155: Chapter 155: The old guys can't sit still anymore.

“Kill on the spot?”

Wu Dalong was stunned for a moment, and then his face twisted in rage.

“What audacity! A mere mortal dares to point this thing at me?”

He didn't take that dark, hollow muzzle seriously at all.

How much power could a mortal's weapon have? Could it be faster than his Flying Sword? Could it break through his Protective True Essence?

What a joke!

“I see you're looking for death!” Wu Dalong roared, circulating his true essence. He released the full pressure of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, directing it toward Zhang Liancheng and the other two.

In his view, this single move would be enough to make these ignorant mortals wet their pants and kneel for mercy.

But something strange happened.

Zhang Liancheng and his two companions stood perfectly straight, their eyelids not even twitching.

A layer of blue light flickered on their black clothes and vanished, easily blocking his pressure.

“Eh?” Wu Dalong was a bit surprised.

There was something special about the clothes these mortals were wearing! They could actually block his pressure?

“I gave you a chance, but you refused it! Since you're seeking death, don't blame me!”

Wu Dalong lost his patience. With a thought, a Flying Sword glowing with green light flew out from behind him, whistling through the air as it slashed toward Zhang Liancheng's neck.

He was determined to kill one first to give these mortals a lesson they wouldn't forget!

The Flying Sword was so fast it was nothing more than a shadow.

The Wu Clan disciples behind him all thought that in the next second, that mortal's head would go flying.

But just as the Flying Sword was about to reach Zhang Liancheng's neck...

A muffled bang rang out.

Zhang Liancheng fired his gun.

A bullet with a blue trail erupted from the muzzle.

It was even faster!

In mid-air, it struck the Flying Sword with pinpoint accuracy!

Clang!

A crisp sound echoed.

That green-glowing Flying Sword was like it had been hit by a heavy sledgehammer; its light dimmed instantly.

“Pfft!”

Wu Dalong spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.

The Flying Sword was linked to his soul; since the sword was damaged, he was also severely injured.

“My... my Qingfeng Sword!”

He looked at the Flying Sword that had been knocked back, now stuck in the ground before him with a dent in its blade, and he was completely stunned.

This... how is this possible?!

His Qingfeng Sword, while not some divine weapon, was made of high-quality green steel. He had gone to great lengths to have the clan's Artifact Refiner forge it, and it was incredibly tough.

To think... it was actually damaged in one hit by that fire poker in the mortal's hand?

Just what kind of thing was shot out of that fire poker?

Not just Wu Dalong, but the Wu Clan disciples behind him were all dumbfounded.

Those who had been shouting arrogantly just moments ago were now standing there with their mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.

They couldn't understand what was happening no matter how hard they racked their brains.

“I said, this is a warning.”

Zhang Liancheng's voice was still just as cold.

He slowly aimed the muzzle at Wu Dalong's forehead again.

“Now, I will ask one more time. Surrender, or die?”

Killing intent washed over Wu Dalong, enveloping him.

He didn't doubt for a second that if he dared to say no, his head would immediately explode.

Fear instantly crushed his resolve.

“I... I...” Wu Dalong's lips trembled, his legs gave way, and with a thud, he knelt on the ground.

“Don't... don't kill me! I surrender! I surrender!”

...

On a distant hillside.

The Wu Clan patriarch, Wu Xiangtian, was watching the situation in the valley with several elders using a Water Mirror magical treasure.

Wu Xiangtian was in his fifties, thin and withered, with a goatee. He was at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and was the person in the entire Wu Clan most likely to reach the Golden Core Stage.

When he saw Wu Dalong leading his men into the valley with such bravado, a smile was still on his face.

“Dalong is a decent lad; he knows to give a greeting first,” an elder said, stroking his beard.

“Hmph, why bother with greetings when dealing with mortals?” another hot-tempered elder said dismissively. “Just capture them all as Mining Slaves! I think those iron clunkers of theirs are interesting. Bring them back and take them apart; maybe we can sell them for a good price.”

Wu Xiangtian twisted his beard and nodded. “Mm, let's see. If there really are treasures, that would be best. If not, capturing some mortals to work won't be a wasted trip. Our Wu Clan happens to be short on hands.”

They spoke as if they were discussing sheep for the slaughter, not caring about mortal lives at all.

But when they saw through the Water Mirror how Zhang Liancheng damaged Wu Dalong's Flying Sword with a single shot and forced him to kneel and beg for mercy...

The hillside suddenly went silent.

The smiles on the old guys' faces froze.

“Wh... what was that thing just now?” the hot-tempered elder could barely speak clearly.

“The... the magical tool in that mortal's hand... it's too powerful!”

“To damage a Foundation Establishment Mid Stage Flying Sword in one hit... that power is probably comparable to a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator!”

“The scariest part is, look at them—every one of them has a magical tool like that!”

The elders' faces were filled with horror.

Wu Xiangtian's expression was also incredibly grim.

He stared intently at the soldiers in the Water Mirror, dressed in black and holding psionic rifles.

His eyes were sharper than the elders'.

What he saw wasn't just the power of the weapons.

It was the aura of those 'mortals,' their iron-clad discipline, and their killing intent!

They were definitely not a group of ordinary mortals!

They were a highly disciplined, well-equipped army!

“Patriarch, what do we do now?” an elder panicked. “Dalong... he's been captured!”

Wu Xiangtian's expression shifted rapidly.

His heart was also in turmoil.

Where did these mysterious 'mortals' come from?

What were they after in this godforsaken Black Stone Valley?

And those giant Steel Puppets, the speed at which they built houses...

Everything about this was bizarre.

“Patriarch, how about... we retreat for now?” another elder whispered. “These people have unknown origins and strange methods. We shouldn't provoke them lightly.”

“Retreat?” the hot-tempered elder immediately objected. “Why should we retreat! This is our territory! They captured our people, and if we just run away like this, where will the Wu Clan's reputation go?”

“Right!” another elder chimed in. “No matter how powerful they are, they're still mortals! I don't believe they can stop our entire Wu Clan! Patriarch, give the order! Summon everyone in the family and lay down the ‘Black Stone Grand Array.’ We must make them pay in blood!”

Listening to the elders argue, Wu Xiangtian was also conflicted.

Reason told him these people were very dangerous and best left alone.

But he was the Wu Clan patriarch; he couldn't easily abandon the family's face or the land of Black Stone Valley.

Moreover... what if there really was a treasure in that valley?

Greed finally gained the upper hand.

“Pass my order!” Wu Xiangtian steeled his resolve. “Summon all clansmen at the Foundation Establishment Stage and above to gather outside the valley immediately! Also, go and get our family's ultimate treasure, that ‘Blazing Fire Talisman’!”

“Patriarch, you're going to use that Talisman Treasure?” an elder cried out in shock.

That “Blazing Fire Talisman” was the only Talisman Treasure passed down by the Wu Clan ancestors! It was said to have been made by a Golden Core Master, and its power was terrifyingly great. Once used, boiling the sea and burning mountains would be no problem!

This was the Wu Clan's greatest trump card!

“A bunch of mortals without cultivation—even if the magical tools in their hands are strange, what waves can they possibly stir?” Wu Xiangtian snorted coldly, a hint of cruelty appearing on his face.

“Today, I'll show them that in the face of true power, these flashy things are completely useless!”

“I will make them pay a price in blood for their stupidity and arrogance!”