Chapter 296

The vaulted ceiling above is a thousand zhang high, while below lies a deep river trench.

Between the cliffs and sheer walls, a narrow path no wider than three meters winds tortuously, travel made extremely difficult.

Wu Tie and Lao Tie found a protruding little platform on the path, slew a rock python, lit a bonfire, and strings of plump snake meat roasted to golden, oily goodness, giving off a tempting aroma.

From the river trench below came a low, solemn chant.

In the turbulent river, several huge rafts were moving upstream. Dim runic light flickered on the rafts, providing part of the power to go against the current.

However, the main power enabling rafts over a hundred meters long and wide to move upstream smoothly is several bare-chested, head-down giants walking in the rapids. Rough ropes are tied around their waists; they shout lowly, straining to head upriver in the trench.

These giants are over twenty meters tall, about the same depth as the river; their heads are often submerged, they struggle forward for several hundred meters before suddenly lifting their heads, exhaling waste, then drawing a deep breath.

Wu Tie and Lao Tie ate the roasted meat while watching those giant rafts struggle upstream.

The rafts were packed with ox- and wolf-tribe warriors in rough armor, also mixed with many serpentfolk, lizardfolk, and crocodilefolk.

Several men in splendid attire stood on the lead raft, occasionally shouting to rally the troops.

"Give it your all—just two hundred li more and we'll reach Black Wood Fort. They'd never expect us to attack from here. Once we take Black Wood Fort, gold, women, and primordial grass will be ours for the taking."

"The grudge between Iron Blade Fort and Black Wood Fort spans eighteen hundred years—this time we'll surely wash it away in their blood!"

The shouts carried up the cliff face.

Wu Tie crouched at the cliff's edge, looking down on the toiling cultivators, happily munching on two strings of snake meat.

It's been one and a half months since leaving Triple Link City; at their escape-light speed, they have at most five or six days left to reach the Wu clan's ancestral lands.

Having left the sphere of control of Triple Link City, all along the way the various powers, big and small, are in utter chaos.

Intrigue and deceit, slaughter and carnage—the darkest side of humanity is on full display. Wu Tie and Lao Tie casually handled a few displeasing trifles, saving several people they thought shouldn't die.

That's all.

Such matters are far too many for them to possibly manage.

Take Iron Blade Fort and Black Wood Fort, for example—who knows which is good and which is bad?

The folks of Iron Blade Fort are struggling so hard to surge upstream and assault Black Wood Fort—would Wu Tie really just slap them all dead, these cultivators whose highest attainment is no more than half-step into the Life Pond realm?

"Lao Tie, I think I've figured it out… why Master went to such lengths to perfect me." Wu Tie murmured, "Just… this is only my guess; Master couldn't possibly be that great, could he? He thinks too highly of me."

Lao Tie lay on the ground, lazily gnawing on snake meat.

After a while, he muttered lowly, "You said these past few days your back has felt like someone's got you in their sights—is that real or not?"

Wu Tie's right hand deep inside.

A stream of mana flowed into his palm, a faint light blossomed, and he clearly sensed the invading alien force belonging to the Demon‑Banishing Soul Seal. He nodded: "Exactly, the Demon‑Banishing Soul Seal has been restless these days; those people can't be far."

Lao Tie opened his mouth: "That really came fast… could the Dark Guild really be the ones who planted these pieces?"

Wu Tie remained silent.

According to the gold coins of Wa Gu Valley, the Dark Guild directly controls five hundred major domains.

Wu Tie had always thought that was bragging, but after seeing Black Horn, Black Net, and the way the Dark Guild's mighty forces could be moved at will by the Mystic Spider, he faintly felt perhaps it's true.

Five hundred major domains—who knows if they've now broken free of the Dark Guild's control.

With the Dark Guild's power, borrowing their teleportation arrays, the pursuing troops of whatever the Great Jin Divine Kingdom might be aren't far off.

He sighed, flicked his sleeve, and flung out several Tao Tie Tu, throwing each a piece of snake meat.

Having left Triple Link City, Wu Tie still brought along this group of Taotie clan captives.

He still kept in mind the Taotie clan's ransom.

"Eat your fill, drink your heart out, then quickly leave behind the trail markers for your Taotie clan to follow… harsh words up front: if I don't see your Taotie clan's ransom within a month, don't blame me for killing the hostages."

Wu Tie laughed and flung a jug of fruit wine at the grim‑faced Tao Tie Tu.

Tao Tie Tu rubbed the lumbar vertebrae that Wu Tie had brutally broken a few days ago, silently took the wine jar and gulped two mouthfuls, then drew a deep breath, formed hand seals with both hands, mobilized the sliver of mana he could still use, and left a deep imprint on the nearby rock wall.

