King of Ten Thousand Years

”We refuse!”

Help Luo Tian hunt the Ghost Crocodile? Liu Yi would never agree to that.

Unless Luo Tian handed over the head of the Five-Colored Spirit Deer and begged them humbly, only then would Liu Yi even consider it.

”You’re all too greedy. A seventy-percent cut is too little for you, huh?”

Luo Tian said with a look of contempt.

”Hmph, it’s not that we think it’s too little!”

Liu Yi’s face darkened, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

’This isn’t about greed. This is the price you pay for angering me!’

’You took the Five-Colored Spirit Deer’s head for yourself, and now you want us to help you hunt a Ghost Crocodile? No way!’

”Not too little? Then we can split it fifty-fifty?”

Luo Tian chuckled.

PFFT!

Liu Yi was so furious he almost coughed up blood.

’Doesn’t this brat know what I really mean? He must be doing this on purpose.’

”Brother Liu, let’s go see the Ghost Crocodile. I’ve heard its leather armor can be used to make special Concealment Items. Its eyes can be refined into Dark Eye Pills, which allow you to see illusory ghosts and phantoms after taking them.”

The elegant middle-aged man tried to persuade him on Luo Tian’s behalf.

Liu Yi was actually very interested in the Ghost Crocodile.

Materials from a Ghost Crocodile were extremely rare and could provide a Martial Artist with some unique and unusual abilities.

As for the hunt for the Five-Colored Spirit Deer, Liu Yi and his group had suffered a huge loss. The most precious item, the Five-Colored Deer Antlers, had fallen into Luo Tian’s hands.

Liu Yi was unwilling to return to the Yunxiao Sect just like this.

He had planned to directly challenge for the position of an Upper Sect Disciple.

Under normal circumstances, he would have a seventy percent chance of success.

But in these special times, the competition was fierce. Liu Yi only had a fifty percent chance, so he urgently needed some treasures to increase his strength. The Ghost Crocodile was an excellent choice.

However, his dignity as a senior disciple was at stake!

If Luo Tian didn’t bow his head, he would absolutely not help, not even for a seventy-thirty split!

”Senior Brother Liu, if Luo Tian goes to hunt it alone and gets killed by the Ghost Crocodile, do you think the Law Enforcement Elders will think we were the ones who got him killed?”

Just then, Xiaofei sent a mental message to Liu Yi.

Liu Yi was stunned.

’Holy crap! That’s a real possibility!’

’Back then, the Blood Hand Poison Master had nothing to do with Qi Nan and Steward Lu, but in the end, both of them were executed by the Law Enforcement Elders.’

’Right now, even though the Ghost Crocodile has nothing to do with us, if Luo Tian gets eaten by it, the Law Enforcement Elders might blame everything on us.’

’Thinking about it now, if Luo Tian had died just a moment ago, they would all have been done for. Thankfully, the head of the Five-Colored Spirit Deer exploded.’

A wave of fear washed over Liu Yi, and his mood soured completely.

He realized that getting involved with Luo Tian was just damn bad luck!

”Ahem, a seventy-thirty split isn’t bad either. We’ll keep a close eye on Luo Tian and make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless.”

Liu Yi cleared his throat and sent another mental message to his team members.

The team members, who weren’t in on the exchange, looked at Liu Yi with bewilderment.

’He refused so decisively just now. Why did he compromise again?’

Luo Tian was also a bit surprised.

’What’s going on with Liu Yi’s team? They seem a little afraid of me.’

’But I’m only at the Third Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm and have no powerful backing. What’s there to be afraid of?’

”Seventy-thirty split. This time, you’re not allowed to pull any tricks!”

Liu Yi gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on Luo Tian.

”That’s on the condition that you don’t pull any tricks either.”

Luo Tian replied with a faint smile.

To hunt the Ghost Crocodile, he did indeed need their help, especially Liu Yi’s. With a Cultivation at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer, his strength was extremely close to that of an Upper Sect Disciple.

