Chapter 141

Ge Luo Jin and the burly man beside him knelt shoulder to shoulder on the ground.

Their hands were twisted, yet they firmly used their abdominal muscles to prop up their arms, propping up the White Tiger Rift.

Even if their tendons and bones were shattered, even if blood gushed like a spring, even if their necks were torn open by the moon scar, blood continued to spurt from the wounds.

They stared fixedly at Wu Tie, at the Demon Sigil King, and at the witch seated on Wu Tie's shoulder.

Their foundations were obviously much stronger than Zhu Zixi's; despite such severe injuries, they still retained vigorous vitality, and even had the strength to speak.

Even though the Demon Sigil King's poisonous mist had weakened them greatly, they remained like a great tree whose crown had been snapped off in a hurricane—its stump hard, upright, and firmly planted there.

He coughed up a large mass of blood bubbles, and Ge Luo Jin roared at Wu Tie: "All dead, all dead…… you damned bastards…… my brothers, my kin, all dead…… you are so cruel, so cruel, so cruel……"

While shouting "so cruel," Ge Luo Jin spat out mouthfuls of blood.

A faint golden light lingered on the surface of the White Tiger Rift; Wu Tie's magical support kept it at a weight of one hundred million jin. Ge Luo Jin and his companions' bones were almost shattered throughout their bodies, almost crushed, and they could no longer stand.

Ge Luo Jin merely relied on a breath of vital energy not yet dissipated, unwilling and hysterical, letting out a long howl of rage at Wu Tie.

"The members of the Drifting Troupe are all dead as well." Wu Tie looked at Ge Luo Jin, his voice unwavering.

"Brothers, kin, or comrades-in-arms—these are such beautiful words."

But seeing the troupe's encampment razed to flat ground, Wu Tie's heart felt no ripple, like an ancient well without waves, even carrying a hint of chill……

He thought of that group of children.

That group whose stomachs growled "gurgle" from hunger, even after the meat skewers were cooked, would first give the skewers to the elders' children in the troupe.

That group of physically weak children who, whenever they set up camp or set out each day, would strive to help with the work.

That group of young children who had already early on experienced life's hardships.

That group of children…… Wu Tie, traveling from the Cangyan Realm to the Great Dragon Realm over several months, hunted every day just for these children…… these children reminded Wu Tie of the tiny, powerless stone dwarflike children in the Wu family's Shibao back then……

Wu Tie recalled that, during those months of travel, after the children became familiar with him, they boldly followed him, learning from him how to hunt those poisonous snakes and small spiders, how to kill medium-sized lizards, and how to distinguish toxic vegetation from edible plants.

Wu Tie also taught them how to collect mineral salt from ore, how to purify edible salt as much as possible using the crudest methods, and how to reduce the toxicity of the mineral salt as much as possible.

Those were the lessons Old Tie had taught: how to become a qualified warrior, how to possess sufficient survival ability in the wilderness.

Wu Tie even…… even while cursing "this damned world," he taught the children how to use a dagger to kill an adult sturdy man as quickly as possible while guaranteeing his own safety……

Wu Tie also recalled that Old Bai followed him, teaching those children some simple poison recipes, and formulas for common medicines to cure illness, detoxify, staunch bleeding, and treat bone injuries……

Not to mention, through the Demon Sigil King, Wu Tie also imparted to these children the Vajra Subduing Demon Fist.

They performed quite well; several children with excellent aptitude progressed even faster than Wu Tie's elder brother Wu Jin did when he first began his cultivation.

When Wu Tie slaughtered the warriors of the Three Linked City, what did he see in the camp?

The ground was drenched in blood, the entire camp had sunk down, everywhere was dirt stained red with blood, and everywhere lay severed limbs and broken arms.

Some of the severed limbs belonged to the elderly, which was obvious at a glance.

Some of the broken arms belonged to children, equally obvious at a glance.

"I killed them." Wu Tie walked up to Ge Luo Jin, lowered his head to look at him: "But you, and your brothers, your kin…… are they really innocent?"

Ge Luo Jin raised his head, looked at Wu Tie, and said in a deep voice: "I, I am guiltless."

Wu Tie sneered: "So you, feeling guiltless, wanted to flee just now? The result—you crashed headfirst into me!"

Ge Luo Jin gazed deeply at Wu Tie: "I, I am guiltless…… since the entire army has been wiped out, someone must bring word of this place back. Someone must continue to pursue Ge Mo Luo, and someone must bring him back to the Three Linked City……"

"Do you have such lofty, righteous excuses?" Wu Tie looked at Ge Luo Jin with a faint smile.

