txolops Chapter 285 Jin Kui Arrives
Chapter 285 Jin Kui Arrives
"Trying to escape?"
Just then, a cold, clear, and hateful female voice suddenly rang out from very close behind him! It was Yuan Yao!
It turned out that while Luo Ming was engaged in fierce battle with the Fire Lizard King and had drawn all of the opponent's attention, she had already taken advantage of the chaotic battlefield and her own remarkable stealth skills to quietly sneak up nearby, waiting for the opportunity to deliver this fatal blow!
"go!"
Without the slightest hesitation, she waved her jade hand, and three azure fire thunderbolts formed a triangular shape, like three deadly azure meteors, shooting with unparalleled precision towards the vicinity of the huge wound on her back that Luo Ming had slashed open!
"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"
The blinding blue lightning and fire instantly engulfed the entire body of the Fire Lizard King! The terrifying high temperature, the violent lightning force, and the corrosiveness unique to blue fire lightning erupted suddenly at its already severely injured wounds and relatively weak waist and abdomen!
"Awooo—!!!"
A scream ten times more agonizing than before echoed across the lava lake! The Fire Lizard King's massive body was blasted forward violently, the wound on its back was completely torn apart and widened, large chunks of lava heavy armor mixed with blood, flesh, and internal organs were blasted away, its waist and abdomen were charred, and demonic blood gushed out like a fountain, its aura instantly plummeting wildly at a visible speed!
Luo Ming glanced at Yuan Yao with some surprise. He was originally preparing to use the Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire Pearl to severely injure the beast, but Yuan Yao seized the opportunity to use the Azure Fire Thunder. The power of the three fire thunders detonating together was comparable to the full-force attack of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
The moment Yuan Yao threw the Azure Fire Thunder, she had already retreated swiftly. At the same time, the small silver shield in her hand shone brightly, protecting her in front of her and blocking the aftershocks of the explosion.
Her face was ashen, and her breath was weak, clearly indicating that she was at her last gasp. However, when she looked at the severely injured Fire Lizard King and Luo Ming, who was finishing off the enemy, her eyes shone with the light of relief and a complex and unfathomable emotion.
"Pfft!"
With the invincible sharpness of the Geng essence and the heavy force of the greatsword itself, the Fire Lizard King's neck, which had lost the protection of the lava armor, was easily severed like a fragile withered branch! The huge head, filled with frozen terror and resentment, separated from the massive body, and the scorching demon blood shot into the sky like a fountain, only to be swallowed and evaporated by the churning magma below.
"Buzz—!"
Having just dealt with the other fire lizards, the swarm of gold-devouring insects that had been circling and eyeing the fire lizard king like hungry wolves smelling blood, buzzed with extreme excitement. Without much prompting from Luo Ming, they swarmed forward and instantly engulfed the headless remains and falling head of the fire lizard king!
The dark golden swarm of insects surged and devoured wildly, with a series of teeth-grinding "crackling" sounds ringing out. The enormous, mountain-like bodies disappeared at a visible speed, turning into nutrients for the swarm to grow stronger.
Luo Ming reached out and beckoned. The swarm of insects flew back carrying several uneaten objects that emanated strong spiritual energy fluctuations. Among them was a fist-sized demon core, a blend of crimson and gold, with what appeared to be magma and golden energy flowing within, radiating surging peak seventh-level demonic power; and a weak but still ferocious fire lizard king's spirit, which Luo Ming quickly sealed in a special jade bottle.
The most eye-catching item was the crimson gold crown, which was the size of a millstone, as if it were cast from pure yang gold, with mysterious natural patterns flowing over it, and radiating a dazzling divine light and pure gold energy! The crown was heavy and hot to the touch, and the quality of the "crimson gold essence" it contained far exceeded any of the crowns he had obtained before, making Luo Ming's heart beat faster.
"Finally got them!" Luo Ming was overjoyed and quickly and carefully put away the three most precious spoils of war. With this crown as the main material, supplemented by other golden crowns, the "Crimson Sun Golden Essence" refined from it would be enough to give his Eight Gates Golden Light Mirror a qualitative leap in power!
Just as he put away the treasure, a firm yet subtly complex female voice came from behind him:
"Thank you so much, Brother Luo, for your help just now."
Luo Ming turned around and saw that Yuan Yao had removed part of the black robe and hood used for disguise, revealing a slightly pale but still beautiful and extraordinary face.
She was exhausted, clearly having expended a great deal of energy in her desperate gamble of throwing three Azure Fire Thunderbolts and then desperately resisting the aftershocks. At this moment, her gaze towards Luo Ming lacked its usual coldness and aloofness, instead holding a hint of relief at surviving a close call, along with an indescribable awkwardness and complexity.
Seeing the other party's rare embarrassment, Luo Ming found it somewhat amusing, a playful smile appearing on his face. He teased, "Fellow Daoist Yuan Yao's 'thank you' is rather superficial. I risked being torn to pieces by that Fire Lizard King to personally kill it, thus rescuing you from certain death. For such a life-saving grace, doesn't Fellow Daoist offer any... tangible thanks beyond verbal thanks?"
He deliberately emphasized the words "substantial expression," his gaze sweeping over Yuan Yao, lingering for a moment on the damaged Thunder Hammer in her hand and the bulging storage bag at her waist, a mischievous smile on his face.
……
Meanwhile, behind a hidden barrier within the Void Heaven Palace, in front of a massive, mirror-like barrier screen, two elderly men dressed in the robes of Star Palace elders were frowning, their gazes fixed intently on the scene displayed on the screen, which contained the figures of Luo Ming and Han Li.
