King of Ten Thousand Years

The Half-step Earth Element Realm Demon Beast that had ambushed the Ghost General was, in fact, Luo Tian’s flying mount.

Luo Tian had long ago instructed the Flying Cloud Bird to follow him from a certain distance.

The Flying Cloud Bird’s ambush was timed with extreme precision, inflicting significant injuries on the Ghost General.

’The Earth Level Martial Artist is severely wounded. The crisis should be over...’

Jiang Daoyun breathed a sigh of relief.

His objective had been achieved. Now, if he were to leave, the Ghost General wouldn’t be able to stop him.

As for killing the Ghost General in return, that was out of the question.

Pushing the Ghost General into a corner would only result in mutual destruction.

However, Jiang Daoyun was a little puzzled. In this battle, Luo Tian had truly gone all out to help him.

During the fight, Luo Tian had erupted with immense power, revealing many hidden techniques and even exposing his trump card—the Half-step Earth Element Realm avian beast.

For a fleeting moment, Jiang Daoyun even felt that Luo Tian was a rare, genuinely good person, one who would repay grievances with virtue and let bygones be bygones.

’No, that’s not it. He must be afraid of my retaliation, so he’s trying his hardest to curry favor with me!’

The realization dawned on Jiang Daoyun.

’It seems my family’s reputation is too great, and my ranking on the Spirit List is too high. Now that Luo Tian has the Earth Spirit Fruit, he’s worried and afraid.’

WHOOSH!

Just then, the Ghost General slowly flew back up. His hair was disheveled and his expression was grim, completely lacking the dignity of an Earth Element Realm expert.

”Still want to fight?”

Jiang Daoyun smiled arrogantly.

’Trying to kill me? Not a chance!’

The Ghost General’s expression flickered with uncertainty. From the previous battle, he had gauged the strength of the three before him.

In his current condition, it would be difficult to eliminate all of them.

But if he only killed Luo Tian and then fled, the matter would surely be exposed.

Besides, Luo Tian had a Half-step Earth Element Realm flying mount; he wasn’t that easy to kill.

SWISH!

The Ghost General turned and fled, deciding to plan for the long term.

”Heh heh!”

Jiang Daoyun sneered. The enemy had finally fled.

But just then...

”Luo Tian, consider yourself lucky this time!”

Before leaving, the Ghost General left behind a vicious threat, then vanished over the horizon.

Jiang Daoyun and Ji Qingrong stood frozen in place, feeling that something was wrong.

Jiang Daoyun reacted instantly.

’Damn it! This assassin’s target is Luo Tian!’

”Luo Tian, you... you...”

Jiang Daoyun exploded with rage. He pointed at Luo Tian, too furious to speak.

Everything became perfectly clear.

The assassin’s target was actually Luo Tian. The matter had nothing to do with the two of them.

But Jiang Daoyun had been deceived. He had acted as a shield for Luo Tian and had even made a hefty promise to get Ji Qingrong to help.

The result was that Jiang Daoyun had played the part of a great samaritan, helping Luo Tian overcome the crisis.

”Oh! So he was after me.”

Luo Tian also put on a look of sudden realization, as if he had no idea.

”You’re still putting on an act?”

Jiang Daoyun roared, his killing intent radiating outward.

He had just been feeling smug, thinking Luo Tian was deliberately protecting him out of fear.

After learning the truth, Jiang Daoyun felt a deep sense of shame. He had lost all face and flew into a rage from the humiliation!

”A misunderstanding!”

Luo Tian said with a smile.

”How can this still be a misunderstanding?” Jiang Daoyun’s face was savage. The terrifying might of a Half-step Earth Element Realm expert crashed against Luo Tian like waves pounding a cliff.

”It truly is a misunderstanding. Brother Jiang was right before, my Inference Skill isn’t very accurate. I didn’t expect the enemy was coming to kill me either!”

Luo Tian shook his head with a look of shame, blaming it all on his unreliable predictions.

”Brother Jiang, rest assured, I won’t make any more casual predictions for you in the future, just to avoid any mistakes.”

