Chapter 508 506: Phantom of the Thief King

"...The Void Thief King deliberately placed the chessboard here just to throw us off!"

After speaking, the Scholar-Warrior shot Luo Tian a cool glance.

'Luo Tian's actions just now were those of a complete amateur. Maybe he really was just lucky with the first trap.'

"The Scholar-Warrior is right!"

"Have you discovered anything, sir?"

The crowd gathered around the Scholar-Warrior.

Luo Tian gave the Scholar-Warrior a second look. 'Honestly, I hadn't thought of that. I was just randomly looking at the chessboard.'

But the Scholar-Warrior was certain and hadn't paid the board much attention from the start, proving he wasn't just feigning wisdom after the fact.

"You all can take your sweet time looking for a solution!"

Teng Yuanxing snorted coldly, leaped up, and charged into the rain of Element-Breaking Needles.

His figure dodged and weaved rapidly in mid-air, moving with a blinding, incredible speed.

By the time he was a third of the way through, not a single Element-Breaking Needle had struck his True Essence Shield!

Lü Hanye and Lü Hongyi, unwilling to waste time, also charged in.

"I'll risk it!"

A Martial Artist from the Asura Thief Gang took out a set of heavy armor and a massive shield, then charged in as well.

For the trap trials set by the Thief King, one could rely on their own strength, decipher the trap's mysteries, or use other means to defend themselves.

"Sigh, I'm really no good at this sort of thing."

Luo Tian was clueless and prepared to just ask the Celestial Book directly.

The Scholar-Warrior heard this and revealed a faint smile.

He had already locked onto two targets: a painting and a piece of calligraphy on the wall.

'This painting and calligraphy clearly had a great deal of effort poured into them. They have many illogical elements and must be hiding a secret...'

The Scholar-Warrior's gaze swept back and forth between them.

Just then, Luo Tian also walked over.

The Scholar-Warrior assumed, 'Luo Tian must have seen what I was doing and only then became interested in this painting and calligraphy.'

"Do you understand painting and calligraphy?" the Scholar-Warrior asked.

"Not at all!"

Luo Tian shook his head.

Then, he reached out his hand as if to touch the ink wash painting.

The painting depicted a person holding an umbrella, walking through a mountain forest in a downpour, creating a very atmospheric scene.

Luo Tian's hand touched the umbrella in the painting.

"Let me borrow your umbrella for a bit," Luo Tian said with a smile.

His actions and words attracted the attention of a few Martial Artists.

"Is this kid an idiot? He's actually trying to borrow an umbrella from a painting?" one of the Asura Thieves sneered.

But the next moment!

The spot where the umbrella was in the painting rippled like ink, and a jet-black umbrella emerged from it, falling into Luo Tian's hand.

"What!"

The Asura Thief who had just been sneering at Luo Tian was instantly dumbfounded, utterly shocked.

TING! TING! PFFT! PFFT!

Distracted, his True Essence Shield was pierced by the Element-Breaking Needles, which stabbed into his flesh.

The Asura Thief let out a few pained cries and hurriedly refocused his attention to deal with the surrounding Element-Breaking Needles.

"That umbrella... How is that possible?"

"He took an umbrella out of a painting. Was this set up by the Void Thief King?"

Gasps of amazement were heard one after another.

Although Luo Tian hadn't yet entered the trap to test it, everyone already believed he had found the solution!

They were shocked, impressed, and envious of Luo Tian.

Beside Luo Tian, the Scholar-Warrior's expression was slightly stunned before it gradually turned sullen.

Luo Tian had claimed he was no good at this and didn't understand art, yet he had suddenly solved the trial.

'The absolute hypocrite!'

'Or was Luo Tian mocking me?'

WHOOSH!

Luo Tian opened the umbrella, then leaped into the air and flew into the rain of Element-Breaking Needles.

When the incomparably sharp Element-Breaking Needles hit the jet-black umbrella, they seemed to turn into a gentle drizzle, pattering against the surface before sliding off without leaving a single mark.

The others around them were all cautious and on edge, dodging desperately.

But Luo Tian, holding his little umbrella, seemed to be on a leisurely stroll. His relaxed posture was a stark contrast to everyone else's.

It was as if everyone else had become a backdrop, making Luo Tian appear profound and unfathomable.

Luo Tian soon caught up to Lü Hongyi and Lü Hanye.

Lü Hongyi's cold, beautiful face showed a flash of surprise.

Luo Tian's performance this time was even more astonishing than at the previous trap.

A charming and bewitching smile appeared on her face. She adopted the bashful posture of a young maiden and said softly, "Sir, could you let a humble girl like me take shelter from the rain?"

Luo Tian didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Lü Hongyi's act.

He gave a slight nod.

SWISH!

Lü Hongyi flew under the umbrella's cover, and the two walked side-by-side like a couple sharing an umbrella in the rain.

However, Luo Tian discovered that once the two of them were under the umbrella,

the Element-Breaking Needles from above became denser, leaving many marks on the jet-black umbrella.

Soon, Luo Tian and Lü Hongyi successfully reached the other side of the palace.

Even Teng Yuanxing was a few steps slower, arriving after Luo Tian.

His eyes grew increasingly cold.

Luo Tian had solved two traps, and his performance was astonishing.

More importantly, with Luo Tian's help, Lü Hongyi now had an even greater advantage than him. Teng Yuanxing felt threatened.

If not for their prior agreement, Teng Yuanxing would have already moved to kill Luo Tian!

