King of Ten Thousand Years

Inside the Slaughter Grotto Heaven.

The ground ahead cracked open, and a Blood Corpse, its body rotten and bathed in gore, crawled out and attacked Luo Tian.

Luo Tian’s expression was calm. His Ice Trace Sword left its sheath, and a sharp, cold glint of light flashed past. The creature’s chest was sliced open, and it collapsed, dead.

Luo Tian stood quietly in place.

Soon, the ground all around him began to crack, and Blood Corpses crawled out one by one.

SHIIING! CHK CHK CHK!

The sword itself was a blur, visible only as countless cold glints of light that zipped through the air. All the Blood Corpses were slain by Luo Tian with lightning speed.

One Blood Corpse was even decapitated by Luo Tian before it had fully climbed out of the ground!

Luo Tian continued to wait.

The Slaughter Grotto Heaven was made for one thing: slaughter!

Waiting in place was the fastest way to kill more Blood Corpses.

「About fifteen minutes later.」

Luo Tian was surrounded by dozens of Blood Corpses. Every time he cut a wave of them down, new ones would charge out. They were endless, with no interruption.

The first time he had entered this place, Luo Tian would have felt pressured and used his Body Technique to evade.

But now, Luo Tian remained perfectly composed from start to finish. His gaze was icy as his sword light flew.

At one point, Luo Tian pierced the throat of a Blood Corpse at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm with a single strike.

Granted, the Blood Corpses here were weaker than normal Martial Artists.

But to instantly kill a creature at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm with one strike was still enough to prove Luo Tian’s immense progress and current strength.

Even facing a human Martial Artist at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, Luo Tian would not feel the slightest bit of fear.

He wouldn’t even back down from a Yunxiao Sect disciple at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm!

”Hm?”

Luo Tian suddenly spotted a Blood Corpse that looked familiar.

’Is that... Liu Yi?’

Back then, Liu Yi and Wang Fu had conspired to murder him. But after Luo Tian altered the trajectory of Wang Fu’s Poison Needle, it ended up killing Liu Yi instead, leaving his corpse here.

Luo Tian just never expected that Liu Yi would reappear before him as a Blood Corpse.

’Could it be that all the Blood Corpses here were once enemies of the Yunxiao Sect, or people who died in this place?’

An idea formed in Luo Tian’s mind.

After a Blood Corpse was slain, it would return to the earth, where its dismembered limbs would reassemble.

The next time, it would serve a new Trial Taker.

This was also why the Blood Corpses’ combat strength was relatively low. Their bodies had been ravaged an unknown number of times, making them fragile and easy to defeat.

「An hour passed.」

Luo Tian was surrounded by a hundred Blood Corpses. Among them were three at the Ninth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, whose ferocious attacks posed a huge threat to him.

After holding on for a while,

”Flowing Wind and Clouds!”

Luo Tian unleashed his strongest killing move. Sword Qi danced wildly, transforming into a storm of Cold Mist and clouds. Within it, countless hazy sword lights seemed to exist, sweeping outward.

This move resonated with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, like a roiling, changing sky, imbued with a vast and cold intent.

”Aaargh...”

Screams rang out as dozens of Blood Corpses were killed or blasted back. The scene became a river of blood, with bodies strewn everywhere.

Covered in wounds and with his True Qi depleted, Luo Tian was teleported out.

’How many points?’

The moment he was teleported out, Luo Tian immediately looked at the Slaughter Points List!

Fifty-nine thousand Points!

Luo Tian instantly saw his name and the Points total next to it!

Fifty-nine thousand Points, minus his previous score of seventeen thousand seven hundred, equaled forty-one thousand three hundred Points. This was Luo Tian’s score for this attempt!

”The Slaughter Grotto Heaven is a testament to combat power. Luo Tian actually scored forty-one thousand three hundred points?”

”Is he really that strong?”

The surrounding disciples were shocked.

For an ordinary Upper Sect Disciple, the Slaughter Grotto Heaven was the easiest of the Four Grotto Heavens.

But Luo Tian’s first run in the Four Grotto Heavens had earned him seventeen thousand seven hundred points, with his scores in the other three Grotto Heavens being astonishing. For him, the Slaughter Grotto Heaven was considered the most difficult.

And yet, on his second try, Luo Tian had obtained forty-one thousand three hundred points!

