One-Man Army

Dozens of assassins lay groaning in pain in the distance, their arms broken.

Over a hundred assassins, blades in hand, stared blankly at Wu Tie.

The river wind howled, and the blood-red banner fluttered fiercely. Wu Tie stood by the banner, long spear in hand, coldly surveying the crowd.

He reiterated, "This is my territory. All the prey here are my prey… You've occupied my land, stolen my prey, and hindered my cultivation… This is not right."

The hundred-plus uninjured assassins let out a low roar in unison.

Blade light like snow, blade light like lightning, long and short cold glints swept towards Wu Tie from all directions, covering his entire body.

Wu Tie's spear moved like a bamboo in the wind, creating supple yet powerful arcs. The straight blades struck the spear, sending sparks flying, and the blades themselves shattered. A large number of hidden weapons, such as flying daggers, needles, and darts, also attacked, but Wu Tie swept them all away with his spear.

Any Mist Blade assassin whose straight blade touched Wu Tie's spear cried out in pain and was sent flying backward.

At the third level of Foundation Establishment, Wu Tie's physical strength was already beyond imagination. Fighting these Mist Blade assassins was like a wild bull bullying a group of little rabbits; the two sides were not on the same level at all.

Even so, many of these assassins were experts at the third level of Foundation Establishment, having condensed their Qi into a protective aura.

In just the time it took to draw a breath, dozens more assassins were sent flying. Dozens more, having fired all their hidden weapons, stood there dumbfounded.

"Kill!" Amidst a shrill, enraged roar, over a dozen assassins drew their straight blades and ferociously charged at Wu Tie.

They drew Wu Tie's attention. They were still more than ten meters away from Wu Tie. In a patch of large ferns behind Wu Tie, a Gray Dwarf, about 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall and built squarely like an anvil, silently charged out.

Among the Mist Blade assassins, Human Race assassins were merely the standard elite.

Within Mist Blade, there were many non-Human Race assassins, such as those from the Ox Tribe, the Wolf Tribe, and even Gray Dwarves and Rock Gnomes. If these non-Human Races could join Mist Blade, they must possess unique strengths.

Just like the Gray Dwarf who charged out from behind Wu Tie.

Short and square, the Gray Dwarf's body was covered in bulging muscles, exuding a domineering and savage ferocity. He charged out, each hand holding a pickaxe. His arms, thicker than an ordinary person's thigh, swung the pickaxes silently, striking fiercely at Wu Tie's back and the back of his head.

The Gray Dwarf, who had been hiding in the fern forest twenty to thirty meters away from Wu Tie, leaped out like a flea. After charging out of the ferns, he reached Wu Tie's back in a single bound, his pickaxes bringing two cold glints as they smashed down.

On the strangely shaped pickaxes, faint blood-colored patterns flickered with dazzling light.

The pickaxes vibrated at an extremely high frequency. The air directly in front of the pickaxes' long beaks condensed into a white mist due to the high-frequency vibration.

As the Gray Dwarf reached Wu Tie's back, his pickaxe speed finally broke through the limit. The white mist in front of the two pickaxes exploded with a thunderous roar.

The Gray Dwarf swung his pickaxes, shattering the sound barrier and unleashing a dull, deafening air explosion.

As the air explosion sounded, the dozen or so assassins charging directly at him roared in unison. Their synchronized shouts actually managed to suppress the sound of the air explosion, perfectly covering the Gray Dwarf's surprise attack.

Mist Blade, the local power in the Azure Flame Domain and the most terrifying assassin group in the dark world, naturally had its unique assassination methods. The coordination between these assassins and the Gray Dwarf was flawless. Ordinary people would never be able to evade this meticulously designed killing trap.

Wu Tie was not an ordinary person.

An invisible force field enveloped him. Wu Tie had detected the Gray Dwarf when he had quietly infiltrated the fern forest.

When the Gray Dwarf silently leaped out of the fern forest and attacked with his pickaxes, the invisible force field rapidly churned. The air behind Wu Tie writhed, and when the pickaxes were only a little over a foot from his body, the air behind him had almost solidified.

With two loud bangs, the air explosions struck the semi-transparent, rapidly churning air wall.

Forged from fine steel and adorned with peculiar blood-colored patterns, the pickaxes exploded in a burst of light, shattering into pieces. Countless fragments of iron flew backward. The Gray Dwarf, quick to react, dropped the handles of his pickaxes, shielded his face with his broad, heavy palms, and curled into a ball, retreating rapidly.

Wu Tie, holding his spear, swung it back fiercely.

The Gray Dwarf, shaped like a ball, was sent flying by Wu Tie's spear. Amidst the dull thud, the sound of bones cracking echoed like popping beans. The Gray Dwarf spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing into a patch of large ferns.

