Chapter 683: I’ll Kill One for Every One That Comes

“You’re not Beichen, you’re Hong Yu!”

King Lingxiao stared at the man who had lost the guise of Han Yuqianyan, his true face now exposed. A description of Hong Yu he had once heard suddenly flashed through his mind.

Black wings, the golden Godslaying Spear, and those handsome features—sharp brows and eyes as bright as stars.

In that instant, he saw through Hong Yu’s true identity and roared.

His cry boomed like a clap of thunder.

It reached the ears of every expert, whether they were battling outside or secretly observing from the shadows, capturing all of their attention.

“What? Beichen is Hong Yu?”

“That new True Dragon who has the Venerable Golden Bone? I heard he killed the Chrysanthemum King and the Snake King, and even heavily wounded the Fire-Devouring King, forcing him to flee! He’s… he’s being hunted by every power in the core region, yet he dared to not only enter but also infiltrate the War Spirit Holy Land?”

“Hahaha, this just fell right into our laps! If it’s really Hong Yu, we have to kill him and take the Venerable Golden Bone!”

One by one, the experts who had been watching from the shadows revealed themselves.

Experts from the Kuafu Race, the Giant Elephant Race, and the Celestial Horse Race appeared one after another.

Even the experts who had been locked in combat stopped fighting. The powerhouses from the Four Great Divine Cities banded together, exchanging glances before their expressions filled with frenzied hatred and burning greed.

An expert from the North and South Divine City snorted coldly. “Hong Yu killed our Snake King! His life belongs to us!”

A Divine King from West Gate Divine City retorted angrily, “He killed our Chrysanthemum King, too! Hong Yu’s Venerable Golden Bone should be ours!”

“Hmph, it’s survival of the fittest. It belongs to whoever can take it!”

An expert from the Eastern Divine City sneered, “We were the ones who discovered the Venerable Golden Bone first. Hong Yu should be ours!”

Chen Tao’s face darkened. “The experts of the Eight Great Battle Clans are all gathered here. Do you really think they’ll just stand by and watch us take the Venerable Golden Bone?”

The group fell silent.

In the end, it was the Red-clothed God King who spoke. “Our Four Great Divine Cities will first ally to deal with Hong Yu. As for who gets the Venerable Golden Bone, we’ll decide that amongst ourselves later!”

“Agreed!”

「Meanwhile…」

Bear Tao was stunned, muttering, “Brother Beichen is Hong Yu?”

Tiger Wei’s expression was also strange. “Well, I’ll be damned. No wonder I’d never heard of anyone named Beichen. Hahaha, but whether he’s Beichen or Hong Yu, I admire the guy’s guts!”

Ape Feng frowned. “Are you guys planning to make a move on him?”

Bear Tao thought for a moment, then said bluntly, “Before, I definitely would have tried to snatch the Venerable Golden Bone. But… Brother Beichen… no, I mean Hong Yu… I really like his style. I’m not about to attack a friend, anyway!”

Tiger Wei nodded in agreement. “It’s just the Venerable Golden Bone. Even if I got it, the old geezers back in the clan would just take it. I can’t be bothered to fight for it!”

“I won’t make a move either,” Ape Feng declared.

Ape Feng nodded and looked at Tan Hui. “Tan Hui, what about you?”

Tan Hui replied coldly, “I won’t.”

“Good. None of us will move against him, but…”

Tiger Wei frowned. “We can’t help him either. That would drag our clans into this.”

“Then we’ll just order our men not to attack him. And if we get the chance, we can give him a little help,” Ape Feng mused.

“Right!”

The four of them immediately went to give orders to their men.

「At the same time…」

However, the experts from the Kuafu Race, the Celestial Horse Race, and the Giant Elephant Race had arrived before the Sealing Spirit Array, facing off against the powerhouses from the Four Great Divine Cities.

Chen Tao’s voice was grim. “Hong Yu is human. This is a matter for us humans of the Four Great Divine Cities to handle. I must ask you all not to interfere!”

