Chapter 194: Descendants of the Great Serpent

The encampment of the Gold Dead Spirits is quite distinctive.

Metal posts were cast one by one into various bone-like shapes; gold, silver, and copper bone-like posts were joined together, forming a wall that stretched two or three hundred li, encircling the entire headquarters of the Gold Dead Spirits.

These bone-like posts were inscribed with numerous eerie runes; under the False Sun's light, the metal posts continued to emit faint black mist, enveloping the entire encampment, making everything vague and indistinct.

Sweating profusely, Sun Zuo slipped in through a side gate into the headquarters of the Gold Dead Spirits.

Several Chonglou Realm leaders guarding the door tried to stop Sun Zuo and ask something, but Sun Zuo said nothing and slapped them hard; the leaders went rolling on the ground, and immediately no one dared to speak.

Sun Zuo muttered curses all the way, feigning calm as he hurried toward his hunting team's direction.

After all, he is a Life Pool Realm expert; even if he added them all up, he had only unlocked a few ten thousand light threads on the Thirty-Three Heavenly Lock of the Chonglou Realm… even less than the number of light threads Wu Tie has unlocked now… Sun Zuo also gained some supernatural abilities, his movement speed extremely fast.

His hunting team's encampment is right near the wall, after all, they often go out for raids, and living here makes it convenient for them to come and go.

Sun Zuo hurried into the small courtyard where his hunting team was stationed, and lowly growled: "You have a hundred seconds to grab important stuff, then… hurry up. While the Blood Curved Blade's people haven't surrounded us yet, hurry up."

The small courtyard is a siheyuan layout, with three-story buildings on all sides, capable of housing two or three hundred people.

Hearing Sun Zuo's shout, nearly two hundred men and women in black soft armor, all looking fierce, burst out from the small buildings, surrounding Sun Zuo and chattering about the situation ahead.

"Everyone knows the three leaders took us to negotiate with the Blood Curved Blade, right?"

"Those damned bastards of the Blood Curved Blade tore faces on the spot… the three leaders are dead." Sun Zuo made a throat-slashing gesture, hoarsely muttering: "So, hurry up and run… we absolutely cannot die with the Gold Dead Spirits."

Panting heavily, Sun Zuo grabbed the Gold Dead Spirits emblem on his chest, tore it off and threw it to the ground, then stomped hard with one foot.

Once, the Gold Dead Spirits emblem was Sun Zuo's pride, his greatest reliance; relying on this emblem, Sun Zuo enjoyed some carefree, unrestrained, wonderful days in the Great Serpent Cavern.

But now, this emblem has become a deadly thing.

The three leaders are dead, so many Life Pool Realm officers have died; who would dare wear this emblem and swagger about? They're just waiting to be annihilated by the Blood Curved Blade and other forces combined.

Such things… Sun Zuo, who has been mixing in the Great Serpent Cavern for many years, has seen plenty of them.

For any fallen power, among its original members, slaves and servants are divided as spoils, mid- and low-level fighters become slaves, and even their lives are not a concern.

Sun Zuo, this Life Pool Realm expert, a bona fide major leader, is surely doomed; no one would feel safe employing such a high-ranking enemy from an opposing force.

"I don't want to die… so, quickly pack important stuff and follow me." Sun Zuo's body trembled slightly as he lowly roared: "Once the Blood Curved Blade's army surrounds us, do you think you'll still have a life?"

Nearly two hundred hunting team members trembled, scrambling in all directions, busily packing their gear.

The core of this hunting team is Sun Zuo's old brothers; the others are elites he carefully selected and cultivated over the years. So they are loyal; Sun Zuo told them to pack, and they honestly gathered their belongings, no loud shouting, no random yelling.

More than ten of Sun Zuo's trusted brothers, also veteran members who participated in the assault on the Wu Family Shibao years ago, gathered around Sun Zuo.

They are seasoned old hunters, always ready to set out, travel, fight, and kill; thus their important items are always on them. They have little to pack; some loose wealth can be discarded at any time.

They lowered their heads slightly, listening to Sun Zuo's orders.

Sun Zuo's body trembled slightly, but his eyes flashed with a fierce light.

He intended to lead his brothers in flight; thereafter they could certainly no longer act under the identity of the Gold Dead Spirits, and they even needed to flee the Black Serpent Domain, the farther the better.

The food, drink, and bodily needs of a little over two hundred brothers all rested on him. When out in the wild, lacking cultivation resources is fine; Sun Zuo felt his miscellaneous cultivation could sustain him for a while.

