Chapter 313: Father and Son

It feels a bit weird, but it's not bad.

In the narrow corridor inside the tower ship, Wu Zhan gripped a great battle-axe, grinning wickedly at a sailor of the Demon-Suppressing Army drenched in blood.

This savage strength is really not small.

Wu Zhan shoved his head hard, then maliciously spun his own head 360 degrees in place, then laughed at the Demon-Suppressing Army sailor already paralyzed on the ground: 'Kid, Wu Zhan Senior, aren't I handsome?'

A fragment of the tower ship's dragon bone was embedded in the Demon-Suppressing Army sailor's belly.

Wu Jin violently charged into the tower ship, an axe blow shattering half the dragon bone; fragments sprayed, and this poor sod had his belly ripped open by a shard.

Hearing Wu Zhan's question, this sailor, who had just entered the Chonglou Realm and was only responsible for cleaning and maintaining the lower decks on the tower ship—holding the lowest position aboard—gave a bitter laugh.

Trembling, the sailor raised a short dagger and shouted at Wu Zhan: 'Demons, you… heaven will not tolerate this!'

Pfft!

The sailor himself chopped open his own neck with a blade.

Blood spurted profusely; he looked at Wu Zhan and laughed fiercely: 'I would rather kill myself, letting my soul return to the Heavenly Court Divine Kingdom, than die at your demonic hands and have my soul sink forever.'

Wu Zhan stared blankly at the sailor.

'Soul, sink forever? I'm not some old ghost of the Xuanming Clan, I don't play with souls—how would I make yours sink forever?' Wu Zhan shook his head, bewildered.

The door of a nearby cabin shattered; a sailor with a head wound and blood streaming, gripping a one-handed axe, charged out and brought the axe down on Wu Zhan's head.

The axe, flashing with faint rune light, was still three inches from Wu Zhan's forehead when his scarlet flames engulfed it, turning the blade red-hot, visibly melting and softening.

The axe struck Wu Zhan's head, having turned into molten iron; with a 'crack' the molten iron splattered, sparks flying everywhere. Instinctively, Wu Zhan backhanded an axe, cleaving the sailor at the waist.

The burly sailor screamed hoarsely, looked up at the corridor ceiling, shouted 'May the heavenly gods protect!' then slapped his own head and died by suicide just like the previous sailor.

Boom……

Behind, a large section of the ship's planking shattered; Wu Yin and Wu Tong, their bodies ablaze with flames, swung their great axes wildly, charging forward amidst a stench of blood and gore.

Father?

Wu Yin and Wu Tong laughed loudly, shouting; the two high-capped, long-robed Demon-Suppressing Army commanders of the Life Pond Realm, beaten black and blue, spat blood continuously as they retreated.

Seeing Wu Zhan standing there dazed, Wu Yin and Wu Tong both shouted at once.

Wu Zhan shook his head, then nodded, and charged at the two Demon-Suppressing Army commanders who were left and right blocking him, clearly no match for Wu Yin and Wu Tong; from behind he swung his axe laterally, cutting them into four pieces.

The two Life Pond Realm commanders roared in unison, blinding light erupting from their bodies as they swelled strangely, then exploded violently.

Wu Zhan, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong were blown far away, the flames on their bodies flickering.

Two streams of light, the transformed life souls of the two Demon-Suppressing Army commanders, shot out from their foreheads with a 'whoosh', bursting through the ship's planking as they tried to flee.

The entire tower ship suddenly shattered; Wu Tie transformed into a golden light and rushed to the ship's side, a White Tiger Splitting Strike blasting the tower ship to pieces.

Sky-full of tower ship fragments flew about; Wu Tie hovered in midair, blankly staring at three towering divine warriors, their bodies crimson and awash with surging firelight. His brow's Dharma Eye opened, spewing a Chaotic Divine Light that enveloped Wu Zhan, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong.

Father?

Second Brother?

Third Brother?

Wu Tie tilted his head, a twisted expression on his face as he looked at the equally stunned Wu Zhan, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong.

Wu Zhan, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong spat fire from their eyes, staring fixedly at Wu Tie. Though Wu Tie had grown much taller, his face still showed the outline of his childhood. Wu Tie is still young; his appearance remains eighty to ninety percent similar to that of years ago.

'Wu Tie?' Wu Zhan exclaimed instinctively, blurting out Wu Tie's name.

Boom…… In the tremendous roar, a Life Pond Realm Demon-Suppressing Army commander together with over a dozen Chonglou Realm Peak Demon-Suppressing Army warriors were slapped down from high altitude by Wu Jin's shield; their bodies nearly flattened, drenched in blood, they plummeted into the great rift valley below.

Wu Jin stepped on a rosy cloud, and with a 'whoosh' descended amidst a gust of wind.

