The Gathering of Kings at Rainy Tower

The doors to several private rooms were pushed open, and figures emerged one after another. Though no overwhelming energy fluctuations erupted, the formidable pressure of their presence alone made the onlookers tremble.

Some recognized their identities on sight. Gasps and sharp intakes of breath filled the air.

The first to appear was the young king of the Sacred Dragon clan. His golden hair blazed like a sun, his very eyes molten gold, carrying a faint smile as he swept his gaze across the many cultivators in Rainy Tower. He stood like an emperor, a sovereign who ruled the world.

The second figure inspired even greater dread. His hair was a wild green, shimmering with an uncanny demonic light. He seemed a born warrior-sage, his eyes blazing with an unquenchable battle-will. He was Jing Pu, a War King from one of the four royal lineages of the War Clan—a man with the bearing of one who looks down on the world from above.

When the door to the third private room opened, its master did not step out. Yet everyone knew who it was: in the hazy radiance within, a peerlessly beautiful young woman sat like a dream. Though her face was veiled in a blur of light, the pair of magnificent black jade wings at her back revealed her identity: the Fallen Angel King.

The doors to the other two rooms also opened, but no one knew their masters. One thing was certain, however: they were undoubtedly kings of other races, for who else would dare to match the presence of the Sacred Dragon King and the War Clan's War King?

No one had expected Rainy Tower to host five kings of the alien races. It was a shocking gathering—was it mere coincidence that they had all convened at the finest establishment in Chang'an?

The Sacred Dragon King left a trail of golden afterimages as he flashed to the front of another private room. He lifted up two night rakshasas who lay in pools of blood, golden light flowing like water into their bodies.

"Ah..."

The two ugly, dark-skinned night rakshasas cried out in agony, then woke from the brink of death.

"A powerful soul attack," said the Sacred Dragon King, golden light blazing from his eyes. "Their physical bodies were nearly destroyed, their souls on the verge of annihilation. If I had not intervened, they would surely have died."

"Thank you, Sacred Dragon King, for saving us!" The two night rakshasas immediately knelt and kowtowed, all trace of their earlier savagery gone. One of them said, "Please, Sacred Dragon King, seek justice for us..."

"The Night Rakshasa King has been slaughtering freely in neighboring Yuzhou and is likely about to enter Yongzhou," interjected War King Jing Pu suddenly, his wild green hair lending him an air of overwhelming authority.

"That is correct."

The two night rakshasa experts had been arrogant in the presence of human strongmen, but before War King Jing Pu they dared not even breathe loudly. They were deeply afraid of this terrifying demon king. Just a few days ago, Jing Pu had slaughtered the king of the giants. Blood rained from the sky as the ten-meter-tall giant's corpse fell to the ground—a feat that had cemented Jing Pu's fearsome reputation.

After Ma Bao's battle against the Golden Lion King, and now Jing Pu's slaying of the Giant King, the War Clan's kings had proven their might to be truly world-shaking.

"I wish to meet the Night Rakshasa King," Jing Pu said coldly.

"The Night Rakshasa King will reach Chang'an tomorrow. We can gather then," said the Sacred Dragon King with a faint smile, his golden hair and eyes glinting. As allies with the Night Rakshasa King, he naturally knew the other's movements.

Hearing this, the many cultivators in Rainy Tower changed expressions. The Night Rakshasa King had recently become infamous across the Nine Provinces, slaughtering many human experts. He was the most cruel and ruthless of all the alien race kings toward humans—and now he was coming to Chang'an. It was dire news indeed.

War King Jing Pu nodded silently.

Throughout this exchange, the peerlessly beautiful Fallen Angel King and the masters of the other two rooms had not emerged.

The Sacred Dragon King cast a cold glance at Old Xu and his companions, then swept his gaze over the other strong cultivators in Rainy Tower. "Step forward, the one who acted," he said.

Fear stirred in many hearts. If the Sacred Dragon King involved himself, who could withstand him? The one who had rescued Old Xu was likely doomed to fall here.

Rainy Tower fell deathly silent. No one stepped forward, but the tension grew unbearable.

"Do you want me to drag you out?" the Sacred Dragon King demanded, his voice cold as he stared at everyone.

Still no one answered. The floor was still as a tomb.

Many were astonished. It seemed the Sacred Dragon King had not truly identified the culprit—proof that the hidden figure was immensely powerful, perhaps not far beneath the Sacred Dragon King himself.

"If you don't come out, I'll kill every human cultivator in this building..." The Sacred Dragon King wore a faint smile, but his tone was unspeakably chilling.