But without gold coins… that is absolutely impossible.

Food, drink, supplies… of course they could rob homes and do their old trade… but they are destined to endure a hard period, so gold coins are still necessary.

"Come with me. Before we leave, let's pull a job." Sun Zuo made up his mind, looking at the teammates quickly gathering around, and gave them two hand signals.

They are the elites Sun Zuo painstakingly trained over the years; these hunting team members need no extra words from him, and several dozen members casually pulled out strangely shaped strong crossbows.

Poison-coated crossbow bolts were continuously loaded into the bow's magazine; the group, with one hand working and the other following Sun Zuo, walked out of the small courtyard.

Just three li outside Sun Zuo's encampment, beneath a huge stone pillar, stood a sturdy stone fortress.

That was a logistics supply depot of the Gold Dead Spirits, responsible for coordinating the logistics supply of all hunting teams and squads in this region, as well as appraising and recovering loot brought back by the teams, or assessing the value of precious spoils, etc.

As Sun Zuo knew, this depot stored millions of gold coins year-round, various elemental herbs, and a large amount of military equipment and supplies.

This depot originally had a Life Pool Realm expert stationed there, whose strength far surpassed Sun Zuo's.

But just now, Sun Zuo personally saw that expert beheaded by the Blood Curved Blade's people; the other guards of the depot naturally were not a concern to Sun Zuo.

Hurry up and pull a job; take as many good things as you can, then leave with the loot.

Sun Zuo unconsciously quickened his steps; for some reason, he always felt a chill on the back of his neck.

Is it an illusion? It should be an illusion, right?

Sun Zuo led the large group forward at a run; wherever they passed, the Gold Dead Spirits' slaves and servants naturally dared not ask questions. Any patrolling soldier who dared to speak more was ordered by Sun Zuo to be dealt with as quickly as possible.

Just a distance of three li, they arrived there without taking much time.

Facing the dozens of guards outside the supply depot, Sun Zuo waved his hand; the troops split left and right, revealing a unit of hunting squad members holding strong crossbows.

Black arrows trailed long, thin black flame tails, tearing the air with a piercing whistling sound.

Of the dozens of guards before the supply depot, only three or five barely raised their shields to dodge this volley of arrow attacks.

Sun Zuo gave a low laugh, waved his hand forward, and the hunting team charged up; dozens of blade and sword lights flashed, instantly slaying the few who had dodged the crossbow bolts, and he entered the depot with a low laugh.

Miserable howls and curses continually came from inside the depot.

Inside the depot were only some low-level non-combat logistics personnel; their cultivation was extremely low, their strength weak, and they were no match for elite hunting team members.

When Sun Zuo reached the depot's main gate, he had already heard the wonderful sound of the heavy gate being opened.

Gold coins, elemental herbs, and all kinds of treasures.

Sun Zuo trembled with excitement; he felt the low-quality Qiankun bag at his waist and lowly scolded: "Do you have a storage ring? Quickly find me the best one… damn it, I've had enough of this Qiankun bag."

Sun Zuo's eyes glowed, his voice unintentionally rising a few pitches: "Also, once you find the ring, fill it up and bring it here."

Before his words finished, Sun Zuo felt a wave of heat hit the back of his neck.

Sun Zuo's body suddenly stiffened; he opened his mouth but could not utter a word.

A terrifying pressure came from behind him, as if an ancient demon beast stood there; if it merely twitched a finger, he would be crushed to powder.

Sun Zuo's crotch grew hot, and he directly urinated.

His knees went weak, and without hesitation he knelt on the ground. He dared not look back, trembling as he said: "Senior, senior, sir, sir… ancestor… as long as you don't kill me, I, Sun Zuo, will serve you as an ox or horse, do anything."

"Although I, Sun Zuo, am weak in strength, I…"

Wu Tie stood behind Sun Zuo, gripping White Tiger Split with one hand and lightly pressing it against Sun Zuo's shoulder.

He merely sank his wrist slightly, and a small part of the terrifying weight of White Tiger Split pressed onto Sun Zuo's body.

With a "crack" sound, half of Sun Zuo's body deformed, and the bones on that half were crushed.

Wu Tie was startled and hastily raised his wrist, irritably tapping his own forehead……After emerging from Osiris's tomb, Wu Tie had already adjusted the weight of White Tiger Split to 1.08 billion catties.

This weight is just right for Wu Tie to wield, but for an ordinary cultivator……even someone like Sun Zuo, a "Life Pond Realm expert," it is truly terrifying and far too much to bear.