A nest of poisonous spiders, unable to dodge in time, was smashed to pieces by the Gray Dwarf. Covered in unknown juices, mud, and slime, the Gray Dwarf staggered to his feet, roared "Retreat!", and was the first to turn and flee in the direction of the Mist Blade stronghold.

The surrounding Mist Blade assassins, upon receiving the order, turned and left without a word.

Even the assassins with broken arms had functional legs. They moved with Mist Blade's unique afterimage technique, each of them running at incredible speed.

It was the Gray Dwarf, short in stature, whose thick legs were too short. He ran with all his might but was still slower than the Mist Blade assassins fleeing. He fell behind, cursing furiously.

Two Mist Blade assassins ran over, grabbed the Gray Dwarf's arms from either side, and helped him speed up his escape.

Wu Tie smiled, pulled out his flagpole, and walked step by step towards the Mist Blade stronghold.

He appeared to walk slowly, but an invisible force field enveloped his body. Each step covered more than ten meters with ease. His movements were light and agile, not much slower than the Mist Blade assassins fleeing at full speed.

Sharp alarm bells rang out from the Mist Blade stronghold.

On the city walls, large groups of assassins and warriors rushed out, weapons of various kinds pointed in Wu Tie's direction.

By the time the fleeing assassins rushed back into the stronghold, Wu Tie had already arrived at the riverbank outside the stronghold, carrying the large banner.

With a 'ding,' the flagpole was firmly planted in the ground. Wu Tie, holding his spear, pointed towards the Mist Blade stronghold. A commotion arose from the great river behind him as many Mermen and Frogmen, escorting a wooden boat a hundred meters long, rushed over from the opposite bank, shouting challenges.

Three Mist Blade Commanders appeared at the main gate of the stronghold, lined up side by side, their gazes like knives as they assessed Wu Tie.

Wu Tie was actually very nervous.

He knew he was no match for the three Commanders.

If not for the armor he wore, Wu Tie would not have had the confidence to brazenly block the entrance and declare war.

Gripping his spear, Wu Tie took a deep breath and repeated what he had told the Mist Blade assassins earlier. This fertile secret realm, spanning a thousand miles in radius, was his territory; all the prey here, even the smallest spider or the smallest lizard, were his prey.

The three Commanders sneered in unison.

The Eighth Commander said indifferently, "Are you a native here? Alone? Never mind, no matter who you are, perhaps this secret realm is truly an inheritance left by your elder… So what? What Mist Blade desires, Mist Blade takes."

The Seventh Commander spoke more arrogantly, "Enough nonsense. There is no reason to return anything that has fallen into Mist Blade's hands. Kid, seeing as you have some skill, join Mist Blade… or, how do you wish to die?"

Another Commander, the one who suddenly ambushed and severely injured Grandma Chi a few days ago, remained silent.

He merely sized up Wu Tie from head to toe, his chilling gaze making Wu Tie feel uneasy all over.

Behind Wu Tie, on the great river, the Longevity Cult's wooden boat was approaching. Over two thousand Mermen and Frogmen waved their weapons, cheering loudly and stirring up waves on the river. A few large fish that didn't have time to dodge were killed by a group of Frogmen, their blood dyeing a large area of the river red.

Eunuch Gu, Eunuch Lan, and the patriarchs of several families stood at the bow of the boat, watching with great interest as Wu Tie and the three Commanders of Mist Blades faced off.

Eunuch Gu suddenly laughed, "This... they from Mist Blades are a bunch of unreasonable killers. What's there to talk about with them?"

Eunuch Lan chuckled, "Our Longevity Cult is different. We open our doors wide, recruiting all those with aspirations for longevity in the world to jointly pursue the supreme path of longevity. Our cult encompasses everything, and offers countless pleasures. It is truly the best place in the world."

Eunuch Gu laughed, "Seeing your grand display, if you were to join my Longevity Cult, you would surely be able to subdue those Mist Blades... and claim this secret realm for yourself."

Eunuch Lan's eyes flickered. He chuckled, "You say this is your territory... No problem. If you can join my Longevity Cult and drive away... no, annihilate these killers, this secret realm will be yours, becoming a branch hall under your command. Absolutely no problem!"

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan laughed heartily.

The recruitment conditions they offered were indeed not bad.

"You are here alone, feeling lonely and bored. How can it compare to the joy of presiding over a branch hall with countless subordinates at your beck and call?" Eunuch Gu looked around, exclaiming, "If this secret realm were fully developed and utilized, it would be enough to support millions of citizens..."

Eunuch Lan exclaimed loudly, "Millions of citizens... In the Azure Flame Domain, no family has ever had such a scale."

The faces of the three Commanders of Mist Blades turned somewhat grim.

