Chapter 30: Exposing wounds from the past

The standoff continued for a few seconds before the green flash viper decided to break the silence amid the intense atmosphere.

"I can't believe 'the most powerful false king' would want to chat with a lowly one like me. I'm not worthy of it but I know who is, one worthy of being in your presence. You know who I'm talking about right Liao Ying?" said the green flash viper as he shot a provocative smile toward the black cosmos caiman whose face was quickly turning ugly.

"The monstrous presence lurking within this little bit of territory of ours. I even heard this rumor that you and he are acquainted with another..." added the green flash viper as he narrowed his eyes monitoring the changes in the false king standing away from him.

The black cosmos caiman growled before the growl finally turned to a laugh.

"Li Lun, you must be in a really bad position if this is what you are resorting to.." 

The green flash viper couldn't help but sigh internally after seeing how quickly the black cosmos caiman reigned his emotions. He hoped he would enrage him which could create an opportunity for him to exploit. The black cosmos caiman wasn't known for being level-headed. He was petulant and prone to violence. Once he slaughtered a close subordinate for stepping on his shadow.

"What do you want Liao Ying ?" Li Lun said as he narrowed his one functional eye.

Liao Ying's earlier playful expression changed and was replaced by a solemn expression with a hint of malice and bloodlust flashing in his eyes.

"I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to talk with you, but seeing your current state, I may have to alter my plans..."

"What plans?"

"Telling you now would be of no import.." the black cosmos caiman said with a smile as his eyes provocatively fell on the wounds on the green flash viper.

"But on account of our history, I may as well, after all, even in your current state, you can still help with it..." the black cosmos caiman paused as greed, fear, anger, and bloodthirstiness flashed through its eyes.

"I don't care much for titles, and when the timing is right I will move on up, but before then there are a few affairs I will need to set in order, and one of them is getting rid of the title 'false king'. Li Lun, you hate it too, don't you?"

Silence ensued before the black cosmos caiman continued.

"For all the effort we have put only to be called false kings, what a farce. I hate it, but what can I do but swallow it for now, after all, that golden-scaled alligator isn't a foe I can face... yet..."

A look of fear and embarrassment, followed by murderous anger showed in his eyes as painful memories from a lifetime ago flashed in his mind. No matter how far back it happened, it still constantly haunted him and hurt him even more than the scar wound that ran across his body. 

Like a vengeful ghost, that memory constantly pursued him, leaving him tormented and irascible. His path forward would be forever barred as long as that memory remained, and there was only one way to get rid of it, at least the one way he knew how and it was to devour the one who put it there.

Even now as he looked ahead, what he saw wasn't the injured green flash viper, the forest and vine, or the green fog that was in the area, what he saw was a humungous figure radiating in gold, releasing a fearsome pressure that made everything around him even the very air itself, bend in submission.

"Li Lun, I want to kill that bastard, that true overlord, I want to tear him apart limb from limb and soak the entire eighth zone with his blood..." the black cosmos caiman venomously said.

"But I can't do it myself which is why I had hoped we would ally together, strike at the human cultivators within this region, devour them, and improve our strength. Their bodies are much more beneficial to us than our kind.

With our abilities, it wouldn't be too hard to harvest almost half of them which should be more than sufficient to improve our abilities vastly and then we would have no need to fear that alligator. Working together, we could kill it. I had thought of inviting the turtle too, but he is not the easiest to find, and now..." his gaze narrowed on the green flash viper.

"In your state, you can barely take care of even yourself, but thankfully you can still help with my plan. What do you say, old friend? By the looks of things, you're not long for this world. Rather than die a meaningless death, let me devour you. As a false king, you're bound to provide more than those human cultivators. What do you say, old friend? let your death help us achieve our ambitions. You want that alligator dead too don't you? You want to move up, don't you? I will do it for the both of us.." the black cosmos caiman said with a magnanimous expression on its face.

Li Lun was outwardly calm without the faintest ripple of emotion. He was like a silent detached observer in this play, but it was a different case internally. He couldn't help but be frustrated at his current circumstances. A failed hunt that left him injured and meeting up with the most self-serving greedy beast in the whole zone.

He had clashed with Liao Ying more than once and in all that time it was always a close battle with no clear winner. They never went all out as they always held back as whoever won, it would be a pyrrhic victory that would end up benefitting some other spirit beast out there waiting to fish in troubled waters.

However, Li Lun's current situation was extremely unfavorable. He was gravely injured and he had to divert part of his attention to keep the injury at bay. He couldn't afford these circumstances when facing off against Liao Ying. Liao Ying knew it too which was why he didn't attack immediately, letting the frosting qi devour as much strength and vitality as it could from the green flash viper.

"Well two can play at that game you black overgrown lizard!!" Li Lun silently thought as he steadied his resolve for what was to come.

