Chapter 1

In the ancient city of Qingzhou, within the mountain bandit stronghold, deep inside the underground palace.

This sudden change stunned Long Chen and the Wan Yao Sect experts, including Long Gui. They were both furious and in disbelief. Vice Sect Leader Wu was actually trading them as goods here.

"Wu Zhan, I still considered you a friend. I even thought of you while drinking earlier! How could you do this to me?!"

Long Chen roared, his eyes blazing with a fierce light. His face was filled with disappointment and sorrow. His heart ached as if cut by a knife, a feeling of betrayal washing over him.

I treated you as a brother, but you treated me as merchandise.

Wu Zhan's expression was stern, a flicker of complexity in his eyes. He sighed, "Long Chen, forgive me. I had no choice. If I don't gather a thousand Divine Power Realm cultivators, I'll die."

Long Chen was puzzled by his words, suppressing his anger as he asked, "Good brother, don't say that. Tell me what happened. We brothers can figure something out together. Maybe there's another way."

Wu Zhan shook his head, reaching out to pat Long Chen's shoulder. His eyes flickered as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He sighed and turned to leave.

"Men, keep an eye on these goods!"

Chen Qishan, the Third Bandit of Qingzhou, instructed.

After speaking, he moved closer to Wu Zhan, respectfully requesting that Wu Zhan contact the senior expert in the River of Time as soon as possible. He, too, wanted to become a disciple under that expert's service, just like Wu Zhan.

"Yes, Leader, rest assured!" several stationed pirates responded, activating the formation and closing the palace gate.

The underground palace plunged into darkness, with only the restrictions and formations occasionally flashing with light, like fireflies dancing.

Everyone else was unconscious, with only Long Chen and the others remaining awake.

The Nine-tailed Azure Ox cursed in a low voice, his face full of anger, "Brother Long, this Wu Zhan is a real piece of trash. We even come from the same place. How could he treat us like this?"

Another subordinate echoed, "That's what you call a petty person, despicable and shameless."

Sect Leader Long Gui lamented, "I was wrong about him. I shouldn't have brought this guy into the Wan Yao Sect back then. Now, we've raised a tiger that bites us back... well, but I betrayed the Southern Wilderness Demon Clan back then, just like this. Haha!"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, believing this to be retribution.

Long Chen didn't speak. In the dark underground palace, something appeared in his hand.

It was something Wu Zhan had given him when he patted his shoulder, icy cold, round, and smooth, like a pill, but also very peculiar. He had no idea what it was.

There was a seal on the outside, obviously, Wu Zhan was being very careful.

"What exactly is going on? What does Wu Zhan mean?"

"He's already a Heavenly God Realm expert. If he wanted to give me something, he could just give it to me directly. Why be so cautious? Is someone watching him?"

Long Chen held the pill in his hand, unable to understand Wu Zhan. He had imprisoned him and the others here as goods, so why give him a pill?!

Also, what kind of pill is this?

Long Chen pondered, but suddenly, he felt that something was wrong. The seal and restrictions on his body had disappeared and dissipated automatically. He quietly circulated his cultivation, feeling no obstruction.

"Could it be that Wu Zhan deliberately let me go? But why did he capture me in the first place?"

Long Chen couldn't understand.

Too many mysteries.

But he had to seize the opportunity. Now that his seal was lifted, escaping from here was the best option.

"Hoo~"

He gathered Long Gui, the Nine-tailed Azure Ox, and the other experts of the Wan Yao Sect, transforming into his dragon form. He was a majestic three-clawed Azure Dragon, radiant with azure light like a miniature azure sun suspended in the air.

"Roar~"

With a dragon's roar, dragon claws tore through the gate of the underground palace.

"Seal-Breaking Art, Heaven and Earth Without Limit, Dragon Shadow Divine Escape, let's go~"

He activated the seal-breaking art from his inheritance, as well as the Divine Dragon Escape Technique, instantly breaking the underground palace's restrictions and formations, transforming into a stream of light that pierced through the void, disappearing in a flash.

The screams of the few sentry pirates turned into bloody rain. The Qingzhou Three Bandits, hearing the noise and rushing over, were greatly alarmed, but they didn't dare to give chase. Inspecting the underground palace, they discovered that only the group brought by Senior Wu today had escaped, while everyone else was still there, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Men, execute the second plan. We must gather a thousand goods!" Zhao Qishan ordered with a grim face.

"Yes!"

A pirate responded from behind.

Having entrenched themselves here for over three hundred years, the Qingzhou Three Bandits had used natural treasures to win over and gather a large number of fierce bandits, pirates, criminals, and heretics as their subordinates.

On a towering pavilion that reached into the clouds.

Wu Zhan stood with his hands behind his back. The sea breeze blew, causing his golden, wavy hair to flutter over his shoulders, making him appear even more proud, with a hint of loneliness and desolation.

Watching the azure light disappear into the sea of stars, a smile appeared in his eyes.

"Good brother, go! Go far away and never come back!"

He pondered in his heart, then sighed.

Turning his head, he glanced at his neck, where a snake scale-like mark shimmered, like a heavenly eye monitoring him.

