Chapter 242: The Sixth Volume: The Mantis Catches the Cicada

The Snow Realm Ancestor, Tianhou Divine King, and Qifeng Lord were not particularly strong in power, but their sins ranked among the top ten on the Origin Continent, yet they still roamed freely for eons—primarily because their survival abilities were extraordinarily formidable.

After all, some ancient beings were fiercely righteous, and some had conflicts with them, yet none could touch them.

The Snow Realm Ancestor followed the Path of Life's Origin, Qifeng Lord followed the Path of Space's Origin, and Tianhou Divine King walked the Boundless Path—each possessed immensely difficult-to-counter survival abilities. Yet all three died at the exact same moment! This truly shook the entire continent.

"Good riddance!"

"Should've died long ago."

"These great sinners have roamed the Origin Continent for too long. Someone supremely powerful should've destroyed them long ago."

Some who hated evil were stirred to cheer.

Some deeply sinful Divine Kings began to feel uneasy: "Killing Tianhou and the other three at once—will he come after us next?"

"What a meddlesome fool."

"What do I do? What do I do? Should I reincarnate?"

"There are so many great sinners on the Origin Continent. This powerful one is surely targeting only the top ten—he won't find me."

These great sinners were thrown into chaos.

Of course, most Divine Kings were more concerned with the identity of the mysterious powerful one: "Who killed Tianhou and the other three? Is it that black-robed, golden-masked warrior?" They were deeply interested in how this mysterious figure would affect the entire Origin Continent's balance.

"Yanfeng Hall and Lei Ting Trading House will soon uncover some information about the killer." All factions waited.

…

"No trace whatsoever."

"No trace found in the past timelines either."

Both ancient nations deployed every means possible, yet found not a single trace.

Last time, when Luo Feng killed the three sovereigns of the Shi Nation, the traces were obvious—even the imagery was crystal clear.

But this time—there was no trace at all! Space, time, causality… even all energy fluctuations revealed nothing of the killer.

"Could this killer not be the black-robed, golden-masked one?" Both ancient nations were puzzled, for recently similar deaths had been the three Shi Nation sovereigns, and the Tiankun Sovereign was also a great sinner—they had suspected the black-robed one above all.

Yet now, no trace could be found.

"This killer's methods are more sophisticated than the black-robed one's."

"Could he be an Ultimate Realm being? Or even something beyond a Divine King?"

Both ancient nations felt uneasy.

Hu Yang City, Governor's Mansion.

Luo Feng drank leisurely, gazing at the star-strewn night sky.

"Three Divine Kings dead—and the stars above still shine brilliantly," Luo Feng said.

Mo Luo Sa glanced at the night sky and couldn't help saying, "Those three were weak. In the vast sea of stars, they're barely noticeable. The truly prominent ones are the Ultimate Realm beings—the Emperor Lords."

Luo Feng smiled.

"Master, I've always been confused," Mo Luo Sa said.

"What's troubling you? Tell me," Luo Feng poured himself more wine.

"Master, if you're targeting the top ten sinners, why not act all at once? Send out ten clones—wipe them out in an instant!" Mo Luo Sa said. "Now you've killed the three weakest first. The remaining seven will be on guard—some might even panic and reincarnate immediately. Then you won't be able to find them at all."

Luo Feng looked at Mo Luo Sa.

"Of the top ten sinners on the Origin Continent, the three I killed are the weakest—and their sins are the lowest among the top ten."

"The remaining seven are not ordinary."

"Three are Royal Clan Divine Kings—residing respectively in the Sacred Grounds of Thunder Ancient Nation, 'Lei Mountain,' and Yan Feng Ancient Nation's 'Yan Capital.' We'd be detected the moment we enter." Luo Feng said. "The other four are lone cultivators—immensely terrifying in power, their sins boundless."

Mo Luo Sa agreed: "The three Royal Clan Divine Kings and the four lone cultivators—their sins are far greater than those of the Snow Realm Ancestor and the other three."

Luo Feng said: "In sin ranking, the number one is 'Tie Xiao Demon Lord.' He once plundered nearly all life from twelve entire nations. Over countless eons, his accumulated sins are incalculable. Number two is 'Hei Jiu Ancestor.' He ravaged dozens of nations, including countless lives from Thunder Nation itself—yet how has he remained free all this time? Number three is 'Shi Hu Divine King.' Number four is 'Gui Ying Divine King.' Only then come the three Royal Clan Divine Kings."

"Mo Luo Sa, doesn't it strike you as strange? Four lone cultivators' sins outweigh those of the three Royal Clan Divine Kings—and yet they still roam free?" Luo Feng said.

"Isn't everyone assuming those four lone cultivators have Emperor Lords or Sovereigns behind them?" Mo Luo Sa said matter-of-factly. "Everyone says they're the claws and fangs of Emperor Lords."

Luo Feng nodded: "I think the same."

"That's enough." Luo Feng gazed at the night sky. "Next target: Shi Hu Divine King."

…

Shi Hu Divine King resided on the border of the Tianji Ice Plain, ruling a vast territory. Not only did countless lives within his domain get devoured regularly—he actively invaded neighboring nations.

A massive blood-red fox lay sprawled, its golden eyes flickering with unease. "After killing Tianhou and the other three weaklings, will he come for us?"

Shi Hu Divine King, also a peak Second Rebirth Divine King, was far more feared than Gui Xu Emperor or Wu Xin Divine King.

He cultivated the Void Origin Path and possessed nine powerful clones! With his elusive, unpredictable space techniques, he invaded nations and devoured countless lives without hindrance.

Besides his nine powerful clones, he had many weaker ones.

