Chapter 303: Di Yi
Han Jingzhong and Zhang Tiangui wore expressions of reverence and fear. They kept their heads lowered, following behind Red Desire Star Envoy and Purple Wind Star Envoy as they walked into the camp.
This was a vast military camp carved out from the towering mountains, also the training base for the strongest army of the Four Directions Commandery—the "Mammoth Army." It contained horse pastures, martial training platforms, and a dedicated camp for training barbarian beasts.
The entire base housed only three thousand soldiers, yet the weakest among them possessed martial cultivation at the Earth Extreme Small Extreme Position. Stepping out of the camp, they were first-rate martial arts masters. Their mounts were all mammoths.
Mammoths were fourth-rank lower-grade barbarian beasts. Although they were the weakest of the fourth-rank barbarian beasts, who could withstand the charge of three thousand mammoths? Even a martial myth at the Heaven Extreme Realm would be instantly crushed.
Possessing such a powerful army was enough to sweep through all thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge. To build a Mammoth Army required a massive expenditure of spirit crystals and the recruitment of experts from across the land. The royal clans of the Four Directions Commandery simply lacked the financial resources and the influence to do so.
Thus, the true master of this Mammoth Army was not the Four Directions Commandery, but a high-ranking figure from the Black Market.
At this moment, that high-ranking figure sat at the head of the main tent of the camp. He wore a suit of dark iron armor trimmed with gold, and a golden iron mask covered his face. The hands exposed outside his sleeves appeared very fair and delicate, clearly belonging to a young man.
Yet, such a young man exuded a chilling, icy aura.
In addition, dozens of martial arts experts sat within the tent: the commandery princes of the Four Directions Commandery, the master of the Underworld Gate, the chief leader of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild, the master of the Vermilion Bird Tower…
The rulers of the top powers of the Demon Ridge Black Market had almost all gathered here, each one a figure whose name struck fear into others.
Of course, there were also some young talents of the Black Market who did not have the right to sit and could only stand at the edge of the tent. For example, the seven great experts of the Black Market's younger generation, and some newly risen ruthless evil path figures.
Among those young evil path figures was a thin man. He leaned against the tent wall, dressed in a coarse gray cloth garment, standing straight as a rod, clutching an iron sword. He carried an aura of death, as if devoid of any emotion.
If Zhang Ruochen were here, he would recognize him. That gray-clad man was none other than the life-taking swordsman, A Le, who had once decided to join the Black Market.
However, the current A Le was already the top assassin of the younger generation in the Underworld Gate. With his Earth Extreme Realm cultivation, he could kill Heaven Extreme Realm martial artists, earning him great favor from the master of the Underworld Gate.
Within the Underworld Gate, A Le's strength had already surpassed that of the young master, "Zi Yin Yang." But A Le's personality was too withdrawn; he almost never spoke to anyone, like a human-shaped stone.
Besides him, two other young martial artists from the Underworld Gate were also in the tent: Zi Yin Yang and Zi Qian. Given their status, they could only stand in a corner.
The entire tent was silent, with only the occasional sound of breathing breaking the stillness. The atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.
The man wearing the metal iron mask, seated at the head, spoke with a somewhat hoarse voice: "Coming to the Demon Ridge, I am disappointed. The Black Market has been completely suppressed by the Martial Market Bank and the Moon-Worshipping Cult, with no initiative at all. This is not the style of our Black Market."
"The Poison Spider Merchant Guild is the largest Black Market merchant guild in the Demon Ridge, with influence spanning thirty-six commanderies and gathering dozens of martial myths at the Heaven Extreme Realm. Guild Leader Hua, tell me, what is the reason?"
The chief leader of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild, Hua Qingye, turned pale with terror, as if Death himself had called his name. Cold sweat poured from his entire body, and his legs trembled slightly.
He was already over a hundred years old, and his martial cultivation had broken through the Heaven Extreme Realm to reach the Fish-Dragon Realm, transcending the mortal realm. Yet, before that mysterious man, a powerful sense of unease surged within him, making him extremely restless.
Hua Qingye stood up somewhat shakily, bowed to the mysterious man, and said fearfully, "Young Master… the situation in the Demon Ridge is extremely complex. All factions are very powerful. It's not just the Martial Market Bank and the Moon-Worshipping Cult that are simple. The Taiqing Palace and the Yuntai Sect Mansion are fourth-rate sects with Half-Saints, not to be underestimated. Besides that…"
"Bang!"
The man in the metal iron mask slammed his palm onto the table and snorted coldly, "If that's the case, what use are you?"
Red Desire Star Envoy and Purple Wind Star Envoy stood behind the man in the metal iron mask, one on each side. One wore red robes, exuding charm and allure; the other wore a purple robe embroidered with dragons, handsome and domineering.
Hearing the words of the man in the metal mask, Red Desire Star Envoy and Purple Wind Star Envoy immediately understood. A cold gleam flashed in their eyes as they fixed their gazes on Hua Qingye.
"Guild Leader Hua, if you can dodge one strike from me, I will spare your life."
The purple-robed man carrying the dragon-headed iron spear, Purple Wind Star Envoy, shot forward with a "whoosh," reaching Hua Qingye in almost an instant.
Purple Wind Star Envoy formed his five fingers into a palm blade, generating a purple blade light that slashed toward the left shoulder of the chief leader of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild.
