Wa Valley.
Wa Palace.
A faint sound came from the underground passageway. A group of carefully selected and handsome male slaves knelt on the ground, using clean handkerchiefs to meticulously wipe the intricate patterns on the floor tiles.
Fist-sized night pearls were embedded on the walls on both sides of the passageway, casting a soft glow that illuminated the passageway.
Several agile and graceful girls held long whips and stood together, whispering and giggling. They didn't look over here, but if any of the male slaves showed the slightest slackness or slowed their movements, these girls immediately lashed out with their whips.
The crisp sound of the whip occasionally rang out, leaving deep blood marks on the fair and taut skin of the male slaves.
The male slaves were in pain, their eyes brimming with tears, but they dared not cry out.
Their bodies twitched slightly as they endured the pain, kneeling on the ground, slowly and painstakingly polishing the floor until it shone like a mirror.
Wu Jin, clad in a bronze scale battle skirt, revealing his upper body, only wore a chest guard and had a simple bronze sword hanging from his waist. He carefully cradled a blood jade skull in his hands as he walked slowly in the passageway.
The blood jade skull emitted a strong vitality. It was a mutated essence of blood jade, with the powerful effect of nourishing and repairing damaged souls.
The compact skull had a concave top, with three delicate wicks floating within the cavity. The size of three green beans, the wicks burned quietly, emitting a faint murmuring sound.
"I will do my best..." Wu Jin lowered his head and looked at the three slender wicks, smiling. "Rest assured, I will find the fourth elder brother. You just concentrate on recuperating here. One day, I will find suitable bodies for you and second and third elder brothers."
Walking from the dimly lit passageway to the brightly lit main passageway, the strong light stimulated Wu Jin's eyes, causing him to instinctively squint.
In the dazzling luminescence, one could see the crisscrossed terrifying wounds on his exposed skin.
He had stab wounds, sword wounds, spear wounds, and even full-penetration wounds left by arrows.
Countless wounds covered Wu Jin's body, to the point where there was not a patch of intact skin larger than a palm.
Holding the small blood jade skull, Wu Jin walked calmly, step by step through the passageway, stepping on the freshly polished floor that the male slaves had just cleaned.
Several male slaves' faces twitched slightly as they turned their heads, looking at the footprints left by Wu Jin on the ground.
Several giggling girls seemed to sense something and turned around. They coiled the long whips around their arms, wearing a strange cold smile as they surrounded Wu Jin.
"Wu Jin, you've dirtied the floor we just cleaned. What do you think we should do about it?"
A tall girl with slender brows and a soft egg-shaped face, exuding an intense and beautiful charm, stepped forward to block Wu Jin's path.
She twirled the whip in her hand, the whip cracking through the air, producing a sharp sound.
"A path is meant to be walked. Do you expect the floor you've cleaned to remain untouched forever?" Over a year had passed, making Wu Jin's physique even more robust compared to his time at the Wu Family Stone Fort.
Now, he was over two meters tall and had a muscular physique like a mountain, as sturdy as a devil bear. The several girls who were considered tall among women seemed immature in front of Wu Jin, just like young bamboo shoots under a boulder.
Under the pressure of Wu Jin's imposing aura, the girl speaking flushed slightly.
She snorted in anger and lashed out at the exposed right side of Wu Jin's chest with her whip. "Do you have the audacity to speak here?"
The whip landed heavily on Wu Jin's chest, tearing open a foot-long blood groove and causing blood to flow from the whip marks, quickly staining his body and the ground.
Wu Jin stared at the girl expressionlessly. "Are you done hitting? Should I let you hit some more? Once you're done, I'll leave..."
Lowering his head to look at the blood jade skull in his hands, Wu Jin said coldly, "I don't have time to play with you and your sister."
"Play?" The faces of the several girls turned dark at the same time.
Did Wu Jin consider them as mischievous little children? Although they did stir up trouble for no reason, Wu Jin had no right to criticize them.
In Wa Valley, especially in Wa Palace, male members of the clan had no status. Only female members with pure Wa Empress bloodline, who had the potential to awaken the "Wa Empress Transformation," held the highest power in Wa Valley.