An expert from the Celestial Horse Race, Ma Yuanpeng, stepped forward. His power was at the Half-step City Lord Level. He said coldly, “Hong Yu is a powerful ally of the Spirit Cat Race, which makes him a member of the War Race. How is this merely a ‘human affair’?”

His eyes burned with feverish intensity.

Ma Yuanpeng had been stuck at this level for over fifty years, desperate to break through the final bottleneck and reach the City Lord Level.

Therefore…

…Ma Yuanpeng was one of the most fervent proponents within the Celestial Horse Race for hunting Hong Yu to seize the Venerable Golden Bone. He was desperate to obtain it.

Chen Tao’s expression darkened, but he knew that if the War Race experts forced a confrontation, the ensuing chaos would give Hong Yu a chance to escape.

He immediately sneered. “Fine, then. A fair competition. We’ll see who it ends up with!”

“Deal!”

With that, over ten Divine King experts and four Half-step City Lord Level powerhouses from both sides charged into the Sealing Spirit Array.

At that same moment.

Hong Yu stored the Ten Thousand Year-old Polygonum multiflorum inside the Profound Celestial Tower for Little One to watch over. Wiping a smear of blood from his forehead, a resigned look crossed his face. ‘I can’t believe my cover was blown in the end. Heh, looks like if I want to make it out of here alive, I’ll have to carve a bloody path for myself.’

“Hmph. Hong Yu, I have to admire you,” King Lingxiao said, his tone complex. “To think you could pull off such a grand deception and sneak all the way in here.”

“It’s a pity you’ve opposed me time and time again, and on top of that, you possess an Exotic Treasure like the Venerable Golden Bone. Now that you’ve also obtained the Ten Thousand Year-old Polygonum multiflorum, it’s certain that no one can save you today!”

Hong Yu glanced around and sneered. “Are you sure about that? You think this group is enough to capture me?”

“Hahaha, don’t get cocky, Hong Yu!”

“You’ll be dead by this time next year!”

“If you know what’s good for you, hand over the Venerable Golden Bone and the Ten Thousand Year-old Polygonum multiflorum. We might let you live out your pathetic life. Otherwise, you’re dead for sure today!”

Over a dozen experts, the weakest of whom was at the Divine King level, charged.

Their combined momentum was overwhelming, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.

Countless greedy, feverish gazes focused on Hong Yu. Chen Tao and Ma Yuanpeng were the most fervent of all. “The Venerable Golden Bone… Hahaha, what an unexpected gift! Hong Yu, not only will you fail to protect the Venerable Golden Bone today, but you’ll also be leaving your life behind!”

“Heh. Every single one of you wants to kill me for my treasures, but I’m no pushover you can just step on. I’ll make this clear: for anyone who attacks me today, if you fail to kill me right here, I, Hong Yu, will pay you back a hundred, even a thousand times over!”

Hong Yu’s face broke into a smile as brilliant as the sun.

And yet, it was this brilliant smile that sent a terrifying chill down everyone’s spine.

An expert from the Kuafu Race stepped forward. He stood over twenty-five meters tall, a powerhouse at the Half-step City Lord Level named Kuadi. He spoke in a cold, deep voice, “I am Kuadi. On behalf of the Kuafu Race, I invite you, Hong Yu, to join us as an Honored Guest Elder. You will enjoy the Shelter of the Kuafu Race, and no one will be able to harm you!”

“The Kuafu Race? Heh.” Hong Yu looked at Kuadi with a smile. “May I ask, what’s the price for becoming an Honored Guest Elder?”

‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’

Hong Yu didn’t believe for a second that the Kuafu Race would make an enemy of every major power in the True Dragon Battlefield for his sake, all for nothing.