"This is the Taotie clan's secret art—no matter the distance, they can track us down." Tao Tie Tu stared coldly at Wu Tie and snorted, "Wu Tie, I hope you keep your promise; once you receive the ransom, release us."

"My worry is precisely the ransom issue." Wu Tie flared, "I set up the formation, slew Mystic Spider and company—it took a lot of time—but your Taotie clan hasn't shown up; could they be trying to use a borrowed knife to kill you, to frame you?"

Tao Tie Tu opened his mouth, feeling a bit guilty, and exchanged a glance with Tao Tie Ya.

Given the nature of their Taotie clansmen, this sort of thing isn't impossible.

Tao Tie Ya, weakened by long imprisonment, was listless, murmuring weakly, not even knowing what he was saying.

The next second, Wu Tie suddenly transformed into a golden light that shot straight up into the sky.

A dim, gloomy light clung to Wu Tie's foot and fell with a "pfft"—just as Tao Tie Tu, who had just left the secret‑art trail marker, was sealed of all his cultivation before he could react; a strangely shaped long spear dropped from the sky and pierced his chest.

Blood spurted; a black spear as thick as an arm tore open Tao Tie Tu's chest and drove deep into the protruding stone platform.

With a tremendous boom, the stone platform several dozen meters in radius exploded into countless rubble.

Tao Tie Tu spat out mouthfuls of blood, eyes bulging as he stared at the vaulted ceiling above, hoarsely roaring, "Break the seal… damn it, who have you provoked?"

Dozens of identical dim, cold lights screamed down, shattering Tao Tie Tu's skull in one blow; then Tao Tie Ya and his four Life Pond realm elite guards—over a dozen long spears quivered violently, piercing vital points everywhere, and terrifying forces erupted within their bodies, tearing their flesh and souls to shreds.

Over a dozen long spears sank deep into the cliff wall.

The spears shuddered and roared as the spraying blood and soul fragments of Tao Tie Tu and company turned into threads of scarlet light, continually flowing into the circular holes the spears had torn open.

These spears don't just kill; they crave blood and devour souls—truly vicious, abnormal evil weapons.

Only Wu Tie and Lao Tie dodged in time to evade the spears' volley; yet they hovered midair, staring at the foes before them, each a little dazed.

Wu Tie recalled how, in that underground secret realm, he had first seen Lao Tie's head.

The thirty‑six enemies before him had heads identical to Lao Tie's in shape and size; the only difference might be their color.

Lao Tie's skull is a pallid, deathly white, whereas theirs are jet‑black like night.

They are huge, shaped like a human skull, except the bone at the back of the cerebellum protrudes much longer.

Their bodies are likewise human‑shaped, made of pitch‑black metal, essentially a black‑metal skeleton several meters tall.

These creatures jet flames several feet long from their soles, using them to hover in midair; eighteen wield long spears, while the other eighteen are bare‑handed, assuming the pose to throw spears.

Wu Tie and Lao Tie stared blankly at these creatures.

Lao Tie murmured: "Exactly the same, hey, this spear…… tsk, how did they forge a snake head?"

Wu Tie's finger twitched, suppressing the urge to draw White Tiger Rend. The long spears in these guys' hands matched White Tiger Rend exactly in length, thickness, and girth, only the color was pitch black, and beneath White Tiger Rend's spearhead was a ferocious tiger skull, while beneath the spears in these guys' hands lay a vicious poisonous snake skull.

The eighteen fellows who had thrown the long spears saw a faint light flicker in their right hands, and the eighteen spears deeply embedded in the stone wall roared as they flew back into their hands.

A vast stone wall spanning several hundred meters collapsed with a roar.

Huge boulders fell one after another into the river below; on the wooden rafts beneath, Iron Blade Fortress cultivators roared in furious shame, and several Half-step Life Pool Realm cultivators shot into the sky, rushing toward Wu Tie and the others aloft.

Wu Tie lowered his head and shouted sternly at the few Iron Blade Fortress cultivators: "Fall back!"

Before his words faded, a clear laugh came from high above: "Fall back? You can't!"

A short sword over a foot long, pitch black all over and devoid of any gleam, descended from the sky with a faint piercing whistle, slashing toward those cultivators.

It had not a glimmer of light, nor any rosy glow entwined, yet to Wu Tie it felt like a venomous snake, brimming with icy killing intent.

Wu Tie let out a long cry, swung his right hand, and White Tiger Rend flew from his grip, hurtling toward the short sword.

