Chapter 309

Xing Tian Shan was shouting loudly.

Original: Chinese quotes with ellipsis. Need to translate: "Charge out, then……be careful!" The ellipsis indicates pause. We'll translate as: "Charge out, then……be careful!" Keep the quotes? The source includes Chinese quotation marks 「」. We should translate to English quotes? Usually we keep English double quotes. The instruction: translate faithfully; we can replace Chinese quotes with English quotes. We'll output: 【"Charge out, then……be careful!"】 but need to keep 【1】 prefix. So output: 【1】 "Charge out, then……be careful!" Ensure single line.

Xuan Ming Die's words were far from pleasant; paired with his dark, sinister look, they sent shivers down the spines of all the Wu clan warriors taking part in the fight.

Heavenly light streamed in through the massive gate.

It felt utterly unlike the light of the Xu Ri.

Xu Ri, Xu Ri—the character 'Xu' alone explains much. I don't know who created this Xu Ri, but the energy within its light is still distinct from genuine sunlight.

Wu Tie raced on the giant lizard, bursting from the dark corridor into the square beam of light that had poured through the gate onto the floor, and he sucked in a cold breath.

Translate: "Xuan Ming Die's words were not pleasant, and with his gloomy, yin-filled appearance, his words sent chills down the backs of all the Wu family disciples participating in the battle." We'll keep: "Xuan Ming Die's words were not pleasant, and with his gloomy, yin-filled appearance, his words sent chills down the backs of all the Wu family disciples participating in the battle."

It was like a spark dropping into a vat of fuel oil; Wu Tie sensed a pure yang energy suddenly awakening inside him—something even the biggest Xu Ri in the Wu clan's cavern, a disc a thousand zhang across, could not have produced.

Translate: "Heavenly light streamed in through the huge gate." Or "The sky light poured through the massive doorway." We'll translate: "Heavenly light streamed in through the huge gate."

Wu Tie instinctively stripped off his full armor, tore open his upper garments, bared his arms, and let the scorching sunlight fall on his body.

Translate: "A feeling completely different from the light of the False Sun." We'll translate: "A feeling completely different from the light of the False Sun."

"Haha, Wu Tie, your base isn't bad—you've already sensed the sun star's benefits this quickly!"

Translate: "False Sun, False Sun, a single 'false' character explains much. I don't know who possessed such means to invent this 'False Sun' artifact, but the energy hidden in its light still differs from true sunlight." We'll translate: "False Sun, False Sun, a single 'false' character explains much. I don't know who possessed such means to invent this 'False Sun' artifact, but the energy hidden in its light still differs from true sunlight."

"Bathe in the sun and moon's light, drink in their essence to purify body and soul……only then can one travel farther and faster." Xing Tian Shan likewise removed his armor, opened his arms, and bellowed to the heavens: 'Sun star!'

Translate: "Wu Tie rode the Giant Dragon Lizard at full speed, and when he suddenly emerged from the dark passage into that square patch of light that had fallen through the gate onto the ground, he suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air." We'll translate: "Wu Tie rode the Giant Dragon Lizard at full speed, and when he suddenly emerged from the dark passage into that square patch of light that had fallen through the gate onto the ground, he suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air."

The giant lizard darted out of the massive gate.

Translate: "That was a sensation never before experienced." We'll translate: "That was a sensation never before experienced."

The sunlight wasn't hot, yet it provoked a remarkable reaction within Wu Tie's body.

Translate: "Strange heat flowed in through the pores and then quickly circulated throughout the body." We'll translate: "Strange heat flowed in through the pores and then quickly circulated throughout the body."

This feeling was excellent.

Although it didn't directly raise Wu Tie's cultivation or strength, he clearly sensed that his body had undergone an astonishing transformation; within it lay hidden innate mysteries he had never touched, now awakened.

Given lines:

Only by bathing in the sun and moon's radiance can we dispel the accumulated malevolent qi within our bodies……and to bathe in that light, we must join the battle!

Wu Tie opened his eyes.

The sky, a deep blue expanse, with a red sun hanging high.

Snow‑white clouds drifted in the lofty firmament; a glance revealed vast sheets of white cloud masses that evoked a feeling of weighty, layered, endless depth.

