Chapter 87: Blazing Flames Devouring Gold Ants

Training chamber.

Three thick-as-water-bucket steel bolts locked the heavy stone door tight, and the high temperature emitted by the lava grass made waves of heat oppressive inside the training chamber.

Wu Tie had just taken a stalk of lava grass, naked, his whole body steaming with heat, practicing the Foundation Establishment Style move by move.

Sweat continually flowed from his body, dripping onto the floor, and was quickly vaporized into steam by the heat waves emanating from the lava grass.

The white egg from the Nether Demon Mine clung tightly to Wu Tie's flesh, rolling around on his body. No matter how Wu Tie moved, the white egg stuck to him, mischievously crawling all over.

Wherever the white egg passed, the heat waves emanating from Wu Tie's body were completely swallowed, leaving a cool patch of skin about a chi in radius.

Not long ago, Old White sneaked over to find Wu Tie, eagerly telling him what had happened during this period.

Actually, it's also very simple.

It was simply that a few close aides of Shi Meng opened the armory, arming all the outer-disciples warriors. Under their leadership, thousands of outer-disciples warriors easily swept through the entire Great Stone City.

All those associated with Shixi who had sufficient status were hung on the city gate.

The ordinary soldiers of Shixi's faction were demoted to slaves and directly shoved into the harshest, toughest mines to do hard labor.

The entire Great Stone City now completely fell into Shi Meng's hands; all positions and posts were occupied by his people.

Old White proudly boasted to Wu Tie about how his lads fought bravely and how they played a huge role in this great purge.

Indeed, it was exactly as Old White said.

More than two thousand short, agile rat people who could appear and disappear from any corner, when they took up powerful crossbows and fired over two thousand crossbows from all directions, were a nightmare for anyone.

Especially in the city, rat‑people warriors wielding crossbows displayed extraordinarily fierce combat power.

For Old White, this undoubtedly opened the door to a new world before his eyes.

What made Old White even happier was that, because his clansmen performed outstandingly this time, they were actually enrolled into the Great Stone City's City Defense Squad, and could now properly receive a warrior's salary from Great Stone City.

The excited Old White and Wu Tie chatted for a long time, and Wu Tie finally reached an unspoken agreement with Old White.

With three stalks of lava grass as payment, Wu Tie could obtain various information from Old White; if any important event occurred and Old White could give advance warning, he would also receive extra reward.

In the following days, Wu Tie immersed himself in cultivation.

Each day he consumed one leaf of lava grass, cultivating the Foundation Establishment Style move by move, not rushing for quick results, not recklessly charging ahead, Wu Tie cultivated steadily and solidly.

Primordial Vigour filled his entire body, permeating every cell; every tiniest corner of his body was repeatedly cleansed and moistened by Primordial Vigour.

Vast Righteousness worked together with Primordial Vigour, repeatedly forging and tempering his whole body.

Impurities were refined away, the physique strengthened.

With the powerful energy replenishment from the lava grass, the consumption of essence blood from the Nether Demon Mine was completely made up in just three days. His body became robust and upright again, and vast amounts of essence‑blood qi continually arose within him.

The Golden Light Orb at his brow had lost half of its power in the Nether Demon Mine.

After several days of cultivation, the Golden Light Orb recovered somewhat. As the essence‑blood qi continually generated by his body nourished it, the Golden Light Orb kept growing stronger bit by bit.

Upon breaking through the 1,080th move of the Foundation Establishment Style, each subsequent move and posture could drive the Golden Light Orb to continuously expand and contract.

Soul power was rapidly increasing; within the Golden Light Orb, golden light rain continually flew down, sweeping over Wu Tie's entire body again and again, over every tiniest corner of his body again and again.

Wu Tie could also feel that at the center of his brow and the crown of his head, a thread of heat constantly sought to be released each day, and the brow and the crown's center continually experienced various strange sensations of soreness, numbness, itchiness, and distension.

In many places on his body, there continually came a stabbing pain and itchiness akin to being struck by an electric current spewed from Old Tie's big teeth.

From the top of his head to the soles of his feet, all parts of his body experienced various abnormal conditions.

Especially when he cultivated deeply and his whole mind sank into his body, Wu Tie could hear a tsunami‑like roar emanating from his blood and qi throughout his body—wave after wave unceasing, from head to foot, repeatedly scouring and rolling over.

This feeling was as if his entire body were 'awakening'.

His entire interior was undergoing tremendous change.

