CHAPTER 888: CHAPTER 666: RED MOUNTAIN’S WEALTH

The slave master Ji Hei mentioned the names of Zhao Fangji and Jiang Mingtian, which convinced Li Yi that his trip was not in vain.

Li Yi then asked, "Are the two of them still alive?"

"They are still alive," the slave master Ji Hei said. "But the rules of the Red Gold Mountain Master cannot be violated. If Da Yi wants to rescue them, he must be prepared to offend the Red Gold Mountain Master."

Li Yi said, "Don’t worry, I am not afraid of the Red Gold Mountain Master. Can you take me to find my two friends?"

The slave master Ji Hei looked around and said, "There are too many people traveling together. I can only take you alone; if there are more, I won’t be able to cover it up."

Li Yi immediately said, "Fine, just me alone."

Then he looked at the others and said, "Everyone, please wait in the city for a while. I will go with this slave master."

"Da Yi, be careful," Nanshan Bo said while stroking his beard.

"I am going to do business, Da Yi, you need not worry about me," Merchant Lady Nuheng said with a smile, and then she rode into Red Mountain City on Good Wings.

"Master, if there is a battle, you can call me," Long Yu said seriously, staying outside the city with Qiu Niu, waiting in a corner.

Seeing this, Li Yi did not say much and followed the slave master named Ji Hei towards the large golden-red mountain.

Being someone who has sold slaves into the mountain for years, Ji Hei was very familiar with the situation here.

The mountain guard warriors didn’t even question the two of them and simply regarded Li Yi as Ji Hei’s escort, allowing them to pass through layers of defenses and reach the foot of the mountain rich in purple gold.

Here, there were many slaves working, holding bronze hammers to break rocks and dig for red gold. Any slave not working hard enough would be whipped fiercely by the overseers with whips made of animal hide.

A slave hit by a whip would have his flesh torn open, blood flowing, wailing in pain on the ground.

Moreover, because of the red gold, the mountain was always hot, and every slave was black and skinny. Only the overseers and the mountain guard warriors appeared strong and powerful, so whether one was a slave was apparent at a glance.

This was also why no slave could escape from the Red Gold Mountain.

"Ji Hei, didn’t you deliver a batch of slaves a few days ago? Why are you here again today?" A warrior chief noticed Li Yi beside Ji Hei and discovered that Li Yi was a rare Divine Blood Direct Lineage Warrior.

The silver lightning scars on his body stood out like totems.

This abnormality made the warrior chief couldn’t help but inquire.

After all, the strength of a Divine Blood Warrior is very powerful; if he wants to do something, few can stop him.

The slave master Ji Hei’s eyes shifted as he said, "This is Da Yi, a Divine Blood Warrior from Divine Wood City. He wants to travel with me into the Red Gold Mountain to find traces of Divine Blood. Can you let us in?"

"Come to look for Divine Blood again?" The warrior chief dismissed his doubts and laughed: "There is only red gold, no Divine Blood here. He’s probably going to run in vain."

"It is said that where red gold is born, it’s because of Divine Blood. Bathing in Divine Blood grants a body comparable to the Divine," slave master Ji Hei grinned and said: "This legend alone is enough to drive every Divine Blood Warrior insane."

"Didn’t the Mountain Lord also search for Divine Blood?"

The warrior chief’s eyes moved slightly and he smiled, "Every Divine Blood Warrior who comes here believes they are heaven’s favorite, able to find the legendary Divine Blood. In that case, I won’t stop you. But what payment can you offer this time?"

He said this as he looked towards Li Yi.

Obviously, this situation has happened before. The slave master Ji Hei had previously brought other Divine Blood Warriors into the Red Gold Mountain to search for Divine Blood.

So Li Yi wasn’t the first, nor would he be the last.

It was because of such a perfect reason that the slave master Ji Hei had the confidence to bring Li Yi in. If others accompanied them, it would surely raise suspicion.

Li Yi said, "What kind of payment do you want?"

The warrior chief circled around Li Yi. He reached out and tapped on the Red Feather Purple Gold Armor Li Yi was wearing, and then grinned, "I want the armor on your body. If you are willing to give it to me, I can let you into the Red Gold Mountain and give you a chance to search for the legendary Divine Blood."

