Chapter 190: Greed

After the banquet, Lao Dao Feng issued orders one after another, and the high-level members of the Blood Curved Blade all obeyed and left.

As the newly appointed Vice Hall Master of the War Hall of the Blood Curved Blade, Wu Tie was unfamiliar with all affairs of the Blood Curved Blade, knew hardly any of his subordinates, and upon joining the Blood Curved Blade he followed Lao Dao Feng into the Primeval Relic.

Lao Dao Feng was also uneasy letting him act independently, so he simply sent a few girls to accompany him to rest.

As a freshly appointed War Hall Vice Master, Wu Tie was qualified to occupy a Shibao exclusively.

The exquisite Shibao stood beneath three massive stone pillars, with thick walls built around it, and watchtowers and arrow towers erected on top, where Lizardfolk archers stood guard day and night.

To experts, these Lizardfolk archers were utterly useless.

But as a high-ranking member of the Blood Curved Blade, this was a necessary display… display represented identity, status, hierarchy; at any time, as long as one is an intelligent being, one cannot avoid paying attention to these.

Under the respectful guidance of the few girls, Wu Tie entered the Shibao.

Inside the Shibao there were dozens of assigned slaves, all lovely young women with beautiful faces. When Wu Tie entered, they knelt on the ground with smiling faces, foreheads touching the floor, arms stretched out to the sides as far as possible, displaying the beautiful curves of their bodies to the utmost.

As a Half-Dragon, Wu Tie looked at these young women and gave a muffled cold snort: "Skinny arms and legs… flat chest, small buttocks—obviously incapable of bearing children… hum, forget it, I won't make things hard for you; you can still do rough work."

He spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground and said arrogantly: "Besides, you have not a single scale on your bodies… not at all attractive!"

The selected slave girls stared at Wu Tie, dumbfounded, unable to utter a word for a moment.

Wu Tie smirked, nodded at them, casually tossed a handful of gold coins, and strode toward the Main Hall of the Shibao.

In such a situation, the more indifferent Wu Tie showed toward them, the better it protected them.

Unconsciously, Wu Tie gradually came to understand and grow accustomed to the way of survival in this world.

Not only his own survival, but also that of everyone around him.

The girls stared blankly, then, under the lead of two slightly older girls, they silently divided the gold coins on the floor, and with faint smiles followed Wu Tie into the Main Hall.

It seemed that a not-so-bad master had arrived… thinking of those slaves tortured to death by other high-ranking members of the Blood Curved Blade, such a master… although he looks fierce and ugly, somehow gives a sense of inexplicable peace of mind.

Just as he sat down in the reception hall of the Main Hall and had someone bring over a few jars of poor wine, before Wu Tie could use the Tree of Abundance to turn them into fine liquor, the few girls standing silently at the reception hall door collapsed without a sound, smiling, and Tang Qi walked in.

Wu Tie glanced at the few girls lying at the door; their breathing was smooth and steady, merely knocked unconscious, with no danger to life.

Furrowing his brow, Wu Tie looked at Tang Qi and gave a cold snort: "Old Tang, this courtyard was allotted to me by the Great Chieftain; it's my territory……"

Setting down his wine jar, he slowly rose and gave Tang Qi a grin showing his teeth: "You know, how do the Dragonfolk Clan usually deal with bastards who intrude on their territory?"

Tang Qi stared blankly, his eyes narrowing instinctively.

He felt a bit regretful…

After the banquet, he merely anxiously wanted to find Wu Tie and ask what had really happened in the Primeval Relic… but he hadn't expected that his habitual intrusion would constitute the Dragonfolk Clan's greatest taboo.

The Dragonfolk Clan possesses the nature of the legendary dragons.

They are accustomed to carving out territories, and have an almost manic possessiveness over their land.

No matter who it is, even their own birth parents, if they enter their territory without permission, a bloody battle will surely erupt.

"I…" Tang Qi looked at Wu Tie's large eyes flashing with feral light, feeling a bit guilty. Suddenly he recalled being slapped by Wu Tie from a three‑kilometer‑high cliff, hurled down to leave not even a bone of White Ghost Old Nine.

But then, suddenly, Tang Qi realized.

He is the War Hall Master of the Blood Curved Blade, while Wu Tie is merely a newcomer he personally recruited.

A newcomer who has been in the Blood Curved Blade for only three days.

