The Black Sky Plains had undergone a complete upheaval.
All of this was because of one person: the Scarlet Scale King.
First, the most beloved grandson of the Fifth Great Bandit, one of the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky, had been severely injured, plunging the entire Black Sky Plains into turmoil.
Then, a Scarlet Scale King suddenly barged in, not only shattering the Black Mountain Lord's divine spear and provoking his authority—causing the Black Mountain Lord to fly into a rage and issue a Black Warrant bounty, a sight not seen for decades or even centuries—but also sweeping through thirty-nine bandit lairs in a single day, slaughtering thousands of bandits. He admitted to being the culprit who had severely injured the Fifth Great Bandit's beloved grandson, showed contempt for the Black Sky Plains, and triggered an unprecedented black storm across the region.
The Black Sky Plains, which had maintained relative peace for who knows how many years, had completely changed. It could be foreseen that unless the Scarlet Scale King was found, the Black Sky Plains would never know true peace again.
This vast region, along with the numerous towns on the fringes of the Black Sky Plains, would suffer unimaginable consequences.
What was surprising, however, was that after the Black Warrant was issued, the Scarlet Scale King should have tried to leave the Black Sky Plains to avoid the storm. Yet in the past few days, he had frequently appeared, each time targeting larger bandit lairs, directly crushing them, killing and wounding countless bandits. He acted with extreme arrogance, using his actions to declare his intent, attracting swarms of bandits who rushed to surround and hunt him.
But the Scarlet Scale King managed to escape smoothly every time, impossible to stop.
These actions not only triggered the Black Warrant bounty but also enraged the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky. His arrogance was too much. Many true powerhouses from the depths of the Black Sky Plains had mobilized, including some long-feared super bandits who had emerged to hunt the Scarlet Scale King across the land.
After that, however, the Scarlet Scale King suddenly vanished, no longer appearing. But the turmoil in the Black Sky Plains did not cease; numerous bandits vowed to turn the land upside down to find him.
Meanwhile, the real Scarlet Scale King had long since led the many powerhouses of the Scarlet God Valley into this world-renowned Black Sky Plains, unaware of everything that had happened there and ignorant of the Black Warrant bounty hunting him.
The divine ship sailed, traversing the vast sky with a rumbling sound, very conspicuous, visible clearly from hundreds of miles away.
But the divine ship carried a terrifying pressure; at least a Divine Transformation Realm powerhouse was aboard. Ordinary bandits dared not provoke it.
Along the way, the Seventeenth Elder warned, "You need to be careful during this trip to the Black Sky Plains. The Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky are truly first-rate, top-tier figures. You must not be careless."
The Scarlet Scale King, however, was unconcerned. "What does the Black Sky Plains amount to? Would they dare offend my Scarlet God Valley?"
The Seventeenth Elder shook his head. "Do not be careless. Although the Black Sky Plains cannot compare to an Immortal Sacred Land, among the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky are Saint Lord-level peerless figures, and even terrifying existences that Saint Lords themselves would deeply fear. Even the Valley Master would be wary coming here. You must not be careless."
The Black Sky Plains were famous throughout the world, plagued by bandits. Moreover, the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky were not only renowned in the Qingyang Domain but also had great fame across the Myriad Domains. Several among them were Saint Lord-level figures comparable to the contemporary masters of Immortal Sacred Lands, their cultivation astonishingly profound, so formidable that even Immortal Sacred Lands would be wary.
What was a Saint Lord?
The contemporary master of an Immortal Sacred Land, the sect leader, clan patriarch, or family head who wielded the authority of an entire Immortal Sacred Land. Being able to serve as the master of an Immortal Sacred Land, each was a true peerless powerhouse, with cultivation that shook the world, transcending the ordinary and entering the sacred. Few in the mortal world could rival them.
At the very least, across the myriad realms, they could absolutely be called extraordinary.
Throughout the ages, across many great eras, they could be considered supreme existences who dominated the rise and fall of the myriad realms. If Immortal Sacred Lands possessed the terrifying power to influence the development of entire domains, then they were the contemporary masters who wielded that terrifying power.
No one had ever dared to overlook a Saint Lord-level figure.
The Scarlet Scale King was no fool; naturally, he had heard of the fame of the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky and knew of their fearsome reputation. But he also had confidence.
The Scarlet God Valley was an Immortal Sacred Land, inherited through countless ages, possessing unimaginably profound heritage. Those who were not truly part of an Immortal Sacred Land could not possibly comprehend the terrifying depth of an Immortal Sacred Land's heritage—this was the foundation of their enduring existence.
This was something the Black Sky Plains could not match, even with peerless powerhouses like the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky; they lacked the corresponding heritage for long-term survival.
The group directly rode the divine ship into the Black Sky Plains. They possessed a secret treasure; even though the supreme treasure, the Soul Stabilizing Pearl, was shielded, they could still use the Primordial Spirit imprint left on it to obtain a general location.
"They are in the northwest part of the Black Sky Plains, about a hundred and thirty thousand miles from here."
"Good, let's go!"
The divine ship shot through the sky, moving with great speed, transforming into a streak of divine light that streaked across the heavens, rumbling loudly, attracting the attention and scrutiny of many within the Black Sky Plains.
Many were quite astonished. At this critical moment, someone actually dared to be so ostentatious? Were they truly not afraid of death?
"Whose divine ship is that, daring to show off like this over the Black Sky Plains?" On a mountain peak, a bandit leader gazed at the divine ship in the sky, concentrating as he inquired.