Strong winds swept the cloud masses, driving the white clouds like galloping horses racing across the high sky. Because they are so high and distant, these swiftly moving clouds appear from the ground as a leisurely stroll, showing no hurry.

All around rise desolate, rugged mountains; their blackened slopes bear no vegetation.

Scorching sunlight baked the earth; in this mountain ridge the temperature is high, and the black stones resemble iron ingots, reflecting a chilling gleam.

The giant lizard beneath Wu Tie emitted a blissful hum, lying contentedly on the sun‑scorched, sizzling stones, constantly sticking out its tongue to pant. It strained to spread its huge wings, eagerly drinking in the sunlight's heat.

A full thousand giant lizards lay thus on the ground, each grunting contentedly, so relaxed they had no urge to move.

Wu Tie and some of the Wu clan members fighting for the first time stripped off their armor and eagerly soaked up the sunlight's warmth.

Immediately afterward, a senior Wu Tie clansman who had reached the Chonglou realm let out a deep, muffled boom from within; his aura surged markedly, and faint threads of firelight could be seen spurting from his pores.

This was a cousin of the Zhurong lineage; after merely basking in the sun for a short while, he inexplicably broke through one level of the heavenly lock of Chonglou, jumping straight to the thirty‑first tier of the Chonglou realm.

Soon, Wu Tie's nearby cousins began breaking through one after another.

In just a short two‑ke period, over three hundred Chonglou cultivators advanced a step from their base, and several extraordinarily gifted Wu clan youths managed to pierce three heavenly layers in that brief span!

Soon after, a few Wu clan youths' faces twitched slightly; they quickly sat cross‑legged on the ground, two spiraling streams of light shooting upward from behind them, with continual filaments of light flowing from their bodies, their qi and blood boiling, and they actually broke through the Chonglou realm right then, beginning to condense their life pools.

Xuan Ming Die waved his right hand, and nine black banners

He let out a heavy sigh, then Xiantian eel shouted: "Great Jin Divine State, I'll fuck your grandmother!"

The giant dragon lizard darted out of a huge gate.

Wu Tie didn't have time to look around; he leapt up, stood on the giant dragon lizard's back, spread his arms, stretched his body as much as possible, letting the sunlight bathe him.

The sunlight wasn't hot, yet it triggered a wondrous reaction inside Wu Tie's body.

Wu Tie was drenched in sweat, streaming like a small stream down his body; his body grew hotter, his blood boiling, his soul trembling. He felt that deep within his cells' cores, a trace of yin cold energy he had never sensed before was continually seeping out.

This feeling was excellent.

Although it didn't directly increase Wu Tie's cultivation or strength, he clearly felt an astonishing change within his body; some hidden innate mysteries he had never touched were awakened.

Wu Tie suddenly understood what Xiantian eel's curse meant.

Countless descendants of the Wu clan had long lived hidden beneath thick rock layers, surviving and reproducing in that dark, sunless world, accumulating unknown amounts of imperceptible cold energy within their bodies.

Though we don't know exactly what harm they cause, they surely aren't good.

Only by bathing in the light of sun and moon can we dispel the accumulated evil qi within our bodies… and to bathe in that light, we must go to war!

Wu Tie opened his eyes.

The sky, a deep blue, with a red sun hanging high.

Snow-white clouds drifted in the lofty firmament; gazing out, vast expanses of white cloud masses gave a feeling of weighty, layered, endless depth.

Strong winds drove the clouds; the white clouds raced like galloping horses across the high sky. Because they were so high and far away, these swiftly moving clouds appeared from the ground as a leisurely stroll, showing no haste.

All around were desolate, rugged mountains; the black slopes bore not a blade of grass.

The scorching sunlight baked the earth; temperatures in this mountain range were high, and the black stones resembled iron ingots, reflecting a chilling gleam.

The giant dragon lizard beneath Wu Tie let out a blissful grunt, lying comfortably on the sun‑scorched hot stones, constantly sticking out its tongue and panting. It spread its large wings wide, eagerly drinking in the sunlight's heat.

All one thousand giant dragon lizards lay there in the same way, grunting contentedly, too relaxed to move.

Wu Tie and some of the Wu clan members who were fighting for the first time removed their armor and eagerly absorbed the sunlight's warmth.

