Chapter 502 - 500: Brother Jinmao, I Choose You

"Those are the facts. If you think I’m spouting nonsense, then why don’t you tell me what really happened?"

Luo Tian was calm and fearless as he retorted.

"Those three stalks of Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass—you definitely took them!"

the golden-haired man said resolutely.

"If I had taken the Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass, wouldn’t the Flowing Gold Illusionary Finch have stopped me?"

Luo Tian immediately shot back.

The golden-haired man was stumped and didn’t answer.

"That’s a Celestial Level Demon Beast. Brother Jinmao, you were ambushed and nearly died here just now when you tried to take the Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass. Why would nothing at all happen to me when I took it?"

Luo Tian continued.

Hearing the two words "Brother Jinmao," the corner of the golden-haired man’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

But Luo Tian had a point.

’Why didn’t the Flowing Gold Illusionary Finch kill Luo Tian and the Ugly Bird? How could it have just watched as Luo Tian took the Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass? That’s obviously impossible!’

And yet, the golden-haired man strongly suspected that Luo Tian was the one who had taken the Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass.

’What on earth happened while I was gone?’

The golden-haired man couldn’t figure it out. His expression grew darker, a faint killing intent glinting in his eyes. He seemed to be considering just killing Luo Tian and rummaging through his Storage Space; then the truth would be clear.

But out of respect for Lü Hongyi, he didn’t make a move.

"Luo Tian, open your Storage Space and prove you didn’t take the Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass!"

the golden-haired man barked.

At that moment, a few more people arrived, the silver-robed woman from the Sea Demon Palace among them.

She quickly learned of the situation and, agreeing with the golden-haired man’s proposal, said, "Luo Tian, just open your Storage Space."

"Miss Lü, I trust that a reasonable person such as yourself won’t show favoritism to your own subordinate, right?"

the golden-haired man said to Lü Hongyi.

Lü Hongyi nodded slightly. "Luo Tian, open your Storage Space!"

The golden-haired man and the silver-robed woman showed faint smiles.

But the next moment...

A teasing, cold smile curled Lü Hongyi’s lips. Looking at the golden-haired man and the silver-robed woman, she said, "This is what you were hoping I would say, isn’t it!"

SNAP!

Lü Hongyi snapped her fingers.

"Now!"

"Go!"

The few subordinates beside her immediately launched a surprise attack on the teams from the Sea Demon Palace and the Hundred Beasts Pirate Gang.

In an instant, screams rang out.

Caught in the unannounced ambush, several members of the Sea Demon Palace and the Hundred Beasts Pirate Gang were instantly and severely wounded.

At the same time, several more subordinates who had been lying in ambush outside the Red Palace rushed in, blocking the exit!

It was a pincer attack!

"Miss Lü, you—!"

The sudden turn of events left the golden-haired man utterly stunned!

WHOOSH!

Lü Hongyi struck in an instant. A deep crimson Blood Jade Palm Light, stirring a thick, brilliant-red bloody haze, came whistling through the air!

Ambushed again and completely unprepared, the golden-haired man had no time to retreat or counterattack. He could only channel his True Essence, focusing all his power to form a True Essence Shield.

CRACK! THUD!

The Blood Jade Palm Light slammed into the golden True Essence Shield. Cracks spread instantly, and the shield shattered.

The palm struck the golden-haired man in the chest, sending him crashing into a corner of the palace. His face was pale as he spat out several mouthfuls of blood.

He had already been wounded by the Tri-colored Finch’s sneak attack.

Now, under Lü Hongyi’s ambush, he was grievously injured in a single move and left incredibly weak.

SWISH!

The silver-robed woman from the Sea Demon Palace swung her sword, unleashing a chilling, turquoise Sword Light. She then transformed into a streak of silver light and fled the Red Palace.

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

The Purple Crystal Long Whip at Lü Hongyi’s waist, like an incredibly nimble serpent, extended in an instant, whipping out a gloomy, dense shadow of purple light.

CLANG!

The silver-robed woman put all her strength into a sword strike that collided with the purple whip’s shadow, but she was clearly at a disadvantage.

The Purple Crystal Long Whip’s Attack could affect one’s Soul.

The silver-robed woman’s consciousness felt as if it were at the center of a storm, and a chilling, piercing pain coursed through her body.

In her vision, the entire world seemed to be shaking.

THWACK!

After three moves, the silver-robed woman was sent flying by a lash from Lü Hongyi’s whip and slammed to the ground.

"Treasure hunting here was only my secondary objective!"

"My main goal was to bring both of your teams under my command!"

Lü Hongyi revealed her true colors.

She had planned this from the beginning. Her previous act of being friendly and reasonable was precisely to make these two teams lower their guard.

’By dealing with these two teams, I can eliminate competitors and strengthen my own forces!’

"Submit to me, or die!"

Lü Hongyi’s domineering and arrogant voice rang out!

With the leaders of both teams defeated in an instant, it was a massive blow to the morale of the remaining members.

Furthermore, some of the golden-haired man’s subordinates had also been "forcibly recruited" through violent means and held no loyalty whatsoever.

"I surrender!"

"Don’t kill me!"

Some dropped their weapons, while others raised their hands.

Only a few stragglers who were still resisting eventually stopped and submitted to Lü Hongyi.

"Swallow a Heart-Breaking Gu and live, or refuse and die!"

Lü Hongyi took out a Jade Bottle. It appeared to be empty, but with one’s Spiritual Sense, one could clearly perceive many tiny, transparent Poisonous Insects inside.

"Damn it. I really misjudged you, you venomous bitch."

The golden-haired man was resentful and unwilling to accept it.

