Chapter 230: The Veiled Dragon

Chapter 230: The Veiled Dragon

Ji Xinghuo left the hall where the Chieftain of Hanqiu resided. Once he was away from the Snow Ape Giants, he finally let out a string of curses.

"Robbery!"

"These giants are no different from the Ethereal Beings; they're all swindlers!"

There was no way he could afford the price Hanqiu had quoted for hiring the Snow Ape Giants.

A squad of ten Snow Ape Giants constituted a Giant Guard, and they were all fourth-rank elites. Their wages were paid daily, and each day's pay amounted to one Aether Crystal.

Converted to Asia Dollars, that was twenty million per day.

If one were to hire a legendary Snow Ape Giant, the daily wage would be one Aether Crystal, a tenfold increase.

For a Sovereign-level giant, the rate increased tenfold again, with a sixth-rank giant commanding a daily wage of ten Aether Crystals.

That was equivalent to a Red Emperor Blood Crystal per day!

Ji Xinghuo bid his farewells on the spot.

While the Sovereign-level Snow Ape Giants were indeed formidable and far beyond his reach, they certainly weren't worth that exorbitant price. As for the Ethereal Being's so-called "investment," Ji Xinghuo now saw through his charade; he was no philanthropist.

Ji Xinghuo had seen the true nature of the Ethereal Being, and he was certainly not a benevolent soul.

Before leaving, Hanqiu gave him a piece of white fur as a token. With this, he could present himself to the Snow Ape Giants at any time and gain an audience with the chieftain.

Instead of returning home immediately, Ji Xinghuo decided to wander around Tianzhuiai.

With a population exceeding a million, including a diverse range of races, the city atop Tianzhuiai, along with the surrounding villages at the base of the cliff, boasted a well-ordered and thriving trade center in the eastern region of the Bloody Highland. It was a place where one could find all sorts of precious treasures simply by browsing the street stalls.

Ji Xinghuo strolled until nightfall, gaining a wealth of new knowledge.

Firstly, he encountered numerous races he had only heard of but never seen before, including extraterrestrials of all shapes and sizes.

Secondly, he gained a better understanding of the value of various treasures.

In Tianzhuiai, most transactions were conducted using True Dragon currency, and Aether Crystals were a rare sight.

He made some inquiries and found that people were generally unclear about the source of Aether Crystals. Those who were willing to divulge information usually obtained them as unexpected spoils of war.

There were no Aether mines in the Bloody Highland.

The few Aether Crystals that surfaced came from within the True Dragon Empire.

Rumor had it that the True Dragon Empire controlled most of the Aether mines in the star domain, but the locations of these mines were top secrets, inaccessible to outsiders.

Some Aether Crystals also originated from extraterrestrial races and were artificially manufactured, but the production cost was astronomical.

This didn't surprise Ji Xinghuo.

As one of the most important resources in the Star Realm, it was only natural for the True Dragon Empire, as the domain's hegemon, to maintain absolute monopoly over the Aether mines. Even Ethereal Beings like the Star Shepherd had to resort to trade to obtain them, dare not provoking the True Dragon Empire.

As a mere high-level anomaly, Ji Xinghuo knew better than to harbor any unrealistic hopes.

Returning home in the middle of the night, he found that Xia Qingyu and Misha had disappeared, and he could guess where the two lovebirds had gone.

If they weren't kindred spirits, they wouldn't be hanging out together like this.

In the following days, Ji Xinghuo spent most of his time cultivating at home, steadily increasing his stellar power. During his breaks, he would venture out to explore Tianzhuiai, gathering information and familiarizing himself with the local prices.

Xia Qingyu and Misha, on the other hand, were either drinking or making love, living their lives to the fullest.

However, there were times when they found themselves in a pinch.

The red-haired woman named 'Ayatu' somehow got wind of their affair and came to confront them. She didn't come alone but brought along her relatives, nearly trapping Xia Qingyu at home. If not for Ji Xinghuo's timely warning, allowing Xia Qingyu to escape with the clueless Misha, things could have turned ugly.

Ji Xinghuo had initially wanted to enjoy the spectacle, but considering that Xia Qingyu would be accompanying him into the Blood Fury Tribe later, he decided to give him a heads-up.

After that incident, the two didn't return and continued to stay elsewhere.

In the cultivation room, Ji Xinghuo was in the midst of an intense training session when he suddenly stopped and stepped out. He saw the gate of the courtyard being pushed open from the outside.

Xia Qingyu cautiously poked his head in and sighed in relief upon seeing that it was only Ji Xinghuo.

"Feeling brave enough to come back now?" Ji Xinghuo chuckled.

