Chapter 17: Lord

A fierce wind swept across the river surface, rolling up waves several meters high.

Beneath the water, a huge black shadow loomed faintly, and a low growl could be heard.

Besides the giant hippopotamus, this thousand‑li river that cuts across the basin hides many terrifying beasts; no one knows what lurks beneath, and the unknown stirs fear in people's hearts.

Inside the black‑shaped torpedo‑like object, three youths desperately paddled, and in a short time they neared the riverbank.

Behind them a long water line suddenly appeared, accompanied by a low roar; the water surface within several meters bulged, and a ferocious huge mouth below opened, viciously biting the black torpedo‑like object.

The three youths shouted in alarm, leapt up, and stumbled into the shallow shore, splashing mud and water as they scrambled onto the bank.

With a 'crack', the black torpedo‑like object was shattered in one bite.

The underwater beast vanished, no one saw its true form; only fragments of the torpedo‑shaped object remained on the surface, drifting a moment before the waves drove them to the riverbed.

On the shore, figures kept pouring out of the first black torpedo‑like object to land; four Ox Tribe warriors wielded great axes, alongside eight sturdy human men bearing weapons, escorting a black‑clad girl as they fled swiftly.

The three youths, holding straight blades and wearing sinister expressions, steadily pursued the black‑clad girl and her companions.

Although they outnumbered their pursuers, the black‑clad girl's party was clearly at a disadvantage; they hurried toward the basin's depths, daring not to turn and confront the three youths.

The youth who had just shouted loudly bellowed hoarsely: 'I told you, you're all going to die! You can't escape!'

Because they reached shore early, the black‑clad girl's group had already fled seven or eight li. The land here was fertile and soft, covered with moss and fine vines; they left many traces, and the three youths easily followed.

Moreover, the vegetation here is not lush; the mushroom patches and fern groves are sparse and not very dense.

Ox Tribe warriors stand about two meters tall; these 1.5‑ to 1.6‑meter mushroom patches and fern groves reach only to their chests, so from over ten li away their burly frames are easily visible.

Several li out, a few metallic spiders hid among the mushroom clusters, their scarlet eyes flickering with an eerie light as they watched the two groups from afar.

They can only operate near the Ancient God Barracks; this place is far beyond their usual range, yet it does not hinder them from monitoring these outsiders here.

Ahead of those metallic spiders, Wu Tie had his whole body wrapped in large fern leaves, carefully crawling in a fern thicket to observe.

'This armor is great, but its pallid white is too easy to spot.' Lying on the ground, Wu Tie kept muttering complaints.

This close‑fitting armor is excellent—strong protection and comfortable, like a second skin—but its pallid white is too conspicuous, especially its spotless nature, which prevents Wu Tie from even covering it with mud.

He could only use the method taught by Old Iron, wrapping his whole body in fern branches and leaves for cover.

The two groups, one ahead and one behind, drew nearer; soon the black‑clad girl's party would pass from Wu Tie's front‑left, and he got a clear look at her appearance.

She wore an exquisite black gown made of a refined fabric Wu Tie had never seen—smooth, lustrous, and clearly valuable.

Around her neck and wrists she wore ornaments of gleaming green gems; their faint green light further accentuated her skin, white as snow.

Her long, glossy black hair fell like a waterfall behind her; her features were picturesque, her lips tinted an unknown material into a pale purple, exuding an indescribable allure.

Wu Tie inexplicably felt a little dry‑mouthed; it was the first time he had ever seen such a beautiful member of his own race of the opposite sex.

No… this was Wu Tie's first time seeing a genuine opposite‑sex member of his own kind.

inexplicably, Wu Tie felt his heart race, his blood flow quicken, his face flush in waves, and cold sweat seep from his palms and soles.

A metallic spider suddenly fixed its gaze on Wu Tie; thin red rays fell upon him, feeding back his exact bodily condition to the Ancient God Barracks.

They ran swiftly; because of the black‑clad girl, the front group's pace was a bit slow, while the three youths behind, wielding straight blades, leapt like the wind—like three agile monkeys darting quickly through the mushroom patches and fern groves.

Several times, poisonous insects and snakes tried to bite the three youths, but a flash of blade cleaved those toxic spiders, lizards, rats, and snakes in half.

Wu Tie's pupils contracted sharply; those three youths' swordsmanship was terrifying!

He instinctively judged that, with his current spear technique, he probably couldn't even block a single strike.