Although they didn't care about a mere Wu Tie.

But since Wu Tie could defeat over two hundred elite assassins, it was clear he was a formidable opponent not to be underestimated.

If such a person were to join the Longevity Cult... and be trained by their unorthodox methods for a while, Wu Tie's rapidly increasing strength would pose some threat to them.

The enemy growing stronger while they weakened was not a good thing.

However, this was the tradition of Mist Blades. They were accustomed to being fierce and overbearing, and they could not bring themselves to recruit Wu Tie.

Wu Tie pondered for a moment, then turned around and looked at Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan on the wooden boat.

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan burst into laughter.

They were too skilled in their methods of recruiting people. No matter how tough a man was, very few could resist their earnest recruitment efforts for the Longevity Cult.

Even if you were as unyielding as tempered steel, they could melt you into a puddle with their various tactics.

Several young women, who were standing behind Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan and were as alluring as they were beautiful, only slightly inferior to Shi Lingqing, stepped forward and smiled charmingly at Wu Tie. "Young master, the Longevity Cult opens its doors wide, specially welcoming heroes and valiant men of the world."

From over two hundred meters away, these young women swayed their bodies. As their long sleeves danced, a faint fragrance drifted over, rich and intoxicating, making one feel drowsy.

Wu Tie bit the tip of his tongue sharply, struggling out of the ambiguous and decadent atmosphere created by these young women.

He took a deep breath and abruptly removed his helmet.

On his forehead, the bloody characters 'Longevity' were quite conspicuous.

Eunuch Gu's brows shot up, and Eunuch Lan roared in anger. He pointed a finger, and a red light flickered at his fingertip. The characters 'Longevity' on Wu Tie's brow suddenly grew hot and bright.

"You, you killed that girl Lingqing?" Eunuch Lan's face contorted. "How could you do such a thing?"

Wu Tie snorted coldly, "Shi Lingqing was not killed by me... she ambushed Grandma Hong, she..."

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan simultaneously shouted, "Silence!"

The two looked at each other, a cunning, conspiratorial smile flashing between them. Eunuch Gu said coldly, "Kid, since you've killed a disciple of my Longevity Cult, there's no way we can take you into the cult now... Otherwise, how could we face the countless disciples in the cult?"

The three Commanders of Mist Blades standing at the entrance of the stronghold all sneered.

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan glanced at the three Commanders and also sneered. A flash of bloodlust appeared in Eunuch Lan's eyes. He pointed at Wu Tie and sternly shouted, "Kill him... avenge our fallen disciple."

In front of the wooden boat, a Merman warrior, covered in black scales and nearly three meters tall, let out a strange cry and leaped out of the water.

A long dorsal fin protruded from the Merman warrior's back, like dozens of small knives stuck to his spine. His limbs also had sharp, fin-like protrusions, and his mouth was filled with jagged, ferocious fangs.

This fellow had astonishing leaping ability. With a single leap, he sprang dozens of meters and reached Wu Tie in an instant, raising a massive bone club and smashing it down towards Wu Tie.

These Mermen showed no signs of cultivation. With their intelligence, it was difficult for them to learn any cultivation techniques. They relied entirely on their natural physical conditions to fight. The bone club whistled through the air, the gaps in the bone creating a flute-like sound.

Wu Tie thrust his spear forward in a straight line.

The spear pierced through the bone club, shattering the over two-meter-long, thigh-thick bone club into powder. The spear pierced the Merman's shoulder. Wu Tie lifted with both hands, and the Merman let out a strange cry as he was flung dozens of meters high, tracing an arc before crashing heavily onto the bow of the wooden boat.

A large amount of blood sprayed from the Merman's shoulder wound, splashing onto Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan's boots.

The expressions of the two changed slightly, and they both snorted coldly.

However, the Merman's body, with its pierced shoulder, suddenly expanded and exploded with a 'pop' into a cloud of blood mist, which Eunuch Lan flicked away with his sleeve and let fall into the river.

"Kid, you've got some skill. No wonder Lingqing died by your hand... Hmph, it seems Grandma Hong's death is also related to you?" Eunuch Lan said with a sinister smile, immediately pinning a heavy accusation on Wu Tie.

Wu Tie remained silent, merely tapping the flagpole beside him lightly with his spear.

He had already declared war on Mist Blades, and now he was simultaneously declaring war on the Longevity Cult.

Although both sides had tens of thousands of subordinates, Wu Tie was alone.

With one man and one spear, he was not afraid of them.

The river wind blew strongly, and the banner fluttered 'fiercely'.

Wu Tie, though alone, had established a tripartite standoff with Mist Blades and the Longevity Cult.

"This is interesting... I'll kill you." The Eighth Commander of Mist Blades chuckled softly.