Few things could tempt a warrior chief, but the exquisite Red Feather Purple Gold Armor on Li Yi was the most beautiful armor he had ever seen, worth collecting.

Moreover, he could sense that this armor was not just aesthetically pleasing but also held extraordinary power.

"Okay, I will give this armor to you," Li Yi said calmly, removing the Red Feather Purple Gold Armor from his body and handing it to the warrior chief.

The warrior chief, after receiving it, was very pleased, fondly caressing the treasure armor.

"Can we go into the mountain now?" the slave master Ji Hei asked.

The warrior chief’s eyes roamed over Li Yi again, seemingly looking for other benefits, but aside from the Red Feather Purple Gold Armor, Li Yi only had a Five Elements Bracelet on his hand.

A five-colored bracelet, as a warrior, held no interest for him.

Li Yi frowned, sensing that this warrior chief didn’t want to let him go and was trying to squeeze more benefits out of him. In the Barbaric World, such behavior was disgusting, as he hadn’t kept his word.

Seeing that Li Yi didn’t have much else on him, the warrior chief finally said, "You may enter, but you must come out before sunset; otherwise, you must stay in the mountain forever and become a slave."

The slave master Ji Hei surprisingly said, "This isn’t what we agreed on. Last time, the Divine Blood Warrior I brought could stay in the mountain for half a year."

"If you want to stay longer, you can pay an additional fee," the warrior chief emphasized.

His words were clearly directed at Li Yi.

If Li Yi wished to spend more time in the mountain, a single Red Feather Purple Gold Armor wouldn’t satisfy this warrior chief’s appetite.

"I will come out before sunset," Li Yi agreed but did not offer more payment, simply accepting the harsh demand.

The warrior chief, seeing this, looked at Li Yi and said, "Even if you are a Divine Blood Warrior, this is the domain of a territory lord. Do not try to challenge the authority of a lord, or you will die here."

It was clear that this warrior chief was not just a greedy person; he sensed some killing intent from Li Yi’s calm tone, so he immediately issued a serious warning.

Li Yi glanced at him, said nothing more, and walked towards the mountain before him with large strides.

The slave master Ji Hei didn’t dare get involved in such matters, wishing only to quickly fulfill his promise to Xiu Xiang by helping Da Yi find his companions.

Once the two walked far enough, Ji Hei whispered a reminder, "Da Yi, that warrior chief felt threatened by you, so he kept provoking you, hoping you wouldn’t hold back and make a move. That way, he could mobilize the mountain guard warriors against you. He’s a very shrewd person; you must be careful. It’s lucky you kept your composure, or it would have been dangerous just now."

"I saw through it," Li Yi said.

It seems not everyone in this world is just a brute; some have a delicate mind.

That warrior chief becoming the manager here is not without reason.

And without the warrior chief’s obstruction, the path ahead was unimpeded. The overseers nearby, seeing Li Yi and the slave master Ji Hei, paid them no heed. They only showed interest in the black and skinny slaves, not sparing a glance at them unless Li Yi caused trouble.

The slaves swung their hammers, breaking rocks to dig out red gold.

Li Yi saw a giant rock shattered by a tall slave, stones scattered, and a piece of red gold the size of a face appeared. If this red gold were cut, it would be worth at least ten thousand gold.

When the red gold was exposed, some weaker slaves came over, picked it up, and placed it in a basket on their backs to carry it to a designated place for collection.

Li Yi followed the direction the slaves were carrying the red gold, observing.

There was a warehouse built of stone.

Presumably, it housed all the immensely valuable red gold.

"I really want to rob it," he thought.

Just like how anyone passing by a bank would have such a thought.

"Da Yi, if you’re looking for traces of the people you’re seeking, they’re not here; they are in the depths of the mountain," the slave master Ji Hei seemed to read Li Yi’s mind and quickly reminded him, leading him away from there.

After all, seeing so much red gold, nobody wouldn’t be tempted.

Following the direction from which the slaves were transporting the red gold along that path, they carried in their back baskets not only red gold but also blue gold, beautiful jade, and other treasures.