"If you want to kill someone, come at me!" Old Xu stood up, pounding his chest. "You can't find the real culprit, so you stoop to this? Is this how a king of the alien races behaves? Come at me..."

Old Xu's friend trembled, tugging his sleeve to stop him from continuing.

To everyone's surprise, the Sacred Dragon King remained calm, unprovoked. He walked forward slowly, like a sovereign upon the world, his oppressive aura filling the entire tower.

"If you want to die, that's easy. I'll grant your wish first..." He spoke calmly, but his divine consciousness had already locked onto the entire floor. He gambled that the hidden figure would try to stop him if he killed Old Xu.

"Death, I grant you!" The Sacred Dragon King pointed a finger. Golden radiance lit up the floor as he thrust toward Old Xu's forehead—a strike that would annihilate both body and soul.

Xiao Chen had not wanted to reveal himself prematurely. With the hundred clans emerging and showing little goodwill toward humans, he wished to act in secret. But he could not bear to see Old Xu die—the man seemed a man of true character. He wanted to intervene.

"Wait!" Old Xu suddenly shouted. "Stop! I have something to say."

The Sacred Dragon King paused, his golden finger less than an inch from Old Xu's forehead. But in that instant, a shocking change occurred. The man who had been supporting Old Xu erupted with a dazzling blade-light, a horizontal slash aimed at the Sacred Dragon King.

It was utterly unexpected!

Even the Sacred Dragon King, mighty as he was, could not fully dodge. He had been sweeping the tavern with his divine consciousness, and Old Xu's shout had drawn his attention. He had not expected that Old Xu's friend would suddenly unleash such terrifying combat power.

This was a carefully planned assassination!

The outburst of indignation from Old Xu had been the decoy; the true 'protagonist' was the friend beside him—a terrifying expert who had hidden his depths.

The snow-bright blade-light tore through the Sacred Dragon King's robes. Everyone saw in horror that, in that perilous moment, the Sacred Dragon King's body had erupted with dense dragon scales, making him look monstrous.

"Shiiing!"

But the blade-light was too sharp. Even the Sacred Dragon King's scale armor was sheared through. Blood sprayed forth in a jet, splattering across the floor.

A world-shaking dragon roar burst out from Rainy Tower, rising to the nine heavens.

Golden light flared. The Sacred Dragon King retreated explosively as hundreds of slashes followed in a murderous cascade. But he had already recovered his senses and blocked them with his palms. The close-quarters clash lasted only an instant before the two figures separated.

The Sacred Dragon King's abdomen had been nearly cut open, blood streaming out. He had almost been cleaved in two. Broken scales and gore littered the floorboards.

Everyone stared, stunned by the shocking turn of events.

"You... despicable wretch... you're dead!" The Sacred Dragon King was nearly mad with fury. An expert had actually ambushed him, inflicting such a grievous wound—it was a disgrace. His scales retracted quickly, and his abdomen writhed as flesh and blood began to knit together, soon repairing the damage.

The assassin moved unhurriedly. He tossed Old Xu and the young man who had spoken up for him out the window, then hefted an enormous kitchen knife, made an extremely lewd gesture toward the Sacred Dragon King's crotch, and stammered, "Ve-ve-ver... very sorry. Sli-sli-slipped higher than I-i-i intended."

The Sacred Dragon King had restored his body but was still severely wounded. "Who are you?!" he roared. The man's attack had clearly been premeditated, directed at him.

"Who am I? Tru-tru-tru-trust in Brother San, and you sha-sha-shall know eternal life!"

At these words, many of the experts in Rainy Tower burst into an uproar. It was the legendary Lewd King, Jin Sanyi!

Even Xiao Chen, not far away, was taken aback. The man had disguised himself perfectly and set up this elaborate trap—Xiao Chen had not seen through it at all.

"This is the Lewd King, who ranks alongside Space King Liu Mu and Bull Demon King Niu Ren?"

"Unbelievable! It's him!"

"So our human race does have a few experts... though he's a bit... lewd. But those peach-blossom eyes are unforgettable."

Jin Sanyi hefted his giant kitchen knife, glancing at the crowd. "Who-who-who says I'm lewd? I'm the Saint King of Elegance! Just like thi-this guy over here, with that look of doom on his face." He pointed at the Sacred Dragon King.

The Sacred Dragon King nearly choked with rage. "We've never crossed paths! Why did you try to assassinate me today?!" he snarled.

"Never crossed paths? You've been sitting on my neck! Your clan's black flood dragon not only ganged up on my sworn brother, the Defiant Dragon King, but also nearly beat my mount, the world's number one divine donkey, to death! I'm not letting this go!" Jin Sanyi stopped stammering and spoke smoothly.

