The Ninth on the Sneaky Ranking: King Huai, the Seven-Surname Slave!

The Ninth on the Sneaky Ranking: Earth Cave King Huai, Huai Ying!

Standing before you is a True King of the Earth Cave's Heavenly Plant Royal Court, an unaffiliated True King of the Heavenly Mandate Royal Court, a great general of the Two Kings, the Divine Sect's Earth Dog True Lord, one of the Thirty-Six Saints of the New Heavenly Court, a friend of Martial King Zhang Tao, and the Dao Protector of the Future Human King!

Enough, enough. There's not room for all of them here.

As King Huai's dazzling string of titles appeared, the Three Realms first sank into an eerie silence, then erupted completely!

"Holy crap! King Huai's the real Old Six!"

"Compared to King Huai, King Ming is a pathetic excuse for an Old Six!"

"Seven factions... King Huai's invincible!"

"What kind of freak is this Huai Ying?"

"Does he have some special talent? How else could seven factions take him in?"

"The Divine Sect's Earth Dog True Lord? King Huai's actually a member of that mysterious Divine Sect!"

"The Thirty-Six Saints of the New Heavenly Court? What kind of faction is that!?"

"King Huai even worked with humanity? What a shameless Earth Cave traitor!"

"..."

The Earth Cave True Kings, whose strength wasn't much greater than that of the Earth Cave's Survival King, King Pingshan, were on the verge of a breakdown!

What was going on with King Huai?

A spy for seven factions!

Normally, King Huai was the weakest True King in the Earth Cave. Everyone could mock him whenever they pleased.

But now, after the Sky Screen's revelation, King Huai had become a true "True God"!

Everyone was astonished. Even Li Zhu, who had always been so composed, was left staring in disbelief!

"Huai Ying really is full of surprises!"

Li Zhu sighed. He'd always thought Huai Ying was one of the Two Kings' people. He'd never expected King Huai to be one of the Two Kings' people, one of King Ming's people, and a member of the Divine Sect too.

It wasn't surprising to him that King Huai had colluded with Zhang Tao.

King Huai was a meddlesome schemer. It would've been surprising if he hadn't colluded with Zhang Tao.

Zhang Tao's mouth twitched as well. He couldn't help admiring him.

He and King Huai had indeed worked together, but he'd never imagined King Huai was such a social butterfly!

His instincts told him that King Huai had connections with far more factions than the seven now revealed by the Sky Screen.

Among the human leadership, Li Zhen and Nan Yunyue were also left gaping in disbelief.

King Huai really was one hell of an Old Six!

"But the Dao Protector of the Future Human King? Who's the future Human King?" Zhang Tao furrowed his brows, perplexed.

Li Zhen, Nan Yunyue, and the others noticed that too. Many True Kings in the Earth Cave, as well as powerful figures lurking in the shadows, had also picked up on it.

King Ming's face darkened. He'd thought King Huai was his man, but it turned out he was the clown!

"Huai Ying... You've been hiding your cards well."

King Ming had considered going to find Huai Ying immediately, but the sheer number of titles revealed for King Huai gave him pause.

What if King Huai had only been pretending to be weak, while his true strength was formidable?

He'd better wait and see what the Sky Screen revealed next.

King Huai, who was still on the run, watched the Sky Screen expose him and broke out in a cold sweat.

"The Sky Screen is going to be the death of me!"

King Huai was beside himself with indignation. Some of those factions weren't even ones he'd joined yet!

And what about the Dao Protector of the Human King...? That was pure slander!

Wait, the Human King?

Could it mean Martial King Zhang Tao?

King Huai Huai Ying was born a slave in the Earth Cave, his origins so lowly he was like a speck of dust.

He'd eaten dirt, drunk blood, sold his body, acted as a dog, and been ridden... all just to survive.

The hardships he'd endured were beyond imagination. He'd relied on extraordinary perseverance, shamelessness, an ability to read people, and superhuman talent and luck.

