Declaring War

The Longevity Cult brought a large number of elite warriors.

Besides all the combat power directly under the Azure Flame Domain branch of the Longevity Cult, Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan had also gathered eighteen families controlled by the Longevity Cult, and mobilized them all at once to this alien realm.

Each of the eighteen families mobilized between three hundred and six to seven hundred warriors, totaling nearly ten thousand combatants.

In addition to these elite warriors, the eighteen families also brought a large number of young and strong slaves. While Gray Dwarves and Rock Gnomes were the most common types of slaves, a few families had even brought rare Mermen and Frogmen.

Wu Tie crouched in a patch of large ferns, gazing at the river from afar.

About two thousand Mermen and Frogmen were swaggering in the great river, brandishing crude bone forks and howling.

Mermen, as their name suggested, had heads like large fish. Their heads were pitch black, and their bodies were covered in thick, black scales that were extremely defensive, no weaker than ordinary iron armor.

Frogmen were essentially bipedal amphibians. Their dark green skin was covered in mucus, and their skin was exceptionally tough. Ordinary swords and blades could not even scratch them.

These two types of slaves were robust, taller than ordinary humans, and possessed astonishing strength. They were also excellent swimmers, making them extremely formidable in the water. However, it was clear their intelligence was not high; their roars and shouts resembled those of wild beasts.

A large shallow area along the riverbank was stained red with blood.

Just moments ago, some Rock Gnomes from the outpost were fetching water when the Longevity Cult army attacked. The Mermen and Frogmen, moving with incredible speed from the water, caught the Rock Gnomes by surprise and slaughtered hundreds of them on the riverbank.

The Mermen and Frogmen were extremely brutal, devouring the Rock Gnomes on the spot. Large amounts of blood stained the riverbank and flowed downstream with the water.

Several large dark shapes emerged in the water. The ferocious fish and beasts in the river were disturbed, but they were intimidated by the murderous aura emanating from the Mermen and Frogmen and dared not approach the blood-scented riverbank.

A large number of shuttle-shaped stealth boats, not very finely crafted and with many small cracks on their surfaces, emerged from the water. Under the shouts of Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan, the warriors and slaves in the boats rowed them to the opposite bank of the great river.

Some stealth boats were motionless. Cracks covered their surfaces, clearly indicating that the warriors or slaves inside had been suffocated by the river water seeping into the cabins during the long, submerged journey.

Nearly ten thousand warriors and tens of thousands of slaves quickly disembarked. They took out various tools and began digging foundations on the shore, collecting earth and stones to build outposts and shelters. They also immediately constructed a row of over a dozen tall watchtowers by the river.

The Mist Blades reacted immediately. Several Mist Blade assassins, cooperating with warriors from the three great families, pulled out stealth boats and rafts, intending to cross the river and attack the enemy.

However, the more than two thousand Mermen and Frogmen emerged from the water. The stealth boats and rafts were destroyed as soon as they were launched. Dozens of Mist Blade assassins and family warriors were killed or injured, and they were forced to retreat to the shore in frustration.

Unable to cross the river, the three Grand Commanders of the Mist Blades took to the air, stepping on black mist as they charged towards six black wooden boats in the sky.

The six wooden boats floated in a line above the great river. Eunuch Gu, Eunuch Lan, and five other men also rose into the air, heading to meet the three Grand Commanders.

The two sides merely crossed paths in the sky above the great river. Black mist, blood clouds, and flashing streams of light and cold steel flickered. The three Grand Commanders grunted and retreated several hundred meters, while two of the men in Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan's group suddenly had long gashes on their chests.

A sharp, cold voice rang out: "You are all natives of my Azure Flame Domain... Do you know the consequences of offending my Mist Blades?"

Eunuch Gu burst into laughter: "Everyone, do not be intimidated by them. This is a land of great fortune. If you move all your clans here, with my Longevity Cult protecting you, and we join forces, why should we fear the Mist Blades?"

The three Grand Commanders snorted and turned to leave.

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan also had no intention of fighting to the death. They returned to their wooden boats, and the six boats flew to the opposite bank of the great river, landing slowly on the shallow beach.

With tens of thousands of slaves working together, a sizable earthen city was rapidly built on the opposite bank of the great river. As the light of the 'Void Sun' gradually dimmed and 'night' approached, the Longevity Cult's outpost began to take shape, with wisps of cooking smoke rising.

