Chapter 152: The Path of the Shen Wang: The Decision of Lei Ting Ancient Country

Within the borders of Lei Ting Ancient Country grows an ancient tree born of heaven and earth, called the Cold Frost Tree, which bears fruit once every 196 cycles; the Cold Frost fruits serve as an auxiliary resource for cultivating the Hunyuan bloodline.

"The Cold Frost Tree is about to mature; the Chaos Realm forces of Yan Feng Ancient Country may arrive at any moment to seize it." The guardian of the Cold Frost Tree was also a peak Chaos Realm expert; for these past days, he had halted his cultivation, fully controlling the array with unwavering vigilance against potential intruders.

Every 196 cycles, during the period surrounding fruit ripening, powerful experts stand guard.

"With my strength, combined with the array set by the Shen Wang, even if a transcendent Chaos Realm attacks, I can hold them off for some time. And transcendent Chaos Realm experts wouldn't care about these few fruits, would they?" thought the gray-robed elder.

Each fruiting yields only eight fruits, worth eight thousand merit points. Transcendent Chaos Realm experts cannot break through the array in a short time, and Lei Ting Ancient Country will send reinforcements.

"Almost there."

"The Cold Frost Tree should mature tonight." The gray-robed elder kept watching; time slowly passed—then suddenly—

The ancient tree, resembling ice carved by hand, suddenly emitted a brilliant, icy white light, which then flowed entirely into the eight fruits.

At that very moment—

Whoosh!

The Hei He World descended, completely sealing off the area where the Cold Frost Tree stood.

"Worse!" The gray-robed elder was stunned; in an instant, he plucked the newly ripened fruits.

Yet the vast black river water surged forward; the array set by the Shen Wang was instantly penetrated and corrupted by this terrifying force, unable to block the river's advance.

The gray-robed elder looked in all directions; gray mist tried to flee, but none could pierce through the Hei He World.

"World sealing, Hei He domain—is it Luo He the Great Sage?" The gray-robed elder's heart trembled.

The black river water converged before him, forming a figure—exactly resembling Luo Feng.

"Luo He the Great Sage." The gray-robed elder immediately bowed respectfully, daring not show the slightest disrespect.

"Give me the fruits." Luo Feng looked at him.

"Yes."

The gray-robed elder complied fully, offering no resistance, handing over all eight fruits to Luo Feng.

He feared that if he resisted, Luo Feng would crush him—and then seize his weapons and treasures, which were far more valuable than eight fruits.

"Huh." After collecting the eight fruits, the black river water and the vast Hei He World vanished instantly.

The gray-robed elder finally exhaled: "Luo He the Great Sage is merciful—he didn't attack me."

Since Luo Feng had decided to harvest celestial treasures on a large scale, he had no intention of massacring the guardians! First, with his current strength, he was among the strongest in Shen Wang First Stage; killing these weaklings would be bullying the small. Second, killing too many guardians would create too much karmic retribution. These Chaos Realm guardians… had backgrounds and factions within Lei Ting Ancient Country. Too many enemies, too many small ones killed, might draw out the old ones.

Most importantly, Luo Feng despised those who killed capriciously.

His purpose in harvesting celestial treasures on a large scale was to force Lei Ting Ancient Country to negotiate, seeking an opportunity to enter the sacred lands.

He had no choice—he was not of the imperial clans of either ancient country, and he refused to ally with outsiders; this was his only option.

…

Lei Ting Ancient Country, Sacred Ground: Lei Shan.

A Shen Wang clad in deep purple robes sat there, handling countless trivial matters; vast streams of information from the ancient country flowed in one after another.

"Oh? Luo He, the top Chaos Realm expert, seized eight Cold Frost fruits? This is his first time seizing a celestial treasure from the border, isn't it?" The Shen Wang smiled warmly, his aura calm, "Probably these fruits are useful to him."

He paid no mind.

Border disputes among Chaos Realm experts were common, and this was Luo Feng's first move.