Luo Tian ”sincerely” admitted his fault.

Jiang Daoyun’s eyes, brimming with killing intent, were fixed on Luo Tian, his chest filled with fury.

However, he glanced at Luo Tian’s flying mount, which was also at the Half-step Earth Element Realm.

Jiang Daoyun had fought with all his might and was greatly exhausted. Coupled with his existing injuries, his chances of winning a one-on-two fight were slim.

What’s more, Luo Tian could escape on his flying mount at any moment.

”This matter isn’t over! That... in your hand...”

Jiang Daoyun’s expression darkened as he took the opportunity to make a play for the Earth Spirit Fruit in Luo Tian’s hand.

”You two, I have other matters to attend to. We’ll meet again!”

Luo Tian cut him off, leaped onto the Flying Cloud Bird’s back, and rode away on the wind.

Jiang Daoyun was injured and had exhausted too much energy fighting the Ghost General. He couldn’t catch up to the Flying Cloud Bird.

”Bastard!”

Jiang Daoyun roared.

His anger had no outlet, and bottling it up only made it more agonizing.

Ji Qingrong, who was standing nearby, silently mourned for Jiang Daoyun for a dozen breaths.

At the same time, she was also annoyed that Luo Tian had kept her in the dark as well.

However, as an observer, she had to admit that Luo Tian’s schemes were impressive, twisting a top-fifty expert on the Spirit List around his finger to resolve a deadly crisis.

”Young Master Jiang, let’s part ways here.”

Ji Qingrong dropped this line and left alone.

Jiang Daoyun’s heart was currently filled with rage and hatred. He had little mind for beautiful women and didn’t pester her by chasing after her.

”Luo Tian, don’t let me get another chance, or I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life.”

Jiang Daoyun’s face was grim and savage.

He sat down cross-legged to recover from his injuries and exhaustion.

「Two days later.」

Jiang Daoyun’s injuries were completely healed.

”Why hasn’t my brother written back?”

Jiang Daoyun muttered to himself.

When he came here, he had learned that his younger brother, Jiang Long, also had business in the Manglong Mountain Range. Jiang Long had promised to meet up with him once he was finished.

Jiang Daoyun sent a message but received no reply.

He didn’t think much of it and sent a message to his family to gather manpower. He was determined to get the last Earth Spirit Fruit from the Black Armored Alligator Turtle’s back.

「Five days later.」

”Young Master!”

A team of people arrived, led by a white-haired old man whose cultivation had also reached the Half-step Earth Element Realm.

The rest were all High Tier Spirit Sea Realm cultivators, seven or eight of them in total.

With Jiang Daoyun included, such a lineup was more than enough.

”Follow me!”

Jiang Daoyun led the team to the edge of the lake.

However, there was nothing on the lake. The Black Armored Alligator Turtle had already left!

All that effort, for nothing again.

Furious, Jiang Daoyun prepared to return to his family directly.

But just then, the white-haired old man said, ”First Young Master, where is the Second Young Master? The Patriarch says the Celestial Pride Conference is about to begin and has ordered you both to return.”

”Jiang Long hasn’t returned?”

”No!”

Jiang Daoyun’s expression darkened slightly. ’Could Jiang Long have met with an accident?’

There wasn’t a large age gap between him and his brother Jiang Long. They had grown up together and had a very good relationship.

”Spread out and search everywhere!”

Jiang Daoyun commanded.

The members of the Jiang Family immediately began searching for Jiang Long’s traces.

Before long, Jiang Long’s body was found. The group stood by, their expressions grave.

”The Second Young Master... is dead!”

The faces of the Jiang Family members were filled with shock and fear.

The Second Young Master’s talent was not much different from the First Young Master’s. Both were ranked on the Spirit List, and they were expected to shine at the upcoming Celestial Pride Conference and become future pillars of the Jiang Family.

But instead, the Second Young Master, Jiang Long, had died here.

The Patriarch would surely be furious and would severely punish the murderer.

”This wound...”

Jiang Daoyun crouched down, carefully observing the wound on Jiang Long’s body, and felt a hint of familiarity.