One of the elderly men, with a white face, no beard, and eyes as sharp as an eagle, gasped, his voice filled with undisguised astonishment: "This young man... he actually killed that Golden-Crowned Fire Lizard King! This beast's defenses are so strong that even an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to break through them in a short time, yet it was killed by a mid-stage Core Formation junior using that strange golden insect combined with some incomparably sharp sword energy... This young man's potential and supernatural abilities are probably no less than those of the legendary Six Paths successor, Wen Tianren!"
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he turned to another composed and refined-looking old man beside him: "Now that this boy has become a disciple of the Demonic Path's Barbarian Beard and has displayed such astonishing potential and combat power, if we allow him to grow unchecked, he will surely become a major threat to our Star Palace! We must find a way to eliminate him before he leaves the Void Heaven Palace!"
The refined old man frowned even more deeply, his gaze fixed on the dark golden swarm of insects swirling in the light screen. He said in a deep voice, "The Fourth Elder is absolutely right. However, the swarm of golden beetles that this boy commands is ferocious and treacherous. They can devour metal and are impervious to ordinary flames. Even the iron fire ants from another place might not be able to gain an advantage against these insects. To eliminate him silently without provoking a fierce backlash from Barbarian Beard and the others, I'm afraid... it will be quite difficult."
The two fell silent, staring at Luo Ming, who was collecting spoils and talking to Yuan Yao on the light screen. Their eyes flickered as they quickly considered feasible ambushes or encirclement strategies. Although Nascent Soul cultivators were forbidden from directly attacking lower-level cultivators within the Void Heaven Palace, there was still room for maneuver if a powerful restriction was "accidentally" triggered, or if they were "coincidentally" besieged by several powerful demonic beasts, or if they "inadvertently" fell into a perilous situation.
Just as the two were secretly plotting and the atmosphere was tense—
"Fourth brother, what has put you two in such a difficult position?"
A deep, calm, yet undeniably authoritative voice suddenly rang out behind the two of them.
Upon hearing this, both Star Palace elders trembled, their faces showing respect. They quickly turned around and bowed towards the entrance of the barrier, saying, "Greetings, Grand Elder!"
Before anyone knew it, a figure had appeared at the entrance. The newcomer was tall and thin, with a divine light flickering in his eyes as he opened and closed them. His aura was as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless abyss. It was none other than Jin Kui, the Grand Elder of the Star Palace! He had actually come here in person.
The Star Palace Elder, known as "Fourth Elder," dared not delay. He stepped forward and briefly reported the scene on the light screen and the two elders' concerns: "Reporting to the First Elder, in this second trial, the Lava Path, this mid-stage Core Formation demonic cultivator has become a disciple of the Barbarian Beard. This person just killed the seventh-level peak Golden Crown Fire Lizard King guarding the Lava Lake, demonstrating extraordinary potential and combat power. We are worried that if we allow him to grow, he may become a major threat to our Star Palace in the future. We are discussing whether we should find an opportunity to...eliminate him within the palace."
"Oh?" Jin Kui raised his white eyebrows slightly upon hearing this, a hint of genuine surprise flashing in his eyes. He naturally knew how powerful the Fire Lizard King was; its defense was so strong that even from his perspective as a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, it was practically unbeatable among Core Formation cultivators. For a mid-Core Formation cultivator to be able to kill it, regardless of the method used, was enough to prove its extraordinary nature.
"Is this true? Could it be a successor secretly trained by some old monster?" Jin Kui said, his gaze already fixed on the monitoring screen. When he saw the profile of the white-clad figure on the screen, his surprise deepened, and he even let out a soft "Eh."
"Elder...do you recognize this boy?" The Fourth Elder keenly noticed Jin Kui's reaction and asked tentatively.
Jin Kui's gaze lingered on Luo Ming for a moment, the surprise on his face gradually turning into a meaningful smile. He stroked his long beard and slowly said, "This lad... I do indeed have some recollection of him. He has some connection with Jin Qing, a good-for-nothing junior of my Jin family. Some time ago, my junior encountered danger at sea, and it is said that he was fortunate enough to be saved thanks to this man's indirect assistance."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Fourth Elder and the refined Elder, whose expressions had subtly changed. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable conclusion: "Since he has some kinship with my Jin family and has never directly opposed my Star Palace, for my sake, we will leave him alone during this trip to the Void Heaven Palace. Let him be."
The Fourth Elder and the Refined Elder exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. The First Elder, Jin Kui, held a prestigious position in the Star Palace. Since he had personally spoken up to protect the person and had a valid reason, they naturally could not take any further action.
"Yes, we will obey the Elder's orders," the two replied in unison.
Jin Kui nodded, no longer looking at the light screen, turned and drifted away, leaving only a faint voice echoing within the restriction: "You all stay here and keep a close watch. Be discreet and don't let the old guys from the righteous and demonic paths catch you red-handed. I'm going inside to take care of some things."
The Fourth Elder and the Refined Elder bowed to see him off, and only straightened up after Jin Kui's figure disappeared. The Fourth Elder looked at Luo Ming, who was talking with Yuan Yao in the light screen and knew nothing about what was happening, and shook his head and sighed: "This boy... is quite lucky. With his connection to Jin Qing, and the fact that the Grand Elder knew about it, he escaped a calamity."
The refined elder sighed, "It seems that sometimes, good deeds done unintentionally can truly save lives in crucial moments. I just wonder if his luck will last him through the perilous Void Heaven Palace..."