Then there was the elegant man, whose Cultivation was at the Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer. His strength was also quite impressive.

With this team’s help, hunting the Ghost Crocodile would be much simpler.

But it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

Luo Tian possessed trump cards like the Demon Emperor Bone and the Red Lotus Sword. It was possible for him to hunt the Ghost Crocodile alone, but it would involve a certain degree of risk.

”Alright, I’ll lead the way!”

The elegant young man also seemed very interested in the Ghost Crocodile, a faint smile on his lips.

Along the way, the group continued to encounter constant Demon Beast attacks.

But this team’s strength was formidable. As long as they didn’t run into a High Tier Demon Beast or a special, rare one like the Five-Colored Spirit Deer, they basically steamrolled through everything.

「Soon.」

The group arrived at a gloomy, cold, and silent swamp. It was located inside a canyon, overgrown with dense forest, and shrouded in darkness.

A nauseating, rotten stench filled the air. Pale bones, belonging to both human Martial Artists and Demon Beasts, floated in many places.

”I once caught a glimpse of a Ghost Crocodile here. I retreated immediately,”

the elegant man said in a low voice.

”Everyone, be careful. The Ghost Crocodile appears and disappears like a phantom. It’s even harder to deal with than the Five-Colored Spirit Deer!”

Liu Yi instructed.

Everyone present knew at least something about the Ghost Crocodile.

It was said that this crocodile could blend into the darkness, moving without a sound. One only had a chance to see its true form in the instant it launched an attack.

Therefore, most who had seen it were already dead.

Furthermore, a bite from a Ghost Crocodile would inflict a Soul injury that was difficult to heal. This was what made the Ghost Crocodile so terrifying.

Suddenly!

BOOM!

The swamp beneath the elegant man’s feet exploded. A huge, blurry, dark shadow shot out, opening a massive mouth as deep as a black hole.

”It’s the Ghost Crocodile!”

Xiaofei cried out in alarm.

Everyone tensed up and immediately launched an attack on the Ghost Crocodile.

The elegant man also went all out. His True Qi erupted, and the folding fan in his hand whipped up a massive storm of white blades.

His reaction was swift, and his attack struck the Ghost Crocodile head-on.

Under the force of the elegant man’s blow, the Ghost Crocodile’s appearance was revealed.

It was a giant crocodile, six or seven meters long, covered in jet-black Scale Armor. It exuded a faint, ghostly mist that made its form blurry and difficult to see clearly.

BAM! BOOM!

The elegant man’s attack hit the Ghost Crocodile, creating a series of explosive sounds but failing to cause much damage.

He used the recoil from his attack to float backward several meters, dodging the Ghost Crocodile’s fatal surprise attack.

”Brother Tang, nice one!”

Xiaofei said with a look of admiration.

The others also relaxed a bit. The Ghost Crocodile didn’t seem as terrifying as the rumors claimed.

This Ghost Crocodile’s Cultivation was at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer. It wasn’t beyond their ability to handle, so hunting it shouldn’t be a problem.

”Hm?”

Luo Tian suddenly looked at Xiaofei.

”What are you looking at me for?”

Xiaofei found it strange, but he suddenly felt the temperature drop around him, and a chill ran through his body.

ROAR-SPLASH!

In the next instant, a deadly black shadow appeared behind him, opened its dark, massive mouth, and bit Xiaofei in two, splattering blood everywhere.

”There’s another Ghost Crocodile!”

Liu Yi screamed, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

There were actually two Ghost Crocodiles! This was something no one had expected!

Xiaofei, at the Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer, had been approached by the Ghost Crocodile without noticing a thing and was devoured instantly!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Everyone immediately gathered together to guard against another sneak attack from the Ghost Crocodiles.

”Damn it, there are actually two of them!”

Liu Yi’s expression was grim.

If there had only been one, their team could have handled it without a problem.

Although the second Ghost Crocodile was only at the Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer, its threat level was equivalent to a human Martial Artist at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer.

