Chapter 213: Slaughter God Camp

Chapter 213: Slaughter God Camp

"What is Transcendent Pine?" Duanmu Linger asked curiously.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Transcendent Pine is a type of Mystic Wood, extremely rare, ranked twenty-ninth in the Mystic Wood Codex."

Upon hearing the words "Mystic Wood," Duanmu Linger's heart trembled.

Mystic Wood was the most precious divine timber in the world, its value surpassing even Green Gold and Mystic Stones—truly a rare treasure.

To think such an enormous piece of Mystic Wood was buried here! This wasn’t just a tree; it was a colossal treasure trove.

Even a Martial Venerable would fight to seize such a piece of Mystic Wood.

The value of this single Mystic Wood far exceeded the total wealth of a Martial Venerable—perhaps even several times over.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "Transcendent Pine isn’t ranked very high in the Mystic Wood Codex. One jin of its wood can be exchanged for twenty taels of Green Gold."

"You think that’s little? This Transcendent Pine weighs at least 5,000 kg—it’s practically priceless! You could buy ten cities with it without batting an eye..."

Ning Xiaochuan waved her off. "Don’t get too excited. Let me finish. First, I found this Transcendent Pine, so it’s mine, not yours. Second, the most valuable part isn’t the wood—it’s the bark."

"What value could bark possibly have?"

Ning Xiaochuan explained, "You’re not a Heart Nurturer, so of course you wouldn’t understand. The reason it’s called Transcendent Pine is because its bark helps Martial Artists shed their Mortal Skin faster. For those in the Transcendent Realm, it’s practically an immortal elixir—a divine medicine."

Ning Xiaochuan had been searching for Transcendent Pine Bark all along, hoping to refine Transcendent Pills to rapidly boost his cultivation.

He’d scoured many places without finding even a single piece, yet after being cornered by Xiao Cheng, he stumbled upon so much of it.

Truly, misfortune had turned into blessing.

Duanmu Linger licked her lips lightly and said, "Cousin, even though you were the first to discover this Transcendent Pine... I was a witness too. I think... I should get a share..."

"Not a chance," Ning Xiaochuan replied bluntly. "Miss Duanmu, we’re not exactly close."

Duanmu Linger gritted her teeth, her fingers clenching so tightly they creaked. Through gritted teeth, she hissed, "You’re trying to hog such a massive piece of Mystic Wood all to yourself? Don’t choke on it."

Ning Xiaochuan ignored her completely. "I plan to use the Transcendent Pine Bark to refine a type of Mystic Pill called the Transcendent Pill. If you want to buy it, I’ll give you half-price—out of familial courtesy."

Duanmu Linger admitted that if her cultivation were stronger than Ning Xiaochuan’s, she’d love to give him a good beating. "You’re utterly shameless! I’m your cousin—your own flesh and blood! How dare a junior act so arrogantly? This is lawless... grit!"

Ning Xiaochuan wasn’t usually this cold, but Duanmu Linger had attacked him without reason, which displeased him. The fact that he didn’t treat her as an enemy and even saved her was already generous.

If Duanmu Linger could treat him like family, as Ning Xin'er did, he would undoubtedly return the kindness tenfold.

Coming to a world where one has no relatives is already lonely enough. Who wouldn’t want a few more family members?

"Boom!"

Ning Xiaochuan summoned the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron outside his body and began refining the Transcendent Pill.

The supplementary ingredients for the Transcendent Pill had long been prepared by Ning Xiaochuan. Now that he had found the main ingredient, the "Transcendent Pine Bark," everything was truly ready.

"The Heart Nurturing True Cauldron… How did you cultivate the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron?" Duanmu Linger was shocked once again.

Though she wasn’t a Heart Nurturer and didn’t know much about heart-nurturing and alchemy, she had still seen Heart Nurturers before and wasn’t completely ignorant about them.

At the very least, she knew that only an Advanced Heart Nurturer could cultivate the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron, summon it outside the body, and use external flames to refine Mystic Pills.

Naturally, she refused to believe that Ning Xiaochuan could be an Advanced Heart Nurturer, but the evidence was right before her eyes—how could she deny it?

With Ning Xiaochuan’s current cultivation, refining an Intermediate Elixir was already effortless for him. His movements were skilled and unhurried, and soon, Pill Fragrance wafted from the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron.

The Pill Fragrance spread, carrying a faint scent of pine.

Seeing that the pill was nearly complete, Duanmu Linger could no longer hold back. "The Transcendent Pill… how much are you selling one for?"

Ning Xiaochuan’s gaze turned eastward, ignoring Duanmu Linger once again.

"Hey, say something!"

"Shh… there’s a sound."

Ning Xiaochuan’s expression turned grave as he raised a hand to silence her.

At first, Duanmu Linger thought Ning Xiaochuan was deliberately teasing her, but soon she felt the ground trembling. Channeling Profound Qi to her ears, she indeed heard the sound of hooves from 25 kilometers away.

"Roar!"

A fierce cry rang out.

