Chapter 46

The flood dragon is rampaging.

The water python is hissing.

Inside the Mist Blade outpost, the Mist Blade assassins turned and left without a word; well-trained, they quickly withdrew from the outpost.

They are assassins, killers, life-reapers walking in darkness; they are not fearless warriors. When facing a strong enemy, when facing an enemy they cannot possibly resist, the Mist Blade assassins' natural choice is to retreat.

Without the suppression of the Mist Blade assassins, the clan warriors inside the outpost fell into disorder.

They gathered chaotically by their original clans, shouting loudly, at a loss.

Several brave ox-tribe warriors brandished great axes and wolf-tooth clubs, roaring as they charged at the flood dragon. Each time, the flood dragon exhaled slowly, injuring the mass of ox-tribe warriors, then, in a highly efficient yet seemingly 'elegant' manner, swallowed them whole.

Whether flesh, armor, or weapon.

Slowly, it swallowed them whole.

The clan warriors' resistance collapsed quickly; scattered elite fighters fled everywhere, while gray dwarves and stone goblins cried out everywhere.

Wu Tie had already walked a distance downstream of the great river under Old Iron's urging.

But after condensing Yuan Gang and constantly tempering his body with it, Wu Tie's senses sharpened daily. Now his hearing and sight are keen; he clearly heard the wailing cries coming from the Mist Blade outpost.

The ox-tribe's voices are deep and powerful; the wolf-tribe's long howls are high-pitched and penetrating; the voices of those gray dwarves are like the hammers they favor—clangorous and strong, with a hard stone flavor.

As for the weakest stone goblins, their voices are faint yet clear; even when they scream in terror, their voices sound as pleasant as a flute's note.

Especially among the stone goblins, the voices of the not-yet-adult children are slender and tender, like a large group simultaneously blowing whistles made of small bone slices, carrying effortlessly on the river wind far, far away.

Those stone goblin children.

Stone goblins are at most about 1.2 meters tall; their children are even more delicate and frail. They have light gray skin, thin arms and legs, soft hair close to the scalp, and large eyes a bit bigger than ordinary people's, always filled with curiosity about the world and brimming with pure innocence.

At Shibao, Wu Tie treated these little ones as pets.

They were just like newly hatched gray rock lizards—cute and adorable.

At Shibao, Wu Tie often shared his food with these little ones, even when he himself was hungry.

Thus Wu Tie's greatest dream back then was that one day Shibao would obtain sufficient, endless water, allowing them to grow more white mushrooms or other fungi, so these little ones would no longer go hungry.

Those delicate and slender ones always gathered around Wu Tie with a tranquil smile, listening to him retell stories he'd heard from Grey Master, gazing admiringly at Wu Tie's little ones.

Those little ones would always rush to help Wu Tie tidy things up neatly whenever he had something to do.

The youngest ones would follow their parents to work the fields, wiping the scales and fangs of the great rock python, cleaning the mouths of gray rock lizards, and making the whole of Shibao spotless.

They were like a group of innocent, adorable sprites, scurrying all over Shibao, filling it with vitality.

"I wonder how they are..." Wu Tie thought of the few little ones he was closest to.

As slaves, stone goblins have no names.

But for those few little ones, Wu Tie gave them names, using the beautiful phrases he had learned.

Wu Tie suddenly stopped, turned, and looked toward the Mist Blade outpost.

Several overseers had brought many slaves.

To sustainably develop this secret realm, many slaves were brought in with their families.

Among them were elders, young adults, and naturally children. Especially the numerous stone goblins, whose breeding cycle is short, have already given birth to many infants in these months.

Stone goblin children can be running all over the place in just two or three months.

The flood dragon slammed its head against the Mist Blade outpost's wall; a dull thud echoed from afar, and a large section of the wall collapsed.

Many warriors futilely shooting bows and crossbows from the wall were blown away, screaming as they fell hard to the ground along with the shattered earth and stone.

The flood dragon, leisurely, led a few large ones into the outpost.

Countless tender voices screamed; Wu Tie stood on a small hillock and could even see, far off within the Mist Blade outpost, those tiny, stumbling figures running.

Behind those tiny figures, gray figures not much taller charged at the flood dragon and water python. Without weapons, these tiny figures brandished mining hoes and rushed forward.