After cultivating in this way for over half a month, Wu Tie hardly ever left the training chamber.

In just over half a month, Wu Tie's skin became as fine and smooth as white jade, with a faint luster like pearl‑glimmering glass hidden within it.

His hair mysteriously grew several feet long, a thick black mane like a waterfall hanging straight down to his heels.

Hair is the excess of blood.

In just over half a month, his long hair grew over a meter, showing how abundantly and vigorously Wu Tie's qi and blood now filled his body.

Now Wu Tie, sitting at the center of a training chamber tens of meters long and wide, with just a casual breath, the whole chamber filled with raging winds; the turbulent gusts would even condense beside him into seven or eight‑meter‑high mini‑tornadoes, howling and swirling, their momentum terrifyingly immense.

One thousand one hundred moves……

One thousand one hundred twenty moves……

One thousand one hundred forty moves……

With ample replenishment of lava grass, Wu Tie's cultivation speed became extraordinarily fast.

Especially that ball of golden light within his brow had, after one month, swollen to the size of a fist, becoming more than twice as strong as its peak in the Nether Demon Mine.

Breaking through from the Foundation Establishment Realm to the Profound Realm, the greatest obstacle is strengthening the soul and condensing mental power.

And this obstacle, Wu Tie had already quietly surmounted when he activated his Innate Bloodline Divine Ability.

Thus his cultivation advanced a thousand miles a day, so fast that even he dared not continue.

That day, feeling the Golden Light Orb at his brow expand another circle, Vast Righteousness repeatedly washed over it, continually forging it into something solid and dense, Wu Tie slowly lowered his posture.

In one and a half months, his Foundation Establishment Style had actually broken through to the 1,180th move.

He felt a bit dazed.

Old Tie told him that cultivating the Foundation Establishment Style is slow, unless one possesses a huge amount of cultivation resources.

Now Wu Tie has enough lava grass to assist his cultivation, but this efficiency is really too fast.

"Surely there can't be a problem, can there?"

Wu Tie repeatedly reviewed in his mind the Foundation Establishment Style taught by Old Tie.

But it's correct—he was exactly that meticulous, following the most orthodox Foundation Establishment Style moves, and in just one and a half months he broke through from the 1,080th move to the 1,180th move.

Just twenty more moves, and it would be Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Wu Tie sat on the ground, with a gesture a large water jar in the corner of the training chamber flew over; he lifted the lid and took a sip of the spring water that had been boiled scalding by the heat waves emanating from the lava grass.

He gulped down several mouthfuls of water, set the water jar on the ground, Wu Tie furrowed his brows, and once again self‑questioned the entire process of his training.

"Thud, thud‑thud."

The heavy stone door of the training room was violently hammered, and a heavy sound came through the specially left ventilation hole.

"Centurion, Sixth Young Master summons you…… Sixth Young Master is calling a meeting of all officials of centurion rank and above in the city."

"If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it."

"The progress is fast, isn't that good enough?"

After consoling himself, Wu Tie stood up, wiped the sweat from his body, dressed neatly, secured the white egg rolling all over with a heart‑protecting mirror, and strode out of the training room.

In the highest stone fortress at the center of Shibao, after more than a month, Wu Tie saw Shitou Meng again.

Wearing a set of heavy armor, left hand gripping a wheel‑sized axe, right hand clutching a huge wine cup and gulping strong liquor, Shitou Meng sat enthroned on the stone throne in the middle of the hall, from time to time letting out a strange cold laugh.

Within Shibao, the heads of all departments gathered together, their faces grim, each coldly eyeing the several burly men standing in the hall.

Wu Tie entered the hall and immediately 'saw' Lao Bai hiding at the back of the crowd.

Hei Pi, One‑Eye, and Tie Babai, who had been recruited into the Shi Family together with Wu Tie, stood beside Lao Bai, the few of them huddled together, whispering something in low voices.

Last time Shitou Meng launched a killing spree, carrying out a massive purge of the Shixi people in Shibao; Hei Pi, One‑Eye, and Tie Babai stood out, and after making eye contact with Wu Tie, they now hold the positions of centurions in Shibao.

Because they were recruited at the same time, they obviously reached an understanding and naturally formed an alliance.

Wu Tie naturally joined them, warmly greeting them.

Wu Tie noticed that Hei Pi's complexion was awful, his wolf‑like face drooping as if someone had forced three catties of bitter gall down his throat, making it look terrible.

"What's the situation?" Wu Tie pointed at those few men standing in the hall, glaring at each other, the men from the surrounding Shibao who were blowing their noses and staring fiercely.

