Chapter 299

The stone axe slid past Wu Tie's head at high speed.

Wu Tie and Lao Tie had already furrowed their brows, waiting for the rumbling sound when the stone axe would strike the stone wall.

As a result, there was not the slightest sound.

Wu Tie turned his head; the stone axe, like a nimble butterfly, lightly tapped a leaf of a carnivorous vine, then lightly rose into the air, tracing a huge arc, circling back into the hand of the burly man across the river.

Wu Tie shuddered.

Just now, when the burly man hurled the stone axe chopping toward him, he could not see its trajectory clearly.

The burly man's strength exceeded Wu Tie's imagination; this axe striking the stone wall would surely produce a thunderous boom, then split the wall open with a huge hole.

Yet the stone axe, slicing past Wu Tie's head at terrifying speed, did not shatter a single tender leaf, simply flying back lightly.

Such exquisite control hardly matches that burly man's rugged appearance.

Wu Tie himself even thought it impossible for him to achieve this.

The stone axe had no magical fluctuations, nor was it any exotic treasure, just an ordinary stone axe. For such an ordinary object, Wu Tie truly lacked confidence he could reach the burly man's level.

Raising his right hand, Wu Tie shouted: 'I am Wu Zhan's son, a descendant of the Wu family's seventh branch… The ancestor Zhu Rong Baoyan gave me the map to the Wu domain; I have come to seek kin.'

The axe-wielding man stared blankly, then muttered indistinctly: 'Ah ha, a little brat of our clan.'

The burly man on the watchtower also stared blankly; he tossed aside the beast leg in his hand, set down his wine jar, somehow produced a bone-made square mirror, and waved it far toward Wu Tie.

A faint Blood Light shone from the square mirror, enveloping Wu Tie.

Wu Tie felt his whole body heat up, then his qi and blood surged; the power of his blood vessels burst outward, a Blood Light shot up from his head over a thousand zhang high; amidst the vast blood mist, a giant with blurred features raised both hands high and let out a low roar.

Wind, cloud, thunder, and lightning circled the giant; sun, moon, and stars orbited him; as he waved his hands, the wind and thunder turned into two huge serpents he grasped and waved at will.

'Tsk, truly a little brat of our clan,' the watchtower burly man muttered; suddenly a few faint bloodstains appeared on his square mirror; the Blood Light it emitted instantly turned fierce, like a blazing fire enveloping Wu Tie.

Wu Tie felt his whole body scorching; the evil power stored in the Demon-Suppressing Soul Seal, like worms in a gutter suddenly exposed to blazing sun, struggled and screamed as they burst from his cells.

A clump of viscous Blood Light rapidly detached from Wu Tie's body.

The burly man shouted: 'Hey, the little guy actually got ambushed? But it's nothing; this bit of curse power, heh heh. Our Wu clan is the ancestor of all Wu curses.'

Before Wu Tie could stop it, the evil power of the Demon-Suppressing Soul Seal vanished in the Blood Light, disappearing completely without a trace.

Wu Tie opened his mouth, glanced at Lao Tie, and like Lao Tie could not utter a sound.

Is this the Wu clan's foundation?

A guard of the passage, casually producing a square mirror, could annihilate the Demon-Suppressing Soul Seal hidden deep within Wu Tie's body.

The Demon-Suppressing Hall of the Da Jin Divine Kingdom—just hearing the name suggests a distinguished origin, extraordinary aura. This Demon-Suppressing Soul Seal should be an exceptionally clever mark, yet the burly man effortlessly dispelled it with his square mirror.

Amazing, amazing.

Wu Tie inexplicably grew more curious about the Wu clan and gained greater confidence.

'Little brat, come over.' The stone-axe-wielding burly man smiled at Wu Tie: 'I am Wu Mu of the third branch of our clan; that bastard above is Wu Shu of the fifth branch… Heck, I can't be bothered to calculate seniority with you; our generation is surely above yours, so just call us Uncle.'

Wu Tie turned into a golden flash, instantly crossing a hundred-li river surface.

Lao Tie raised a black sandstorm, closely following behind Wu Tie.

Wu Tie smiled, clasping his hands toward Wu Mu and Wu Shu: 'Two Uncles, I have been traveling abroad, been bullied, can hardly endure it; thinking the clan is not far, I rushed here specially, seeking the clan's protection.'

Wu Shu jumped down from the watchtower with a 'thud,' like a large stone landing, emitting a dull sound.

Wu Shu, almost half again taller than Wu Tie, firmly slapped Wu Tie's shoulder and laughed loudly: 'Don't fear, don't fear; a Wu clan child bullied, seeking justice from elders is perfectly natural. Hahaha, lad, you've got hard bones!'

Wu Tie did not restrain his aura.