Suddenly, the black‑clad girl gave a soft hum, her foot slipped on a round stone thickly covered with moss; even from several li away, Wu Tie heard the crisp crack of her ankle joint.

Her ankle dislocated, the black‑clad girl crashed to the ground, crushing a patch of tiny fungi; her body was speckled with the fluorescent juice of ruptured luminous mushrooms, a sorry sight indeed.

The fleeing party ahead abruptly halted; they did not help the black‑clad girl up, but at the command of a human‑like Ox Tribe warrior whose nose bore a gold ring, twelve people quickly formed a small defensive formation, shielding her in the rear.

Seeing the black‑clad girl fall, the three youths behind let out excited, sharp cries, their speed suddenly surging—each step easily covering ten or more meters, kicking up three gusts as they swiftly gave chase.

In just seven or eight li, they caught up after only a dozen breaths.

When the three youths were still about two hundred meters from the black‑clad girl's group, they stopped; this frantic run had clearly drained them, and they panted heavily, sweat soon dripping from their chins.

'You're all going to die!' the youth who had just shouted swung his straight blade—about half his height long—once; the blade's arc sliced the three falling deadly funnel‑spiders into dust.

The black‑clad girl struggled to rise, her face twitching as she looked at the filth on her body, then at her hands black with mud and grime; her slender frame trembled slightly as she cried out sternly: 'You've already killed so many people…… you……'

The youth raised his straight blade, assumed an odd forward‑leaning stance, his bloodshot eyes locked on the black‑clad girl: 'Just one more—kill you, and it'll be complete…… Shi Lingqing, you're the only one missing!'

Shi Lingqing, the black‑clad girl, gave a bitter laugh: 'Do we really have such a blood feud? You… and your companions have already slaughtered my kin.'

The three youths' faces didn't twitch; Shi Lingqing said in a low voice: 'My father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, my people…… and so many servants…… were slain by you. I risked everything to flee into the Underground Yin River, yet you still won't let me go……'

Wu Tie's heart pounded violently; he instinctively felt a sudden, inexplicable hatred and resentment toward those three youths.

They had slaughtered all of Shi Lingqing's kin!

Damned things.

They had wiped out her family, yet they pursued her all the way here… the dangers of the Underground Yin River need not be spoken of; they even chased her into it, determined to exterminate every last one.

What grudge, what hatred?

Wu Tie inexplicably developed a strong hostility toward those three.

He gripped his spear tightly; the dozens of fist‑sized stones he had deliberately kept nearby floated up lightly.

'Enough talk, die!' the youth let out a long cry, his body instantly splitting into three afterimages; the three afterimages swung their blades together, sending a fierce wind forward as they slashed.

Two Ox Tribe warriors bellowed, swinging their great axes, stepped forward three paces, then brought the axes down hard on the triple afterimage.

Two afterimages vanished; only the right‑hand afterimage solidified, a flash of blade arriving instantly at the ribs of an Ox Tribe warrior.

From behind a spear thrust forth; a stalwart youth beside Shi Lingqing leveled his lance, a glint flashed on the tip, and the rapidly spinning spearhead spat out a ball of fire, flames blazing forward seven or eight feet.

The youth gave a long cry, his body bobbed and folded, then he retreated sharply to the rear‑left.

As he moved, a arrow‑streak whistled past his shoulder with a piercing screech.

With a loud crack of breaking flesh, the Ox Tribe warrior who had dodged the blade grunted; a thumb‑thick arrow pierced his right chest. The terrible force stored in the arrow shook his body, forcing him to stumble back four or five steps involuntarily.

Among the two youths left behind, one had plunged his long blade into the ground; he gripped tightly the bow he'd carried on his back, its string still vibrating violently.

The youth who had just lunged returned to his two companions, raising his straight blade at Shi Lingqing with a cold smile: 'Are you afraid? Your companions are dwindling…… I could spend one year and five months assassinating your kin one by one, wiping out the rest of your Shi Family, and I wouldn't mind spending another year slowly killing you and those around you!'

Shi Lingqing gritted her teeth, staring at the young man as she shouted hoarsely, "What grudge, what hatred? Tell me your name—even if I die, I need to know exactly why!"

"Luo Lin!" the young man bluntly gave his name: "Of course, you've surely never heard my name before."

Luo Lin's eyes grew bloodier, he clenched his teeth tight, forcing out each word with difficulty from between his teeth: "Why? Because you killed my little sister—that's all there is to it!"

