One-Man Army

Dozens of assassins lay in the distance with both arms broken, groaning softly in pain.

More than a hundred assassins gripped their blades in both hands, staring expressionlessly at Wu Tie.

The river wind howled, and the blood-colored banner snapped fiercely. Wu Tie stood beside it with a spear in hand, gazing coldly at the crowd.

He emphasized it again. "This is my territory. Every piece of prey here is mine... You occupied my land, stole my prey, and delayed my cultivation... That is not right."

More than a hundred uninjured assassins gave a low shout in unison.

Blade light flashed like snow, like lightning. Long and short streaks of cold radiance swept in from every direction, covering Wu Tie from head to toe.

Wu Tie's spear was like sturdy bamboo in the wind, drawing supple yet powerful arcs. Straight blades struck the spear, sparks flying in all directions as the blades shattered one after another. A great number of hidden weapons—flying knives, needles, darts, and the like—came hurtling in, only to be swept away by Wu Tie's spear.

Whenever a straight blade came into contact with his spear, the Mist Blade assassins cried out and flew backward.

At the third level of Foundation Establishment, Wu Tie's brute physical strength had already surpassed imagination. Fighting these Mist Blade assassins was like a wild ox bullying a pack of little rabbits; the two sides were not even on the same level.

Even though there were quite a few third-level Foundation Establishment experts among these assassins who had condensed qi into astral force.

In just one breath, dozens more assassins were sent flying. Dozens more, having fired every hidden weapon they carried, stood rooted to the spot with their eyes wide.

"Kill!" Amid shrill, furious howls, more than a dozen assassins drew their straight blades and charged viciously at Wu Tie.

They drew Wu Tie's attention. While they were still more than ten meters away from him, a Gray Dwarf, only about one meter twenty or thirty tall and square-built like an iron anvil, silently burst from a clump of giant ferns behind Wu Tie.

Among Mist Blade's assassins, Human Race assassins were merely their standard elite force.

Within Mist Blade, there were also large numbers of assassins from nonhuman races, such as the Ox Tribe, the Wolf Tribe, the Gray Dwarves, and even the Rock Gnomes. If these nonhuman races could join Mist Blade, they naturally possessed their own unique strengths.

Just like the Gray Dwarf charging out behind Wu Tie.

The short, square-built Gray Dwarf was covered in knotted muscles and radiated a tyrannical, savage ferocity. He charged out with a pickaxe in each hand. His arms, thicker than an ordinary man's thigh, swung the pickaxes soundlessly toward Wu Tie's heart and the back of his head.

The fern grove where the Gray Dwarf had hidden was twenty to thirty meters from Wu Tie, yet he sprang from it like a flea. With one leap, he reached Wu Tie's back, and the two pickaxes brought down twin streaks of cold light.

Several faint blood-colored patterns on the strangely shaped pickaxes flashed with dazzling brilliance.

The pickaxes vibrated at an intense, high frequency. The air directly before their long pointed beaks had condensed into white curtains of air under the vibrations.

When the Gray Dwarf reached Wu Tie's back, the speed of his swinging pickaxes finally broke through its limit. The white air curtains before the two pickaxes exploded with a thunderous boom.

The Gray Dwarf had swung his pickaxes past the speed of sound, unleashing a dull, ear-splitting sonic blast.

As the blast sounded, the dozen or so assassins rushing at Wu Tie shouted together. Their perfectly synchronized roar actually faintly suppressed the blast, flawlessly concealing the Gray Dwarf's surprise attack.

Mist Blade was the local tyrant of the Azure Flame Domain, the most terrifying assassin organization in the dark world. Naturally, they had their own unique methods of assassination. The coordination between these assassins and the Gray Dwarf was flawless. Ordinary people could never evade such a carefully designed killing trap.

Wu Tie was not ordinary.

An invisible force field shrouded his surroundings. The moment the Gray Dwarf had quietly slipped into the fern grove, Wu Tie had discovered him.

When the Gray Dwarf silently sprang from the ferns and swung his pickaxes in a fierce attack, the invisible force field surged rapidly. The air behind Wu Tie writhed, and when the pickaxes were only a foot away from his body, the air behind him had nearly solidified.

Two thunderous booms rang out as the sonic blasts struck the rapidly writhing, semi-transparent wall of air.

The pickaxes, forged from fine steel and covered in strange blood-colored patterns, burst with brilliant light and exploded into powder. Countless iron fragments sprayed backward. The Gray Dwarf reacted quickly, releasing the handles of the pickaxes and shielding his face with his broad, heavy palms as he curled into a ball and rapidly retreated.

Wu Tie held his spear and savagely swept it backward.

