A Large-Scale Attack

Three Mist Blade commanders stood in mid-air, emitting chilling laughter.

Wu Tie, hidden behind a clump of ferns and using a large mushroom for cover, stared at the three commanders, utterly bewildered.

Given the Mist Blade commanders' strength, they could have easily dealt with Eunuch Gu, Eunuch Lan, and Grandma Chi. Yet, they had hidden one of their own and used the three family heads to confront Grandma Chi.

Once the three family heads and Grandma Chi had significantly depleted their strength, the hidden commander launched a surprise attack.

Grandma Chi, heavily wounded, decided on a desperate act and self-destructed. The three family heads were blown to smithereens, while the three commanders cackled in triumph…

Wu Tie racked his brain and finally pieced together the truth.

This was a trap. Not only were the two eunuchs and one elder from the Longevity Cult ensnared, but the three family heads were also prey within the trap. The only ones who truly benefited were the three commanders of the Mist Blades.

At the Longevity Cult's stronghold, all the slaves gave up their resistance and knelt on the ground.

Over a thousand had been killed or slain, and another two to three thousand Gray Dwarves and Rock Gnomes became the Mist Blades' spoils of war. Hundreds of Longevity Cult auxiliary warriors also laid down their weapons. They were fitted with shackles and fetters, also reduced to slavery.

The most confused and helpless were the warriors of the three families. Their family heads had perished, and somehow, during the recent battle, the core members of all three families had also been killed or wounded.

Without leadership, the Eighth Commander of the Mist Blades merely issued a few threats, and the warriors of the three families meekly became vassals of the Mist Blades.

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan had escaped, but their flagship had not.

On three wooden boats, nearly a hundred young men and women were also stranded in this alien realm.

Facing the threats of the three commanders, these young men and women also surrendered without a fight.

It didn't take long for the Mist Blade assassins to gain control of the entire situation. The stronghold, painstakingly built by the Longevity Cult, the slaves they had painstakingly transported in, the Void Sun hanging in the dome, and the meticulously cultivated farmlands all became the Mist Blades' spoils.

For the next half a month, Wu Tie remained hidden, observing as the Mist Blades employed the exact same methods as the Longevity Cult, continuously using stealth ships to transport large numbers of personnel from the outside.

The Longevity Cult had brought in only strong and able-bodied slaves and warriors.

The Mist Blades, however, brought in people of all ages and genders. Twice, Wu Tie had stealthily approached the makeshift dwellings within the stronghold and heard the cries of the old, weak, women, and children. The Mist Blades were apparently transporting all the clansmen of the three families here.

The Yin River, hidden deep within the rock layers, was incredibly dangerous. The clansmen of the three families suffered heavy casualties along the way.

Thus, for days, the riverside stronghold was filled with cries of "Dad!" and "Mom!" Countless people wept and wailed, opening up farmlands, planting crops, and building shelters under the stern commands of the Mist Blade assassins.

A pall of gloom hung over the entire stronghold, but as more people were brought in, the stronghold began to operate in an orderly fashion.

Another month passed. The more than two thousand clansmen from the three families, along with nearly thirty thousand slaves and family warriors, had all been transported here. The stronghold's scale had expanded considerably, and the crops in the newly cultivated farmlands, which Wu Tie didn't recognize, were growing vigorously, with lush green sprouts reaching over a foot high.

It became increasingly difficult for Wu Tie to approach the stronghold.

The Mist Blades, true to their reputation as a specialized assassin organization, had established an extremely professional early warning system around the stronghold, with all sorts of insidious traps making it very difficult for Wu Tie to get close. Furthermore, some magical warning devices left Wu Tie completely helpless.

These warning devices were spread across an area of dozens of miles, coupled with a type of small, keen-nosed rodent brought by the Mist Blades and well-trained elite patrol teams. Wu Tie could only stand on a distant hill and gaze in the direction of the stronghold for a few moments each day, no longer able to spy as recklessly as before.

Wu Tie observed that the stronghold's walls had been raised, and tall towers were built on them, equipped with large machinery.

It was evident that the Mist Blades were constructing a robust defensive system, intending to completely occupy this stronghold and this alien realm.

Every few days, the three commanders continued to bring stealth ships through the waterfall, bringing in more people to join them.

In the Ancient Divine Weapon camp, Wu Tie, while gnawing on roasted meat, recounted his observations of the past few days to Old Tie.

"They intend to occupy this place long-term," Wu Tie said, frowning, absentmindedly chewing on a piece of meat.

