The dragons raged on.

The water pythons howled.

Inside the Fog Blade stronghold, the Fog Blade assassins turned around without a word and quickly withdrew from the stronghold. Trained to perfection, they swiftly evacuated the area.

They were assassins, reapers of life who walked in the darkness, not brave and fearless warriors. When faced with a formidable enemy, an enemy that was impossible to resist, the natural choice for the Fog Blade assassins was to retreat.

With the suppression of the Fog Blade assassins gone, the family warriors within the stronghold lost their footing.

They gathered haphazardly, each in their respective family groups, shouting in confusion and bewilderment.

Several brave and fierce members of the Ox Clan warriors brandished their large axes and wolf-toothed clubs, roaring as they charged toward the dragons. With each breath, the dragons casually struck, slaying the large group of Ox Clan warriors, using a rather efficient, yet seemingly 'elegant' method to gulp them down.

Whether it was their bodies, armors, or weapons.

Casually. Gulp.

The resistance of the family warriors quickly crumbled, leaving scattered elite warriors fleeing in all directions, accompanied by crying dwarves and rock gnomes.

Under Old Iron's urging, Wu Tie had already traveled a distance downstream of the great river.

But now, after condensed Yuan Gang and the tempering of his body, Wu Tie's five senses had grown stronger. Now, he could clearly hear the cries coming from the Fog Blade stronghold.

The voices of the Ox Clan people were deep and powerful, the howling of the Wolf Clan people was piercing and penetrating, and the voices of the gray dwarves sounded just like the iron hammers they liked to use, resounding with a strong stony taste.

As for the weakest among the rock gnomes, their voices were delicate and clear, even when they screamed in fear, their voices were as pleasant as the music produced by a transverse flute.

Especially among the rock gnomes, the voices of those underage children were slender and tender, as if a group of people had blown small bone whistles at the same time, and their sound carried by the river breeze easily reached far, far away.

And those rock gnome children.

The rock gnomes were at most 1.2 meters tall, and the children in their group were even more tender and weak. With their light gray skin, slender arms and legs, and soft hair tightly adhering to their scalps, their eyes, which were one size larger than normal people, were always filled with curiosity about the entire world, brimming with pure innocence.

In the Wu family fortress, Wu Tie treated these little guys as pets.

They were just as cute and adorable as the newly hatched gray rock lizards.

In the Wu family fortress, Wu Tie often shared his food with these little guys, even if it meant going hungry himself.

So Wu Tie's biggest dream at that time was for the Wu family fortress to have enough, a steady stream of water sources. That way, they could grow more large white mushrooms or other mushroom species, so that these little guys would never go hungry.

Those tender and delicate voices always surrounded Wu Tie in the Wu family fortress. He would tell them stories he had heard from Grey Father, and the little guys would cast their admiring eyes at Wu Tie.

Whenever Wu Tie had something to do, those little guys were always eager to help him, meticulously tidying up their surroundings.

Those children of the rock gnomes would follow their parents and work in the fields. They would clean the scales and big teeth of the giant rock pythons, clean the mouths of the gray rock lizards, and keep the entire Wu family fortress clean.

They were like a group of adorable elves, scurrying around the Wu family fortress, filling it with vitality.

"I wonder how they're doing…" Wu Tie remembered the few little guys he was closest to.

As slaves, gray rock gnomes did not have names.

But Wu Tie gave those little guys names, names he came up with using the wonderful phrases he had learned. Wu Tie thought of those little guys as his pets.

In the distance, Wu Tie suddenly stopped and turned towards the Fog Blade stronghold.

Several leaders had brought many slaves.

To sustainably develop this secret realm, many slaves were brought here. Among them were the elderly, the strong youth, and of course, there were also children. Especially the numerous gray rock gnomes, their reproductive cycle was short, and they had already given birth to many infants in the last few months.

Gray rock gnome infants only needed two to three months to start running around everywhere.

A thunderous explosion resounded from the city wall of the Fog Blade stronghold. Many warriors vainly shooting bows and crossbows were flung away, screaming in horror. Along with the broken earth and stones, they heavily crashed down to the ground.

Slightly at leisure, the dragons ventured into the stronghold with some of their companions.