A smile appeared on his face which threw Liao Ying off who couldn't help but frown and wonder if Li Lun had something up his scales.

Each of the false kings didn't reach their level just by being stronger, especially in their younger days when they survived by having special tricks up their sleeves. 

"Bolin it looks like I might be joining you soon. That human cultivator truly opened my eyes today to what true ability is. We deserve to be called false kings. We are just weaklings playing as big shots. No wonder even the golden scale alligator never interferes in our affairs. We may be nothing but amusing ants in his eyes.

Hehehehe!! Liao Ying your hubris will be your downfall but as your 'old friend', I'll need to leave you with some farewell gifts," Li Lun silently thought as he turned to face Liao Ying finding his cautious look amusing.

"I always knew you had greedy ambitions that bordered on stupidity and insanity but I never knew it was this much. It seems you grew tiger lungs and a dragon heart over the years for you to have the gall to suggest attacking the golden-scaled alligator.

But if anything you are yourself, I can give you that. A greedy, insatiable, and reckless beast with no self-awareness other than an inflated ego and an unquenchable petty vengeful streak. All this talk like you are having some grand undertaking, who are you trying to fool with that spiel? I know you Liao Ying... unlike your followers over there I know your history," Li Lun said with a meaningful smile on his face.

Liao Ying was silent at the moment as he turned fierce and fiery. He wanted to attack immediately but he couldn't help but wonder if this was Li Lun's trick to try and bait him in.

Li Lun expected as much. The caiman was known to be brutal but it was extremely cautious and this had much to do with its past.

Li Lun continued his chat with his voice louder than before ensuring that all the spirit beasts within the encirclement heard him.

"The spirit beasts and human cultivators out here keep saying you're fearless and the most powerful false king who has the highest chance of becoming the true overlord of this place. Hehehe truly the rumblings of weaklings who don't know anything.

They have no idea their fearless leader over here once upon a time when he was a young beast in the early stages of core formation once went to challenge the golden-scaled alligator. Blinded by pride from the victories he had over the years, surely nothing could stand in his way, isn't that right, Liao Ying?

Remind me what happened again, Liao Ying. Oh yes, that little naïve beast knew what true terror was that day. A single gaze was enough to petrify him so much that he couldn't move an inch.

The little core formation champion in fear for his life started groveling and crying, begging for his life for hours till his voice turned raspy and cracked. The alligator spared him not because the groveling worked but because he disdained eating something so weak-willed. You were no less than a wiggling sniveling worm to him.

LISTEN TO ME ALL YOU BEASTS OUT THERE!!! You all know Liao Ying to love battling and being bloodthirsty, especially in the last 50 years. What you don't know is that most of the creatures killed by him in that period were all spirit beasts privy to his embarrassing tale with the golden-scaled alligator. This is the leader you serve, and now that you know his dark history, I wonder what your fates will be.." the green flash viper said as he smirkingly gazed around him before his gaze focused back on the caiman who looked to be just about to rip him to shreds.

"Pitiful you even killed your closest subordinate because you couldn't stand anyone knowing that embarrassing moment of your life. Rumors say you killed him because he stepped on your shadow.

Hehehe.... it was creative, I'll give you that.

You forgot one thing, there was someone else there when you challenged the golden-scaled alligator and unlike the others, he lived to tell the tale. All this big talk and all you want to do is to erase the biggest stain of your life. I wonder what your odds will be this second time.." Li Lun asked with a teasing look as he started to boisterously laugh completely ignoring the effect it would have on his injuries.

If he was to go, he would not do it easily, even in death, he would annoy the black cosmos caiman. He had already planted the seeds, what they would grow to, only time would tell, but he had a feeling things would not be easy for the caiman, even if he defeated him, there would be an endless heap of trouble waiting for him after.

Liao Ying's gaze turned dark with fury.

"Good! Good! Li Lun it seems you're as good at running your mouth as you are at moving your body. Before I thought of giving you a quick and painless death but now I'll make it as excruciating as possible."

"I'm not your underling to be scared of your threats. I may be injured but don't think you'll be getting out of this scot-free. I have a reputation as a false king to uphold after all."

The pressure from both beasts increased astronomically. A black wave clashed against a green light curtain with none giving room to the other.

The two false kings for the first time in their lives charged furiously at each other without holding anything back. Li Lun stopped fighting back against Feng Xin's corroding misty qi.

At the point of collision, a thunderous explosion was formed which spread around them destroying everything within half a mile. The spirit beasts within the encirclement were forced to retreat further lest they be caught in the aftermath. Some even had half a mind to escape as this wasn't something they could interfere in. Even the ones with ideas of profiting from it quickly dropped the idea.

It was at this moment that they finally saw what it meant to be a king even a false one. The disparity was like that of a rhino and a rat.