The ball-shaped Gray Dwarf was sent flying by Wu Tie's spear. Amid a dull impact, the sound of cracking bones burst forth like popping beans. The Gray Dwarf spat out blood, flew dozens of meters, and crashed into a patch of enormous mushrooms.

A nest of poisonous spiders that had no time to flee was smashed to pieces beneath him. Covered in unknown pulp, sludge, and mud, the Gray Dwarf staggered to his feet, shouted, "Retreat!" and was the first to turn and flee toward the Mist Blade stronghold.

Having received the order, the Mist Blade assassins turned and left without a word.

Even the assassins with broken arms had no serious injuries to their legs. Using Mist Blade's unique afterimage movement technique, they all ran with astonishing speed.

The Gray Dwarf, however, was short. Though his thick legs were powerful, they were far too short. Even running at full force, he could not outrun the Mist Blade assassins. Left behind alone, he cursed loudly in desperation.

Two Mist Blade assassins ran over, grabbed one of the Gray Dwarf's arms each, and carried him along to speed up his escape.

Wu Tie smiled, pulled out the banner pole, and walked step by step toward the Mist Blade stronghold.

He appeared to be walking slowly, yet the invisible force field enveloped his entire body. Every step easily carried him more than ten meters. His movements were light and nimble, and he was not much slower than the Mist Blade assassins fleeing at full speed.

Sharp warning whistles rang out from within the Mist Blade stronghold.

A large group of assassins and warriors rushed onto the city walls, wielding weapons of every kind as they looked toward Wu Tie.

By the time the fleeing assassins rushed back into the stronghold, Wu Tie had already reached the riverbank outside, carrying the great banner on his shoulder.

With a clang, the banner pole stabbed heavily into the ground. Wu Tie held his spear and pointed toward the Mist Blade stronghold. Clamorous shouts came from the river behind him as many Mermen and Frogmen crowded around a hundred-meter-long wooden boat, yelling as they rushed over from the opposite bank.

The three Mist Blade Commanders appeared at the stronghold gate. They stood side by side, their blade-sharp gazes measuring 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 giving him confidence, Wu Tie would not have dared to block their gate and declare war so arrogantly.

Gripping his spear, Wu Tie took a deep breath and repeated what he had told the Mist Blade assassins earlier. This fertile secret realm stretching a thousand li in every direction was his territory. Every piece of prey here, even the smallest spider or lizard, was his prey.

The three Commanders sneered at the same time.

The Eighth Commander said calmly, "You are a native of this place? Alone? Fine. No matter who you are, perhaps this secret realm truly is an inheritance your elders left you... So what? Whatever Mist Blade has its eye on belongs to Mist Blade."

The Seventh Commander was even more overbearing. "Enough nonsense. Nothing that falls into Mist Blade's hands has ever been returned. Boy, you have some skill. Join Mist Blade... or how do you want to die?"

The other Commander—the one who had suddenly ambushed and severely wounded Grandma Chi several days ago—said nothing.

He merely looked Wu Tie up and down, his sinister gaze making Wu Tie feel uncomfortable all over.

Behind Wu Tie, the Longevity Cult's wooden boat had already drawn close on the river. More than two thousand Mermen and Frogmen waved their weapons and shouted noisily, kicking up wave after wave across the river's surface. Several large fish that failed to evade in time were killed by a group of Frogmen, their blood staining a broad stretch of the river red.

Eunuch Gu, Eunuch Lan, and several Lineage heads stood at the bow, watching Wu Tie's confrontation with the three Mist Blade Commanders with great interest.

Eunuch Gu suddenly laughed. "Sir... those Mist Blade people are nothing but unreasonable killing fiends. What is there to discuss with them?"

Eunuch Lan chuckled. "Our Longevity Cult is different. Our gates stand wide open, welcoming all people in the world who aspire to longevity, so that we may pursue the supreme Great Dao of longevity together. Our cult embraces all things, and it offers countless pleasures. It is truly one of the finest places under heaven."

Eunuch Gu smiled. "With the might you have displayed, if you joined our Longevity Cult, you would surely be able to suppress Mist Blade... and claim this secret realm for yourself."

Eunuch Lan's eyes flickered as he laughed softly. "You say this is your territory... No problem. If you join our Longevity Cult and drive away... no, annihilate these killing fiends, then this secret realm can be placed under your name and become a branch hall under your command. There would be no problem at all!"

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan smiled with great satisfaction.

The terms they offered could not be called ungenerous.

"You are alone here, lonely and desolate. How could that compare to commanding a branch hall, with countless children beneath you to use as you please?" Eunuch Gu glanced around and exclaimed in admiration, "If this secret realm were fully developed and utilized, it could support a million people..."