Countless young voices screamed. Wu Tie stood on a small hill and could even see the small figures stumbling inside the Fog Blade stronghold from afar.

Behind those small figures, there were gray silhouettes that were not much taller than them rushing towards the dragons and water pythons. These small figures rushed forward without any weapons, lifting their mining shovels.

Small shovels, specially made for the gray rock gnomes, weighing no more than two pounds, struck against the scales of the dragons and water pythons...

The dragons and water pythons ignored such attacks. With a casual twist of their bodies, hundreds of small figures were crushed. The dragon then raised its head and chased after the youthful, petite figures that fled before it.

Wu Tie's face darkened as he witnessed the dragon's actions.

He seemed to hear the soft voices of the small fellows receiving the mushrooms he secretly handed to them in the Wu family fortress. He seemed to see the smart small fellows starving themselves so they could leave a little more food for their younger brothers and sisters.

Wu Tie thought of his father and his older brother.

He thought of Wu Jin, who had protected him...

The wounds on Wu Jin's back even exposed his bones...

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

"I've already escaped once," Wu Jin oddly recalled the majestic words that Grey Father once mentioned.

"Even if facing a myriad of enemies, I will march forward!"

"Even if facing a myriad of enemies, I will march forward!!"

"Even if facing a myriad of enemies, I will march forward!!!"

"Even if facing a myriad of enemies... I march forward..." Wu Tie shouted loudly. "Although I still don't quite understand the meaning of these words... I can understand why Grey Father always liked to recite 'apricot blossoms'!"

"These words... Reciting them frequently... They're really invigorating!"

Wu Tie burst into laughter, straightened his back, and grasped his spear. An invisible force enveloped his body, and strong winds swirled around him. He suddenly shot up into the air, soaring a hundred meters high, heading towards the direction of the Fog Blade stronghold with a whistling wind.

Blood, ignite.

Bloodline, boil.

At his brow, a golden light rapidly spun and expanded.

In the surrounding air, shimmering elemental energy was released, transforming into streams of sparkling creeks that continuously flowed into Wu Tie's body.

Wu Tie swallowed the surrounding elemental energy in large mouthfuls, and the Yuan Gang in his lower abdomen surged. It flowed rapidly within his body. The elemental energy injected into the Yuan Gang caused it to gradually increase, bringing excruciating pain all over his body. The Yuan Gang, like a heavenly-hammered giant, relentlessly pounded and tempered Wu Tie's body.

Wu Tie's blood began to boil.

In his brow, the golden light violently trembled. Wu Tie hoarsely shouted the words "Even if facing a myriad of enemies, I march forward," a statement he didn't fully comprehend, as he rushed towards the Fog Blade stronghold, towards the formidable dragon.

His blood boiled.

Within his blood, there were extremely faint and strange energies hidden deep within Wu Tie's blood vessels.

The speed at which the Yuan Gang revolved abruptly increased tenfold, causing intense pain throughout his body. Fine drops of blood seeped out of his pores as Wu Tie's abdomen produced an outpouring of Yuan Gang, rapidly coursing through his body. The Yuan Gang entered the Yuan Gang, gently enlarging it, causing intense pain as if his entire body were being relentlessly tempered by the Yuan Gang, just like the mighty hammer of a celestial deity.

Wu Tie's blood truly boiled.

Within his brow, the golden light transformed into thin strands of golden threads, like a cascade of the Milky Way, constantly washing over Wu Tie's body, cleansing his muscles, bones, organs... especially his blood vessels.

An indescribable, vast, vigorous, strong, majestic aura condensed within Wu Tie.

In the next instant, this aura erupted violently. Wu Tie's speed increased several-fold as he flew forward, leaving behind a faint gray aura that gradually took shape into a tall figure with robes.

Old Iron wanted to emit an electric current to stop Wu Tie's impulsiveness the moment he saw Wu Tie dash out. Fighting the dragon was impossible for the current Wu Tie and Old Iron.

Although a few days ago, Old Iron had displayed a shocking blow, he still lacked confidence in hurting the dragon.

But now... Old Iron felt helpless...

Electric current surged around his large fangs. Just when Old Iron was about to spew out electric current, a hazy figure appeared silently, like mist.

Old Iron opened his mouth, his eyes staring blankly at the hazy figure.

