The Three Kings' Ambush

Killing a king—even a crippled relic of an old king—sent tremors across the seas. The result directly caused many hostile races to suspect and distrust one another, making the already delicate power structure overseas even more precarious. Undercurrents surged, threatening to erupt into a storm at any moment.

Xiao Chen had not acted on a whim. If he could fan the flames, the mutually suspicious strong races might tear each other apart, buying the Nine Provinces a period of peace. But the overseas region was a volatile powder keg; one misstep could mean utter annihilation. Xiao Chen did not act recklessly. He spent several days cultivating quietly in the coastal waters, drawing in the essence of water from the five elements. The spiritual energy of the ocean was rich, ideal for training.

After bringing himself to peak condition, he scouted the coast and finally learned of Niu Ren, Liu Mu, and the others. It turned out that the Nightmare King had chased them from Yongzhou all the way to the Western Region, and then to the desolate lands of the far west. In the end, Liu Mu and Niu Ren were forced to flee, shattering the void to return to the World of Immortality. After the cataclysm of the false gods, the four great worlds had shrunk sharply, and the illusory realms had been destroyed, but the true four worlds could not be annihilated and still existed. As for Jin Sanyi, the Defiant Dragon King, and the others, their whereabouts were unknown. Xiao Chen worried, but he believed they had life-saving techniques and would not have fallen.

These tidings were neither good nor bad—at least they had escaped death. The problem was that Liu Mu and Niu Ren would face great difficulty returning. Although crossing over from the four worlds to the mortal world was not as hard as before after the great cataclysm, it still required a price.

Dark clouds gathered overseas. Many races were on guard against each other. It was in this tense, precarious moment that Xiao Chen once again ventured in.

But he did not head for Skeleton Island. From far away, he could see death energy rising to the heavens—it had clearly become a dragon's pool and tiger's den, no longer approachable.

Xiao Chen moved forward cautiously. Every time he passed a large island, he lingered for a while, looking for a chance to ambush an外出异族王. But he found no suitable prey—not a single king alone.

Ahead lay a huge gourd-shaped island, tens of thousands of square kilometers in size, lush and green. Apes howled and tigers roared; savage beasts ran rampant. Xiao Chen felt the defenses here were not so tight and wanted to enter to find an opportunity. But as soon as he penetrated more than ten li, he immediately halted.

From afar, he could see more than a dozen enormous creatures circling in the sky above the island. Their massive shadows linked together like patches of dark clouds. They were actually winged dragons! Not only Sacred Dragons, but winged dragons of all colors: jade-green like emerald, blood-red like fire, pitch-black like ink... Their wingspans stretched over a hundred meters, blotting out the sky.

Xiao Chen had inadvertently stumbled into Sacred Dragon Island. This was no benign place. Every dragon lineage was among the most dangerous creatures. No wonder the defenses were so lax—this was a dominant race with shocking combat power, unafraid of foreign attacks.

But since he was here, Xiao Chen had no intention of leaving empty-handed. However, he would never venture into the island's depths; such a powerful race must have an extraordinary master in residence. Even if he wanted to stir up chaos, he would not seek death by charging into the island's center.

As dusk fell, he crept another dozen li before stopping. On a towering cliff of stone, he discovered a huge cave. Thunderous dragon snores could be heard from afar.

Holding the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, Xiao Chen slipped like a ghost into the dragon's lair built into the cliff. The great cavern was spacious; though the sky had darkened, the interior was not dim—it shone brightly with many jewels. He had long heard that dragons loved shiny treasures, and seeing it confirmed, this was a small treasure vault. The sleeping dragon here was no weakling; otherwise it could not have guarded its hoard.

Ahead, a Sacred Dragon lay curled like a small mountain. Its body gleamed with golden light, radiating sacred radiance. No matter how he looked at it, it resembled the dead Sacred Dragon King—as if cast from the same mold.

The dragon snores abruptly ceased. The mountain-like beast opened a pair of millstone-sized eyes, like two full moons hanging in the cavern.

Seeing Xiao Chen, it was first angered, but when it noticed the radiant Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, its expression turned to scorn.

A voice boomed through the cave like thunder: “Lowly race! Insignificant human! How dare you intrude into my lair! Put down that sacred tree, and I will grant you a painless death. Otherwise, the fury of a Sacred Dragon is more than your卑微 life can bear!”

Xiao Chen was almost amused. Sacred Dragons seemed to be a race born with an innate sense of superiority. The one he had slaughtered in Chang'an had worn the same arrogant expression, nostrils pointing skyward.

“Big lizard, put away your pride. Before me, you are just a large crawling insect.”

“Insolent!” The Sacred Dragon’s voice rumbled, shaking the entire cave.

“You look quite like the Sacred Dragon King,” Xiao Chen said, studying the surroundings while engaging the beast.

“He was my blood brother. I am…” Even as it spoke, the dragon suddenly attacked. Dragon language curse magic condensed into a blaze of light that flooded the front of the cave.

