Chapter 61

Outside Thousand Fish City, a large crowd of Changsheng Sect disciples, clad in heavy armor and wielding sharp blades, streamed down in single file.

Within the Changsheng Sect, there are many handsome men and beautiful women; even the sect's warriors are mostly tall, stalwart, good‑looking young and middle‑aged men.

Moreover, all the warriors have been carefully selected; their height, build, and even facial features are nearly identical. With their neat, uniform armor and weapons, they present an excellent appearance at a glance, as pleasing to the eye as a meticulously tended fruit stall.

Twelve old men and twelve old women, twenty‑four white‑haired yet youthful‑looking Changsheng Sect masters drifted down from the wooden ships, their qi and blood surging; each seemed like a tiny lamp radiating light outward.

This is a sign of vital energy so abundant that the body can no longer contain it.

The twenty‑four masters stood in a line, with hundreds of handsome men and beautiful women behind them, and behind those, neatly arrayed, close to ten thousand elite warriors.

Having formed their ranks, this massive, formidable Changsheng Sect army stood ready; the twenty‑four old men and women then turned, facing the black wooden boat nearly two hundred meters long at the center, and bowed deeply.

"Please welcome the Vice Sect Master!"

Several hundred young men and women, along with nearly ten thousand elite warriors, shouted in unison: "Please welcome the Vice Sect Master!"

The Chief Steward of the Mist Blade's face turned extremely grim, and he instinctively retreated a few steps.

The left arm that Wu Tie had shot off with his gun burst open again, and fresh blood dripped down with a 'pitter‑patter' sound.

"Hmph."

A soft cold snort rang out, like a demonic sound piercing the brain, and a terrifying tremor echoed in the minds of all Mist Blade members. The continuous demonic tremor washed over them, making the Mist Blade present shudder and all spit blood at once.

Originally, they had already been scattered and suffered heavy casualties by the arrows exploding from Old Tie's arm.

That cold snort was immensely powerful; another large half of the Mist Blade assassins present were shaken to death, leaving only a few dozen of the strongest fortunate ones barely able to stay on their feet, each wretchedly vomiting blood.

A burly old man in a blood‑red robe, followed by dozens of lovely girls, slowly stepped out from the largest central wooden boat, his face grim as he gave the Mist Blade Chief Steward a deep look.

"Mist Blade… Chief Steward? Not bad, you've got guts… It's been many years since my Changsheng Sect last suffered such a loss."

"A branch hall was uprooted? Good, good, good, very good." The burly old man said in a low voice: "Although the four Red Old Ladies are notorious good‑for‑nothings in the sect, that's why they were sent to this poor, remote place."

"Even if they are worthless… no, even if they are a useless dog, as long as they are our Changsheng Sect's dog, only we Changsheng Sect may beat or kill them; no one else has the right to discipline them."

He exhaled heavily, and a vast expanse of blood mist spread out behind the burly old man's head; within the mist, a huge sun‑wheel flower loomed faintly visible, with countless eerie tentacles quietly emerging behind its large petals.

"Have you decided how you want to die? I am Jia Zhengfeng, the Third Vice Sect Master of the Changsheng Sect… I will surely fulfill your final dying wish."

The burly old man Jia Zhengfeng gave a deep smile; then a gentle breeze came, a wisp of blood mist wrapping a faint, shadowy figure that fell into his hand as swift as lightning.

Jia Zhengfeng stared blankly, his face instantly turning extremely grim.

"Send a few people to investigate thoroughly… The children I dispatched outside to seal all entrances and exits of Thousand Fish City—how could they have been killed?"

"This is the innate blood mark of the Que Slave… The Que Slave has met with misfortune… He deserves to die."

Jia Zhengfeng roared with fury; from the blood mist behind him, dozens of black tentacles as thick as arms shot out, emitting a piercing screech as they coiled toward the Mist Blade Chief Steward.

The Mist Blade Chief Steward hesitated for a moment, his body flickered, turned translucent, then swiftly merged into the air and vanished without a trace.

Dozens of semi‑real, semi‑illusory tentacles wrapped around the three remaining Mist Blade masters.

In the blink of an eye, the three Chonglou Realm Mist Blade masters screamed shrilly as the tentacles sucked them dry into husks.

Jia Zhengfeng's face flushed even more, almost to the point where blood plasma seemed ready to drip from his pores. He gave a low, cold laugh: "Run, run, see where you can flee to."