This was the brand left by the fierce King Cobra.

It was because of this thing that he had to pretend to suppress Long Chen, putting on an act, and then quietly give him the pill, allowing him to leave.

"I hope Long Chen can understand my good intentions."

Wu Zhan sighed in his heart, seeing the Qingzhou Three Bandits approaching in the distance, shouting as they walked:

"Senior Wu, good news! We've discovered a few more big fish, attending the auction at Skull Island. Should we make a move? But rumors say there might be a Heavenly God Realm expert..."

~

"Shoo~"

A streak of azure light streaked across the starry sky, landing on a desolate planet.

This was an ancient mining planet. It may have been a planet with life in the past, but it was over-mined, with ravines and gullies crisscrossing the ground, and the surface was very loose.

Everywhere were huge, bottomless pits and mine shafts, exhausting the planet's vitality, now depleted and reduced to a cosmic wasteland.

In the universe, there are many such planets.

"Hahaha, we actually escaped!"

Long Chen landed, transformed into human form, and released Long Gui and the Nine-tailed Azure Ox, along with a group of Wan Yao Sect experts. Everyone was delighted and excited.

"Although this planet is desolate, it's safe enough. Let's temporarily use it as our base to rest. I may need to go into seclusion for a while."

Long Chen said, surveying the planet.

Long Gui was overjoyed upon hearing this, and said, "Vice Sect Leader Long, are you perhaps going to advance to the Heavenly God Realm?"

The Nine-tailed Azure Ox and the others also gathered around, delighted and excited upon hearing this.

Long Chen smiled mysteriously, not saying anything. He transformed into a stream of light and went to the other side of the planet. Waving his dragon claws, he carved out a cave, set up layers of formations and restrictions, and then sat down cross-legged.

He took out the pill that Wu Zhan had given him and looked at it closely.

It was thumb-sized, blood-red, and very ordinary, with a layer of seal on it.

After Long Chen undid the seal, a light shadow appeared in front of him, transforming into a figure, none other than Wu Zhan.

~

Chapter 2

"Brother Long, I apologize for my actions towards you earlier. I was forced to." The figure in the light shadow spoke. It was clearly a recorded message condensed from demonic power.

"Although I, Wu Zhan, am solitary and indifferent, I have long regarded you as a brother. But I, your brother, have boarded the treacherous ship of the fierce King Cobra and embarked on a path of no return."

"The fierce King Cobra is greedy and bloodthirsty, cruel and ruthless. It used to hunt in Xichuan Town, but now it haunts the River of Time. You don't know how terrifying and powerful it is now. Even those Heavenly God Realm experts are not enough for it to eat in one bite."

Speaking of this, Wu Zhan's emotions in the recorded message fluctuated extremely violently, and a clearly visible look of fear appeared on his face.

"Its three-million-meter-long snake body cannot be seen to the end at a glance. Its six heads stand side by side, eating whatever it sees. I was unlucky and caught by it. Now I have been branded by it and work for it, helping it hunt."

"Although this is very humiliating and embarrassing, the fierce King Cobra said that as long as I complete this mission quota, it will reward me with a Heavenly God Weapon, a Heavenly God Weapon! I admit I was tempted."

"But this is a path of no return."

"The King Cobra has done many evil deeds and devoured the world. It will cause big trouble sooner or later, and it will also attract even more terrifying existences. If that day really comes, I, the accomplice, will definitely be purged and will not escape death. Alas..."

Wu Zhan sighed in the recorded message, his face helpless and bitter. Long Chen's heart ached as he watched, instantly understanding Wu Zhan's situation, and his heart felt heavy.

He only heard Wu Zhan's recorded message continue to say: "This pill is a divine pill refined from the blood of the fierce King Cobra. Brother, I know you will be very angry when you hear this, but listen to me. The reason why I can break through to become a Heavenly God is because of this pill."

"As I said before, although the fierce King Cobra is hateful, it must be admitted that it has evolved to an incredible realm. Its saliva is comparable to a great medicine and divine liquid, let alone its precious blood."

"There aren't many of these pills. I have refined a total of two. I ate one, and I saved one for you, brother. Remember to swallow the pill, break through, leave the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Seas, and never come back. Hide far away."

"The King Cobra hunts in the River of Time. I estimate that it will soon tire of it, and then it will definitely descend upon the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Seas. At that time, that will be a great catastrophe for the world... That's all I have to say, Brother Long, take care!!!"

Pa~

The recorded message dissipated, and the cave became dim.

Long Chen looked up, still maintaining the posture of watching the recorded message, but his eyes were red, and tears were rolling down.

"Wu Zhan, my good brother, I was right about you. It's not in vain that I missed you while drinking. You guy, you didn't tell me about such a big thing. I... Wah~"

Long Chen choked and cursed in a low voice, but suddenly he cried out like a child, tears streaming down his face, pounding the ground with his fist.

"Damn King Cobra, fierce King Cobra, when I advance to Heavenly God, I will definitely settle the score with you, and see if your snake claws are sharp, or my dragon claws are stronger!"

Tears flickered in Long Chen's eyes, but he burst out with angry light.

Looking at the pill in his hand, this was the last gift Wu Zhan gave him.

