Chapter 243: The Mantis Catches the Cicada

The Snow Realm Patriarch, Heavenly Howler God-King, and Lord of Bitter Wind were not exceptionally powerful, yet their sins ranked among the top ten in the Origin Continent. The core reason they could roam freely for so long was their extremely potent life-saving abilities! After all, even some ancient beings, who were naturally hostile to evil or had conflicts with them, were still unable to do anything against them.

The Snow Realm Patriarch walked the path of life essence, the Lord of Bitter Wind the path of spatial essence, and the Heavenly Howler God-King the path of boundless power. Their diverse life-saving abilities made them incredibly difficult to deal with. Yet, these three died simultaneously! This truly shook the entire continent.

“Good riddance!”

“They should have died long ago.”

“These great sinners have been roaming the Origin Continent freely for too long. A super-powerful being should have eliminated them ages ago.”

Those who loathed evil cheered with excitement.

Meanwhile, some deeply sinful God-Kings began to feel uneasy: “If they killed the Heavenly Howler God-King and the other two at the same time, will they come after us next?”

“What an intrusive act.”

“What should we do? Should we reincarnate?”

“There are so many great sinners throughout the Origin Continent; this expert is probably only targeting the top ten. They shouldn’t find me.”

These great sinners were in a state of panic.

Most God-Kings, however, were more concerned about the identity of the mysterious expert: “Who exactly killed the Heavenly Howler God-King and the other two? Was it the black-robed, golden-masked expert?” They were very curious about the impact this mysterious figure would have on the overall situation of the Origin Continent.

“The Blazewind Guild and Thunder Commerce Guild should soon uncover some information about the killer.” All parties were waiting. “No traces found,” was the eventual report.

“Even examining past timelines yielded no traces of the killer.” The two great ancient kingdoms employed various methods, but they couldn't find any clues whatsoever.

If Luo Feng’s previous slaying of the three Kingdom Lords of the Eater Kingdom left clear traces, with even the images being perfectly distinct,

then this time, there were absolutely no traces! Time-space, karma... even all energy fluctuations yielded no sign of the killer.

“Is this killer not the black-robed, golden-masked expert?” The two great ancient kingdoms were somewhat puzzled, especially since the most recent similar deaths were those of the three Kingdom Lords of the Eater Kingdom. The Heavenly Kun God-King was also a great sinner, and their strongest suspicion had fallen on the black-robed figure!

But now, no traces could be found.

“This killer's methods are more sophisticated than the black-robed one's.” “It must be an Ultimate Realm being! Or perhaps, a being above God-King level?”

The two great ancient kingdoms felt a growing unease.

Huyang City, City Lord's Mansion.

Luo Feng leisurely drank wine, gazing at the myriad stars sparkling in the night sky.

“Even after killing three God-Kings, the stars in the night sky remain brilliant,” Luo Feng remarked.

Morosa looked at the night sky and couldn't help but say, “Those three were of ordinary strength, not prominent among the stars. The most conspicuous are the Ultimate Realm beings, the Emperors.”

Luo Feng smiled.

“Master, I’ve always had a certain confusion,” Morosa said.

“What is it? Tell me,” Luo Feng said, pouring himself more wine.

“Master, you intend to kill the top ten sinners, so why not act simultaneously, sending out ten avatars to instantly eliminate them?” Morosa asked. “Now, Master, you’ve first killed the three weakest ones. The remaining seven will surely become alert, and some might even be so frightened they’ll voluntarily reincarnate. Then you won’t be able to find them.”

Luo Feng looked at Morosa.

“Among the top ten sinners in the Origin Continent, the three I killed were the weakest, their sins also ranking at the very bottom of that list.”

“The remaining seven are all extraordinary.”

“Three are Imperial God-Kings! They reside in the ‘Thunder Mountain’ holy land of the Thunder Ancient Kingdom and ‘Blazeville’ in the Blazewind Ancient Kingdom, respectively. We would be immediately detected the moment we entered.” Luo Feng continued, “The other four are rogue cultivators. Their power is quite terrifying, and their sins are monstrous.”

