Chapter 777: The Great Prince

Deep within this palace complex, in a magnificent hall, a man shaped like a meatball, with a bulging belly, lay lazily on a large golden lounge chair.

His eyes were narrow, his nose flat, and his mouth extremely large, making him look exceptionally ugly. His skin was a dark gold, with faint golden patterns flickering within.

Two maidservants in golden robes knelt beside him, kneading his body.

Both women had human upper bodies and snake tails, and their delicate hands were covered in golden gloves that shimmered with golden light—clearly two immortal artifacts.

As the women kneaded with their fingers, the gloves emitted beams of golden light that hissed through the air, pressing and squeezing the man's body.

Sweat beaded on the women's foreheads, showing they were using all their strength.

"Mm, not bad, right there, a little harder..." the meatball man said, his narrow eyes half-closed, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Hearing this, the two snake-women increased their pressure.

Just then, the meatball man's brow twitched, and he sat up, a strange glint flashing in his narrow eyes.

Seeing this, the two snake-women stopped.

"Withdraw," the meatball man said, narrowing his eyes and waving his hand.

His body was huge, but his voice was very shrill, enough to make one want to laugh. However, the two snake-women bowed their heads and retreated without showing any unusual expression.

The meatball man waved his hand, and a purple disc flew out from it, hovering in midair and spinning rapidly.

A dazzling purple light radiated from the disc, then condensed into a purple formation.

The figure of a middle-aged man in a purple robe appeared in the formation. He looked about thirty-seven or thirty-eight, with flowing white hair tied in a high crown, handsome and refined.

A faint purple mark on his brow, embedded deep in the skin like an ancient rune, emitted a faint purple glow, appearing extremely mysterious.

"Oh, isn't this His Highness the Great Prince? Shouldn't you be at your busiest right now? How do you have time to contact a idle man like me in this wilderness?" the meatball man said with a chuckle.

"Brother Jinxi is joking. I have always greatly admired your cultivation and strength. However, I heard that some time ago, you fought fiercely with that black weasel and suffered some loss of vitality. I feared disturbing your recovery, so I never sent my regards. Now it seems Brother Jinxi has fully recovered—truly a cause for celebration," the purple-robed man said with a warm smile, giving a feeling of spring breeze.

This meatball man was none other than one of the Ten Calamities, King Jinxi, a beast king at the Da Luo stage.

"Great Prince, have you come specifically to mock me?" King Jinxi's face instantly turned grim, as if frost could be scraped off it.

"Brother Jinxi, don't misunderstand. The reason you lost that battle is ultimately because your Molo Golden Body has not yet reached perfection. I recently came across a few Golden Origin Dao Fruits, which might help Brother Jinxi take another step forward," the purple-robed man said calmly.

"Golden Origin Dao Fruit! Is that... true?" King Jinxi stood up abruptly, a burning light flashing in his eyes, and spoke eagerly.

The purple-robed man smiled without speaking.

"Your Highness, speak plainly. What do you want from me this time?" King Jinxi regained his composure and said calmly.

"Talking to a smart man saves effort. I want Brother Jinxi to do one thing for me. Once it's done, the Golden Origin Dao Fruit will be yours," the purple-robed man said, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Your Highness, please speak without hesitation," King Jinxi said without delay.

"Make someone disappear from this world forever," the purple-robed man said in a calm voice.

"Oh? Who?" King Jinxi seemed not at all surprised.

The purple-robed man said nothing, raised his hand, and a purple light flew out of the formation, landing in the hall and turning into a purple light screen.

On the screen appeared two figures. One had curly white hair and bright eyes—it was Shi Chuankong. The other was of medium build, with dark skin and ordinary features—naturally Han Li.

"This man, I remember he is..." King Jinxi's gaze flickered, landing on Shi Chuankong, while Han Li was automatically ignored.

"Correct, he is the Thirteenth Prince, Shi Chuankong. He is currently in the Ten Calamities Mountain Range, and according to my judgment, exactly within your Jinxi Territory. As long as you bring me his head and the silver pipa on him, I will give you two Golden Origin Dao Fruits," the purple-robed man said slowly.

Hearing this, King Jinxi's face showed a flash of greed, but then his brow furrowed in hesitation.

"Your Highness, I am tempted by the Golden Origin Dao Fruit, but I have also heard that this Shi Chuankong is quite favored by the Sacred Lord. The Sacred Lord's wrath is not something I can bear. Please find someone else for this matter," King Jinxi shook his head and said.

"Father is currently in seclusion, and before he went into seclusion, he instructed us brothers to decide the matter of the successor ourselves. With that said, Brother Jinxi should understand," the purple-robed man said lightly.

"Oh, in that case, it's worth considering. But Shi Chuankong also has considerable forces under his command; killing him would offend many people," said King Golden Rhinoceros slowly.

"Haha, the mighty King Golden Rhinoceros, afraid of offending people?" laughed the purple-robed youth.

