Chapter 148 - 147: Rendezvous with a Beauty

SWISH!

The whip shimmered with a dark, spectral light. It moved without a sound, like a phantom striking—it was simply too fast!

By the time the man in the black robe noticed, it was too late to dodge.

The massive, sickle-like hook at the whip’s end was already upon him.

"Break!"

A layer of purplish-black Protective True Qi erupted from the man’s body. He unleashed a furious wave of energy, intending to blast the hook away.

However, the massive, dull, and rusted hook was almost completely unaffected by the True Qi. It twisted bizarrely, as if it had a mind of its own, and snagged the black-robed man’s body.

The hook itself wasn’t lethal.

"Ugh... How is this possible!"

The moment the hook caught him, the man’s Qi and blood froze. His consciousness felt sealed, and his body became completely immobilized.

WHOOSH!

The next instant, the black-robed man was yanked twenty or thirty meters away to the base of a large tree.

SLAP! SLAP!

Luo Tian struck with a rapid series of palm strikes, first knocking him unconscious, then crippling his Martial Meridian and Qi Sea.

’It’s done!’

Luo Tian breathed a small sigh of relief.

Capturing the black-robed man alive had gone more smoothly than expected.

The main reason was that this Leather Whip Hook was just too effective.

As long as it hit, it could even capture a Spirit Sea Realm expert alive.

Of course, activating the whip required both Divine Vein Power and Spiritual Power; True Qi was useless.

Currently, Luo Tian’s Divine Vein Power was slightly stronger than that of an ordinary Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, and his Spiritual Power was also far greater than before.

Therefore, the power he could channel into the whip was several times greater than in the past.

’Time to go!’

After securing the black-robed man, Luo Tian used the Cloud Traveling Step, leaping between the trees to quickly leave the scene.

A dozen or so breaths later, another burly man arrived on the scene. He called out, but after receiving no answer, his expression changed drastically.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the silver-haired youth arrived with two others. He surveyed the scene, his expression turning ugly.

"Senior Dongmen, to succeed in a single, silent blow... even if it was a sneak attack, the perpetrator’s strength is no small matter."

The geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom looked grim.

"This is most likely related to Luo Tian. It seems we underestimated him, or perhaps he has other unknown methods."

The silver-haired youth’s voice was chilling, a silver glint flashing in his eyes.

...

「In a ravine, more than ten li away.」

SLAP! SLAP!

After two slaps to the face, the black-robed man regained consciousness.

"It’s you..."

His body wracked with pain, the black-robed man glared at Luo Tian with hatred.

"Go ahead."

Luo Tian looked at the Crow to the side.

"CAW CAW CAW..."

The Crow flapped its wings and flew over, letting out a demonic sound like grinding metal.

WHOOSH!

Wisps of foul-smelling, acrid smoke drifted out, enveloping the black-robed man.

"Ugh... COUGH COUGH..."

The black-robed man choked, becoming dizzy and disoriented. His consciousness grew muddled, and he felt extremely ill.

In less than ten breaths, the black-robed man’s eyes went dull, and his entire face was blackened by the smoke.

"Are you geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom? How many of you came this time?"

"Yes," the black-robed man answered, his face stiff and lifeless. "Eleven in total."

"What’s the silver-haired youth’s name? Is he your leader?"

"His name is Dongmen Lin. Our leader is Young Master Zheng..." the black-robed man said.

"What’s Young Master Zheng’s background?"

"Young Master Zheng’s name is Zheng Wei. He is the son of Prince Zheng of the Chilong Dynasty."

’The Chilong Dynasty!’

Luo Tian’s heart trembled, and his mind reeled in shock.

The opening of the Royal Secret Garden had actually attracted the intervention of a powerful faction from the Chilong Dynasty.

The Chilong Dynasty was over a hundred times larger than the Azure Cloud Kingdom. It ruled over a dozen or two vassal states and was the overlord of the Eastern Domain of the Continent.

After a round of questioning, Luo Tian learned a great deal of intelligence.

The Qiu Yue Kingdom’s operation this time was taking an elite-force approach.

Aside from Young Master Zheng, the Qiu Yue Kingdom had sent ten geniuses, all of whom were top contenders from the last three sessions of their country’s Human List. The weakest among them was comparable to the top five on the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s Human List.

The black-robed man’s strength was actually at the very bottom of that group.

These individuals possessed the strength to crush the geniuses of the Azure Cloud Kingdom, and they had already slaughtered or captured nearly ten of them.

