Chapter 171

Wu Tie looked at the snake-person who called himself Lord Sa.

Snake-person, this is a rare breed.

Lord Sa could be nearly three meters tall, his huge head was that of a python, his arms and legs were humanoid, and from his waist trailed a python tail as thick as a water bucket, which could also be over two meters long, making his already massive stature even more imposing.

Uneven blackish-brown scales covered his entire body densely, even the eye sockets and the area around his large mouth were covered in tiny scales, making Lord Sa look especially ferocious.

With a pair of snake‑specific flecks of gold in his cold, aloof eyes, this guy looks exactly like a demon from the legends of hell — nothing like a being that should exist in the human world.

Old Bai stood trembling behind Iron Great Sword.

Snake people have an innate deterrent power over rat people, so Old Bai could only steady himself by taking refuge behind Iron Great Sword, whose cultivation was the highest.

"I need information about the Black Snake Domain, especially concerning the Golden Wraiths." Wu Tie glanced at Sa Da Ren, then flicked his wrist and tossed over two green gems the size of a baby's fist.

Having a good mother is like this — the Wa tribe has its own mining team, so as long as there is a gem vein, they never lack top‑quality gems. These two green gems are crystal clear throughout, with no impurities whatsoever; each is worth tens of thousands of gold snake stones.

Sa Da Ren grinned, satisfiedly flicking his tongue: "Looks like you're a distinguished guest… not a pauper. News of the Golden Wraiths? Well, news of the Golden Wraiths…"

His gaze fell upon the animal‑skin paper in Wu Tie's hand.

Wu Tie read the name 'Sa Hei' on the animal‑skin paper, as well as a string of awkward syllables that had no actual meaning.

"Well, we certainly have all the intel on the Golden Wraiths' assassination squad." Sa Da Ren happily flicked his tongue: "Here are the detailed details of that squad's captain, vice‑captain, and all the leaders."

"Including where they are, what they're doing… all the information is very thorough."

"Our Dark Guild's power in the Black Snake Domain is strong, with many eyes and ears; no news can hide from us. Therefore, this information is fully worth the fee you paid."

Sa Da Ren produced a finely made, very smooth and flat animal‑skin paper, its complexion rather fair, and handed it to Wu Tie with a chuckle: "Well, you lot might not be a match for them, so…"

"Besides the info on that assassination squad, I also need all available intelligence on the Golden Wraiths… according to your rules, the maximum amount of information you can provide us." Wu Tie narrowed his eyes at Sa Da Ren: "Also, I'd like to hire a team through you."

Sa Da Ren's eyes widened as he stared straight at Wu Tie: "Hire people through us?"

Wu Tie nodded: "Enough manpower to wipe out that assassination squad entirely… I'm willing to pay sufficient compensation."

Sa Da Ren laughed, flicking his long tongue, which occasionally brushed past his nostrils: "A wise choice, truly a wise choice—I, Sa Da Ren, love generous, deep‑pocketed guests like you… Believe me, the Dark Guild won't let you down!"

"The Golden Wraiths have a mortal enemy called the 'Blood‑Curved Blade.'" Sa Da Ren's large tail swished left and right happily, like a heavy whip, making a 'whoosh' sound: "Believe me, they'll be glad to cooperate with you."

He held up the two green gems in his hand, smiling at Wu Tie: "Will this do?"

Wu Tie bowed slightly to Sa Da Ren: "This is just a small token of my respect. I hope to become friends with the Dark Guild; it's nothing much. I will pay in full for all expenses needed to hire the Blood‑Curved Blade's manpower."

He paused, then looked at Sa Da Ren: "But… I hope, regarding the people I hire…"

Sa Da Ren satisfiedly slipped the two green gems into his waist‑skin pouch, then reached out and firmly scratched the scales on his chin, nodding deeply: "You are a honored guest of Sa Da Ren, so… you will receive certain privileges… this hiring will involve no leakage of information."

Sa Da Ren's pupils narrowed to slits as he stared at Wu Tie and said: "The Dark Guild has its own principles; we won't indiscriminately sell information for money without condition, nor will we act without limits… in time you'll understand our rules."

Wu Tie smiled and said nothing.