Morosa agreed: “The sins of those three Imperial God-Kings and four rogue cultivators are far greater than those of the Snow Realm Patriarch and the other two.”

Luo Feng explained, “In terms of sin ranking, the first is ‘Iron-Roaring Demon Lord.’ He once plundered almost all living beings from twelve entire kingdoms. Over countless ages, his accumulated sins are beyond measure. Ranked second is ‘Black Vulture Ancestor.’ The Black Vulture Ancestor has ravaged dozens of kingdoms, harming countless beings even in the Thunder Kingdom, yet he still roams free today? Ranked third is ‘Fox Eater God-King,’ and fourth is ‘Whispering Demon God-King,’ followed by the three Imperial God-Kings.” Luo Feng then asked, “Morosa, don’t you find it strange? The sins of those four rogue cultivators outweigh those of the three Imperial God-Kings, yet they can still roam freely?”

“Haven’t people always speculated that those four rogue cultivators have Emperors or Monarchs behind them?” Morosa replied as if it were obvious. “Everyone says they are the pawns of Emperors and Monarchs.”

Luo Feng nodded: “That’s what I believe too.”

“It’s almost time,” Luo Feng said, looking at the night sky. “The next target: Fox Eater God-King.”

The Fox Eater God-King resided on the border region of the Celestial Extreme Ice Plains, ruling over a considerably vast territory.

Not only were countless beings in his own domain frequently devoured, but he also actively invaded numerous surrounding kingdoms.

“Having killed the three weak ones like the Heavenly Fox God-King, will they come after us?” A massive, blood-red fox lay there, its golden eyes glinting with a hint of worry. The Fox Eater God-King, also a peak God-King of the second realm, held far greater prestige than the Gui Xu Emperor or the Witch-Heart God-King.

He cultivated the path of void essence and possessed no fewer than nine powerful avatars! With his mysterious and unpredictable spatial abilities, he invaded various nations, wantonly devouring countless beings, and was virtually unstoppable.

Besides his nine powerful avatars, he also had numerous weaker ones.

“Emperor, I have a bad feeling about this,” the Fox Eater God-King transmitted remotely.

“Relax, one of your avatars is in my palace; no one can threaten you,” a light, casual voice replied.

The Fox Eater God-King suppressed his worries.

Suddenly—

The Fox Eater God-King ‘saw’ a massive star rolling towards him, and he was filled with terror!

At that moment, despite his numerous avatars, he could only endure this terrifying mental attack head-on.

“Emperor, save me!”

As the rolling star crushed down, the Fox Eater God-King possessed no Ultimate Realm life form, no protection from a perfect Grand Dao, and no super-powerful secret treasure himself. Only the avatar hidden within the Emperor's palace had a slight weakening effect on mental attacks.

“Poof.”

Though the Emperor’s palace weakened the mental attack’s power by twenty to thirty percent, the Fox Eater God-King’s mental will was still annihilated under the crushing force of the rolling star.

“Even under the protection of my palace, the Fox Eater died?” The Emperor was filled with shock and fury, gazing at the corpse of the Fox Eater God-King’s avatar.

“It was barely enough to kill the Fox Eater God-King this time,” Luo Feng frowned slightly. He could feel that crushing all of the Fox Eater God-King’s mental consciousness had been quite strenuous.

This also made Luo Feng realize that his mental will, combined with the “Li Yuan Art,” could sweep away any God-King level will.

With an Emperor’s palace obstructing him, he could still kill. But if there were stronger protective measures, his mental techniques might not be able to achieve the kill.

“My mental will needs to become even stronger,” Luo Feng thought.

Luo Feng and Morosa collected a total of two avatar corpses and numerous items from the Fox Eater God-King’s lair, then departed.

When the Heavenly Howler God-King and the other two died previously, all parties in the Origin Continent, though attentive, remained emotionally stable.

However, the death of the Fox Eater God-King sent many powerful individuals into a panic! He was a peak God-King of the second realm, walking the path of the void, and even Emperors found it difficult to kill him. How could he possibly have died?

