The Shark Monster hesitated for a moment, then agreed. After all, it really didn't want to swim over. The Forbidden Sea was actually very dangerous; it could get eaten by someone any day.
Besides, the man was willing to swear in the Old Ancestor's name, so that made it reliable. True Kings could not be insulted. In the Catacombs, which descendant of a True King would dare act recklessly? When something involved a True King's reputation, no matter how difficult it was, their younger generations would see it through.
"Fine. You two wait here!" The Shark Monster eagerly plunged into the sea to retrieve its Heavenly Gold Lotuses. Zhang Tao raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this to work. Twenty Heavenly Gold Lotuses would be more than enough for him and Li Zhen to reach Rank 8. Then he would be a Golden Body powerhouse himself. Would he still need to fear a shark?
If the fish didn't know what was good for it, Zhang Tao wouldn't mind turning it into a divine weapon.
Before long, the Shark Monster returned and spat out fourteen Heavenly Gold Lotuses. Together with the six from before, that made twenty.
After Zhang Tao signaled Li Zhen to put them away, he said, "Brother Fish, I, Jiang Tao, swear in the name of my Old Ancestor, War King: I'll send people to deliver the Destruction Power when I get back. If I break this oath, may I die a horrible death!"
The Shark Monster was quite satisfied with Zhang Tao's words. This human was sincere enough. If all humans in the Catacombs were this easy to deal with, the Shark Monster would have reached Rank 9 long ago.
Li Zhen's mouth twitched as he stood beside him. Damn, you really are something, Zhang Tao. You lied without even blinking. This monster was a monster, after all. It had a little cleverness, but not much.
"Then, Brother Fish, come back here in about three days, all right? And remember, don't eat the person I send over. He'll call out to you, Brother Fish!" Zhang Tao rattled off another lie.
The Shark Monster nodded quickly. This man had thought of everything. What a good person.
And so Zhang Tao and Li Zhen went ashore. The two soon disappeared into the woods.
Watching them vanish, the Shark Monster decided to stay right there and wait.
It was only a few days, after all. The Shark Monster had plenty of time.
Alas, one party was eager, while the other had no interest. It never imagined anyone could be so shameless that it would really leave the gullible thing waiting there for days. After that, its kindness was gone for good.
Once they entered the woods, the two ran for nearly a hundred li. Zhang Tao burst out laughing. That Shark Monster was adorably stupid. It had actually given him twenty Heavenly Gold Lotuses. With those, and a method for cultivating mental power, Zhang Tao figured he could reach late Rank 7 in two months, then enter the Rank Eight Golden Body Realm another month later.
"Stop laughing. You'll attract Catacombs warriors!" Li Zhen jabbed Zhang Tao. They hadn't even made it back to the surface yet. Wasn't it too soon to celebrate?
"Haha, it's fine—" Zhang Tao hadn't even finished speaking when the sound of something cutting through the air reached them. A Rank 6 Catacombs warrior spotted them, blanched in shock, and turned to run.
Zhang Tao curled his lip. You slapped me in the face, and now you think you can run? He immediately gave chase.
A Rank 6 couldn't easily escape a Rank 7—not unless he had achieved Essence Blood Unity and could project his mental power.
This man clearly hadn't. He had only just reached Rank 6 and hadn't even sealed his gates. His energy was leaking too quickly; he was perhaps even weaker than a peak Rank 5 warrior.
"Explode!" Knowing he was doomed, the man blew himself up.
The tremendous blast drew the attention of people nearby. Experts from Autumn Chrysanthemum City were already heading their way; after all, the city was very close.
"Bad news! There's a high-ranker. Move!" Li Zhen spotted a high-ranker flying toward them in the distance and shouted.
Zhang Tao glanced over. Seeing that it was only Rank 7, he said disdainfully, "It's just one Rank 7. What's there to fear? We might as well kill him!"
Li Zhen was speechless. Damn it, they were so close to Autumn Chrysanthemum City. One Rank 7 wasn't the problem—the problem was if a Rank 8 showed up.
"Watch me cut him down!" Zhang Tao wasn't being reckless; he had the confidence to back it up. He could even defeat someone like Zhao Changfeng, let alone a Rank 7 from the Catacombs. Besides, Zhang Tao still had trump cards. He had been nurturing his blade for a month. He didn't have a cheat like Fang Ping, but his own qi and blood recovered faster than most people's.
"Die!" Zhang Tao swung his divine weapon, a great saber, and a powerful aura erupted in an instant. The saber had been nurtured within his Three Burner Gates, and it held a dense force of qi and blood. Now, that power surged from the blade like a maddened beast, roaring as it burst forth.
A streak of blood-red light cut across the sky, like a giant crimson dragon baring its claws and lunging ahead. The strike was immensely powerful, as if it could cleave the heavens and make the whole world tremble.
Confidence gleamed in Zhang Tao's eyes. He knew this single strike would finish his opponent, and he wanted to see just how powerful it was. This divine weapon had been nurtured for over a month, after all.
Just as the saber light was about to hit its target, Zhang Tao felt a tremendous force rebound through the blade. But he didn't let go. He gritted his teeth and put all his strength into the swing.
"Bang!" A deafening crash rang out as the saber light slammed into its target, erupting in blinding light and a powerful shock wave. Everything around them seemed to freeze in that instant; only the collision between the saber light and its target echoed through the air.
Zhang Tao felt a tremendous force drive him backward. His strike had been too powerful, and even he hadn't expected the strength of the recoil.
The Rank 7 Catacombs warrior was utterly horrified. He used every trick he had to resist, but his cultivation was ultimately too weak. Zhang Tao split him in two with a single blow.
Naturally, the battle also drew Autumn Chrysanthemum City's attention. An Rank 8 expert flew over at once.
Zhang Tao wasn't foolish enough to stick around after killing someone. He took Li Zhen and ran. He had already learned how powerful his strike was, and had no intention of staying to pick a fight with a Rank 8 warrior. When the Rank 8 arrived and saw the Rank 7 split in two, he flew into a rage and pursued Zhang Tao and Li Zhen.
Seeing the Rank 8 chasing them, Zhang Tao curled his lip. Kyoto City wasn't very close to Autumn Chrysanthemum City, but it wasn't far, either. At the high-ranker flying speed he and Li Zhen could manage, they'd get there before long.
Experts in Kyoto City began releasing their auras to intercept and intimidate the enemy. Sensing them, the Rank 8 from Autumn Chrysanthemum City said nothing and immediately turned back.
"Warriors from the Land of Rebirth are far too arrogant! I must report this to the City Lord!" the Rank 8 warrior snorted. He had returned to Autumn Chrysanthemum City and intended to meet the Chrysanthemum King. He couldn't let the warriors from the Land of Rebirth keep running wild.
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