Many years later, Iron Sae would still remember that day.

He originally thought it was just a routine mission for the Martial Arts Association, but he didn’t expect it to be the entrance to the Asura Purgatory.

The association told him that several adventurers had died in a strange place in the northern new continent.

Death is part of the adventure, but the person who killed the adventurers strung their bodies on long spears, exposed them to the wind and sun, and used them for demonstration and ridicule.

The surviving adventurers escaped and asked the association to go and rescue their trapped companions, and bring back the bodies of three adventurers to let their souls return to their homeland.

After discussions between Salt City and Yao City, it was decided to carry out the rescue and hand it over to the Martial Arts Association.

Before this, there had never been such a brutal and blatant evil act, which was not only a contempt and blasphemy of human life, but also a direct provocation to Yao City and Salt City.

The perpetrators were a rebel army equipped with armor and weapons, with a well-organized formation and a large number of people, indicating that their ambitions were not small.

The task this time is to rescue the three trapped adventurers, bring back the bodies of the other three, and investigate the purpose and lair of this group of people.

Iron Sae arrived at the tavern in the northern new continent and met another person.

The other person was wearing armor and a coarse robe on the outside. Iron Sae recognized the Ghost Armor at a glance and learned that the other person was indeed a ghost.

The ghost’s name was Yao Pu, she was a senior physician with the ability to heal. This time, she not only wanted to bring back the bodies, but also wanted to awaken the three souls and bring them back to Salt City.

Through the Ghost Armor, Yao Pu made a crackling sound and asked, “What are you good at?”

Iron Sae honestly said, “I am good at writing and drawing maps, but I don’t have much combat experience.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. Don’t be fooled by the fact that I’m a physician, I often fight sandworms and cannibal crabs. After they get injured, I heal them.”

Yao Pu tapped her chest with her finger armor, making a clanging sound.

“Then, I’ll need your help.” Iron Sae said.

It’s always good to have a friend to rely on when you’re away from home.

“And there’s another martial artist.” Yao Pu asked, “Do you know who it is?”

Iron Sae said he didn’t know either.

The task was urgent because the trapped individuals could be in danger at any moment, and the bodies could be completely destroyed at any time. The association immediately issued the task directly to the martial artists who stayed in Salt City, selecting the three of them.

“Let’s go outside and meet at the tavern.” Iron Sae suggested.

The two of them walked out of the tavern.

Yao Pu noticed a Fighting Beetle gnawing on a potato at the door and seemed very interested. “I didn’t expect someone here to be able to tame this guy.”

Iron Sae explained, “It’s not tamed, it’s a companion on the journey.”

“Is this your mount? I can’t tell, you’ve got some skills.” Yao Pu said with respect.

“It’s not a mount… it’s a companion.” Iron Sae emphasized.

Many people regard the Fighting Beetle as a high-level horse or a transcendent combat beast, but that’s not the case. They are warriors who pursue adventure.

This Fighting Beetle originally followed the gourmet Nong Chan, but later Nong Chan went to Sanilo to become a chef, so he entrusted the Fighting Beetle to Iron Sae to continue their adventure.

Iron Sae suddenly noticed a person standing next to the tavern.

The person was wrapped in an old cotton coat and wore a felt hat. He looked very old, with a bulging bag on his back, and his right arm was tightly wrapped in dense bandages, as if he was injured.

Iron Sae had excellent eyesight, and he was excited as he walked over.

“Mr. Salt Long.”

He tried to lower his voice, “I can’t believe I see you in the north. Are you practicing here?”

The old man showed a smile and squeezed out the deep wrinkles on his face. “You’re here for the association’s mission, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Iron Sae was stunned, “Are you… coming with us?”

Yao Pu also came over, and this time she also whispered, “Master Wuzi Wang! I… I have always admired you.”

Salt Long said softly, “Follow me, and I’ll tell you as we walk.”

He led the way, and they walked into the snowy mountains.

“For this mission, the association has told you very little, because many things need to be kept confidential, and only reliable and experienced martial artists can carry it out.”

Salt Long exhaled white air and said slowly, “We are indeed going to rescue three adventurers. Before entering, I need you to paint your whole body blue, temporarily disguise yourself as a member of the Corrupted, and not reveal your identity until I allow it.”

“Because, we are going to step into another world.”

Iron Sae and Yao Pu both felt a chill down their spines.

“That world is called the Wuzi Kingdom, a world that is currently in the midst of a divine war.”

“Follow me, and you’ll know when we get there.”The old man crossed mountains and ice fields, and suddenly the front opened up into a hilly area covered with sand and rocks. In the distance, there were endless mountains, with few plants, separated only by a thin line from the snow-covered landscape behind.

Three martial artists crossed the border to carry out their mission.

…

It had been a month since they arrived in the Wuzi Wang Kingdom. Iron Seal’s feelings towards this place had changed from initial excitement to surprise, admiration, regret, and now to sympathy and anger.

