Chapter 40: Declaration of War

Changsheng Sect brought a large contingent of elite warriors.

Besides all the forces directly under the Changsheng Sect's Cangyan Realm branch hall, Bone Gonggong and Orchid Gonggong also gathered the eighteen families controlled by Changsheng Sect and transferred them all at once to this foreign realm.

The eighteen families each dispatched as few as three hundred warriors and as many as six or seven hundred, for a total mobilized force of nearly ten thousand.

Besides these elite warriors, the eighteen families also transferred large numbers of able-bodied slaves; gray dwarves and rock dwarves were the most common slave varieties, and several families even brought rare fish-people and frog-people.

Wu Tie lay in a clump of large ferns, gazing far out at the river surface.

About two thousand fish-people and frog-people were showing off their might in the great river, waving crude bone forks and howling shrilly.

Fish-people, as the name suggests, have heads like big fish; their black fish heads and bodies covered in thick black scales give them extremely strong defense, not inferior to ordinary iron armor.

Frog-people are essentially upright frogs; their dark green skin is coated in slime, unusually tough, so ordinary blades cannot injure them in the slightest.

These two slave types are hulking, a head taller than ordinary humans, with astonishing strength, greater adeptness at water combat, making them extremely strong in water; however, they are clearly not very intelligent, their howling and clamor resembling that of beasts.

Vast shoals along the riverbank were dyed red with blood.

Just moments ago, several rock dwarves in the outpost were fetching water when the Changsheng Sect army attacked; these fish-people and frog-people struck from the water with extreme speed, and hundreds of rock dwarves, caught off guard, were slaughtered on the riverbank.

The fish-people and frog-people were extremely ferocious; after slaughtering the rock dwarves, they devoured them raw on the spot, dyeing large stretches of the riverbank red with blood that flowed downstream with the river.

Several large dark shapes surfaced in the water; the fierce fish and water beasts were startled, yet they were cowed by the murderous aura emanating from the fish-people and frog-people and dared not approach the blood‑scented riverbank.

A large number of poorly crafted shuttle‑shaped scout boats, their surfaces cracked with many tiny fissures, surfaced; under the rebukes of Bone Gonggong and Orchid Gonggong, the warriors and slaves aboard rowed, bringing the scout boats to shore on the opposite bank of the great river.

Some scout boats showed no movement; their surfaces were covered in cracks, clearly indicating that the warriors or slaves inside had suffocated as river water seeped into the hull during the long subterranean passage.

Nearly ten thousand warriors and tens of thousands of slaves swiftly landed, taking out various tools to dig foundations, gather earth and stone, busily constructing outposts and huts, and immediately erected a line of more than ten tall watchtowers along the riverbank.

The Mist Blade side reacted immediately, with many Mist Blade assassins cooperating with the warriors of the three great families to pull out scout boats and rafts, intending to cross the river and attack the enemy.

However, over two thousand fish-people and frog-people lurked in the river; the scout boats and rafts were destroyed as soon as they entered the water, causing dozens of casualties among the Mist Blade assassins and family warriors, who were forced to retreat helplessly to the shore.

Unable to cross the river, the Three Chief Envoys of Mist Blade rose into the air, stepping on black mist to rush toward the six black wooden boats hovering above.

The six wooden boats hovered in a line above the great river; Bone Gonggong, Orchid Gonggong, and five other men likewise rose into the air to meet the Three Chief Envoys.

The two sides merely crossed in the air above the river; black mist, blood clouds, and flashing cold light flickered for an instant, the Three Chief Envoys grunted in pain and retreated several hundred meters, and among Bone Gonggong and Orchid Gonggong's party, two men's chests suddenly split open with long wounds.

A sharp, cold voice rang out: "You are all natives of my Cangyan Realm… do you know the fate of offending my Mist Blade?"

Bone Gonggong burst out laughing: "Everyone, don't be frightened by their Mist Blade… this is a blessed land of geomancy; if you move all your clansmen here, under the protection of my Changsheng Sect, united we need fear nothing from their Mist Blade."

The Three Chief Envoys gave a cold snort and turned to leave.

Bone Gonggong and Orchid Gonggong also had no intention of fighting to the death; they landed back on the boats, the six vessels flew to the opposite bank of the great river, and gently settled on the shoals.