"Your Highness need not use provocation; I don't fall for that. If you want me to act, you must first pay two Golden Origin Dao Fruits as a deposit. After I bring you that man's head and the pipa you want, you will give me two more Dao Fruits," said King Golden Rhinoceros with a smile.

"Golden Origin Dao Fruits are extremely precious. Aren't you asking too much, Daoist Golden Rhinoceros?" The purple-robed man's expression remained unchanged, a smile still on his lips, but his tone carried a hint of displeasure.

"Asking too much? Not at all. Though Golden Origin Dao Fruits are precious, they are nothing compared to what Your Highness seeks. As far as I know, your thirteenth younger brother has always been highly regarded by the Sacred Lord and is a major threat to you. Using four Golden Origin Dao Fruits to eliminate a great enemy—this deal is quite favorable. And I happen to be a suitable trading partner," said King Golden Rhinoceros with a sly smile.

"At most three, and they will be given after you succeed," the purple-robed man said slowly after a moment's deliberation.

"Give me one in advance. Without any benefit, I will absolutely not act," King Golden Rhinoceros shook his head firmly.

"Very well, but if you fail to accomplish this task, you must return this Golden Origin Dao Fruit with interest. By the way, the person beside him should have already reached the early Taiyi stage," the purple-robed youth nodded and added.

"Heh, that Shi Chuankong is said to be merely a Golden Immortal. Even with a helper at the early Taiyi stage, how could I fail if I act personally? Your Highness, just prepare the fruits and await good news!" King Golden Rhinoceros laughed heartily, as if he had heard something extremely ridiculous.

"Then I shall await the good news from Daoist Golden Rhinoceros," the purple-robed man said, formed a hand seal, waved his hand, and vanished with a flicker.

However, the light emitted by the purple disc did not disappear; instead, it grew brighter. Countless silver runes shot out from it, rapidly forming a silver spell formation.

Buzz!

The silver spell formation suddenly burst with intense light, and countless silver rays surged out from within.

Then, a golden light flashed at the center of the formation, and a golden round fruit the size of a fist appeared.

The fruit was covered with golden patches the size of fingernails, shimmering with traces of golden light, appearing extremely extraordinary, and exuding a surging law fluctuation of the metal attribute.

King Golden Rhinoceros's eyes lit up. He immediately took the golden round fruit, examined it carefully for a moment, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

"Someone, summon Tie Yu," King Golden Rhinoceros called out loudly. At the same time, he carefully placed the Golden Origin Dao Fruit into a jade box, sealed it with several talismans, and put it away.

"Yes." A golden-robed attendant appeared outside the hall, acknowledged the order, turned into a beam of golden light, and flew into the distance.

A moment later, a streak of dim green light shot over from afar and landed outside the great hall, revealing the figure of a short man in a green robe.

His skin was a strange green all over, and he stood only five feet tall, looking like an undergrown youth, with a baby face.

Yet his body was extremely robust, muscles stacked upon muscles, giving an overall sense of incongruity.

"Lord Tieyu!" The guards outside the hall, seeing the newcomer, showed a flicker of fear in their eyes and immediately bowed respectfully.

Tieyu paid no attention to the guards at the door and strode casually into the hall.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." The short man prostrated himself on the ground, speaking with utmost reverence; his voice was also very gruff.

"Tieyu, you've come. I've said it before: you, Tongyu, and Yinyu need not kneel in obeisance when you see me. Rise quickly." King Golden Rhinoceros stood up, personally helped Tieyu to his feet, and said gently.

"You are the sovereign, we are your subordinates; performing the kneeling ritual is only natural and right." Tieyu said respectfully.

"Alas, as you wish." King Golden Rhinoceros sighed.

"May I ask what matter Your Majesty summoned me for?" Tieyu inquired.

"Take some men to search the territory, find this man, and bring back his head and everything on him." King Golden Rhinoceros flicked his finger, and a light curtain showing images of Shi Chuankong and Han Li flew out, stopping before the short man. He pointed at Shi Chuankong with one hand and gave the order.

"An alien?" The short man's eyes flashed coldly, and he said in a chilly voice.

"Correct. Tieyu, I know you hate outsiders. I don't care about the rest of this man's body, but his head must be brought back intact." King Golden Rhinoceros instructed.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I understand." Tieyu's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he nodded.

"This man's cultivation is at the peak of the Golden Immortal stage; the person beside him should be his guard, at the early Taiyi stage. I authorize you to deploy all personnel in the Golden Rhinoceros Domain. Be as quick as possible!" King Golden Rhinoceros continued, but did not reveal Shi Chuankong's identity.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will bring back his head within a month." Tieyu agreed arrogantly.

"Mm, go ahead." King Golden Rhinoceros said no more.

Tieyu bowed once more, turned, and left the hall, soon transforming into a streak of green light flying into the distance.

"Hmph, with my status, why would I personally act for a mere Golden Immortal? If those other old fogies found out, wouldn't they laugh at me for bullying the weak?" King Golden Rhinoceros said disdainfully as he watched Tieyu's departing figure.