121: Chapter 121 A Deal, Friendship Between Warriors

The Frost King remained silent for a long time.

"The Golden Giants and the Ice Crystal Race have no friendship."

"But we have no hatred either," Jin said. "My people are dying. Our bodies are rusting, our strength is fading, and our civilization is perishing. I need metal veins to save my kin."

"There are no metal veins in the Netherworld World," the Frost King said.

"There are," Jin said. "Beneath the Extreme Cold Ice Plains. I can feel that there are rich metal veins under the ice layers."

The Frost King's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You want to mine on the Extreme Cold Ice Plains?"

"Yes."

The Frost King was silent for a long time. The Extreme Cold Ice Plains were the home of the Ice Crystal Race; they did not allow any other race to mine on their territory. However, he could see the Golden Giants' plight.

"Golden Giant King, I have one condition," the Frost King finally spoke.

"Speak."

"The Ice Crystal Race needs weapons. Our ice blades tend to shatter when facing powerful enemies. If you can help the Ice Crystal Race forge a batch of metal weapons, I can let you mine on the edge of the Extreme Cold Ice Plains."

In Jin's eyes, the golden flames ignited once more.

"Deal."

In the 301st year, the Golden Giants established their first mine on the edge of the Extreme Cold Ice Plains. They extracted rich metal veins from beneath the ice, using those metals to repair their rusting bodies and forge sharp weapons.

In return, Jin personally forged ten thousand metal warblades for the Ice Crystal Race. Those warblades were incredibly sharp and would not become brittle even in the extreme cold of a hundred degrees below zero; they were the weapons the Ice Crystal Race had dreamed of.

The Ice Crystal Race and the Golden Giants formed the first inter-racial alliance in the Netherworld World.

...

In the 350th year, Blood Howl, the leader of the Dragon-Blood Orcs, arrived at Rakshasa City.

Blood Howl was the strongest warrior among the Dragon-Blood Orcs. He stood over five meters tall, his body covered in dark-gold dragon scales, with a pair of curved dragon horns on his head and dark-gold vertical pupils. His aura was at the peak of the Fifth Rank.

The Dragon-Blood Orcs were descendants of the Dragon Race's bloodline. Even though the bloodline had degraded, the blood of the Dragon Race still flowed through their bodies. Four hundred thousand Dragon-Blood Orcs lived on the Dragon Blood Wasteland, a wasteland formed by the residual energy of the Dragon Blood Realm. The ground was dark gold, and the air was filled with the aura of Dragon Might.

Blood Howl stood before the gates of Rakshasa City, looking at the city composed of rugged stone fortresses and deep burrows. A hint of appreciation flashed in his dark-gold vertical pupils.

"Rakshasa City... it's very similar to our cities," he said softly.

Zhao Tiezhu stood on the city wall, looking down at the leader of the Dragon-Blood Orcs. His height had grown to six meters, his grey-green skin covered in thick keratinous scales. His tusks were exposed, his claws were like knives, and his dark-gold vertical pupils burned with battle intent.

"Dragon-Blood Orc, why have you come to Rakshasa City?"

Blood Howl looked up at Zhao Tiezhu.

"Rakshasa King, I have come to challenge you."

Zhao Tiezhu grinned.

"Challenge me? Why?"

"Because Dragon-Blood Orcs only respect the strong," Blood Howl's voice was low as thunder. "The status of the Rakshasa Clan in the Netherworld World was earned through fists. Dragon-Blood Orcs do not want to be looked down upon by anyone, so I will prove that Dragon-Blood Orcs are stronger than Rakshasas."

Zhao Tiezhu's smile grew even more ferocious.

"Good! I like it!"

He jumped down from the city wall and landed in front of Blood Howl, smashing a deep crater into the ground.

"Then let's fight."

The two giants engaged in a duel before the gates of Rakshasa City.

Zhao Tiezhu's strength was as massive as a landslide; his claws could tear through steel, and his tusks could crush rock. Blood Howl's strength was equally terrifying; his dragon scales could withstand Zhao Tiezhu's claws, and his Dragon Flame could incinerate everything.

The battle lasted for a full day and night.

