Chapter 85: Ambush and Assassination

Luo Yuan stood beside Luo Feng, Hong, and the others, all of whom were stunned by the words of Lord Ming Yu, which echoed from the luminous screen.

A World Leader?

Such a being could strike with a single hand and plunge a life planet like Earth into mass extinction! The so-called interstellar fleets were mere toys before a World Leader. Even the Silver Blue Empire trembled in their presence, and compared to a World Leader, the Noranshan family was no more than ants. Now, there were nearly ten of these beings on Canglan Star?

Heavens!

“Lord Ming Yu, what should I do?” Luo Yuan looked at Ming Yu, and in his heart, he had already guessed the intentions of this supreme power.

“You’ve probably already figured out what I want,” Ming Yu replied with casual ease. “It’s simple. You are among the first to enter the Inter-World, while those countless armies of ninth-rank star-level warriors arrived much later. You are the ones with the best chance to seize the treasure. The treasures left by Lord Kabu are so plentiful that even World Leaders covet them. If a few scraps were to fall my way, even I, a Domain Lord, would not be able to resist.”

“What you are to do is this: once you obtain treasures, hand over any that would tempt me!”

“Of course, you will be well rewarded,” Ming Yu smiled. “And with my name behind you, the major organizations and factions will not dare trouble you.”

The strong are always clever, and Luo Yuan, naturally, would not refuse. He nodded in agreement, and once their conversation ended, he shut off the communications screen.

...

Within the Inter-World.

Luo Yuan and his fourteen companions crouched quietly in the tall grass.

“Third Brother, you did the right thing by agreeing to Lord Ming Yu’s terms,” Thor mused, nodding his head. “He’s right—those great organizations will surely band together. There’s no way they’ll let minor, unaffiliated weaklings walk away with the treasures.”

“That’s exactly what I thought. That’s why I agreed,” Luo Yuan replied.

“But now I’m worried about something else,” Thor frowned. “When we leave, we’ll have to go with Ming Yu. What if he secretly kills us all to seize the treasures? That way, he gets everything without having to keep his bargain.”

“We must be wary of that,” Hong also nodded.

“I’m worried about it too,” Luo Feng added.

“It’s nothing. Ming Yu approached us simply as a contingency plan,” Luo Yuan replied. “Remember, among the first wave to enter the Inter-World, there were tens of thousands! With so many vying for the treasures, Ming Yu doesn’t have much faith in us—just that our chances, compared to the two-million-strong armies behind, are a bit better.

“Besides, now on Canglan Star, cosmic-rank warriors, Domain Lords, World Leaders—countless mighty ones have gathered. It’s a rare event in the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield! Anyone daring to murder and rob on Canglan Star would be discovered by the World Leaders at once. Ming Yu wouldn’t stoop so low as to act in such a place. The powerful care deeply about reputation and dignity. Believe in the promises of the strong! Especially in places where many are gathered, like Canglan Star. No matter how cunning or treacherous a person may be, they must maintain the most basic decorum of the strong.”

He paused, then continued, “But we must still be cautious. There were tens of thousands here before us. Especially those major organizations and powers—their squads band together. Compared to them, our little team is truly weak. We should keep a low profile and first figure out what’s going on in the core region.”

“Well said. The most treasures will be in the core, but that place is likely already a field of carnage. We should go and see for ourselves,” Thor said, excitement in his voice. Luo Yuan nodded as well; along the way, they had already collected several hundred million Thunder Stones.

“Let’s move!” Luo Yuan commanded.

The fourteen-man squad became streaks of light, flying toward the center of the Inter-World.

There were no savage beasts in this world, but tens of thousands of candidates—an unruly mix. As an uncharted primeval world, its treasures drove men to madness. In just six days, Luo Yuan’s group was attacked twenty-one times!

Clearly, the closer to the core, the more numerous and desperate the marauders became. Fortunately, Luo Yuan’s group could use Babata to scout and warn them of dangers within a 20-kilometer radius. Thus, though they faced those twenty-one attacks, they were only occasionally in peril and never truly suffered grave losses.

“Judging by the location of the light sphere, we’re very close to the core region. If not today, then tomorrow, we’ll reach it,” Luo Yuan said, gazing up at the glowing sphere in the sky—the marker of the Inter-World’s very heart. As long as they moved toward it, they would reach the core.

“There are so many cosmic crystals here, it’s no wonder the adventurers are driven mad,” Luo Feng sighed.

A star-level warrior or spiritual master could dominate a primitive planet, but before the cosmic crystals condensed from the universe’s origin energy by a World Leader, even they would grow crazed.

“Trust me, our Thunder Stones are worth even more!” Luo Yuan laughed, his confidence infectious, and Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor all nodded. After all, Luo Yuan had never been wrong before.

“Everyone, be careful.” Luo Feng’s expression suddenly changed; Babata hadn’t warned him, likely off playing virtual games again.

“What’s wrong?” Hong and Thor asked in alarm.

“We’re surrounded. There’s a squad with thirty star-level members—twenty-nine of them are ninth-rank star-level, and the leader seems to be only second or third rank. That leader must be someone important,” Luo Yuan said calmly. In truth, he had noticed them long before; the squad had been cautious, trailing from afar until now, when they finally closed the encirclement.

Luo Yuan’s squad immediately prepared for battle.

“Hey, you cowards hiding over there! We’ve already found you—come out and accept your fate! We’re eager to reach the core region!” Thor bellowed, his loud voice ringing out, though he felt some anxiety inside.

Luo Yuan frowned slightly—Thor had stolen his line.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Thirty figures suddenly appeared around them, forming a ring and closing them in. Each was grotesque and fierce in appearance, clearly not to be trifled with.

“Hand over your treasures quietly and perhaps this prince will allow you a whole corpse!” sneered the leader, a youth with oily hair and a powdered face.

In a flash, a blue streak of light blazed forth—so fast it was a blur. As it arced among the thirty attackers, it sliced off the heads of twenty-nine ninth-rank star-level warriors in an instant, blood and brains spraying. The blue light curved slightly and shot at the arrogant youth, whose eyes went wide with terror—never expecting these weak, fat sheep to suddenly reveal themselves as ravenous wolves.

“No, don’t kill me! I am a prince of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, I want to go home...” But in the midst of his pleading, his head was severed from his body.

“Tsk, so weak, and still dare to rob others?” Luo Yuan put away the wrapped fragment of Chihun Copper Mother, his gaze icy as he surveyed the thirty mangled corpses on the ground.

“Third Brother, you were so fast—I didn’t even have time to react before they were all dead,” Luo Feng praised with a smile.

“So this is how strong you’ve become,” Hong and Thor exclaimed in surprise. They rarely saw Luo Yuan train so seriously, and now felt rather ashamed.

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