"You're exchanging for this useless thing in your hand with the hard-earned merit points you've accumulated through countless fights?" The leading girl, Wa Yao, who had a tall and delicate figure, soft and long eyebrows, stood in front of Wu Jin, her whip's tip rotating rapidly, tearing through the air and producing a piercing sound.
"You're exchanging for useless trash. Are you planning to raise a little demon?" Wa Yao smiled brightly.
Wu Jin's expression suddenly changed. The moment Wa Yao reached out towards the blood jade skull, he seemed like a mad old bear, swiftly turning his body and emitting a deep roar. He slammed his shoulder into Wa Yao's body.
In the depths of the mountains, when an old bear charges into a tree, the tremendous strength it exerts is astonishing.
Wu Jin's strength was much greater than that of an old bear, his body more sturdy. With one body check, a loud bang was heard. Wa Yao groaned, spitting out blood as she was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing into a distant wall, her body plastered against it without moving.
A gust of wind blew through the passageway, sweeping out.
Wu Jin only made a slight shoulder turn, but a powerful force shook the air. The strong winds made several girls lose their footing, their beautiful faces paling as they staggered and retreated.
"You, you dare to hit someone!" Several girls finally stabilized their bodies, their faces turning green, lips white. Trembling, they pointed at Wu Jin, not knowing what to say.
After so many years, it was still the first time a male clan member, especially an outsider who had escaped from the Wa Family, dared to lay hands on a heir of Wa Palace.
Wu Jin held the blood jade skull in his hands, looking expressionlessly at these girls.
"You can hit me if you want."
"But if anyone dares to touch this soul nurturing skull, I will fight her to death..."
Wu Jin grinned sardonically, "I am, after all, a damned waste. So, I'm willing to die with any of you..."
The girls tightly shut their mouths, afraid to utter a sound.
Even after taking a heavy blow, with several broken ribs, Wa Yao endured the pain in her chest. She didn't dare to speak any harsh words.
Wu Jin's words were filled with a strong will. He was not joking. He truly had the intention of fighting them to the death. He was not joking.
A person, regardless of their lowly status, would always intimidate many people when they were willing to risk their lives.
Especially to these descendants of Wa Palace, who had never seen someone as fierce as Wu Jin.
A cold voice came from behind the passageway.
"Damn wretch, who do you want to die together with?"
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air, and Wu Jin swiftly stepped sideways. However, he couldn't avoid the attack from behind and a small, thumb-sized whip struck his shoulder.
With a crisp sound, a large chunk of flesh exploded on Wu Jin's shoulder, and many pieces of flesh flew out, splattering blood. Soon, the blood flowed down his body and onto the ground from the palm-sized wound.
Wu Jin turned around fiercely, protecting the blood jade skull in one hand and gripping the hilt of his sword with the other.
A beautiful woman, who could be considered stunningly attractive, with a few short meters long whip hovering in the air like a nimble little snake, gracefully walked along the passageway with several heavily armored girls guarding her.
Her long hair was loose and almost touched the ground. Her face bore a striking resemblance to Wa Yao, her features exquisite and perfect. She had long, slender eyebrows, phoenix-like eyes, a delicate straight nose, and well-defined vermilion lips that were unusually moist, giving an unexplainable sensation as sweet as strawberries.
She was extremely tall, almost reaching one meter and ninety centimeters in height. She wore a pair of high boots made of giant python's skin. As a result, she appeared to be a punch higher than Wu Jin.
She wore a pure black floor-length gown, making her seem like a goddess emerging from the dark night, exuding a mysterious and noble allure.
"Xiao Jin, dare you hit your cousin...? Who gave you the courage?" The woman slowly approached, her phoenix-like eyes narrowing as the pupils emitted a glittering cold light.
It was not a figurative expression. Her eyes were truly like two bright night pearls, exuding chilling light. The slender beams of light could reach five to six feet away, changing their size unpredictably, as if two short swords were dancing through the air.
Wu Jin stared at the woman without expression, hesitating for a moment before bowing. "Aunt... It was Wa Yao..."
The long whip beside the woman suddenly moved, and with three consecutive sounds, the whip struck Wu Jin's waist relentlessly, leaving three half-inch deep bloody marks.