At this moment, after the seal was removed, the pill restored its inherent extraordinariness and strange phenomenon. The thumb-sized pill emitted a blood-golden light, not like a pill at all, but more like a blood-golden planet, exuding a grand and majestic atmosphere.

The cave was illuminated with a blood-golden color.

The surface of the pill was densely covered with mysterious Great Dao patterns, flowing with yin and yang energy, and there was even a snake shadow swimming within it.

Looking closely,

this was clearly the appearance of the fierce King Cobra, with six heads, snake wings waving, snake claws suspended in the air, and bone spurs on its back as it soared. Its posture was ferocious and arrogant, and its scarlet eyes carried an invincible power that looked down upon the world.

Long Chen shuddered.

Wu Zhan didn't exaggerate. This King Cobra was indeed more ferocious, and it had one more head than when it was on Earth.

"Damn! Hateful! I, Long Chen, was born with the bloodline of a dragon, and I also obtained the inheritance of a big shot. I cultivated diligently and diligently, but I can't compare to a snake?!"

Long Chen gritted his teeth.

"Why is this guy evolving so fast? A snake is stronger than a dragon? Who would believe that if I said it?!"

He vented his emotions for a while, then refocused on the pill Wu Zhan gave him, licking his lips and saying, "Damn it, to be honest, the pill refined from the blood of the fierce King Cobra looks really damn good!"

"Slurp~"

After adjusting his energy and spirit, he swallowed it in one gulp, shamelessly licking his fingers too.

The pill entered his throat like swallowing a great sun.

"Boom"

A scorching heat current ran through his body, and the majestic energy exploded, causing his proud dragon body to crack.

Long Chen was shocked.

Is a drop of blood from the fierce King Cobra so terrible?!

He quickly activated the Divine Dragon Art.

This was a cultivation technique from the big shot's inheritance, which could continuously evolve the dragon body, turning it into the strongest Divine Dragon in the universe, until it became an existence like the Dragon Ancestor.

He guided this energy to cultivate, to break through the bottleneck...

Cultivation knows no time, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the River of Time.

"Whoosh"

A huge snake shadow was swimming, and its giant snake tail swayed, causing the waves of time and space to roll.

Zhang Ji emerged from the River of Time, a fierce light flashing in his scarlet eyes.

"For twenty years, no living beings have appeared in the River of Time. What's going on? Are they all dead?"

Zhang Ji's fangs were white and sharp, and he felt that there would be no harvest if he continued to stay here.

He decided to leave and hunt outside.

"Little Wu, Little Wu, Little Wu, have you prepared your thousand Divine Power Realm and five Heavenly God Realm prey?" Zhang Ji thought of Wu Zhan and immediately inquired via voice transmission.

This was snake scale voice transmission. The other party had the snake scale he gave them, which was more advanced than a transmission jade talisman.

"Brother Zhang, I have prepared everything for you, as well as spicy hot pot. At that time, you can enjoy the prey while eating hot pot and enjoying life."

Wu Zhan replied, his voice very respectful.

Joy appeared in Zhang Ji's eyes, and with a snake's movement, the void shattered into a black hole, which he drilled into, disappearing in an instant.

At the same moment.

In the boundless starry sky, a pirate ship was sailing. It was one-third the size of a planet, a huge behemoth, but in the vast starry sky, it was as small as an insect.

On deck.

The pirates were indulging in pleasure, and the long space voyage had suppressed their emotions to the extreme.

Some grabbed prisoners and tied them to iron pillars, whipping them. Hearing their screams, they laughed excitedly.

Others were holding rabbit-eared women on the side of the ship, frolicking with the cosmic starry sky, occasionally making bursts of joyful roars and screams.

Several pirates sat together gambling, initially chatting and laughing happily, but they instantly turned hostile, fighting each other until someone was beaten to death. Only then did the young master, the vice-captain, come over with a fan to mediate.

His face was full of desolation and sorrow. He didn't know how long or how many years this boring voyage would take.

"Fortunately, although I am here on a mission, my cooperation with the Qingzhou Three Bandits is still pleasant. I have earned a lot of natural treasures, and there are a few things that can help me break through my bottleneck and advance to the middle stage of the Divine Power Realm."

The corners of the young master's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a smile.

Just then, his transmission jade talisman rang. He picked it up and looked at it, and his face became depressed and irritable again.

It was the Skull Pirate Group's base in the Chaotic Star Sea sending another message, urging them to speed up and capture space creatures to bring back.

But were space creatures so easy to capture?

Since encountering that one twenty years ago, they had never seen any other space creatures again.

The young master paced the deck, staring at the deep and boundless starry sky for a while, then sat cross-legged on the side of the ship to meditate and cultivate.

But his cultivation had encountered a bottleneck, stuck in the early stage of the Divine Power Realm for hundreds of years without being able to break through to the middle stage.

After meditating for a while, he gained nothing except for a slight restoration of his energy and spirit. Helplessly, he opened his eyes and stood up, just about to put his arm around the maid next to him and go to the room to play cards, when he suddenly felt a terrifying aura of pressure permeating the area.

"What's going on?!"