On a vast, endless plain, Luo Feng and Morosa walked side by side.

“Master, the Whispering Demon God-King’s karma has completely vanished.” Morosa looked at Luo Feng. “He must have been so scared that he immediately reincarnated.”

“Quite decisive, indeed,” Luo Feng nodded.

“The Iron-Roaring Demon Lord, ranked first, and the Black Vulture Ancestor, ranked second, are still active.” Morosa looked at Luo Feng. “Who should we go after?”

Luo Feng looked into the distance: “We’ll go for the Iron-Roaring Demon Lord.” The Iron-Roaring Demon Lord was, without a doubt, the most terrifyingly sinful existence in the Origin Continent, a figure on par with Puxin, the Lord of the Time-Space Solitary Boat, and God-King Luohe.

In a single operation, he plundered almost the entire population of twelve kingdoms. His accumulated plunder of living beings over countless ages was simply unimaginable. However, in recent years, he had kept a much lower profile.

Inside a hidden palace.

The Iron-Roaring Demon Lord was fully clad in armor, with only his eyes visible, their cold gaze fixed on the outside.

“Master, the killer who slew the Fox Eater God-King, will he come for me?” the Iron-Roaring Demon Lord transmitted.

“He succeeds every time he strikes. He's at his most confident right now, so he will come,” a voice replied. “As long as he dares to show himself, he won’t escape this time!” The Iron-Roaring Demon Lord waited patiently.

Suddenly—

He saw a massive star rolling down towards him.

“What a powerful mental will attack.” The Iron-Roaring Demon Lord was fearless, but even so, his mental will was crushed and extinguished under the rolling star.

The Iron-Roaring Demon Lord, seated there, immediately lowered his head and fell silent.

“Something’s wrong.” Luo Feng, who was outside the palace unleashing the mental attack, noticed a change in his expression. “This Iron-Roaring Demon Lord is not right.”

When killing the Iron-Roaring Demon Lord, Luo Feng sensed something special about his body.

Rumble...

Within an area spanning hundreds of millions of kilometers, endless black flames suddenly erupted, sweeping mightily and incinerating everything. The multitude of beings originally around the palace were instantly incinerated.

Amidst the terrifying flames, the Iron-Roaring Demon Lord raised his head, stood up, and bowed respectfully: “Master.”

Beside the Iron-Roaring Demon Lord stood an elderly figure draped in a red cloak. He laughed heartily as he looked at Luo Feng: “It wasn’t easy to cultivate a powerful consciousness for this puppet of mine, and you’ve destroyed it.” The bloody flames blotted out the sky, their might terrifying. Even peak God-Kings of the second realm couldn’t endure such flames for more than a few breaths.

Luo Feng looked at the red-cloaked old man before him.

“Di Yuan!” Luo Feng recognized the individual instantly.

This Iron-Roaring Demon Lord was merely a puppet life form cultivated by Di Yuan. His own master, Di Chu’s, three personal guard generals were also very special life forms.

“Though I lost a powerful consciousness, it was worth it.” Di Yuan, his cloak fluttering and his aura merging with the endless bloody flames, gazed coldly at Luo Feng. “Now I’ve caught you!”

Luo Feng looked at him, but smiled.

His true prey had never been pawns like the Iron-Roaring Demon Lord or the Fox Eater God-King! What was killing one pawn? As long as the mastermind behind them remained, they would quickly raise other pawns.

“Di Yuan!” Luo Feng spoke. “Do you know why I didn’t kill all the great sinners at once?”

Di Yuan frowned slightly.

“Because you are my prey!” Luo Feng stared at him.

No sooner had he spoken.

The heavens and earth changed color!

Across an endlessly vast expanse, a river of blood materialized, surging powerfully and instantly obliterating the bloody flame domain that Di Yuan had unleashed with his super-powerful secret treasure.

“This is—” Di Yuan looked at the endless, sky-darkening river of blood, yet he remained unpanicked.

For he was one of the thirteen Emperors of the Blazewind Ancient Kingdom!

The moment he made his move, he had already notified the other Emperors.