Chapter 494 492: Virtuous and Upright

The green-robed man also realized something was wrong. He recalled what the Crow had just said and found it hard to believe.

'This is just too bizarre!'

All these bees were coming for him, and every single one hit its mark.

"Let's go."

Luo Tian soared into the sky and flew off into the distance.

The Crow, however, was unwilling to leave. It was still thinking about its Three Elements Fruit.

"These Black Crystal Bees can only trap him for a short time. They can't kill him," Luo Tian said.

It wasn't a good time for them to make a move, either.

The green-robed man was swarmed by the Black Crystal Bees. If Luo Tian were to attack, he would have to eliminate the bees first.

Besides, killing the green-robed man would be difficult, and there was nothing to gain from it.

Still, the Crow refused to leave.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a black shadow flew over from the distance at incredible speed, radiating an intense, blood-soaked, baleful aura that sent shivers through the area.

"Let's go, now!"

Luo Tian sensed a definite threat; the newcomer was incredibly powerful.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The man and bird made a hasty retreat.

Five breaths later!

A black and red Void Ship descended from the sky. The flag on its mast bore the image of a black skull, but its eye sockets and teeth were stained a bloody red!

The flag of the Asura Thief Gang!

The most vicious and bloodthirsty Legendary Thief Gang in the entire Broken-star Realm!

"The Asura Thief Gang?"

Even the green-robed man, still swarmed by Black Crystal Bees, looked panicked.

"Get away from me!"

The green-robed man roared in fury. The True Essence around his body churned violently, blasting the Black Crystal Bees away.

He tried to use the opening to escape, but he had already been stung over a dozen times. The poison had stiffened his body, slowing him down considerably.

WHOOSH!

The Asura Thief Gang's ship hovered above him, casting down a shadow heavy with killing intent.

Three figures appeared on the bow of the ship!

The green-robed man's eyes immediately locked onto the one in the middle. He was extremely tall but rail-thin, and he wore a ghastly, blood-colored mask!

"The Blood-faced Man, Lü Hanye!"

The green-robed man's face went white!

This was a notoriously vicious figure in the Asura Thief Gang. Barely over fifty years old, he already commanded his own fleet and boasted a glorious combat record that included slaying a Celestial Level Martial Artist!

"Submit, or die!"

Lü Hanye, the Blood-faced Man, said icily.

"Lü Hanye, you overestimate yourself! I am a True Disciple of the Sea Demon Palace. Why would I ever submit to a mere pirate!"

The green-robed man shot back.

'There are thirty disciples from the Sea Demon Palace here. How dare some petty pirates act so brazenly!'

BOOM!

With a casual wave of his hand, Lü Hanye pushed his palm forward. In an instant, a blood-red light surged out, threatening to engulf everything.

The blood in the green-robed man's body began to boil uncontrollably, his limbs growing stiff and making it impossible to dodge.

The green-robed man put all his strength into a single slash of his blade!

CRACK! BOOM!

The massive, eerie green arc of blade light was shattered the moment it appeared. The green-robed man was sent flying thirty or forty meters, drenched in his own blood.

The nearby Black Crystal Bees were also annihilated by Lü Hanye's single palm strike, not a single one survived!

"How can you be… so strong?"

The green-robed man's face was a mask of terror and disbelief.

He was a Core Disciple of the Sea Demon Palace! At full power, he could withstand an attack or two even from someone at the Half-step Celestial Pool Realm.

Yet Lü Hanye, with a single, seemingly effortless palm strike, had gravely injured him and annihilated all the Black Crystal Bees!

WHOOSH!

The green-robed man's body floated uncontrollably toward Lü Hanye.

Lü Hanye cut his finger, drew a drop of dark red blood, and began chanting a spell.

The drop of blood seemed to come alive, transforming into a disgusting, grotesque blood-worm that burrowed into the green-robed man's mouth.

"From now on, your life and death are under my control."

Lü Hanye said indifferently.