This dragon might seem arrogant and overbearing, but it was not lacking in cunning. It had sensed trouble the moment it found a human in its lair and had been putting on an act, because the cramped cavern was unfavorable to its massive body.

But Xiao Chen was prepared. As the deadly dragon language curse engulfed him, he smashed into the cave wall beside him, his body piercing through like a divine sword through bean curd. In the next instant, he burst out of the wall near the dragon’s neck, leaping high and slamming down with his palm.

Smack!

Dragon scales shattered; blood sprayed. The dragon took a heavy blow.

“Oooh…”

Its scream was cut short as the second palm sliced directly into its neck, severing its cry.

Now the Sacred Dragon forgot its treasure hoard. It violently shook its body and spread its wings. The great cavern rumbled and collapsed. The dragon erupted with blinding light, unleashing overwhelming power like a mountain splitting open, and tried to burst into the sky.

But it was too late. Xiao Chen had already seated himself on its neck. His bone hand, thrust through his iron garments, blazed with yellow light as he repeatedly struck at the dragon’s head. At the same time, he directly intoned the Origin Heavenly Sound, attacking the dragon’s soul.

The Sacred Dragon, enraged and terrified, let out a muffled roar. A wave of immense energy rippled out—a divine ability: Glorious Years! Even grievously wounded, the dragon still fought back fiercely, surprising Xiao Chen and making him feel a dangerous presence.

But the dragon was ultimately outmatched. Once trapped in the cavern, it had already lost half the battle. Its enormous body could not bring its full combat power to bear. This was merely a death struggle. The initiative was entirely Xiao Chen’s, and the Origin Heavenly Sound, most effective in close combat, worked directly on the Sacred Dragon’s soul, leaving no escape in the confines of the cave.

“Roar…”

The Sacred Dragon’s howl shattered the cavern as it shot into the sky. But now its flesh began to collapse. Radiant scales peeled off in great patches; dragon blood sprayed everywhere. First its head shattered, then its enormous body split apart.

“I am the brother of the current Sacred Dragon King… Killing me will doom you as well…” These were the last words before its dragon soul crumbled.

Xiao Chen’s fire seed was shaken by the incomplete Glorious Years. It was not severely damaged, but he felt a lingering fear. This Sacred Dragon was very powerful—though not comparable to the dead Dragon King, it could still be called a king. If he had fought it under normal conditions, he would have paid a price to kill it. Trapping it in the dragon’s cave had been an invaluable opportunity.

The earth-shaking roar alarmed all the winged dragons on the island. Large swaths of shadow rushed toward him. Xiao Chen did not look back; he turned into a streak of light and fled toward the sea.

Even on the same giant island, the haughty dragon race would not live in groups. Each dragon had its own lair, separated by great distances, giving Xiao Chen a chance to escape. He soon plunged into the ocean, diving deep and fleeing at tremendous speed through the seabed.

By the time the dragons reached the shore, he was long gone. Dragon Island erupted in a cacophony of roars. Huge creatures flew out to search the surrounding seas. A Sacred Dragon had been slain on the island—an intolerable disgrace, especially since the dead dragon was a candidate Dragon King. The winged dragon race was enraged.

All kinds of dragon language curses and mighty divine abilities exploded across the blue sea, as if trying to blast the ocean out of the heavens. Waves surged into the sky, scattering the clouds. The dragons of Dragon Island were truly furious!

The fury of a Sacred Dragon was unimaginable. It alarmed every race overseas. Many powerful beings flew toward the region.

Xiao Chen kept fleeing under the sea for over a thousand li before surfacing. Even then, he could see dragons appearing among the nearby giant islands—they had pursued him for over a thousand li. Clearly, that sea region must have erupted into chaos.

He pondered briefly and decided to continue his actions. With everyone’s attention drawn to Sacred Dragon Island, they might let their guard down. If he struck now, he might reap great rewards. Admittedly, Xiao Chen was audacious, walking a razor's edge.

The blue sea was vast and boundless. Dozens of giant islands, each tens of thousands of square kilometers, lay scattered like sleeping ancient beasts.

This time, Xiao Chen did not choose a giant island. He landed on a relatively small island, still two or three thousand square kilometers in area. It was quiet here. Though lush and vibrant, there were no guards on the shore. He assumed this must be a weak race’s island.

But after advancing only a single li inland, he stopped. A huge blue stone stood there, carved with three characters: “Battle God Clan.” This was an extremely powerful and fearsome race. The Battle God King had once fought the Nightmare King to a standoff, shaking the Nine Provinces with his combat power. Moreover, legend said the Battle God Clan were eternal enemies of the War Clan—that alone proved their terror.

Seeing the stone, Xiao Chen immediately withdrew. He did not want to provoke this fearsome race for now, and might even need to befriend them later.

