Hidden Treasure

Before those powerful slashes, even sturdy city walls could not withstand a single strike from the two Swordmasters.

The two had fought for less than two minutes, yet every building around them had already been utterly destroyed.

Pami had gained numerous sword wounds that cut to the bone. Li Yuan, on the other hand, had no injuries apart from his torn clothes, with only a few white sword marks left on his body at most.

"I've already seen your swordsmanship. Before you die, let me show you mine."

"Limitless: Void-Breaking Sword Art!"

Zhanfeng sheathed his sword, then drew it in an instant. What followed was a massive Sword Qi slash one hundred and fifty meters long.

The Sword Qi slash was razor-sharp and unimaginably fast, even breaking the sound barrier. Pami could not react in time and could only rely on instinct to raise his sword before him.

"Crack!!!!"

Yet before that powerful, sharp slash, even Pami's longsword coated in Armament Haki was cut apart. He could even clearly feel his throat being severed!

"Please..."

Knowing that his life was fading, Pami struggled to reach out, wanting to ask Li Yuan for something.

"Sorry, I refuse!"

Li Yuan turned and left coldly. Naturally, he knew what Pami wanted.

But he would not agree. He was not the sort of person who sympathized with an opponent and granted their request because of a duel.

Besides, this man before him did not even know his name. His strength was nowhere near enough to earn Li Yuan's respect.

"Thud!!!!"

Unable to hear the answer he wanted before his death, Pami's unwilling eyes could not close, but his body had already collapsed.

"Everyone, start looting!!!"

Li Yuan shouted to the pirates behind him, who had long been itching to make their move.

"Long live the Decapitation Sword Master!!!"

"Charge!!"

"I want loot! I want treasure!!"

"..."

Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, the pirates excitedly leaped from the ships and rushed into Pano Kingdom to pillage. Anyone who dared resist was killed.

In an instant, the once-peaceful Pano Kingdom was overrun by pirates who burned, killed, and plundered without restraint, turning it into a living hell.

Li Yuan watched all of this unfold without saying anything. After all, he was the chief culprit, and he was also the one who stood to gain the most.

Li Yuan paid little attention to those pirates and headed straight for the royal palace. He had already sent Kano and the others to ransack the noble district, so the palace naturally belonged to him.

"Your Majesty, we need to leave quickly. General Pami cannot hold back those vicious pirates."

Inside the palace, an old minister was urging King of Pano, who sat upon the throne.

"Prime Minister, as king, how could I abandon my people and flee alone? You need not say any more."

King of Pano shook his head and spoke firmly.

"Very good. You're a king who cares deeply for his people. Unfortunately, you do not have the strength to protect your kingdom. So, to spare your kingdom even greater losses, hand over all your treasure and valuables."

Li Yuan appeared silently before King of Pano and looked down at him as he spoke.

"Guards, protect the king!!!"

Seeing Li Yuan appear so suddenly, the prime minister instinctively shouted.

"Tap, tap, tap!!!"

There were still some guards in the palace, and they quickly rushed in.

"Hmph!!!"

However, the instant Li Yuan unleashed his Conqueror's Haki and enveloped those soldiers, they all collapsed.

"My patience is limited. Will you hand it over yourself, or shall I search for it personally?"

"If you hand it over yourselves, at least you'll live. But if I have to search for it myself, none of you will survive."

The king and the prime minister had not been enveloped by Li Yuan's Conqueror's Haki, so they had not been knocked unconscious. He could now control the range of his Conqueror's Haki freely.

Some kingdoms possessed hidden treasure vaults. If Li Yuan had to search for one himself, he might not find it. The best way was to make the kingdom hand it over on its own.

"As long as you promise not to harm my people, I will give you all the treasure in the kingdom."

King of Pano said tremblingly.

"You aren't qualified to negotiate with me. Either die or hand over all your treasure. My patience is limited. You have three seconds to think!"

Li Yuan held the Zanfeng Sword against King of Pano's neck and threatened him.

"I-I'll hand it over!!!"

Feeling the chill against his neck, King of Pano finally bowed to death. As long as he lived, the kingdom would remain and could recover someday.

"Let's go. Take me to the royal treasury!"

Li Yuan smiled in satisfaction.

As for the treasure elsewhere in the palace, Karu and the others would naturally come to ransack it later.

Since Li Yuan was leading the raid, he would naturally take the largest share. The other pirates could only settle for scraps.

"This is the royal treasury!"

King of Pano soon led Li Yuan into the royal treasury.

"That's all there is?"

After entering the royal treasury, Li Yuan saw that there was so little treasure. It did not even add up to five hundred million, and his expression immediately darkened.

No matter how he looked at it, this little treasure did not resemble the treasury of a kingdom.

"Pano Kingdom is too poor to afford the Celestial Gold, which is why it could not become a World Government Affiliated Nation."

Hearing Li Yuan's words, King of Pano hurriedly explained.

"Hmph, I think you're being dishonest!"

Li Yuan snorted coldly.

"You think a mere Secret Treasury can escape my Observation Haki?"

Li Yuan slashed at a solid wall beside the royal treasury. The wall was a full two meters thick, yet his slash cleaved it open directly.

Once the wall was split apart, another royal treasury was revealed. The treasure inside was more than three times what was outside.

"It's over!!!"

This treasure was the accumulation of Pano Kingdom over many years. Even when they could not afford the Celestial Gold, they had never touched it.

Every king of Pano Kingdom had known that this treasure could only be used in a moment of life or death, or even saved until after Pano Kingdom was destroyed so that it could be used to rebuild the nation.

Even powerful people from other kingdoms had probed the place with Observation Haki and found nothing. Why had this pirate discovered it? King of Pano could not understand.

"You can die now!"

After finding Pano Kingdom's Secret Treasury, Li Yuan immediately ended King of Pano's life.

"If not for your eyes and emotions giving you away, I wouldn't have found it either."

Only after King of Pano died did Li Yuan mutter this explanation to the dead king.