Chapter 385

Wu Tie sat cross-legged on the ground, coldly eyeing Sima Xin, who felt good about himself.

He really wanted to ask Sima Xin whether, when he was born, the midwife his family hired had mistaken the target, thrown away the baby and handed the placenta to Sima Xin's father as the baby… This bastard, simply a placenta cultivated into human form, completely brainless?

"Give me a chance to curry favor with you?"

"The price is, I'll give you the secret treasure?"

Wu Tie remained silent, merely shaking his head lightly.

Not to mention the chaotic true seed of unknown origin that could bring Wu Tie great benefit, even if it were merely an "ordinary" soul-defense secret treasure, Wu Tie could not possibly give it to Sima Xin for no reason.

On what grounds?

Sima Xin is not his biological son.

Even if Sima Xin were Wu Tie's biological son, given Sima Xin's character, Wu Tie would rather kick him to death than give him a treasure.

"Shaking your head? You refused?" Sima Xin's face turned ugly, very ugly, he stared straight at Wu Tie, sighed: "I intended my heart to be toward the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the ditch… Huo Xiong, you refused my kindness, you can't blame me."

Straightening his waist, Sima Xin calmly said: "You must understand, the commander-in-chief of the Divine Martial Army, Sima Yan, is also a member of my royal clan."

A naked threat, Sima Xin actually directly used Sima Yan's name to threaten Wu Tie.

Wu Tie looked at Sima Xin, speechless.

Do you think someone like Sima Yan, who can sit on the throne of commander-in-chief of the Divine Martial Army and become one of the few big shots in the military of the Divine State of Great Jin, would, for the sake of you few royal clan playboys, disregard his status and decorum to help you deal with a mere recently meritorious officer who also has great prospects and potential?

Truly, as playboys, Sima Xin and his ilk really disgrace the term "playboy".

Looking at Sima Xin standing before him, Wu Tie, sitting cross-legged on the ground, suddenly felt mischievous; he pressed his right index and middle fingers together into a sword finger, and from below upward, he fiercely jabbed at a point more than three cun below Sima Xin's navel, a spot that cannot be specifically described in words.

In their martial arts, there is a move called "Monkey Steals the Peach," which is deemed a lowly technique.

Wu Tie's move is even more vicious and base than "Monkey Steals the Peach." "Monkey Steals the Peach" is a forceful grab that causes blunt injury, whereas Wu Tie's sword finger viciously pokes, using the powerful bodily strength from his cultivation of the Nine Turns Mystic Art, his two fingernails like the edges of a short sword thrust straight, and even the few royal clan youths beside Sima Xin heard a faint sound of tearing air.

A non-human-like wail shot up to the heavens.

Sima Xin covered his unmentionable area with both hands, his body shot straight up twenty zhang high, then he plunged headfirst, his head heavily striking the ground, his face deathly pale as paper, cold sweat continually pouring from his body.

As a Fetal Storage realm cultivated by piling up vast resources, and as a playboy who cannot endure hardship, what he cultivates is not a body-refinement method requiring arduous tempering of the flesh, but rather leans toward divine ability transformation, a method of spell cultivation.

Sima Xin's physique is not strong, moreover he cannot endure hardship; he excels at eating, drinking, and enjoying himself.

Wu Tie's finger thrust out, actually using little force, but to Sima Xin it felt like a red-hot steel bar, stiffly thrusting up from his crotch into his lower abdomen.

His five viscera and six bowels spasmed into a knot, his whole body twitched, his five viscera burned with excruciating pain as if on fire.

Sima Xin felt he was about to die from the pain.

His whole body twitched, after a few spasms he actually fainted from the pain.

The several royal clan youths he had gathered stared blankly, looking at Wu Tie as if seeing a ghost for a while, then hurriedly helped Sima Xin up and fled in disarray.

Jiang Ping, Jiang Kuo and a few other scions of military families noticed the commotion here, and hurried over.

After they learned what exactly had happened, their faces turned extremely odd—indeed, one would not expect that someone with a dignified appearance, usually quiet, but actually possessing a stern aura, 'Huo Xiong,' would resort to such vicious means.

"Besides, Sima Xin has many brothers; even if that thing is ruined……" Jiang Ping's face twitched: "Besides, speaking of which, you didn't go too hard, did you?"

Jiang Ping and the others looked at Wu Tie with some concern.

"My subordinate merely struck this way for convenience, so I gave him a casual blow, just a small lesson, with no intention of forming a deadly feud." Wu Tie looked seriously at Jiang Ping: "If in the future General Sima Xin cannot display his might, that will certainly not be my fault."

Wu Tie calmly said: "Besides, in this fortress, everyone's wounds are quickly healing; I expect… he will recover fully before long."

