Chapter 292: The Town Of Northern Gray Robes
Wushan Region.
Above a vast wasteland, a large flying transport vehicle forged from C6-grade alloy sped forward. Even several lord grade flying monsters traveling at sonic speed that chased behind it could not keep up with the speed of this large flying transport vehicle, and were visibly left farther and farther behind.
Inside the transport vehicle, a group of young men and women dressed in pitch-black clothing with a white skull emblem on their shoulders watched the flying monsters being shaken off, all visibly excited.
“No wonder this large flying transport vehicle forged from C6-grade alloy is so powerful. Even high-level lord flying monsters cannot catch up. I really don’t know when I will be able to have one myself.” A sub-demon race youth in his early twenties, with strength at the bone forging realm intermediate level, stared at the flying transport vehicle with eyes shining.
“What are you thinking? This is a C6-grade large flying transport vehicle. Only people like Lord Mo Xiao, one of the Seven Guardians, are qualified to use it. You newcomers should first think about how to break through to the blood condensation realm in the future before considering anything else.” Beside him, a lizardman in his early thirties with dark green skin glared at these restless newcomers, instantly silencing the Smiling Skull newcomers.
As this happened, Isaac, sitting in a corner of the carriage, quietly observed everything, his eyes full of relief. His previous choice had indeed not been wrong.
As one of the three untouchable existences in the Wushan Region, the Smiling Skull’s foundation was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Even though he had officially joined, what he knew was only a portion of the Smiling Skull’s strength.
At this moment he was following the Smiling Skull team to Chiyue Town. Along with their three logistics teams, there was also a group of newly selected genius newcomers of the Smiling Skull.
There were as many as fifty of these genius newcomers, each possessing strength at least at the bone forging realm intermediate level, and these genius newcomers were only one class selected by the Smiling Skull today.
As for the class instructor, he was a lizardman whose strength surpassed even the city lord of the City of Light Chasing. His strength had already reached the blood condensation realm intermediate level, and he was once a super genius cultivated by the Smiling Skull. Even those veteran city lords of the Wushan Region were likely not his match, yet within the Smiling Skull he was only a class instructor.
The leader of this operation was Mo Xiao, known internally within the Smiling Skull as one of the Seven Guardians, a super expert only one step away from the legendary heavenly human realm.
Isaac looked at such a lineup, and could not help but let the corners of his mouth rise.
He had truly never expected that the auction held by the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall would prompt the Smiling Skull to send such a big figure. This no longer looked like coming to bid for guard robots; it was more than enough to wipe out Chiyue Town.
As long as the Smiling Skull wiped out Chiyue Town this time, he would have a chance to excavate the secrets within Crimson Moon Mountain. When that time came, with his strength and status continuously rising within the Smiling Skull, it would be far better than his original plan of becoming a mere city lord.
After the large flying transport vehicle crossed the wasteland, it quickly arrived above a dense forest. In just over ten minutes, Isaac saw a familiar scene.
Crimson Moon Mountain!
This was the place he had secretly managed for many years.
“This is… Crimson Moon Mountain?” Isaac looked out the window at Crimson Moon Mountain, almost unable to believe his eyes.
Compared to when he left the City of Light Chasing, Crimson Moon Mountain had undergone earthshaking changes.
Previously, Crimson Moon Mountain was only a barren peak. But now, not only had much of the mountain body been hollowed out, the entire Crimson Moon Mountain was wrapped in various steels. In the center there was a huge deep pit, with elevators connecting the mountain interior and the summit. Flying cars shuttled constantly between the heliports and skyscrapers built on the mountain, making it look like the city center of the City of Light Chasing.
On the summit, there was an enormous spire hundreds of meters tall. Tens of thousands, even more than a hundred thousand people were gathered around the spire. They were either waiting to enter the spire or sitting in meditation cultivating, like a group of devout believers praying to a god, an indescribably shocking sight.
As the Smiling Skull’s large flying transport vehicle slowly docked on a skyscraper halfway up the mountain, another large flying transport vehicle forged from C6-grade alloy likewise attracted the attention of the Smiling Skull members disembarking.
On that large flying transport vehicle there was an emblem of a mechanical arm. The people who got off were races extremely rare in the Wushan Region.
Among them, some were from the snake-person race, with human torsos and snake tails and four arms. Some were from the shadow race, their whole bodies wrapped in bandages, with only a pair of eyes exposed, their bodies shrouded in a layer of black mist. These two races were almost never seen in the Wushan Region, yet they made up the majority of those disembarking.
There were also occasional forest race and three-eyed tribe members, and even a few from the human race.
Among these more than one hundred people, even the weakest had strength at the advanced level of the bone forging realm. Their leader was a snake-person race man at the blood condensation realm. The pressure released just by his stepping off the vehicle made all surrounding bone forging realm experts tremble in fear.
