Massive Invasion

Three Mistblade Commanders stood in midair, endlessly letting out icy, bone-chilling laughter.

Wu Tie hid behind a clump of ferns, shielding himself with a giant mushroom as he stared at the three Commanders in utter confusion.

With the Mistblade Commanders' strength, they could easily have dealt with Eunuch Gu, Eunuch Lan, and Grandma Chi. Yet they had deliberately hidden one of their number and sent the three Lineage heads to deal with Grandma Chi.

Once the three Lineage heads and Grandma Chi had nearly exhausted their strength, the hidden Commander suddenly sprang up and struck.

Grandma Chi was gravely wounded. With no road ahead and no road behind, she simply blew herself up. The three Lineage heads were blasted to pieces, while the three Commanders laughed triumphantly...

Wu Tie racked his brains until they practically smoked, and finally figured out the truth.

This was a trap. Not only had the Longevity Cult's two eunuchs and one grandma been lured into it, but the three Lineage heads were prey caught in the same snare. The only ones who ultimately profited were the three Mistblade Commanders.

Inside the Longevity Cult's stronghold, all the slaves gave up resisting and knelt on the ground.

Over a thousand had been blown apart or cut down. Another two or three thousand Gray Dwarves and Rock Gnomes became Mistblade's spoils of war. Several hundred Longevity Cult servant-warriors also laid down their weapons, put on shackles and cangues, and were likewise reduced to slavery.

The most bewildered and helpless were the Lineage warriors from the three families. Their heads had fallen, and for some reason, the backbone and core figures of all three families had also been almost completely killed or wounded in the earlier battle.

Having lost their leaders, the Eighth Commander of Mistblade merely stepped forward and barked a few threats. The warriors of the three families obediently became Mistblade's dependents.

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan escaped, but their boats did not have time to flee.

Nearly a hundred young men and women remained stranded in this strange realm aboard the three wooden boats.

Faced with the threats of the three great Commanders, those young men and women also obediently surrendered without resistance.

It did not take long for Mistblade's assassins to seize control of the entire situation. The stronghold that the Longevity Cult had spent immense effort constructing, the slaves they had painstakingly transported in, the Void Sun atop the dome, and the farms they had arduously opened up all became Mistblade's spoils.

For the next half month or so, Wu Tie hid nearby and watched as Mistblade used methods identical to those of the Longevity Cult, constantly bringing in large numbers of people from outside aboard stealth boats.

The Longevity Cult had brought only sturdy slaves and warriors here.

Mistblade, however, brought men, women, old people, and children alike. Twice, Wu Tie secretly approached the huts within the stronghold and heard the cries of the elderly, weak, women, and children. Mistblade was actually transporting every member of the three families here.

The underground river hidden deep within the rock strata was exceedingly dangerous, and the three families suffered terrible casualties along the way.

Thus, in those days, the riverside stronghold was filled with cries for fathers and mothers. Countless people wept and wailed as they opened up farmland, planted crops, and built huts under the shouts and curses of Mistblade assassins.

A gloomy mist of sorrow shrouded the entire stronghold, but as more and more people arrived, the stronghold gradually began operating in an orderly fashion.

Another month passed. More than two thousand members of the three families, along with nearly thirty thousand slaves and Lineage warriors, had all been transported here. The stronghold expanded considerably. In the newly opened farms, crops Wu Tie did not recognize were growing splendidly, their lush green shoots already more than a foot tall.

It became much harder for Wu Tie to approach the stronghold again.

Mistblade truly deserved its reputation as a professional assassin organization. They set up an extremely specialized warning system around the stronghold, and all manner of sinister traps made it difficult for Wu Tie to get close. There were also some miraculous warning devices that left him completely helpless.

These warning devices covered dozens of miles around, supplemented by a kind of small beast with an astonishing sense of smell that Mistblade had brought in, as well as well-trained elite patrols. Every day, Wu Tie could only stand atop a hill and gaze from afar in the direction of the stronghold. He could no longer spy on it as recklessly as before.

Wu Tie saw that the stronghold's walls had been raised, with tall watchtowers built atop them and large devices placed there.

It was obvious that Mistblade was building a solid defensive system. They intended to thoroughly occupy this stronghold and seize this strange realm.

Every few days, the three Commanders continued leading fleets of stealth boats through the waterfall, constantly bringing in all sorts of people.

Inside the Ancient Divine Weapon Camp, Wu Tie gnawed on roasted meat as he told Old Tie about the conclusions he had drawn from his observations over the past days.

"They want to occupy this place for the long term." Wu Tie frowned, absentmindedly chewing on a chunk of meat.

There was a large bone inside the meat. Without even looking at it, Wu Tie bit through the thick bone in one bite, chewed it to mush in a few mouthfuls, and swallowed it together with the meat and bone fragments.