In two hundred years, King Huai had cast off his status as a slave and entered the ranks of the Earth Cave True Kings.

He might've been the weakest in strength, but he was the strongest in every other way—and the strongest in spirit!

At that moment, all the Earth Cave kings fell silent, and so did every Earth Cave martial artist.

The Earth Cave's slaves stared blankly at the Sky Screen. As they listened to its emotionless voice, their cracked lips slowly parted:

"Can a lowly slave really become a True King?"

"King Huai... He really is a legend!"

"This king is no match for him!"

"To rise from slavery to become a True King... Unbelievable!"

In the Earth Cave, only martial artists were considered people. Slaves were mere ants to be crushed at will, expendable tools. How could they ever rise above their station?

King Huai was the one exception!

Most other True Kings came from illustrious families. Even those who weren't born into the Earth Cave's nobility still came from martial artist families.

In the Earth Cave, slaves had no way to learn martial arts. Wherever they went, they were bullied and toyed with.

No one could imagine what King Huai had done, or what he'd sacrificed, to cast off the status of a slave.

All they knew was that he'd walked a road with no way out!

While everyone else marveled at King Huai's legendary life, King Huai himself was so frustrated he nearly spat blood.

Damn it! Now the whole world knew he'd been a dog and sold his body.

He, Huai Ying, was at least a True King of the Earth Cave. He had his dignity, all right!

Before everyone could dwell on it any longer, the Sky Screen revealed more.

When King Huai was on the verge of becoming a True King, King Ming came to his aid and helped him complete his Dao.

Following King Ming's orders, he spent years provoking the Heavenly Plant Royal Court into warring with the Human Realm, keeping the fighting going until the Heavenly Plant Royal Court gradually declined.

He also secretly investigated Li Zhu, learned that Li Zhu wasn't actually a good-for-nothing, and reported everything he'd discovered to King Ming and the Divine Sect.

When the Heavenly Plant Royal Court went to war with the Human Realm, King Huai used various pretexts to strike a deal with Martial King Zhang Tao, gaining the chance to learn the Unity Dao that Martial King had created!

King Huai joined King Ming—and King Ming died!

He worked with humanity—and human powerhouses nearly got wiped out!

He joined the Two Kings—and the Two Kings died!

He worked with the Demon Emperor, Mo Wenjian—and the Demon Emperor Mo Wenjian died!

He joined the Divine Sect—and the Divine Sect was destroyed!

He joined the New Heavenly Court—and the New Heavenly Court was destroyed!

All the powerful people around him fell, while King Huai kept joining whoever was strongest and managed to survive to the very end, becoming the strongest being in the Earth Cave in the strictest sense!

Silence. Once again, total silence!

"???"

"Wait, that's actually true?!"

The Earth Cave kings stared at the Sky Screen's revelation about King Huai, utterly dumbfounded!

Whoever he joined died!

How was King Huai merely an Old Six? He was a faction-harvesting machine!

One of the Earth Cave True Kings nervously swallowed and stammered:

"Do you think... King Huai might've secretly been behind the destruction of all these factions?"

"King Huai truly is terrifying!"

A True King felt a chill run down his spine, his voice hoarse.

He felt as if he'd just escaped the gates of hell, because he'd mocked King Huai before too.

King Pingshan murmured, "So King Huai survived to the end not because he was strong, but because he kept jinxing all the other factions to death!"

All the other factions had been jinxed to death by King Huai. Naturally, no one was left to come after him!

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed!

King Pingshan felt he'd figured out the truth.

At that moment, he felt a surge of envy and jealousy.

Why hadn't he been born with that kind of fate? If he had, he could've survived until the end of time.

Seeing King Huai's illustrious record on the Sky Screen, King Ming was stunned too, and his face paled a little.

Li Zhu froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Huai Ying really knows how to surprise me!"

Other people might not believe in fate, but Li Zhu did.

Maybe Huai Ying really had a bit of "Dao" in him. Otherwise, why had he been the only one among the Earth Cave's billions of slaves to rise above them all?