Principles and limits? He'd have to be a ghost to believe Sa Da Ren's words.

Old Tie once said, only profit is eternal; some people will do anything for profit.

The Dark Guild? Wu Tie thought their integrity, their so‑called principles and limits, were about as worthless as a gray rock lizard's fart… utterly foul.

Wu Tie and Sa Da Ren then settled the matter of hiring the Blood‑Curved Blade on the spot, after which Wu Tie paid all the fees in one lump sum.

A group of dwarves whose skin was pitch black, as black as charcoal, emerged from several passageways; they swiftly dismantled the teleportation array on the ground and then carried it away.

The hiring fees that Wu Tie produced were also taken away by them at once.

Without a doubt, this way of doing things would expose Wu Tie to great risk; it's very possible that after Sa Da Ren took the money he wouldn't honor his promise, and Wu Tie's huge hiring expense would be wasted.

But Wu Tie had no alternative.

He was utterly unfamiliar with the Black Snake Domain; to deal with the Golden Wraiths he had to rely on the Dark Guild's power. If it meant only losing a little money, that loss he could bear—far better than losing lives.

Sa Da Ren and Wu Tie agreed on a means of contact; his sturdy, burly body flickered and turned into a long shadow, instantly vanishing into the darkness without a trace.

Wu Tie looked around, glanced at the crude animal‑skin map Sa Da Ren had given him, memorized the rough passages, then shook his hand and the map exploded into fragments.

"Well, now that we're here, we can't trust anyone—especially those Dark Guild people." Wu Tie said to Iron Great Sword: "Their map is only for reference; I dare not follow the three shortest routes they marked."

"Exactly—who knows if their routes are lined with countless Golden Wraiths waiting for us?" Iron Great Sword said solemnly: "Anyway, we have many options… let's first leave this place."

Old Bai grabbed a few small rock mice from his waist pouch, fed them a bit of food, gave them a few 'squeak' instructions, and the several rock mice he had trained to be obedient darted out, sprinting down a passageway to scout ahead.

Shan Dun and Mo Zhang Wang walked at the front of the group; Wu Tie, Shi Fei and a few others marched in the middle; Iron Great Sword, whose cultivation was the highest, took the rear guard, falling several hundred meters behind the team to watch for any Dark Guild spies.

At the same time, Iron Great Sword's martial‑world experience was the richest, so he also had to erase any traces left by the team's passage.

The team then set out, proceeding along a passageway Wu Tie had chosen at random.

In the stone cave they had just left, a mass of shadow rose slowly, and Sa Da Ren emerged silently from it.

He silently flicked his tongue and murmured lowly: "Oh, oh, what a cautious bunch… but Sa Da Ren likes generous, open‑handed guests… since the honored guest has already offered enough gold, contact the Blood‑Curved Blade's people and wipe out that Golden Wraith assassination squad."

"Oh, oh, I hope these generous guests have strength to match their wealth." Sa Da Ren lightly flicked his tongue: "As much as possible, let's make those miserly Golden Wraiths bleed… if they don't suffer enough, why would they come to us?"

Sa Da Ren's tongue flicked out over a meter long, agilely brushing the air twice, and he muttered lowly: "Chaotic Black Snake Domain… I sense an even greater chaos… I love chaos; only through chaos can we gain greater profit."

"Let chaos reign, let chaos reign, the more chaos the better…" Sa Da Ren gently knelt, crossed his hands before his chest, and prayed to some unknown entity in the void: "Darkness is the source of all things, chaos is the creative force—may darkness and chaos rule all, let the primal darkness descend… let chaos rise, let chaos rise, let chaos rise… hehe, hehe, hehehehe."

Wu Tie and the others deliberately chose the most rugged, narrow, and difficult road to advance.

Although such a road is hard to travel, it minimizes the chance of being followed or ambushed.

Wu Tie walked in the middle of the team; his eyes flickered with gold‑red firelight, and in the darkness no trace could escape his gaze.

His ears twitched slightly; even the faint sound of a few small insects outside several li bouncing onto moss was heard clearly by him. Even through rock layers hundreds of meters thick, or even kilometers thick, the sound of subterranean river water could not escape his ears.

