King Yong Nian’s death reached Wang Sheng promptly, and he soon learned all the details.
Initially, it was said Wu Qingfeng and Jiang Dao had acted.
While vying for the Treasure Bead, Wang Sheng chopped off one of King Yong Nian’s arms, impairing his combat ability. The two pursued and eventually killed King Yong Nian.
It was reported that Wu Qingfeng and Jiang Dao also paid a heavy price, sustaining severe injuries.
“Has he exited the stage so early?”
These Overlord Level forces, as long as they coveted that position, inevitably only one would survive. King Yong Nian was just an unlucky one, eliminated early on.
However, it didn’t take long before he heard more detailed information from Yuelai Inn.
At the time, not only did Wu Qingfeng and Jiang Dao make their move, King Yong Nian, despite losing an arm, still held some tricks up his sleeve. Expecting an ambush, he knew he could escape if it came down to it.
After clashing with Wu Qingfeng and Jiang Dao and just when he was about to escape, another powerful figure emerged and killed King Yong Nian and attempted to attack the other two.
Though ultimately unsuccessful, King Yong Nian’s body was taken away.
One could say King Yong Nian was thoroughly wiped from existence.
“Was there an extra person involved?”
Wang Sheng was also surprised.
According to the news from Yuelai Inn, it appeared to be a strong individual of unknown identity who had acted.
The only question was why this individual took King Yong Nian’s body.
It seemed as if the plan all along was to take the body.
“Things are getting more interesting!”
Wang Sheng sighed and then didn’t pay much more attention, as recently his focus had been entirely on the Treasure Bead.
After acquiring the Treasure Bead, Wang Sheng himself was baffled.
He tried many methods—Divine Thought Control, Qi-Blood Manipulation, even Blood Recognition—but failed to gain true control over the Treasure Bead.
Ultimately, Wang Sheng resorted to the last method, refining.
The method of refining he had been improving continuously since he left, incorporating more and more elements.
The progress also became slower, so even in refining flying swords, he still hadn’t had a Breakthrough.
Of course, with the acquisition of a second Black Wood and the Treasure Bead, there were more items to refine, and a Breakthrough might not be far off.
Naturally, regarding items like Black Wood, Wang Sheng planned to deal with them later and decided to complete the refining of the Treasure Bead first.
At least from what he could see now, the Treasure Bead was refineable, and a progress bar had appeared.
However, to fully complete the refinement, it would probably still take some time.
Fortunately, he could multitask while refining, so it wasn’t a waste of time.
Thus, he proceeded in Dream Prefecture, simultaneously causing rain and refining, moving toward the location of Tai Mountain.
Of course, he didn’t care who took King Yong Nian’s body, but “someone” was very concerned.
Joy Blood Locust King, looking at his essence which had wilted slightly again, had a somewhat somber aura.
He had never expected that following Lust and Anger, Sorrow Blood Locust King would also be killed.
“Could it really be as those humans say, the dynasty collapses, and a great calamity hides among mankind?”
He was well informed, aware of some human rumors.
Since the human Master of Destiny died, not only had three human Grandmasters perished, but three of his incarnations that entered the world also died within a few short years.
Even excluding those accidentally killed by the Master of Destiny, two were lost.
Even more so, the subsequent two incarnations that perished suffered greater losses.
The one killed by the Master of Destiny at least had its core recovered, but the subsequent two had lost their cores completely.
Moreover, due to the deaths of the last two, even retrieving one core wouldn’t enable the rebirth of Grandmaster incarnations—the damage to the core body from three consecutive impacts was severe.
And at that moment, another figure in the same black robe appeared.
“Fear, you’re back. How did the investigation go? Who exactly took King Yong Nian’s body?”
For humans, the death of a top Grandmaster caused a tremendous shock, but no one particularly cared where the body ended up.
But for Demon Beasts, it was different.
Not to mention a top Grandmaster like King Yong Nian, even an ordinary Grandmaster would significantly enhance them.
Therefore, upon learning that King Yong Nian’s body was specifically taken, Joy Blood Locust King grew suspicious.
If some Demon King had taken King Yong Nian’s body, it could possibly pose a threat to his plans.
So it was crucial to investigate thoroughly.
Fear Blood Locust King was the one sent to investigate.
“Just as you suspected, it seems to have been done by some Demon King.”
“Was it the Green Lion King?”
Fear Blood Locust King shook his head and said, “It shouldn’t be him. He was severely injured by the Master of Destiny last time and is still recuperating. It’s highly likely that the Sun and Moon Army did it, that kind of method is very characteristic of them.”
The Sun and Moon Army, along with the All Heaven Army and Heavenly Blue Army, constitute the three top military forces of the Great Zhou, with the Sun and Moon Army being the only one exterminated.
“If it’s not the Green Lion King, then who could it be?”