When the sun rose, Zhao Tiezhu and Blood Howl both collapsed onto the ground, covered in wounds, yet both were laughing.

"Good!" Zhao Tiezhu panted heavily. "A fine opponent!"

Blood Howl also panted, "Rakshasa King, you are strong."

"You're not bad yourself." Zhao Tiezhu struggled to stand up and extended his hand toward Blood Howl. "Dragon-Blood Orc, do you want to form an alliance with the Rakshasas?"

Blood Howl looked at the extended hand and grasped it.

"An alliance."

In the 351st year, the Rakshasas and the Dragon-Blood Orcs officially allied. The two warlike races found each other in the Netherworld World.

They began to establish trade routes between the Dragon Blood Wasteland and Rakshasa City, exchanging resources and sharing combat techniques. The Rakshasas' claws and tusks and the Dragon-Blood Orcs' dragon scales and Dragon Flame continuously evolved through their clashes.

The ranks of the Rakshasas generally increased; Zhao Tiezhu broke through from the early stage of the Sixth Rank to the mid-stage. The Dragon-Blood Orcs' ranks were also rising; Blood Howl broke through from the peak of the Fifth Rank to the early stage of the Sixth Rank.

In the Yang side of the Netherworld World, a new balance was forming.

The 500th year.

Mushroom People, Shadow Fiends, Naga, Humans, Rakshasas, Dragon-Blood Orcs, Ice Crystals, Golden Giants, Treants, Skeleton Warriors, Troglodytes, and Wind Spirits.

Twelve races coexisted in the Yang side of the Netherworld World.

But coexistence did not mean peace.

Five hundred years of evolution had made the relationships between these races extremely complex. There were allies, enemies, exchanges of interests, and accumulated hatred.

The Mushroom People and Shadow Fiends were the oldest allies. The Mushroom People provided food and medicine, while the Shadow Fiends provided energy and transportation. The interests of the two races were highly intertwined, and their relationship was unbreakable.

The Naga and Humans were spiritual allies. Naga order and human faith complemented each other; Naga laws protected human freedom to spread their faith, and human Power Of Faith nourished the Naga's oceans.

The Rakshasas and Dragon-Blood Orcs were battle partners. The two warlike races established a deep friendship through constant sparring and cooperation; their alliance was the most powerful military force in the Netherworld World.

The Ice Crystals and Golden Giants were resource allies. The Ice Crystals provided mines, and the Golden Giants provided weapons; the two races benefited mutually, and their relationship was stable.

The Treants were loners. They did not participate in any alliances, nor were they enemies with any race. Their Emerald Jungle was the most mysterious place in the Netherworld World; no one knew what happened inside.

Skeleton Warriors were the laborers of the Netherworld World. Their undead nature gave them a natural affinity for Yin Qi, making them the only race capable of working in the Underworld Space. The Ghost King hired them to transport souls before the Ghost Gate Pass, and Meng Po hired them to maintain order at the head of the Bridge of Helplessness. Skeleton Warriors had no territory of their own; they were scattered in every corner of the Netherworld World, working for other races in exchange for resources to survive.

Troglodytes were the miners of the Netherworld World. They lived deep underground, mining metal veins and yin energy crystals. Their bodies were short but strong, allowing them to navigate nimbly through narrow mine tunnels. Troglodytes did not participate in any wars; they only cared about their own metal veins.

Wind Spirits were the second-class race of the Netherworld World. They were restricted to the outermost skies, where storms could not cross the boundaries set by the Shadow Fiends. Their numbers were decreasing, dropping from three hundred thousand to two hundred thousand; their civilization was in decline, and their winds were growing weaker and weaker.

Twelve races, twelve destinies.

Su Bai watched all of this from the world core and remained silent for a long time.

He was thinking.

Among these races, some were destined to be unable to survive in the Netherworld World. Not because they weren't strong enough, but because their nature was incompatible with the order of the Netherworld.

The Blood Clan lived on blood; their very existence was a threat to other races. Shadow Walkers lived on infiltration and assassination; their very existence was a destruction of order.

These races could not be assimilated by the Netherworld.

Because they refused to be assimilated.