Chapter 584: What? The Lionheart King Also Died?

As for whether these tree people are still human, and what exactly they are…

Third Prince no longer has time to think that much; the only thing he can do now is to run away as fast as possible, the farther the better.

But at that moment, his mind in knots suddenly realized what the darkness he had seen at the end of the tunnel actually was.

It was clearly the countless roots of tree people deeply embedded underground; their number had grown so large that they could raise the entire camp by a layer!

Damn!

Now Third Prince was truly at a loss, because if that hidden enemy could achieve this, it meant…

It meant the mastermind behind all this was far more than just Big Sister or Second Brother!

Who is it!!!

As if answering his inner cry, a strange buzzing suddenly echoed from the forest.

Looking around, several monsters whose organ structures resembled insects yet whose overall proportions were more human flew out.

For an ordinary person, a several‑meter‑long colossal brown double‑ponytail, flapping its wings and rapidly closing in, would already be terrifying enough.

But for Third Prince, there was another thing even more frightening.

The leader, a level‑70 brown double‑ponytail, not only could speak, but what it said was…

"Big brother…"

Uh, that's wrong, it should be…

"(Strange oral friction sound) Prince… Your Majesty…"

Third Prince's face turned pale, nearly falling from the sky due to unstable magical output.

"Duke Chong… Chongshan!?"

Under the daylight, no one knows what truly happened in Chang'an that day.

But perhaps it was destiny; this sacred capital of the dynasty founded by a transmigrator has since fulfilled a famous line from another otherworldly poet.

The nation fell, yet mountains and rivers remain; the city in spring is overgrown with grass and trees.

The once bustling Chang'an, where people came and went and a non‑discriminatory combat tournament was held every few decades, fell into complete silence.

In its place spread endless verdant, gleaming vegetation that completely covered everything from roads to buildings, from walls to palaces.

And underground roots kept climbing outward, as if to engulf the whole planet, overlapping and fully covering.

The only good news is perhaps that the countless lives devoured on this land finally halted when this verdant thicket stopped after covering the entire capital region.

After the Deep Forest Royal Capital turned into a vast forest, news spread that the Deep Forest royal family and at least three dukes' armies of over a hundred thousand troops had all gone missing.

Not only the Deep Forest nobles stationed in their fiefs and preparing for this year's Northern Summit Tournament were alarmed, the entire Yangyue Star was stirred.

Some were panicked, some hurried, some thought it was internal turmoil in the Deep Forest, others believed it was preparation for war.

But Ji Ming, who heard the news, can guarantee that the ancient magical emperor from ten thousand years ago finally could no longer hold back.

And this time they learned from the failed raid on Radiance, iterating a new strategy optimized for the Deep Forest's unique environment.

Objectively analyzing, the last time the magical emperor deployed at least two Thus we will have Cultivation: Zhen Shen and three level‑90s, why did it still fail in the end?

Because they started with a curse, seemingly striking from both sides, seizing Radiance's three main pillars, from royal authority to ecclesiastical power.

In fact, the main victims were the common folk; they couldn't eliminate those higher‑level, higher‑intelligence beings that could resist the temptation.

Moreover, Ji Ming happened to be in the Royal Capital, able to easily eradicate this lewd plague and rescue a group of embattled level‑70s.

Finally, everyone gathered their forces, adding two level‑90s, to pull an upset in the Church—a perfectly natural outcome.

So this time they clearly learned smartly; since it's their own family, they started blasting from the top, focusing effort, and decided to take Chang'an first!

The facts proved they succeeded; even though the incident happened long ago, no one knows what occurred in the Deep Forest capital region.

Ji Ming even contacted the Iron‑fisted Saintess currently stationed in the western kingdom, but the answer he got wasn't much better.

Because after the capital region turned green, the few scouts she left in the Royal Capital lost contact and still haven't re‑established communication.

However, one thing is certain: since the green zone stopped expanding after covering the entire capital region, it has since lain dormant.

It indicates that whoever backs them, the mastermind definitely wants to negotiate, at least for now there are no plans to overturn the table.