There was a large bone in the meat, but Wu Tie didn't even glance at it. He bit down on the thick bone, chewed it to pieces in a few bites, and swallowed it whole, bones and all.

His Foundation Establishment Form cultivation had reached the seven hundred and nineteenth stance, and Wu Tie had been stuck at this stage for several months.

His Origin Power was now extremely abundant. Nourished by the constant flow of Origin Power, Wu Tie's bones had become exceptionally strong, and his two rows of large teeth were as white and shiny as mirrors. Not to mention ordinary beast bones, he could even bite through iron plates.

Old Tie stood on the ground, with two Metal Spiders positioned in front of him. Their scarlet optical sensors emitted red light, projecting real-time images from within the stronghold onto a light screen.

Wu Tie couldn't get close to the stronghold, but these palm-sized Origin Power puppets were nimble and agile, moving like the wind. The Mist Blades' warning systems couldn't stop them. These small Metal Spiders could not only enter the stronghold but also report every rustle of grass they saw.

"This is not their territory," Old Tie said, blood-red light flickering in his eyes, his tone laced with strong instigation.

"Little Tie, this is grandpa's territory… which means it's your territory… and someone has occupied our home turf… that's something you can't stand!" Old Tie turned to look at Wu Tie. "Can you stand it? Grandpa certainly can't!"

Wu Tie strongly agreed with Old Tie's words. He looked at Old Tie earnestly and said, "I really can't stand it… these days, their people are everywhere, surveying the surroundings, even cataloging those Giant Hippos, Water Pythons, and large lizards…"

He punched the hard floor, and a few drops of grease splattered onto the smooth white metal floor.

Da Tie, floating nearby, quickly let out a few 'gugugu' sounds. Ripples of electrical waves spread across the floor, and a Metal Spider darted out, scurrying around the grease. Soon, the floor was as clean as new, leaving no trace of a stain.

"They've cataloged these big guys… how am I supposed to hunt?" He glanced back at the potion-making apparatus. A row of twelve Foundation Establishment Potions was laid out – all the stock Wu Tie had on hand.

"All the prey is mine… not theirs."

Wu Tie looked at Old Tie, annoyed. "Why did they catalog these prey and treat them as their own?"

"Beat them up!" Old Tie said excitedly, instigating. "So, you must beat them up."

Wu Tie opened his mouth and then let out a weak sigh.

Never mind the three commanders; they were busy transporting people in and out. Wu Tie knew he was no match for them now.

As for the other Mist Blade assassins, the total number of Mist Blade assassins inside and outside the stronghold had already exceeded three thousand. These were all elite assassins with considerable strength. Wu Tie didn't believe he could handle three thousand well-trained elites.

Not to mention the tens of thousands of people within the stronghold. Although the vast majority were harmless Rock Gnomes, there were also some Gray Dwarves, Ox Tribe warriors, and Wolf Tribe warriors…

Forget it, let's just consider those tens of thousands of Rock Gnomes.

Tens of thousands of little gnomes, just over a meter tall, charging forward with mining shovels and hoes, shouting 'ao ao' – the thought of that scene made Wu Tie's head spin.

"Breakthrough!" Old Tie slammed a claw onto the ground and said earnestly to Wu Tie, "Breakthrough, the third level of Foundation Establishment, condensing Origin Force. You can break through now."

"Beat them, you must beat them..." Old Tie yelled loudly, "Even though Grandpa here has no combat power right now and can't help you much... Grandpa can still offer advice and cheer you on..."

"Breakthrough, and then beat them!" Old Tie's gaze was as fiery as burning coals, making Wu Tie's face feel scorched.

Chh...

Old Tie's gaze was too intense, like two solid beams of red light fixed directly on Wu Tie's face. Wu Tie's skin instantly vaporized, burned by Old Tie's gaze into two small holes.

"Old Tie!" Wu Tie dropped the roasted meat in his hands and roared, clutching the two perfectly symmetrical small holes on his cheeks.

"Sowwy..." Old Tie lowered his head, chuckling dryly, "Got excited, got excited... Heh, can't be helped. Grandpa may be old, but I'm still young and passionate, still brimming with enthusiasm... Got carried away for a moment, hehe."

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

Old Tie looked up, the blood-red light in his eyes dimming considerably. He shouted, "Alright, men don't cry, it's just a couple of small patches of skin! Something a bottle of medicine can fix... Hurry up and break through! Then, go fight, young man."

