Chapter 497 - 495: Make Your Bird Stop

Lü Hanye readily agreed to the proposal from the Ninth Master of the Undead Thieves.

"Take him down."

Lü Hanye gave the order to the white-boned man nonchalantly, seeing no need for further instructions.

In his eyes, the bet was already won before it had even begun.

"Luo Tian, if you don’t have the strength to defeat this man, there’s no need for you to board my ship," Hongyi said to Luo Tian.

She had indeed been very keen on recruiting Luo Tian at first, but everyone’s patience has its limits.

And this was the Thief King’s Treasure Land. Right now, she only wanted to recruit the strong, not carry dead weight.

"Brat, I’ll give you a three-move head start. Make your move, or you might not even get the chance to."

A faint, disdainful smile touched the white-boned man’s lips.

His cultivation was at the Peak of the Earth Element Realm Eighth Layer, and his strength was extremely close to reaching the Earth List!

Perhaps in a few more months, his name would appear on the Earth List.

He had absolutely no interest in Luo Tian, who was at the Peak of the Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer.

"A three-move head start? Then I won’t be polite!"

Luo Tian accepted without hesitation.

The Half-Profound Artifact, the Ice Nether Sword, appeared in his hand, and a dark, spectral coldness spread in all directions!

He unleashed a lightning-fast strike, channeling a portion of his Divine Vein Cold Power, which perfectly complemented the Ice Nether Sword.

SHHIIING!

An elegant, silver-gray sword light stirred up a biting gale. Imbued with Yin Netherworld Tyranny’s cold power, it shot toward the white-boned man.

The white-boned man had braced himself, ready to effortlessly shatter Luo Tian’s attack.

But when the sword strike arrived, his entire body stiffened from the cold, and he jumped in fright!

’What a powerful sword strike!’

The white-boned man even suspected that the one who had unleashed this strike wasn’t Luo Tian, but a master from the Earth List.

VMMM!

The white-boned man crossed his arms in front of him. The bones in his arms extended outward, growing thicker and forming a Bone Shield.

As the sword fell, several bones were instantly severed, clattering to the ground.

The pervasive Yin Cold Sword Qi seeped through, eroding the white-boned man. The circulation of his blood and True Essence immediately slowed.

The white-boned man was forced back ten or twenty meters by Luo Tian’s strike, suffering minor injuries.

This outcome was beyond everyone’s expectations.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself. You still owe me two more moves."

Luo Tian struck with his sword again.

VMMMM!

His Wind Sword Intent erupted, and an elegant, swift gale began to swirl.

A brilliant, ice-clear sword light swept out, carrying a storm of bleak, icy wind and containing a boundless, ferocious momentum.

The white-boned man felt as if he were facing an apocalyptic storm, and his mind went into a daze!

"Sword Intent! True Sword Intent!"

The white-boned man’s face turned pale with shock, his expression grim!

He had never expected that Luo Tian, at the Peak of the Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer, had comprehended true Sword Intent!

BOOM!

The True Essence in the white-boned man’s body erupted as he threw a punch. A fist of light, as heavy as a mountain and containing unparalleled force, boomed forward.

The instant the fist of light and the Sword Qi clashed, a layer of frost condensed on the surface of the massive, grayish-white fist. Slashes appeared on it before it was split in two by a peerlessly cold sword light.

SHHIIING!

The Gale Cold Light Sword Qi flashed past, leaving a bloody gash so deep the bone was visible on the white-boned man’s shoulder. Blood streamed down.

"You promised me three moves, but you didn’t keep your word!"

Luo Tian said lightly.

The white-boned man’s face was livid. He gritted his teeth. "You’re shameless! You hid your true strength."

"Ridiculous. You were the one who was too blind to see true strength."

Luo Tian scoffed and unleashed his third strike!

The First Technique of the Sky Wind Divine Sword, "Wind Rises!"

For this strike, Luo Tian used fifty percent of his Divine Vein Power, combining it with his Wind Sword Intent and the Ice Nether Sword!

SWOOSH!

The Sword Qi became the wind itself, sweeping past—ethereal, nimble, yet Yin Cold and tyrannical!

"Bone-Dominating Fist!"

Sensing a grave crisis, the white-boned man threw a punch with all his might, using a sliver of True Intent Fur.

The Fist Technique, as heavy as a mountain and unmatched in its tyranny, met the attack head-on!

The Sword Qi from Luo Tian’s slash seemed to transform into a thousand currents of wind, ethereal and formless, wrapping around the heavy fist light!

The next moment, the white-boned man’s Fist Technique was peeled away layer by layer, collapsing and dissipating!

WHOOSH!

The cold wind of the Sword Qi then shot toward the white-boned man, instantly leaving seven or eight bloody wounds on his body!

One of those wounds was on his throat!

"No!"

The white-boned man shrieked, his face contorted. Blood gushed uncontrollably from his throat.

His eyes lost focus, his body slumped to the side, and he plummeted down!

The duel was over!

A dead silence fell over the scene!

A scarlet, cold glint suddenly shot from Lü Hanye’s eyes, and he radiated a biting killing intent!

’How did the white-boned man lose?’

’Killed by Luo Tian in just a few moves!’

He had never anticipated this outcome, so when it happened, he found it unacceptable. Rage erupted within him, and killing intent surged!

Hongyi was equally astonished.

She had once witnessed a legendary moment for Luo Tian at the Martial City Spirit Hall, but she still hadn’t been confident he could defeat the white-boned man, figuring it was a fifty-fifty chance!