He widened his eyes, staring fixedly at Wu Tie, then suddenly burst out laughing: 'Old Four, have you seen… the Mountain Shield?'

Wu Tie laughed; Wu Jin's physique had changed enormously, but his face remained the same as the brother I remembered: 'Not only the Mountain Shield, I also saw Mother and Little Sister; they're both doing well.'

Separated by a hundred li, east and west, two tower ships simultaneously noticed this tower ship utterly destroyed.

They turned their prows; the Aurora Cannon instantly locked onto Wu Tie and Wu Jin.

Hum—two thick beams of white light, as wide as water tanks, tore through the air; Wu Jin and Wu Tie were both hit.

Wu Jin backhanded raised the Gluttony Wood Shield; the shield's gluttonous skull opened its maw, deeply sucking in the white light and swallowing it whole.

Wu Tie simply let the white light blast his body.

His armor quickly turned red and softened, holding for a breath before exploding into molten iron.

The white light struck Wu Tie squarely; his skin instantly scorched, large swaths of muscle burned to charcoal, soon revealing the dark bones of his back. Wu Tie's bones glowed with a faint radiance; under the Aurora Cannon's impact, his bones suffered no damage.

Moreover, the Aurora Cannon's stimulation of Wu Tie's back bones provoked a reaction like a provoked tiger.

A dim, dark glow rapidly spread to nearby flesh, instantly spawning new flesh. The Aurora Cannon repeatedly vaporized this new flesh, but it stubbornly kept regrowing.

Gradually, the new flesh's resistance to the Aurora Cannon increased greatly, requiring three breaths for the cannon to destroy it.

Wu Tie pulled out several large chunks of the Demon-Subduing Hall Giant Divine Warriors' fragments, flicked them apart with his finger. Streams of light flowed into his body; his inner bone heat surged. Despite the Aurora Cannon striking his back, the flesh on his back stubbornly kept growing, thread by thread, layer by layer.

'Really, Old Four…' Wu Jin grinned, and inexplicably two streams of tears spurted from the corners of his eyes.

Then he quickly closed his eyes; a heat wave surged from the corners, evaporating the hot tears instantly.

'Get lost!' Wu Jin snapped around, roaring at the tower ship that was bombarding him indiscriminately.

He raised his great battle-axe with his right hand, letting out a deep, long howl.

In the high sky, a mass of dark clouds rapidly gathered; 'boom boom boom' dozens of thick lightning bolts, as wide as water tanks, tore from the clouds and slammed heavily into that tower ship.

The tower ship's surface glittered; an eggshell-shaped light barrier appeared, firmly protecting the tower ship.

Wu Jin's whole body flickered with faint gold light; a translucent Seal Ribbon phantom flew from his crown, instantly causing the surrounding winds and clouds to shift, as heavenly and earthly essence poured into that storm cloud at a terrifying speed.

The lightning quickly thickened to over a zhang; its originally faint bluish-purple hue rapidly turned bright silver.

The lightning struck, making the tower ship sway left and right; the light barrier continually burst in specks of light rain, while the ship's surface kept erupting in large sheets of flame.

To control his emotions, Wu Jin lashed out violently; the tower ship, capable of blocking a full-force attack from an ordinary Embryo Storage Realm cultivator, looked as if his blows would make it teeter and fall. Inside, two stationed Life Pond Realm commanders roared, each raising an iron shield to meet the lightning.

Wu Tie lacked Wu Jin's violence; he simply let the Aurora Cannon bombard his body, letting his whole body be engulfed in fierce white light.

He looked at Wu Zhan, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong with a hint of inexplicable emotion.

"Father, second brother, third brother……you……how did you become like this?" Wu Tie stretched out his right hand toward Wu Zhan, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong, made a vague grasp, then let it droop weakly.

Wu Zhan, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong burst into dry laughter simultaneously.

Wu Yin and Wu Tong looked left and right, then suddenly let out a loud shout together and charged toward the tower ship that Wu Jin was fiercely attacking. They barbarically broke through the tower ship's defensive barrier and slammed hard into the two Destiny Pool realm commanders who were resisting the furious lightning.

They were rather embarrassed.

Facing their own younger brother, these two felt utterly ashamed.

Look at Wu Tie's intact appearance, look at his mighty stance as he bears the aurora cannon……the little brother they once cherished in their palms has now become a stalwart man of iron.

And as their elder brother, they have turned into two lumps of iron……losing face, unable to show themselves, they can only vent their anger on others.

Thus the two Destiny Pool realm Demon-Subduing Army commanders instantly exploded into a mist of blood, and the perfectly fine tower ship was smashed to pieces in just a few blows by the combined effort of Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong.

The three brothers didn't even greet Wu Tie, just shouting as they rushed toward another tower ship a hundred li away.

