Many things were happening while City Lord Sihe still didn't know what had transpired in the Desolate Dune Desert. After all, the mercenaries and soldiers who had fled had no reason to go back to him. To the contrary, they had all the incentives to delay the moment he would learn the truth. Thankfully, his city-state's capital was Siqian City. And it was relatively far from the Sand Wolves Tribe. Of course, it wasn't too far but paradoxically, Duma City was closer to it. Besides, the weather itself seemed to be against City Lord Sihe. Indeed, powerful sandstorms were blocking the most direct path between Siqian City and the Crimson Ashes Basin, the same road Xin Zhe had taken.
In Duma City, Weiji Nian, Boss Gui and Nie Pian were all thinking of the best ways to deal with what they had learned. Some of those plans were sinister. Indeed, Weiji Nian decided to use the influence of her uncle and her husband to fake her authority. She forged letters from the two of them to get the help she needed. Before long, she had been able to mobilize a few men from the Nalupu Kindom's army. And she had even convinced some of the running mercenaries to help her in order to avoid City Lord Sihe's wrath.
What she was missing was the crucial part of her plan. For that part, she could absolutely not be suspected. If people found out what she had planned, even compared with this usurpation of authority, this would be a disaster for her and her entire family. However, she simply had to kill Cao Yun. And considering that he had killed Xin Zhe and was now gaining much influence among the tribes, as well as in Duma City and even neighboring cities, she felt as though it was her last opportunity. Unfortunately for her husband, her uncle and even her son, Weiji Nian was unhinged.
Some time ago, she had discovered very interesting facts by listening to her husband. City Lord Sihe was indeed working with some dangerous people who were hiding from the Nalupu Kingdom. And if she could get in contact with them, she would finally get the last piece missing from her plan. After that, Cao Yun was as good as dead. The best part was that it would also take care of the witnesses for her and they would never even suspect a thing until it was too late for them. But in her mind, those soldiers were cowards to begin with. Moreover, the few soldiers mobilized by her uncle's authority would allow her to pin the disaster on Cao Yun. She might even be able to use their deaths to denounce Boss Gui and her alliance with the Blazing Swallow. To be honest, there were many holes in her plan, but as it turned out, a thorough investigation in Boss Gui's affairs wouldn't be good for her. Indeed, she was using poison for her slaves, the greatest taboo.
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As this was happening in Duma City, the Crimson Ashes Basin was being extremely agitated. Finally, all the major tribes' chieftains had gathered in the settlement of the Sand Wolves Tribe. With them, they had taken a large part of their own tribes. But there were more tribesmen in various settlements all around the Crimson Ashes Basin and the overall Desolate Dune Desert. It had been at least a decade since such a gathering had not happened. Such a period wasn't odd at all, but the intensity of the slave trade had also caused them to delay another meeting. After all, being gathered in a single place was a great risk, especially knowing that City Lord Sihe might know where they were.
For a few weeks, some chieftains tried to delay this meeting even further. In the end, they were forced to accept to it. Even among their own tribes, people were talking about Tie Po. The slave trade had really pushed the tribes against the Nalupu Kingdom. Many were out for blood and Tie Po was the symbol they latched onto.
It took a couple months but all the tribes had finally sent delegations. Among them were the five major tribes apart from the Sand Wolves Tribe. They were the Sun Scorpion Clan, the Crimson Mirage Tribe, the Freezing Sand Tribe, the Moonshadow Clan and the Whispering Hare Tribe. Tribes and clans were a bit different while being the same. In fact, the major difference between a clan and a tribe was the blood relation between its members. Anyone could join a tribe, but a clan only accepted those born within and those who married within. In other words, a clan was a large family in which everyone had to adopt the same surname.
All the chieftains, patriarchs and matriarchs of those tribes were gathered in the largest tent of the settlement, where Chieftain Sha Chai Ren was sitting as the overlord of them all. By his sides were also General Sha Lang Hu and his own daughter Sha Chai Gan. As much as she was trying to hide it, she was worrieda bout her father. And indeed, Chieftain Sha Chai Ren showed signs of weakness. However, he also had to conceal it in front of the other chieftains.
As much as he was esteemed by the others because of his old age, he was mainly respected for his strength. After all, no other chieftain had broken through to the Accomplished Demon realm. Thus, he was clearly the most powerful among them. And in the past, he had showed his strength in battle. However, those accomplishments were far back in the past. In his youth, he had even obliterated an entire tribe who had tried to conquer the Sand Wolves Tribe. Indeed, the tribes and clans were not friendly with each other most of the time. In fact, the assaults of the Nalupu Kingdom had tightened their bonds, causing them to be more peaceful toward each other.
In the tent, the other chieftains were accompanied by one servant each. They were all standing around a large table on which various documents were visible. Among them was also a detailed map of the Desolate Sepulcher.
The Sun Scorpion Clan was represented by Patriarch Liang Lisheng. He was a burly man covered in heavy fur coats. Despite being a 9th-grade Golden Blood Child like almost all the others, he had scars on his face. His bald skull was also crisscrossed by old scars. The reason was very clear to those who knew him. His face had been slashed by some scorpion demonic beasts and the poison had caused those scars to be permanent. Indeed, his clan was known and feared because they were dealing with poisonous demonic beasts. However, they officially never used poison themselves. That being said, the mere fact that they were dealing with poison regularly had caused their clan to be a bit ostracized by others.
Their clan was however, very powerful. They were a rather small clan but their warriors were known to be among the strongest. Cao Yun would have deduced that they were probably using the same kind of methods Boss Gui was using with her own slaves. Although their ways were not as refined as hers, they had also discovered that poison could be used to enhance one's strength and cultivation. As such, they had crafted strange rituals with various poisonous demonic beasts. Unlike Boss Gui, they were not directly consuming poison. In fact, they believed that facing a poisonous demonic beast was what made them strong, not the poison itself. They had a very ritualistic approach to things and didn't try to understand them as poison was a taboo even for them. That being said, many rumors about them and poison were going around.