Eunuch Lan sighed loudly. "A million people... Never has any Lineage in the Azure Flame Domain possessed such a scale."

The faces of the three Mist Blade Commanders turned somewhat ugly.

Though they did not care much about a mere Wu Tie.

Wu Tie had defeated more than two hundred elite assassins. Clearly, he was no minor expert to be underestimated.

If such a person joined the Longevity Cult... then underwent a period of training by the Longevity Cult's sinister methods, Wu Tie's soaring strength would pose some degree of threat to them.

The enemy growing stronger while they themselves weakened was no good thing.

However, this was Mist Blade's tradition. They were accustomed to ruthless tyranny and could never bring themselves to recruit Wu Tie.

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

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan burst into laughter.

They were far too experienced in recruiting people. No matter how iron-willed a man might be, under the Longevity Cult's painstaking recruitment, few could resist.

Even if one were a vajra forged from blazing fire, they had all sorts of means to melt him into a puddle of liquid.

Several young women standing behind Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan stepped forward. They were enchanting and graceful, only slightly inferior to Shi Lingqing. They smiled seductively at Wu Tie. "Young master, the Longevity Cult keeps its gates wide open and welcomes heroes and fine men from all under heaven."

From more than two hundred meters away, the girls swayed their bodies. As their long sleeves danced, a subtle fragrance drifted over, thick and intoxicating, making one drowsy.

Wu Tie suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and struggled free from the ambiguous, decadent atmosphere the girls had created.

He drew a deep breath and abruptly removed his helmet.

The two bloody characters for "Longevity" on his forehead were strikingly conspicuous.

Eunuch Gu's brows shot up. Eunuch Lan let out a furious howl and pointed a finger. A spot of red light flickered at his fingertip, and the two characters for "Longevity" on Wu Tie's forehead suddenly grew hot and bright.

"It was you who killed that girl Lingqing?" Eunuch Lan's face twisted. "How could you bring yourself to do it?"

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

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan both shouted, "Shut up!"

The two exchanged looks, and a crafty smile of wolves in collusion flashed across their faces. Eunuch Gu said coldly, "Boy, since you killed a member of our Longevity Cult, no matter what, we can no longer accept you into the cult... Otherwise, how could we face the countless disciples of our cult?"

The three Mist Blade Commanders standing at the stronghold gate sneered together.

Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan glanced at the three Commanders and sneered as well. A glimmer of blood light rose in Eunuch Lan's eyes. He pointed at Wu Tie and shouted sharply, "Kill him... avenge our cult disciple."

Before the wooden boat, a Merman warrior covered in black scales and nearly three meters tall gave a strange cry and leaped violently from the water.

A long dorsal fin rose from the Merman warrior's back, like dozens of small blades embedded there. Sharp fin-like protrusions also jutted from the joints of his limbs, while his mouthful of jagged fangs looked especially ferocious.

His jumping power was astonishing. One leap carried him dozens of meters, and in the blink of an eye he was before Wu Tie. He raised an enormous white bone club and smashed it down at Wu Tie's head.

These Mermen showed no sign of cultivation. With their intelligence, it was difficult for them to learn any cultivation techniques. They relied entirely on their innate physical gifts in battle. The white bone club whistled as air rushed through its gaps, producing a sound like a flute.

Wu Tie thrust his spear straight forward.

The spear pierced through the white bone club. The club, over two meters long and as thick as a thigh, exploded into fragments. The spear pierced the Merman's shoulder, and with a forceful upward sweep of both hands, Wu Tie flung him dozens of meters into the air. He traced an arc and crashed heavily onto the bow of the wooden boat.

A great quantity of blood sprayed from the wound in the Merman's shoulder, splattering Eunuch Gu and Eunuch Lan's boots.

Their expressions changed slightly, and they snorted coldly at the same time.

The Merman, whose shoulder had merely been pierced through, suddenly swelled up. With a pop, he exploded into a cloud of blood mist, which Eunuch Lan swept into the river with a flick of his sleeve.

"Boy, you have some skill. No wonder Lingqing died at your hands... Hmph, it seems Grandma Hong's death was connected to you as well?" Eunuch Lan laughed sinisterly, immediately saddling Wu Tie with an enormous crime.

Wu Tie said nothing. He merely tapped the banner pole beside him lightly with his spear.

He had already declared war on Mist Blade. At this moment, he declared war on the Longevity Cult as well.

Though both sides had tens of thousands of subordinates, Wu Tie stood alone.

One man and one spear, yet he did not fear them.

The river wind blew fiercely, and the great banner snapped.

Wu Tie was only one man, yet he stood in a three-legged balance against Mist Blade and the Longevity Cult.

"Interesting... I will kill you." The Eighth Commander of Mist Blade laughed softly.