Kuadi said lightly, “You only need to hand over the Venerable Golden Bone, the Ten Thousand Year-old Polygonum multiflorum, and that strange, dark-gold flame of yours to the Kuafu Race for safekeeping. Of course, you shouldn’t think my race is being greedy. These are all dangerous artifacts that will cause riots and chaos throughout the True Dragon Battlefield. By safeguarding them, the Kuafu Race is merely preserving the peace.”

Looking at Kuadi’s sanctimonious expression…

…a mocking smile spread across Hong Yu’s face, and he burst out laughing. “Hahaha! And here I thought the Kuafu Race was supposed to be fair, just, and righteous. I never imagined you were just a bunch of petty, two-faced hypocrites!”

He scanned the crowd mockingly and sneered, “Aren’t you all just here for the Venerable Golden Bone? Fine. I, Hong Yu, will be waiting right here. If any of you can kill me and take it, I won’t so much as blink. But let me offer you all a word of advice…”

“A man’s heart is never satisfied, just like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Greed often costs you your life!”

SHING!

With a flick of his wrist, the Godslaying Spear was in his hand.

He was enveloped in golden light, dark-gold flames raging behind him, making him look like a Flame War God!

“You refused to do this the easy way, so now you’ll do it the hard way! Go die!”

“Kill!”

The Kuafu expert let out a soft sigh. “Since you’re so hopelessly stubborn, the Kuafu Race has no choice but to kill you!”

Ma Yuanpeng’s eyes burned as he broke into a savage grin. “The Venerable Golden Bone belongs to the worthy! I, Ma Yuanpeng, have been stuck at the Half-step City Lord Level for years. I *must* obtain the Venerable Golden Bone today, and no one is going to stop me!”

And then…

More than ten experts launched their attacks at the same time.

Each of these experts possessed power at or above the Divine King level, with several at the Half-step City Lord Level. Under their combined assault, the pressure on Hong Yu mounted immensely. The sheer weight of their auras made his body feel heavy as lead, rendering him almost immobile.

He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘You’re forcing my hand!’

RUMBLE!

The Nine Netherworld Burning World Flame erupted, engulfing his entire body.

Fueled by the flame, his Fire Cloud Divine Armor began to glow with a dazzling golden light, encasing his body.

Even the dragon tail that had sprouted behind him was wreathed in flames, searing the very air with a hiss as it swept by.

The Godslaying Spear in his hand was like a living golden dragon, radiating a surging draconic might. A baleful light emanated from it, as if it could slay Celestial Gods and slaughter legions of Demons.

“Piercing Void—Unrivaled!”

Hong Yu roared.

He thrust his spear, targeting one of the Divine King experts.

“A fine attempt!”

The Divine King was prepared and barked a cold laugh.

His body was enveloped in a cyan glow.

Behind him, a Mystical Dharma Aspect descended from the heavens—a mass of cyan thorns covered in barbs as sharp as blades, capable of tearing through the defenses of a Divine King.

“Celestial Net of Heaven and Earth!”

The Divine King roared.

The giant mass of thorns writhed and grew at a frantic pace, weaving itself into a massive net that descended upon Hong Yu in the blink of an eye.

“Nine Netherworld Burning World Flame, burn!” Hong Yu bellowed.

The colossal, dragon-like Spear Aura emanating from the Godslaying Spear was coated in a layer of the terrifying, dark-gold flame. It burned intensely, surging forward like a golden fire dragon.

With a resounding BOOM, it crashed into the net of thorns.

BANG!

The net of thorns instantly exploded. Consumed by the Nine Netherworld Burning World Flame, a conflagration lit up the sky.

Hong Yu’s spear thrust continued, unabated. With a sickening PFFT, it pierced through the Divine King’s chest. Hong Yu slammed his left hand onto the man’s body, and the Luo Rune Seal flared to life, completely devouring his Essence of Life. In the blink of an eye, the Divine King was reduced to a desiccated corpse.

Hong Yu let out a cold laugh. He flung the Divine King’s corpse from his spear and turned his icy gaze upon the others…

“Come one, I’ll kill one. Come a pair, I’ll slaughter them both!”