"The Cangyan Realm is your foundation; can you still escape from it?"

"Since I have personally taken the field this time, the whole Cangyan Realm will naturally be brought under my control… Those who follow me live; those who oppose me… I happen to need a breakthrough, so let them serve as my nourishment."

……

In the dimly lit abandoned mine pit, Wu Tie clutched Old Tie's half‑destroyed skull and sprinted at full speed.

He wept silently as he ran, not knowing how long or where he had gone; finally he slammed head‑first into a support in the mine shaft, shattering the two‑foot‑thick pillar, and then collapsed face‑first to the ground.

This is a cavern that can shelter two or three hundred people for rest, where miners have planted some luminous moss in a corner.

The mine has long been abandoned, and the luminous moss is not thriving; scattered specks of faint light illuminate the area, barely enough to make out the surroundings.

Wu Tie held Old Tie in his arms, looking down at the faint threads of light moving across the skull, while firelight continually spurted from Old Tie's seven orifices.

Old Tie's condition was clearly terrible, yet Wu Tie did not know what to do.

"Old Tie… Old Tie…"

Wu Tie gripped Old Tie's half‑skull tightly; from the wound on Old Tie's crown welled a viscous fluid, warm and blood‑colored but not plasma—rather a strange liquid condensed from energy.

After these fluids flowed out, within a few breaths they turned into specks of light like fireflies and evaporated.

The blood light in Old Tie's pupils was dim, intermittently flashing with a cold azure glow.

His voice came from deep within his skull, faint and lacking strength.

"Enough chatter, I can hardly hold on… Hey, hurry up, focus on my eyeball—any one will do."

Old Tie urged him in a low voice.

Wu Tie gritted his teeth, tears streaming as he leaned toward Old Tie's face, fixing his gaze on the eyeball that flickered with blood light.

"I thought it wouldn't be needed… I'm not a model‑type ancient divine weapon… I am… I am…" Old Tie wheezed weakly: "But it's fine… everything has a first time."

Old Tie's eye suddenly blazed, a gentle beam of blood light shooting from its core straight onto Wu Tie's left eyeball.

The blood light was not blinding, nor hot, and carried no lethal force.

Wave after wave of textual information streamed along the blood light into Wu Tie's mind, as if he had recited it millions of times, directly imprinting deep into his brain like a chisel carving into metal—memory etched deeply, unforgettable.

Following that, the golden light cluster at Wu Tie's brow was rapidly depleted.

This direct information transfer consumes Wu Tie's mental power as its cost, and the loss is irreversible.

After Wu Tie activated his innate divine ability, he also inexplicably comprehended the Vast Righteousness Qi divine ability; over these days he has trained day and night, his soul power increasing rapidly, his mental force becoming extremely pure and strong.

His mental power is now dozens of times that of an ordinary person.

As Old Tie kept feeding him, Wu Tie's mental power ceiling kept shrinking, waves of stabbing pain struck his head, and his soul power continually dissipated.

All kinds of bizarre knowledge kept pouring in.

If Wu Tie were an ordinary person, such a domineering imprint of massive information in his mind would have long since shattered his soul into madness.

Wu Tie endured the stabbing pain in his brain, exerting all his strength to receive the information Old Tie was transmitting.

His soul power was sufficient, his mental power sufficient to burn, sufficient to consume.

Lao Tie used this miraculous method to send messages while muttering, 'Listen, little one, Grandpa I've capsized in the gutter this time…… No one to blame, it's Grandpa I who messed up……'

Ah, that damned thing back then also didn't know who it fought to such a state…… My body is terribly weakened; Grandpa I have countless abilities, yet I cannot use his body to exert them.

Grandpa I may be formidable, but all that's left is a single head……

That Guo Que Nu, there's something strange about her…… From now on, stay away from them……

Remember, only by surviving do we have endless possibilities…… Living is the foundation of everything…… Dead, and it's all over, nothing remains……

The things I've passed to you, those strange things that inexplicably appeared in my mind—if you're interested, learn them; if not, forget them…… I also find it odd, how my head got filled with so much unrelated to my duties……

But you must remember the follow‑up cultivation method of the Foundation Establishment…… You must cultivate it well……

The Original Classic—this is after Foundation Establishment, ranging from the Sensing Mystery Realm, Chonglou Realm, Life Pool Realm, Fetal Storage Realm…… and even higher realms……

