Survival in the Mist: From a Dilapidated Wooden Hut to a Heavenly Palace in the Clouds

"Haha, you don't recognize me after only a short time?"

The man slowly turned around, a playful smile on his face.

Upon seeing the stranger's face, Mo Ming's heart tightened. "Horn, the treasure merchant?"

Horn's attire and demeanor were completely different from before; he wore black boots, black trousers, a black robe, and a black hat—his entire body was black.

Mo Ming dared not relax for a moment, gripping the Demon-Suppressing Sword tightly in his hand. This Huo En was too strange.

"Hehe, don't be nervous, sit down!"

"This is my sanctuary!"

I'm speechless. You're acting like you're the master.

"What brings you here? The money and goods are settled, our transaction is over, right?"

Horn put his hands behind his back, a slight smile still playing on his lips. "That deal is over. I've come to talk to you about another business!"

“Another deal? Tell me about it!” Mo Ming leaned against the door, staring intently at Horn. If Horn made any unusual move, Mo Ming would run away immediately.

Even if they can't escape, they should at least try.

"Do me a favor. You can choose one of the first three items you see today as payment."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ming's eyes lit up. The first three items were: the Vibranium Armor, the Twin-Tailed Crocodile Egg, and the Moat!

Despite being tempted, Mo Ming wasn't blinded by the generous reward. Since the other party was offering such a high reward, the task must be extraordinary and perhaps even dangerous!

"What kind of help do you need first? Then I'll decide whether I'll help or not!"

Horn slowly extended his right hand, rolled up his sleeve, and a thick black and gold ring was visible on his wrist.

"Use your sword to cut this ring, it's that simple!"

Mo Ming asked with some doubt, "Even you, who are so skilled, couldn't break it, but I could?"

"To be precise, it's you... plus your swordsmanship."

Mo Ming glanced at the bronze demon-suppressing sword in his hand. Could it be that he recognized this sword?

Seeing Mo Ming's confusion, Horn continued, "The Bronze Demon-Suppressing Sword, as long as one's will is strong enough, can cut through anything and sever anything."

"This is giving me a headache. How do you know about the Bronze Demon-Suppressing Sword? No, no, you have to explain this to me properly, otherwise I can't agree to your deal."

Mo Ming scratched his head. He was indeed a little annoyed, but he was more eager to learn more secrets from Horn, the secrets of the Mist World.

After pondering for a moment, Horn grabbed a chair and sat down. The strange smile on his lips finally disappeared as he said, "I can explain it to you, but you have to agree to the deal after I finish. Otherwise, wouldn't you have gotten all this information for free?"

"Heh! Then let's just part ways. I'm not doing this deal anymore. Anyway, you can't kill me." Mo Ming adopted a "what's the worst that can happen?" attitude.

Now it was Horn's turn to be shocked. "How can you be so sure I can't kill you?"

"At first I was really scared, afraid that you would kill me directly, but when you recognized the Qingzhen Demon Sword and proposed a deal, I was sure that you couldn't, at least not now, make a move against me."

"Otherwise, you could simply kill and rob me, steal my Demon-Suppressing Sword, and cut that ring yourself. There's no need for you to bother with me."

"Hahaha, you're very smart, but... you're right, but not entirely right either."

I really can't attack the survivors right now; that's the rule of the Misty World, and I dare not break it.

The reason I'm making this deal with you is because only you can wield that demonic sword; it's useless to anyone else, including me.

Mo Ming narrowed his eyes and asked again, "How did you bypass my protective radar's detection? And why didn't you mention this when we first met, but waited until now?"

Horn pursed his lips and said casually, "I have some treasures on me that can block the detection of these reconnaissance tools, so they can't detect me."

As for the second question...

Horn drawled out his words, looking up and down at the bronze hall, "You don't quite understand your specially upgraded bronze sanctuary, do you?"

Mo Ming was taken aback. Was it related to my shelter?

Horn then spoke again, "I can only tell you that your bronze sanctuary is amazing; it can block the perception of certain things."

After a moment of realization, Mo Ming suddenly understood, and then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "Oh... so you came here to escape something you mentioned, and cutting this metal ring must be done in a place where it can't sense you."

My bronze sanctuary can do just that, so you've come?"

Horn nodded. "I told you you were smart! You got it right away. So, are you ready to make a deal?"

"I'm sorry, I refuse."

Although the reward is generous, Hornmo doesn't seem like a good person at all. What if this sword strike opens Pandora's box and releases a demon?

Horn's expression instantly turned cold, his eyes sharp, and he sneered, "I advise you to think it over carefully. I can't lay a hand on you, but I can kill them."

As he spoke, Horn glanced outside the door.

Mo Ming's heart clenched. Oh no, this old bastard has no sense of martial ethics.

But if he can't attack the survivors, can he really attack the pets?

Take a gamble?

No, we can't gamble!

What if he really can?

We must not let our pets suffer because of our momentary courage.

"Fine, you've got guts. I'll take this deal," Mo Ming said through gritted teeth.

At the same time, he kept comforting himself, thinking, "So what if I release the demon? This misty world isn't a good place anyway."

"Hahaha, a wise choice! Let's...begin!"

Horn stretched out his arm, exposing the black and gold ring.

Mo Ming had a real urge to cut him down with a sword, but he couldn't. Who knew how many tricks he had up his sleeve?

"What? You want to kill me?" Horn said with a playful smile.

"Stop talking nonsense, how could I dare!"

Mo Ming held his breath and focused all his attention on the bronze demon-suppressing sword, then slashed down with the sword.

The sword blade struck the black and gold ring squarely, and with a crisp clang, the ring shattered into several pieces, but Horn's arm remained unscathed.

Mo Ming was very surprised. He had just used a lot of force, thinking that after breaking the ring, he should at least leave some scars on its arm, but...

"Hahaha, great! Great!"

Horn laughed a few times, then fiddled with the black and gold ring for a bit, as if adding something to it. The black and gold ring was then put back on his wrist, looking no different from before.

Mo Ming thought to himself, "That old bastard is really no good. He even resorted to underhanded tactics."

Then Horn took out the three orbs of light that had been promised.

After careful consideration, Mo Ming finally chose the moat.

The main reason is that it meets the second requirement for upgrading to a Level 5 shelter: "possess at least one crimson-level facility".

Suddenly, for some reason, Mo Ming remembered Horn's initial evaluation of the Demon-Suppressing Sword, and felt inexplicably annoyed. So he said, "Hey, let me correct you, mine is a Demon-Suppressing Sword, not a Demon Sword!"

"Hahahaha... Hahahaha..."

With bursts of laughter, Horn disappeared into the white light once again.

When Horn reappeared, he was already atop a high mountain.

"The Demon-Slaying Sword? You'll find out later whether it's... a Demon-Slaying Sword, or... a true... demon sword? Hahahaha..."