He had cultivated the Foundation Establishment Form to its seven hundred and nineteenth move, and had remained at this stage for several months already.

The Origin Power within his body was now immensely abundant. Under its constant nourishment, Wu Tie's bones had become extraordinarily sturdy, while his two rows of teeth were snowy white and gleaming enough to reflect a person. Forget ordinary beast bones—even iron sheets could be bitten through.

Old Tie stood on the ground, with two Metal Spiders before him. Their scarlet ocular devices emitted red light, and the light screen displayed real-time images from inside the stronghold.

Wu Tie could not approach the stronghold, but these palm-sized Energy Puppets were nimble and agile, advancing and retreating like the wind. Mistblade's warning methods could not stop them. These tiny Metal Spiders could not only enter the stronghold, but also bring back every rustle of grass and whisper of wind they saw.

"This isn't their territory." Blood-red light flickered in Old Tie's eyes, and his tone carried a thick air of incitement.

"Little Tie, this is your grandpa's territory... which means it's your territory too... when your own land is occupied by others... that sort of thing cannot be endured!" Old Tie turned to look at Wu Tie. "Can you endure it? Anyway, your grandpa can't!"

Wu Tie strongly agreed with Old Tie. He looked at him seriously and said, "It really can't be endured... These days, their people have been wandering everywhere, surveying the surroundings, and they even registered all those Giant Hippopotamuses, Water Pythons, and giant lizards in ledgers..."

He punched the hard floor, splashing several drops of grease across the gleaming white metal surface.

Big Iron, floating nearby, hurriedly let out several "gugu" calls. Rings of electric ripples spread across the ground, and a Metal Spider scurried out. It fussed over the grease for a while, and soon the floor was spotless again, without the slightest trace of stain.

"They registered all those big fellows in ledgers... how am I supposed to hunt now?" Wu Tie turned to glance at the potion-making apparatus. A row of twelve Foundation Establishment Potions stood neatly arranged there. That was all the stock he had left.

"All the prey is mine... not theirs."

Wu Tie glared at Old Tie angrily. "What right do they have to register those prey in ledgers and treat them as their possessions?"

"Beat them up!" Old Tie urged excitedly. "So, you absolutely have to beat them up."

Wu Tie opened his mouth, then suddenly let out a listless grunt.

There was no need to mention the three Commanders. They were busy going in and out, transporting people. In any case, Wu Tie could not possibly be their match right now.

As for the other Mistblade assassins, the total number inside and outside the stronghold had already exceeded three thousand. They were all elite assassins of considerable strength. Wu Tie did not think he could handle three thousand well-trained elites.

Not to mention that there were still tens of thousands of people inside the stronghold. Although the overwhelming majority were Rock Gnomes with little combat ability, there were also some Gray Dwarf, Ox Tribe, and Wolf Tribe warriors...

Forget all that. Just consider the tens of thousands of Rock Gnomes.

Tens of thousands of little gnomes barely over a meter tall charging at him while howling, wielding mining shovels and hoes—just imagining that scene made Wu Tie dizzy.

"Break through!" Old Tie slapped the ground with one claw and said to Wu Tie with great seriousness, "Break through. The third level of the Foundation Establishment realm, condensing Origin Force—you can break through now."

"Beat them up, you absolutely have to beat them up..." Old Tie shouted. "Although your grandpa has little combat power right now and can't help you much... your grandpa can still give you advice and cheer you on..."

"Break through, then beat them up!" Old Tie's gaze burned like fire, scorching Wu Tie's face painfully.

With a hiss...

Old Tie's gaze was too scorching. Two beams of red light, almost tangible, landed directly on Wu Tie's face. Wu Tie's skin instantly vaporized, burned into two tiny holes by Old Tie's gaze.

"Old Tie!" Wu Tie tossed aside the roasted meat and roared furiously, clutching the two perfectly symmetrical little holes in his cheeks.

"Sorry..." Old Tie lowered his head and gave a dry laugh. "Got excited, got excited... Heh, no helping it. Though your grandpa is getting on in years, my blood still runs hot and my passion still surges... I got carried away for a moment, hehe."

A Metal Spider nimbly scurried to the row of Foundation Establishment Potions, picked up one bottle, and handed it to Wu Tie.

Old Tie raised his head again. The blood-red light in his eyes had dimmed considerably as he shouted, "All right, men bleed but do not shed tears. It's only two tiny patches of flesh, isn't it? One bottle of medicine will settle it... Hurry, break through! Then go fight, boy."

"Grow through battles of hot blood... Your grandpa will pass down all my lifetime's combat experience to you... You have the potential to become a legend, boy!" Old Tie roared excitedly, and his gaze gradually became scorching again.