"Not sure. Probably some major figure from a great family outside the Black Sky Plains traveling, perhaps unaware that the Black Sky Plains have changed," a subordinate said. "It probably isn't the Scarlet Scale King."
"No, it could be him, just acting contrary to expectations," the bandit leader said gravely. "He might be using the divine ship to disguise himself as a major figure traveling, to evade detection. Contact the leaders from other mountain strongholds; let's chase the divine ship together and question them first."
"Yes!"
Not long after, the moving divine ship suddenly came to a halt because three powerful figures had abruptly appeared in the void, all top-tier experts at the Divine Transformation Realm, blocking the path of the Scarlet God Valley powerhouses' divine ship.
The attire of these three clearly marked them as bandits from the Black Sky Plains, and Divine Transformation Realm bandits were all leader-level figures.
"Who are you people?"
Under normal circumstances, the Scarlet God Valley powerhouses would have undoubtedly driven the divine ship forward, crushing everything in their path; no one had ever dared to block the Scarlet God Valley's divine ship. But this was the Black Sky Plains, a region even Saint Lord-level figures would be wary of, so they exercised caution.
A Scarlet God Valley powerhouse appeared outside the ship, politely cupping his fists. "Brothers, we are from the Scarlet God Valley. We have entered the Black Sky Plains only to search for one person. Please step aside."
"Scarlet God Valley?!" Hearing this, the three bandit leaders' expressions changed dramatically simultaneously. They exchanged glances, and one of them asked, "Might the Scarlet Scale King be aboard the divine ship?"
Looking for the Scarlet Scale King? The Scarlet God Valley powerhouses were puzzled. At that moment, the Scarlet Scale King directly flew out. Clad in scarlet armor, with crimson hair flowing loosely, he naturally exuded a kingly majesty. Sensing the hostility from the three bandit leaders toward him, he condensed his aura and said, "I am he. What is the matter?"
"What is the matter?" One bandit leader, seeing him appear, immediately snorted coldly. "How dare you even ask? Since we've encountered you today, don't think of escaping. Kill!"
Immediately, a large group of bandits soared into the sky from the ground, all Demigod-level experts, numbering in the hundreds. Among them were several Divine Transformation Realm powerhouses who charged toward the divine ship.
"How bold! You dare attack my Scarlet God Valley's divine ship!"
The Scarlet Scale King immediately snorted coldly, his crimson hair dancing wildly. Holding a blood-red spear, he shot into the sky, his King-level combat power erupting as he directly charged forward.
A bandit leader also unleashed divine techniques, coldly shouting, "So what if you're a Young King? Do you truly think you're invincible under heaven? A mere Demigod dares to contend with a Divine Transformation expert? Seeking death!"
Boom—
An intense battle unfolded in the sky, divine energy shaking the heavens as if two deities were clashing.
This was the Scarlet Scale King fiercely battling one of the bandit leaders, a figure at the third level of Divine Transformation, who had been a god for many years, rich in combat experience. Even across the entire Black Sky Plains, he was considered a top-tier powerhouse, an overlord of this desolate plain spanning ten thousand miles.
But not long after, heaven and earth seemed to shatter. A blood-red spear, imbued with peerless divine energy, pierced through a figure and nailed it to the ground—precisely the bandit leader who had come to block them.
He was actually no match for the Scarlet Scale King. In less than a dozen exchanges, he was defeated, even nailed to the ground by the Scarlet Scale King's blood-red spear. Blood gushed from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose—a miserable sight, far from being an opponent.
Everyone looked in horror at the young figure descending step by step from the sky, bathed in blood, his slender body radiating a chilling, formidable aura that reached far and wide, striking awe into all who saw him.
"Divine Transformation? Ridiculous. A mere Divine Transformation expert below the fifth level dares to contend with a King? Seeking death."
The Scarlet Scale King spoke from his lofty position, his words cold and merciless, returning the phrase verbatim.
A world-shaking divine power erupted from within the blood-red spear—a King's divine power, containing a King's will—directly blasting the bandit leader apart, resulting in the complete annihilation of both body and spirit.
All the bandits were terrified. Was this a true Young King? They had thought he was just an ordinary member of the younger generation, but in reality, he was far more powerful than imagined. A top-tier expert at the third level of Divine Transformation had been killed just like that.
The Scarlet Scale King swept his gaze over the other bandits, saying coldly, "I don't know why you've come after me, but daring to attack me means certain death."
"No, don't! Doing this will completely offend the entire Black Sky Plains. The Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky will not let you go!" a bandit leader shouted, utterly unable to muster any will to fight. Facing such a peerless demon god, even his elder brother, that third-level Divine Transformation powerhouse, had been swiftly slain. How could the others be his match?
"What of the Black Sky Plains? I, the Scarlet Scale King, have never feared anything. However many come, I will kill however many."
Boom—
The blood-red spear was summoned back into his hand through the void, then shot forth, condensing into a dazzling blood-red light that directly pierced through the chest of that bandit leader, tearing him in half in the sky, leaving a bloody mess.
Subsequently, the Scarlet Scale King launched a full-scale attack, his King-level combat power completely erupting, sweeping across all directions, engaging all the bandits in battle.
Far on the horizon, two indistinct figures appeared, gazing toward this place, muttering to themselves, "Hmm, this Scarlet Scale King is quite troublesome. We should bring him some more formidable opponents, preferably to trap and eliminate him!"