As if to provoke them, a loud horn blast sounded from the Longevity Cult's watchtowers. The Mermen and Frogmen in the great river became excited, shouting 'ao ao', brandishing their bone forks, and taunting the direction of the Mist Blades' outpost for a while before quickly swimming back to the opposite bank.

That night was peaceful and serene. Neither the Longevity Cult nor the Mist Blades launched an attack.

When the 'Void Sun' lit up again, its warm light illuminating the vast territory below, a team of Mist Blade warriors emerged from their outpost.

Those family members and slaves were easy to feed; the fast-growing fungi were sufficient for them. However, the Mist Blade assassins, especially high-ranking ones like the three Grand Commanders, could not endure such coarse food.

There were abundant prey by the great river. Whether it was Water Pythons or Giant Hippopotamuses, or even those large fish and water beasts, they were all excellent game and the finest delicacies.

This team of over two hundred Mist Blade assassins advanced cautiously along the riverbank, occasionally glancing at the river. The Longevity Cult's control over more than two thousand Mermen and Frogmen gave them a significant advantage; these creatures could be a real nuisance if they launched a surprise attack from the water.

The heat and light emitted by the 'Void Sun' evaporated the moisture from the ground, and thick mist rose like milk, reaching over two meters high and coiling around clumps of ferns and mushroom patches. Many poisonous snakes, insects, and various small creatures stirred restlessly, with faint sounds coming from all directions.

These small creatures in the caves were not yet accustomed to the 'day and night' changes brought by the 'Void Sun'. They were trying their best to adapt to these light and dark variations and adjust their hunting habits accordingly.

Several hundred meters away, in a gentle river bend, the water was only a little over a meter deep but was filled with a vast amount of water grass.

On the riverbank, a large area of lush ferns had grown. Dozens of Giant Hippopotamuses lazily swam out of the deep water into the bend, lowering their heads to drink greedily and simultaneously sucking large mouthfuls of water grass into their mouths.

Two male hippopotamuses even led several young ones onto the riverbank, tearing at the succulent fern leaves with their mouths.

This team of Mist Blade assassins cautiously spread out, sending over thirty people to monitor the river's surface, while the others moved to surround the Giant Hippopotamuses. The two male hippopotamuses were enormous, weighing at least fifty tons each, and along with the young ones, they would provide the Mist Blade assassins with a hearty meal for over half a month.

Over a hundred assassins moved slowly through the mist; they dared not underestimate these massive prey.

The Mist Blade assassins were skilled in the art of killing, but they were not adept at dealing with these giant beasts.

The mist flowed, and Wu Tie, carrying a spear and holding a flagpole, stood silently on the path of the advancing Mist Blade assassins.

The river wind howled, and a blood-red banner on the flagpole fluttered 'fiercely'. The banner, one and a half meters wide and three meters long, bore a ghastly white tiger head with its mouth open, baring its fangs in a ferocious display.

This was the 'White Tiger Blood Banner'. Wu Tie did not know what it represented, nor where Old Tie had obtained it.

Regardless, after he completed the preliminary warrior training, Old Tie had handed this banner to Wu Tie.

"Even if one person forms an army... an army must have a military banner." Wu Tie clearly remembered that when Old Tie handed him the 'White Tiger Blood Banner', there was a 'humanistic radiance' flickering on his metallic, lifeless skull-like face.

Wu Tie even wondered if he had gone crazy.

How could Old Tie's metallic face possibly possess 'humanistic radiance'?

Yet, Wu Tie felt that profound, stirring radiance. He also felt the weighty power in Old Tie's 'claws' when he handed him the White Tiger Blood Banner.

The river wind howled, and the banner waved.

The three-meter-high flagpole tilted slightly. Wu Tie suddenly raised the white metal flagpole and drove it heavily into the ground.

With a 'chi' sound, the sharp flagpole sank more than a foot deep into the ground. The noise immediately alerted the Mist Blades killers a hundred meters away. They stopped in their tracks simultaneously, silently drawing their straight swords and aiming them at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie stood motionless, calmly watching the Mist Blades killers.

These Mist Blades killers were very young, many looking no older than twenty, with the oldest only around thirty.

Wu Tie had no quarrel with them.

"You have no quarrel with them, but they have invaded your territory and are plundering your prey," Wu Tie remembered Old Tie's words. "You may have no personal enmity with them, but you have a fundamental conflict with the forces they belong to."