The wind blew through the narrow passageway.

Various subtle scents rode the wind, and with each breath Wu Tie could clearly discern those odors in the air.

Soil, moss, sewage… plus the distinctive smells of various spiders, reptiles, poisonous snakes, and lizards.

Even as he walked in the passageway, within a radius of several hundred meters he could clearly feel the minute vibrations transmitted through the ground—how many people were beside him, how many creatures were moving…

Even a single drop of water falling a hundred meters away, so slight a vibration, he could perceive clearly.

Wu Tie's five senses had reached the utmost acuity.

With such keen senses, he could monitor at any moment every stir of wind and grass around him.

The reflection of all things in the heart, in this state, ordinary people could not possibly sneak attack Wu Tie; ordinary ambush methods are wasted effort.

Wu Tie walked forward lightly.

There was an extremely faint five-colored pattern on his brow, like a closed eye.

Occasionally, when he looked left and right, within that extremely faint five-colored pattern, a flash of extremely bright electric light would flicker.

Nuwa Mother expended greatly, using a special privilege left by Wu Tie's grandmother, offering sacrifice to the ancestral spirit statue of the Nuwa Clan; the blessing bestowed upon Wu Tie was not only keen, abnormal senses, but also a more terrifying enhancement.

Black Snake Realm.

The largest stone cavern, the Giant Snake Cave, is a roughly elliptical stone cavern up to 1,200 li long and 500 li wide.

The Giant Snake Cave is vast, especially the dome at its highest point, which is several thousand meters high; countless galleries have been carved into the surrounding rock walls, countless caves dug out, and beside the galleries and the cave edges stand fire basins of various sizes, burning flames day and night.

This is a notorious chaotic place in the surrounding regions; day and night, there is noisy chatter everywhere, fights everywhere, killings everywhere, people are killed at any time, and various robberies, murders, and rapes occur at any time.

There is no fixed force occupying absolute dominance here.

Dozens of forces of various sizes are distributed here, each occupying a patch of territory, with varying numbers of followers, each running their own exclusive or non-exclusive businesses.

Among these dozens of forces, the Gold Nether Spirit is considered relatively strong, with over thirty thousand formal members, controlling millions of slaves; they have taken the largest share of territory inside the Giant Snake Cave (not to mention), and also occupied two small stone caverns near the Giant Snake Cave.

Moreover, the Gold Nether Spirit's conduct is brutal and vicious, like a mad dog; once provoked, they never let go; several of their leaders possess formidable cultivation, so the Gold Nether Spirit is infamous in the Great Dragon Cave and the Black Snake Realm, living comfortably and prosperously.

Black Ring Lord Sun Zuo is the captain of an elite hunting squad within the Gold Nether Spirit.

However, several years ago he lost troops and fled in disgrace from the Cangyan Realm; he spent years of effort, nearly exhausting his family's wealth, finally replenishing his hunting squad, his strength now somewhat greater than before.

His purse shrunk, life hard, Sun Zuo was preparing to find a suitable target to make a big deal, when he was suddenly drafted into a temporarily assembled assassination squad; as the captain of a hunting squad, he became the leader of a scouting team.

Sun Zuo, with a grim face, crouched on the rock wall beside the traffic artery entering and exiting the Great Dragon Cave, like a black-ringed poison snake ready to hunt, squinting his eyes at the passageway below the cliff over a hundred meters high.

Troops came and went in waves.

The troops leaving the Great Dragon Cave were spirited and valiant, while those entering bore the smell of blood, even carrying many wounded and corpses.

Any force that can survive in the Great Dragon Cave has no soft-hearted benevolent ones; when they leave the Great Dragon Cave, they go to do various zero-capital businesses, nothing but fighting and killing, inevitably suffering losses.

Sun Zuo, grim-faced, watched the coming and going troops, calculating which troop might be the target the Gold Nether Spirit is seeking.

Someone actually dared to come to the Black Snake Realm to cause trouble for the Gold Nether Spirit?

Sun Zuo gave a cold laugh... the high-ups of the Gold Nether Spirit have actually assembled a hundred-strong assassination squad in all seriousness... they really overestimate those clueless fools.