A large amount of blood splattered, and the woman sneered, "Do you still have any justification? Heh... Do you really think that by winning dozens of battles for Wa Valley, you can consider yourself outstanding? Remember... Wretched creature, you will always be a wretched creature... Just like your late father..."
Wu Jin abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the woman. "Aunt, don't harbor ill intentions."
The woman smiled, "Ill intentions? What if not? Not only that, how would you like to be punished? Do you want me to sever your four limbs?"
The woman stepped closer, and Wu Jin retreated step by step.
The woman exuded a terrifying aura, and Wu Jin knew that she was on the verge of breaking through to the Peak Stage of the Towering Pavilion. Wu Jin himself was only half a step away from the same stage.
Not to mention that the woman didn't need to lift a finger. As long as she had a thought, she could easily crush him.
After all, he was just a Wa Palace relative who had escaped from a foreign land relying on the power of his bloodline.
Male clan members originally had low status in Wa Palace, not to mention someone like him, who was an outsider...
"Xiuer, even if Wu Jin is not capable, he's still my son... Do you want me to help you educate him? That's good... I'll help you educate Wa Yao as well."
A calm and cold voice came from afar.
A cool breeze flipped through the passageway as another woman with long disheveled hair, wearing a black dress, and towering over others, slowly walked over.
This woman was followed by over a dozen agile girls wearing heavy armor. Whether it was in number or strength, they were superior to the woman who threatened Wu Jin. Clearly, this woman— Wu Jin's mother—held a much higher position in Wa Palace than the previous 'Xiuer'.
"Sister..." Xiuer's face changed slightly as she put on a smile and turned to face Wu Jin's mother, slightly bowing in respect. "What has Wa Yao done wrong? Is it necessary for you to personally discipline her?"
"Just because she, who is the descendant of the Wa Empress, is older than Wu Jin by one year, she was actually injured by Wu Jin in a single blow..." As Wu Jin's mother approached, she spoke slowly, "The women of our Wa lineage are the most noble and possess the best talents..."
"Being injured by a man younger than herself... Isn't it embarrassing enough?"
"It can be seen that she usually indulges in play and neglects her cultivation... How can she be worthy of her ancestral blood? How can she be worthy of the countless clan members in Wa Palace? If she is not properly punished... how can I justify it to our ancestors?"
Xiuer's face tightened up, her phoenix eyes widening as she glared at Wu Jin's mother.
Wu Jin's mother walked up to her, the two glaring at each other without a word. After a while, Xiuer coldly said, "Are you not angry enough after the death of a man? Do you have so much anger pent up that you want to vent it on younger generations? Is it fun to bully those weaker than you?"
Wu Jin's mother slapped Xiuer across the face.
With a resounding sound that was extremely harsh, Xiuer's body shifted slightly. She inhaled deeply, slowly straightening her body, and stared at Wu Jin's mother with hatred in her eyes. "Have you calmed down, sister?"
His mother smiled faintly, shook her head, and said word by word, "Little Nine, I haven't thanked you yet for recommending Wu Jin to join the exploration team to explore the ancestral remains. The opportunities in the ancestral remains are boundless. If Wu Jin can gain one or two opportunities..."
Wu Jin's mother gently and tenderly stroked Xiuer's face, which quickly turned blue from the slap while speaking softly.
"Well, well, let's forget about this incident."
"After all, Wa Yao didn't suffer much... Look at Wu Jin, covered in blood... In comparison, he has suffered more."
Wu Jin's mother smiled as she looked at Xiuer, speaking word by word, "By the way, little sister, I haven't thanked you yet for recommending Wu Jin to join the exploration team to explore the ancestral remains..."
"Oh, sister, your only son is Wu Jin now. If he has any accidents, what about the little sister... I am just being kind, considering that there are boundless opportunities in the ancestral remains... If Wu Jin can obtain one or two opportunities..."
Wu Jin's mother smiled, "I still have another son who is not dead... I can sense that he is still alive. So, thank you for caring..."
The two locked eyes for a moment, then both coldly snorted and turned away, leaving without saying a word.
(End of this chapter)