Wu Tie hurriedly swallowed the Foundation Establishment Potion in one gulp and began practicing from the first move of the Foundation Establishment Form without a word.

Old Tie stopped pacing. Blood-red light poured from his eyes, and the figure in white armor within the light screen began leisurely practicing the Foundation Establishment Form. Every move matched Wu Tie's movements perfectly, in complete harmony.

After a long while, a gentle female voice in the light screen said, "Foundation Establishment Form, seven hundred and twentieth move, begin!"

Wu Tie was already sitting cross-legged on the ground. The fingers of both hands touched in pairs, forming a lotus-like seal over his lower abdomen.

The surging Origin Power throughout his body became still as water, then rushed into his lower abdomen like a receding tide in accordance with Wu Tie's movements.

In the blink of an eye, not a drop of Origin Power remained in his entire body. It had all flooded into an indescribable "singularity" within his lower abdomen.

The next instant, all the Origin Power compressed together, and a complete, violent transformation erupted. A mass of formidable power, a hundred times more condensed and domineering than Origin Power, howled out from that singularity and instantly circulated through Wu Tie's entire body.

All the Origin Power that had filled his body, after being compressed and condensed through the seven hundred and twentieth move of the Foundation Establishment Form, became only a fist-sized mass of Origin Force.

The pure and condensed Origin Force raced through Wu Tie's body like a meteor. Everywhere it passed, his flesh and bones felt as if they were about to split apart. Origin Force continuously shook his flesh and bones, and the high-frequency vibrations constantly stripped impurities from them, making the flesh throughout his body increasingly dense and compact.

Everywhere Origin Force passed, unbearable pain wracked his body.

Wisps of gray mist rose from every pore across Wu Tie's skin.

In the air, thick, glittering strands of manifested Energy Essence, each as thick as a thumb, flowed into Wu Tie's body like tiny streams.

Origin Force swiftly circulated through his body and returned to his lower abdomen. During this process, Wu Tie breathed in and expelled a great deal of Energy Essence, which was transformed by his body and fused into the Origin Force. The fist-sized mass of Origin Force grew by roughly the thickness of a hair.

"When Origin Force fills your entire body, that will be the time the third level of the Foundation Establishment realm reaches great completion." Old Tie muttered to himself nearby. "Tsk, if you rely solely on cultivation, it will really take decades to complete Foundation Establishment... You still need Foundation Establishment Potions. The medicine must not stop, boy!"

An hour later, Wu Tie made a rough measurement of his attributes after his breakthrough.

His pure physical strength had doubled again, reaching roughly fifty thousand jin. Once he activated Origin Force, his strength could soar another four or five times. With such tremendous force, he could almost withstand a Giant Hippopotamus's charge head-on.

His speed, reactions, and all his other attributes had soared even more.

What delighted Wu Tie even more was that his innate divine ability had greatly strengthened. The range covered by his invisible force field had already exceeded two hundred meters. Furthermore, the force field itself had grown much stronger. He could now almost fly through the air like a bird.

"All right, now we end the wilderness survival and wilderness hunting lessons... Next, we will learn how to become a true warrior."

Old Tie shouted loudly, his voice brimming with impatient excitement.

"You have to know, back in the day, your grandpa was among the most elite..."

Wu Tie looked at Old Tie curiously and interrupted him. "A medical-care Ancient Divine Weapon?"

Old Tie's voice abruptly cut off. He fell silent for a long time, then his tone became exceedingly cold. "So what if I'm a medical-care Ancient Divine Weapon? I've lived until now, and that alone proves how formidable I am..."

With a long sigh, Old Tie said gloomily, "A child who isn't beaten won't become useful... filial sons come from beneath the rod. Those words make far too much sense."

A bolt of electricity shot from Old Tie's big teeth and struck Wu Tie squarely at the root of his thigh.

Wu Tie let out a howl and leaped straight up, then fell to the ground clutching his thigh root with both hands, twitching desperately.

"All right, open your eyes wide and watch carefully... Let us begin the first lesson: the distribution of vital points in humans, or humanoid creatures. In other words, how to kill an enemy with the greatest efficiency!"

As he said this, Old Tie's tone became extremely strange.

He stared directly at Wu Tie. After a long while, he finally muttered, "You're still an underage child... I'm truly committing a sin... But in war, women must step aside... and you, you are a man. Even if you are only a boy, when war comes, you have no right to stand aside... Listen carefully and remember, little fellow. You can't learn these things outside."

Practicing the Foundation Establishment Form, secretly hunting prey, making Foundation Establishment Potions, and learning from Old Tie how to become an elite warrior...

Such days continued for half a month.

On this day, countless spindle-shaped stealth boats surged out of the waterfall, followed by six black wooden boats each a hundred meters long.

The Longevity Cult's main force arrived in a massive assault. Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan's clamoring could be heard clearly even from far away.