Trade

"This Flood Dragon wasn't as powerful as the Flood Dragons of legend."

"But a Flood Dragon was still a Flood Dragon. Its entire body was treasure."

"Flood Dragon blood could be refined into medicine."

"Flood Dragon meat was immensely nourishing."

"Flood Dragon hide could be made into armor."

"Its horns, four claws, and bones could all be used to temper weapons. I just wonder whether the Lu Family of the Azure Flame Domain possessed the techniques to forge Flood Dragon horns and bones."

"Oh, and there were its tendons. Such a long tendon—what fine things could it be forged into?"

Mist Blades Grand Commander stood atop the dead Flood Dragon's head, facing Wu Tie and Old Tie's direction. Smiling, he deliberately listed its value in a loud voice.

Every part of a Flood Dragon was treasure.

This Flood Dragon truly was not as formidable as the legendary kind, but it was still no foe for ordinary people. Mist Blades appeared to have slain it with ease, but how much had that cost him?

Leaving aside everything else, the loss of those ten Stone Giants alone made the Mist Blades Grand Commander's heart bleed.

Yet as the helm of an organization, he had to remain calm and composed, had to act as though nothing had happened.

Smiling, he named the benefits of the Flood Dragon one by one, while Mist Blades members all around him erupted into uniform cheers.

'Hoo-ha'!

'Hoo-ha'!

'Hoo-ha'!

The Mist Blades assassins raised their straight blades one after another, shouting in jubilant celebration.

How much profit could one Flood Dragon bring? How much could it increase Mist Blades' strength?

Perhaps with this Flood Dragon, Mist Blades truly could run rampant through the Azure Flame Domain, even break beyond it and expand into the outer regions?

Mist Blades Grand Commander smiled, his gaze as sharp as a blade as he stared fixedly at the patch of fern forest where Wu Tie and Old Tie were hiding. He could sense their presence, and even more so, the faint yet threatening aura emanating from Old Tie.

That was why he had deliberately proclaimed the Flood Dragon's benefits so loudly: to draw Wu Tie and Old Tie out.

More than a dozen high-ranking Mist Blades members in cloaks stood scattered at varying distances. They seemed to be standing there carelessly, but no matter which direction Wu Tie and Old Tie launched an ambush from, three to five of them would always be able to join forces and react.

They were experts among experts, proficient not only in killing but also in defending against assassinations and ambushes.

"Old Tie?" Wu Tie tightened his grip on his spear.

On the way here, Old Tie had explained the meaning of "when the snipe and clam grapple, the fisherman reaped the profit" to Wu Tie.

But unlike Old Tie's estimate, while the Flood Dragon had indeed inflicted tremendous losses on Mist Blades, their overall strength had not been weakened by much. In particular, the Mist Blades Grand Commander and the dozen or so higher-ups were completely unscathed.

A group of Wolf Tribe warriors happily surrounded the Flood Dragon. They pulled out specially made large leather bags and hurriedly filled them with Flood Dragon blood.

The Lizardmen archers bustled about everywhere, grinning as they picked up Flood Dragon scales blasted loose by the explosions and neatly stacked them into baskets nearby.

Several hundred Mist Blades assassins formed a skirmish line shaped like a crescent moon, aimed at the fern forest where Wu Tie and Old Tie were hiding.

Quite a few Mist Blades assassins held all kinds of concealed weapons in their hands. At the slightest movement from Wu Tie or Old Tie, they would surely be met by an assault like a raging storm.

Old Tie snorted. A faint blood-red light flickered in his eyes, and only after a long while did he nod and slowly walk out of the fern forest.

Wu Tie froze for a moment, then hurriedly followed at Old Tie's side.

"This little grass snake was indeed far weaker than I had expected." Old Tie emerged from the fern forest and slowly walked toward Mist Blades Grand Commander, speaking unhurriedly as he went. "But I roughly know what happened."

Mist Blades Grand Commander lightly drew an arc with the straight blade in his hand, then tapped the tip against a Flood Dragon horn, producing a crisp clang.

He tilted his head to look at Wu Tie, then shifted his attention to Old Tie.

"Oh? Why was that? I had already prepared myself for heavy losses, even for every subordinate I brought to be wiped out... Yet the losses were far smaller than I expected."

Mist Blades Grand Commander chuckled. "That was a good thing, of course... but it still felt rather wrong."

Old Tie stood more than thirty meters away from Mist Blades Grand Commander, while Wu Tie stood slightly behind and to Old Tie's side.

Old Tie said calmly, "This little grass snake absorbed the Life Essence of the Sky Crystal Fiend... The Sky Crystal Fiend's Life Essence gradually altered its body... During the transformation of its bloodline, its strength did not increase. Instead, it weakened."