His aura, having just entered the Life Pool Realm, was quite distinct.

Wu Shu is at the Embryo Storage Realm, and the Wu clan people most value tempering the body; their physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary cultivators.

Wu Shu intentionally gauged Wu Tie; this slap would send an ordinary Wu clan Life Pool Realm junior stumbling and sitting down, but Wu Tie's body remained unmoving, steadily taking the blow.

Moreover, Wu Tie's bones were extremely hard, causing even Wu Shu's slap to faintly ache.

Wu Shu stared at Wu Tie in astonishment, then slapped his other shoulder.

With a 'bang,' this strike was at least twice as heavy as the previous slap.

Wu Tie's body remained still, only the ground beneath his feet cracked a few fine fissures; he easily bore Wu Shu's palm.

Wu Shu opened his mouth, gave Wu Tie a thumbs-up: 'Those sent out to travel are usually weaker than the clan's youngsters; lad, amazing, you've got hard bones… What's your name?'

'Wu Tie!' Wu Tie smiled at Wu Shu.

'Wu Tie!' Wu Mu stepped forward and slammed a punch straight into Wu Tie's chest.

Wu Tie's body sank slightly; Wu Mu's heavy punch landed on his chest, Wu Tie swayed but remained firmly planted.

Wu Mu and Wu Shu alike widened their eyes, looking at Wu Tie with both surprise and delight.

'Not bad, not bad, you are the seed of my Wu clan.' Wu Mu burst into loud laughter.

Before the laughter faded, upstream on the great river, a leaf-shaped, extremely swift flying vessel howled downstream. At the prow of the slender craft stood a man with a human body and snake tail, dignified in bearing, who drew a great bow hard, then let loose a thunderclap.

A blood-colored arrow shaft tore through the air, deeply embedding itself in a boulder beneath the watchtower.

The flying vessel sped along the river; the man at its prow shouted sternly: 'By the king's order, conscript soldiers.'

The sound still echoed between the cliffs, yet the flying vessel had instantly vanished tens of li away, soon disappearing into the deep river channel.

Wu Tie turned his head in astonishment, gazing at the blood-colored arrow, over a zhang long, deeply sunk into the boulder.

The arrow was entirely blood-red, forged from an unknown metal; its tail bore nine thumb-sized blood-colored feathers in a row. Wu Shu strode over and yanked the arrow from the stone in one grip.

'Nine-Feather Blood Edict—is war about to break out again?' Wu Shu grinned: 'Ha, haha, interesting, interesting; I knew it, reckoning the time, it had to be war's onset.'

Wu Shu raised his right hand high; the arrow in his grip emitted a faint Blood Light, reddening the silhouettes of Wu Tie and the others.

Wu Tie looked toward the direction where the flying vessel vanished, and said in a low voice: 'That person just now?'

Wu Mu chuckled: 'Fuxi Divine Kingdom, the Xi people. Hey, the Xi lot surely have plenty of good stuff in their hands.'

Wu Tie stared blankly: 'The Xi?'

The Fuxi Divine Kingdom?

Conscription?

When the Xi tribe's people fired the Nine Feather Blood Order, inside the Nuwa tribe's ancestral land, in the Kunlun ruins.

Wu Jin gripped a great battle-axe in his right hand and held a Taotie giant shield in his left, panting as he faced off against Wu Xiao and Taotie Jiu.

Both Wu Xiao and Taotie Jiu, like Wu Jin, were covered in scale wounds, blood continuously flowing from their injuries.

Their entourage guards had long been killed or wounded, Bai Wushuang, Xu Mo and others had vanished, leaving only the three of them here.

This is the Kunlun ruins.

The sky was a dull grey, wind whipping cloud masses as they rushed.

The ground was a dull grey, wind whipping quicksand as they rushed.

Between heaven and earth was a dull grey expanse; in the distance, broken mountain peaks could be seen floating between heaven and earth. Occasionally, a few shattered peaks lay prone on the earth, and between the dusky peaks occasional glimmers of spiritual light flickered, faintly revealing bright patches of red flowers and green willows.

Wu Jin let out a low roar.

The two golden horns on his forehead had grown more than double their previous size, and the dragon tail formed from his legs had also become much thicker.

His human form had become twenty-some meters tall; combined with his dragon tail, his total length approached a hundred meters, his whole body covered in golden dragon scales, with four five-clawed dragon claws on his belly strikingly visible.

Clearly, Wu Jin's cultivation had also advanced greatly.

Above his head hovered a vague, half-real seal imprint. On the golden seal, faintly visible was the image of myriad peoples paying homage to a sovereign.

"Wu Xiao, hand over the Queen Mother Grass!" Wu Jin roared at Wu Xiao.

