Chapter 574: Chapter 573: Protector
The crowd looked toward the source of the voice and immediately saw a young man standing atop a peak.
The young man was dressed in a white robe, handsome, with a certain tyrannical arrogance between his brows as if he looked down upon all living beings.
"You? How could you be here?" Liu Zheng, seeing this, couldn’t help but change his expression dramatically as he asked in a shocked voice.
Upon hearing this, the young man gave Liu Zheng an indifferent glance before turning his gaze toward the black-robed man.
"Are you the Godly Protector of the divine court?" the young man slowly exhaled as he asked calmly.
"Indeed, I am the very Divine King of the divine court that Liu Zheng spoke of. Liu Zheng, I advise you to release them immediately. Perhaps I will consider leaving your body intact; otherwise, your fate will not be pleasant."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng paled. He quickly turned his head and said to Liu Zheng, "Father, this man said that my father is a despicable villain. You mustn’t believe his words!"
At this moment, fear and shock filled Liu Zheng’s heart, afraid that his father might vent his anger on the family and extinguish him because of this.
"Hahaha, a despicable villain? Liu Zheng, oh, Liu Zheng, don’t you think you’re utterly shameless?"
"Didn’t you say my father was a lowly slave? Yet, if I were a lowly slave, how could I have the Divine King himself come in person?"
"Your father is the mighty Divine King of the divine court, yet you call him a despicable villain? I truly doubt whether you are his son or his son-in-law. You are so foolish; you have truly lost all face for the divine court."
Liu Zheng, hearing this, had a face that alternated between green and purple, his fists clenched tightly, making a crunching sound, clearly enraged to the extreme.
"Liu Zheng, what are you waiting for? Hand over the Token; otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!"
Seeing this, the black-robed man smiled slightly, a cold light appearing in his eyes as he sneered.
Hearing this, Liu Zheng immediately felt a chill on his back, his body hair standing on end, and numbness overcoming him.
An image unbidden came to his mind.
A blood-red python rampaging before him, tearing him apart.
At this thought, Liu Zheng was so scared out of his wits that he quickly pulled out a Jade Pendant from his chest and handed it to the black-robed man.
Taking the Token into his possession, the black-robed man’s face revealed a smug smile. Then he raised his hand and waved it toward Liu Zheng. A black light instantly fell, beheading those bystanders.
"Huff~~~"
After the black light vanished, all those people collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
Liu Zheng also collapsed onto the ground, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, his complexion deathly pale.
Just then, for an instant, he nearly suffocated to death.
"You are Liu Zheng’s father, aren’t you?" the black-robed man asked as he stared coldly at Liu Zheng’s father.
Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng’s father was so frightened that he scrambled over to the feet of the black-robed man, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
"Divine King, spare my life, I am but a commoner, merely a merchant. Please have mercy and spare this lowly one’s life!" he pleaded.
"Heh, spare your life? Fine, but you must agree to two conditions for this Divine King!" the black-robed man said with a cold laugh.
"Yes, whatever you wish, Divine King, as long as it is within my power, even if it means going through fire and water, I shall not hesitate!" Liu Zheng hastily responded.
"It’s simple; the tasks I require of you are quite straightforward. You must find the whereabouts of the Sky Proliferation Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect and deal with them. Otherwise, you will end up just like them," the black-robed man sneered.
Hearing this, a bitter expression appeared on Liu Zheng’s face. "Divine King, I fear I don’t have so much time to look for the Sky Proliferation Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect," he said.
The black-robed man sneered, "Not enough time? Does that mean you do not intend to keep your promise?"
Seeing this, Liu Zheng felt a chill in his heart, knowing that if he didn’t agree to these conditions today, he would be face a dead end.
Taking a deep breath, he quickly said, "Divine King, whatever you command, I will do, without any defiance. Whoever you command me to kill, I will carry out the deed, be they Divine Kings or Demon Lords, I shall not spare anyone. Please rest assured!"
Upon hearing this, the black-robed man nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze toward the young man.
The youth, upon seeing this, said coldly, "Liu Zheng, since your father has admitted his guilt, there’s no need for you to continue living."
At these words, Liu Zheng’s father was so frightened that he trembled all over, tears streaming down his face.
