Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 1019 Blood Mill Market

Before he finished speaking, the phantom image of the tortoise shell behind the old man swirled.

A drop of earth-elemental essence blood, heavy as an ancient mountain and gleaming with a dark yellow luster, condensed.

The white tiger's white hair flew wildly, and a drop of white-gold essence blood, refined with pure killing energy and sharp edge, hung in the air.

At the fingertip of the Golden-Winged Roc, a drop of essence blood, seemingly composed of countless golden lines cutting through space, appeared, sharp and unstoppable.

In the palm of the Qilin, a drop of essence blood, flowing with verdant vitality and undying fire, pulsates.

The ground beneath Huanglong's feet trembled slightly.

A drop of dark yellow essence blood, containing boundless earth vein energy and immense thickness, condensed.

Six drops of divine beast essence blood floated in the air, like six miniature stars, each radiating a terrifying pressure and rhythm of the Great Dao that was completely different yet enough to shake the Venerable Realm!

The spiritual energy above Chentieling instantly surged, and the golden light of the beacon towers shone brightly!

"This is the power of our bloodline origin, containing fragments of our respective Great Daos." Zhuque's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible weakness.

Clearly, stripping away her original essence and blood would be a huge loss for someone of her stature.

"Refining and fusing with a cultivator can greatly enhance one's physical body and soul, allow one to comprehend the corresponding Great Dao, and break through bottlenecks with ease!"

"Commander Zhang, quickly select the most trustworthy, most solidly rooted, and most determined person under your command. We will personally protect and refine him, helping him...soar to new heights!"

Zhang Yuan's pupils contracted slightly, his heart trembling.

This gift is too heavy!

This is the core essence of the divine beast race, something that could never be revealed without shared life-and-death experiences and unwavering beliefs.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and his gaze, sharp as lightning, instantly locked onto several figures below.

"King Ying Wuji, the Martial King Who Protects the Nation! Lei Zhen! Wang Meng! Step forward and obey my command!"

The sound was like thunder, echoing throughout the mountains.

Three figures instantly transformed into streaks of light, breaking through the dust and smoke of the training ground and landing on the top of the fortress.

Ying Wuji's black armor was covered in dust, his aura was as heavy as a mountain, and the fighting spirit in his eyes had not diminished.

Lei Zhen wore a leather apron for weapon refiners, his hands were covered in ash from the Star Furnace, and a faint blue flame swirled around him, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, making him appear even more composed.

Wang Meng's armor was covered in fresh marks, his muscles were bulging, and his face was stained with blood from training. His aura was as fierce as a tiger descending the mountain.

Without needing to say more, the three of them felt the terrifying power contained in the six drops of blood essence in the air and the expectation in Zhang Yuan's eyes, and instantly understood their mission.

Excitement, solemnity, and determination intertwined in the eyes of the three.

"Ying Wuji, receive the essence of the White Tiger's killing intent! Lei Zhen, receive the essence of the Qilin's thick earth! Wang Meng, receive the essence of the Golden-Winged Roc's sky-splitting power!"

Zhang Yuan's voice was resolute.

"Sitting cross-legged in meditation, opening your mind and spirit, drawing blood into your body! I and all the seniors will protect you!"

"promise!"

The three of them roared in unison, sat down cross-legged without hesitation, and instantly their minds sank into a state of clarity.

The Vermilion Bird and other divine beasts, in their incarnations, attacked simultaneously.

A ray of light separated from the six drops of blood essence and precisely entered the brows of Ying Wuji and the other two!

"boom--!"

Like pouring cold water into boiling oil, three completely different yet extremely powerful primal forces exploded within their bodies!

The platinum-gold killing energy surged and cut through Ying Wuji's meridians like millions of sharp blades!

The intense pain caused his muscles to tense up like iron, and his bones to crack under the strain.

He felt as if he were on an endless battlefield, amidst the clash of swords and the carnage, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with murderous intent filling the sky!

A towering, imposing, and menacing phantom of a giant platinum tiger materialized behind him, roaring to the heavens with a sound that shattered the clouds!

Within his body, the True Essence of the Great Qin Martial Dao, under the impact and fusion of this pure killing power, was frantically condensed and transformed at an unprecedented speed. The barrier of the second level of the Saint Realm was easily torn apart like thin paper, and he surged forward towards a higher and more vast realm!

A powerful aura, surpassing even the Saint Realm and capable of moving ordinary Venerables, began to rise steadily from his body!

The thick and scorching earth and fire essence surged into Lei Zhen's body like lava.

This origin carries the Qilin's characteristic of "thick earth that cannot extinguish fire," being both as stable as the earth and as scorching as a raging fire.

He felt as if he were in the core of a star furnace, feeling the pulse of the earth's veins and the flames, every inch of his body being reshaped and strengthened in the high temperature.

A phantom of a Qilin, its feet treading on flames and its back bearing the weight of the vastness, appeared behind him, its ancient runes on its scales shining brightly.

This power lacks the sharpness of killing, but contains endless creative and protective intent, resonating with his art of weapon forging!