As expected, exactly one day after the incident, the next morning arrived, just like when Queen Fiya previously announced her latest royal decree.

Amid rapid hoofbeats, countless messenger cavalry clad in heavy armor burst from the dense trees of the capital region, racing toward all corners of the kingdom.

One can only say Ji Ming might truly be a prophet, claiming the hidden hand was reusing old tricks, and indeed they were reusing old tricks.

Guess what? This wave of Radiance actually became the Deep Forest's vanguard—yes, the Lionheart King's Zhong Deng also passed away!

Once the news spread, everyone was completely stunned; bizarre incidents happen every year, but this year there were especially many.

March killed the Sun, July killed the Lionheart, and I dare not imagine what will die in November.

Golden King: "Huh? No, really no! I practice proper health every day, truly!"

But Anton, that old immortal, was already advanced in age, never cared for his health, and was forced into a tragic end by his yandere wife's cursed spell.

Meriel: "Unforgivable!"

This old bone definitely won't survive this winter; if not March, then May—anytime this year it's fine, everyone is mentally prepared.

But the Lionheart King was in his prime; if his life were a novel, it hasn't even reached a million words yet, and it's already gone like that?

The nobles surely found it odd, stopping the messenger riders arriving with news, pulling out heaps of gold coins to inquire.

"Brother, as long as you speak, it's all yours!"

"The king is dead… you only… need to know this…"

Yet these knights, who never removed their helmets from start to finish, remained completely unmoved.

Even the maid who was shoved by a ball‑hitting person was too lazy to look, showing no reaction, hands and feet clean, truly a model for us.

The helpless Count could only signal the group of cosplay‑like nightingales to leave early; after they all departed, he whispered.

"May I ask if you could tell me who the new king appointed by His Majesty roughly is…"

"…you… will know later…"

Even though the Count invited repeatedly, it still couldn't make the other party stay overnight; after saying that, the knight turned, mounted his horse, and set off back toward the capital region.

So the day's news report was meaningless; Deep Forest was still awash with rumors, and the heat even rose because of the presence of these riddlers.

From the disaster in the Royal Capital to the king's cause of death, and then to these fully armed knights, completely encased from rider to horse, it caused a chaotic uproar.

And that very evening, a batch of new rumors began to spread over Deep Forest, concerning the true identities of these knights.

They were not the prince's personal guard, not the duke's iron cavalry, and certainly not any secret army of the Lionheart King or the Deep Forest Church.

They very possibly aren't even human at all!

Then came the classic undead theory, the mechanical theory, the zombie theory, the pure‑essence maiden theory…

And the strangest one: that beneath their armor are emerald branches, clearly a group of plant‑people.

Since it can be singled out, it shows the previous ones are just classic urban legends, while the last one actually has traceable evidence.

Yes, the Iron‑Fisted Saintess has always been in c; her powerful initiative and swift planning once again displayed her divine might.

She leveraged her contacts to recruit some money‑hungry, death‑defying mountain bandits, and under the supervision of another group of professional assassins, set an ambush for a messenger knight.

It must be said that being dispatched to deliver a message proves real strength; as a modest "Level‑10", that knight not only single‑handedly slaughtered a bunch of bandits like a superhuman, but also turned the tables on several assassins of the same rank.

Unfortunately, under the Saintess's iron‑clad net, even if he fought with all his might, he still died amid the assault of countless treasure‑obsessed foes, his helmet forcibly removed.

Beneath the helmet was indeed a human face, but one composed of a tangle of plant blossoms!

This is hard to describe in words; if one must find a term, it would be... Junji Ito.

And even though they acted quickly, a few slow‑witted fools were still intercepted by several other knights who arrived inexplicably.

"Rebel... Suppression..."

Then it's their old lair, their superior's old lair, their superior's subordinate's old lair, their superior's superior's old lair…

If it weren't for the Saintess's cleverness, the whole operation would have been entirely unseen remote control, and the severing of communications would have been far less skillful and decisive.

