Chapter 1201: The Ninth Prince

On the top floor of the Star穹 Restaurant, the Starry Sky Private Room.

The entire room is constructed from a special transparent material.

Looking up, one sees the vast starry sky, as if immersed in the universe itself.

Soft starlight dots the surroundings, casting the dining table in a dreamlike glow.

"This dish, 'Star Core Roasted Meat,' uses the most tender loin cut from a Star-Class One beast, the Snowfield Wolf King, aged for three days and three nights at low temperature..."

The waiter is giving a detailed description of the dish.

Xu Jingming took a small taste and immediately felt an astonishingly exquisite flavor.

No dish from Blue Star could reach this level.

While savoring the meal, he also conversed with Ye Lan.

The topic mainly revolved around Black Stone Star.

Ye Lan was his senior; she must have extensive experience training on Black Stone Star.

And indeed, during his conversation with Ye Lan, he gained much insight.

Meanwhile, in the Ninth Prince's palace on the Imperial Capital Star.

"Bang!"

An expensive Star Crystal cup was smashed violently to the ground, shards flying everywhere.

Prince Di'er's handsome face twisted into a terrifying mask, his eyes blazing with furious fire.

"They're going on a date at Star穹 Restaurant? And using my money?!"

He grabbed the collar of the messenger guard, "Are you absolutely certain you saw it clearly?"

The guard nodded nervously:

"Absolutely certain. Many people outside the restaurant saw them arrive together."

"Worthless bitch!"

Di'er violently flung the guard away, his chest heaving with rage.

He had pursued Ye Lan for twenty-one years, and she had rejected his dinner invitations seventeen times!

What right does that savage have?

The beautiful woman accompanying him cautiously offered a glass of chilled wine:

"My lord, please calm down. Perhaps it's just an ordinary dinner..."

"Shut up!"

Di'er knocked the wine glass aside, crimson liquid splattering across the white carpet.

He had long regarded Ye Lan as his own possession.

Even an ordinary dinner was unacceptable!

"Xu Jingming, you're determined to oppose me at every turn, aren't you?"

"Don't think just because you obtained the Lightning Law Seed I can't deal with you!"

Di'er's eyes flashed with icy light, "Smartbrain, connect me to the Shadow Guards."

"Understood."

The Smartbrain's voice echoed.

Soon after, a full-holographic projection appeared in the palace — a figure entirely black, shrouded in shadow.

"Prince Di'er." The figure bowed respectfully.

"I want you to kill someone."

Di'er's eyes brimmed with murderous intent, "I want you to kill Xu Jingming!"

"May I confirm if this is Xu Jingming, the disciple of Lord Lu Wen?" the Shadow Guard asked.

"Yes, that's him." Di'er nodded viciously.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but Xu Jingming has already obtained the Lightning Law Seed."

"He is now Lu Wen's true disciple. The Shadow Guards cannot act against him."

The Shadow Guard replied respectfully.

"Filth! Blind fool! I am the Ninth Prince! Do you dare disobey me?!"

Di'er erupted in fury, yet the Shadow Guard remained unmoved.

Seeing this, his expression darkened.

The Shadow Guards were the Imperial Family's black gloves, tasked with handling dishonorable matters.

As a prince, he naturally had authority to command them.

But to prevent the Imperial Family from abusing the Shadow Guards, the Emperor imposed strict limitations.

He never imagined that attacking a True Disciple of an Immortal Deity was one of those restrictions.

"Fine, leave."

Di'er waved his hand, dismissing the Shadow Guard.

Since the Shadow Guards were out, he'd have to find another way.

But the matter was simple — assassination organizations within the Empire were countless.

Of course,

he wouldn't act within the Sacred Grounds; no assassination organization would dare.

But Xu Jingming would eventually leave the Sacred Grounds — and when he did, that would be his death.

Night was ink-black, stars speckling the sky above the Noah Sacred Ground.

By the time Xu Jingming finished his banquet, it was already nine at night.

Under Ye Lan's spatial teleportation, Xu Jingming quickly returned to Residential Area A-708.

"Thank you, senior sister, for the hospitality—I'll head back now, and we'll meet again another day."

After waving goodbye, Xu Jingming turned and entered the villa.

Meanwhile, Ye Lan's violet eyes gazed at Xu Jingming's tall back, lost in thought.

The seed of the law...

In truth, with her talent, she could have received Master Nikki's seed of the law as well.

But Master Nikki's intention was to grant it only after she fully mastered her succubus bloodline.

"It seems I must resolve the bloodline's隐患 as soon as possible..."

A nearly inaudible sigh dissipated into the night wind.

Violet spatial ripples rippled, and Ye Lan's slender figure vanished like a phantom from where she stood.

Xu Jingming's original plan had been to return to the Sacred Land and then go to Heishi Star for training.

But Lu Wen's two billion credit points temporarily relieved him of the worry over insufficient credits.

So he postponed his plan and continued slaughtering within the Sacred Land's beast trial zone.

One month later, the Beast Trial Zone.

At the mouth of an active volcano.

A boiling, scorching magma pool, five to six kilometers in diameter, churned violently.

Within the magma, several terrifying giant lizards wandered.

These lizards ranged from several hundred meters to over a thousand meters in length!

Blood-Level beasts—Crimson Flame Demon Lizards!

Magma heated to hundreds of thousands of degrees meant nothing against their hardened hides.

Instead, they played in it as if swimming.

This was the Crimson Flame Demon Lizard's nest—even Starlight Stage Seven experts dared not provoke them lightly.

Yet at that moment, dark clouds gathered above the entire crater, and jagged black lightning arcs flickered and leapt within the clouds.

"Roar—!!"

Sensing the threat, one Crimson Flame Demon Lizard in the magma opened its massive jaws, and terrifying crimson flames coalesced around its body.

But in the next instant—

The lightning, fully charged in the sky, crashed down!

Crackling—!!

Sizzle, sizzle—!!!

Thunder roared, and the entire volcanic region instantly became a sea of lightning—Lei Hai!

Even though the Crimson Flame Demon Lizards in the magma had already manifested their Law Phases—

They still had no time to cry out before being shredded into charred corpses by the furious lightning.

Beneath the thick clouds, a tall, slender youth figure slowly appeared.

Around him swirled black lightning, and behind his back, a black halo three meters in diameter rotated slowly.

It was none other than Xu Jingming!

At this moment, system alerts kept ringing in his mind.

'Ding! Slain one Starlight Stage Six Crimson Flame Demon Lizard. Source Points +63!'

'Ding! Slain one Starlight Stage Five Crimson Flame Demon Lizard. Source Points +40!'

'......'

Six Crimson Flame Demon Lizards total—after their defeat, they granted him 312 Source Points.

"Not bad. It's been a long time since I got such a haul," Xu Jingming nodded in satisfaction.

A month ago, he could easily find groups of these clustered beasts.

But after this month of slaughter, such packs had become rare.

Just as he prepared to head to the next location, a weary voice suddenly rang from the sky:

"Xu Jingming, stop killing now."

Xu Jingming looked up and saw countless black feathers coalescing into the slender silhouette of a black-haired girl in the sky.

"Lord Hei Yu," Xu Jingming quickly bowed.

PS: The novel's namesake manga has begun serialization on Kuai Kan Comics—interested readers, please follow.

I'm actually looking forward to the female leads' appearances—hope they're not drawn too poorly.