This score was on par with the best among the elite disciples.

Could Luo Tian, at only the Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer, already possess such strength?

In reality, if Luo Tian were to truly face one of the top elite disciples, he wouldn’t necessarily win.

The points in the Slaughter Grotto Heaven were just a measure of the number of kills, which was related not only to Attack Martial Skills but also to many other factors.

For example, defense and survival. The longer one could last, the more opportunities one would naturally have to kill.

’Next, I just need to get another forty-one thousand points to reach a hundred thousand total!’

A look of joy appeared on Luo Tian’s face.

He wasn’t aiming to surpass today’s performance; he just needed to maintain it.

Luo Tian returned to his residence and rested for a few days.

On the second to last day before the Four Grotto Heavens closed, Luo Tian entered the Slaughter Grotto Heaven once more.

Nearly two hours later!

Luo Tian was teleported out. He glanced at the Slaughter Points List, a slight smile on his lips, and walked away coolly.

One hundred thousand Points in the Four Great Grotto Heavens!

Top three on two of the Grotto Heaven Points Lists!

In the Creation Grotto Heaven, he broke both the single-run record and the total score record!

After Luo Tian left, the honors he had achieved remained on the four lists, leaving all who saw them shocked and filled with admiration.

「The next day.」

The Four Grotto Heavens, which had been open for three months, were now closed.

All disciples who had reached one hundred thousand Points on any of the four lists gathered in the square before the Four Grotto Heavens.

There were about eighty Upper Sect Disciples in total. Once they exceeded the age of thirty, they would leave the ranks of disciples and be assigned to other positions within the Sect.

Right now, fifty-two disciples had gathered here, each having reached one hundred thousand Points on at least one list.

Here, Luo Tian saw the Ten Core Disciples. Those ten seemed to exist in a separate circle, on a completely different level from the other disciples.

Luo Tian also saw Ning Xin, Ying Feihang, and others. To his surprise, Cheng Wanli was there as well.

’Did that guy keep entering the Grotto Heaven trials and manage to reach one hundred thousand points?’ Luo Tian hadn’t been paying much attention before, so he hadn’t noticed.

”We will now present the rewards for the Four Grotto Heavens!”

The Third Elder floated in mid-air, announcing solemnly.

Anyone who reached one hundred thousand Points on any of the four lists would receive three thousand Spiritual Essence Coins, three thousand Contribution Points, and ten Essence Cultivation Pills.

Participating in the trials not only served to temper them but also came with extra rewards. For talented and powerful disciples, this was a form of unseen support.

Soon, forty-six disciples had received their rewards, leaving only the final six.

”You six, your total points across all four lists have all exceeded one hundred thousand. You will receive all the rewards!”

Among these six, five were Core Disciples, and the other was Luo Tian.

’These five must be the ones with the highest level of strength among the Ten Core Disciples...’

Luo Tian sized them up slightly and recognized Ye Feng, Yi Jingwen, and Qiao Hai. He didn’t know the other man and woman.

Among these five Core Disciples, aside from Ye Feng who was at the Earth Element Realm, the other four had all but reached the Half-step Earth Element Realm, or were extremely close to it.

They were also all top figures on the Spirit List, their strength difficult to fathom!

While Luo Tian was sizing them up, the five Core Disciples were all observing him as well, each with a different expression.

By what right could a mere Spirit Sea Sixth Layer disciple stand together with them, five Core Disciples and experts of the Spirit List?

Soon, the rewards for Ye Feng, Luo Tian, and the other four were distributed.

”Twelve thousand Spiritual Essence Coins, twelve thousand Contribution Points, and forty Essence Cultivation Pills!”

Luo Tian’s face was all smiles.

This was the first time the number of Spiritual Essence Coins and Contribution Points in his possession had reached such a high amount.

Such a large amount of Spiritual Essence Coins and Contribution Points was enough for Luo Tian to live very comfortably for the short term.

Beyond that, Essence Cultivation Pills were the basic elixir pills for Spirit Sea Realm Cultivation. They could accelerate one’s training, though their effects were relatively ordinary. Their advantage was that they could be consumed continuously, as their efficacy diminished very slowly.

Forty Essence Cultivation Pills were also quite valuable.

”Next are the rewards for the top three on each of the four lists!”

The Third Elder announced again.

There were twelve spots in total for the top three of the four lists, but the chance of overlap was high.