Immediately afterward, a senior Wu Tie cousin at the high Chonglou realm let out a deep, muffled boom from within his body; his aura surged dramatically, and faint flames seemed to spit from his pores.

This was a cousin of the Zhurong lineage; after merely basking in the sun for a short while, he inexplicably broke through one heavenly lock of the Chonglou realm, reaching directly the thirty‑first level of Chonglou.

Soon, Wu Tie's nearby cousins began breaking through one after another.

In just a short moment—two ke (about 30 minutes)—over three hundred Chonglou cultivators advanced a step from their base, and several exceptionally talented Wu clan youths even broke through three heavenly layers in that brief time!

Immediately after, a few Wu clan youths' faces twitched; they quickly sat cross‑legged on the ground, two spiral streams of light shot up high behind them, threads of light continually flowing from their bodies, their blood and qi boiling, and they actually broke through the Chonglou realm right then, beginning to condense their life pool.

Xuanming Die waved his right hand, and nine black banners flew from his hand, landing swiftly in all directions.

Strands of black qi rose and swirled, enveloping this mountain basin, completely cutting off the magical fluctuations generated by the Wu clan youths' continual breakthroughs.

Wu Tie glanced behind; there was a cliff tens of thousands of feet high. The black rock face showed no sign of the huge opening that had just been there—it was seamless, without any crack.

Xiantian eel roared loudly: "Scatter out and hunt on your own… Remember, if you see those pitiful worms of the Fuxi Divine State, you may recruit some as lackeys to drive them away—heh heh—how exactly to do that is up to you."

Xiantian eel nodded at Xuanming Die, then mounted his giant dragon lizard and dashed off to the side on his own.

The giant dragon lizard swayed its massive body, nimbly climbing the near‑vertical cliff, then flicked its tail, carrying Xiantian eel away without a trace.

Apart from Xuanming Die, who stayed put, the several Wu clan elders in the Tai‑cang realm scattered.

Wu Zheng also gave a shout; Wu Tie donned his armor, patted his dragon lizard, and their band of twenty‑two men bolted off in a random direction.

Having just left the cliff‑encircled mountain basin, they ran north for less than five hundred li, went around a towering peak that pierced the clouds, and Wu Tie saw a bloody slaughter field ahead.

Standing on the mountain summit and looking forward, a vast chasm a hundred zhang wide loomed in the distance several li away.

The great rift tore through the mountains, stretching east‑west for an unknown length; swarms of poisonous bats like dark clouds, accompanied by black storms, burst out of the fissure, howling as they charged toward the castles atop the great mountains.

On the ground, countless poisonous spiders dragged myriad poisonous insects and snakes up the rock face onto the surface.

After these poisonous spiders reached the ground, they first surged forward a distance to clear a landing space, then curled up to rest. Obviously, having climbed from the depths of the rift, they had exhausted their strength and needed to rest before they could continue fighting.

Meanwhile, the poisonous spiders that had already rested and recovered some strength, regardless of size, surged forth in dense masses like a black tide, likewise racing up the slopes to assault the castles on the mountain peaks.

One by one, huge, fuzzy objects resembling dandelion seeds spun out from the rift.

After these large entities burst onto the surface, a faint glow shimmered on their surface; they drifted quickly to either side of the rift on the wind, then exploded violently, turning into a black rain of light that sprayed outward.

Each large seed carried a number of warriors—rat‑folk, dwarves, goblins, lizard‑folk, snake‑folk and other small‑sized fighters—who dropped from the air, then brandished crude weapons and shouted loudly as they joined the charge.

After the large seeds exploded, the resulting black light rain seemed to replenish energy and stimulate morale.

Those poisonous spider groups curled up on the ground resting, regardless of size, as soon as they touched a bit of black light cluster, they immediately, as if injected with chicken blood, let out howl howl cries and leapt up, fluttering their long spider legs, joining the charge.

Wu Tie looked toward the nearest castle.

That castle wasn't large either; it spanned three li east-west and was no more than a hundred zhang thick north-south, its defenses focused precisely toward the Great Rift Valley.

The garrison inside the castle was simple: all were stout dwarves. They wore standard armor clearly far superior to that of the warriors rushing out of the Great Rift Valley, and, well-trained, they busied themselves on the walls facing the Great Rift Valley.

The castle walls were about twenty zhang high, and the walls had specially made chutes.