This was once an independent kingdom where people lived simple and peaceful lives. Now, it had been completely disrupted and invaded by the fearless empire, facing the threat of annihilation at any moment.

The Wuzi people did not speak, their eyes were usually made of gold or silver, and because of their unique flesh and blood, they covered their bodies with black mud to avoid contact with water. If they touched water, they would burn and explode.

They looked strange and couldn’t speak, but they were not stupid. The Wuzi people could make land boats and carve various small figures, palaces, horses, and trees out of stone. They were born sculptors and stonemasons.

Some Wuzi people left something on their bodies in black mud that represented their names, such as a palm print, a tree branch, or various stone carvings. That was their name.

One Wuzi man embedded several pine cones in his body, and Iron Seal called him Wuguo. Wuguo gave Iron Seal a stone carving with Iron Seal’s face, with every hair carved in great detail, a craft that would be invaluable in Salt City.

As a return gift, Iron Seal painted a portrait for him.

Wuguo was very happy. He pointed to the paper, made gestures, waved his arms, and picked up the shield and spear left by the imperial soldiers on the ground and waved them.

Iron Seal understood.

He drew a battlefield scene for Wuguo. In the drawing, Wuguo was waving a spear and leading other Wuzi people in a counterattack, chasing and killing the imperial army.

Wuguo was ecstatic and showed the drawing to everyone.

He plucked out his own golden left eye and gave it to Iron Seal as a thank-you gift.

Iron Seal did not accept it.

He just felt sad.

As an artist, he had never felt so heavy before.

One day, the fearless empire seemed to lose patience and began to attack the defense line frantically. Giant crossbows on the backs of sand lizards fired pillar-shaped crossbow shells, causing chaos on the defense line with explosions one after another.

The imperial legion launched round after round of bombing and arrow rain. The front-line spear and shield soldiers kept pushing forward, engaging in close combat with the Wuzi warriors.

Iron Seal saw with his own eyes that two Wuzi people were pierced through their bodies, burning all over, and in the last moment, they desperately rushed out of the front line towards the enemy, wanting to explode among the enemy. But in a moment, they were shot down by the imperial spears and fire arrows, exploding into pieces.

Every time an imperial soldier killed a Wuzi person, they swarmed to collect the fragments from the bodies, which were invaluable spoils of war to them.

After that day, Iron Seal never saw Wuguo again.

Iron Seal drew one painting after another, recording everything he saw: the brave and timid Wuzi people, the soldiers crazily looting and laughing at the bodies, the self-exploding runners, the fawning surrenderers, and many more unknown soldiers who stood on the defense line without retreating.

These were all scenes he had never seen before.

In the world under the protection of God Yao, there had never been such a tragic sight.

Iron Seal used to think that the life-and-death struggle with transcendent beings was the cruelest test, poverty and misery were the unfortunate prologue of life, and the most regretful result was to seek and not obtain.

Now he found that these were nothing at all.

True cruelty had no limits, and even anger became meaningless, only making people feel powerless and insignificant.

Iron Seal began to paint desperately without stopping for a moment. He wanted to record all the most real scenes here, to tell the Yao Clan’s compatriots what had happened here, and to use paper and pen to remember the collapsing giant arches and the dying Wuzi people…

He fell into a state of selflessness.

The sheets of paper were connected, and the paintings seemed to come to life.

The dead Wuzi warriors stood up from the paper, with stiff, dark faces smiling. The warriors waved to him and then rushed to the battlefield without hesitation.

The hand holding the charcoal pen was ground to the point of bleeding, and this blood merged into the painting.

In a daze, he saw Wuguo.

Wuguo spoke for the first time and said to him happily, “My friend, we have won. Our kingdom has won this great war of defending the country! Please paint another painting for us.”

Iron Seal smiled and said, “Okay, okay, that’s great. I’ll paint it right away.”

…

When he woke up again, Iron Seal felt like he had lost his soul.The physician Yao Pu spoke amidst a crackling static, “You were nearly at death’s door. Can painting really kill a person? Fortunately, I brought plenty of herbs and managed to bring you back.”

Old Salt Long looked towards Tie Sai with admiration, “He has surpassed himself and has come to understand his own abilities here. Those paintings are remarkable masterpieces.”

“Do these paintings have a name?”

Tie Sai was silent for a moment, “They are called ‘Dawn of the Kingdom.’”

He hoped that the darkness would eventually disperse.

“That’s a good name.”

Salt Long spoke with a grave expression, “The gods have issued a Divine Oracle; the Blood Knight is preparing the Legion of the Corrupted. The true counterattack is about to begin, and the war will soon end. Our mission has also been officially sanctioned.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, let us go and rescue our kin.”

Tie Sai nodded vigorously.

Thanks to: Bing Tang Lu Wei Cong for the support of 2500 Qidian coins, and to the reader with the ID 20200531164525462 for the support of 100 Qidian coins.