For example, Ye Feng was in the top three of all four lists.

Luo Tian also occupied a top-three spot on two lists: the Creation Points List and the Heart Demon Points List.

Therefore, a total of eight people had achieved this feat!

”One of the rewards for placing in the top three is three days of Cultivation in the ’True Intent Ancient Hall’!” the Third Elder said calmly.

”It’s actually the True Intent Ancient Hall!”

A heated discussion erupted below.

The True Intent Ancient Hall was the Yunxiao Sect’s most expensive training ground. Inside, one could comprehend the True Martial Arts Intent left behind by Celestial Level Martial Artists.

A single day of Cultivation inside cost one thousand Contribution Points.

In the True Intent Ancient Hall, no amount of Contribution Points ever felt like enough.

Although the price was steep, if one could comprehend a True Martial Arts Intent, it was all worth it.

”I reached the top three on two lists. Does that mean I can enter the True Intent Ancient Hall to cultivate for six days?”

Luo Tian asked.

Floating in mid-air, the Third Elder’s expression flickered slightly, but he didn’t speak.

”Yes!” a Steward answered Luo Tian’s question.

”Six days of training time in the True Intent Ancient Hall! If only that reward was mine!”

This made the crowd even more jealous.

A mere Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer like Luo Tian enjoying such good treatment made countless disciples burn with envy.

”Damn that Luo Tian!”

Han Yuan’s face was dark and cold.

As one of the Ten Core Disciples, he hadn’t managed to enter the top three of any list, which meant he didn’t get this reward!

His hatred for Luo Tian stemmed not only from their previous grievances but also from something Luo Tian didn’t know.

The top three in the Heart Demon Grotto Heaven were Ye Feng, who was at the Earth Element Realm, followed by Qiao Hai, and then Luo Tian.

In reality,

Qiao Hai originally would have had a very difficult time surpassing Luo Tian. In order to push Luo Tian out of the top three for the Heart Demon Grotto Heaven, the Third Elder had used some minor tricks to help Qiao Hai take second place.

After that, the Third Elder had intended to let Han Yuan take third, thus achieving his goal.

But as it turned out, even with the Third Elder’s secret help, Han Yuan still failed, ending up in fourth place!

Because of this incident, Han Yuan didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly whenever he saw the Third Elder now.

’The reward of cultivating in the True Intent Ancient Hall should have been mine!’

Han Yuan seethed with resentment.

”In addition to the reward of three days of Cultivation in the True Intent Ancient Hall, there are two other rewards!”

A Steward slowly walked forward.

He handed each of the eight, including Ye Feng and Luo Tian, a Token and a map.

’What’s this?’

Luo Tian gazed at the jet-black Token in his hand.

It was covered with ancient, simple patterns. In the center of the Token was a carving of a blurry, ancient mountain peak, suspended in mid-air.

Next, Luo Tian opened the map.

’A map?’

Luo Tian could roughly tell what it was, but a map of where?

’And a map can be considered a reward for placing in the top three of the four points lists?’

”Next, there are two matters to announce...”

”First, in five months, the Dongchen Continent’s Celestial Pride Conference will be held!”

the Third Elder said with a grave expression.

The surroundings immediately fell silent. As Upper Sect Disciples of the Yunxiao Sect, they all had some understanding of the Celestial Pride Conference.

This was a grand event for the entire Dongchen Continent! It was held once every five years.

At the Celestial Pride Conference, the Continent’s Four Major Sects would gather, along with the Ten Hidden Families and other super-powers.

This was a gathering of the strongest prodigies in the entire Dongchen Continent. The Yunxiao Sect would send people to attend, but the number of spots was limited.

Anyone who could make a name for themselves at the Celestial Pride Conference would become famous throughout the entire Dongchen Continent.

Furthermore, as a grand event for the entire Continent, the rewards were certain to be astonishing.

”Second, due to the Celestial Pride Conference, our Yunxiao Sect’s Sacred Land, ’Xuankong Mountain,’ will also be opening early...”

’Xuankong Mountain?’

Luo Tian immediately recalled that when he had first arrived at the Yunxiao Sect, he had faintly seen an invisible mountain peak floating in the sky above the Sect.

Now, he looked again at the Token and the map in his hands.

He suspected that these two rewards were related to this Xuankong Mountain.