With a cold snort, Old Tie said gravely, "If its bloodline transformation had been completed, this little grass snake's strength would have increased by at least a hundredfold. Especially the defensive power of its scales... You likely would not have been able to break them."

Mist Blades Grand Commander gave an "Oh," then lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing his face.

This Mist Blades Grand Commander, infamous throughout the Azure Flame Domain, was lean and refined. The feeling he gave Wu Tie was practically the same as Master Hui—easygoing, placid, and entirely devoid of danger.

"Sky Crystal Fiend? I have never heard of it... It seemed you knew things we did not." Mist Blades Grand Commander smiled at Old Tie. "And I have never seen an oddity like you before... What are you?"

"I'm your grandpa..." Old Tie cackled.

With a sharp whoosh, a cloaked Mist Blades higher-up standing over two hundred meters away did not move a muscle, yet a glint of cold light flew from his sleeve. In an instant, it reached Old Tie and struck him squarely between the brows.

Clang!

The palm-sized short sword stabbed viciously into Old Tie's forehead, scattering sparks in all directions. Not a mark was left on Old Tie's brow. Instead, the sword's tip chipped off, and the weapon spun as it rebounded dozens of meters into the air.

The Mist Blades higher-up who had attacked let out a muffled grunt and swayed. With a beckoning motion, he recalled the short sword, which turned into a streak of cold light and flew back into his hand.

Mist Blades Grand Commander's expression stiffened.

His flickering gaze carefully examined Old Tie's forehead again and again.

Sure enough, there was not the slightest trace of damage. Old Tie's forehead remained as smooth as a mirror.

That ghostly pale metal skull had an incomparably smooth surface, yet reflected no light whatsoever. Old Tie simply gave people that kind of eerie feeling.

"I'm your grandpa..." Old Tie cackled. "At least in terms of age... it would still be I who got the worse end of the bargain by being your grandpa..."

"An ancient artifact?" Mist Blades Grand Commander seemed to understand something. "The Lu Family was said to possess an artifact excavated from ancient ruins. It resembled a human skeleton, but was forged entirely from metal... It was exceptionally skilled at smelting alloys."

Mist Blades Grand Commander said in a low voice, "It was said that because of that ancient artifact, the Lu Family's annual output of finely forged weapons rose by fifty percent... and their quality improved considerably as well."

The blood-red light in Old Tie's eyes brightened slightly, then dimmed again.

Mist Blades Grand Commander smiled. "If you are an artifact left behind from ancient times, then you are right about your age... But your words are unpleasant to hear. I truly want to chop your head off with one stroke."

Old Tie cackled.

Mist Blades Grand Commander laughed loudly as well.

Suddenly, Mist Blades Grand Commander's figure blurred. The figure standing atop the Flood Dragon's forehead did not vanish, but another figure had already arrived before Old Tie. A blade light swept in like a bolt of white silk and struck heavily at Old Tie's neck.

A crisp ring sounded, and sparks flew everywhere.

Not a trace was left on Old Tie's neck. From his large teeth, countless arcs of lightning erupted fiercely, instantly covering dozens of meters before him.

Mist Blades Grand Commander's figure dissipated, while the figure atop the Flood Dragon's forehead shifted from blurry to clear. Fine sparks of electricity continued to burst from his body, and every strand of his long hair stood on end, making him look rather disheveled.

"The power of lightning." Mist Blades Grand Commander's body twitched slightly; it was an involuntary instinctive reaction.

"But it was not very powerful..." he said with a dry laugh. "Still, your neck was truly sturdy enough."

"That's why grandpa is grandpa." Old Tie cackled, the blood-red light in his eyes suddenly blazing.

With a sharp whoosh, a thread-thin beam of blood-red light shot from Old Tie's left eye and instantly pierced through the left shoulder of the Mist Blades higher-up who had attacked him with the short sword.

Separated by more than two hundred meters, the blood-red light arrived in an instant. The Mist Blades higher-up had no time to react, and a thumb-thick transparent hole was punched through his left shoulder. The wound was perfectly clean, without a single drop of blood, and smooth as a mirror. Flesh, sinews, bones, and other bodily tissues could be seen clearly through it.

"And what of this?" Old Tie looked calmly at Mist Blades Grand Commander. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Mist Blades Grand Commander was stunned for a moment, then his gaze immediately fell on Wu Tie.

He smiled and pointed at Wu Tie. "What if I killed him?"

Without saying a word, Wu Tie immediately activated his armor. His entire body was enveloped in close-fitting armor, streams of light flowing across its ghostly pale surface and giving it an extraordinarily mystical appearance.

He also activated the Vast Righteousness divine ability. A vast, majestic aura of supreme firmness and strength spread outward.

Mist Blades Grand Commander's expression stiffened again.