"Captain, it looks like someone else was here. They escaped just moments ago."

A man beside Lü Hanye said.

He had a bizarre appearance; bones from within his body had pierced through his skin, jutting out and making him look like a human hedgehog.

"It seems to be an Auditor Disciple from the Tai Yuan Sect."

The bone-studded man continued.

"An Auditor Disciple made it here? He must have pulled some strings to get in," another woman commented.

"That person is called Luo Tian. He was just here and picked several Three Elements Fruits."

The green-robed man said with a blank expression.

He had already resigned himself to his fate and was now serving Lü Hanye.

'Once I run into my senior brothers from the Sea Demon Palace, or once I get out of this place, I can definitely be saved.'

"Three Elements Fruit?"

A flicker of interest showed in Lü Hanye's eyes. He turned to the bone-studded man. "Go capture him."

"Yes!"

The bone-studded man left the Void Ship.

Lü Hanye and the woman remained behind, intending to explore the area. They hoped to find some treasure, or perhaps a clue to the Void Thief King's hidden hoard.

...

From a great distance, Luo Tian saw Lü Hanye's seemingly casual strike obliterate everything in its path.

He immediately turned to leave.

'Of all the prodigies from the major factions here, Lü Hanye of the Asura Thief Gang is an absolutely terrifying figure who must not be provoked!'

"Someone's coming after me," Luo Tian sensed.

'But as long as it's not Lü Hanye himself, it shouldn't be a big deal.'

With his Perfection Level Wind Manipulation Technique, augmented by the Celestial Silver Feather Robe, Luo Tian's speed surpassed that of a typical martial artist at the Earth Element Realm Ninth Layer!

The island was very small.

Luo Tian was about to fly off the small island.

Just then, however, he ran into someone else.

Luo Tian had already run into people from the Sea Demon Palace and the Legendary Thief Gang. This time, he encountered a fellow disciple from the Tai Yuan Sect: Yue Linfei.

"Junior Luo!"

Yue Linfei's face lit up with a surprised smile when she saw Luo Tian.

"Our strength is in the lower-middle tier among all the martial artists here. It would be better if we traveled together."

Yue Linfei said with a smile.

Luo Tian didn't object to the idea.

Many factions had entered this place, including disciples from the Sea Demon Palace. It was too dangerous to travel alone.

For instance, just a moment ago he'd run into the green-robed man from the Sea Demon Palace, and right after that, the terrifying Lü Hanye of the Asura Thief Gang.

Besides, Luo Tian knew Yue Linfei's personality and had a decent impression of her.

So he agreed.

"Follow me!"

Yue Linfei led the way.

"Senior Sister Yue, did you find something?" Luo Tian asked.

"You'll know when we get there."

Yue Linfei said with a smile.

The two of them arrived at the island's edge, where enormous waves crashed relentlessly against the shore.

"Junior Sister Linfei, you're here."

A warm male voice called out as He Yunkong approached them with a gentle smile.

But his expression froze instantly, a cold light glinting in his eyes. "Luo Tian!"

"Yes. Senior Brother, didn't you say you were in some trouble? I ran into Junior Luo on the way, so I brought him along."

Yue Linfei said with a smile.

Luo Tian's expression darkened as well.

'To run into this enemy again so soon!'

He glanced at Yue Linfei, whose face was beaming like a freshly bloomed peony.

'Yue Linfei probably wants to resolve the conflict between me and He Yunkong.'

'He Yunkong is in trouble, so she brought me here to help. This is her way of doing things.'

'But in reality, her approach is completely useless.'

Luo Tian could see He Yunkong's strong possessiveness over Yue Linfei. The closer he got to her, the more He Yunkong would hate him.

But Luo Tian didn't care.

He disliked He Yunkong quite a bit, so getting under the man's skin wasn't a bad thing.

"Senior Brother He, I've come to help."

Luo Tian said with a smile.

"Hmph, just don't cause any trouble!"