The Original Classic, as the name suggests, is the work of my creators—those remarkable old-timers, namely your ancestors, those old-timers who derived it, the most perfect and complete cultivation method……

Slow, yet it points directly to the ultimate of all things, directly to the primordial source of chaos……

The Original Classic is furthermore the source of all cultivation methods, encompassing everything, it is the originating law of all cultivation methods……

Although it was eventually abandoned, and no one truly chose to cultivate it, simply because its cultivation speed is too slow, while back then what we needed was speed, the efficiency of breaking through realms……

So although the old-timers speculated that the Original Classic is the perfect method, yet no one chose it……

I hope that no matter what you encounter in the future, no matter how wondrous a technique you obtain, do not abandon the Original Classic……

Keep cultivating, cultivate resolutely…… If you lack resources, seize them, contend for them, use every means to acquire resources……

I want to see whether the Original Classic, like those old-timers, is the perfect technique……

We…… brothers like me…… each person's mind holds a copy of the Original Classic…… This is the fire seed; those old-timers have already prepared for misfortune……

Since it is the fire seed…… Perhaps I, Old Master, am the sole one who has passed down the Original Classic……

Hey, just based on this merit…… Too bad Yang Jian died; otherwise, I, Old Master, would surely have him restore my rank and give me a three‑grade battlefield promotion…… Hehe…… Too bad, Yang Jian died……

Wu Tie's golden light at his brow burned, his soul power continually weakening.

Mass amounts of textual and image information kept pouring in; besides the Original Classic, there were all kinds of bizarre knowledge.

Wu Tie had no mood to sort through that knowledge in his mind; he simply clung tightly to Lao Tie, silently receiving the information he transmitted.

Lao Tie's Blood Light in his pupils gradually faded; suddenly a great amount of blood‑like flame erupted from his seven apertures, with a series of 'crack' sounds, his skull cracked with fine fissures.

Large amounts of Cold Qi spewed from the crack in his skull, freezing Wu Tie's arms with a thin layer of frost.

Don't be sad, don't cry…… Grandpa I am not so easy to die……

In the future, when you come across some ancient relics…… go dig…… If you can find a backup body matching Grandpa I's model, Grandpa I could still come back to life……

Ah, pah, pah…… Grandpa I won't die…… just in hibernation……

Remember, Grandpa I is not dead, won't die, Grandpa I is merely in hibernation, Grandpa I has always been by your side……

If you are fortunate enough, Grandpa I will return soon……

Unlike the previous slumber……

Before, Grandpa I saw no hope, Grandpa I was utterly despairing, so I chose to abandon myself into slumber……

But this time, Grandpa I was forced into hibernation, yet Grandpa I's heart is full of hope…… So don't worry, although the injury is a bit worse, who knows if we'll have a chance to meet again……

Lao Tie's voice became especially gentle and kind, like an old man who loves to chatter, curled up in a wall corner basking in the sun, while chuckling and comforting his own little grandson, just as gentle and kind.

Little one, remember this…… Your ancestors are remarkable, your bloodline is remarkable…… Do not disappoint your ancestors, do not disappoint your bloodline……

"Descendants of Pangu, heirs of Yan and Huang… at any time, I want you to keep your back straight!"

Lao Tie's skull split open, completely shattered, and countless strands of extremely gorgeous, wondrously fine light sprayed out from his skull, illuminating the mining chamber with a radius of nearly a hundred meters.

Inside Lao Tie's skull was a mass of light, a mass of gorgeous light.

Countless beams of light crisscrossed, and countless ancient, intricate symbols and patterns surged endlessly within the light.

Inside Lao Tie's cranium, his brain was exactly such a mass of light—splendid and gorgeous, as if brimming with endless creative vitality.

A dark blue rift pierced this mass of light; Lao Tie's voice let out a faint sigh, and countless slender streams of light collapsed inward, compressed inward, gradually the light grew dim.

Finally, a crystal brain the size of a baby's fist, entirely clear and translucent, hovered before Wu Tie.

The crystal brain glittered brilliantly; its surface bore countless fine, intricate facets, and on each facet, looking closely, one could see countless ancient characters and symbols flickering in and out of existence—on a facet the size of a sesame seed, such characters and symbols numbered at least hundreds of thousands.

"Lao Tie, is this you?" Wu Tie clenched this exquisitely perfect crystal brain in his hand, gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "I will definitely wake you up… your body has collapsed, so I will surely find you a new body."

"As long as it exists, I will definitely help you find it."