Outside the Qianyu City wharf, several large wooden rafts floated on the water's surface.
Several stone giants, standing at a height of seven to eight meters, shouted loudly as they paddled the rafts towards the entrance of the Yin River in the center of the lake.
A few days ago, in order to kill the dragon, all ten adult stone giants from the stone giant tribe bred by the Mist Blade had died. These small giants, who were still a bit short of adulthood but had considerable combat power, were naturally called upon by the Mist Blade.
With their immense strength, each stroke of the specially-made wooden paddle caused the rafts to glide forward a great distance.
Soon, they arrived above the entrance of the Yin River. Several Mist Blade higher-ups wearing cloaks shouted in low voices, simultaneously unstrapping small metal nets woven from three-foot square metal threads from their wrists.
After chanting a few low incantations and biting their tongues, the Mist Blade higher-ups sprayed blood onto the nets.
The black nets immediately emitted thick black mist accompanied by a sharp hissing sound. Six nets rose into the air and transformed into giant nets hundreds of meters in diameter, then flew toward the lake, spewing black smoke and gusts of wind as they plunged into the water.
The six nets overlapped with each other, tightly sealing off the entrance of the Yin River.
A black aura flowed back and forth on the fine, densely-packed black metal wires. Suddenly, a large fish measuring seven to eight meters in length charged out of the Yin River and headed towards the lake's surface, rushing towards the black net.
As soon as the fish touched the large net, its body was silently sliced apart, eventually turning into sesame-sized pieces of minced meat mixed in with the blood, floating up to the lake's surface.
"The Six Yin Annihilation Demon Nets... heh heh, this realm truly belongs solely to my Mist Blade now." A Mist Blade higher-up wiped the bloodstains off the corners of his mouth and smiled smugly.
"We won't be settled until we kill that brat and the 'human-headed dog' treasure," another Mist Blade higher-up took a deep breath and then flew towards the direction where Wu Tie and Lao Tie were surrounded.
The other Mist Blade higher-ups laughed and also transformed into gusts of wind or black mist, flying away rapidly.
Several stone giants were sitting cross-legged on the rafts, silently stroking the specially-made flying axes in their hands. Their mission was to seal off this entrance of the Yin River, preventing anyone from entering the lower Yin River.
Anyone who dared to approach would be killed without mercy.
A faint terra-cotta-colored qi continuously seeped out from the bottom of the lake, passing through the deep lake water and entering the bodies of the stone giants. The stone giants' qi was long and heavy, their vitality intertwined as a whole, with dense mist flowing out through their pores. In front of them, there was a faintly visible small terra-cotta-colored mountain peak.
This was the 'Wu Ding Open Mountain Art', a bloodline secret technique of the earth attribute. As long as the stone giant's bloodline was sufficiently pure, they would naturally grasp this extremely powerful offensive and defensive secret technique.
Wu Tie and Lao Tie confronted the Mist Blade's overall commander.
Lao Tie didn't say anything, only grinning.
Behind the Mist Blade overall commander, cloaked Mist Blade higher-ups continued to appear one after another.
They may not have the title of 'commander', but they were definitely experts at the 'commander' level, that is, experts at the 'Heavy Tower Realm'. All of them were proficient in secret techniques.
In the span of a few breaths, eighteen Mist Blade higher-ups appeared behind the Mist Blade overall commander.
Not long after, the six Mist Blade higher-ups who had just sealed the entrance of the Yin River arrived as well. The number of experts behind the Mist Blade overall commander reached twenty-four.
"Are you planning to kill us to keep us silent?" Lao Tie didn't speak, but Wu Tie drew his long spear and held it against his waist, taking a step forward.
"Dead people don't talk, so they are the most reliable," the Mist Blade overall commander lowered his head covering, revealing his thin face. "Of course, there's another option. If you become my disciple..."
"Not interested," Wu Tie cleanly interrupted the Mist Blade overall commander, "You... are not a good person, so I'm not interested."
A glimmer of bloodlust flickered in Lao Tie's eyes. He rolled his eyes towards the sky, making a gesture of contempt.
"I'm not a good person?" The Mist Blade overall commander laughed, shaking his head. "How innocent and lovely, still using 'good person' and 'bad person' to determine one's actions and behavior... Truly, how innocent... Innocent enough to be stupid."
Taking a deep breath, the Mist Blade overall commander said solemnly, "I control this realm. I can ensure that millions of people who are loyal to the Mist Blade have enough to eat and live their lives in peace... Am I a bad person?"