Jiang Ping and the others nodded in relief.

It's good that the worst outcome didn't happen…… Sima Xin this dead calf of a thing, how could he be a member of the royal clan?

In the high sky, a substantial blood flag had already condensed, violently swaying in the high-altitude gale, emitting a "hailahaha" huge sound, and strands of Blood Light continuously fell from the flag surface, which was gradually covered with countless patterns, exactly sprinkling over the fortress five li in length and width.

Under the Blood Light's illumination, the cultivation of all Great Jin soldiers in the city slowly increased, and all their wounds quickly healed.

For the First Army and experts like Sima Yan, the Blood Light's promotion to them is negligible, but for ordinary commanders, especially the fewer than four thousand newly breakthrough elites under Wu Tie's command, the Blood Light's effect is immense.

After days and nights of fierce fighting, some of these fortunate soldiers under Wu Tie, after condensing their life pools, directly broke through to the intermediate stage of the Life Pool realm.

Their souls could already form various dharma phenomena behind them, and the flow of light of laws beside those dharma phenomena had already taken on the aspect of dragons and snakes.

Because they have all received the transmission of the Six Turns Primal Art, they have all switched to cultivating it, so the dharma phenomena they form are uniformly blood-colored figures six zhang six chi tall, clad in heavy armor, with a blood-colored python dragon coiling and flying beside them.

Wu Tie secretly calculated that if such fierce fighting continued for another month, these fewer than four thousand elites would very likely all directly step into the Fetal Storage realm, at least reaching the half-step Fetal Storage level.

If he could safely lead these fortunate soldiers out of the Three Kingdoms battlefield alive, this troop under Wu Tie's command could be called the most luxurious unit in the Divine Martial Army, an elite force entirely composed of Fetal Storage cultivators.

But…… only heaven knows how long this blood flag contest will last.

The great battle has already erupted for six days and seven nights.

Outside the city, the Jaguar Cavalry and the Slaughter Spirit Army, under the threat of the supervision squad, desperately assaulted the fortress fiercely for several days and nights.

Wu Tie has not participated in battle these past few days, and he does not know exactly how the slaughter outside has turned out…… Regardless of casualties, underground blood-colored flames rise up, turning all corpses into green smoke that drifts away.

But……

Wu Tie raised his head to look at that enormous blood flag; on its surface spanning tens of li in radius, fine blood-colored lines continuously emerged.

Each blood-colored line, is it not condensed from the essence blood of countless soldiers?

Wu Tie sat cross-legged on the ground in silence, thinking of nothing, merely continuously absorbing the increasingly rich heavenly-earth elemental energy from around him, continuously condensing it into mana, which was then swallowed clean by that sprouting chaotic true seed that had grown a bit larger.

The ninth day after the outbreak of the great battle.

The shouts of killing outside the city have already grown sparse.

It is obvious that, under the overwhelming divine abilities of the increasing number of Fetal Storage realm commanders in the city, the ordinary troops of the Jaguar Cavalry and Slaughter Spirit Army have likely died off as well. After all, a single sweep of divine ability can cut down hundreds, or thousands up to tens of thousands on the spot.

Even if the Jaguar Cavalry and Slaughter Spirit Army had many more troops, they would also have died off about the same.

From the high sky came a sonorous dragon roar, and the blood-colored great banner displayed a complete pattern of nine dragons chasing the sun. Nine frenziedly dancing mad dragons, each scale formed from the dense condensation of countless runes; also the broad cloud and wind patterns are likewise condensations of corresponding dao patterns of the laws.

The aura emanating from the entire blood flag is a hundred, even a thousand times stronger than the Nine Refined Immortal Weapons on Sima Yan and others; a grand, massive aura came from the flag, making Wu Tie, seated on the ground, feel tremendous pressure, his bones cracking crack-crack all over.

This blood flag condensed from the essence blood and souls of hundreds of millions of people……

Wu Tie's face twitched violently; this blood flag seems to have been sacrificed and refined into an extremely powerful treasure.

Sima Yan panted, laughing as he ascended the altar at the center of the fortress.

"Third gate……must slay millions of soldiers to let the blood banner condense into a complete image." Sima Yan stood atop the altar and shouted loudly: "Brothers, the Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun diagram—this is one of the top three kinds of images……In this battle, if our Great Jin Divine Nation wins, it will surely bring prosperity to Great Jin's fortune."

Sima Yan panted, his face bore a sword wound deep to the bone, still constantly festering and burning.

Obviously, Sima Yan was mobilizing his magical power to deal with this sword wound; the wound on his face would sometimes heal halfway, but soon the injury would tear open again.

It was obvious that in these few days of battle, Sima Yan was not at ease either; a peerless expert of his level had found him and left him with a wound that refused to heal.