"Fuck your mother!" The Sacred Dragon King couldn't help but swear. This bastard was clearly making up excuses.

"What? I just slashed you. Not happy? Come and bite me." Jin Sanyi blinked his peach-blossom eyes, looking for all the world like a man who could provoke others to death without paying.

The Sacred Dragon King's face darkened. Without another word, he charged, his sacred radiance blazing through the entire tower.

Jin Sanyi executed a smooth backflip, leaped out the window, and hefted his knife as he gestured back inside. "Brother's off first..."

The Sacred Dragon King, unwilling to let him go, transformed into a rainbow of light and shot out after him.

War King Jing Pu watched it all. "The Dragon King has been provoked," he said coldly. "The man's clearly baiting him into pursuit..."

Just then, the peerlessly beautiful Fallen Angel's voice came from her room. "War King, are you not going to see?

"I'd like to go." Jing Pu started to leave.

But at that moment, heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs. A golden-haired young man with an imposing presence climbed up; a closed vertical eye marked the center of his forehead. An aura of world-crushing pressure emanated from him. His bearing was uncannily similar to War King Jing Pu's, as if he too possessed an innate, self-willed authority.

"The Golden Lion King!"

Everyone felt dread. This was the one who had fought the other War King, Ma Bao, to a standstill and crushed all his rivals. Word was that he would soon fight Ma Bao again in Chang'an.

"It's you..." War King Jing Pu stared at the Golden Lion King, his expression complex. The other was originally from one of the War Clan's four royal lineages, but now stood opposed.

"Let's go. It's not convenient to kill you here," the Golden Lion King said, his world-dominating air utterly unguarded.

Everyone was astonished. The Golden Lion King had already fought Ma Bao several times, and now he was provoking another War Clan king? He was utterly confident.

"You've come to block me..." Jing Pu fixed his gaze on the Golden Lion King.

At these words, the cultivators in Rainy Tower suddenly understood. Someone was moving against the Sacred Dragon King and had even convinced the Golden Lion to block the War King.

Xiao Chen was equally surprised. He watched in silence.

"What do I care about the Sacred Dragon King? You and I are of the same clan. Since you won't let me go, I'll just stay here." War King Jing Pu's words shocked everyone. They finally learned the Golden Lion King's origins—but then grew even more confused. Rivals within the same clan, fighting to the death?

"Don't lump me in with the War Clan, or we'll fight to the death right now!" The Golden Lion King did not seem grateful at all; he sat down leisurely before Jing Pu.

Few in the Nine Provinces would dare to address a War Clan king so.

Jing Pu was not angered. Instead, he nodded. "Very well. Let Ma Bao settle things with you."

After these words, he walked slowly toward Xiao Chen, his voice cold. "Friend, you hide well. Since you have the cultivation of a king, why conceal it? Let me see which clan's king you are."

"Hehe..." The sensually enchanting Fallen Angel King laughed from her room, a voice that stirred the soul. "The War King is indeed mighty. He found the hidden expert at a glance."

Xiao Chen wore iron armor beneath cloth robes, with a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat, covering himself completely to avoid revealing his yellow-diamond skeleton body. He rose and sent out a spiritual fluctuation. "Does it truly matter which clan I am?"

"Of course. It matters a great deal to us." At this, the Fallen Angel Maid finally stepped out of her room, but a shimmering mist clung to her, revealing only the outline of a sensuously perfect, curvaceous body, now visible, now hidden.

The two night rakshasas, seeing that the War King and the Fallen Angel King seemed to be deliberately targeting Xiao Chen, spoke up: "He saved those human experts just now. He must be human."

"To borrow your favorite phrase: I grant you death," Xiao Chen said. He took a step, as if crossing space itself, bearing down on the two night rakshasas. War King Jing Pu and the Fallen Angel Maid both moved to block him.

The two night rakshasas had shown fear, but with two kings intervening, they relaxed.

Xiao Chen had no desire to fight both kings at once. He instantly retreated, but sent out a spiritual fluctuation: "I said you would die. Die you must! Die!"

A soul attack mixed with the Heavenly Sound of 'Weng' sent shockwaves through every cultivator present. The two night rakshasas' physical forms collapsed on the spot, their bodies and souls annihilated.

War King Jing Pu stepped forward. "Impressive skills," he said.

The Fallen Angel Maid seemed surprised as well. "Quite remarkable."

Xiao Chen sent out a spiritual fluctuation: "The night rakshasa race will be wiped out. In ancient times, there was an edict to slay the Hu. Now, there will be an edict to slay the night rakshasas."