VWOOM!

The umbrella in Luo Tian's hand suddenly turned into a streak of black light, shot out, and merged back into the painting.

One could see that the umbrella in the painting had faded slightly.

"It seems this umbrella has a limited number of uses!" Luo Tian murmured.

"Get out of the way! That umbrella is mine!"

A member of the Alien Race instantly roared, his body exuding a heavy, mountain-like pressure as he charged forward!

"I, Meng, claim this umbrella!"

A group of people rushed over, starting a fierce struggle.

The Scholar-Warrior was closest to the painting and calligraphy. He reacted quickly and was the first to grab the umbrella.

After the Scholar-Warrior passed the second trial, the umbrella returned to the painting, and the many Martial Artists waiting nearby began to fight over it again.

The umbrella ended up escorting three more people successfully through the trial before disappearing completely.

In the painting, the person who had been holding the umbrella now had nothing, and was getting soaked to the bone.

The Scholar-Warrior's face was grim.

For both traps, he felt like he had just been following in Luo Tian's footsteps, riding on his coattails to get through.

...

Almost everyone who had passed the second palace's trap was sizing up Luo Tian.

Luo Tian also realized that his performance had been a bit too high-profile.

The journey had been easy for him, which made Lü Hongyi value him more, but it also attracted a great deal more hostility.

One could conclude from the first two trials that the solutions could only guarantee a limited number of people an easy passage through the traps.

The vast majority of people lacked this kind of talent.

Yet Luo Tian had been the first to find the solution twice, having an easy time and emerging completely unscathed.

This made them feel it was incredibly unfair!

Many even had the thought of eliminating this anomaly, Luo Tian. That way, no one would be able to solve the traps, and they could all compete fairly.

Unfortunately, the three teams had a prior agreement.

At this stage, it was not wise to break it.

Next, the group that passed through the second palace arrived first at the third.

The only strange thing about this palace was the floor. It was made of black, white, blue, and red tiles distributed in a chaotic pattern that seemed to hold some kind of mystery.

Luo Tian could feel many eyes fixed on him.

Even Lü Hongyi didn't rush to act, instead preparing to wait for Luo Tian to find the solution.

"I can't find a solution for this trial."

Luo Tian decided to keep a low profile for now and took no action.

The others waited for a while, but gradually lost patience and began to test the trap in this area.

The Scholar-Warrior tossed a stone. It rolled across a few floor tiles, and when it landed on a blue one, a terrifying chill erupted instantly, freezing the stone and shattering it into ice dust.

"One must follow the correct sequence to pass safely, otherwise a trap will be triggered," the Scholar-Warrior said grimly.

Soon, the group figured out a simple rule: as long as they didn't step on tiles of the same color consecutively, the probability of triggering a trap was greatly reduced.

As for any deeper mystery, it remained unknown.

This trial stumped many people.

The Martial Artists who had passed the first two traps began to gather.

Other teams even started arriving, gradually catching up.

'Bai Ying!'

Luo Tian saw a disciple from the Tai Yuan Sect!

Bai Ying was the foremost True Disciple of the Tai Yuan Sect. His team had arrived, and he, being the fastest, had already reached the third trial!

Teng Yuanxing stared at Bai Ying for a few moments with his cold eyes.

'I have to pass this trial as quickly as possible, or I'll lose my advantage.'

Once again, Teng Yuanxing was the first to charge out.

He hadn't figured out the pattern; instead, he was just tanking the damage from the traps.

He was willing to be injured to stay ahead of everyone and secure his advantage!

Gradually, the others also began to move. With good luck, they could get through successfully after taking a few hits.

At this moment, Luo Tian also set off.

He walked a good distance without triggering any traps.

Some people couldn't help but stare, thinking Luo Tian had discovered the pattern.

Just then, Luo Tian deliberately triggered two traps, dodging them in a heart-stopping display and successfully passing with only a minor injury.

「After passing through the third great hall.」

The scene before them changed dramatically!

It was a vast, circular palace. Floating in mid-air were fifty or sixty orbs of light.

Inside the orbs were mysterious silver ore, a Treasure Sword crackling with lightning, purple fruits—a dazzling array of all kinds of things.

The treasures within any single orb here were enough to make a Celestial Level Martial Artist's heart pound!

But having come this far, the crowd had become familiar with the Thief King's temperament and didn't dare to act rashly.

BUZZ!

At the center of the palace, a circular piece of jade suddenly began to shimmer with a brilliant glow.

A figure gradually materialized within it—majestic and tall, with a pair of black feathered wings on its back and an aura of someone who looked down upon the very heavens!

"The Void Thief King!"

Many people cried out in shock.

Some of the pirates even knelt down, their faces full of reverence.

"All of you who have passed the first three trials will receive a reward. From the many treasures here, each of you may choose two!" the Void Thief King said with a faint smile.

"It seems to be just a preserved image, not a living person."

The Scholar-Warrior's eyes stared intently as he spoke slowly.

The Void Thief King was a Great Power from ten thousand years ago; it was impossible for him to have survived until now.

"We can really pick any two treasures?"

Teng Yuanxing's gaze swept across the many orbs of light high above.

Many of the treasures made his heart pound, and there were a few he couldn't even identify.

"Afterward, you can choose to leave or attempt the final trial!" the Void Thief King's projection continued.

"The final trial will open in half a day! This King is also looking forward to seeing which fated person can obtain everything I have to offer..."