"Emperor, I have a bad feeling," Shi Hu Divine King sent a distant thought.

"Relax. One of your clones resides in my palace—no one can threaten you," came a flippant, casual voice.

Shi Hu Divine King calmed his nerves.

Suddenly—

Shi Hu Divine King "saw" a colossal star rolling toward him—he was utterly horrified! At that moment, no matter how many clones he had, he could only endure this terrifying mental assault.

"Emperor, save me!"

The rolling star crushed down. Shi Hu Divine King had neither an Ultimate Realm life force, nor perfect Dao protection, nor any supreme treasure. Only his clone hidden in the Emperor's palace benefited from the palace's slight weakening of willpower. "Puff."

The Emperor's palace weakened the willpower by two or three tenths—but beneath the crushing star, Shi Hu Divine King's mental will still vanished.

"Shi Hu is dead—even under my palace's protection?" The Emperor was stunned and furious, staring at the corpse of Shi Hu's clone.

…

"I barely managed to kill Shi Hu Divine King," Luo Feng frowned slightly—he felt it had been difficult to obliterate Shi Hu's entire mental consciousness.

This made Luo Feng realize: his mental will, combined with the Lie Yuan Technique, could sweep away all Divine King-level wills!

Even with an Emperor's palace blocking him, he could still kill.

But if the protection were stronger, his will technique might fail.

"My mental will must grow stronger," Luo Feng thought.

Whoosh.

=9+shu_ba

Luo Feng and Mo Luo Sa collected the two clone corpses and numerous items from Shi Hu Divine King's lair, then departed.

After the deaths of Tianhou and the other three, the Origin Continent's factions had paid attention but remained calm.

But Shi Hu Divine King's death sent shockwaves through many powerful beings! He was a peak Second Rebirth Divine King, a Void Path cultivator—killing him was nearly impossible even for an Emperor. And yet he died?

Whoosh!

Across an endless grassland, Luo Feng and Mo Luo Sa walked side by side.

"Master, Gui Ying Divine King's causal thread has vanished completely," Mo Luo Sa looked at Luo Feng. "He must've panicked and reincarnated immediately."

"He's decisive," Luo Feng nodded.

"The number one, Tie Xiao Demon Lord, and number two, Hei Jiu Ancestor, are still alive," Mo Luo Sa looked at Luo Feng. "Who do we go after next?"

Luo Feng gazed into the distance. "Tie Xiao Demon Lord."

…

Tie Xiao Demon Lord—undoubtedly the most terrifying sinner on the Origin Continent. He stood alongside Pu Xin, the Master of the Timeless Lonely Boat, and Luohe Divine King in fame.

He once plundered nearly all life from twelve nations in a single raid. Over countless eons, the total number of lives he stole was unimaginable. But in recent centuries, he had grown far more discreet.

Inside a hidden palace.

Tie Xiao Demon Lord was clad in full armor, only his eyes exposed—cold and icy as he stared outward.

"Master, the killer killed Shi Hu Divine King—will he come for me?" Tie Xiao Demon Lord sent a thought.

"Every time he strikes, he succeeds. Right now, his confidence is at its peak. He will come," came a voice. "And when he dares to appear, this time he won't escape!"

Tie Xiao Demon Lord waited patiently.

Suddenly—

He "saw" a rolling star crushing toward him.

"Such powerful mental will," Tie Xiao Demon Lord was unafraid—but beneath the rolling star, his mental will was still crushed and erased.

The seated Tie Xiao Demon Lord immediately bowed his head, silent and lifeless.

"Wrong."

Outside the palace, Luo Feng's expression changed slightly. "This Tie Xiao Demon Lord… is off." When killing him, Luo Feng sensed something unusual about his body.

Boom boom boom~~~~

Across a vast expanse of tens of millions of kilometers, endless black flames erupted, devouring everything. The countless lives around the palace were instantly incinerated.

Amid the terrifying flames, Tie Xiao Demon Lord lifted his head, rose, and bowed respectfully: "Master."

Beside Tie Xiao Demon Lord stood an aged figure draped in a red cloak, laughing heartily as he stared at Luo Feng: "I spent great effort cultivating this powerful consciousness. You've destroyed it."

Blood-red flames blotted out the sky, their might terrifying—even a peak Second Rebirth Divine King could not withstand them for more than a few breaths.

Luo Feng stared at the red-cloaked elder before him.

"Di Yuan!" Luo Feng recognized him instantly.

Tie Xiao Demon Lord was merely a puppet created by Di Yuan. His master, Di Chu, had three elite bodyguards—also extraordinary life forms.

"Though I lost a powerful consciousness, it was worth it," Di Yuan's cloak flapped violently, his aura merging with the endless blood-red flames. He stared coldly at Luo Feng. "I've caught you."

Luo Feng looked at him—and smiled.

My prey has never been the claws and fangs like Tie Xiao Demon Lord or Shi Hu Divine King! What good is killing a single servant? As long as the master remains, they'll quickly raise new ones.

"Di Yuan!" Luo Feng spoke. "Do you know why I didn't kill all the great sinners at once?"

Di Yuan frowned slightly.

"Because you are my prey!" Luo Feng fixed his gaze on the other.

The moment he finished speaking,

heaven and earth changed color!

An endless expanse erupted into rivers of blood—vast and roaring, they instantly drowned the blood flame domain Di Yuan had summoned with his supreme treasure.

"This is—" Di Yuan stared at the blood rivers blotting out sky and sun, yet he remained calm.

For he was one of the Thirteen Emperor Lords of Yanfeng Ancient Nation!

Even as he moved, he had already alerted the other Emperor Lords.

(End of Chapter)