“I really did not expect Black Steel Heavy Industry to send you, Legion Commander Tie Mu, personally. It seems you are taking those guard robots very seriously this time.” Mo Xiao, the sub-demon race middle-aged man leading the Smiling Skull party, greeted the middle-aged snake-person leader as he stepped down.
As Mo Xiao spoke, Isaac also looked at the middle-aged snake-person man in surprise.
Black Steel Heavy Industry!
This faction did not belong to the Wushan Region, but to the neighboring Barren Ridge Region. It was also one of the top major powers among the Four Regions, its power no less than Earth Star Pharmaceuticals. Unlike Earth Star Pharmaceuticals, which specialized in potions, Black Steel Heavy Industry specialized in mechanical manufacture, especially flying cars and sky battleships. More than seventy percent of the sky battleships in the Four Regions came from Black Steel Heavy Industry.
Furthermore, Black Steel Heavy Industry possessed five great legions that specialized in delving into monster nests to search for precious metal ore veins, and the legion commanders among them were all major figures in the Four Regions.
“Mechanical products have always been our key research subject at Black Steel, so of course I had to come and take a look.” Tie Mu, whose body exceeded six meters in length, glanced at Mo Xiao with some surprise. “But having you, one of the Seven Guardians, come personally is what is truly unexpected. I heard that relations between your Smiling Skull and the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall are not good. The Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is even called the Northern Grey Robe in the Mountain of the Dead. Are you planning to take this opportunity to wipe out this Northern Grey Robe Chiyue Town?”
“It’s only destroying one Chiyue Town. It does not require me to make a move.” Mo Xiao shook his head and said very bluntly, “But treasures belong to those capable. We of Smiling Skull will not let a single one of those guard robots slip by.”
“You of Smiling Skull are indeed the same as ever. You just take whatever you want. Aren’t you worried that one day Mist Mountain Domain City will be enraged and, at any cost, go deep into the Mountain of the Dead to wipe you out?” Tie Mu looked at the killing intent surging from Mo Xiao and cast a sympathetic glance at the other factions present.
The Smiling Skull, described nicely as one of the top forces in the Wushan Region, was essentially a band of mountain bandits who refused to be controlled.
If not for the strict control of Mist Mountain Domain City, the Smiling Skull would have robbed all the major cities within the Wushan Region long ago.
Now, with all the factions coming to bid for guard robots, the Smiling Skull might not be able to rob the top forces of the Four Regions, but the ordinary factions that came would likely suffer.
It could be said that the Smiling Skull had already regarded this auction hosted by the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall as a perfect place where ATMs gathered, while those ordinary forces likely had no idea.
Moreover, even if they did not strike directly at the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, doing this would still slap the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall in the face. In the future they could forget about holding such auctions here, let alone establishing their status.
“We are only robbing people in the wilderness. Mist Mountain Domain City will not undertake such a thankless effort over such small matters.” Mo Xiao smiled.
Other factions might not know, but the Smiling Skull had always controlled their actions within the Wushan Region well and never touched the foundation of Mist Mountain Domain City. This was also the reason Mist Mountain Domain City allowed a blood condensation realm expert like him to enter the Wushan Region this time.
“You of Smiling Skull have planned quite well this time.” Tie Mu glanced at Mo Xiao and also smiled. “But it may be difficult for things to go your way. I have news that Earth Star Pharmaceuticals has united with many major powers within the Wushan Region to prepare a big move. Whether this auction can even proceed normally is uncertain.”
“That is indeed a complication.” Mo Xiao did not care at all and said with a smile, “But that only changes our target a little. If Earth Star Pharmaceuticals makes a move, we will just go directly to snatch those guard robots. Our original goal was those guard robots anyway, and isn’t that also what you intend to do?”
Tie Mu did not respond to this, merely smiling, because it was not only Black Steel that thought this way. The other major powers that had come likely all shared the same idea.
As outer domain forces, especially those with blood condensation realm experts, if they directly attacked towns in the Wushan Region, Mist Mountain Domain City would definitely not sit idly by. But if they took advantage of the chaos, Mist Mountain Domain City would have little to say, at most primarily punishing the factions that caused trouble.
Tie Mu then led his members toward the auction in Chiyue Town, no longer speaking much with Mo Xiao.
“Earth Star Pharmaceuticals is going to make a big move in Chiyue Town?” Isaac’s eyes lit up when he heard this.
Earth Star Pharmaceuticals moving against the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, and the major powers taking advantage of the chaos. Now the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s Chiyue Town was doomed.
With so many forces causing trouble, even Azure Wing City, one of the two strongest powers in the Wushan Region, might not be able to handle it, let alone the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
At this time, the Smiling Skull members, especially the newly selected genius newcomers, were all extremely excited.