Even the Myriad Demon King of the Myriad Demon Royal Court was a little scared. King Huai's record was far too illustrious!

"Phoenix King, we haven't worked with King Huai, have we?"

The Phoenix King's delicate body trembled. She hurriedly replied, "I don't think so."

"Good..."

The Two Kings in the Land of King Battles, King Kun of the Divine Sect, and the Demon Emperor Mo Wenjian, who was hiding in the shadows, were all dumbfounded!

They'd all died?

Granted, their future deaths couldn't all be blamed on King Huai. He hadn't personally killed them, after all. But King Huai joined someone, and they died... That was just too damn spooky!

Whether it was true or not, they'd best keep their distance.

At that moment, they all reached the same decision: in the future, they absolutely mustn't accept King Huai's allegiance lightly.

Star Suppressing City,

Little Fatty Jiang Chao stared at the Sky Screen's revelation about King Huai and sucked in a sharp breath!

"King Huai's got a knack for jinxing people. He's like the son of fate!"

In the Human Realm,

Zhang Tao's mouth twitched again.

King Huai's track record was just too much to handle!

Nan Yunyue's eyes lit up. She said regretfully, "If only we were the only ones who could see the Sky Screen. Then, whenever someone became our enemy, we could secretly steer them into working with King Huai."

Hearing that, Li Zhen couldn't help laughing.

Zhang Tao: "..."

Was that really the point?

The point was that the Sky Screen had revealed more information they hadn't known!

Magic Martial University,

"Holy crap!"

Fang Ping's eyes widened, and he blurted out a curse.

"King Huai's a jinx, isn't he? Whoever he joins dies!"

"He's also the Dao Protector of the Future Human King. Did he end up protecting the Human King to death too?"

"And... who is this future Human King, anyway? Could it be me?"

At that moment, King Huai, who was still on the run, was completely numb. He was on the verge of losing all hope.

The Sky Screen hadn't just exposed his dark past; it had branded him a jinx too. It was practically bullying him!

"Slander! Utter slander!"

King Huai loudly condemned the Sky Screen for its irresponsibility. He hadn't even done anything yet, and it had already stuck him with such an unlucky label. How was he supposed to get by from now on?

Faction Destroyer? Whoever he joined died?

Those factions had simply been unlucky. Their opponents had been too powerful. What did any of that have to do with him?

He'd hedged his bets, played both sides, and bent whenever he had to, all just to survive. Was that wrong?!

Although King Huai was heartbroken over the Sky Screen's slander, at least his life was safe now.

Evaluation: King Huai, Huai Ying, the Seven-Surname Slave. Survival above all. He knows what he wants and what he's doing. He bears the infamy without so much as a tremor.

He is no hero, no warlord, and certainly no coward. He is a true legend among Old Sixes!

King Huai: "..."

No, what the hell was this Seven-Surname Slave business?!

Why did that bastard Sky Screen always have to slander him?!

Basic Reward: The false becomes real within the Origin Source Dao, resolving the hidden dangers in his Origin Source and freeing him from the Origin Source's shackles. He will transcend the Three Realms.

Advanced Reward: Eight-Forged Golden Body, making up for his physical shortcomings; one square meter of Origin Star Fragment; ten strands of Origin Qi from deceased True Gods.

"Good slander! Brilliant slander!"

Feeling the changes within himself, King Huai was overjoyed!

There was no need to go over the basic reward again. It was probably the same for everyone.

Although King Huai didn't know what the Origin Source was, not being bound by it could only be a good thing!

Rumble!

A bolt of lightning tore across the clear sky!

King Huai felt his body and Vitality swelling. His body grew harder, and his Vitality became incredibly rich!

He felt that his strength was now about equal to King Ming's had been before.

King Huai looked at the ten strands of Origin Qi in his hand.

"Once I fuse these ten strands of Origin Qi, I'll be a powerhouse in the Earth Cave. Even King Ming won't be able to threaten me!"

