The Magus Era

“Gah!” Man Man dropped the flame-dragon cane, sat straight on the ground while gasping quickly for air. Her face was covered in sweat.

Man Man popped out her eyes, looking at those dragon warriors who were desperately fleeing, yelling out in surprise, “Eh? They ran away! So strange, they haven’t been smashed by my hammers yet, why are they running? We have dragons in the Southern Wasteland too, those are much braver than these!”

Ji Hao was surprised as well. He looked at those crazily fleeing dragon warriors, remained silent for a while, then turned around and glanced where the Chi Ban Market was located and said, “Well, this is good. To incur hatred between our humankind and the dragon-kind is not helpful anyway. After all, in wars against the non-humankind, the dragon-kind is one of our helpers.”

Although this helper wasn’t that reliable, for quite a few times and in wars between the human-kind and non-humankind, the dragon-kind had sent out their armies and held off tsunami-like waves of attacks launched by the Yu Dynasty armies for the human-kind. With their help, the human-kind finally laid a solid foundation in the Pu Ban city.

Even now, the dragon-kind would usually love to send out a not so big scale elite army and to fight a great battle against Yu Clan armies, for the human-kind; as long as the human-kind paid a certain price for this.

Therefore, at the feeling or at the cause, Ji Hao shouldn’t solidify the hatred between the humankind and dragon-kind too much. After all, there was no deadly hatred between these two races at all. The dragon-kind actually didn’t have too many big flaws, except the greediness, amorousness, arrogance and unreasonableness.

Walking up to the old tree, Ji Hao pulled out the Flame Dragon Sword and slightly wielded. Along with a puffing noise, that giant dragon tendon net was sliced into pieces. The old tree swayed his enormous body and slowly stood up, looking at those dead bodies all over the ground, seeming to be overwhelmed a little bit.

Yu Clan people, Jia Clan people, human beings, spirit creatures, within only a quarter of an hour, four to five thousand dead bodies were left in this place, and each of them were at or above the level of Senior Level, some were only a step away from the Magus-King-level.

However, after a brutal round of massive killing, the old tree and the leopard, as the target of all these people, stayed perfectly unharmed, while most of those violent and confident groups had fallen in this place. Such a cruel, brutal scene slightly confused the old tree, who had always been living in a deep, virgin valley.

“Big guy!” Ji Hao patted on the old tree’s toe, raised his head, looked at the old tree and said, “You’re already exposed. You’re different from the others of your kind, which are mostly either pines or cypress, or ordinary types of tree, like ficus microcarpa… But you, you’re a purple grain dragon sandalwood.”

“Even an unconscious purple grain dragon sandalwood could make people fight with their lives, while you’re a conscious spirit being, having gained the special method of cultivation, that makes your myron and fruits even more powerful and effective. Therefore, whoever knows about your existence will never let you go. This Chi Ban Mountain area is vast, but not a single safe place in here is left for you.”

Ji Hao honestly told the old tree that in this vast Chi Ban Mountain area, there was no place for him and the leopard anymore. Whether the non-humankind or the other powerful forces in the Chi Ban Market, people who knew about the old tree would insist on hunting him as if he was the rarest prey. As Ji Hao said back in the Red Wood Palace, unless the old tree could cultivate himself into an invincible powerful being, he would never be able to control his own destiny.

“I…” The old tree remained silent for a while, then reached a branch to Ji Hao and said, “I am coming with you, my friend!”

“Friend!” Ji Hao grinned, suddenly thinking of the few friends of his, back in the Southern Wasteland jungle. He held and shook the old tree’s branch and said smilingly, “Let’s go then, otherwise, more people from the Chi Ban Market might come.”

The old tree carried Ji Hao and everyone else on his enormous body, running towards the base camp of the human army with big steps. Every step made by him would cause a thunderous rumble.

Treemen were never good runners. Although they were all immense in shapes, none of them possessed any specialty in running. Ji Hao sat on the old tree’s head and locked his fingers together; following his moves, a gust of wind wrapped a watery cloud, rose from under the old tree’s feet, slightly lifting his body up and lightened it by tens of times. Thus, the running speed of the old tree became barely as fast as ordinarily Senior Magi.