If he had been highly vigilant of Lü Hongyi from the start, this definitely wouldn’t have been the outcome.

The golden-haired man talked tough, but he still obediently swallowed a Heart-Breaking Gu.

But the silver-robed woman from the Sea Demon Palace was proud and arrogant. Unwilling to submit to a Pirate Gang, she seized the opportunity to escape while Lü Hongyi was forcing the gu on the golden-haired man!

"Only the dead can escape my grasp!"

Lü Hongyi gave chase!

Seeing Lü Hongyi leave, the golden-haired man’s eyes darted around.

"Everyone," the golden-haired man said in a low voice, "if you let me go, I will reward you generously!"

Lü Hongyi’s subordinates were also people she had plundered from all over and forcibly controlled to work for her.

Almost none of them were truly loyal to Lü Hongyi.

The golden-haired man had seen through this point and thought he still had a chance to escape!

’As long as I can escape from here and put some distance between myself and Lü Hongyi, it will be difficult for her to use the Heart-Breaking Gu to threaten my Life.’

He had a way to neutralize this kind of Poisonous Insect; he just needed time.

"Brother Jinmao, you should just stay put and behave. Don’t get any funny ideas, or I’ll have to invite you to listen to a song!"

A slight smile touched Luo Tian’s lips.

’Listen to a song?’

The golden-haired man didn’t understand what that meant.

But many of Lü Hongyi’s subordinates immediately showed expressions of fear and awe, shaking their heads frantically.

"Crow, go ahead."

Luo Tian waved his hand.

The Crow circled above the golden-haired man’s head. Despite its hoarse voice, it began to sing excitedly, "Gah, gah, gah, please don’t... be obsessed with bro, bro is just... a legend..."

The hoarse voice only made the song even more unbearable.

The golden-haired man’s scalp went numb. He felt agitated and irritable, his qi and blood thrown into chaos.

Yet, deep down, he actually felt a sense of reverence and worship for the Crow, wanting to hear more.

This intense contradiction between his body and mind was a double torment, making him suffer so much he wanted to draw his sword and end it all.

A short while later, Lü Hongyi returned, a head dangling from her hand—it was the silver-robed woman’s.

"Boss Lü, Captain Lü, save me!"

The golden-haired man listened to the Crow’s song with a respectful posture, yet his face was a mask of misery as he pleaded with Lü Hongyi.

Seeing the miserable state the golden-haired man had been reduced to, the others were terrified. One by one, they proactively swallowed the Heart-Breaking Gu.

Witnessing this, Lü Hongyi’s appreciation for the Crow grew even more.

"How about you follow me from now on?"

Lü Hongyi asked with a smile.

"It’d be more like it if you followed this god. Although you’re not much to look at, as long as you serve me well, making you a concubine wouldn’t be a problem."

The Crow’s words were shocking.

Lü Hongyi felt a headache coming on and decided to drop it.

"Young man, this god is leaving now. I’m off to get intimate with my beloved consort."

With an impatient and excited expression, the Crow transformed into a beam of black light and vanished over the horizon.

"What is it going to do?" Lü Hongyi asked, puzzled.

"Do... the things one loves to do."

...

The golden-haired man had submitted, and the silver-robed woman was dead.

More than half the members of their two teams were either dead or had surrendered.

"There are still some who got away. Deal with all of them for me—they either submit, or they die!"

Lü Hongyi gave the order, and everyone moved out.

「In the time that followed.」

Everyone else within the palace complex met with disaster.

Lü Hongyi’s team grew even stronger.

As part of the team, Luo Tian received a certain degree of protection and was living quite comfortably.

His current status was second only to Lü Hongyi, and he was the only one on the team who hadn’t consumed a Heart-Breaking Gu.

However, Luo Tian didn’t let his guard down because of this.

’This woman is ruthless and ambitious. She’s capable of anything, so I must be on my guard...’

Lü Hongyi’s strength was too great, which Luo Tian found somewhat troublesome.

"Luo Tian, this palace complex should be the former residence of the Void Thief King, and that Red Palace was the Thief King’s bedroom... What exactly did you find?"

Lü Hongyi inquired.

"The Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass!"

This was the most valuable treasure Luo Tian had obtained.

As for what other treasures he might have acquired, the situation had been too urgent. Luo Tian hadn’t had a chance to examine them closely, so he didn’t know either.

"Before we entered, I said that what you find is yours to keep! If you don’t want to say, I won’t force you."

Lü Hongyi didn’t press the matter further, which greatly surprised Luo Tian.

"The truly valuable treasure here is still the wealth hidden by the Void Thief King!"

Lü Hongyi added.

Luo Tian agreed.

This palace complex held many treasures, and the various Martial Artists who entered had all found something, but it clearly wasn’t the entire life’s fortune hidden by the Void Thief King!

"Now that our team is strong enough, what we need more is information!"

"We’ll split into two groups to search the entire Thief King Island. If there’s trouble, send a signal immediately."

Lü Hongyi suggested.

"You seem to trust me quite a bit."

Luo Tian smiled. He thought Lü Hongyi’s suggestion was a good one and didn’t refuse.

「One hour later.」

The team gathered together, a total of nineteen people!

"Now, we will split into two groups and search Thief King Island!" Lü Hongyi announced to everyone.

A look of joy appeared on the golden-haired man’s face.

’With my strength, I’ll definitely be the leader of the second group.’

’This way, I’ll have a chance to escape Lü Hongyi’s control.’

"Luo Tian, you pick a few people," Lü Hongyi said to Luo Tian.

The golden-haired man’s expression froze. ’Something isn’t right!’

"Brother Jinmao, I hear you’re ranked twenty-eighth on the Earth List. I’ll take you."