Breaking Needles pierced his skull. His body froze for an instant before being riddled by even more needles, and he fell into the pool below.

”Luo Tian... you... you did this to me...”

In less than three breaths, his body was riddled with countless tiny holes. His blood stained the water as he died a most definitive death.

A chill went down everyone’s spines.

”You bastard! You deliberately set up a disciple of my Sect!”

A Sea Demon Palace disciple glared at Luo Tian and roared in fury!

”What a joke! I was just taking a look. He’s the one who ran over, snatched the piece, and threw his life away. What does that have to do with me?”

Luo Tian scoffed, feeling completely innocent.

But no one believed him.

Everyone knew that the Sea Demon Palace had placed an astronomical bounty on Luo Tian.

This fact was proof enough of the enmity between them; Luo Tian must have taken this opportunity to get revenge on a Sea Demon Palace disciple.

’He’s too cunning. We’d better wait for the Scholar-Warrior to find the solution.’

Everyone gradually moved away from the cunning Luo Tian, turning to look at the Scholar-Warrior with hopeful expressions.

Seeing that all eyes were on him, the Scholar-Warrior showed a faint smile. ”How could the solutions to two different traps be the same? The Void Thief King deliberately placed the chessboard here simply to mislead us!”