Moreover, during those three days he spent most of the time in the Primeval Relic; his stay in the Blood Curved Blade's garrison was less than a day.

Such a newcomer, yet still his deputy… is he really feeling guilty?

"Spear Grandpa, I've come to see you about something serious…" Tang Qi said with a cold face, his voice cold and icy as he gave a cold laugh.

"Damn your mother… serious business!" Wu Tie snapped his face and swung a slap at Tang Qi.

In the relic, Wu Tie received an infusion of the Spring of Life, and his physical strength has already surpassed ten billion catties.

Afterwards, while merging with the Tree of Abundance, his cultivation kept breaking through, his bodily strength surged forward, and now he steadily advances toward two hundred billion catties of strength.

A casual slap actually whipped up a gale, raised a thunderclap, and shook the entire stone building.

Tang Qi's complexion suddenly changed.

From Wu Tie's slap he sensed the terrifying aura of a mountain pressing down.

Cannot block, cannot block, cannot block!

The keen intuition Tang Qi had honed through life‑and‑death struggles in the Great Serpent Cave over hundreds of years saved him; his eyes suddenly enlarged manyfold, his eyeballs gleaming bright, within them countless tiny hexagonal compound eyes flickered with deep light, the cloth on his back tore apart, and several pairs of thin membranous wings snapped open.

"Buzz!"

A continuous humming rose from the vibrating wings, and Tang Qi, leaving only a faint afterimage, narrowly slipped out from the edge of Wu Tie's palm.

Wu Tie stared in astonishment at the transformed Tang Qi: "Green Mantis Tang Qi… you really are… a mantis demon?"

Tang Qi gave Wu Tie a grim look, his rear membranous wings several meters long flailing violently, stirring up gusts of wind, and said in a cold voice: "Mantis demon? What nonsense… I merely activated the bloodline of the Primeval Rending Void Gold‑Eating Mantis……"

"A person turned into a mantis!" Wu Tie nodded as if suddenly enlightened: "Rending Void, your speed is fantastic; Gold‑Eating, your bite is excellent and your body surely sturdy… and a mantis, being an insect, has tenacious vitality."

"Able to run and fight, strong defense, supple vitality… no wonder your strength isn't great, yet you've managed to become the War Hall Master of the Blood Curved Blade." Wu Tie grinned, showing a mouthful of big teeth glittering in the lamp light.

Tang Qi's heart sank.

This seemingly crude and simple‑minded fool actually possesses such terrifying analytical ability?

Just as Wu Tie said, after Tang Qi activated his bloodline, his body gradually transformed toward the Primeval Divine Insect Rending Void Gold‑Eating Mantis.

His speed became extremely fast, especially after he revealed his wings—no one in the Great Serpent Cave could catch him. Moreover, he habitually secretly devoured some rare metal ores, which made his physical defense far surpass that of ordinary people.

And his vitality needs no saying.

He has been gravely wounded countless times, yet each time he struggled back from the brink of death, making him brave and battle‑hardened—this is why he became the War Hall Master of the Blood Curved Blade!

"I never expected you to be so shrewd… but I like smart people…" Tang Qi said coldly: "Tell me, what exactly did you encounter in the relic, you… and the Great Chieftain and his lot—what did you get out of it?"

Wu Tie clenched his fists, swayed them toward Tang Qi, and laughed loudly: "You dare intrude on my territory and still want to ask me these? Hey, how about you take a punch from me, and I'll answer one question?"

Tang Qi fell silent.

Take his punch?

Tang Qi certainly isn't that stupid—just that slap earlier already frightened him to the point his heart twisted into a knot.

"Then, how about I take a punch from you?" a low voice came from the doorway of the living room, and Niu Man, whose whole body was steaming with heat, walked in step by step.

A massive gravity spread from Niu Man's body, and the furniture that had been tossed about by the whirlwind kicked up by Tang Qi's wings suddenly all came to a halt.

"Niu Man!" Wu Tie looked at Niu Man: "You came too?"

Niu Man nodded heavily, his voice deep and resonant, and said: "Someone under me told me that although the Chief gave me a set of armor, you must have gotten something better from the ruins, otherwise the Chief wouldn't be so generous."

"But they told me that if I went straight to ask the Chief, I'd probably get cut in half by him."

"I don't want to be split by the Chief... so they told me to come cause trouble for you. Because you're a newcomer, if I bully you, no one will speak up for you."