The Qiu Yue Kingdom had two objectives for this operation:

First, to slaughter the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s most promising geniuses, plunder their opportunities and resources, and seize the initiative on the battlefield by capturing core members of the Royal Family.

Second, Zheng Wei had an incomplete Treasure Map and had come to the Royal Secret Garden to search for something, though his exact purpose was unknown.

The Qiu Yue Kingdom was trying to curry favor with Prince Zheng to gain his faction’s support, which would allow them to smoothly annex the Azure Cloud Kingdom.

Now, these geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom were all taking orders from Zheng Wei.

This operation would not only weaken the Azure Cloud Kingdom but also allow the Qiu Yue Kingdom to latch onto a powerful backer like Prince Zheng.

’The Qiu Yue Kingdom... what terrifying calculations.’

A chill went through Luo Tian’s heart.

If this plan succeeded, the Azure Cloud Kingdom would be plunged into an extremely perilous situation, and might even be annexed by the Qiu Yue Kingdom.

He couldn’t help but think of the Spring and Autumn Insect from the last auction, and the National Preceptor of the Qiu Yue Kingdom.

The Qiu Yue Kingdom’s designs on Azure Cloud were clearly not a recent development.

BAM!

Luo Tian killed the black-robed man with a palm strike from a distance and then gracefully departed.

Luo Tian was not yet qualified to participate in the games played between kingdoms, nor did he have the grand sense of duty to fight to the death against the Qiu Yue Kingdom’s many powerful enemies.

His priority now was to secure more opportunities and benefits within the Royal Secret Garden, and to protect his friends as much as possible.

Only by becoming strong enough could he change the fates of those around him.

The man and the bird remained vigilant as they continued deeper into the Royal Secret Garden.

In the outer wilderness, Luo Tian and the Crow would occasionally discover some precious materials and spiritual items.

Luo Tian rarely bothered to pick the lower-level Treasure Materials, not wanting to waste space in his Space Ring.

Higher-level Heavenly and Earthly Treasures were almost always guarded by powerful Demon Beasts, or even Exotic Beasts.

Some of the more powerful creatures and Exotic Beasts had even reached the Spirit Level Middle Tier or High Tier.

Even though Luo Tian could mimic the aura of a Demon Emperor, he didn’t dare to act recklessly.

Those powerful Exotic Beasts were highly intelligent; the aura of a Fake Demon Emperor could only startle them for a brief moment.

BUZZ!

The Spirit Rhinoceros Jade Pendant in Luo Tian’s robes suddenly grew warm and began to vibrate gently.

’Princess Yunxiu?’

Luo Tian’s heart stirred.

Before entering the Royal Secret Garden, Li Yunxiu had given him a Spirit Rhinoceros Jade Pendant.

Within a certain range, his pendant and Li Yunxiu’s could sense each other’s approximate location.

Immediately, Luo Tian followed the pendant’s sensation and headed in a certain direction.

「Half an hour later.」

Some old, dilapidated buildings and garden landscapes came into view.

"We’ve finally entered the inner part of the Secret Garden."

Luo Tian’s eyes lit up.

According to past experience, all the opportunities and inheritances in the Royal Secret Garden came from its inner and central regions.

At most, one could only find some Heavenly and Earthly Treasures in the outer wilderness area.

"Brother Luo!"

A soft and pleasant young woman’s voice called out.

Then, a beautiful and noble figure emerged gracefully from the garden ahead.

"Yunxiu."

A smile appeared on Luo Tian’s face; he was happy to see that Li Yunxiu was safe and sound.

Behind Li Yunxiu was the young man with the choppy haircut, a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator. He was her cousin, Zhou Qingyu, whom Luo Tian had met once before entering the Secret Garden.

Compared to a day ago, the auras of both Li Yunxiu and Zhou Qingyu had risen.

Li Yunxiu’s Cultivation, in particular, had advanced to the Peak of the Ninth Layer.

Evidently, the two of them had gained something inside the Royal Secret Garden.

"Brat! Before we entered the Secret Garden, you cursed me with a calamity, but we’ve actually gained quite a few benefits."

Zhou Qingyu’s face was flushed with success, his tone laced with mockery and arrogance.

"Brother Luo! There are many good things in this garden. We found a pot of Spirit Wine and several rare Treasure Materials earlier."

Li Yunxiu’s dimples deepened as she smiled, looking bright and charming.

Looking at the joyous pair, Luo Tian frowned slightly.

He activated his Qi Observation Skill and saw that the Clear Qi Pillar above Zhou Qingyu’s head was shrouded in an even denser bloody, malevolent aura.

