Dragon Horn Devourer

"Roar!"

Amidst a hearty roar, a Stone Giant, about ten meters tall, burst forth from the waterfall.

Completely bare, with a python-skin loincloth around its waist, the Stone Giant had no hair and was entirely gray, as if carved from granite.

It dragged a chain as thick as a water vat with both hands, drawing a beautiful arc as it emerged from the massive waterfall and plunged into the deep pool below.

Half an hour later, with another roar, the Stone Giant, gripping the chain, strode onto the riverbank.

It steadied itself and pulled with all its might. Streaks of light flashed across its gray, dusty muscles, and a ball of gray light on its chest rapidly expanded and contracted, accompanied by dull thumping sounds like a heartbeat.

The ground around it trembled slightly as a powerful force field emerged from beneath the earth, enveloping the entire Stone Giant.

The Stone Giant's body gradually expanded, rapidly growing to about fifteen meters in height. It strained against the iron chain, moving step by step towards the Mist Blades' stronghold.

Low 'clanging' sounds echoed from behind the waterfall, even drowning out the roar of the cascading water.

Not long after, three more Stone Giants, carrying large hammers and iron spikes, scrambled out of the waterfall, panting. They quickly advanced along the iron chain held by the first Stone Giant, as if walking on level ground.

Less than a mile from the Mist Blades' stronghold, the four Stone Giants worked together to firmly anchor the chain to the ground.

Iron spikes, seven to eight meters long, secured massive iron rings, and dozens of these huge spikes were driven firmly into the ground, pulling the chain taut and straight.

The chain began to glow with a dazzling light, streaks of energy dancing around it. Accompanied by dull impacts, a line of peculiar 'chariot-ships' emerged from the waterfall, sliding along the thick chain.

These so-called chariot-ships had oddly shaped gears that interlocked tightly with the chain below, and above them were compartments resembling stealth vessels.

Each chariot-ship section was seven to eight meters wide, over twenty meters long, and seven to eight meters high. They were tightly linked together by large iron chains, forming a long train of chariot-ships nearly a thousand meters in length.

Runes lit up on each section of the chariot-ship, with streams of light flowing. This long train of chariot-ships, like a glittering giant centipede, rumbled down the chain.

As they neared the Mist Blades' camp, the gears on the chariot-ships began to spew flames, and their speed gradually decreased. Numerous portals opened on the side compartments, and agile figures darted out – all Mist Blades assassins clad in black, form-fitting attire, with straight swords on their backs.

A single train of these chariot-ships had delivered over two thousand Mist Blades assassins, several thousand other warriors, and tens of thousands of slaves.

On the city wall of the Mist Blades stronghold, atop the only remaining watchtower, a figure slowly materialized from the air.

The Mist Blades Grand Commander, cloaked and with his face hidden in shadow, stood with his hands behind his back, observing the chaotic camp below. The Mist Blades assassins, who were clearing debris and tending to injured comrades within the stronghold, looked up as if sensing something, then knelt silently on one knee to salute him.

"What happened?" the Mist Blades Grand Commander's voice, as sharp as a blade, echoed for tens of miles, reaching the Longevity Cult camp across the wide river, where his icy tone was also heard.

A captain of the assassins leaped several times, leaving afterimages, and arrived below the city wall. He recounted the entire sequence of events, from the Flood Dragon and several large pythons attacking.

He emphasized that if Wu Tie and Old Tie hadn't drawn the Flood Dragon's attention, and even injured it with unknown means, it was likely that all living beings in the Mist Blades stronghold would have been devoured.

"A... Flood Dragon?" the Mist Blades Grand Commander's voice held a hint of joy. "What a treasure, what good fortune! I never expected such luck upon my arrival!"

"Gather everyone. I want to try the taste of dragon-slaying myself."

"Even if it's just a Flood Dragon, it's still of the dragon lineage."

"Dragon lineage... even a single scale is a treasure."

Upon hearing the Mist Blades Grand Commander's order, the assassins already present, along with those who had just arrived, and the auxiliary warriors, quickly sprang into action.

They rapidly reorganized their ranks, assembled the large number of ranged weapons they had brought, and coated all their arrows with a secret poison, preparing to follow the 'Mist Blades' Grand Commander in his 'dragon-slaying' endeavor.

Darkness.

In the boundless darkness, someone could be faintly heard reciting from a scroll.

The voice was gentle, yet filled with an upright, unyielding strength.