But in the end, it was a completely one-sided slaughter!

Although the white-boned man’s arrogance was a factor, the fact that Luo Tian had killed him in three strikes was enough to prove his immense strength. He was at least qualified to be on the Earth List!

Hongyi’s interest in Luo Tian was once again piqued.

After killing the white-boned man, Luo Tian turned and boarded Hongyi’s Void Ship.

"Hold it!"

Lü Hanye barked coldly.

He couldn’t stand to lose face with his subordinate killed right before his eyes and the murderer leaving as if nothing had happened.

"What, is Lü Hanye of the Asura Thief Gang a sore loser?" Hongyi said with a faint smile.

A moment ago, she hadn’t cared too much about whether she could recruit Luo Tian, but now, Hongyi had changed her mind.

"Lose? Of course I can afford to lose!"

Lü Hanye said, enunciating every word.

"But you dared to kill my subordinate right in front of me. I’ll spare your pathetic life today, but the next time we meet, you’d better be prepared to lose your head!"

Lü Hanye’s grim, blood-red eyes stared at Luo Tian.

"Let’s go!"

He turned and walked back into his ship, and the Void Ship immediately activated and departed.

"It’s only been a short while since we last met, and you’ve already comprehended true Sword Intent. How unexpected."

Hongyi’s red lips curved into a charming, seductive smile.

With Luo Tian’s talent and potential, his future achievements would be immeasurable.

In Hongyi’s heart, she no longer just wanted to recruit Luo Tian as a Helmsman; she wanted a powerful right-hand man!

Luo Tian’s expression remained calm, unmoved by Hongyi’s praise.

"Luo Tian, you really are heartless. I invited you to meet me back then and waited bitterly for months without a single word from you," Hongyi added.

"Something came up. I was delayed."

Luo Tian gave a casual excuse.

In truth, he hadn’t wanted to associate with pirates back then, nor did he want to leave the Tai Yuan Sect, so he had never gone to the meeting.

"What did you want to see me about?" Luo Tian asked.

"Before the Thief King’s Treasure Land was made public, I had already discovered its exact location and was preparing to gather people to act... but I later realized I didn’t have the power to take it all for myself."

"This situation now isn’t bad either. We can fish in troubled waters," Hongyi said nonchalantly.

Luo Tian couldn’t help but look at her with newfound respect. To have discovered the Thief King’s Treasure Land first and still been able to resist the temptation...

Luo Tian didn’t regret not going to the meeting.

Just as Hongyi had said, trying to take the Thief King’s Treasure Land for oneself would not only involve huge risks but would also attract the attention of numerous powers afterward.

The current situation was quite good.

"Come, congratulations on joining my team. And let’s toast to our hope of obtaining the great treasure of the Void Thief King on this trip!"

Hongyi took out a bottle of wine, poured two cups, and handed one to Luo Tian.

"I like to drink wine, but I don’t like meat with it."

Luo Tian held the cup but didn’t drink.

"You actually saw through it."

Hongyi extended a finger and dipped it lightly into Luo Tian’s cup. A tiny, transparent worm could be seen crawling on her jade-like finger.

This invisible, transparent little worm was called the Heart-Breaking Gu. Once ingested, it would lodge in the heart, placing one’s life and death under another’s control.

"I’d advise you not to waste your efforts. I will not be controlled by you. I will only accept a partnership of mutual assistance," Luo Tian stated frankly.

"Mutual assistance? You’re certainly confident," Hongyi snorted lightly.

Her cultivation was at the Celestial Pool Realm.

If Luo Tian followed her, the benefits were obvious. As for how Luo Tian could help her? At most, he could lend a hand occasionally and deal with some small fry.

Hongyi didn’t say anything more.

’I haven’t given up. There will be other chances,’ she thought.

"Boy, that worm is good stuff. If you’re not going to eat it, I will," the Crow suddenly cawed, showing great interest in the Heart-Breaking Gu in Hongyi’s hand.

A strange look appeared on Hongyi’s face.

’Is there something wrong with this crow’s head?’

The Heart-Breaking Gu wasn’t just effective on humans; it worked on any creature with a heart.

"Beauty, this god will sing you a song. How about you give me this Heart-Breaking Gu in return?" the Crow said with great enthusiasm.

It felt like it was about to die of boredom from being cooped up in the Celestial Book all the time.

"If you sing well, I might consider it."

Hongyi found the crow odd and decided to humor it.

The Crow immediately looked invigorated.

It cleared its throat. "If the world was dark, you’d actually still be ugly... Oh, you ugly freak, can you please not turn on the light... Oh, you ugly, ugly freak, in this age where looks are everything, your existence is just tragic..."

The astonishing singing echoed in all directions.

Hongyi’s expression froze and her body went rigid. Even the Heart-Breaking Gu on her finger was twitching and writhing.

"Stop!" Hongyi shouted.

But the Crow was already lost in its own performance, ecstatically immersed in the sound of its own voice.

A vein throbbed on Hongyi’s forehead as she glared at Luo Tian. "Luo Tian, make your bird... stop!"

Luo Tian, who had already anticipated this and retreated to a safe distance, revealed a strange smile. "Ninth Master, if anyone else heard you say that, it could easily be misunderstood."

Hongyi faltered for a second, then realized the ambiguity in her words. A blush of shame and annoyance crept onto her enchanting, jade-like face.