"Divine... Divine King Your Highness, this... this lowly one is willing to serve like a dog or horse!"
"Hmph, you’re not worth half of what your father was. Save your energy and spare me the waste of time," the man in the black robe said with disdain.
"Yes, yes!" On hearing this, Liu Zheng’s father immediately fell to his knees and kowtowed ceaselessly, not daring to show any sign of defiance.
Seeing this scene, the man in the black robe’s expression also darkened as he looked towards Liu Zheng with intense hatred in his eyes, "Aren’t you hurrying to take me to Sky Proliferation Sect and Black Tortoise Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng’s father quivered, quickly got up from the ground, and led the man in the black robe away from Sky Star City.
Liu Zheng’s father was Liu Zheng’s father’s only brother, and also the young lord of the entire divine court.
From a young age, he had lived a life of abundance and luxury. Moreover, it was his father who raised him, showing him an immense amount of love. Any request he ever made, his father would satisfy to the utmost.
But now, his father had been killed by this man.
He wished he could tear that man to pieces alive.
"Father, rest assured, I will surely avenge you," Liu Zheng vowed silently to himself, while a look of deep resentment appeared on his face.
Before dying, Liu Zheng’s father told him that the enemies who had wronged his father were the Sky Proliferation Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect.
The Sky Proliferation Sect and Black Tortoise Sect are among the most powerful forces in the celestial domain, and it was largely due to Liu Zheng’s father that the Sky Proliferation Sect had appeared here.
Because his father had once formed a marriage alliance with the Sect Master of the Sky Proliferation Sect, and this marriage alliance was with the direct disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect Master, the eldest son of the Sky Proliferation Sect.
Initially, to win over his father, the Sect Master of Sky Proliferation Sect had bestowed upon his father a Ninth-grade Spirit Pill, in exchange for his father’s support.
And Liu Zheng’s father took this opportunity to defect to the Sky Proliferation Sect, becoming their young lord and thereby gaining even greater power.
Any matter backed by his father was settled at once, and thus, within the Sky Proliferation Sect, no disciple dared to provoke him.
Liu Zheng’s father also contemplated defecting to the Sky Proliferation Sect, but after all, he was not a true Divine Emperor Realm cultivator and thus incapable of establishing a foothold within the sect.
Therefore, Liu Zheng’s father chose to defect to the man in the black robe instead.
His father was a genuine Divine Emperor powerhouse; although far from matching the strength of the Sky Proliferation Sect and its Sect Master, he still possessed considerable influence within the divine realms.
Had he been able to defect to his father’s side, his cultivation rate would have undoubtedly increased several-fold.
So it was that his father dared to recommend him to the Sky Proliferation Sect.
He had also considered defecting to other sects, but his father told him that the Sect Masters of these sects were not very friendly towards him and wouldn’t take him seriously. Therefore, to be safe, they could only defect to the most powerful sect.
And the most powerful sect was none other than the Sky Proliferation Sect.
The Sky Proliferation Sect is a superpower shrouded in mystery, with many strong practitioners. Their strength is notable, and every hundred years, they host a Rookie Rankings competition. The top three are accepted as disciples by the Sky Proliferation Sect for cultivation and nurturance.
They were participants in the selection process for the Rookie Rankings, aiming to enter the Sky Proliferation Cave for cultivation.
The cave of the Sky Proliferation Cave was created by an Immortal Emperor Realm powerhouse, a secret stronghold of the Sky Proliferation Sect, unreachable by the outside world.
Because, unless one was a Venerable Realm powerhouse, even an Immortal Venerable Realm powerhouse couldn’t probe the cave.
Thus, this cave is one of the safest places within the entire Sky Proliferation Sect.
The Sky Proliferation Sect is divided into five levels, from one to seven, all of which are occupied by Inner Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Disciples. Inner Sect Disciples are the weakest within the inner sect, while Outer Sect Disciples are the weakest among them.
This was also why Liu Zheng’s family could live within Sky Star City.
Because the strength of their family in Sky Star City wasn’t very strong. If they encountered a Divine King or an Immortal Emperor, they would undoubtedly die, so they hid in Sky Star City.
Their strength was only considered above average, and to become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Sky Proliferation Sect, they had to defeat the four great families of Sky Star City.
