Chapter 77: The Junior Disciple of the Spirit Gathering Realm

In the Ironwood Forest, a faint breeze stirred among the trees. Chu Jie and Duan Kun stood beneath the branches, their presence devoid of murderous intent, yet their mere existence was enough to shake the hearts of those around them.

After Chu Jie finished speaking, a deathly silence fell over the group. His words were, in truth, rather ordinary—he merely expressed a desire to recruit followers—but Wu Long and the others did not see it so. For them, the opportunity they had long dreamed of had finally arrived. That was exactly how Wu Long felt at this moment. Though he had cultivated to the fifth tier of the Spirit Convergence Realm, he had little luck and mediocre strength. Now, he sensed that he had encountered the greatest fortune of his life.

"I feel as though I'm dreaming..." Wu Long murmured, sounding nothing at all like a master of the fifth tier. Instead, he resembled a novice just beginning his martial journey.

Li Yao, too, was stunned. Moments ago, they had lamented their inability to find the two legendary fiends. Now, not only had they met them, but they were being recruited as followers and given a chance to rise.

How could such a prospect not stir their hearts?

"Boss, don't just stand there—this is our chance!" Li Yao urged.

Those behind them flushed with excitement, their faces aglow. One must understand—anyone who encountered the peerless fiends would generally end up dead. Yet, they had met them multiple times and survived, and now they were about to become their followers.

Wu Long's lips trembled with excitement; such a sudden turn of events left him unable to contain himself.

Watching their reactions, Chu Jie finally believed they truly wished to join him. When he first heard their intentions, he had doubted them, despite his and Duan Kun’s notorious reputation in the Abyss of Demons and Gods. After all, they had killed countless people, their fame rooted in brutality.

In such circumstances, it was hard to imagine anyone willingly seeking them out. Another reason for his doubt was that these men were all at the fourth or fifth tier of the Spirit Convergence Realm—such cultivation would be valued anywhere. Why would they easily pledge themselves to him?

Yet now, their sincere behavior convinced Chu Jie completely.

"Why are they so hesitant?" Duan Kun spoke from the side, unable to bear their dithering any longer.

Though Wu Long and his six companions were of similar cultivation to Duan Kun, they could not match him in combat—due not only to physique, but also techniques, weapons, and other factors. Duan Kun's current strength was formidable.

At Duan Kun’s words, Wu Long and the others felt a chill run through their bodies; cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

"We are willing!" Wu Long declared, kneeling on one knee in a gesture of submission, vowing loyalty unto death.

All seven Spirit Convergence experts bowed low.

Chu Jie nodded with satisfaction. "Enough, rise now. These are extraordinary times, no need for such ceremony."

The seven stood, their faces beaming with joy.

At present, Chu Jie had nothing to give them. The Spirit Convergence martial artists he had slain before were paupers, carrying no precious treasures. Of course, it would be unwise to reward new followers with valuables immediately, but with so many enemies hunting him, he was confident he’d soon acquire worthy treasures to reward his followers.

"Boss, what should we do now? When do we start fighting those martial artists?" Wu Long asked, his enthusiasm barely contained—clearly a warrior eager for battle. Now that he followed Chu Jie, his blood boiled; at this moment, he would fight anyone who stood before them.

Chu Jie replied, "No need to rush. They may have numbers, but victory is far from certain."

If anyone else said such a thing, Wu Long would scoff, but Chu Jie was different—a peerless fiend who had slain countless foes. Wu Long believed whatever Chu Jie said.

Unintentionally, Chu Jie and Duan Kun benefitted from the reputation of the true peerless fiends. To say they had killed many was true, but compared to the genuine legends, they were but minor figures.

With new followers, Chu Jie and Duan Kun developed new ideas. If it were just the two of them, some plans would be difficult to execute. Now, everything was different.

Their enemies were a team of over a hundred Spirit Convergence experts. Among so many, who knew if some were particularly formidable? To kill so many at once would be exceedingly difficult.

"Set a trap," Chu Jie decided, though he needed to carefully consider how to arrange it.

To ambush a large number of Spirit Convergence experts would require leveraging the environment of the Abyss of Demons and Gods; otherwise, it would be nearly impossible.

"You’re familiar with the abyss. Is there anywhere especially dangerous on the ninth terrace?" Chu Jie asked.

