### Chapter 9: King vs. King (3)
The black mist had barely cleared when the people in the Floating City, who were deep in their dreams, were jolted awake by the violent rumbling from outside.
What exactly happened in their dreams? All they could recall were vague impressions, as if they had been running towards a place without respite. Yet, despite their effort, they never reached the finish line before waking up.
Why such bizarre dreams? Not a soul could explain.
In the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, Tan Ziyan regained her senses at that very moment.
Hearing the incessant explosions outside, she closed her eyes again for a moment.
So it has begun! I didn’t expect it to be so soon.
The life-and-d*ath battle concerning the fate of Thousand Bird City had arrived!
But alas, everything seemed to be predetermined by the heavens—no matter how much they struggled, the results wouldn’t change.
She intended to share the last glimmer of hope for Thousand Bird City with Li Ying Tian, but… well, wasn’t this all within her expectations anyway?
“Boom! Boom!”
The nearby booming and the rising flames were inching closer to the Hall.
Panicking maids raced around putting out flames, while Tan Ziyan remained utterly still, as if she were forever fused with the Hall bathed in firelight, a serene statue amidst chaos.
Meanwhile, Li Ying Tian and his group arrived above the Floating City and were greeted with a scene that used to be beautiful, now reduced to a wreckage of ruins. Fires blazed on the ground, and screams echoed incessantly.
The sight made their eyes nearly pop out; they wanted nothing more than to personally deal with the culprits and vent their anger.
However, without a command from the Sect Leader, the disciples dared not act impulsively. Luckily, they soon noticed at the entrance of the forbidden area a towering Great Demon with a calm expression, locking eyes with Li Ying Tian.
“Well, well! Niu Gan Dang!
Years ago, I appointed you as the lord of White Feather City; you’ve roamed the Chaos Forest for over three hundred years, indulging in riches and power, and now you dare to conspire against my Thousand Bird City with others?
Is this how you repay me?”
Just moments ago, Feng Yalin had escaped, leaving Li Ying Tian feeling utterly frustrated.
Now, seeing the Bull Head, who once groveled before him, standing arrogantly at the entrance of the forbidden area, how could he not feel furious?
The Great King of the Split Land sneered, “You misunderstand, celestial one.
For three hundred years, I have treated you with the utmost respect and followed your orders—never once have I failed to please you.
Now that the Monster Race is on the decline and the human and demon realms have gotten used to shitting and pissing on us, I should not resist this trend. Even I wouldn’t dare to offend you with a hundred lives.
However, ever since I learned the secret of Thousand Bird City, I had a change of heart.
Once, the Monster King fought against the human and demon realms single-handedly with such glory, though now he is ripped to pieces. But his power remains! If I could welcome the Monster King back, wouldn’t that be a blow for the monsters’ return to glory?”
Hearing the Great King’s words, Li Ying Tian’s expression softened for a fleeting moment, but then it struck him—Niu Gan Dang was trying to stall for time, and others were lurking in the tunnels.
Realizing this, Li Ying Tian decided not to waste his breath.
He immediately summoned fifty flying swords, launching them directly at the Great King.
“I’ll hold him off; you guys rush into the tunnels!”
Although the Great King treated him respectfully, Li Ying Tian understood that this Bull Head had power, and killing him wouldn’t be easy.
With the condition inside the tunnel uncertain and him unable to go, he decided to send his disciples ahead to scout the situation.
The ten disciples of Thousand Bird City, led by their leader Yun Hong, quickly dashed into the tunnels.
Gongsun Ding wanted to follow, but Yun Hong said, “Aren’t you going to support the Sect Leader?”
Since the ten disciples had returned, Gongsun Ding was no longer in control of the inner sect, so Yun Hong bossed him around without a shred of respect.
Not wanting to cause a scene, Gongsun Ding sulkily remained at the entrance to guard against any enemies.
At that moment, the Great King and Li Ying Tian fought evenly matched.
The Bull Head was immensely strong; every swing of his staff contained limitless power.
Li Ying Tian, on the other hand, excelled at manipulating his flying swords, coupled with the massive red sword energy he conjured—grand and imposing, he held the upper hand in presence alone.
But he was all too aware that the Great King was responding well, seemingly having anticipated the twin-pronged attack.
Seeing that the ten disciples had been in the tunnel for a while with no news, Li Ying Tian felt anxious.
He could no longer afford to be delayed here.
Gathering his focus and power, another twenty flying swords appeared in the sky, wrapped in red sword energy. In the dark night, they glimmered and appeared otherworldly.
“Go!”
Li Ying Tian unleashed his ultimate skills all at once.
As a total of seventy flying swords spiraled across the air, approaching the Great King from various angles, Li Ying Tian dropped to the ground and entered the tunnel.
“Clang! Clang!”
The Great King found himself engulfed by the whirlwind of flying swords, temporarily unable to escape.
His sturdy protective energy shield held out against the red sword energy, but with sheer numbers, it quickly became overwhelming.
Amidst his roaring, he was catching up with Li Ying Tian, who rushed into the tunnel.
However, the ten disciples were still engaged in combat with enemies blocking their way, having yet to reach deeper levels.
“Get out of the way!”
The massive red sword energy exploded,
As Li Ying Tian charged through, enemies were sliced cleanly in two, dropping dead without a chance to scream.
But just as he reached the last small square,
The black mist reappeared with a familiar scene.
A dark figure darted ahead of him and entered the jade stone gate.
All the magical seals set in that small square had been deactivated.
Once the seals were broken, they could never be closed again.
Li Ying Tian felt a jolt of panic, charging forward without a second thought to make a last-ditch effort.
At the same time, the Great King broke free from the flying swords’ confinement and rushed into the tunnel, knocking the ten disciples aside like rag dolls.
Li Ying Tian roared,
“How dare you peek into the secrets of the forbidden area!”
“Bang!” He slammed his palm against the closed door.
He could never understand why this person could easily enter a place that only he could access.
And at the moment his palm touched the door,
“Boom!”
The solid jade stone door shattered into countless pieces, and swarms of black beetles crawled out of the ruins, while a noxious, corrosive gas surged upwards.
Li Ying Tian was dumbfounded.
A round secret chamber, roughly 120 square meters in size, appeared before everyone.
And there, standing in the center of the chamber, was that black figure, head held high, arms raised, suddenly bursting into laughter, “Hahaha!”
……
P.S.: Please vote! The story is about to enter the climax of the second chapter, so stay tuned!