Behind Wu Xiao, a pair of golden, flame-wreathed crow wings flapped rapidly; his lower half had transformed into a three-legged golden crow, while his upper half remained human.

He laughed loudly at Wu Jin: "Ha, hand over the Queen Mother Grass? Kill Taotie Jiu and I'll give it to you!"

Wu Xiao laughed loudly: "If I can't, the Queen Mother Grass is such a supreme treasure; I wouldn't know how to use it myself, why would I give it to you, this trash?"

Taotie Jiu chuckled, his body shrouded in a thick yellow mist; within the swirling mist, various colorful spiritual runes flickered, and an extremely heavy, sacred aura continuously emanated.

"Kill me? Wu Xiao, you couldn't handle me before, let alone now that I've obtained the Earth Emperor's Seal and inherited the Earth Emperor's position." Taotie Jiu laughed loudly: "Even if you, Wu Xiao, obtained the Heaven Emperor's Seal, and this fellow obtained the Human Emperor's inheritance, what can you do to me?"

Taotie Jiu laughed wildly: "I stand here; what can you do to me?"

As Taotie Jiu's laughter rang out, the thick yellow mist on his body erupted in immeasurable light; the mist rapidly spread, and mountain range phantasms appeared above his head, eventually condensing into layers of towering mountains, like a city wall guarding him.

Wu Xiao glanced askance at Wu Jin, then said slowly: "Come on, if you want the Queen Mother Grass, just kill this guy."

Wu Jin panted, rolled his eyes, glanced at Wu Xiao, then stared at Taotie Jiu for a moment.

These past days, the three of them have been wreaking havoc in the Kunlun ruins, many dead and wounded, yet in the end only the three of them gained any benefit there.

What's maddening is that Wu Jin obtained the Human Emperor's inheritance in the Nuwa tribe's ancestral land, while Taotie Jiu somehow obtained the Earth Emperor's Seal in a broken temple within the Kunlun ruins.

And Wu Xiao, in a shattered palace ruin, obtained a drop of ancient golden crow's essence blood, and also obtained the Primeval Heaven Emperor's Seal.

For a moment, the three inheritances of Heaven, Earth, and Human Emperors gathered; the three first fought over some rare treasures, then grudges grew deeper, until eventually it was unclear who was right or wrong—all in all, the three have been tumbling and rolling in chaotic battle to this very day.

"Queen Mother Grass!" Wu Jin let out a low roar, instantly turning into a blur as he charged toward Taotie Jiu.

His right-hand great axe came down.

The axe light struck the mountain phantom beside Taotie Jiu, and a huge boom sounded as the earth shuddered violently.

A column of grey dust shot up dozens of li, then slowly expanded in the high air into a massive mushroom cloud.

The ground of the Kunlun ruins is extremely solid; Wu Jin's all-out axe blow shook Taotie Jiu, making him stumble back repeatedly, yet left not a trace on the ground.

Wu Jin swung his axe; Wu Xiao suddenly opened his mouth beside him, a golden flame blast shooting toward Taotie Jiu's skull.

"Taotie Jiu, tell me who you're colluding with…… I can spare your life." Wu Xiao continuously spewed golden flame attacks at Taotie Jiu, shrilly crying "ge-ge" as he demanded Taotie Jiu reveal the Golden Crow clan's internal colluder who wanted to scheme against him.

The mountain shadows beside Taotie Jiu kept erupting, the shadows like a mighty city, able to withstand the combined attacks of Wu Jin and Wu Xiao without collapsing.

Just as the three were fighting fiercely, with bursts of qi exploding in the high air into mushroom clouds, in the void a pair of huge, divine eyes suddenly appeared. These eyes spewed golden light, gazing deeply at Wu Jin and the other two; the three instantly felt like a toad stared down by a giant serpent, their bodies frozen, unable to move.

"Hmm, Heaven Emperor, Earth Emperor, Human Emperor, three inheritances? Excellent; then it's you."

A grand, booming voice rumbled between heaven and earth: "By the king's order, I summon you to join the Fuxi God Nation's great army…… If you achieve merit, our king will surely reward you generously. If you defy military orders, hesitate, or advance slowly, you shall be slain without pardon."

Wu Xiao and Taotie Jiu's faces turned ashen, both cursing loudly.

Wu Jin just stared blankly at those huge eyes, his voice deep: "Fuxi God Nation? What is that? Old man has no interest, get lost!"

"Heh, such a bold brat, but I like your temperament. Still, the king's command cannot be resisted." The massive voice echoed in the void, an irresistible force rolled up Wu Jin and the other two, lifting them slowly toward the sky.

"Alright, Nuwa Sovereign…… I will take these eleven thousand one hundred and thirty-two people from your Nuwa tribe's ancestral land; the others, continue to leave them for your Nuwa tribe as trials!"