He Yunkong snorted coldly.

Then, his gaze shifted toward the coast up ahead.

On a stretch of strange, jagged black rocks, several dazzling, multicolored ores lay scattered about, apparently washed ashore from the deep sea.

"Yin Jade Ore and Nine Profound Stone are both primary materials for forging Top Grade Treasure Artifacts. And that most precious one, the Deep Sea Moon Crystal, is a primary material for forging Profound Artifacts. It's incredibly valuable!"

He Yunkong explained briefly.

There were a few other ores he didn't recognize.

His main target was the Deep Sea Moon Crystal. It would allow him to forge a Profound Artifact, which would greatly increase his power.

Luo Tian took a look. These Spiritual Ores were all highly valuable.

'There are a few I don't recognize, either. These things might be just what Elder Lu is looking for.'

"It doesn't seem very dangerous…"

Yue Linfei's beautiful eyes scanned the area.

'The Spiritual Ores are right there for the taking. What's the trouble?'

"Black Rock Giant Crocodile!"

Luo Tian said calmly.

He Yunkong glanced at Luo Tian and said coldly, "Your eyes are quite sharp, kid."

At the name "Black Rock Giant Crocodile," Yue Linfei recalled what she knew about them. She stared at the scene again, and a look of horror slowly dawned on her face.

The strange black rocks surrounding the Spiritual Ores were actually sleeping Black Rock Giant Crocodiles!

Approaching rashly would surely wake them!

These were extremely ferocious Ancient Demon Beasts, with hides as tough as iron, impervious to blades, and possessing immense strength!

"Senior Brother He, what should we do then?"

Yue Linfei asked.

"There are two ways!"

"First, Luo Tian, you lure away a batch of the Black Rock Giant Crocodiles. Your Junior Sister and I can then move in, collect the Spiritual Ores, and we'll divide them up afterward."

"Of course, I'm sure Junior Luo doesn't trust my integrity and won't agree to this plan."

He Yunkong shot Luo Tian a cold glance.

"The second option is for the three of us to just charge in. That shouldn't be too much of a problem either…"

According to He Yunkong's assessment, there were six Black Rock Giant Crocodiles in total, all at the High Tier of the Earth Element Realm.

But he was powerful enough that handling three of them by himself wouldn't be an issue.

And since they were only there for the treasures, there was no need to fight the Black Rock Giant Crocodiles to the death. The crocodiles were slow; they could just grab the Spiritual Ores and run.

"What are you talking about, Senior Brother He? Of course I trust your integrity. Let's go with the first plan."

Luo Tian suddenly spoke up.

He Yunkong, who was in the middle of explaining his plans, froze with a stunned expression.

Luo Tian actually agreed!

Yue Linfei was also completely taken aback.

'Luo Tian is actually willing to disregard their past conflicts, trust He Yunkong, and risk his own safety to lure away the Black Rock Giant Crocodiles.'

'Such character! He's truly righteous and upstanding!'

"Excellent!"

A smile touched He Yunkong's lips as he readily agreed.

'Plan one leaves a lot of room for manipulation. I can use this as a chance to get rid of Luo Tian.'

'How could Luo Tian be so stupid as to walk right into my trap!'

Once the plan was settled, they began to move.

CLANG!

Luo Tian unleashed a chilling slash of Sword Qi that struck one of the Black Rock Giant Crocodiles. It was like striking a wall of solid metal, producing a loud, metallic clang.

The Black Rock Giant Crocodile awoke. Its mountain-like black body rose to its feet, its black eyes snapping open with burning rage!

Black Rock Giant Crocodiles spend half their lives sleeping, and whenever they are woken up, they must feed!

ROAR!

A neighboring Black Rock Giant Crocodile was also jolted awake and let out a furious roar!

Having awakened two of the Black Rock Giant Crocodiles, Luo Tian immediately fell back.

"Be careful."

Before retreating, Luo Tian glanced at Yue Linfei and sent her a mental message.