"Third gate……Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun diagram, let's see the third gate's reward!" Sima Yan forcefully patted his chest: "Please, gods, bless our Great Jin!"

Ripples of blood-colored light spread in the air, accompanied by a low rumbling sound, and myriad zhang of rosy light burst forth from the blood-colored ripples.

The "rumbling" roar continued nonstop; with great difficulty, a colossal huge object slowly squeezed out from the ripples.

Wu Tie and the thousands of subordinates behind him all rose curiously to their feet, looking toward the direction of the altar.

It was a giant bell wholly gold-red in color, standing about a hundred zhang tall, its entire surface covered with countless intricate patterns of cosmic stars; a massive gold dragon coiled around the bell, its head resting on the bell's knob, the whole dragon lifelike, exuding an overwhelming divine might that left one breathless.

"Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact!" Sima Yan, the First Army, Sima De, Jiang Hu, and others shouted in unison.

"Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact!" Wu Tie's pupils contracted.

In the classification system of the Great Jin Divine Nation, immortal weapons are still forged by conventional methods, using rare materials to shape them, then by inscribing formation runes to infuse the Grand Dao's profound truths, becoming powerful weapons.

The so-called Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact, like Wu Tie's refining of the Fallen Soul Scattering Soul Banner and the North Star Killing Spirit Sword, involves forging an entire Grand Dao into it, allowing it to autonomously absorb heavenly and earthly primordial energy, gradually growing and nurturing—a supreme refining method that takes ages of cultivation to produce an acquired spiritual treasure.

The Great Jin Divine Nation possesses no secret art for refining Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts.

Perhaps it exists, but the Great Jin Divine Nation keeps it secret; even someone of the level of Huo Xiong cannot access such a secret.

Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts are said to be in the hands of the gods.

Only when Great Jin, Great Wei, and Great Wu please the gods in various ways, or offer sacrifices of sufficient value, or use certain extremely special channels, will there be an extremely slim chance of being granted one or two Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts.

Each Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact among the three kingdoms can be called a national treasure of supreme importance, and each is enough to greatly boost a nation's overall strength.

Back when Wu Tie was in Sanlian City, to refine the Fallen Soul Scattering Soul Banner and the North Star Killing Spirit Sword, he melted down all the detachable treasures on his person, barely managing to gather enough materials.

However, the Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts bestowed by the gods all use massive amounts of the highest-grade materials, and after long ages of nurturing, each such artifact's power is ten thousand times greater than Wu Tie's freshly forged Fallen Soul Scattering Soul Banner and North Star Killing Spirit Sword.

At least ten thousand times stronger!

This is the foundation, this is the gap. Although in essence, the two treasures Wu Tie forged himself are also Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts, in actual power the difference is enormous, truly enormous.

Just as with pottery, can a rough white porcelain cup fired in a village workshop be compared to a large dragon-patterned platter about a zhang tall fired in an imperial kiln?

"Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact! Truly, magnificent divine might, irresistible." Wu Tie sincerely praised, the aura emanating from this gold dragon bell is truly overwhelming enough to leave one breathless.

However, Wu Tie does not envy it either.

His Tower of Everlasting Life and Tree of Abundant Harvest are both stronger than this gold dragon bell by more than a margin.

As for the water-fire gourd and water-fire spear born of heaven and earth, they are even stronger than this acquired Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact by an unknown amount.

Not to mention the chaotic true seed…

Although these divine weapons cannot be taken out to show others, Wu Tie happily muttered to himself: "In thought, there is no doubt, I am an ultimate tycoon!"

The gold dragon bell slowly descended beneath the altar, with a "hum" it hovered at a height of three chi above the ground.

Outside the city, from the direction of the middle armies of Great Wei and Great Wu came angry, hoarse shouts; war drums and bell chimes sounded together, and earth-shaking footsteps approached—those neat, orderly steps were like muffled thunder, each boom striking everyone's hearts.

"The remnants of the Jaguar Cavalry and the Slaughter Spirit Army have retreated……What comes are their newly reinforced elites." On all four city walls, commanders simultaneously shouted warnings.

Everyone climbed onto the walls and looked out in all directions.

The Jaguar Cavalry and Slaughter Spirit Army that had charged like a turbulent tide vanished……Outside the four city walls stood countless neat ten-thousand-strong formations, their breaths united as one. Dense arrays stretched outward in all directions, disappearing from sight.

Brand-new lofty ships hovered ten zhang above the ground; the fore-decks split open, revealing one massive light cannon after another.

In the middle armies of Great Wei and Great Wu, someone was shouting with all their might.

They were issuing the latest bounty.

Anyone who beheads the commander of any Great Jin army within the city will be ennobled as a king!