The small mining hoes, specially made for stone goblins and weighing no more than two jin, struck the scales of the flood dragon and water python…

The flood dragon and water python scorned such attacks; a casual roll crushed over a hundred of those tiny figures to death.

The flood dragon raised its head and pursued the fleeing, tender, petite figures ahead.

Wu Tie watched the flood dragon's movements with a grim expression.

He seemed to hear, in Shibao, those little ones whispering 'thank you' softly as they secretly received the mushrooms he passed them.

He also seemed to see those who, though hungry themselves, would still set aside a little of the scarce mushrooms for their younger siblings—sensible little ones.

Wu Tie thought of his father, his elder brother.

He thought of Wu Jin blocking his path…

Wu Jin's wounds on his back exposed bone…

For his useless younger brother, Wu Jin knelt on the ground, eh…

"I have already escaped once." Wu Jin inexplicably recalled the imposing phrase Grey Master often muttered.

Even if tens of thousands, I will go forward!

Even if tens of thousands, I will go forward!!

Even if tens of thousands, I will go forward!!!

"Even if tens of thousands…… I will go forward……" Wu Tie roared: "Although I still don't fully understand the meaning of this saying…… but I can understand why Grey Master always likes to chant the phrase 'apricot blossom'!"

"Saying this over and over…… really gives spirit!"

Wu Tie laughed loudly, straightened his waist, seized his spear, an invisible force field enveloped his whole body, wild winds rose all around, he shot up a hundred meters high with a howling wind, and rushed toward the Mist Blade outpost.

Blood, burn again.

Blood vessels, boiling.

In the forehead, a cluster of golden light spins and expands rapidly.

In the surrounding air, sparkling Yuan energy separates, turning into streams of sparkling light that continually flow into Wu Tie's body.

Wu Tie gulped down the surrounding Yuan energy; the Yuan Gang in his lower abdomen surged out, flowing rapidly through his body. Yuan energy entered the Yuan Gang, the Yuan Gang increased bit by bit, causing intense pain throughout his body wherever it passed—like a divine giant hammer, the Yuan Gang gradually tempered Wu Tie's body.

Wu Tie's blood truly boiled over.

In his glabella, the cluster of golden light trembled violently, and Wu Tie, hoarse from shouting, roared the line "Even if tens of thousands, I will go forward"—a phrase he didn't quite understand—charging toward the Fog Blade stronghold, toward that terrifying flood dragon.

His blood boiled.

Within his blood, some extremely minute energy, hidden deep in Wu Tie's blood, was stirred.

Wu Tie's primordial vigor circulation speed suddenly increased tenfold, while his bodily pain increased a hundredfold; threads of blood continually seeped from his pores, a small primordial energy vortex appeared atop his head, and arm-thick strands of primordial energy continuously poured into the vortex, continuously flowing from his crown into his body.

His primordial vigor was rapidly increasing, his primordial vigor was swiftly strengthening.

The golden light within his glabella turned into countless fine golden threads that poured down like a heavenly river waterfall, continually scouring Wu Tie's body, refining his muscles, bones, and viscera—especially his blood.

An indescribable, vast and mighty aura, supremely rigid and strong, fierce and solemn, gathered vaguely within Wu Tie's body.

In the next instant, that aura erupted violently, Wu Tie's forward flight speed surged severalfold, and behind him, wisp after wisp of faint gray aura gradually condensed into a blurred humanoid figure with a straight spine, wearing a long robe and tall hat.

Old Tie saw Wu Tie rashly charge out, he gasped, mouth wide open, about to spew an electric current to stop Wu Tie's impulse.

That flood dragon was absolutely beyond what Old Tie and Wu Tie could handle now.

If it had been a few days ago, before unleashing that earth-shaking blow, Old Tie still had some confidence to severely wound that flood dragon.

But now… Old Tie is willing but unable…

Electric current surged across his fangs, Old Tie was about to spew it when a misty, fog-like humanoid figure silently appeared.

Old Tie gaped, staring blankly at that misty humanoid figure.

"Even if tens of thousands, I will go forward." Old Tie's body trembled slightly, the Blood Light in his eyes suddenly blazed bright, illuminating a radius of several hundred meters: "This kid… is this just dog‑shit luck… or is he truly a peerless genius?"