The vast and mighty aura of Vast Righteousness faintly exerted considerable pressure on him.

Although Wu Tie himself was much weaker than he was, Vast Righteousness was too wondrous. It was a pressure that came from bloodline and soul.

This was a transcendent power.

Mist Blades Grand Commander exhaled. In a deep voice, he said, "Let us not waste words arguing... What is this Sky Crystal Fiend? And what did you want from this Flood Dragon?"

Old Tie laughed. Calmly, he said, "Now that's more like it. Everyone should discuss things properly and peacefully."

Mist Blades Grand Commander's face twitched.

Discuss things properly and peacefully? Was there any proper discussion with someone who called himself 'grandpa' the moment he opened his mouth just to take advantage of others?

His gaze sharp as a blade, Mist Blades Grand Commander glared fiercely at Old Tie, then lightly tapped one of the Flood Dragon's horns with the long blade in his hand.

Old Tie nodded and said gravely, "In exchange for the method to remove the residual poison of the Sky Crystal Fiend from the Flood Dragon's body, I want two Flood Dragon horns, as well as the two arms inside that crystal."

Mist Blades Grand Commander's expression immediately turned ugly. "Flood Dragon horns? They are excellent materials for tempering divine weapons..."

Old Tie immediately turned and walked away. As he walked, he said, "Then try having your men drink a mouthful or two of Flood Dragon blood..."

"Wait!" Mist Blades Grand Commander immediately shouted, waving his hand at the same time.

Old Tie laughed. He turned around and looked silently at Mist Blades Grand Commander.

The weakest Lizardmen archer was selected. Mist Blades Grand Commander personally took a leather bag filled with Flood Dragon blood and forced roughly a large bowlful of it down the Lizardman archer's throat.

After no more than a quarter of an hour, the scales on the Lizardman archer's body began to gleam like white crystals, their structure undergoing subtle changes.

At the same time, all intelligence in his eyes rapidly faded. A cold, crystalline radiance surged up from the depths of his pupils, and even his aura became cold.

Mist Blades Grand Commander carried the huge leather bag and stared straight at the transforming Lizardman archer without saying a word.

Old Tie said calmly, "This is the evil power of the Sky Crystal Fiend... Their aura contaminates every intelligent creature and turns them into puppets of the Sky Crystal Fiend. No thoughts, no desires, no fear, no awareness of pain... The only benefit is that their lifespans become very long."

Old Tie smiled as he raised a claw and pointed at the Flood Dragon corpse lying on the ground. "Because that big fellow was so enormous, it only stood at the edge of transformation after devouring so much Sky Crystal Fiend Life Essence."

"And this unlucky little fellow was too small, and his life force too weak." Old Tie said blandly, "You could try it. How many pieces of Flood Dragon meat would you have to eat before becoming an evil fiend puppet like this unlucky little fellow?"

Mist Blades Grand Commander frowned and stared fixedly at Old Tie for a long while.

After a long time, he looked again at the crystal, at the two arms and the enormous head sealed within it.

"This is the Sky Crystal Fiend's head? Then these two arms..." he asked Old Tie.

"This is the Sky Crystal Fiend's head. As for these two arms... they were my arms from back then." Old Tie let out a faint sigh. "They are my arms. It is only fair and proper for me to take them back, isn't it?"

"Payment in one hand, goods in the other." Old Tie said gravely. "I will give you the method to eliminate the Sky Crystal Fiend's lingering poison, and in exchange, I want two Flood Dragon horns and my two arms."

Several cloaked Mist Blades higher-ups took a few steps closer. One of them even leaned close to Mist Blades Grand Commander's ear and whispered something to him.

Mist Blades Grand Commander remained silent for a long, long time. In the end, he slowly nodded.

"Very well, I will agree... But I have another condition. From now on, this secret realm will be Mist Blades territory. You must not intrude."

Mist Blades Grand Commander recalled the huge pit he had inspected in person, blasted out by Old Tie's full-force strike.

He was not especially afraid of the power of that strike, but if he still had so many assassins and slaves under him, and Old Tie fired one at the center of a Mist Blades base, the losses would be enormous.

Wu Tie and Old Tie exchanged a look.

After a long silence, Old Tie softly said, "This place is cut off from the world. It was never a good place to begin with."

"We will not trespass upon each other... When the little fellow reaches a certain level of cultivation and wishes to leave, you must not stop him." Old Tie put forward his own condition as well.

Mist Blades Grand Commander was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed. Smiling, he stepped back several paces and cleared the path to the crystal.

Old Tie let out a whistle.

Under Mist Blades Grand Commander's shocked gaze, a group of Metal Spiders darted out from the fern forest and swiftly swarmed toward the crystal.

In barely a quarter of an hour, the Metal Spiders broke open the crystal and removed the two long, slender metal arms.