"Truly as weak as trash……Black Ring Lord Sun Zuo……" Wu Tie pressed his lips, lifting his gaze to the vaulted ceiling above.

"I ask, you answer; once your reply fails to satisfy me, I guarantee you will regret it……" Wu Tie gave a cold smile, and in his mind the various harsh interrogation methods taught by Old Iron kept surfacing.

Moreover, the tortures that appeared during the "judgment" process in Osiris's tomb are all firmly memorized by Wu Tie.

Regardless of whether Sun Zuo's answer pleases him, Wu Tie intends to fully unleash his methods upon Sun Zuo's body.

The great army of the Blood Curved Blade surged wildly toward the garrison of the Gold Nether Spirits, while many of the Gold Nether Spirits' experts fled in disarray, exerting all their strength to rush back to their own headquarters.

They all shared the same thought as Sun Zuo.

A man cannot go a day without money; before fleeing, they must fill their money pouches……Furthermore, they also have some relatives and such stationed at the garrison, who must also be taken along in the escape.

Inside the Giant Serpent Cavern, chaos reigns; many nearby powers allied with the Blood Curved Blade and Gold Nether Spirits have dispatched troops, sneaking stealthily toward the border line.

Everyone's attention is focused on the clash between the Blood Curved Blade and the Gold Nether Spirits; all are clenching their fists, preparing for a feast of plunder.

No one noticed that the Eighteen Palace Guarding Heavenly Kings had already led a large force into the Giant Serpent Cavern, marching in smoothly without anyone questioning or investigating them—no one even noticed the arrival of this unit.

Naturally, the local forces of the Giant Serpent Cavern also failed to notice that at the main passage entrance of another entry/exit to the cavern, a splendidly dressed "caravan" slowly entered.

This caravan consists of over three hundred people, with only about twenty-odd wagons in its ranks, dozens of rhinoceros-shaped giant magical beasts pulling the wagons; the wagons move slowly, and the sound of wheel friction against the ground shows they are obviously very heavy.

The over three hundred members of the caravan are all tall, sturdy men, each with blond hair and blue eyes, or red hair and blue eyes, or green hair and black eyes—altogether their features are distinct.

Under the leadership of a middle-aged brawny man with a full beard and a round, lion‑like head, they chatted and laughed lightly, appearing as if they were strolling through mountains and waters as they entered the Giant Serpent Cavern, notorious for chaos and slaughter.

After entering the Giant Serpent Cavern, they immediately found a secluded corner to set up camp, scattering in groups of three or five toward the surroundings, leaving only dozens of elite guards stationed in the camp.

These people wear splendid long robes and possess such a distinctive appearance that they finally attracted the notice of a minor local force in the Giant Serpent Cavern.

Several rat‑people sneered as they approached the caravan's camp, greeting them from afar with grinning faces.

A few sturdy men stepped out of the camp, saw the sneaking rat‑people, drew their long bows without a word, and shot those rat‑people dead on the spot.

A sturdy man walked over, chopped off several rat‑people's heads, and piled them into a small memorial mound.

He used the rat‑people's blood to write a few large characters wildly on the ground——"Those who approach die"!

The minor force that had sent out rat‑people scouts was stunned by such arrogance……these outsiders.

Looking at these fellows' appearance and attire, they could not possibly be native forces of the Giant Serpent Cavern; they are outsiders……outsiders, yet dare to be so arrogant in the Giant Serpent Cavern?

Moreover, their garments are so splendid, proving they are very wealthy.

After a few light whistles, a force of four to five hundred people appeared outside the caravan's camp.

Walking outward from the passage through which this caravan entered, after nearly a hundred li a fork in the road has already been fortified, with dozens of heavily armored elite guards stationed at the checkpoint, adopting a posture that forbids strangers from approaching.

Proceeding inward along this fork, which is dozens of meters wide, after about three to five li the terrain ahead suddenly opens up—a huge stone cavern capable of holding tens of thousands has already been filled with various supply wagons, mounts, pack animals, and sturdy men.

At least twenty thousand elite warriors are resting here.

They sit in neat rows cross‑legged on the ground, drinking water, eating meat, each silent, displaying extremely high discipline.

In a corner of the stone cavern, a youth with a handsome, heroic appearance and a tall, sturdy build sits quietly, gently stroking a black jade pendant shaped like a coiled snake on his hand.

"Black Snake Domain, my Giant Serpent clan has finally returned……I will surely make you recall the terror of being dominated by my Giant Serpent clan in the past and becoming our fodder."