"Little sister?" Shi Lingqing's face turned a bit pale; obviously, something had occurred to her.

"You remember?" Luo Lin raised his straight sword again.

The guards beside Shi Lingqing nervously gripped their weapons; the ox-tribe warrior who had just been struck by an arrow swayed, straining to straighten his body.

A thick arrow shaft was embedded in his chest, a thin trickle of blood continuously flowing down the shaft, soon staining a large area beneath the ox-tribe warrior's feet red.

"You've already killed so many of my people!" Shi Lingqing bit her teeth, her lips turned a faint purple and trembled involuntarily: "Is that not enough?"

Luo Lin lightly shook his head, his straight sword pointing at Shi Lingqing: "Grudges have a source, debts have a debtor. I've heard this matter was personally handled by you. Your clansmen are just extras; the one I truly want to kill…"

Before he could finish speaking, Luo Lin and his companion wielding a long blade lunged forward together.

Luo Lin again turned into three afterimages and lunged forward; his companion followed closely behind, and in a flash his long blade flicked—six roughly foot-long knives slipped out soundlessly in a strange arc, aimed at the four ox-tribe warriors blocking the front.

The four ox-tribe warriors simultaneously raised their huge battle-axes to block their chests; the short knives struck the axe faces, emitting a piercing clang.

Luo Lin lunged in, the cold light on his long blade flashing.

A slender man in a long robe beside Shi Lingqing stepped forward abruptly; he waved his right hand, and three thin wooden sticks six feet long flew out of his sleeve, slamming hard onto the ground.

Lightning crackled at the tops of the sticks, a piercing thunderclap rang out, and the three wooden sticks sprayed wide sheets of electricity, covering an area of several meters ahead.

Silvery-white electricity crackled violently, intersecting and striking; within a radius of several meters, nothing but violent lightning coiled and crossed, the ground bombarded by currents, leaving deep gouges that continually spat out pale green smoke.

Luo Lin and his companion hastily retreated backward; just as the three wooden sticks flew from the slender man's sleeve, they had already withdrawn dozens of meters.

The electricity raged, yet it failed to strike their bodies.

Luo Lin burst out laughing: "You've got a hidden expert beside you—do you really think we'd fall for that?"

Amid the laughter, Shi Lingqing let out a shrill cry mixing shock and fury.

The slender man who had struck out staggered, retreating in disarray step by step for several paces.

As the electrical glare raged, drawing almost everyone's attention, a youth wielding a long bow from behind took action. Using the electricity as cover, an arrow tore through the air and struck the slender man.

Unlike the heavily armored, sturdy ox-tribe people, this slender man wore a long robe and his body was extremely frail.

The same kind of arrow merely lodged deep in the chest of an ox-tribe warrior, but this slender man was pierced through the right chest; the arrow went clean through, leaving a fist-sized transparent hole in his torso.

Blood spattered, also splashing across the face of Shi Lingqing, who stood behind the slender man.

Shi Lingqing shrieked, hastily pulling a black stone jar from her sleeve, pouring out some dark medicinal liquid to smear on the slender man's wound and feeding him several mouthfuls of it.

The slender man's wound instantly contracted, with not a trace of blood seeping out.

Yet the wound was also extremely severe; he sat on the ground, barely alive, without strength to move or speak.

"You… deserve to die!" Shi Lingqing screamed hoarsely, slamming the empty black stone jar hard onto the ground.

Luo Lin brandished his straight sword, the tip aimed at Shi Lingqing: "You're the one who deserves to die! I'll chop off your head and use it to sacrifice to my little sister!"

Wu Tie could no longer restrain himself; he sprang up, his body shooting ten-odd meters into the air, then glided forward lightly as if flying.

A hundred-meter distance passed in an instant; Wu Tie leapt again, gliding forward like a great bird.

Both Shi Lingqing's side and Luo Lin's were startled by Wu Tie's movements; they turned simultaneously, assuming a defensive stance as they looked toward him.

Wu Tie landed on a small hillock more than a Chinese mile away from both sides, his long spear pointing at Lin as he shouted sternly: "This place is my territory… no matter what grudges you have, fighting is not allowed here!"

"Anyone who makes a move will be my enemy!"

Wu Tie waved his hand; dozens of fist-sized stones shot out from behind him, smashing a fern patch dozens of meters away to pieces.