White Tiger Rend shot forth with extraordinary force, following an absolute straight line, accompanied by a low tiger's roar as it tore through the air. In Wu Tie's judgment, this thrust would definitely strike the short sword.

White Tiger Rend lived up to expectations, indeed striking the short sword.

With a "ding," the short sword exploded, turning one blade into three thousand that rained down like a downpour.

Wu Tie's pupils contracted sharply.

The Flying Sword Technique, and moreover an extremely exquisite divine ability of sword-light division.

Wu Tie had broken through all heavenly and earthly shackles; he could also perform this method…… but merely knowing how, nothing more.

Just as with running, Wu Tie's accomplishment in sword-light division is at most that of a one-year-old who has just learned to run, whereas the owner of this short sword is like a cheetah at its peak—Wu Tie could never catch him.

Wu Tie drew a deep breath, clapped his hands, and released a dense azure-glazed Zen light that formed a curtain of light blocking the three thousand short swords below.

The three thousand pitch-black short swords, devoid of any gleam, flickered instantly, as if teleporting, leaping through the azure-glazed Zen light to appear directly beside those Half-step Life Pool Realm cultivators.

A whirl of sword light sent several cultivators' heads flying high.

Thereafter the short swords plummeted swiftly; on the wooden rafts below, each a hundred meters long and wide, at least ten thousand cultivators let out a single wail as their heads flew up, blood streaming along the rafts into the riverbed, turning this turbulent stretch of river crimson.

Wu Tie drew a deep breath.

He lifted his gaze toward the heavens.

After just one exchange, Wu Tie suddenly realized his greatest weakness at present.

He had mastered countless divine abilities and secret arts, yet he had only learned their principles, not yet comprehended them fully, nor cultivated them to a profound level. If battles could be settled with the tongue, Wu Tie would be the foremost expert of the age.

But combat cannot rely on the tongue; it depends on solid magical power, dao titles, and slaughter experience…… Wu Tie remains merely weak.

Several hundred meters above, a youth with a delicate, effeminate appearance and flickering gaze stood silently on a black-background gold-flower flying carpet, looking down on Wu Tie from on high.

The youth wore a black robe; its pitch-black fabric was embroidered with blood-red thread into eerie evil‑ghost‑head motifs, countless tiny evil‑ghost heads forming a flame‑pattern border that wound around the robe, lending the youth an air of mysterious eeriness.

"Great Jin Divine Kingdom, Demon‑Subduing Hall, bearer of the Third‑Rank Purple Gold Seal, Demon‑Subduing General Sima Xiu…… you, what gall, truly, what gall, I admire, I admire."

Sima Xiu chuckled, then performed a solemn bow toward Wu Tie.

The thirty‑six figures and the metal warriors, identical in form to Lao Tie's Giant God Soldier main body, simultaneously raised their long spears and offered Wu Tie the same salute.

"I, acting on orders, will kill you, exterminate your nine clans, and annihilate the hundred families surrounding your stronghold as punishment." Sima Xiu straightened, looked at Wu Tie with a smile, and said: "Although I admire your courage in slaying those 'Heavenly Court Divine Beings,' you will ultimately die."

His gaze like a blade, he glanced at the White Tiger Rend flying back into Wu Tie's hand, then Sima Xiu sighed: "Since you actually managed to obtain an ancient divine weapon, hand over this White Tiger Rend to me, honestly tell me where your stronghold lies, and I'll give you a quick death."

Wu Tie looked at Sima Xiu, then at the thirty‑six metal warriors: "Just you alone? And these metal lumps?"

Sima Xiu laughed: "You ignorant mortals, you don't understand. They are Giant God Soldiers, heavenly soldiers and generals capable of matching the heavenly gods. Each one's combat power rivals the peak of the Fetal Storage Realm, and with their steel tendons and iron bones they have no weakness whatsoever."

"Each of them can easily slaughter more than ten cultivators of the same realm with mortal flesh; you must never underestimate them." Sima Xiu laughed, waved his hand, and said: "Cripple his legs."

A Giant God Soldier stirred, leaving a few afterimages as it closed in on Wu Tie, its spear flashing like lightning to jab twice at his knees.

Wu Tie swung both hands, an arc swayed past, and with two loud "thud—thud" impacts he easily blocked the Giant God Soldier's attack.

The Giant God Soldier's thrust is precisely the "thrust" that Lao Tie taught Wu Tie.

Wu Tie's defense is precisely the "arc" that Lao Tie taught him!

The two coordinated perfectly; spear tips clashed, sparks flew, and both Wu Tie and the Giant God Soldier shuddered, stepping back several paces.

Sima Xiu's smile suddenly stiffened.