âI think we should understand the Misty Forest better before we go in,â Liu Rufeng said.
âThough the sectâs mission is important, we also have to consider our own safety. If we canât guarantee that, how can we even talk about fusing the Blood Lizard?â
âRufeng is right. Brother Lin, you probably know more about the Blood Lizard, right?â Fang Xiang asked, looking at Xu Zimo.
âLetâs study the fusion method,â Xu Zimo said.
Everyone gathered in a circle and took out the fusion manual.
Opening the light blue pages, they saw that the content wasnât long but very detailed.
The lizard clan had lived for generations in the swamp regions of the Misty Forest, mainly divided into four major groups: Green Lizards, Red Lizards, Yellow Lizards, and Blue Lizards.
The strength of a lizard was measured by age and lineage, typically divided into hundred-year, thousand-year, and ten-thousand-year classes.
The fusion process to obtain a Blood Lizard had four stages: First, fuse a hundred-year-old Green Lizard and a hundred-year-old Red Lizard to get a Fire Lizard.
Then, fuse the Fire Lizard with a thousand-year-old Yellow Lizard to get a Jade Lizard.
Next, fuse the Jade Lizard with a ten-thousand-year-old Blue Lizard to obtain a Light Red Lizard. Finally, refine it with Divine Dragon Fire to create the extremely rare Blood Lizard.
The fusion method was detailed in the book.
It was worth noting that the fusion could fail, and each fusion required a Fusion Stone.
âThis is tough, so complicated,â Mu Zhoubai said, patting his head in frustration.
âIf it were easy, the Blood Lizard wouldnât be so rare,â Yin Rong said after some thought.
âAfter all, rarity brings value. But thereâs a city next to the Misty Forest, we can gather some intel there.â
Everyone nodded, put away the book, and headed southeast.
Fury City, this was the closest city to the Misty Forest.
While most feared the forest and treated it as forbidden land, the people here thrived off it.
The main reason was the Fusion Stones.
In Fury City, trade wasnât done with spirit crystals, divine crystals, or demonic crystals, but with Fusion Stones.
Fusion Stones werenât just for creating Blood Lizards; they were used to lure and trap the forestâs spirit beasts to obtain Essence Stones, which helped cultivate the physical body.
Essence Stones werenât impossible to find, but they were rare.
Most had to enter the Misty Forest to kill spirit beasts to obtain them.
But people feared getting lost forever in the forest, so few dared venture inside.
Thatâs where Fusion Stones came in, to lure the spirit beasts out so they could be killed outside.
As for the history of Fury City, it was said that long ago, a cultivator named the Lord of Fury from the Fusion Heaven Realm came here.
At first, he wanted to use the spirit beasts to refine his meridian techniques. After killing them, he didnât bother collecting the Essence Stones.
So others followed behind him, picking up what he left behind.
Over time, the legend spread, of a strange man called âFuryâ who entered the Misty Forest at sunrise every day to kill spirit beasts, then left at sunset to rest at a fixed location.
Those who followed him eventually gathered at his resting place, and that group formed the early Fury City.
As the city grew stronger, and more people came, the Lord of Fury appointed people to manage it.
He trained in the Misty Forest for seventy-nine years, that was Fury Cityâs golden era.
On the eightieth year, the forest was shrouded in mist. He entered as usual and never came back.
That final silhouette became the last memory people had of him.
After half a month of travel, Xu Zimo and the group finally arrived below the walls of Fury City.
The tall city stood silent between heaven and earth. Its ancient walls were covered in countless scars, marks left by time.
It seemed to speak of its legendary past.
Even before entering, the lively energy could be felt.
At the city gates, people bustled about, vendors carrying baskets, armored soldiers, and laborers with sheep knives strapped to their backs.
Once inside, the group stood out immediately. The women were stunning, and the men graceful, drawing plenty of attention.
As the top disciples of the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect, they carried an unmistakable presence.
âThese people must know the Misty Forest better than we do. We should gather information before going in,â Mu Zhoubai said.
âMake it quick, the sect is waiting,â Liu Rufeng said coldly as always. âWe donât have time to waste.â
âGot it,â Mu Zhoubai replied reluctantly.
Xu Zimo could tell, Mu Zhoubai didnât feel much loyalty to the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect. He didnât seem to care whether it lived or died.
âLetâs head to an inn. Inns get the best flow of information,â Huangfu Xianyue suggested.
They soon found an old inn near the gate.
The place was worn-down, with no guests in sight.
The sleepy innkeeper was dozing behind the counter.
Fang Xiang cleared his throat.
âWhat are you yelling for? Canât you see Iâm sleeping?â the innkeeper snapped impatiently, standing up and grumbling.
âWhatâs that attitude? We came here to eat, and this is how you treat customers?â Yin Rong said angrily.
The innkeeper looked up and glared at her, then froze, eyes widening when he saw the three women.
He was stunned, mouth hanging open, even drooling a little.
âLooking to die?â Mu Zhoubai said coldly.
A flying dagger unsheathed from his back with a sharp âclang,â embedding itself into a nearby table.
The table split apart instantly. The innkeeper snapped out of his daze.
âIâm sorry, Iâm sorry, I mustâve been half-asleep. Please donât mind me, honored guests,â he quickly apologized with a flattering smile.
âBring us your best food and drinks,â Mu Zhoubai said, tossing him a spirit stone and sitting down calmly.
The rest had considered leaving for another inn, but after that scene, they reluctantly sat down too.
âOf course, of course. Iâll bring you all our specialties,â the innkeeper said, fawning.
âYou, come here. I have a few questions,â Mu Zhoubai said, motioning him over.