His body and soul, which he had originally focused on forging, became more resilient and spiritual under the baptism of the earth and fire elements, and his understanding of the laws of fire and earth became a hundred times clearer in an instant!

The bottleneck of the Saint Realm shattered with a roar, and its aura rapidly advanced towards the Venerable Realm!

Wang Meng felt countless golden lines cutting through space coursing through his body.

These golden threads seemed to be dismantling and reassembling his body and soul.

"Humph--"

The extreme speed and the tearing sensation made him groan, and veins bulged on his forehead.

As a centurion of the Qin Dynasty, he possessed an iron will and gritted his teeth to guide this force.

Behind him, a phantom image of a golden-winged roc tearing through the sky appeared, its wings spread as if it could cleave through time and space!

His already formidable physique and combat skills became even more agile and sharp under the baptism of the Rift of Space, and his understanding of the laws of space was instantly enhanced!

The shackles of the late Grandmaster realm were easily broken, and his aura surged towards the Great Grandmaster realm and even higher!

Above the fortress, the wind and clouds changed color!

The platinum tiger roars and splits the sky, the qilin treads on fire and burns the heavens, and the golden roc's phantom shuttles through the air!

Three towering pillars pierced the heavens and earth, stirring up the spiritual energy within a thousand miles to form a huge vortex!

The pressure of breaking through to a higher realm is like three ancient divine mountains awakening, pressing heavily on the hearts of everyone who senses it, bringing unparalleled shock and ecstasy!

Zhang Yuan and his six divine beast avatars surrounded the three, each releasing their power to form a stable protective shield, isolating them from internal and external interference and guiding the raging primal power to gently merge into their bodies.

On the other side, six drops of essence blood floated, and the immense power on them was only slightly depleted.

The remaining bloodline power can at least give birth to a hundred Great Saints and three Venerable Realm cultivators!

The gifts from the six powerful divine beasts were indeed unimaginable treasures for Zhang Yuan and his subordinates at present.

Meanwhile, outside Chentieling, on a newly planned vast plain, the "Blood Mill Market" officially opened!

There were no magnificent pavilions, only rows of neat, simple shops built from huge logs and sturdy rocks, and a spacious trading square. The air was filled with the scents of earth, ore, herbs, leather, sweat, and the smoke drifting from the distant forging workshops, all blending together to create a rough yet vibrant atmosphere.

The crowds were numerous, yet orderly.

Besides the human soldiers in standard light armor maintaining order, there were many more ancient tribes in all sorts of strange and unusual costumes.

The Rock Armor Tribe has grayish-brown, rough skin like rock.

A short, stocky hill dwarf with a thick beard and carrying a huge mining basket.

The Shadow Cat Clan: agile, with slightly twitching ears and wary eyes.

There were even a few feathered people wearing simple feather cloaks, whose aura was similar to that of birds...

In a spacious stone house near the central supply depot, Zhao Yu changed out of her fine clothes and wore only a plain indigo blue coarse cloth robe. Her long hair was simply tied up, and she wore no makeup.

She sat upright behind a huge wooden table, with a thick animal skin scroll spread out in front of her and a specially made jade slip with flowing runes beside her.

At this moment, she was listening intently to the description of an elderly bull demon, who was exceptionally tall and robust, with bronze skin, muscles bulging like old tree roots, a single horn on his forehead, and carrying a huge metal ingot on his back.

“Respected Madam,” the old man of the Bull Demon Clan said in a loud voice with a metallic quality, his attitude respectful yet tinged with a barely perceptible unease, “Our clan, the Black Horn Tribe, has lived on the edge of the Iron Melting Mountains for generations, and is skilled in mining and refining Black-Veined Fire Copper and Abyss Cold Iron.”

"However, the demonic energy is eroding us more and more each day, and evil spirits are thriving deep within the mine, causing heavy casualties among our people. We... need powerful exorcism talismans, sturdy mining tools, and... healing and life-saving pills, the more the better."

He patted the huge ore behind him, which was about half a person tall and shimmered with dark red and dark blue patterns.

"This is the finest 'water and fire double-patterned iron,' I'm willing to exchange it for what you need."

Zhao Yu listened intently, occasionally jotting down keywords on the animal skin scroll and lightly tapping the jade slip with his finger to leave more detailed notes.

She didn't rush to quote a price; instead, she inquired carefully:

"What type of demonic energy from deep within the mine does the exorcism talisman need to counteract? Is it the corrosive poison that erodes flesh and blood? Or the whispers that disturb the soul? Or perhaps a physical shadow demon?"

"Mining tools, what materials are you currently using? Is the drill bit the one that wears out the most? Or the pickaxe handle? Do you need more rigidity? Or enchantment to ward off evil?"

"Is the healing medicine primarily for external injuries? Internal organ damage? Or is it a mutation caused by demonic energy entering the body? What is the general constitution of the clan members? How well do they tolerate the medicine?"

"Besides these, is there enough food? Your people seem a bit tired. Have you replenished your salt and oil supplies enough?"

Her questions were precise and pragmatic, directly addressing the core pain points of the other party's survival and production. There was no sense of condescension or charity; she seemed more like an experienced expert assessing the needs.