Purple Wind Star Envoy controlled his strength with exquisite precision, with not a trace of true qi leaking out.
As the chief leader of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild, Hua Qingye was naturally a formidable expert. He twisted his body and exerted force through his legs, attempting to retreat rapidly.
Before he could even move his feet, a sharp pain erupted from his shoulder.
"Pfft!"
Hua Qingye's left arm was severed by the purple blade qi and fell to the ground.
Crimson blood gushed from the wound, filling the tent with a thick, bloody smell.
Purple Wind Star Envoy glanced at Hua Qingye, did not continue his attack, and retreated back, saying, "Since you managed to dodge my strike, I will spare your life. But you should know, I only used one-tenth of my cultivation in that exchange. If I had used full force, not even a piece of your bone would remain."
"Thank you, Purple Wind Star Envoy. Thank you, Young Master."
Hua Qingye immediately knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to the man in the metal mask seated at the head.
Everyone in the tent drew in a cold breath, their expressions growing even more fearful.
Hua Qingye was a super expert beyond the Heaven Extreme Realm, yet that purple-robed man had crippled his arm with a single move. Just how strong was that purple-robed man?
That purple-robed man appeared to be only about twenty years old. Even if martial artists could slow aging, his age could not exceed fifty.
To achieve such a high level of accomplishment before fifty was truly terrifying.
The man in the metal mask said, "Everyone need not fear me so much. We all serve the Black Market and should get along harmoniously. Perhaps you are not yet familiar with me. Let me introduce myself. I am the number one expert of the Earth Grade Hall within the Black Market First Class Hall of the Eastern Domain. You can call me… Di Yi. If you have seen this issue of the *Eastern Domain Wind and Cloud Report*, you might know a bit about me. I am the one who defeated Bu Qianfan with three sword strikes."
"Although I am only at the Earth Extreme Realm now, I hope you will not underestimate me. Otherwise, it won't just be a matter of losing an arm."
The man calling himself 'Di Yi' chuckled and continued, "I have come to the Demon Ridge this time mainly for two things. First, the Black Market must have absolute control over the Demon Ridge. Whether it's the Martial Market Bank, the Moon-Worshipping Cult, or the local forces of the Demon Ridge, they must all submit at the feet of the Black Market."
"Second, I am searching for the legendary Dragon Sarira, and I hope everyone can lend me a hand."
One of the commandery princes asked cautiously, "Young Master, what is the Dragon Sarira?"
Di Yi said, "Eight hundred years ago, the Kunlun Realm had nine supreme powerhouses, known as the 'Nine Emperors.' Among them was a Buddhist cultivator, called the 'Buddha Emperor.'"
"To unify the world, Empress Chi Yao had to march into the Western Region and suppress one of the three paths, the 'Ten Thousand Buddha Path.' As the master of the Brahma Path, the Buddha Emperor naturally had to fight the then-peak Empress Chi Yao."
"As recorded in historical texts, Empress Chi Yao won that battle, forcefully taking the Western Region and defeating the Buddhist leader, the Ten Thousand Buddha Path."
"After the Buddha Emperor died at the hands of Empress Chi Yao, the sarira he left behind was swallowed by his mount, the Golden Dragon."
"The Golden Dragon took advantage of Empress Chi Yao's weakened state from the battle with the Buddha Emperor and escaped. Later, Empress Chi Yao sent experts to pursue the Golden Dragon and seize the sarira within its body. Unexpectedly, the Golden Dragon had already fully refined the sarira, transforming it into a Dragon Sarira, greatly increasing its power. It slaughtered the experts sent by Empress Chi Yao without mercy."
"The Golden Dragon defeated the experts sent by Empress Chi Yao, but it was also severely wounded and ultimately died on the run. Since then, the Dragon Sarira disappeared."
"I searched through the ancient texts of the Black Market First Class Hall and finally found some clues in a book."
"At that time, Empress Chi Yao's power had reached its peak, sweeping through the Nine Emperors and becoming invincible under heaven. After being severely wounded, the Golden Dragon fled eastward to the then-barren Eastern Domain. In the Eastern Domain, the Golden Dragon had a junior—the former overlord of the Demon Ridge, the Four-Winged Earth Dragon."
"I speculate that the severely wounded Golden Dragon died in the Demon Ridge."
"The Four-Winged Earth Dragon had two lairs. One was the Red Sky Secret Mansion deep within the Demon Ridge, and the other was the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the Tongming River."
"After the battle five hundred years ago, the Red Sky Secret Mansion was reduced to ruins. If the Dragon Sarira had been there, it would have been taken long ago. However, the underwater Dragon Palace has never been opened. If the Four-Winged Earth Dragon truly obtained the Golden Dragon's Dragon Sarira, it is very likely stored in the Dragon Palace."
Hearing Di Yi's words, the evil path figures of the Black Market present were all boiling with excitement.
The legendary sarira left by the Buddha Emperor might be in the Demon Ridge. Was there anything more thrilling than this?
Obtaining the sarira would be equivalent to receiving the Buddha Emperor's inheritance.
Of course, they did not dare to covet the Dragon Sarira itself—that was something only Di Yi could possess. But if they helped Di Yi seize the Dragon Sarira, it would be a great merit.