”Two is fine. We can take one each. That way we won’t have to argue over the spoils.”

Luo Tian said calmly.

”You want to hunt a Ghost Crocodile by yourself? You’ll die!”

Liu Yi looked astonished, then shouted.

’Doesn’t Liu Yi dislike me? Why is he so worried about whether I live or die?’

”Brother Tang and I will deal with the one at the Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer. The one at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer is yours.”

Luo Tian said.

”...”

Liu Yi was completely speechless.

’The elegant man is *our* teammate, right? Why would he help Luo Tian?’

”Alright.”

Unexpectedly, the elegant young man actually agreed.

”Fine!”

Seeing the elegant young man agree, Liu Yi could only compromise.

Xiaofei was dead. Not counting the elegant young man, he still had two teammates at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer.

Having encountered the Ghost Crocodiles, Liu Yi wasn’t willing to give up so easily.

He was one of the top disciples of the Lower Sect! Even if he had to use his trump cards, he was determined to take down this Ghost Crocodile!

The battle erupted in an instant.

The team split into two groups, each confronting one of the Ghost Crocodiles.

”Stay sharp, everyone!”

Liu Yi commanded, ”As long as we kill this Ghost Crocodile first, we can go help Luo Tian and then split the profits from the second one!”

’Since I can’t let Luo Tian die, I definitely can’t let him have an easy time either.’

’As for the Ghost Crocodile, the key is that it’s hard to track. But there are three of us. With this many eyes, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

’As long as we can lock onto its location, the fight will be relatively simple.’

”Alright!”

Seeing Liu Yi’s confidence, his team members also felt relieved.

「On the other side.」

”Brother Tang, I’ll be responsible for finding the Ghost Crocodile and blocking it off. You take the opportunity to attack.”

Luo Tian said to the elegant young man.

The elegant young man looked surprised.

The Ghost Crocodile’s terrifying reputation came mainly from how difficult it was to find, its phantom-like movements, and its devastating attacks.

Yet Luo Tian had actually volunteered to be the one to find it.

”Alright.”

The elegant young man replied.

”There it is!”

Luo Tian shouted, unleashing his Guiyuan Cloud-Dispelling Hand. A massive, heavy, crystal-yellow Palm Force pushed forward, crushing everything in its path.

SWISH! BUZZ!

In the swamp, a black shadow surfaced and tried to flee—it was the Ghost Crocodile.

It really had been hiding there!

”You found its tracks so quickly?”

the elegant young man said in surprise.

He didn’t hesitate and immediately launched his attack.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

He waved his folding fan, releasing a large swath of white Wind Blades that sliced through the air.

Although he was a Scattered Stream Martial Artist, the elegant young man’s strength was only slightly inferior to Qi Nan’s.

CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!

The Ghost Crocodile wasn’t as fast as the Five-Colored Spirit Deer. The majority of the attacks hit their mark, creating a series of loud impacts.

”It’s gone!”

the elegant young man said.

However, without the slightest hesitation, Luo Tian struck out with another palm.

ROAR!

The Ghost Crocodile revealed itself, its pair of dark, ghostly eyes staring at Luo Tian as it let out an furious roar.

’How did this kid find my position?’

Of course, it didn’t know that Luo Tian possessed Spiritual Sense. Within a radius of two to three hundred meters, nothing could hide from him.

”Wind Blade Ring Attack.”

The elegant young man reacted quickly this time and immediately attacked.

A series of enormous, bright white Wind Blades shot out in a ring formation.

BOOM! THUD!

After enduring this wave of attacks, several scales on the Ghost Crocodile’s body shattered, and dark red blood oozed out.

Nearby, Liu Yi and his group watched, dumbfounded.

’Why does it look so easy and simple for Luo Tian and the elegant young man to deal with the Ghost Crocodile?’

’And why is it so difficult for us?’

’We’re staring our eyes out, and we still can’t see where the Ghost Crocodile is hiding.’