His Calamity Qi was even stronger than it had been the day before.

Li Yunxiu also had a bloody, malevolent aura above her head, but it was much fainter, suppressed by her Dragon and Phoenix Qi and a mysterious, ethereal Cyan Netherworld aura.

"Yunxiu, the Calamity Qi around you two hasn’t dispersed," Luo Tian said gravely. "Your cousin, in particular, probably has a deadly fate awaiting him. You must be careful."

He had a good relationship with Li Yunxiu—they had even had intimate physical contact—so he spoke bluntly.

"Cousin! Don’t listen to his nonsense. Our luck is great right now."

Zhou Qingyu looked displeased and shot Luo Tian a harsh glare.

If it weren’t for his cousin’s protection, he would have long since eliminated his love rival, Luo Tian.

"I trust Brother Luo."

Li Yunxiu’s charming eyes showed a trace of caution in her elegant demeanor.

Then, Luo Tian told Li Yunxiu the intelligence he had gathered about the Qiu Yue Kingdom.

"The Qiu Yue Kingdom? Something like this is happening?!"

The color drained from Li Yunxiu’s beautiful face.

"Impossible! Without a stable formation base and a medium, the Qiu Yue Kingdom couldn’t possibly open a passage into the Secret Garden."

Zhou Qingyu scoffed and shook his head.

He believed Luo Tian was just being needlessly mysterious and spreading alarmist rumors to get Li Yunxiu’s attention.

Li Yunxiu, however, believed him without a doubt.

She immediately took out a crimson Jade Talisman and crushed it.

Crushing this Jade Talisman would send a "danger" signal to certain core members of the Royal Family, warning them to be careful.

"Alright!" Zhou Qingyu said impatiently. "Yunxiu and I just discovered a type of rare fruit that was thought to be extinct."

"An extinct rare fruit?"

Luo Tian followed the two of them into the garden ahead.

This garden was vast, filled with many dilapidated ancient structures, including pavilions, corridors, and rockeries.

Soon, a Spirit Plant Garden exuding a medicinal fragrance came into view.

The Spirit Plant Garden covered ten acres and was completely overgrown. Some wild Spirit Flowers and Exotic Herbs grew within, though their quality was not very high, similar to the Spiritual Grass Luo Tian had obtained before.

But in a corner, there was a patch of blood-red soil where a dark red ancient tree grew.

On the ancient tree hung several pear-like, blood-colored Spirit Fruits that gave off a strange aura.

’Are those Blood Pear Fruits?’

Luo Tian learned the fruit’s origin through the Celestial Book.

The Blood Pear Fruit was an extinct, rare fruit used to refine the Healing and Life Protection Holy Pill.

Even if consumed directly, it could rapidly heal extremely severe injuries, saving one’s life and restoring their Vitality.

Simply put, it saved your life and restored your Vitality.

This was far superior to the Life-Protecting Pill that Vice Manor Master Yue had given him as compensation.

If a Life-Protecting Pill were refined with the Blood Pear Fruit as the main ingredient, it would be a Life-Protecting Holy Pill, capable of healing even severe injuries inflicted by those at the Earth Element Realm and above.

At this moment, the three of them did not act rashly.

Beneath the ancient tree was a dense swarm of blood-red flying ants, which gave off a dangerous aura.

’These flying ants are no simple matter.’

Luo Tian had a gut feeling and prepared to have the Celestial Book perform an Inference.

"Hmph! Mere ants. One test is all it takes to find out what they’re made of."

Zhou Qingyu glanced over with contempt.

’This pretty boy is all talk. When it matters, you have to rely on yourself.’

’Fine.’

’This is the perfect opportunity to show my courage and strength, to make my cousin realize how useless that weak pretty boy is.’

"Hah!"

Zhou Qingyu approached the blood-red soil and shot out a whirlwind of cyan Palm Force, powerful enough to shred a One-star High Tier Demon Beast.

The moment the Palm Force drew near,

BUZZ! WHOOSH!

the dense swarm of blood-red flying ants on the ground took to the air, forming a blood-red cloud that devoured the whirlwind of Palm Force in the blink of an eye.

"How is that possible!" Zhou Qingyu exclaimed in shock.

But it wasn’t over.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!

From the blood cloud, a large patch of flying ants, like spots of blood-colored light, broke off. In an instant, they swarmed onto Zhou Qingyu and began to bite him frantically.

"AHHH!"

Zhou Qingyu let out a bloodcurdling scream. The Protective True Qi around his body dimmed and cracked at a visible rate, and the flying ants began to devour his flesh and blood.