…

Although the border between the two ancient countries was vast, with many places nurturing celestial treasures, there were only about a hundred opportunities to act per cycle.

Each time he acted, Luo Feng had to wait patiently for the next chance.

On his third journey to seize a celestial treasure, Luo Feng received news.

"Liu Yin Hou is dead?" Luo Feng halted midair, startled by the news.

"Core members of the Liu Yin Hou family vanished; according to Yan Feng Guild reports, they've split into many branches and gone into hiding. As for Liu Yin Hou… his karmic traces have vanished entirely. He must have chosen reincarnation."

Pre-arranging his family, settling all affairs before death—this was almost certainly deliberate reincarnation.

"Why reincarnate now? I planned to seek him out once my spiritual will reached Shen Wang Ultimate Stage." Luo Feng thought.

His hatred for Liu Yin Hou stemmed from multiple sources: first, the death of his friend Sheng Tian Yan; second, Liu Yin Hou himself loved to incite disasters, and slaughter was his favorite pastime—his children also delighted in mass slaughter.

Luo Feng had never acted because he lacked confidence he could kill him outright.

Who knew he would reincarnate first.

Luo Feng no longer dwelled on it; he continued his journey toward his third attempt to seize a celestial treasure.

Lei Shan.

The Shen Wang in deep purple robes grew solemn.

When Luo He first seized a celestial treasure from Lei Ting Ancient Country, he had merely smiled.

The second and third times, he was slightly surprised.

The seventh and eighth times, he sensed something wrong. "Fifteen times! Every celestial treasure that matured on the border lately has been seized by this Luo He—never once missed." The Shen Wang's expression turned grave; fifteen seizures totaled roughly ten thousand merit points.

This value meant nothing to Lei Ting Ancient Country.

But Luo He's actions had put him on alert.

"I must report this to the Monarch." The Shen Wang rose immediately and went personally to inform the Monarch.

…

Moments later.

In a grand, towering hall, a figure bathed in thunder sat upon the throne.

"Monarch."

Nine Shen Wangs bowed respectfully.

"Sit." The thunder-clad figure's golden eyes radiated terrifying pressure as he gazed down. He was Lei Xiao, the reigning Monarch of Lei Ting Ancient Country; the nine Monarchs of Lei Ting Ancient Country were divided into two major factions.

One faction cultivated the Thunder Line's Hunyuan bloodline—this was the path of the Thunder Ancestor, the most mature, yet not every descendant excelled at it. After all, the Supreme Laws of the Origin Continent contained no Thunder Primordial Dao; thus, this path was mature but exceedingly difficult.

!.

Even in Lei Ting Ancient Country, only three Monarchs cultivated the Thunder Hunyuan bloodline; their secret techniques were more refined, their treasures more suitable, and their minds clearer.

The other six Monarchs cultivated other Hunyuan bloodlines, forming another faction.

If counted strictly, there were also three "semi-uncontrolled" Monarch-level experts, who could be considered a third faction—after all, when lucid, they possessed true Monarch-level power.

"You all know the situation," Lei Xiao Monarch said, looking at his subordinates. "Speak—how should we resolve this?"

"The border between the two ancient countries is vast, yet for fifteen consecutive times, every celestial treasure that matured was seized by this Luo He," rumbled a burly figure with blood-red eyes, coldly. "Five or six times might be coincidence, but fifteen straight? It's deliberate! If we let him continue, in a hundred or a thousand cycles, all our celestial treasures will be his? I say, destroy all his incarnations at once—leave him no chance to reincarnate!"

"Only then can we deter others. Let Yan Feng Ancient Country know: border disputes are fair contests; such brazen plundering, we Lei Ting Ancient Country will not tolerate." The burly figure spoke coldly.

"Yes, kill him before he can reincarnate!" roared another Shen Wang, covered in fur.

Lei Xiao Monarch watched below.

