257: Chapter 257 Mercury's Conditions, Black Corner Region

"I have traveled millions of miles to come here. Won't Mr. Shui Xing invite me for a cup of tea?"

Hun Tiandi was not at all polite and sat directly in the guest seat.

"Hehe, serve tea!" Mr. Shui Xing spoke, and a figure emerged from the shadows, quickly pouring a cup of tea for both Hun Tiandi and Mr. Shui Xing before slowly retreating.

"Mr. Shui Xing, your strength has greatly increased without any neglect; congratulations!"

Hun Tiandi spoke directly, picking up his teacup.

Looking at Hun Tiandi, Mr. Shui Xing did not speak. Hun Tiandi said with certainty, "Mr. Shui Xing, please do not mind. I have come this time to thank you for causing me trouble several times. Otherwise, I would surely have been too safe!"

"It has nothing to do with me; it is because your life is resilient!" Mr. Shui Xing shook his head.

"If you had taken action back then, perhaps I would not be sitting here drinking tea. Therefore, I will not forget Mr. Shui Xing's kindness!"

Hun Tiandi spoke sincerely.

"Speak! What exactly is your business in Burning Flame Valley this time?" Mr. Shui Xing stared at Hun Tiandi and spoke indifferently.

"I want to invite you to join my faction!" Hun Tiandi said sincerely.

"Hehe, don't you think those words are a bit of a joke?" Mr. Shui Xing sneered, but did not directly refuse.

"When we first met, your presence in Burning Flame Valley with Tang Junyao was only to repay a debt of gratitude; it was not a sincere desire to join them."

"Once that debt is repaid, you will surely leave with resentment!" Hun Tiandi said firmly.

"So what? Do you think your tiny faction is enough to make me risk my life?"

Hearing this, Mr. Shui Xing fell silent for a moment before sneering.

"Jie jie jie, I was able to escape from the hands of many factions like Starfall Pavilion, the Xiao Family, and even Burning Flame Valley. During our third meeting, when you spread that information, you were already considering it, weren't you?"

Hun Tiandi said confidently.

Mr. Shui Xing looked at Hun Tiandi and narrowed his eyes slightly, because the mentioned 'third meeting' was not an actual meeting between the two.

The meaning behind those words was that during their second encounter, Hun Tiandi had observed him without him noticing.

"I solemnly invite you to join my faction, to lead an army across the Fighting Qi Continent and achieve an unprecedented legacy. Once again, I solemnly invite Mr. Shui Xing to join!"

Hun Tiandi spoke sincerely once more.

"You know nothing of my origins, yet you invite me like this?" Mr. Shui Xing lightly waved his feather fan and spoke calmly.

"Jie jie, then how much does the gentleman know about my origins? Where do I come from?"

Hun Tiandi smiled. Hearing this, Mr. Shui Xing frowned slightly; he had tried to inquire over the years, but his gains were minimal.

"Indeed, I am evaluating you. Spreading the word that you were a disciple of Starfall Pavilion back then was also a form of test. Many people on this continent are evaluating you."

"If you want me to join you, you need to earn my recognition, and you are still far from enough!"

Mr. Shui Xing shook his head.

"Oh? What conditions are required?" Hun Tiandi inquired.

"Your fate must be tough enough. How can one dominate the world if their fate is not resilient? You have achieved this point; have you not emerged unscathed from several life-threatening dangers? After a certain-death situation, the harvest is massive!"

Mr. Shui Xing revealed a slight smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Shui Xing!" Hun Tiandi nodded.

"A resilient fate is one thing, but if you want me to submit, you need to defeat me!" Mr. Shui Xing said firmly.

"Defeat you?" Hun Tiandi furrowed his brows.

"Correct. Defeat me in my field of expertise. Can you surpass me when facing schemes and calculations?" Mr. Shui Xing looked at Hun Tiandi.

"Very well! Then as you say, I will defeat you once in your field. I hope you will not go back on your word when that time comes!"

Hun Tiandi set down his teacup and stood up.

"Heh, before that, I want to see if your fate is truly that tough."

Suddenly, several streaks of light flickered in the shadows, lunging toward Hun Tiandi to kill him.