As the old tree’s running speed had been raised, one now could get all advantages gifted by his enormous body at a single glance. He was able to walk on a thousands of feet high mountain in just a few steps, easily leap to a mountaintop from another one, stride across a deep and broad gorge; no matter how great a river was, the old tree could always step across it easily.

Carrying the leopard, Ji Hao and his teammates, the old tree moved forward and soon reached near the human army base camp.

When they were tens of miles away from the camp, a group of guards mounting on giant eagles had already begun following the old tree from a long distance. Below them, three elite troops were moving swiftly on the ground, forming a large circle, and surrounded the old tree and the others carried by him.

When they reached less than ten miles away from the camp, a heavily armored Thunder Lustre Clan cavalry troop lined up in front of them and blocked their way. Lightning bolts dazzled while thunderous roars let out by those thunder beasts rose directly up into the air. Meanwhile, all Thunder Lustre Clan warriors in that troop pulled their huge spears out, aiming at the old tree, who was speedily rushing forward.

Wulong Yao trod on the air, floating above these warriors’ heads. Abruptly, he grinned and waves his hands while saying, “Ah, don’t be so nervous, you can go now, you can go. Ah, this kid, where did he get such a big…Oh! My ancestors’ souls!”

Whulong Yao’s look and tone were both quite calm and bland, however, once he got a closer sight of the old tree, he instantly popped out his eyes, which were now even shining with a greedy green light, and yelled, “A purple grain dragon sandalwood? Which has already cultivated himself into a conscious, spirit being?! ‘Soul-strengthening pills’ made from his myron and fruits will certainly drive the phoenix-kind crazy!”

The dragon-kind were greedy for wealth, while the phoenix-kind especially liked precious treasures. As an old saying goes, phoenixes never land on places which has no treasures hidden in it. It was obvious that in the terms of searching for treasures, the phoenix-kind were as talented as the dragon-kind. Therefore, the phoenix-kind had always been especially rich and wealthy that, even a grass tossed randomly by them could be an extremely precious and rare treasure to the humankind.

The dragon-kind barely had any obvious weakness, but the phoenix-kind had been nearly crazily pursuing natural treasures that had soul-strengthening and purifying effects. ’Soul-strengthening pill’ was a rare and magical medicine developed by the phoenix-kind, and for this kind of medicine, the phoenix-kind would be willing to pay a huge price.

The only main medicinal material required in the concocting process of the soul-strengthening pill was nothing else but the ‘dragon sandalwood soul-incense’, made from myron and fruits of purple grain dragon sandalwoods.

Ji Hao and his friends sneaked out of the camp and not long after that, they brought back a conscious purple grain dragon sandalwood. If it wasn’t for his position and status, Wulong Yao would have begun dancing and singing loudly because of such a big surprise long ago.

Ji Hao leapt down from the old tree’s head, cupped his hands and deeply bowed to Wulong Yao, then said, “Elder Wulong, this is my new friend. We met just not long ago. People are hunting for him out there, but I rescued him. Can the Magi Palace give him a position?”

Ji Hao clearly knew that, although the Magi Palace was found and had been run by the human-kind, many non-humankind creatures were working and living in there, and quite a few of them had been accepting a remuneration equal to that of elders.

“Of course!” Because of that big delightful grin on his face, Wulong Yao’s pair of eyes had now even been squeezed into two curved lines. He pressed his hand heavily on Ji Hao’s shoulder, looking at the old tree while maintaining that huge grin, and said, “My friend here…hm…would you like to join our Magi Palace, and accept our a remuneration as a Magi Master?”

Magi Master was a title and position given by the Magi Palace. Magi Masters only had very little to do, neither had much of actual power, however, their remuneration equaled to that of elders, and they were all under the unconditional protection of the Magi Palace.

Ji Hao immediately said ‘yes’ on behalf of the old tree.