"For the people of the Three Linked City." Ge Luo Jin, with a hint of solemnity and gravity, gave a bitter smile at Wu Tie.

"So, for the people of your Three Linked City, you can recklessly slaughter a group of truly innocent, good people?" Wu Tie leaned his face close to Ge Luo Jin's and snarled.

"The people of the Three Linked City are worth far more than they are." Ge Luo Jin looked at Wu Tie, ignoring the saliva Wu Tie sprayed onto his face, and while spitting blood, he said in a deep voice: "So, for them, killing some…… worthless barbarians, what does it matter?"

Ge Luo Jin looked at Wu Tie, with a hint of pride and reserve rising from his bones, lifted his head and said calmly: "Every citizen of the Three Linked City is so noble; their value is beyond your imagination."

The Demon Sigil King's hoarse voice came from behind Wu Tie: "Every citizen of the Three Linked City—I mean, now, every person of the Three Linked City—is a rebel, a bandit, a treacherous minister…… your nobility, your value…… is it because your hands are stained with the blood of my kin?"

Ge Luo Jin took a deep breath, then calmly said to Wu Tie: "Pay no heed to the lament of this bereft dog…… his clan is a cursed bloodline, descendants of the demon king; we joined forces and overthrew their rule…… we alone can represent the will of all the people of the Three Linked City…… if……"

Ge Luo Jin spat out a mouthful of blood.

Tie Da Jian carried over the golden-armored sturdy man he had knocked unconscious with a hard throw, swiftly disarmed the man's limbs, and planted him heavily beside Ge Luo Jin.

Ge Luo Jin's eyes held a hint of despair as he glanced at the companion propped up on his left, then at the companion sharing the weight of the White Tiger Rift, kneeling on his last breath on his right.

"Listen to me…… if you can send Prince Ge Mo Luo back to the Three Linked City, you will gain……" Ge Luo Jin roared loudly at Wu Tie: "You will gain the friendship of the Three Linked City, and also wealth, status, and power……"

Ge Luo Jin's hysterical howl exhausted the last bit of strength in his shattered body.

His voice was extremely resonant; the whole Great Dragon City could hear his howl.

Within Great Dragon City, the shrill alarm bells continued to ring.

Wu Tie burst into a bright smile, nodded, and said in a low voice: "Hmm, you want to tell this news to the people of Great Dragon City? Have them finish the task you failed to complete?"

He shook his head, Wu Tie sighed: "You succeeded, but I cannot do anything to the multitudes of Great Dragon City…… so, even if they cannot send your prince back to the Three Linked City, at least your news will have someone to relay it for you."

Wu Tie turned his head helplessly toward the direction of Great Dragon City.

Yes, although separated by a distant thirty great realms, after Ge Luo Jin's loud shouting, someone will surely be moved. Even if they lack the courage and strength to snatch the Demon Sigil King from Wu Tie's hands, some forces sending people to the Three Linked City to deliver a message still have that bit of courage.

He reached out and gripped the White Tiger Rift; a surge of magical power activated the formation within it, and the White Tiger Rift returned to a weight of 3.6 million jin.

He lightly lifted the White Tiger Rift, and Wu Tie stepped back two paces.

Tie Da Jian picked up from the ground a fine heavy sword discarded by Ge Luo Jin, casually handed it to the Demon Sigil Kid: "Boy, take revenge—you must strike personally to feel satisfied…… clean and swift, Great Dragon City sounds the alarm; the experts of Six Paths City will soon arrive."

Tie Da Jian looked toward a certain direction; about 300 li from here, on a high cliff, there is a pitch-black cave mouth—that is the way to Six Paths City.

Six Paths City is the true ruling core of the entire Six Paths Palace.

The Hall of Transmitting Dharma, the Elder's Hall, and the Lord of the Six Paths Palace—these powerful and dreadful experts are all in Six Paths City.

The Demon Sigil King approached, took the heavy sword from Tie Da Jian's hand, turned his head toward the camp and drew a deep breath. Strands of dark red mist turned into wisps of smoke that continually drifted into his mouth; the Demon Sigil King's complexion gradually brightened, and his aura steadily grew stronger.

When the last trace of poison had been drawn back into his body, the Demon Sigil King suddenly swung the heavy sword, cleaving the heads of Ge Luo Jin and his two companions in one stroke.

Before the three heads even hit the ground, the Demon Sigil King violently spat out a stream of dark red thick mist. The viscous mist enveloped the three skulls, continually drilling into their seven orifices.

The muscles of the three skulls writhed, and a cluster of blinding light flickered at their foreheads.