"War is never about personal grudges," Old Tie had said bluntly. "War has no right or wrong, only life and death."

"To put it more cruelly, more shamelessly... if you win, you are always right; if you lose, you are always wrong."

"Who's there?" a leading Mist Blades killer demanded coldly.

Wu Tie remained silent, just watching them.

After practicing the Foundation Establishment Form, Wu Tie's physical capabilities far surpassed those of ordinary people. These Mist Blades killers couldn't see Wu Tie clearly through the hundred meters of mist, but Wu Tie could clearly see their every move.

Not to mention, Wu Tie's invisible force field already covered a radius of over two hundred meters, and all these killers were within its shroud.

"Kill!" the leading Mist Blades killer decisively gave the order.

Dozens of poisoned throwing knives tore through the mist, accurately targeting Wu Tie's position.

These Mist Blades killers were indeed formidable. From a hundred meters away, through thick fog, Wu Tie had merely planted the flagpole in the ground, making a slight noise, and these killers had already pinpointed his exact location.

Wu Tie didn't move. The throwing knives struck him, sparks flying from his tight-fitting armor. Dozens of incredibly powerful throwing knives snapped, rebounding several meters before falling to the ground.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, causing the mist within a radius of several miles to shift. The mist near the riverbank quickly dissipated, exposing Wu Tie to the Mist Blades killers.

Pale white tight-fitting armor, a pale white flagpole beside him with a blood-red banner fluttering, and on the banner, a pale white roaring tiger head looked ferocious, exuding an inexplicable aura of domineering ferocity and unreasonableness.

More than a dozen Mist Blades killers darted out like fleas, reaching Wu Tie in just a few leaps.

Their straight swords brought streaks of cold light, slashing down at Wu Tie from all directions.

Wu Tie raised his left hand and clenched his fist heavily.

The air within a ten-meter radius around his body writhed violently, its density increasing rapidly. Waves of air churned, blurring the air until it looked as viscous as thin porridge.

The movements of the dozen or so Mist Blades killers who were slashing down became extremely slow. Their blades sliced through the viscous air, and one could clearly see the distinct ripples parting the air before the blade.

"Explode!"

Wu Tie roared, and the air suddenly blasted outwards.

The dozen or so Mist Blades killers grunted, blown back seven or eight meters by the gale, retreating in disarray. Several killers even stepped on the slippery moss, lost their footing, and fell headlong, scrambling and crawling in a sorry state.

"This is my territory. Every beast, every insect, every fern, every patch of mushroom here, even the fish and pythons in the river, are my private property," Wu Tie said slowly, looking at the Mist Blades killers with stiff faces. "You have invaded my land, and you are infringing upon my private property... This is not right..."

"Kill this brat." The Mist Blades killer leader waved his long saber, drawing a circle in the air above his head. "Chop him to pieces!"

Nearly two hundred Mist Blades killers let out sharp cries simultaneously, charging at Wu Tie like streaks of afterimages.

They couldn't be bothered to reason with Wu Tie.

This fertile land spanning a thousand miles was his territory?

Everything here was his private property?

Was he kidding?

Even if it was, after chopping Wu Tie to pieces, everything here would belong to the Mist Blades!

Reasoning? Not a chance... How could the local powerhouses of the Azure Flame Domain, the powerful and ferocious Mist Blades, reason with you?

Streams of lightning-like blade light slashed towards Wu Tie.

Wu Tie held his spear, stirring up smooth arcs. The spear wove a perfect circle around him. Amidst piercing impact sounds, dozens of long sabers repeatedly struck the spear, and then the sabers snapped one after another.

Though seemingly gentle, Wu Tie's pure physical strength reached fifty to sixty thousand catties. A casual blow was like a falling boulder. The straight sabers used by the Mist Blades killers, though forged from fine steel, could not withstand the impact of such immense force.

Dozens of long sabers broke, and the arms of dozens of Mist Blades killers were shattered and broken by the shock. They spat blood, cried out in agony, and were sent flying, retreating in all directions.

Wu Tie's strength was too immense; these Mist Blades killers were as fragile as leaves in the wind.

"This is my territory," Wu Tie said sternly. "Whether it's you Mist Blades or the Longevity Cult, if you invade here... only war awaits you!"

One man, one spear, one blood-red banner.

Declaring open war against two powerful organizations.