Tens of thousands of slaves joined forces, and on the opposite bank of the great river a modestly sized earthen city rose before their eyes; as the light of the False Sun waned and night approached, the Changsheng Sect outpost took shape, with wisps of cooking smoke slowly curling upward.

Apparently meant as a provocation, a blaring horn sounded from the Changsheng Sect watchtower; the fish-people and frog-people in the great river exclaimed excitedly "ah‑ah", brandishing their bone forks to taunt the Mist Blade outpost, then swiftly swam back to the opposite bank.

That night all was calm and peaceful; neither Changsheng Sect nor Mist Blade launched an attack.

When the False Sun shone again, its warm light bathing the vast lands below, a squad of Mist Blade warriors stepped out of their outpost.

Those family members and slaves were easy to feed; fast‑growing fungi sufficed for them. However, the Mist Blade assassins, especially high‑rankers like the Three Chief Envoys, could not stomach such coarse fare.

The riverbank abounds with game—water pythons, hippopotamuses, large fish, and water beasts—all excellent prey and the finest delicacies.

This detachment of over two hundred Mist Blade assassins advanced cautiously along the riverbank, occasionally scanning the water's surface. The Changsheng Sect's control of more than two thousand fish‑people and frog‑people gave them a great advantage; should those creatures come ashore to raid, it would also be a major headache.

The False Sun's heat evaporated ground moisture into a thick mist like milk, rising more than two meters and curling among clumps of ferns and mushrooms; various poisonous snakes, insects, and small creatures stirred uneasily, sending faint sounds from all directions.

The small creatures in these caves are not yet accustomed to the day‑night cycle brought by the False Sun; they are striving to familiarize themselves with this light‑dark shift and adjusting their hunting habits accordingly.

Several hundred meters away, a gentle‑flowing river bend holds water only a little over a meter deep, yet teems with vast amounts of aquatic vegetation.

On the riverbank grew a large patch of lush ferns; dozens of hippopotamuses lumbered from the deep water into the bend, lowered their heads, gulped water, and swallowed great quantities of the vegetation.

Moreover, two male hippopotamuses leading a few young beasts came onto the bank, opening their mouths to tear at the succulent fern fronds.

The Mist Blade assassins fanned out carefully, sending thirty‑odd men to watch the river's movements while the rest surrounded several hippopotamuses; those two bull hippos, each weighing at least a hundred thousand catties plus a few young beasts, could provide the assassins with a plentiful feast lasting over half a month.

Over a hundred assassins advanced slowly through the mist, daring not to underestimate these massive prey.

Mist Blade assassins excel at killing people, but they are not skilled against these giant beasts.

Mist drifting, Wu Tie bore a spear, gripped a flagpole, and stood silently on the path of the advancing Mist Blade assassins.

A river wind howled past, and a blood‑red flag on the pole fluttered with a "lie‑lie" sound; the half‑meter‑wide, three‑meter‑long banner bore a pallid tiger skull gaping jaws, teeth bared, ferociously grim.

This is the "White Tiger Blood Flag"; Wu Tie did not know what it signified, nor where Old Tie had obtained it.

In any case, after he finished the basic warrior tutorial, Old Tie handed this flag to Wu Tie.

"Even if one man forms an army… an army must have a banner." Wu Tie recalled clearly that when Old Tie gave him the White Tiger Blood Flag, the lifeless‑looking metal‑cast skull face actually flickered with a "humanity's radiance."

Wu Tie even wondered if his own brain had gone bad.

How could that lumpy metal face of Old Tie possibly possess a "humanity's radiance"?

Yet Wu Tie truly felt that heavy, surging radiance, and also felt the weighty force in Old Tie's "claws" when he handed over the white‑tiger blood flag.

The river wind howled, the flag waved.

The flagpole, about three meters high and slightly tilted, Wu Tie fiercely lifted the white‑metal pole and drove it deep into the ground.

With a "sip" sound, the sharp flagpole sank over a foot into the earth; the disturbance instantly alerted the Mist Blade assassins a hundred meters away, who halted, silently drew their straight blades, and pointed them at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie stood motionless, calmly regarding the Mist Blade assassins.

These Mist Blade assassins are quite young; many look to be just over twenty, while the oldest are no more than thirty or so.

Wu Tie has no grudge against them.

"You bear them no personal grudge, yet they have invaded your territory and are plundering your game." Wu Tie recalled Old Tie's words: "You and they have no private feud, but your affiliations have created a principled opposition."