"That woman has gone crazy!" Xia Qingyu exclaimed as he stepped inside and closed the door. "I thought she was just a mixed-blood of True Dragon and Dan people, so I figured it would be fine to have some fun. But who would've thought her family has considerable influence? Her ancestors were a branch of the Blood Prison Family, and they've been searching for me all over Tianzhuiai these past few days."

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.

The True Dragon families passed on their lineage through bloodlines, and their surnames were usually derived from the dragon species of their ancestors.

Even if their bloodline had thinned and they were merely a branch family, their foundation was not to be underestimated.

Xia Qingyu had finally met his match after taking too many risks.

"Hahaha..."

Ji Xinghuo burst out laughing without restraint.

"What's so funny!" Xia Qingyu glared at him irritably. "Get your things together. The Blood Fury Tribe has already notified Misha, and we're leaving today."

Ji Xinghuo's smile faded as he nodded in agreement. "Alright."

No wonder Xia Qingyu had returned home quietly with a hint of delight. It turned out that he was leaving Tianzhuiai, thus evading the Ayatu family's search.

Ji Xinghuo turned back to his bedroom to change into a new set of clothes. He donned his ceramic steel armor and carried his bow, arrows, sword, and other weapons on his back. There was no need for further preparation, as all his important belongings were stored in his and Qinghong's dimensional pouches, ready for immediate departure.

Qinghong crawled out of the pouch and enlarged herself to serve as their mount.

Ji Xinghuo rode on her toward the Blood Fury Tribe's base, while Xia Qingyu, too afraid to show his face in public, stealthily followed in the shadows.

They soon arrived at their destination.

In the field outside the Blood Fury Tribe's base, over a thousand people had already gathered.

They were all hired by the Blood Fury Tribe.

With a casual electromagnetic scan, Ji Xinghuo could tell that everyone present, regardless of race or occupation, was an elite among the fourth-rank evolvers. Most of them formed teams of varying sizes, with five to ten members being the most common, and only a few dared to go solo.

Battlefields were different from hunting grounds, and solitary fighters had no advantage here.

The more people there were, the safer it became.

The mercenaries eyed each other with caution, and sometimes even hostility, evident on their faces.

He Yan had mentioned that this battle would yield around two hundred Red Emperor Blood Crystals, but the Blood Fury Tribe intended to keep most of them. Although they promised that every surviving mercenary team would receive one blood crystal if they won the war, the chances of survival were slim.

The people gathered here were not just competitors but also potential enemies!

Undoubtedly, there were spies planted by the Biao tribe among them.

"So many experts!"

Xia Qingyu was startled by the sight of the assembled teams in the field, and he immediately regretted his decision to join this bloody battle.

Misha's expression was equally grave.

The two of them rode on their six-legged horned horses, accompanying Ji Xinghuo to a corner of the field, where they observed the others.

"This battle is on a larger scale than I expected," Xia Qingyu whispered. "In the past, when tribes hired outsiders, there would usually be only two to three hundred people, not as many as today. And I heard that we're just the first batch; there will be two more batches of mercenaries coming."

Misha added, "Yesterday, I received news that the Blood Fury Tribe has formed an alliance with the 'Fierce Tooth' and 'Heartclaw' tribes, and they will also be sending troops to join the blood battle."

During his stay in Tianzhuiai, Ji Xinghuo had learned about the surrounding powers.

Fierce Tooth and Heartclaw were two Highland tribes who also worshiped the Red Emperor, and while they were less populous and powerful than the Blood Fury Tribe, they were still major forces in the eastern plateau.

The three tribes were usually rivals, but they had set aside their differences to form this alliance.

"Should we find an opportunity to back out?" Xia Qingyu suggested in a lowered voice. "We can lay low somewhere else for a few years and come back later. The Blood Fury Tribe can't do anything to us."

Before Ji Xinghuo could respond, Misha shot him a disdainful look.

"Are you a coward?"

The Highlanders valued bravery and martial prowess, and even those who didn't worship the Red Emperor would frown upon such an act of evading battle.

Xia Qingyu was not one to be swayed by these values, and he retorted, "I'm being prudent, you big-breasted, brainless woman. What do you know?"

"If you have the guts, you won't touch me ever again," Misha snapped back, her face contorting with anger.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but glance at her. Indeed, her chest was quite exaggerated, but her overall figure was too muscular. Standing at six feet tall, she towered over most men, and if one ignored her chest and face, she could easily pass for a bulky male bodybuilder. Only someone with peculiar tastes like Xia Qingyu would find her attractive.

Xia Qingyu immediately backpedaled, pleading, "Alright, alright, I was wrong, Misha. You're the smartest woman I've ever met."

Ji Xinghuo was left speechless.