This voice possessed a wondrous power. Wu Tie felt as if his soul were immersed in warm water, comfortable and nourished. He could clearly sense his soul growing stronger, bit by bit.

Soul power determined the strength of innate Divine Abilities. Consequently, Wu Tie's innate Divine Ability, 'Control Heaven and Earth,' was naturally growing stronger.

Though he didn't know exactly what was happening, in this darkness, listening to the gentle recitation, Wu Tie understood what 'Vast Righteousness' truly was.

Heaven and Earth possess righteousness.

It permeates all of existence, knows all, is supremely strong, and is grand and magnificent.

Vast Righteousness could be used as an offensive Divine Ability, specifically to counter all evil forces.

However, its greatest use was to temper the soul, enhance its essence, directly connecting to the heart of Heaven and Earth, reaching the ultimate saintly realm. It was a supreme method for cultivating the mind and virtue.

In his desperation, to deal with the Flood Dragon, Wu Tie had unleashed the nascent trace of Vast Righteousness within him with all his might... It was like using fine jade to hit a wild dog, a complete misapplication.

His desperate, all-out strike had exhausted all his strength.

Only a sliver of soul power remained, most of his blood had been burned, and his body was hollow, like dried-out cured meat.

But there is strength in destruction and rebirth. After his soul power was depleted, the newly formed soul power, tempered by Vast Righteousness, was several times purer and more condensed than before, possessing greater power.

Most of his blood had been burned, but the remaining blood glowed with a faint golden light, dense and heavy, containing more power and vitality than his original blood.

A familiar warmth flowed within him.

Liquid continuously flowed into his mouth, then gently erupted in his stomach.

Someone was constantly pouring Foundation Establishment Potions into Wu Tie.

Wu Tie, whose body had been nearly drained, breathed a sigh of satisfaction. Energy was continuously replenished, and his bone marrow, which had undergone subtle changes, was creating new blood to replace what was lost. The strength he had lost was gradually being restored.

In the darkness, the gentle voice gradually grew louder.

More voices sounded in the darkness, echoing the first, reciting scriptures Wu Tie couldn't hear clearly or understand.

He couldn't hear or understand them...

But inexplicably, Wu Tie shed tears.

It was a feeling from his bloodline, a connection that transcended time and space, a feeling that would never be broken as long as the bloodline continued.

The torch passed on, life unending.

Whether it was the gentle voice or the mixed voices of men, women, old, and young, each one made Wu Tie feel an inexplicable sense of closeness.

In the darkness, the golden light cluster between Wu Tie's brows gradually recovered. What was once a thumb-sized ball of light had grown to the size of a goose egg, its glow much thicker. A hint of crimson flickered within it.

The darkness shattered, and Wu Tie opened his eyes.

Before him was blinding light. The pale white ceiling emitted a bright glow. The ceiling, walls, and floor were spotless.

Wu Tie lay sprawled in the center of the metal hall, next to the machine that manufactured Foundation Establishment Potions. Around him were piled over two hundred empty bottles of the potion, with several Primal Energy Puppets busily carrying bottles away.

Big Iron was a bit of a neat freak and couldn't stand any mess within the Ancient Divine Weapon camp.

Old Tie stood before Wu Tie, his skull-like face devoid of any expression, his eyes glowing with a blood-red light, staring intently at Wu Tie.

Logically, Wu Tie shouldn't have been able to see any expression on Old Tie's face.

But his flickering gaze was filled with intense emotion.

Startled, Wu Tie leaped up, grabbed the tightly-fitting armor that had shrunk into a ball beside him, and infused it with a blast of Origin Force. White metallic fluid flowed over his body, quickly forming armor that covered him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Wu Tie asked Old Tie, a little bewildered.

Old Tie's gaze flickered for a moment, then he shook his head, let out three 'woof woof' barks, and then began to laugh.

Grinning widely, his pale skull face contorted in a laugh that, surprisingly, held no malice. Wu Tie could feel Old Tie's joy and happiness.

"It's nothing, just... I'm inexplicably in a good mood... even though, I don't have a heart..." Old Tie tilted his head, examining Wu Tie. "Is that Vast Righteousness? It really is Vast Righteousness?"

Without waiting for Wu Tie's reply, Old Tie murmured, "It seems one of your ancestors was a scholar... or perhaps, came from a scholar's family..."

"Vast Righteousness, that's good too," Old Tie chuckled, his bones clicking. "At least, you won't be afraid of ghosts when you walk alone at night from now on..."