“According to the information from my investigation, it’s very likely another Demon King we don’t know about. Isn’t it similar with the White Lotus Demon King?” said Fear Blood Locust King.
“It’s different. The growth of the White Lotus Demon King can be tracked, but the Demon King you investigated seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Considering our understanding of the Demon Beast World of the Great Zhou, we can’t even find the main culprit. This is a big issue!”
Joy Blood Locust King oversaw everything and understood what an emerging Demon King out of nowhere signified.
It was a Demon King not under control, which might affect his own plans.
Fear Blood Locust King also realized this, so he fell silent too.
He was the investigator and knew how well this Demon King was hidden; he could almost say he hadn’t found a single clue.
“Could it be a foreign Demon King?” Fear contemplated a possibility.
Joy Blood Locust King shook his head and said, “It’s highly unlikely. The Border Army is not to be trifled with. They are strong. Demon Beasts can’t cross the border, whether entering or leaving.”
The Border Army, even a schemer like him found it mysterious. He only knew that the Border Army was guarding against something, but almost no one knew exactly what.
“In any case, be more careful from now on, see if we can find out and eliminate this hidden Demon King. Also, when you are acting outside, if you encounter an incomprehensible and somewhat interested powerhouse, do not hesitate and just leave.”
“How so?”
“Sorrow has died. It’s very likely he was killed by the person who killed Rage. The core also quickly lost contact. I suspect that person has discovered the magic of the core and has set their eyes on us!”
Though unwelcome to admit, this was also the truth. Joy Blood Locust King felt it necessary to caution, to avoid any problems.
“I understand!”
Fear Blood Locust King knew Joy wouldn’t say this carelessly. The person who had killed their two avatars possessed perhaps overwhelming strength, beyond what their avatars could handle.
“Indeed, great opportunities come with great risks!”
Fear understood their plan. If successful, it promised ascension in a single move. Such a great opportunity, but the plan had barely reached half completion when three avatars had died.
He also birthed a thought similar to Joy’s.
The human dynasties wre crumbling; indeed, it was the perfect opportunity, but likewise, the killings were not few.
“Let’s continue with the plan. Also, the main body has been injured again and needs some vitality. Notify Evil!”
“Understood!”
The valley once again fell into silence.
However, the upheavals caused by King Yong Nian’s death were far from over.
The first to act were Spirit Sword Valley and Heavenly Saber City.
With King Yong Nian dead, Shuzhou’s territory naturally needed redistribution, especially the forces left behind by King Yong Nian, including the armies, which both powers wanted to absorb.
It was another struggle.
The smaller forces below were even more anxious, dreading that Wu Qingfeng and Jiang Dao might fall, which would completely disrupt the balance. Once Shuzhou was dominated by one force, their days would not be easy; they would only get harder.
The most fearful were the blank areas around Jiangyuan City.
If it came under the control of one power, anyone could guess that this area would be reclaimed.
Fortunately, in the end, the two powers maintained balance once again, and Jiangyuan City remained without a supreme overlord, barely preserving peace.
However, because the phrase “a great calamity looms over the world” spread far, many powers restrained themselves.
Meanwhile, in the great hall of the county office in Anshui County,
Mo Yang, sitting in the main seat, exuded an increasingly commanding presence, fitting for a leader; the subordinates who followed him previously no longer spoke as recklessly as before.
They were discussing affairs.
Anshui County was also lucky to be included in the area around Jiangyuan City, free from oversight, and with assistance from Yue, Mo Yang was developing well.
As things stabilized, his power continued to grow, and he had already become a Grandmaster, with two more Grandmasters below him besides Yue, their county’s power comparable to that of three counties.
This rate of progress was quite astonishing.
Yet, as Mo Yang was deliberating on these matters, he was also waiting for someone.
Yue!
Yue had left a few days ago to handle a big matter.
Before long, a figure appeared in the hall.
Mo Yang stood up to greet him, “Mr. Yue, how did it go?”
“Mission accomplished, Heavenly Star Army is now in our pocket, silently awaiting the rise,” Yue had gone specifically to persuade the Heavenly Star Army to join their camp.
“Mr. Yue, truly a great talent. How did you manage it?”
Mo Yang was delighted, but he was aware of the huge gap between their power and the overlord-level powers; despite knowing Yue’s capabilities, he found it impressive.
“Because I have an ace up my sleeve…”
Yue came beside Mo Yang and whispered something to him using a special method.
Upon hearing it, Mo Yang’s pupils dilated.
He had never imagined Yue had such foresight, having laid the groundwork years ago.
If he lay low for some time, he might leap into the ranks of overlord-level forces, possibly to be among the strongest.
“Thank you, sir, for your help!”
“This was prepared for you. When the time comes, you will receive all these things yourself, enhancing your prestige…”