"Even if facing a myriad of enemies, I march forward..." Old Iron's body slightly trembled, his eyes suddenly gleaming with blood-red light, illuminating a radius of hundreds of meters. "This kid... He's incredibly lucky... He truly is a peerless genius?"

Old Iron slowly closed his mouth. As a skeletal head made of metal, he couldn't show any changes in expression, but his tone was enough to demonstrate his current mood.

"What a terrifying bloodline, what a terrifying tribe... They truly are the descendants who created those monsters of mine..."

"Star Fire Inheritance, life everlasting... As long as the bloodline remains, then..."

"F**k it, let's go for it!"

Old Iron suddenly howled like a mad dog a few times, then unleashed a thunderous roar that resounded like thunder: "Combat... Combat... Combat... Life goes on, combat never ends... The purpose of my birth is combat!"

"Avoiding? Surrounding Wei to save Zhao?" Old Iron roared hysterically. "That's not what I should be thinking... Who implanted something else in my head? I am a pure warrior... ah, sorry, Physician Bian... ah, sorry, ancient medical spirit..."

Bloodlight spurted from his eyes, condensing into a solid form, turning the rocks his gaze met into magma.

Old Iron sprinted madly towards Wu Tie, alternately howling and panting. "Damn Yang Jian... I only violated the rules of the battlefield once... This kind of battle genius like me has actually been demoted to a healthcare worker by you!"

"Roar!"

Old Iron roared wildly. "To hell with battlefield regulations, to hell with military orders... In this theater of war, the highest commander, Yang Jian, was killed; the highest commander of the brother theater, Ox Hero, died... I didn't receive any new military orders... In accordance with the founder's highest command, I fight freely..."

"White Tiger Army, Desperate Camp, True Howler Berserker... Engage combat!"

A bloody gleam erupted from Old Iron's eyes.

In his grotesquely pale and immaculate skull, faint blood-red lines quietly appeared, forming a totemic pattern that changed with every moment. Old Iron, who already looked quite fierce, now appeared even more ferocious and menacing.

Old Iron's skull's surface wriggled. Several sharp horns grew from his skull's surface. These blood-red horns had a fierce looking shape, sparkling with countless flickering sparks. The elemental energy within them became visible currents, continuously being devoured by the horns.

With a few cracks, a large number of electric sparks burst out from Old Iron's neck. His movements became slightly unsteady.

Large amounts of terrifying energy surged within his skull, but his body was not his own. Under the fierce energy surge, Old Iron wobbled on his four legs, staggered, and suddenly fell to the ground, shattering a huge rock spike.

Roar!

"Fight!" Old Iron howled hoarsely, and numerous electric sparks erupted from his neck. He jumped up violently, transforming into a blood-colored blaze, racing forward.

A group of young gray gnomes fled while crying.

Their parents had already turned into a bloody mess, or they had been swallowed by the dragons and water pythons.

The gnomes' small legs moved laboriously as they fled within the chaotic stronghold. Their large eyes were filled with tears, and their fear reached unprecedented levels, altering the tone of their voices.

They... had no battle capability.

A huge water python caught up to them, leisurely opening its mouth and swallowing the group of gray gnomes whole.

"I'm scared too... But... I'm here!" Wu Tie shouted hoarsely, falling from the sky and thrusting with all his might with his spear, piercing the water python's head.

An indescribable power that Wu Tie couldn't completely control suddenly erupted from his spear.

Vast, mighty, extremely strong, filled the entire heaven and earth, brimming with endless righteousness.

The gigantic body of the water python exploded violently, turning into a rain of flesh and blood.

The ground trembled abruptly, and Wu Tie's body stuck to the ground, his spear lodged in the ground, causing a large pit with a diameter of over ten meters.

An invisible force field surged around Wu Tie, and he slowly floated out of the large pit. Holding his spear tightly, gritting his teeth, he stared at the dragon that was peering in their direction from hundreds of meters away.

"I fear you... but I still came!" Wu Tie said, beckoning at the dragon, his voice trembling. "There are things that must be done... people who must be protected..."

"I may be really stupid... but I still came!" Wu Tie laughed a trembling laughter. "Come here, my grandson, let me have a good time with you..."

(End of this chapter)