Patriarch Liang had arrived the last and he was already grimacing with a few veins popping on his skull. Clearly, he didn't want to be here at all. However, the name of Tie Po was causing some ruckus among his own clan and despite Chieftain Sha Chai Ren's old age, he couldn't be absent from such a gathering. Technically, he had not been invited as no chieftain had been. But they all knew that they had to be present.
The Crimson Mirage Tribe was represented by Chieftain Hong Yanxu. She was a slender woman wearing a reddish robe that didn't leave anything to the imagination. It was extremely tight and open in various places. On her fingers, she had a few rings as well as metallic claws prolonging her nails. Her makeup was heavy and yet didn't appear out of place, perfectly enhancing her natural charm and her fiery long hair adorned with gold. Although she was extremely beautiful, there was a sense of danger all around her person. She was like a beautiful plant ready to devour any who would venture too close. Despite this eerie atmosphere, she was poorly concealing her own fear and worries.
Apart from her, there was only one other woman among the chieftains gathered around this table. That other woman was Matriarch Ying Hua of the Moonshadow Clan. Just like Chieftain Hong Yanxu she was wearing a red robe. However, hers was very loose and didn't showcase her more modest forms. Besides, her head was completely shaven and she had a large tattoo on her forehead. It was made of nine horizontal lines, three whole and three others broken in three pieces each. Over those lines was tattooed a stylized drop of blood. Unlike Chieftain Hong Yanxu, she was wearing no makeup and no jewelry. The contrast between the two women sitting close to each other was sharp.
The last two tribes were represented by Chieftain Bing Mosha for the Freezing Sand Tribe and Chieftain Feng Tian for the Whispering Hare Tribe. Both men were very different from Patriarch Liang Lisheng. Unlike him, they didn't have bulging muscles. In fact, it was hard to identify where Patriarch Liang Lisheng's neck ended and where his head started because his muscles were simply too large for that. Although they weren't as muscular, they were still exuding a powerful aura around them. Chieftain Bing Mosha was very tall and his dark blue robe was exacerbating his cold demeanor. No matter what could happen, he seemed to always be cold and indifferent. It was difficult to get a read on his thoughts.
Finally, Chieftain Feng Tian looked like a banal man. There was nothing worth noting about him. In fact, he was so bland that without focusing on him, it was possible to forget his very existence. If Cao Yun had been there, he would have immediately recognized some form of stealth technique. But it was so ingrained in him that he was simply using it out of habits. Most likely, he wasn't even aware that he was using his stealth. And it was so effective that no one else seemed to notice that he was doing so. Even his servant had a very faint presence behind him. Their tribe was known for their stealth indeed. They were probably the weakest tribe invited at this table. And yet, no one would ever underestimate them as their uses were many both to survive in the desert but also to wage any form of war.
No one dared to speak before Chieftain Sha Chai Ren officially announced the beginning of their gathering. However, there were many glances thrown all over the place and a few grimaces. Patriarch Liang Lisheng was the most expressive around the table. But he could already see some accusations in the eyes facing him. In particular, he sensed a lot of animosity from Matriarch Ying Hua. To be fair, he had tried to annex her clan several times in the past.
When the Nalupu Kingdom really started to enslave the nomad of the Desolate Dune Desert in mass, Patriarch Liang Lisheng even tried to follow their example. Eight years ago, he literally launched a raid on a few settlements of the Moonshadow Clan in order to capture and enslave as many women as he could. Indeed, the Moonshadow Clan was known for its beautiful women and their rich bloodline. Compared with some of the noble families of the Nalupu Kingdom, their bloodline wasn't impressive. But among the tribes and clans, they were a prize, especially for the Sun Scorpion Clan who had great warriors.
Thankfully, the Lotus Tribe had helped the Moonshadow Clan along with some other smaller tribes and clans. In the end, Chieftain Sha Chai Ren even intervened to mediate between them. Waging war between tribes and clans wasn't a rare occurrence. However, it had become much more so since the development of the slave trade. Thus, the Sun Scorpion Clan was not seen favorably by anyone. Some nasty rumors had spread about them. Unfortunately, Patriarch Liang Lisheng had to admit that they were mostly true. That being said, he would still kill anyone daring to speak about them in public, or loud enough.
By Moonshadow Matriarch Ying Hua's side, Chieftain Hong Yanxu was also giving him a sideways glance. There wasn't as much animosity in her eyes, but he could still feel it deep in his soul. Despite her alluring beauty, even Patriarch Liang Lisheng had no views on that woman. Although her cultivation was equal to him and her martial arts probably weaker than his, he was no confident about killing her. Worse, he wasn't confident about surviving her. If he truly crossed her, he would probably simply not wake up one day.
Sensing the tension slowly building up within the tent, Chieftain Sha Chai Ren finally stood up. He needed his two hands to support himself out of his throne. Obviously, everyone saw it and they could all feel that his Wei Qi was weaker than ever. He was still an Accomplished Demon, but he was clearly reaching the end of his lifespan. No doubt was possible that the current events would hasten his demise. As such, many shifted their attention toward both his daughter Sha Chai Gan and General Sha Lang Hu. At the moment, it was unclear who would succeed him. According to tradition, it should be his daughter because she was sharing his blood. But General Sha Lang Hu seemed like a better choice.
In fact, it appeared logical to most that General Sha Lang Hu should simply wed Chieftain Sha Chai Ren's daughter. As such, she would officially rule the tribe but he would retain all of his authority over the tribe. During such chaotic times, his presence was a good thing.