Chapter 222: The Sixth Set: The Ultimate Killer

Hu Yang City, Marquis's Mansion, atop a pavilion.

Luo Feng sat alone, drinking: "The three rulers of Shi Country have suddenly died, especially the Tiankun Ruler—a being of such high caliber. The two ancient nations will surely investigate thoroughly! Now, we'll see what they're capable of."

The outcome of the two ancient nations' investigation will determine my response.

……

"What?"

"All three of them are dead?"

Shi Country had five Shenwang. The remaining two, Liuyu Shenwang and Kufeng Shenwang, through karmic resonance, confirmed that the three stronger rulers of Shi Country were all dead. They were stunned.

Three died instantly, yet the two weaker Shenwang still lived.

"Whether or not Tiankun Ruler reincarnated, someone who could kill him silently must be an Emperor or Sovereign level." Liuyu Shenwang was alarmed. With Tiankun Ruler's immense Hunyuan bloodline, even if a Gui Xu Emperor-level force struck, it would cause cataclysmic chaos—and Tiankun Ruler could still hold out for a long time.

Previously, when Tiankun Ruler and his companions joined forces against Yu Shui Ruler, they spent countless years and achieved nothing.

This shows…

Killing a being like Tiankun Ruler—even forcing him to reincarnate—is extremely difficult.

"What should I do?" Liuyu Shenwang felt uneasy. She had only one true body; her entire clan had once pledged allegiance to Shi Country, and her people still lived and thrived within its borders.

"Investigating the deaths of the three rulers may lead to me." Kufeng Shenwang moved swiftly: "Those who can relocate, do so immediately."

Kufeng Shenwang had many avatars and naturally kept multiple escape routes—he controlled several cities in the Tianji Ice Plain! When he joined Shi Country, he brought only a fraction of his clan. Now he began relocating rapidly.

They were all frightened now. They all sensed that the deaths of Shi Country's three rulers… concealed a danger that, if it reached them, they would have no power to resist.

……

"Shi Country's royal capital." A white-glowing figure appeared in the capital, his entire body formed of white light, expressionless as he gazed down upon the city. The entire city had turned gray and dark; countless living beings stood utterly motionless.

The entire world seemed frozen.

The white-glowing figure walked through the frozen royal capital, entered the palace, then entered the grand hall.

Tiankun Ruler sat there; Yixiu Dasheng respectfully offered the food bottle.

"Hmm?"

The white-glowing figure watched this scene; his will stirred, and behind him, vast streams of sand slowly flowed. The surrounding scenery began to move again.

Tiankun Ruler reached for the food bottle—suddenly—

Tiankun Ruler and Yixiu Dasheng's eyes instantly dimmed.

"Instant annihilation, no resistance possible. Tiankun likely didn't even have time to reincarnate." The white-glowing figure observed: "A will technique? Or a soul-targeting attack? The Supreme Rule of Origin Continent imposes an upper limit on all power! Whether energy, matter, karma, will—every form of power has a ceiling."

"Within that power ceiling, only fewer than ten beings on Origin Continent could achieve this." The white-glowing figure pondered.

"Tiankun Ruler was always cautious. Though he was ruthless toward neighboring nations, he never dared offend true power."

"Who killed him?"

"And killed all three Shi Country rulers at once? Does he hold grudges against all three?" The white-glowing figure mused.

Whoosh!

Time resumed. The corpses of Tiankun Ruler and Yixiu Dasheng, along with all the living beings inside the food bottle, vanished.

"He used soul or will techniques—likely nearby." The white-glowing figure soared above the entire capital, meticulously scanning all living beings in the surrounding area during that time window.

"Hmm?"

The white-glowing figure's eyes brightened; he activated the treasure bestowed by the Primogenitor. The massive sandstorm shadow behind him rapidly expanded, engulfing the entire capital in an instant.

Hum!

Two previously invisible figures now appeared within the sandstorm shadow.

A black-robed man with long hair, wearing a golden mask, stood above the capital, coldly gazing toward the palace. Beside him was an old man with no life aura—clearly a puppet.

"Hmm?" The white-glowing figure was startled, studying the black-robed golden-masked man closely.

Even observing the lingering traces of the past, the white-glowing figure felt the black-robed man's aura was profound and unfathomable—and faintly, a strange, immense terror. It unsettled even him.

"Such appearance, such aura—I've never seen this before." The white-glowing figure was alarmed: "Where did such a terrifying being emerge from on Origin Continent?"

As one of the Nine Sovereigns of Thunder Ancient Nation—Tian Guang Sovereign—he knew almost all powerful beings. Previously, only the mysterious figure from Shadow Heaven Realm, possessing Emperor-level combat power, remained unknown.

Now there was another.

"He took that bottle. Inside were countless living beings—perhaps tracing their karmic threads will yield something." The white-glowing figure attempted investigation, observing the food bottle's contents; naturally, karmic links formed.

Weak cultivators cannot conceal karma. Tracing karma through such links often reveals clues.

"Hmm?"

"All these weak cultivators were released into the wild—they're all free?" The white-glowing figure was surprised: "This mysterious powerhouse seems quite compassionate toward the weak."

The white-glowing figure shook his head slightly. He had traced this far—but could go no further.

"He brought a puppet servant." The white-glowing figure also observed the old man beside the black-robed golden-masked man—the old man was a puppet, leaving no trace whatsoever.

"Bringing a servant along to do this? Strange."

The white-glowing figure smiled faintly, stepped forward—and vanished.