The dwarf soldiers continually carried barrels of fire oil out of the castle and continually poured the fire oil down the chutes onto the outside.

On the slopes outside the castle, raging flames rose, with fire tongues reaching seven or eight zhang high.

Countless poisonous spiders, insects, snakes, and lizards in the sea of fire screamed 'zhi-zhi' in agony; black smoke rolled atop the flames, and the air reeked of a horrible burnt smell and stench.

In the high sky, groups of poisonous bats swooped down toward the castle, howling.

On the walls and on the castle's arrow towers, likewise, ranks of dwarf soldiers raised magic firearms, 'bang-bang' sounding as they blasted dense pellets at the bat swarms.

These pellets' power rivaled the explosive shells made by Lu Ji; once a pellet touched a bat's body or reached a certain altitude, it detonated violently, a ball of flame quickly engulfing an area several zhang in radius, blasting those bats to pieces.

The castle was built on the hill overlooking the Great Rift Valley.

Many giant poisonous spiders, wreathed in flames and twitching, tumbled down the steep slope, turning into huge fireballs, their bodies encircled by fire as they fell into the depths of the Great Rift Valley.

Many bat swarms that had just burst out of the Great Rift Valley immediately came under concentrated fire from the dwarf soldiers' magic firearms.

Bat after bat, shattered to pieces, kept falling into the Great Rift Valley; black plasma sprayed everywhere, and severed limbs spun as they continually dropped into the Great Rift Valley.

The dwarf soldiers in the castle were well-trained and well-equipped; they could relatively easily hold off large swarms of poisonous spiders and bats outside the castle.

But occasionally there were exceptions.

Just as Wu Tie and company paused to watch, suddenly a massive bat swarm tens of li in radius burst out of the Great Rift Valley.

This swarm surged toward a castle on Wu Tie and company's right side.

The dwarf soldiers fired wildly, but several huge bats with wingspans over a hundred zhang, whose strength had reached the Chonglou Realm and had gained spiritual intelligence, let out sharp cries, burst from the swarm, and stood in front of those pellets.

The giant bats' screech turned into visible sound waves that surged toward the castle.

On the castle, along a stretch of wall over three li long, thousands of dwarf soldiers simultaneously wailed, clapped their hands over their ears, and slumped, swaying on the walls. These giant bats' screeches were comparable to the Six Dao Palace's Lion's Roar divine ability, inflicting great trauma on the dwarf soldiers.

Countless poisonous bats opened their mouths, howling as they stormed into the castle.

A pitch-black bat swarm quickly engulfed the entire castle; in just a few breaths, at least a thousand dwarf soldiers were bitten by the poisonous bats. The deadly venom entered their bodies, and the dwarf soldiers died on the spot, while countless tiny bats clung to them, gulping down their blood in big mouthfuls.

A low, stern shout came from a stone tower in the middle of the castle.

Dozens of cultivators in long robes, their auras strong, rushed out of the stone tower; they simultaneously waved their hands, and dozens of short swords shot up into the sky, then turned into a rain of swords falling from high above.

Wherever the small swords passed, countless poisonous spiders were torn in two, fresh blood sprayed across the sky, and the whole castle instantly changed color.

Furthermore, a middle-aged man in a long robe and high cap, who appeared to be at the Life Pool Realm, snorted coldly; he rubbed his hands together, and a mass of fire clouds enveloped the entire castle, blazing fiercely, scorching countless poisonous bats in the sky to a sorry state.

"Life Pool Realm… kill him!" Wu Zheng drew the great axe on his back and pointed fiercely at that middle-aged man.

The giant dragon lizard beneath him suddenly spread its wings and then gave a powerful flap.

The giant dragon lizard bore Wu Zheng forward, flying out with a burst; a distance of several li passed in a flash, Wu Zheng let out a great shout, the giant dragon lizard darted to the middle-aged man's side, and Wu Zheng, gripping his great axe with both hands, brought it down hard.

Wu Zheng's momentum was too swift, almost a sneak attack.

The middle-aged man hadn't even had time to react before Wu Zheng's axe split him in two.

Wu Tie's clansmen nearby all let out long cries, driving the giant dragon lizard to charge toward that castle.

Wu Tie pursed his lips, hefted the White Tiger Split, and then hurled it forward like a spear.