Dust and sand billowed as dozens of Mystic Beasts charged out from the haze, their bodies pitch-black, roaring like tigers.

These Mystic Beasts looked bizarre—some resembled the Explosive Ape, others the red-scaled tiger, the Earth Lizard, or the Dragon Elephant. But they all shared one common trait: their entire bodies were ink-black, as if dyed in ink, with a metallic sheen flowing across their forms.

An overwhelming aura radiated from them—savage, bloodthirsty, and brimming with battle intent.

Duanmu Linger said, "Why are there so many Mystic Beasts in the Moshate Desert?"

Ning Xiaochuan studied them carefully, his brows deeply furrowed. "They were drawn here by the Pill Qi. That was my mistake."

He used the word "they" instead of "them."

"Even so, how could so many different types of Mystic Beasts appear in the Moshate Desert, and how did they gather together?" Duanmu Linger asked.

Lightning flickered around Ning Xiaochuan’s five fingers as he said, "Because they’re not Mystic Beasts—they’re people."

"People?" Duanmu Linger seemed to realize something, her expression shifting slightly.

These Mystic Beasts were clad in armor, draped in leather, and equipped with bows, crossbows, Short Swords, spears… a total of nine types of weapons, each one a forbidden military artifact of immense power.

A single Mystic Beast would never carry nine forbidden weapons—because they were all human.

Ning Xiaochuan uttered five words: "The Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp."

"Hahaha, as expected of the Imperial City's number one genius, your insight is extraordinary." A 7-meter-tall Explosive Ape spoke in a human voice, its words thunderous, audible even from 5 kilometers away.

"Boom!"

The Explosive Ape's body crackled as its bones and flesh shifted, enveloped in Profound Qi. In just two breaths, the towering beast transformed into a burly man in his forties, muscles taut and eyes sharp as blades. "Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp, Hundred Banner Governor, Yan Lingfeng," he declared.

The world knew the imperial court's most formidable military forces were the "Dragon Warriors Battalion" and the "Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion," feared and revered by all Martial Artists. Yet few were aware of the third, most ruthless faction—the "Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp," or simply "Slaughter God Camp."

All three factions were enigmatic and overwhelmingly powerful, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

While the Dragon Warriors Battalion and Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion were bred for war, capable of turning the tide on large-scale battlefields, the Slaughter God Camp was different. They did not engage in warfare but specialized in eliminating sects, the Demon Sect, and noble families within the Yulan Empire. Any faction deemed a threat to the court would be eradicated with thunderous force, roots and all.

Personally overseen by the Jade Emperor, the Slaughter God Camp was the sharpest blade in his hand. If any official or general betrayed the empire, the camp would storm their residence and slaughter everyone—leaving no survivors, not even livestock.

Compared to the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion, the Slaughter God Camp inspired far greater dread. Commoners feared them, sects feared them, noble families feared them, even the descendants of princes and marquises trembled at their name.

They were synonymous with death.

Wherever the Slaughter God Camp appeared, rivers of blood would inevitably flow.

Now, standing before Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger were dozens of Mystic Beasts—members of the Slaughter God Camp.

The reason they were called the "Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp" lay in their physiology: their blood had been replaced with Mystic Beast Blood, their hearts with Mystic Beast Hearts. They possessed the cultivation talent of Martial Artists and the immense physical strength and Innate Divine Abilities of Mystic Beasts.

They could be human—or transform into beasts.

More bloodthirsty and cold than Mystic Beasts, yet wielding human intelligence, they were forged from childhood through the cruelest training into killing machines. Each had mastered 176 assassination techniques, capable of slaying even those stronger than themselves.

All 38 Slaughter God Camp warriors were armed with nine types of Forbidden Military Artifacts, their murderous intent coalescing into a Blood Malevolence Cloud above them, twisting into the shape of a demonic specter.

"When the Slaughter God Camp arrives, none are spared. Minor Marquis, hand over the Northern Abyss Divine Art—then commit suicide," Yan Lingfeng said coldly.

Any other Martial Artist, no matter how powerful, would have been terrified to the point of losing control of their bowels. But Ning Xiaochuan remained unshaken by their killing intent. "Is it the Cloud Marquis who wants me dead?"

"The Slaughter God Camp acts solely on the Emperor's decree. What is the Cloud Marquis to us?" Yan Lingfeng retorted.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "So it's the Jade Emperor who wants me dead."

"If the Emperor wants someone dead, they must die."

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Thirty-eight members of the Slaughter God Camp drew their Divine Slaying Crossbows, loading the bolts and aiming them at Ning Xiaochuan.

Thirty-eight surges of overwhelming killing intent materialized, taking the form of thirty-eight phantom Mystic Beasts hovering above the tips of the bolts.

The Divine Slaying Crossbow was a forbidden military artifact, forged from Crimson Flame Divine Steel and inlaid with Mystic Stones to power its shots. A single bolt could level a small mountain.

Being classified as a forbidden weapon, its might was immense—specifically designed to slay martial artists, regardless of their cultivation level. None could escape death once targeted.