Due to the sheer number of those cultivating Hunyuan bloodlines, most Shen Wangs in Lei Ting Ancient Country were somewhat insane. Why was the Thunder Line held in higher esteem? Partly for strength, but also because they remained clearer-minded.

"I'd like to ask—how do we kill him outright?" a woman in exquisite robes asked calmly. "Luo He cultivates the Primordial Daos of Life, Destruction, and Matter—he has countless incarnations! Some even reside in Chu Du. Tell me… how do we enter Chu Du and kill a being with countless incarnations, whose strength rivals the peak of Shen Wang First Stage?"

"Chu Du! Chu Du was personally forged by Yan Feng Ancestor and guarded by Emperor Chu! Causal influence weakens drastically there—how can we kill?" The woman in exquisite robes looked at the other Shen Wangs.

The other Shen Wangs fell silent.

"We cannot, but the Monarchs can." The burly figure finally spoke.

"You mean summon a Monarch to kill him in Chu Du, Yan Feng Ancient Country, over this trivial matter?" The woman in exquisite robes shook her head. "First, if a Monarch acts, it's bullying the weak—it will make the entire Origin Continent laugh at us."

"Second, in a place like Chu Du, with Luo He's countless incarnations and Emperor Chu's protection… even if a Monarch could kill him, he'd need only a moment to reincarnate. After reincarnation, Luo He will hide, and when he becomes a Shen Wang again, his strength will far surpass his current level—likely equal to mine." The woman said.

"Third, don't forget Emperor Chu's nature! If our Monarchs bully the weak, invade Chu Du, and kill his disciples—what will Emperor Chu do?" The woman swept her gaze across the assembly.

The Shen Wangs fell silent.

Indeed.

If Lei Ting Ancient Country started bullying the weak and acting tyrannically, Emperor Chu would never tolerate it. Once Emperor Chu moved, the other Emperor Lords—even if they feuded internally—would unite against outsiders.

"Most importantly, the border between the two ancient countries is left for Chaos Realm experts to contest—that was decreed by the two Ancestors," the woman in exquisite robes said. "It's meant to hone the Chaos Realm experts of both nations—to let the strong seize the resources. Luo He is a Chaos Realm expert; his seizing of celestial treasures follows the rules perfectly. Now, because he's strong, you want to act? Doesn't that make Lei Ting Ancient Country look petty?"

"To break the Ancestors' decree over this trivial matter—what does that make us?" The woman swept her gaze over her companions.

"Then what do you propose? He keeps seizing celestial treasures!" The burly Shen Wang glared with blood-red eyes.

"Talk to Luo He. It's a simple matter to resolve through negotiation." The woman in exquisite robes smiled, glancing at the group of Shen Wangs.

Foolish fools.

She truly looked down on these companions; without cultivating Hunyuan bloodline, she was already invincible in Shen Wang First Stage—a dominant force on the Origin Continent.

She had ambition: the farther she advanced without external aid, the stronger she would become when she eventually embraced Hunyuan bloodline—she might even become a new Monarch.

"I support Shen Wang Jia Yin."

"Yes, we must not break the Ancestors' decree." Three Shen Wangs spoke up in succession.

Lei Xiao Monarch nodded in satisfaction.

His "Shen Wang Jia Yin" was his most valued subordinate—invincible in Shen Wang First Stage without external aid. In Lei Ting Ancient Country, strength determined status. Shen Wang Jia Yin possessed sufficient power and absolute clarity—she handled affairs perfectly.

Most other dominant figures were too insane and reckless.

"Jia Yin, handle this matter." Lei Xiao Monarch said.

"Yes, Monarch." The woman in exquisite robes replied.

Lei Xiao Monarch rose and vanished instantly. The woman in exquisite robes also vanished into thin air.

"Hmph." The burly Shen Wang's blood-red eyes blazed with fury as he glared at the spot where the woman in exquisite robes had disappeared. "Cultivating the Infinite Primordial Dao, all you know is hiding."

He disliked Shen Wang Jia Yin intensely—even had tried to strike her, but never touched her.

(End of Chapter)