"My people also told me that many would be glad to see me bully you."

"And they also told me that even if I bully you, no one will speak up for you in front of the Chief... all the blame will be yours... Tang Qi, do you think I'm right?"

Tang Qi smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Niu Man, your subordinates have talent... exactly, that's the point!"

"Absolutely right, just go ahead and bully him... even if you kill him, it's fine; when we face the Chief, we old brothers will definitely speak up for you."

Tang Qi laughed as he floated back ten or so meters, clearing the ground for Niu Man and Wu Tie to face off.

"That's right... you just said, let Tang Qi take a punch from you?" Niu Man raised his fist and heavily pounded the glittering chest armor studded with countless gems, grinning: "Tang Qi's physique is weak; this guy always flits around when fighting, doing sneak attacks, never facing head-on."

"I'm different; Niu Man's body is sturdy enough... plus this set of armor granted by the Chief..." Niu Man exclaimed: "Just now in the Death-defying Battalion's camp, I tested it—even the strongest hundred brothers of the Battalion working together couldn't break this armor..."

"This armor is very strong." Niu Man said with a smile: "So, you come punch me once, I'll take your punch, then you answer my question, okay?"

Wu Tie looked at the armor on Niu Man's body.

Unlike Wu Tie's half-body armor plus a short skirt armor, Niu Man's golden armor is a full set of heavy armor.

The helmet is a complete fully enclosed ox-head shaped helmet; heavy golden plates tightly wrap Niu Man's entire body, leaving only a few small patches of skin exposed.

Many blood-colored gems are inlaid in the heavy armor.

These gems flash with a dazzling blood light that makes one dizzy, and a mighty surge of qi and blood power constantly emanates from them.

One can imagine that this armor is not only astonishingly defensive, but those blood-colored gems also have more miraculous effects... Wu Tie speculated that perhaps these blood-colored gems could give Niu Man greater endurance and a vaster vitality.

Wu Tie pressed his lips together tightly.

Niu Man's fingers were also sealed in golden gauntlets, impervious to wind; he clenched his fist and hammered the chest armor, sending up bursts of firelight.

He laughed loudly: "This is a fine treasure... but my men say you must have gotten something better from the ruins... I dare not ask the Chief, so I can only ask you."

"Tell me what you know, and we'll still be brothers!" Niu Man narrowed his eyes; on his ox-head shaped helmet, blood light flickered at the eye sockets, looking immensely threatening.

Wu Tie looked at Niu Man.

This guy doesn't even know how many people he's killed; the killing aura on him is intensely strong.

One can imagine what kind of force the Blood Saber is; in the chaotic Great Serpent Cavern they engage in banditry, looting homes... throughout the Blood Saber, not a single innocent person exists.

"Heh... ha!"

Wu Tie let out a loud roar, his right fist blasting out a terrifying thunderous boom, and he punched Niu Man's chest armor.

Sparks flew in all directions; Niu Man's chest armor suffered no damage, but he could not withstand the terrifying force of Wu Tie's fist, his body shooting backward, almost in an absolutely straight line, flying out of Wu Tie's Shibao, whooshing out dozens of li.

Niu Man's body rapidly rubbed against the air, drawing a straight white vapor trail in the air.

After flying dozens of li, he then slammed hard into the ground; his massive body rolled and bounced, carving out pits tens of meters in diameter, finally crashing headfirst into a stone pillar nearly a hundred li away, his whole body embedding into the pillar.

The stone pillar, hundreds of meters in diameter, emitted a deafening roar; half of it split apart, massive stones rained down from the sky, taking with them large sections of the pillar and stalactites that fell from the vaulted ceiling.

The vault of the Great Serpent Cavern is extremely high above the ground; stone pillars and stalactites fall from the air, their speed increasing, gradually emitting sharp tearing sounds, and even the tops rubbing violently against the air gradually produce sparks.

This place is no longer within the territory of the Blood Saber.

Wu Tie's one punch sent Niu Man flying from the core headquarters of the Blood Saber out of its territory.

All around came countless cries of alarm; some shouted screams, others fled in panic.

"Who is that? Who is that?"

"He flew out from the Blood Saber's grounds."

"That armor looks weird, never seen before?"

"Where did the Blood Saber get this armor from? Or where did they obtain some benefit?"

"Quickly send word back, quickly..."

"Oh dear, run for your lives, things are falling from above... first, flee!"