Wu Tie was momentarily stunned, unable to offer an effective response to the Mist Blade overall commander's words.
Lao Tie coughed, saying in a deep voice, "Enough, using words to bully a child doesn't demonstrate your abilities... You have a hundred reasons not to let us leave, and we have ten thousand reasons to leave... Everyone has their own stance, so... why the need for useless talk?"
"Old schemer!" The Mist Blade overall commander applauded Lao Tie with a thumbs-up gesture. "Indeed, an old schemer. Your words are straightforward and to the point. I like that."
Laughing loudly, the Mist Blade overall commander's thumb suddenly shone brightly. His thumb strangely expanded to about a foot in length, as thick as a fist.
A burst of blood gushed out from his enlarged thumb, and in the next instant, blood mist burst forth. The blood transformed into a curved blood-colored blade about a foot in length, emitting a piercing shriek as it swiftly spun and cleaved towards Wu Tie's neck.
The blood-colored blade moved with astonishing speed, and with their close proximity, it practically struck Wu Tie's face as soon as it appeared.
Fortunately, in these past few days, Wu Tie's foundational cultivation had made some progress. His senses had become sharper, and his movements more agile. He instinctively raised his right hand, blocking it in front of his face with the White Tiger Armguard.
The Blade of Breaking Elements slashed onto the White Tiger Armguard. Blood splattered, but the armguard remained undamaged. However, a tremendous force crashed down, causing Wu Tie's internal organs to violently tremble. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and the enclosed helmet was filled with splattering blood, obstructing his vision.
The force sent Wu Tie flying backward. He arced through the air for over two hundred meters before crashing into a large group of Mist Blade assassins.
From all directions, numerous straight knives, large axes, and wolf tooth clubs fell like raindrops, with even several specially-made Mountain-Opening Thunderbolts used by the Mist Blade archers bombing down.
Wu Tie was mercilessly beaten and hacked, and for a while, he couldn't even get up from the ground.
Suddenly, a long whistle sounded, and the assassins and warriors that had surrounded Wu Tie dispersed in all directions. Among the twenty-four Mist Blade higher-ups, three of them transformed into blurred shadows and charged towards Wu Tie.
The straight knives in their hands flickered with a faint light, and faint runes swirled around the edges of the blades. Three chilling rays of light, fast as lightning, descended upon Wu Tie.
And accompanying those strikes were their Mist Blade secret technique 'Blades of Breaking Elements'!
The three straight knives turned into three electric arcs, and the three blood-colored curved knives shot through the air, instantly arriving in front of Wu Tie.
Despite having just been trampled on by his attackers and lying prone on the ground, Wu Tie, infuriated, roared loudly. He raised his right arm to meet the bloodlights from the three Blades of Breaking Elements.
At the same time, he spread open his left palm guard, and his left hand's five fingers shuddered violently. Especially the frequency with which the first bone of his index finger trembled was several times faster than the vibrations of the other finger bones, emitting a humming sound as it clashed head-on with the three straight knives.
"Clang clang clang," three crisp sounds resounded as the straight knives shattered under the reverberating vibration of Wu Tie's fingers.
Several of Wu Tie's left hand fingers were reduced to a bloody mess from the blade flashes, but the finger bones were intact.
A dark glimmer surrounded his left hand as the essence of the shattered blades was engulfed by Wu Tie's left index finger bone, which was as thick as a person's finger.
A surge of heat rushed into his hand and gradually converged onto the forearm bone.
The color of the forearm bone gradually deepened, and at the same time, the three bloodlights landed on Wu Tie's right arm guard. The tremendous impact caused Wu Tie to tumble on the ground, the armor scraping against the rocky ground, sparking a large area of fire.
The three Mist Blade higher-ups stared blankly at the hilt that remained in their hands.
The sounds of 'crack crack' were unceasing as the essence within the hilt was gobbled up by Wu Tie's finger bones. The hilt rapidly disintegrated, transforming into fine iron shavings trickling through their fingers.
The Mist Blade overall commander, half of his body embedded in the dome, hoarsely roared, continuously crying out 'kill'!
With each of his roars, perhaps because of his blood coursing faster and his blood vessels expanding, a strand of fresh blood floated down from the sky.
The twenty-four Mist Blade higher-ups joined in a long howl, transforming into blurred shadows, gusts of wind, or black mist, and rushed towards Wu Tie.
Meanwhile, within a few hundred meters, Wu Tie was being relentlessly assaulted by the assassins and warrior servants. He was pressed to the ground, unable to stand up.