"Trouble's come knocking." Lao Bai's news is always the most reliable; he split his mouth, revealing two big front teeth, and laughed happily: "But it's not really our concern…… it's…… it's…… it's Shitou Meng Da Ren's trouble."

Lao Bai glanced quickly at Hei Pi and quietly explained the origins of those men.

They are members of the Yan Family, one of the three great clans of the Cangyan Realm; they came to Shibao because, over a month ago, when Shitou Meng carried out his massive purge of the Shixi clan, Shitou Meng's men also beheaded Shixi's great‑grandson Shi Yu.

Shi Yu was precisely the youth who burst into the armory while Lao Bai and the others were arming themselves, shouting loudly for them to stop.

The leader of the iron dwarf warriors under Shitou Meng's command publicly struck down Shi Yu with a single axe blow.

Actually, it's nothing much; this is merely an internal affair of the Shi Family, and the Yan Clan has no right to intervene after Shi Yu was killed.

The crucial point is that Shi Yu's newly wed wife is in Shibao, and she comes from the Yan Clan.

Even more crucial, in that purge Shitou Meng, to gain absolute advantage, employed these outsiders recruited by Shifei; many of them are of mixed quality, originating from mountain bandits…… for example, Hei Pi and his wolf‑clan followers are a notorious band of outlaws.

So it was inevitable that someone would take advantage of the chaos to loot.

Hei Pi then did some unpleasant things to Shi Yu's newly wed wife.

In the end, Hei Pi personally hung Shi Yu's newly wed wife on the city gate.

One and a half months was enough for the news to reach the Yan Clan's territory, and enough for the Yan Clan's leaders to formulate a response.

After hearing Lao Bai's words, Wu Tie glanced at Hei Pi.

Hei Pi's complexion grew worse, and he said in a cold voice: "What are you looking at me for? It's just…… fooling around with a woman…… in such a situation, if there's an advantage to be taken, why not take it?"

He stuck out his tongue in utter resentment, gazing wistfully at Wu Tie and asked: "Isn't that right? At such a time, with such an opportunity, such a lovely young woman—if there's a chance to take advantage, why wouldn't I? After all, we're all going to die…… can chastity be eaten as food?"

Wu Tie remained silent.

He could not pass judgment on such matters.

In this damned age, everyone does such things.

Women, unless they possess sufficient strength, as the weak can only become spoils of war, to be enjoyed by the victors.

Everyone does it this way.

Things like ethics and morality simply do not exist in this age.

Wu Tie even doubted whether the splendid morals and integrity described to him by Grey Master, and the fine conduct and ethics mentioned by Old Tie, were…… merely legends, pipe dreams……

So Hei Pi was not wrong.

From his standpoint, who could say he was mistaken?

If one were to assign blame, the chief culprit would be Shitou Meng, seated on that large chair and gulping down liquor.

"Gulgulgul," Shitou Meng extended his right hand; a guard lifted the wine jar, poured him a bowl of liquor, and he gulped it down in two swallows, a layer of red slowly welled up in his eyes.

He glared fiercely at several envoys of the Yan family, and said in a low voice: "Listen up, brothers, this is how it is."

He repeated to them exactly what Lao Bai had just said to Wu Tie.

Pa— Shi Meng fiercely smashed the wine bowl in his hand onto the ground, shards flying everywhere.

He pointed at several Yan family envoys and said in a low voice: "The Yan family's young lady is dead… well, we'll talk about this later. Tell me, what are the Yan family's conditions? Well? Just now, you told me—what are your conditions?"

A burly man over two meters tall, his skin and hair flushed red, his head of long hair as crimson as flames, with sparks continually jetting from his pores, stepped forward a few steps, his face grim, and spoke.

"Shi Lao Liu, if you want us to say it again, then we'll say it again…"

"Anyone who participated in this rebellion must die."

"Those barbarians and bandits you've recruited—Hei Pi, Du Yan Er, Tie Bashi ba, Lao Bai, Xiao Tie… as well as Da Chui, Lao Ya, Tie Dan, Tong Ke and the like, all chiefs of the barbarian tribes, bandit leaders, and all their clansmen and subordinates, must be executed."

"Then, you, Shi Lao Liu, must personally go to the Yan family and kowtow to make amends."

Shi Meng clapped his hands, pointed at Wu Tie and the others, and laughed: "Did you hear that? Did you hear that? They want to have you all executed…"