Old Tie slowly closed his mouth; his metal‑cast skull could show no facial expression, but his tone was enough to reveal his current mood.

"Truly terrifying bloodline, truly terrifying clan… no wonder it spawned those monsters that are my grandfather's descendants…"

"The spark of inheritance, endless… as long as the bloodline remains… then…"

"Fuck his mother, screw it!"

Old Tie suddenly barked like a mad dog, howling "woof woof" a few times, then a mighty, thunder‑like roar erupted from within him: "Battle… battle… battle… life endless, battle unceasing… the purpose of my grandfather's existence is battle!"

"Retreat? Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao?" Old Tie hysterical roared: "That's not what I should be thinking… which bastard put something else in my grandfather's mind? My grandfather is a pure warrior… bah, Bian Que… bah, medical‑type ancient divine weapon…"

The Blood Light spewing from his eyes solidified, scorching the rock in his gaze until it melted into magma.

Old Tie madly chased after Wu Tie, running and shouting: "Damn Yang Jian… I merely violated battlefield discipline once… a combat genius like me, and you demoted me to a medic!"

Roar!

Roar!

Old Tie bellowed with unrestrained abandon: "Screw battlefield discipline, screw military orders… the supreme commander of this war zone, Yang Jian, has fallen in battle; the supreme commander of the allied war zone, Niu Yingxiong, has fallen in battle… I have received no new orders… I follow the founder's… supreme command, fighting as I please…"

"White Tiger Army… Death's End Battalion… Vanguard… Fury Asura… join the battle!"

Blood Light surged in Old Tie's eyes.

Within his huge, pallid skull, it seemed an intangible shackle had shattered, its breaking audible as a clear crack.

On Old Tie's pallid, smooth skull, fine blood‑red tracings emerged, forming ever‑shifting totemic patterns across his crown. Already rather fearsome in appearance, Old Tie grew ever more ferocious and vicious.

Old Tie's skull surface writhed rapidly, several sharp spikes sprouting from it; these blood‑colored spikes were fierce and sharp, countless tiny sparks flickered on them, and the ambient primordial energy turned into visible glittering streams that were continually devoured by the spikes.

"Crackle crackle"—a few sounds rang out, large amounts of electric sparks spewed from Old Tie's neck, and his movements suddenly became a bit unbalanced.

Within his skull, a tremendous terrifying energy surged violently, but his body was ultimately not his own. Under the violent energy impact, Old Tie's four legs staggered, he plunged headfirst to the ground, smashing a huge stalactite to pieces.

Roar!

"Battle!" Old Tie hoarsely shouted, broad bands of electric light erupting from his neck, he sprang up and turned into a streak of blood‑colored fire, charging forward.

A group of young gray‑rock dwarf children fled while crying and shouting.

Their parents had either been reduced to a bloody mess or been swallowed by the flood dragon and those water pythons.

Their legs, less than a foot long, moved with difficulty as they fled through the chaotic stronghold; their large eyes brimmed with tears, unprecedented fear filling their bodies and minds, causing their voices to waver.

They… had no combat capability.

A huge water python came up, leisurely opened its maw, and swallowed the group of gray‑rock dwarf children in one gulp.

"I'm scared too…… but…… I'm here!" Wu Tie hoarsely yelled, plummeting from high altitude, gripping his spear with both hands, he drove it hard through the water python's head.

An inexplicable force, utterly beyond Wu Tie's control, exploded from the spear.

Vast and mighty, supremely rigid and strong, it filled heaven and earth, brimming with endless righteousness.

The water python's massive body burst apart, exploding into a sky‑flood of flesh and blood.

The ground shuddered, Wu Tie's body slammed onto it, his spear striking the earth and blasting a crater several meters in diameter.

A surrounding invisible force surged, Wu Tie slowly floated up from the crater.

He gripped his spear, teeth clenched, staring at the flood dragon watching him from several hundred meters away.

"I'm afraid of you…… but I still came!"

There will always be things that must be done…… there will always be people who must be protected……

I'm really stupid…… but I still came!

Wu Tie hooked a finger at the flood dragon, bursting into a trembling laugh: "Grandson, come to Grandpa's place; Grandpa will have a good time with you…"