That night a group of knights formed a party and came to deliver warmth; from then on, the one who vanished from the mortal world was likely her!

In short, rather than a massacre, it was more like fishing—targeting the self‑confident, rather bold troublemakers on Deep Forest's lands.

The messenger knights appeared like a black wind and vanished like a black wind, strangling every being that dared to strike them.

Moreover, each root‑and‑stalk eradication was more ruthless than the Imperial Guards, as efficient as the KGB, and capable enough to make countless similar departments on two planets blush.

Thus the day ended in blood, terror, and suspicion, lasting until the dawn of the third day.

Spurring their horses, another batch of black‑clad messenger knights swept out of the capital's forest, heading for every noble estate in Deep Forest.

This notice turned out even more explosive, because the moment they opened their mouths it was: "Third Prince... announces withdrawal from the throne race..."

"What?"

As a member of the Mithril Faction, the Third Prince, even when he was still an illegitimate child, had already secured his supporters early on.

The Marquis of the Mountain Range, who had been smug and eager to show off before the angels, nearly popped his eyes out upon hearing it.

Given his understanding of His Highness the Prince, he would never believe such a thing could happen!

Damn, do you know how many innocent nobles the Third silently slaughtered for the throne? He could bow out? Only if he's dead!

"Rebel! Traitor! Evil thief!"

He roared several times like a ferocious beast from his seat, and the Marquis of the Mountain Range clenched his teeth while pointing at the knight's head.

"You must be a follower of the Second Prince, right? Bring him down for me!"

The surrounding guards, already annoyed by these over‑the‑top messenger knights, immediately grabbed their weapons and surged forward.

Hold on.

Some might find the noble surname "Mountain Range" familiar; the answer is your memory is correct—it has indeed appeared before.

The previous holder of that surname was An De Lu, deputy leader of the mountain mercenary alliance, nicknamed Director An, an old friend of Ji Ming in Sunlight City.

Unfortunately, the Marquis's illegitimate son is likely now covered in grass atop his grave.

So, as his father, this Marquis of the Mountain Range…

Unfortunately, the messenger knights that left the capital today were "Level‑20", whose combat power was worlds apart from yesterday's.

No one saw when he drew his sword; all that was known is that when the blade halted at the Marquis's throat, its edge was already soaked in blood.

And those dozen‑plus guards who were just shouting battle cries, full of vigor, fell into permanent calm, as their heads rolled onto the ground the next second.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and the Marquis dignifiedly raised both hands.

"Sir, just a joke, no offense?"

"..."

In the end, as a royal Marquis, the messenger knights did not strike a killing blow; instead, they silently sheathed their longswords and rode away from the Mountain Range's domain.

With interests at stake, besides the Mountain Range, other non‑superstitious forces also struck at the knights that day.

Unfortunately, aside from a few relatively clever great nobles, all met a total annihilation.

And just as players were debating whether the Second Prince had staged a coup, imitating the story of General Tian Ce, to murder his father and brother and ascend early.

On the fourth day, just like the previous days, a group of messenger knights of at least Level‑30 burst out of the capital.

But this time, bearing the major news of the Second Prince's withdrawal from the throne race, they swiftly reached all corners of Deep Forest.

what!?

Although it has boiled countless times, like a hot pot in the dead of winter, the ever‑boiling Deep Forest erupted another wave of heat.

Since the Second and Third have both abdicated, isn't the choice for the new king already nailed down, written plainly?

"Elder Princess... won!?"

This answer, perhaps overly simple after elimination, turned the entire Deep Forest into two sharply divided worlds in an instant.

The Crystal Magic Faction and the Mithril Faction spun in panic; regardless of prior loyalty, they now all seek to switch allegiances to avoid the new king's purge.

"Please, brother, give me another chance; I promise I will forever remember Princess and your kindness!"

Meanwhile, the Pure Gold Faction popped champagne, eager to load the MVP victory animation now, waiting to follow Her Majesty the Queen into the Imperial Palace.

"What, now you've changed your mind? Let me tell you, the queen's eaves are already full; even the dogs don't get a turn for you!"