"Farewell!" Hun Tiandi said indifferently. With a "Boom!", five streaks of light and palms pierced into Hun Tiandi's body.

With a bang, Hun Tiandi exploded, turning into a cloud of blood-colored mist and vanishing without a trace.

Mr. Shui Xing did not show much shock. His brow furrowed slightly, and with a light wave of his feather fan, the five streaks of light retreated back into the darkness.

Meanwhile, outside Burning Flame Valley, atop a mountain peak.

Hun Tiandi, dressed in green robes, stood there with Liu Ling standing beside him.

"Let's go back!" After nearly an hour, Hun Tiandi spoke indifferently, then vanished from the mountain peak, with Liu Ling following suit.

Hun Tiandi naturally would not explain that the matter was settled. The Blood Scripture had created a Blood God Child, which had already reached an agreement with Mr. Shui Xing.

As for how to complete the condition, that would be discussed in the future.

One year later, Black-Corner Region.

Hun Tiandi and his group continuously traversed Space Wormholes and finally arrived at the land of chaos, the Black-Corner Region. This was a place of pure lawlessness.

As long as your strength was great enough, you could do whatever you pleased.

The Black-Corner Region was an intelligence hub for the continent; every day, countless pieces of information flowed out, and countless more flowed in.

If you wanted to become famous or rise to power, the Black-Corner Region provided a shortcut to success.

The prerequisite was strength and capital; otherwise, you would lose your life.

In the Black-Corner Region, countless experts lost their lives every day, while more experts flooded in from the outside. This was a place filled with death and challenges.

Of course, there were also many opportunities: high-level cultivation techniques, Dou Techniques, various divine weapons and armor, medicinal herbs, pills, medicinal cauldrons...

To obtain these treasures, one needed to pay a sufficient price.

Perhaps it was money, or perhaps it was items; there were no free lunches here.

Chaos? Darkness? Disorder? These are the hidden nature of humans, the evil within the heart magnified infinitely. Even knowing the dangers here were manifold,

countless people still rushed in, as it was the fastest route to becoming famous across the continent.

"Lord, this is the Black-Corner Region, the land of chaos on the continent. Of course, in the center of the Black-Corner Region is the Jia Nan Academy, which is famous throughout the Fighting Qi Continent..."

Within a certain range outside Jia Nan Academy, it was considered a peaceful zone.

Any expert who dared to cause trouble here would find themselves hanging from a tree trunk at the border of Jia Nan Academy and the Black-Corner Region the next day.

Hanging there to be air-dried.

Since the founding of the academy, there had never been an exception.

The Death Spirit Tree was hung with the corpses of Dou King and Dou Emperor level experts...

Hun Tiandi stood with his hands behind his back, his green robes fluttering in the wind. He narrowed his eyes, gazing at this vast Black-Corner Region, and a sense of pride surged in his heart.

This would be the place where Hun Tiandi would rise.

"Tonight, we will rest here. Tomorrow, we enter the city to first understand the division of power in the Black-Corner Region..."

Hun Tiandi spoke indifferently.

Hearing this, the people behind him each found a spot to sit cross-legged. For these experts, sleeping in the wild and being displaced had long since become a habit.

Furthermore, after a year of continuous travel, those damn Space Wormholes, filled with endless darkness and long periods of traversal,

had made their spirits irritable. If this group were not all individuals of resilient character, they would likely have gone mad long ago.

Crackle...

Liu Ling gathered firewood and started two bonfires. The crackling of the burning wood and the pale yellow flames provided a sense of warmth in the chilly night.

Yan Xing and the others sat in meditation to adjust their breathing and recover from their fatigue.

"Liu Ling, tomorrow go into the city to purchase a detailed map of the Black-Corner Region, and also find a quiet place."

Hun Tiandi spoke slowly, giving orders directly to Liu Ling.

This was the benefit of establishing a faction; otherwise, Hun Tiandi would have to go personally to gather information, which would be a waste of time.

"Yes, Lord!" Liu Ling said respectfully.

With a wave of his hand to dismiss him, Hun Tiandi sat cross-legged to cultivate and improve his strength.