Before this, they had been curious why the higher-ups had them come here, and in such numbers. If the goal was simply to broaden their horizons, there was no need to bring so many. Only a few with the best talent would suffice, as most of the genius newcomers were destined to be cannon fodder.
Now it seemed that bringing them here was truly a Smiling Skull assessment and trial, giving these genius newcomers a chance to spar with geniuses and experts from various major forces. Such opportunities were rare within the Smiling Skull.
“All right, let’s go too.” Mo Xiao saw the Smiling Skull newcomers getting excited and directly cut off their private discussions, leading the team toward the auction in Chiyue Town.
Everything was just as the newcomers had guessed.
So-called Northern Grey Robe and Southern Skull were a joke in the eyes of the Smiling Skull. The two sides were simply not on the same level.
This auction had already been regarded by the senior officials as a trial ground for newcomers. It was not only the Smiling Skull thinking this way. Many top major powers, and even some major powers within the Wushan Region, likely thought the same, and had all sent many geniuses here.
In the eyes of the major powers, this auction hosted by the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was nothing more than a game. As for using it to raise its status in the Wushan Region, that was pure wishful thinking.
After the Smiling Skull members left, the people from Star Tower City and the members of the Holy Blood Mercenary Group, who had also just disembarked from their flying transport vehicles onto the skyscraper, all heard the conversation between the two powerful figures just now and were deeply shocked.
“Leader, you did not know this from the start, did you?” Vice leader Huang Lang could not help asking leader Zhuo Gu, who had just stepped off.
He had found it strange when the leader suddenly summoned all the vice leaders to attend the auction.
Such a grand event was indeed a good opportunity to gain experience, but there was no need to have all the vice leaders come. After all, they were here to participate in an auction, not to cause trouble. With too many people, there might not even be enough seats at the venue.
At this moment, it was not only Huang Lang who felt this way. Even Vice City Lord Alec of Star Tower City looked at City Lord Hu Lei in shock, as if asking whether Hu Lei had the same thought.
“Jade must be polished to become useful.” Hu Lei did not answer directly. He stroked his beard and said calmly, “This is also an opportunity for you. Those geniuses from the major powers have a lot of good things in their hands. If you can take them, it will greatly benefit your future.”
After hearing this, Alec took a deep breath to calm his restless heart. He had not expected that coming to an auction could bring such an opportunity.
As geniuses cultivated within a city, the resources they received were far inferior to those given to geniuses nurtured by major powers. If they could truly obtain the resources of geniuses from those major powers, it would significantly help them break through to the blood condensation realm, just like when they purchased resources to advance to the blood condensation realm from Earth Star Pharmaceuticals. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to become blood condensation realm masters.
Those resources were things that people living in cities like them did not even dare to imagine, and now they had a chance to obtain them. It was indeed a rare, great opportunity.
“I am afraid this Northern Grey Robe never imagined things would turn out like this.” Zhuo Gu looked at the bustling, prosperous Chiyue Town with some emotion. “What was originally a grand event has become a game for the major powers.”
The geniuses of the major powers needed tempering and slaughter to grow better. The experts of small forces needed resources. Both sides would take what they needed, while the entire Chiyue Town had become the playground for the major powers, and the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall remained completely unaware.
But just as Zhuo Gu and the others were preparing to head to the auction venue, a terrifying surge of qi and blood suddenly erupted from the summit of Chiyue Town’s mountain, piercing straight into the clouds. The horrifying pressure forced everyone on the mountain to the ground. Even bone forging realm experts were unable to move for a moment.
“What terrifying qi and blood! What is happening?”
“Such violent qi and blood means someone is breaking through, and breaking through to the blood condensation realm!”
“Breaking through to the blood condensation realm? Did someone on the top floor of the cultivation tower break through to the blood condensation realm?”
“The top floor of the cultivation tower can only be used by people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Could it be that someone from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall has broken through to the blood condensation realm?”
The crowd gradually shifted from initial terror to disbelief. One after another, they stared fixedly at the cultivation tower as if they had seen a ghost.
Blood condensation realm!
This was a realm that the vast majority of martial artists within the domain did not dare dream of their entire lives, even many vice city lord level experts were the same.
Yet now someone had broken through right before their eyes, and had done so inside a training room built by a faction like the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. It was simply unbelievable.
“Breaking through to the blood condensation realm? How is that possible!”
“With such terrifying qi and blood, who exactly broke through?”
“Could it be Hall Master Lin Qi?”
At this moment, whether Zhuo Gu on the mid-mountain skyscraper, or Hu Lei, or even Huang Lang and Alec, all stared fixedly at the cultivation tower, unable to believe this was real.
Blood condensation realm!
The Obsidian Martial Arts Hall actually had someone break through to the blood condensation realm!