King Huai's eyes turned sharp. He immediately cast the Origin Qi and the Origin Star Fragment into his Great Dao.

Although he didn't know what the Origin Star Fragment was, it had the word "Origin" in its name, so it was probably a treasure that could strengthen his Origin Source Dao.

King Huai took a step forward, and the void shattered.

He felt a power unlike any he'd ever known!

"I need to find somewhere else to hide."

King Huai calmed himself and immediately fled.

Although his strength had increased, the waters in the Three Realms ran deep, and there were plenty of people stronger than him. He couldn't afford to get cocky; he had to keep hiding.

What if some powerful expert wanted to kill him and take his treasure?

After King Huai left, several figures arrived where he had been.

"Heh, he sure ran fast."

King Gen's eyes were sharp as blades as he set off in pursuit again.

He wanted the Origin Star Fragment the Sky Screen had rewarded Huai Ying with!

There was no way Huai Ying could refine that fragment in such a short time.

He was genuinely surprised that the Sky Screen would reward someone with an Origin Star Fragment.

And an Eight-Forged Golden Body... Could the Sky Screen even reward someone with a Nine-Forged Golden Body?!

The Catacomb Royal Court,

King Ming watched the Sky Screen's reward for King Huai, his heart sinking.

King Huai had grown stronger too.

King Huai might now be almost as strong as he was.

Especially since King Huai seemed to have learned Zhang Tao's Unity Dao and now possessed ten strands of Origin Qi...

King Ming let out a heavy breath. He had just torn through the void and gone to the Sophora King Domain, but King Huai had already fled. He couldn't find him, let alone take what he had.

But other powerful experts might be able to find King Huai.

He just didn't know whether the Sky Screen's warning that no one could attack someone on the ranking during the exposure period applied to the entire period, or whether the restriction ended as soon as that person's exposure was over.

King Pingshan was heartbroken, his eyes red.

"Huai Ying isn't the weakest True King anymore!"

He could get stronger for no reason at all. King Pingshan was nearly green with envy!

When would the Sky Screen put out a Survivalist Ranking?!

He bitterly regretted not being King Ming, a crafty survivor like King Huai. Otherwise, he'd have gotten a reward too.

In the Human Realm,

Zhang Tao, Li Zhen, and Nan Yunyue all knew that the Sky Screen's rewards would surely greatly increase King Huai's strength.

Fortunately, the Catacomb forces had no time to spare for the Human Realm right now.

Otherwise, the pressure they faced would be far too great.

"Origin Star Fragment? What's that?"

Zhang Tao was baffled.

There were too many things humanity didn't know about.

"I'll go ask our old ancestor."

Li Zhen looked serious. He planned to ask Heaven Suppressing King.

Now that things had come to this, did Heaven Suppressing King still need to keep hiding things?

The Sky Screen had revealed so much information, yet much of it left them completely bewildered. They didn't know the background or the full story.

Only Heaven Suppressing King, the most ancient of them all, could explain it to them.

"Li Zhen, I'll go with you to see Heaven Suppressing King."

Zhang Tao's gaze was deep. He had to meet Heaven Suppressing King.

"All right."

Nan Yunyue was a little exasperated.

They were both Peak experts, while she was the only one at Rank Nine. Were they bullying her because she couldn't tear through the void to travel?!

No, she had to break through to Peak as soon as possible. Otherwise, she'd really fall hopelessly behind Zhang Tao and Li Zhen.

Elsewhere, King Gen returned empty-handed. King Huai seemed to be protected by the Sky Screen; unless he revealed his aura, King Gen couldn't track him down either.

So, he had to put the matter of taking the treasure on hold for now.

At Magic Martial University, Fang Ping looked at the Sky Screen's assessment of King Huai and couldn't help laughing aloud.

Seven-Surname Slave... The High Martial version of Lu Bu, right? He had four more surnames than Lu Bu!

A great man lives between Heaven and Earth. How could he be content to remain beneath another for long?!