Night had fallen. In the distance, dragon roars could still be heard. Xiao Chen left that area and, before he knew it, arrived at another giant island. Under faint starlight, waves lapped the shore. He stepped onto the island and suddenly noticed several yasha—this was the Nightmare Island he had been searching for.

He hesitated briefly, then decided to enter the island, but he moved very carefully. This was undoubtedly a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den. He did not want to cause a commotion; everything depended on the situation. His main goal was to scout the periphery.

But just then, he sensed something unusual about his surroundings—as if someone had deliberately arranged them. Suddenly, light burst up from the ground. Startled, Xiao Chen saw strange patterns on the ground, like some kind of formation. The moment he stepped onto this area, blinding radiance flared. It did him no harm, but it exposed his position.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” A cold shout like a thunderclap tore through the night sky. It was the Nightmare King! He had actually been waiting on the shore facing the Nine Provinces, not deep inside the island—clearly expecting an enemy to come.

A towering demonic shadow surged with thick black mist, charging like a mountain. Not only did the coast tremble under his terrifying pressure, but the ocean raised towering waves.

“I said it must be humans causing trouble, deliberately stirring suspicion between races. And so it is.” From another direction, War King Jingpu appeared, murderous aura blazing like an evil god.

At the same time, a snow-white skeleton king appeared from yet another direction, death energy soaring to the sky.

Xiao Chen’s heart sank. The kings of the hundred races were indeed no simple figures—they had anticipated that he would come to Nightmare Island.

The Skeleton King asked, “How did you two guess he would come to Nightmare Island?”

War King Jingpu’s voice was cold: “The Nightmare King has killed several human experts. If humans are stirring trouble, they would naturally not let the Nightmare race off. Unfortunately…” He looked at Xiao Chen. “Your scheme has been seen through. Trying to provoke chaos among the hundred races will fail.”

Xiao Chen sneered, transmitting his mental voice: “But who will believe you? The seed of suspicion has been planted, waiting to sprout. If you act as the ‘wise bird’ sticking out its head, others will think the War Clan has done something shameful and are deliberately confusing the issue.”

Three kings had appeared to slay him together. Xiao Chen dared not fight head-on. Finishing his words, he chose to flee immediately.

“Since you’ve come, don’t leave.” The silent Nightmare King, his green hair fluttering in the wind, seemed to stride through space itself—seemingly slow but incredibly fast. His towering figure amid the rolling black mist was as imposing as a mountain, pressing down on the soul.

Xiao Chen used a mental roar to mask the Origin Heavenly Sound, blasting it backward.

But the Nightmare King was unafraid. He shouted, “Break!”

The Weng sound that had easily shattered the Sacred Dragon was smashed by the Nightmare King’s punch, failing to harm him at all.

Meanwhile, War King Jingpu and the Skeleton King also caught up.

“Perish!” The Nightmare King moved like a ghost, his mighty form flashing forward as his single palm struck. The word “Perish” had the force to swallow mountains and rivers, raising tidal waves across the ocean.

Xiao Chen was shocked. The Nightmare King was terrifyingly powerful, nearly demonic! He directly struck out with the Hand of the Supreme Being, while his left hand swept the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree forward.

Boom!

In the earth-shattering force, Xiao Chen was blown away. The Nightmare King’s strength made one tremble. But at that moment, the Nightmare King also tumbled through the air—not thrown back by the Hand of the Supreme Being, but knocked head over heels by the light sweeping from the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree.

Xiao Chen was surprised. This sacred tree, which had been severely damaged on Skeleton Island, could once again sweep out seven-colored radiance. One heavy strike seemed to have awakened its dormant power.

The Nightmare King’s eyes had no pupils, only flickering green light. He stared coldly at Xiao Chen, then stepped forward and attacked again.

“Break all techniques!” With a light shout, his mighty form was instantly upon Xiao Chen. The immense pressure made Xiao Chen’s bones creak. The Origin Heavenly Sound blasted out again, and the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree swept forward, but the words “Break all techniques” clearly countered the origin sound, and even the tree’s light was weakened.

Boom!

Xiao Chen tumbled backward, while the Nightmare King was knocked into another somersault by the tree.

The Nightmare King was too powerful!

Xiao Chen did not want to fight him head-on. He charged straight at the Skeleton King, trying to break through from that direction. The Nightmare King was nearly demonic, and the War King seemed a fearsome foe as well; the Skeleton King was likely the weakest.

Whoosh!

The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree swept out, and the Skeleton King was knocked several somersaults. Xiao Chen rushed past and dove into the sea, fleeing through the seabed.

But the Nightmare King was equally fast underwater, and the distance between them shrank by the moment. Meanwhile, War King Jingpu and the Skeleton King also pursued relentlessly. The situation was very bad!

Finally, Xiao Chen gritted his teeth and fled toward the Battle God Clan’s island. When he got close, he immediately landed and charged inland.

“Danger…” War King Jingpu, having reached the island’s edge, revealed an extremely grave expression.