Wu Long answered immediately, "I know of a place with unusual terrain—perfect for a trap. If we do it right, we might take out a lot of people."

Wu Long was now thoroughly excited—a natural-born fighter, though his strength had forced him to endure in silence. Now, the prospect of a grand slaughter exhilarated him.

"Lead us there," Chu Jie said.

This was his first time in the lower levels of the abyss; he knew little of its specifics and needed to see it for himself. Moreover, the situation in the abyss had changed greatly—places once perilous might no longer be so. Only by seeing them firsthand could they know.

"It’s half a day’s journey from here, but if we hurry, we’ll arrive in a few hours," Wu Long said.

They were all Spirit Convergence martial artists—remarkably swift—so Chu Jie ordered, "Go all out and get there as quickly as possible."

The search for them was growing ever more intense. Discovery was only a matter of time. Currently, a team of about a hundred Spirit Convergence experts was scouring the area for them. They had to find a way to eliminate this group and show the world they were not to be trifled with.

Only then would Chu Jie’s pent-up rage be released.

Wu Long led the way, followed by Chu Jie and the others—a party of nine raced toward the location Wu Long had described.

Along the way, they encountered small groups of martial artists. Chu Jie and Duan Kun did not intervene, letting Wu Long and his companions handle them easily. Scattered Spirit Convergence warriors, along with some Body Tempering ones, posed no threat. Still, to prevent them from sending flares and ruining their plan, they had to be eliminated.

As usual, Chu Jie stored the bodies in the Savage Cauldron, which now held even more corpses.

After several hours, Chu Jie followed Wu Long to their destination.

"Boss, this is it—Firewind Gorge. The place is covered with magma. Normally, during the Nine Heavens Gale, the entire canyon is a sea of fire, and no one dares enter. But now, the danger is much reduced, though there’s still plenty of exposed magma. With a little manipulation, we could unleash its power," Wu Long explained.

"Oh? You know how to manipulate the fire?" Chu Jie asked, intrigued.

"Of course. I once studied how to survey spirit crystal veins and learned about such terrains. I know how to trigger the magma here. But I need to examine the whole area—I've only seen it from afar before, never dared to enter. Now that the gale is gone, it’s safe enough to look around," Wu Long said.

Chu Jie nodded, "Very well, let’s go in and take a look together."

With that, the group entered Firewind Gorge. Though called a gorge, it was not large. It lay on the eastern side of the final terrace of the abyss, flanked by high mountains and a narrow passage between.

"This is Firewind Gorge—a small valley, rarely visited. Now that the Nine Heavens Gale is absent, it’s basically safe," Wu Long explained.

They stood at the entrance, gazing into the canyon shrouded in fiery vapor, magma everywhere—a strange and menacing sight.

The method Wu Long mentioned for manipulating the fire was new to Chu Jie, and he watched with keen curiosity.

He now felt recruiting these followers was worthwhile—they saved him much effort. Previously, he had thought about setting traps, but lacked the manpower to do so.

With his Mad Dog Battalion absent, he had no one to rely on. But now, with Wu Long and his seven men, many things became possible.

"Boss, there are plenty of natural traps here, and it’s easy to activate them," Wu Long said after inspecting the gorge.

"Explain in detail," Chu Jie prompted.

Manipulating fire was something Chu Jie had never heard of before.

"The magma flows from underground, pushed up by subterranean pressure. Because the terrain is special, the magma doesn't cool on the surface. If we block certain vents, pressure builds up elsewhere, and magma can spout like a fountain," Wu Long explained.

To demonstrate, he led several men to block a vent. Sure enough, further away, magma pressure increased and spouted two to three meters high, then gradually subsided.

Chu Jie’s eyes lit up—this method might indeed catch Spirit Convergence martial artists off guard.

Though magma’s destructive power was limited, repeated attacks could have a significant effect.

But at that moment, Wu Long looked troubled.

"If there’s a problem, speak up," Chu Jie said.

"To maximize the effect, we need some high-grade spirit crystals. Only then can we do it properly—the destructive power will be enough to injure even Spirit Convergence experts," Wu Long replied.

Without hesitation, Chu Jie summoned the Savage Cauldron and poured out a hundred high-grade spirit crystals. "Will these suffice?"