Origin Continent's order was jointly established by the two ancient nations. Any threat to the "order" was thoroughly investigated. Currently, their focus lay on three hidden alien powers, plus the Wind Capital Empress, the Mother River Lord, and four others.

Today, they discovered yet another mysterious being demanding their attention.

"Emperor, I traveled back along the timeline—the killer is this black-robed, golden-masked man." Di Jiu Feng spoke, projecting the scene he had observed.

Emperor Di observed.

"He brought a puppet servant," Di Jiu Feng said. "We can confirm he is not a Ultimate-level being, nor does he possess a powerful space-time treasure—otherwise I couldn't have detected him. But his power must be terrifying."

"Indeed extraordinary." Emperor Di stared at the black-robed golden-masked figure. The faint, immense terror it radiated would unsettle even Emperors and Sovereigns.

"I have no idea where this being came from," Di Jiu Feng shook his head. "He feels even more terrifying than the Five Earth Shenwang."

Emperor Di nodded: "There are several beings on Origin Continent who've reached the peak of Shenwang Second Layer. They simply lack resources. Perhaps one of them… acquired resources and crossed that threshold."

"From how he killed Tiankun Ruler, he likely specializes in soul or will techniques," Di Jiu Feng said. "Meaning… below Emperor or Sovereign level, he can annihilate them instantly. He's far more dangerous than the Five Earth Shenwang."

"Mm." Emperor Di nodded. "He hides his identity—likely doesn't wish to openly confront the two ancient nations yet."

!.

"Emperor, can you divine fate and uncover his identity?" Di Jiu Feng asked.

"No." Emperor Di shook his head. "Divining fate requires sufficient information. This mysterious being's data is too scarce."

Di Jiu Feng nodded slightly.

"No matter how hard my Yan Feng Ancient Nation tries, we cannot kill the Mother River Lord. This mysterious being feels even harder to deal with. Even the two ancient nations may not be able to handle him." Emperor Di smiled. "Not knowing his identity might even be a good thing."

"The Mother River Lord can escape—but this one may not." Di Jiu Feng said.

Emperor Di said no more.

Di Jiu Feng immediately departed.

"Who are you?"

Emperor Di stared at the black-robed golden-masked figure before him, curious: "Is it Pu Xin? Luo He? Or Di Ming?"

This mysterious being left almost no traces. Yet on Origin Continent, few beings could reach this level through soul or will techniques. Based on multiple lines of deduction, Emperor Di had three suspects.

Pu Xin—a mysterious, reclusive Shenwang Second Layer, rarely involved in conflicts, only occasionally taking disciples in illusions. Two of his disciples became Shenwang Second Layer, one of whom was Wu Xin Shenwang.

Luo He—since the Chaos Stage, he possessed Ultimate-level willpower. Emperor Di has been observing Luo He for a long time.

Di Ming… as Origin Continent's greatest master of will, his willpower long ago reached the Supreme Rule's upper limit. He also received the legacy left by Yuan, and has long been obsessed with studying "Jie Beasts," as well as other Hunyuan life forms. He could easily mimic their terrifying aura.

"Who is it? Pu Xin—have you finally decided to act after so long of hiding?" Emperor Di wondered. "Or the terrifyingly potent Luo He? Or the unimaginable terror—Di Ming—that even I cannot predict?"

Emperor Di found nothing surprising about Di Ming's actions.

Even if Di Ming slaughtered seven or eight Emperors, plunging Origin Continent into bloodshed, Emperor Di would consider it normal—it fit Di Ming's nature perfectly.

Di Ming was like a Jie Beast!

Once he turned hostile, he would kill every companion beside him!

……

Hu Yang City, Marquis's Mansion.

Luo Feng had long subscribed to the Yan Feng Guild for detailed intelligence on Tiankun Ruler. He now received the report—though this one was relatively expensive.

"Yan Feng Guild found the killer of Tiankun Ruler?" Luo Feng examined the intelligence closely.

The report contained a video clip.

A black-robed, golden-masked, long-haired man, and a puppet-like old man.

"An unknown mysterious powerhouse? With a puppet?" Luo Feng smiled. Invisibility and formlessness were nearly impossible to break within the boundaries of the Supreme Rule.

"To learn Tiankun Ruler's exact cause of death, I must pay ten billion Cosmic Sands?" Luo Feng did not purchase it. He knew well—if they could extract his image, they must know Tiankun Ruler's corpse remained intact.

It could be inferred: a soul or mind-based attack.

"Luo He! Luo He!" Yu Shui Ruler sent a message: "You know about Tiankun Ruler's death?"

"Of course." Luo Feng replied.

"The Yan Feng Guild and Thunder Trading House have publicly sold intelligence: the Tiankun Ruler was annihilated by soul or will techniques—he likely didn't even reincarnate." Yu Shui Ruler transmitted excitedly. "This mysterious powerhouse can probably instantly kill anyone below Emperor or Sovereign level."

"Yu Shui Brother, you sound rather delighted." Luo Feng said.

"The Primogenitors of the two nations, the Eastern Pole Primogenitor, Di Qing, the Ten Thousand Worlds Ruler, the Jie Beasts, Di Ming—Origin Continent already had many who could instantly kill us. One more doesn't matter." Yu Shui Ruler laughed. "I'm happy because Tiankun is truly dead—probably didn't even reincarnate. How satisfying!"

Shi Country and Yu Country were neighbors; Tiankun Ruler and Yu Shui Ruler had fought for too long.

"Luo He, your territory borders Shi Country, and now it's leaderless—you can seize the entire Shi Country!" Yu Shui Ruler transmitted. "I'll fully support you!"

——

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(End of Chapter)