After closing his eyes in thought for a moment, he suddenly snapped them open and blurted out, ”Luo Tian!”

That’s right! The wound on Jiang Long’s body was a perfect match for Luo Tian’s Swordsmanship!

”Luo Tian, it was you! You actually killed my brother!”

Jiang Daoyun shot to his feet. A monstrous killing intent surged, and the very air seemed to roil!

He hated himself for not attacking Luo Tian directly back then!

...

By now, Luo Tian had long since left the Manglong Mountain Range.

Although using Jiang Daoyun to resolve the crisis with the assassin meant offending the Jiang Family and a genius ranked thirty-second on the Spirit List, Luo Tian didn’t regret it at all.

From the moment they met, Jiang Daoyun had taken a dislike to Luo Tian, targeting him at every turn.

The subsequent conflict over the Earth Spirit Fruit only deepened their animosity.

Besides, the cloaked man Luo Tian had killed earlier, Jiang Long, seemed to be from the same family as Jiang Daoyun.

’Less than ten days until the Celestial Pride Conference begins!’

This was the only thing Luo Tian cared about right now.

Although he seized every moment to improve his strength, the time was ultimately too short. With his current power, it would still be difficult to place in the top twenty of the Celestial Pride Conference.

Take the Yunxiao Sect, for example.

Previously, Ye Feng had reached the Earth Element Realm, and no other Core Disciple could compete with him.

But half a year had passed since Ye Feng’s breakthrough. Had no other Core Disciples broken through to the Earth Element Realm?

Luo Tian felt that Yi Jingwen and Qiao Hai were very likely candidates.

And among the Four Major Sects, the Yunxiao Sect’s overall strength was ranked third.

Beyond that, there were the Ten Hidden Families, who lived in seclusion and were rarely active, and then the geniuses from the Central Domain’s Commerce Alliance.

It was no exaggeration to say that the top twenty of the Celestial Pride Conference would be a stage for Earth Element Realm experts!

”With less than ten days left, it’s difficult to significantly increase my strength!”

Luo Tian sighed.

If he used certain Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, he could indeed boost his strength substantially in a short amount of time.

However, Luo Tian didn’t have many Spiritual Essence Coins to begin with, and Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that could provide a short-term power boost were by no means cheap.

”That’s right!”

Luo Tian suddenly remembered something.

He flipped his palm over, and a palm-sized, crystal-white seashell appeared from his Storage Pouch.

This was a treasure Luo Tian had found at a stall in the Martial City when he was studying at the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion.

Other than being hard, it had no other use.

However, Luo Tian had once had the Celestial Book perform an Inference on the shell’s origin.

It was an Ancient Refining Artifact, a coffin used by some deep-sea races, also used to store valuable items. It contained a world within, and its outer shell could block almost all forms of power.

’There might be some treasure inside.’

Luo Tian fantasized.

Back then, Luo Tian had tried every method he could think of but couldn’t open the shell.

But now, it shouldn’t be difficult.

Luo Tian gripped the shell in one hand, activating his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body and circulating his Guiyuan True Qi!

CRACK!

A tiny crack appeared where his fingertips pressed down, gradually spreading as Luo Tian applied more force.

’Don’t you disappoint me!’

Luo Tian thought to himself.

It would be best if it contained some precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.

Of course, that was just his best-case scenario.

KRA-CHA!

The cracks spread across the crystal-white shell, and at the same time, a cold, damp aura seeped out.

With a POP, Luo Tian pressed a hole into the crystal-white shell.

BOOM!

The entire crystal-white shell erupted with a loud bang, expanding several dozen times in size to become a giant shell three or four meters long.

The Flying Cloud Bird’s body suddenly dipped, and it cursed inwardly, ’What is Luo Tian up to now? Does he want to fall from the sky?’

”Open!”

Luo Tian waved his palm, and the shell opened, shining with a faint white brilliance.

At this moment, he felt like he was opening a treasure chest.

The instant the shell opened, Luo Tian saw what was inside.

Instantly, he froze. Dumbfounded, he stood as still as a statue, staring blankly into the shell...