The old man from the Bull Demon Clan was stunned, his cloudy bull eyes filled with surprise.

He had seen too many traders who were either greedily focused on the value of the ore and desperately tried to drive down the price, or who arrogantly tossed out some random items to get rid of them.

No one has ever been so meticulous, so... understanding of their plight, or concerned with their true needs!

His rough, large hands unconsciously rubbed the hem of his clothes, and his voice was choked with emotion:

"My Lord, my Queen, have your witness! Deep within the mine, the corrosive poison and the soul-devouring demonic sounds are the most deadly! The tools... we used hardened iron that we tempered ourselves, but the monsters' shells are too hard, and the drill bits and pickaxe tips wear out too quickly!"

"Medicines... for both external and internal injuries, and the entry of demonic energy into the body is also common. Our people are tough and resilient, so a stronger dose of medicine won't hurt them! Food... salt!"

"Salt and oil are the most scarce resources! The prey in the mountains is said to be possessed by evil spirits, so we dare not eat too much of it..."

Zhao Yu nodded knowingly and quickly wrote down the information under the entry "Black Horned Bull Demon Clan, Black Patterned Fire Copper, Abyss Cold Iron" on the animal skin scroll.

"Core needs: powerful exorcism talisman, corrosive poison, soul-corroding. High-hardness exorcism drill bit, pickaxe tip formula or finished product, general-purpose powerful wound medicine, external, internal, and exorcism. Salt, oil, animal or plant."

"We can provide high-quality water and fire double-patterned iron, a large quantity of black-patterned fire copper, a large quantity of abyssal cold iron, and labor for primary ore refining."

"Note: Physically strong, capable of undertaking heavy physical and high-risk mining operations, with the potential to be trained as an excellent miner/junior forging apprentice."

After finishing writing, she looked up at the old man and gave him a gentle yet firm smile: "Don't worry, sir. We'll give the exorcism talisman and healing medicine priority."

"I've noted down the high-hardness anti-magic tools. I'll have the masters at the weapon-refining workshop study them as soon as possible to see whether it's more appropriate to provide the finished product or to teach you the refining formula."

"The salt and oil can be drawn up in proportion today." She turned to the quartermaster standing beside her and instructed, "According to the first batch of aid standards for the Class C 'Strategic Cooperation Tribe,' allocate 50 'Purifying Flame Exorcising Talismans,' 100 bottles of 'Golden Wound Regenerating Ointment,' 50 portions of 'Heart-Clearing and Spirit-Protecting Powder,' 500 catties of sea salt, and 300 catties of animal fat."

“It was recorded in the accounts of the ‘Black Corner’ and part of it was offset by the price of the first batch of water and fire double-layered iron.”

The quartermaster quickly recorded and executed the order.

The old man of the Bull Demon Clan looked at the supplies that were quickly brought in, piled up like a small mountain, especially the snow-white sea salt and solidified grease. He was so excited that his whole body trembled, and turbid tears rolled down his huge bull eyes. He knelt down on one knee with a thud: "Thank you for your great kindness, Mistress! The Black Horn Clan is willing to serve Chen Tieling to the death!"

This understanding and timely assistance are a thousand times more precious than the ore itself!

Outside the stone house, on the other side of the trading square, is one of the busiest areas of the "Blood Mill," a recruitment and skills demonstration area for weapon refineries.

The temperature here is noticeably high, and the air is scorching.

Several huge open forging furnaces were engulfed in flames, with sparks flying everywhere.

Several master craftsmen, wearing only leather aprons, stood like iron towers in front of a furnace, their rock-hard upper bodies covered in sweat and scald marks.

They did not lift a finger, but instead crossed their arms and scanned the long line of young men from various ethnic groups ahead with piercing eyes.

"Next!" shouted Chen Tieshou, the one-armed old craftsman in charge of the initial screening.

A young man from the Minotaur tribe, who was extremely burly and two heads taller than the human man next to him, stepped forward, nervously rubbing his hands together.

"Raise the hammer! Smash!" Chen Tie pointed to a piece of red-hot refined iron blank on the anvil next to him, and then to a row of forging hammers on the ground, ranging from three hundred jin to one thousand jin.

The young bull demon roared, grabbed the 800-pound giant hammer, his arm muscles bulged, and slammed it down hard!

"Bang!" Sparks flew everywhere, and a large chunk of the iron blank dented.

“Strength is acceptable! But control is too rough! The landing point is off by half an inch! If you want to learn blacksmithing, go to the ‘Thousand Hammers and Hundred Forging Workshop’ and work as a laborer for three months to master the hammer! Next!” Chen Tieshou showed no mercy.

The young bull demon scratched his head in frustration, but dared not refute, and silently retreated to the side to observe and learn.

Next to step forward was a wiry, hill dwarf with large knuckles.

Without a word, he grabbed a 500-pound hammer, took a deep breath, his arm as steady as a rock, and the hammerhead struck the iron blank with a peculiar rhythm, like raindrops. The clanging sounds were dense and rhythmic, the strikes incredibly precise, and the iron blank visibly became perfectly formed. (End of Chapter)