"Ghosts?" Wu Tie's eyes widened as he looked at Old Tie. "Master Hui told me stories about 'ghosts,' but... I've never seen one. Do ghosts really exist?"

Old Tie shook his head and let out a loud laugh. "It's good you haven't seen them... Who wants to see those ghastly things?"

Over a dozen Metal Spiders slowly carried two horns, each over three meters long, and dropped them at Wu Tie's feet with two thuds.

These were the horns from a Flood Dragon's head.

The black, sharp horns were straight, with fine spiral patterns encircling them. Their tips were extremely sharp, exuding a chilling glint.

"So tragic, kid, you really hit hard... And so coincidentally."

Old Tie grinned, laughing happily.

"With just one punch, you shattered the skull beneath its horns, and both horns fell off."

"A Flood Dragon's essence is at least thirty percent concentrated in its pair of horns... It must hate you to death."

Wu Tie also grinned proudly. Although he had no idea how the Vast Righteousness had manifested in his punch, or the origin of this Divine Ability, he was very satisfied with the punch's power.

Even though the feeling of his entire being being drained after the punch, leading to immediate unconsciousness, was incredibly unpleasant.

"But this big guy couldn't withstand my punch either," Wu Tie reached for the Flood Dragon horns at his feet, smiling at Old Tie. "How about we think of a way to... deal with that big guy?"

Wu Tie glanced at the large machine beside him that manufactured potions.

His bare hands, without gloves, gripped the sharp horn over three meters long.

The first phalanx of his left index finger vibrated violently. The newly formed flesh and skin exploded into a mist of blood with a 'snap.' This finger bone, like a sharp knife cutting through tofu, suddenly pierced into the hard, sharp, black dragon horn.

With a 'crack,' the violently vibrating finger bone agitated the entire dragon horn.

The three-meter-long horn, thick as a bucket at its base, shattered. Large amounts of ash dispersed, leaving only tiny specks of black essence light, like countless fireflies, swirling rapidly around Wu Tie's left hand. Within a few breaths, they were completely devoured by this finger bone.

Wu Tie's eyes widened, tears streaming from the corners, and he let out a hysterical cry of pain.

The first phalanx of his left index finger was burning, as if a small sun had been swallowed, the entire bone igniting. A strange, terrifying torrent of energy boiled and fused within the bone. Visible streams of black energy flowed continuously from the first phalanx to the second, then to the third, and finally to the corresponding metacarpals below.

Furthermore, wisps of thin black flames escaped from the first phalanx, drilling into the adjacent thumb and middle finger.

The flesh and skin on Wu Tie's left thumb and middle finger were scorched to a pulp. His thumb's two phalanges and his middle finger's three phalanges were slowly changing color.

Once all the black essence light transformed from the dragon horns was absorbed by the first phalanx, Wu Tie's entire left palm began to burn.

He screamed in agony, rolling on the ground.

His vision darkened from the pain, and he was on the verge of losing his sanity. He suddenly threw a wild punch forward.

With a muffled thud, the largest Metal Spider, carrying an empty bottle, ran past him at high speed and was struck directly by his punch.

A deep, half-inch-deep fist print appeared clearly on the Metal Spider's plump belly.

The clear fist print looked as if it had been meticulously carved by a master craftsman, every detail of the finger bones clearly visible.

Old Tie and Big Iron simultaneously gasped. Big Iron spun in place three times rapidly, urgently chattering 'gigi gigi' at Old Tie.

The blood-red light in Old Tie's eyes almost solidified.

He muttered a few unintelligible words to himself, then nodded firmly. "If a single dragon horn is like this... then what about the bones of an entire flood dragon?"

"Also, Grandpa remembers that day... this kid's finger seemed to shatter that guy's straight blade, and it also swallowed the metallic essence within the blade."

"Take down that flood dragon..."

Old Tie slammed a claw onto Big Iron's massive head. "Furthermore, are there many mineral deposits here? Have these Primal Energy puppets speed up the mining!"

"You fellow, as part of the Ancient Divine Weapon camp... you should also be of some use."

Wu Tie's left palm was burned to a bloody, charred mess; he had already fainted from the pain.

Old Tie grabbed him with a claw and dragged him toward the metal hall where Yang Jian was.

As he walked, he grumbled to himself.

"This is a good thing, and also a bad thing... It's not like from now on, every time he fights, his flesh and blood will fly everywhere, right? That would truly be... a beautiful sight..."