Suddenly, a long whistle resounded, and the assailants and warriors that had cornered Wu Tie dispersed in synchrony. Among the twenty-four Mist Blade higher-ups, three of them transformed into blurred shadows and rushed towards Wu Tie.
Their straight knives flickered with a pale light, and rune-like patterns faintly appeared on the blades. Three chilling rays, carrying an intimidating aura, shot towards Wu Tie's body.
Along with those strikes, they were also employing their Mist Blade secret technique, 'Blades of Breaking Elements'!
The three straight knives turned into three electric arcs, and the three blood-colored curved knives flew through the air. In an instant, they arrived in front of Wu Tie.
Having just been ruthlessly beaten and slashed while pinned to the ground, although Wu Tie's flesh suffered no injuries, his internal organs were rocked with pain. Consumed by anger, he roared, raising the White Tiger Armguard in his right hand to meet the three flashing Blades of Breaking Elements.
At the same time, he opened his palm guard with his left hand, and his left hand's five fingers trembled violently. In particular, the first bone of his index finger vibrated at a frequency several times faster than the other finger bones, generating a buzzing sound as it intercepted the three straight knives.
"Ding ding ding," three crisp sounds rang out as the straight knives shattered under the vibration of Wu Tie's fingers.
Several fingers on Wu Tie's left hand were reduced to a bloody mess by the blade flashes, but the finger bones remained undamaged.
A gloomy aura enveloped his left hand as the essence of the shattered blades was absorbed by the first bone of Wu Tie's index finger, which was as thick as a person's finger.
A stream of heat flowed into his palm, gradually converging onto the forearm bone.
The color of the forearm bone gradually deepened. At the same time, the three blood lights landed on Wu Tie's right arm guard. The tremendous force caused Wu Tie to spin rapidly on the ground, scraping sparks against the rocky surface and leaving behind a trail of flame.
The three Mist Blade higher-ups stared blankly at the hilts that remained in their hands.
The sounds of 'crack crack' filled their ears as the blades' essence was devoured by Wu Tie's finger bones. The hilts rapidly disintegrated, trickling through their fingers as fine iron shavings.
Half of the Mist Blade overall commander's body was embedded in the dome, screaming maniacally. His lean face twisted, contorting into a horrifying appearance like that of an evil ghost.
He generated numerous afterimages and a thick black smoke enveloped his body. Emitting an inhuman, agonizing howl, he shot straight up into the sky, crashing into the several hundred-meter-high ceiling, with half his body merging into the hard rock layers.
A few stalactites were shaken and broke, falling down one after another.
Accompanying them was a bit of bright red blood that carried a faint scent.
Lao Tie let out a strange "hehe" laugh. On his back, a metal palm several times larger than an ordinary person's hand suddenly appeared, standing out conspicuously. A middle finger the same thickness as an ordinary person's finger protruded straight into the sky.
White and murderous, a faint electricity arced on the middle finger, and a few droplets of blood were stuck to it.
The blood dripped down the finger as it slid over the smooth-as-mirror skin, falling onto Lao Tie's unstained body. The blood fell to the ground, leaving Lao Tie's body clean, without a single trace of blood.
"Any technique, whether noble or despicable, as long as it can harm the enemy, is a valid technique."
Straightening his body, Lao Tie looked at the Mist Blade overall commander, who was half embedded in the dome. Laughing loudly, he said, "I like the word 'kill'. It suits me."
Two balls of electric light circled around his back, and two human-shaped arms stretched out from the electric light. Accompanied by a faint chirping sound, the surface of these glossy arm surfaces cracked open with countless fine cracks, and one by one, small, scale-like armor plates emerged.
Underneath these plates was a densely-packed honeycomb of fine pores. Most of these pores were empty, but within the thirty-six pores as thick as fingers, a red and ominous gleam faintly emerged.
"Pop pop," twelve strange objects, shaped like arrows, shot out from the pores.
These 'crossbow bolts' moved at an extremely fast speed, carving out mysterious arcs and shooting towards the attacking twenty-one Mist Blade higher-ups.
Following closely behind, there were terrifying explosions that had no loud sound but produced a horrifying sound and light effect.
Each bolt that exploded created a pale-blue flame that covered a range of tens of meters. Within a few hundred meters around Lao Tie, it became a realm of raging flames.
The twenty-one Mist Blade higher-ups were instantly vaporized within this sea of flames.
(Product of the chapter is complete)