He sighed and said, "If this blood battle turns out to be too intense and dangerous, we don't have to risk our lives. We'll retreat when necessary."

"That's good. I don't want to die needlessly," Xia Qingyu exhaled in relief.

A moment later.

The Blood Fury Tribe's warrior, He Yan, made his appearance. As soon as he showed up, the entire field fell silent.

"Are we all here?

He Yan led over two thousand Highlander warriors.

Each of them rode on six-legged horned horses, but the proportion of those who had reached the Fourth Rank was less than one-tenth.

Over three thousand people set off from their base, traversing the streets of Tianzhuiai Cliff, causing a stir among the pedestrians who stopped to gawk. They reached the elevator on the north side of Tianzhuiai Cliff and spent over an hour descending from the top of the cliff to its base.

After regrouping, they headed north.

The Blood Fury Tribe was located more than 1,500 kilometers away from Tianzhuiai Cliff. If Ji Xinghuo had been alone, Qinghong could have rushed there at full speed in just one day.

However, with over three thousand people marching, their pace inevitably slowed down.

The six-legged horned horses excelled in load-bearing capacity and endurance, possessing a fierce temperament unafraid of battle, but their speed was not particularly remarkable, falling far short of Qinghong's.

On the first day, they covered nearly 600 kilometers. They set up camp after nightfall, rested for seven to eight hours, and then continued their journey through the night.

Along the way, Ji Xinghuo kept his electromagnetic sensing active almost constantly, and as expected, he frequently detected skilled trackers lurking nearby. With over three thousand people marching, it was impossible to avoid prying eyes, but that wasn't something he needed to concern himself with.

For two consecutive days, they proceeded without incident as He Yan led them, circumventing other tribes and dangerous areas, drawing ever closer to the territory of the Blood Fury Tribe.

The third day.

As they traveled through the night, just before dawn, Ji Xinghuo's eyes widened in shock.

"Quick, move!"

He whispered to Xia Qingyu and Misha beside him.

"What's wrong?" Xia Qingyu looked around, puzzled. At that moment, their group was traversing a vast, flat highland, with a clear view all around. Even though the starlight was somewhat dim, they could still see quite far, and no danger was apparent. The left peak was also far away, at a distance of five or six kilometers.

Before Ji Xinghuo could respond, he heard He Yan shout loudly: "Disperse!"

"Everyone, disperse!"

The Highlanders and mercenaries were baffled.

Suddenly, a massive figure appeared in the dim sky, approaching from a distance, drawing nearer in the blink of an eye. It was a dragon!

Its wingspan exceeded 30 meters, its body was covered in grayish-white scales, and its overall shape resembled a bat. The massive creature was enveloped in mist-like black smoke, and with each flap of its wings, it stirred up rolling clouds of black fog as if it were burning, obscuring its true form, appearing and disappearing from view.

"It's a Mistveil Dragon!"

Someone among the group recognized the dragon species and immediately scattered in all directions.

Ji Xinghuo, Xia Qingyu, and Misha had been on their guard, and Qinghong swiftly dashed to one side of the group, with Xia Qingyu and Misha urging their six-legged horned horses to follow closely behind.

"Damn it, how could there be a Mistveil Dragon here!" Xia Qingyu cursed.

"It's a Dragon Master," Ji Xinghuo replied.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic sensing had detected the dragon's approach, and this dragon had reached the "Shock" level, between the fifth and sixth ranks.

There was a human male rider on its back, evidently a Dragon Master.

This Dragon Master was only at the Legendary level.

His strength fell short of the dragon's, but that didn't diminish his formidable intimidation factor. With his dragon alone, he dared to challenge a Heavenly King.

As soon as the Mistveil Dragon appeared, it began a dive, its speed astonishing as it breathed a dragon's breath toward the army on the ground.

"Whoosh..."

A hundred-meter-long black mist swept through like a waterfall.

Anyone who was hit by the dragon's breath had the black mist enter their bodies through their orifices, immediately stiffening, their skin turning pallid within seconds as if all their blood had been drained, and they fell limply to the ground, their eyes devoid of life. Over two hundred people had turned into corpses.

Spiritual Source Energy +10

Spiritual Source Energy +8

Spiritual Source Energy +13

...

Ji Xinghuo's vision was filled with a frenzy of information, his mind feeling stuffed as if it were being poured into, but before he could rejoice, a terrifying sense of impending danger assailed him.

A howling gale blew from behind.

In mid-air, the Mistveil Dragon, after breathing its first breath, changed direction and pursued them, its massive maw opening wide as it prepared to breathe another breath of dragon fire.

Xia Qingyu turned back and was immediately terrified by the sight.

"Run for your lives!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end