As a Life Pool Realm expert, even if their skulls were severed, they still had divine abilities to preserve life and escape. That day Zhu Zixi told Wu Tie, if it weren't for the Changsheng Sect's evil art being too rushed, causing their foundations to be light and unstable, even if their bodies were destroyed, he could still have escaped……

The three Ge Luo Jin came from Three Linked City, their foundations were much stronger and more solid than Zhu Zixi's.

The moment their skulls were severed, their Life Pools churned violently, and a powerful soul force was about to burst out of their bodies.

The poison mist sprayed by Mo Zhang Wang seeped into their skulls, and their frantically trembling Life Pools suddenly became calm as still water, with only faint ripples unwillingly undulating up and down.

Mo Zhang Wang raised his long sword and thrust it deep into the foreheads of the three.

The light cluster at their foreheads exploded with a boom, and Ge Luo Jin finally glared hatefully at Mo Zhang Wang, let out a deep sigh, and completely lost all breath.

Mo Zhang Wang stood dazedly before the three corpses, tears streaming down his face, his body trembling violently.

Wu Tie slapped Mo Zhang Wang's shoulder hard and said, "You're saying you want to come with me? Then hurry up……"

Wu Tie whistled, pointed at Tie Da Jian, and said, "Da Jian, put those two swords away. The forging craft of Three Linked City is far superior to that of Great Dragon City. Hurry up…… I sense danger approaching……"

Wu Tie hoisted the White Tiger Rend, grabbed Mo Zhang Wang's shoulder, a gust of wind rose from the ground, and he flew forward with Mo Zhang Wang three feet above the ground, trailing rolling smoke and clouds.

Tie Da Jian picked up the two extra heavy swords discarded by the three Ge Luo Jin, casually took off the three gold beast‑skin pouches tied around their waists, shouldered the heavy sword, and sprinted after Wu Tie at full speed.

They sprinted toward a passage mouth far up the rock wall.

That passage led to a large stone cavern called Black Pine Cave beneath the Six Paths Palace; leaving Black Pine Cave and passing through several smaller stone caverns brought one to the territory of Wa Valley.

In a sense, Wa Valley's territory lies within the Six Paths Palace's domain, but Wa Valley stands as its own lineage, transcending the dozens of major regions around it, never mingling in their conflicts, and the surrounding major powers basically maintain decent relations with Wa Valley.

Wu Tie and his companions moved at extreme speed; the alarm bells of Great Dragon City were still ringing, and they had already run tens of li.

Suddenly a low roar came from within Great Dragon City; seeing the Guest Hall disciples who had been scared into fleeing by Wu Tie and his companions, they regrouped, donned heavy armor, formed tight ranks, and marched out of the city.

It must be that the Guest Hall personnel invoked the authority of the Six Paths Palace; besides the tall, black‑iron, bronze, and silver‑skinned Six Paths disciples, large numbers of merchant caravan guards also swarmed out in groups.

About two thousand Great Dragon City Guest Hall disciples led the way, with over ten thousand merchant caravan guards following closely; the mighty crowd stretched several li wide and seven or eight li long, like a swarm of frantic marching ants pressing relentlessly.

Perhaps because of Wu Tie's earlier shock, this massive troop merely doggedly followed behind him and his companions, but Wu Tie twice deliberately slowed his pace, and they slowed as well, showing no intention to seize the chance to overtake.

Wu Tie instantly understood that these fellows were still frightened in heart, merely putting on a show of pursuit; in truth, they had no guts to actually chase.

Wu Tie laughed loudly to the heavens a few times, had the shamaness speed up, repeatedly shaking the Wind and Cloud Banner, and the group hurried forward in flight.

Seeing that they were still a dozen li from the passage mouth, in the southwest of Great Dragon City, at the passage leading to Six Paths City, several figures burst out of the passage, each burly, their whole bodies glowing with a faint golden light, every movement exuding an immense, suffocating pressure.

"Who dares to kill on the territory of the Six Paths Palace?"

"Don't flee…… flee…… you won't escape."

Several figures shouted in low voices; from a distance of several hundred li, their voices sounded like rolling summer thunderclouds on the horizon, wave after wave of relentless rumble, shaking Wu Tie and his companions until their eardrums ached, their five viscera and six bowels churned slightly, and they almost vomited.

The shamaness hastily grabbed the Wind and Cloud Banner and shook it repeatedly, and Wu Tie and his companions sped up a bit more.

Those few golden‑hued figures snorted, then with a movement of their bodies they turned into several golden streaks that tore through the air, shooting straight toward Wu Tie and his companions.

Their speed was astonishing— in the snap of a finger they covered a dozen li, then another dozen li……

In no time, Wu Tie had just reached the passage mouth, yet they were already a hundred zhang behind him and his companions.