"War has never been about personal grudges," Old Tie said bluntly: "War knows no right or wrong, only life and death."

"Let me put it more harshly and shamelessly… if you win, you are certainly right; if you lose, you are certainly wrong."

"Who's there?" a squad leader of the Mist Blade assassins demanded in a cold voice.

Wu Tie said nothing, merely watching them silently.

After cultivating to Foundation Establishment, Wu Tie's bodily functions far surpassed those of ordinary people; the Mist Blade assassins could not see him clearly through a hundred meters of mist, whereas Wu Tie could clearly perceive their every move.

What's more, the radius of Wu Tie's invisible force field had already reached over two hundred meters, and all these assassins were within its shroud.

"Kill!" the leader of the Mist Blade assassins bluntly gave the order.

Dozens of poison-coated throwing knives tore through the mist, accurately striking toward Wu Tie's position.

These Mist Blade assassins are indeed terrifying; from a hundred meters away, through the thick fog, Wu Tie merely planted the flagpole in the ground, making a slight sound, and the assassins already deduced his exact position.

Wu Tie stood motionless; the throwing knives struck his body, his tight-fitting armor sparking, dozens of forceful throwing knives snapped and rebounded several meters away before falling to the ground.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew, the mist within a radius of several li began to flow, the mist near the riverbank swiftly dissipated, and Wu Tie was exposed before the Mist Blade assassins.

His pallid tight-fitting armor, beside him a blood flag fluttered on a pallid flagpole; the blood flag bore a pallid snarling tiger head, looking ferocious, while also exuding an inexplicable aura of overbearing cruelty and unreasonableness.

Over a dozen Mist Blade assassins sprang out like fleas, and in a few leaps they were before Wu Tie.

Straight blades flashed with cold light, chopping down at Wu Tie from all directions.

Wu Tie raised his left hand and clenched his five fingers tightly.

The air within ten meters around his body surged violently, its density rapidly increasing, wave after wave of air undulating, the air becoming blurred and viscous like thin porridge.

Over a dozen Mist Blade assassins wielding blades to slash suddenly moved extremely slowly; their blades sliced through the viscous air, and the naked eye could see distinct ripples of air splitting ahead of the blades.

Boom!

Wu Tie let out a loud shout, and the air suddenly blasted outward in all directions.

Over a dozen Mist Blade assassins grunted, blown seven or eight meters away by the gale, scrambling back in disarray; moreover, several assassins slipped on the wet moss, lost their footing, fell flat on the ground, rolling and crawling in a sorry state.

"This place is my territory. Every beast, every insect, every fern, every clump of mushroom, even the fish and giant pythons in the river—all are my private wealth." Wu Tie looked at those assassins with stiff faces and slowly said: "You have invaded my territory; you are harming my private property… this is wrong…"

"Kill this brat." The Mist Blade assassin leader waved his long blade, drawing a circle above his head: "Chop him into pieces!"

Nearly two hundred Mist Blade assassins let out sharp, long whistles simultaneously, trailing afterimages as they swiftly charged at Wu Tie.

They simply couldn't be bothered to reason with Wu Tie.

Is this fertile land spanning a thousand li his territory?

Is everything here his private wealth?

You must be joking?

Even if they chopped Wu Tie into pieces, everything here would belong to the Mist Blade!

Reason? That doesn't exist… the local tyrants of the Cangyan Realm, the mighty and vicious Mist Blade, how could they possibly reason with you?

Slashes of blade light, like lightning, came down at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie held a long spear, tracing smooth arcs; the spear wove around him into a perfect circle, amidst the piercing clangs, dozens of long blades struck the spear in succession, then the long blades snapped one after another.

Though the arcs appeared gentle, Wu Tie's pure bodily strength reached fifty to sixty thousand catties; a casual strike was like a falling boulder, and though the straight blades used by the Mist Blade assassins were forged of fine steel, they could not withstand such tremendous impact.

Dozens of long blades broke, and dozens of Mist Blade assassins had their arms shattered by the shock, spitting blood as they screamed and flew backward in all directions.

Wu Tie's power was too great; these Mist Blade assassins were as helpless as leaves in the wind.

"This place is my territory." Wu Tie said in a deep voice: "Whether you are the Mist Blade or the Changsheng Sect, having invaded here… your only fate is war!"

One person, one spear, one blood flag.

He openly declared war on the two powerful organizations.