"Is it ever going to end? Are you done? Are you having fun?" Wu Zhan suddenly let out a frenzied roar, the two thick armor plates on his chest jerking sideways to reveal a thumb‑thick honeycomb‑shaped launch nest inside.

Sizzle!

Dozens of scarlet‑red high‑temperature light beams tore through the void, savagely sweeping across the main cannon of the tower ship that was attacking Wu Tie.

The aurora cannon's power is immense, yet when firing it is also at its most fragile; its barrel is made of high‑purity crystal stone, which undergoes high‑frequency vibration during firing, putting it in an extremely unstable state.

The intensely focused, extremely high‑temperature, high‑energy light beam slammed hard onto the main cannon.

The triangular‑prism‑shaped main cannon suddenly burst into blinding light; the Demon‑Subduing Army soldiers and several officers on the tower ship shouted in unison, each shooting skyward as if to flee.

But there was no time.

The Pure Yang Slaughter‑Demon Aurora Cannon exploded with a boom, together with the main cannon's furnace, whose filling of an unknown number of energy crystal blocks also detonated.

A dazzling ball of scorching light instantly enveloped a radius of thirty‑odd li of void.

Vast swarms of poisonous bats were instantly vaporized, along with every soldier of the Demon‑Subduing Army on that entire tower ship, leaving nothing behind.

"Old Four……you've grown too fast."

Wu Zhan gave a few dry coughs, long flames spouting from his feet as he slowly flew to Wu Tie's front. He reached out to touch Wu Tie's cheek, but seeing the inch‑high scarlet flame spitting from his own palm, he hastily pulled his hand back.

"Father……your appearance actually feels quite familiar to me." Wu Tie grinned, showing his teeth, and seized Wu Zhan's hand.

Sizzle!

The scorching flames frenziedly burned Wu Tie's hands, splitting his skin and tearing his flesh, while the air filled with the smell of roasted meat.

Wu Zhan hurriedly tried to wrest his hand free: "This body, Father just got hold of it and hasn't learned how to control it freely……why won't this fire go out?"

Wu Tie laughed "gah‑gah", just as when Wu Zhan used to pat his head as a child……Wu Tie actively grabbed Wu Zhan's hand and placed his palm on his own head, rubbing it a few times.

Where the flaming palm passed, Wu Tie's hair and eyebrows were burned clean off, and the flesh on his head was scorched to a ruin.

Wu Zhan wanted to pull his hand back, but Wu Tie's strength was no less than that of his giant divine soldier's body……and Wu Zhan was also a bit hesitant……In the end, he willingly cooperated, firmly rubbing Wu Tie's head twice.

"Let go!" After rubbing twice, Wu Zhan's left fist slammed hard into Wu Tie's head, just as when Wu Tie was a child being beaten by his three brothers Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong in the training grounds of the Wu family's Shibao fortress—Wu Zhan likewise gave Wu Tie a hard punch.

In Wu Zhan's heart, the once frail and weak Wu Tie had now become a true man, just like his three sons.

"Are you mocking me, old man?" Wu Zhan snatched back his hand, glaring fiercely at Wu Tie and shouting: "You little brat, your wings have hardened—do you dare mock me?"

"No, I really do think your appearance is quite familiar." Wu Tie laughed brightly; this divine soldier's form must be Old Tie's original shape, right? Thinking of Old Tie, Wu Tie indeed felt Wu Zhan's appearance was very familiar.

Wu Zhan grunted a few times, muttering indistinct curses; he glanced at Wu Tie's head still steaming and said, half‑humming: "Apply medicine, treat the wounds—no more chatter…first take out these guys…how many military merits is a head worth? We father and son now owe the Three Emperors' Camp three hundred ten million merits…this bunch of ruthless, black‑hearted scoundrels."

Wu Tie's eye corner twitched violently.

Three hundred ten million merits?

Three Emperors' Camp?

These ruthless, black‑hearted bastards……Wu Tie instantly felt his teeth itch with hatred.

Who is the commander of the Three Emperors' Camp?

Wu Tie made up his mind—he would certainly not let that person have an easy time.

In the distance, Wu Zheng, who was single‑handedly battling twenty half‑step Embryo‑Storage realm commandants, finally burst out shouting: "Wu Tie, you little brat, hurry over and help your old man…can't you see I'm about to be beaten to death? Twenty—twenty whole ones…and your cousins too, hurry up and save me!"

Twenty half‑step Embryo‑Storage realm commandants surrounded and beat one man; despite Wu Zheng's formidable strength, he was still battered all over.

However, they were merely flesh wounds; this fellow still had plenty of vigor, and a loud shout from him could still carry for hundreds of li.

Wu Zhan looked at Wu Zheng, then took a deep breath: "This time, I've lost all face……this bastard, why is he here too?"