"Grow through passionate battles... Grandpa will impart all his combat experience to you... You have the potential to become a legend, young man!" Old Tie shouted excitedly, his gaze gradually intensifying again.

Wu Tie quickly swallowed the Foundation Establishment Potion and, without a word, began practicing the first form of the Foundation Establishment Form.

Old Tie stopped, blood-red light shooting from his eyes. The figure in white armor in the light screen began to gracefully practice the Foundation Establishment Form, each move perfectly matching and synchronizing with Wu Tie's actions.

After a long while, a gentle female voice from the light screen said, "Foundation Establishment Form, seventh hundred and twentieth move, rise!"

Wu Tie had already sat down cross-legged, his fingers touching each other, pressing onto his lower abdomen like a lotus flower.

The surging Origin Power throughout his body became as tranquil as water, rapidly flowing into his lower abdomen with Wu Tie's movements, like a receding tide.

In the blink of an eye, not a drop of Origin Power remained in his body; it all poured into an indescribable 'singularity' in his lower abdomen.

The next moment, all the Origin Power condensed, and a complete and rapid transformation erupted. A powerful force, a hundred times more condensed and a hundred times more domineering than Origin Power, roared out from that singularity, instantly circulating throughout Wu Tie's body.

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

The pure and condensed Origin Force flowed rapidly through Wu Tie's body like a meteor. Wherever it passed, his bones and flesh felt like they were about to split. The Origin Force continuously vibrated his entire body, the high-frequency vibrations constantly stripping away impurities from his bones and flesh, making his entire body tighter and more compact.

Wherever the Origin Force flowed, he endured unbearable pain.

From every pore on Wu Tie's skin, wisps of gray mist rose.

In the air, bright, crystal-like Origin Energy, as thick as a thumb, materialized, flowing into Wu Tie's body like a stream.

The Origin Force circulated rapidly throughout his body and returned to his lower abdomen. During this process, Wu Tie had already absorbed a large amount of Origin Energy, which was converted by his body and integrated into the Origin Force. The fist-sized Origin Force increased in volume by about the thickness of a hair.

"When the Origin Force fills the entire body, that will be the completion of the third level of Foundation Establishment," Old Tie muttered to himself from the side. "Tsk, relying solely on self-cultivation, it would truly take decades to achieve Foundation Establishment completion... You still need to use Foundation Establishment Potions. Don't stop the medicine, young man!"

An hour later, Wu Tie roughly measured his attributes after his breakthrough.

His pure physical strength had doubled again, reaching about fifty thousand jin of pure physical power. Once he activated his Origin Force, his strength could surge four to five times that amount. Such immense power could almost directly withstand the charge of a Giant Hippopotamus.

As for speed, reaction time, and other attributes, they had all soared.

What surprised Wu Tie even more was that his innate Divine Ability had been greatly enhanced. The range of his invisible force field had exceeded two hundred meters. Moreover, the power of the force field had increased significantly, allowing him to almost fly in the air like a bird.

"Alright, now, the wilderness survival and hunting courses are over... Now, we will learn how to be a true warrior."

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

"You know, Grandpa here was once the most elite..."

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

Old Tie's voice suddenly cut off. He was silent for a long time, his tone becoming extremely cold. "So what if I'm a medical-type Ancient Divine Weapon? The fact that I've lived this long is proof enough of my prowess..."

With a sigh, Old Tie said grimly, "A child who isn't disciplined won't amount to anything... 'Under the rod, a filial son is born,' that saying is so true."

A bolt of lightning shot from Old Tie's large teeth, striking directly at the base of Wu Tie's thigh.

Wu Tie yelped and jumped up, clutching his thigh and falling to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Alright, open your eyes wide and watch closely... We'll have our first lesson, the distribution of vital points on humans, or humanoid creatures... In other words, how to kill an enemy most efficiently!"

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

He stared intently at Wu Tie, and after a long while, he murmured, "You're still just a child... I'm really bringing this upon myself... But, in war, women are asked to step aside... And you, you are a man. Even if you're just a boy, when war comes, you have no right to refuse... Listen closely, remember this, little one, you can't learn these things out there."

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

This kind of life continued for half a month.

One day, countless shuttle-shaped stealth ships surged out from the waterfall, and six black wooden boats, each a hundred meters long, broke through the cascade.

The main force of the Longevity Cult launched a large-scale invasion, and the shouts of Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan could be heard clearly from afar.