"Is this really possible? Haha, heaven bless Gu yuan! The universe is indeed just!"
Seeing this scene, the previously suppressed mood of the crowd became excited and some of the tribe members were even moved to tears, they quietly wiped the corners of their eyes.
"So this is what the chief meant by the promise of a few days, he kept us in the dark."
In the crowd, a man named Tie Shi seemed to have realized something. He turned his head to look at Lin Shan and at the same time, Lin Shan was also looking at him. Their four eyes met and they silently exchanged a bitter smile.
Neither of them was angry about this. Instead, they felt that Xiao Chen's approach was correct. After all, their tribe was in a precarious position, akin to an old sailboat, that could capsize at any moment.
"While everyone is immersed in the joy of my breakthrough to the Blood Refining Realm, I want all tribe members who have reached the early stage of the Bone-Tempering Realm or above to become Guardian Clan Soldiers, led by Lin Shan, to strengthen our tribal defenses," said Xiao Chen again in the midst of this jubilant atmosphere.
"In the few days that I will be away from the tribe, Elder Gu Lin and Elder Tie Shi will temporarily take charge of everything in the tribe, and the tribe will enter a state of war, permitting entry but not exit!"
Everyone had no objections to Xiao Chen's arrangements. After all, he was now unquestionably the strongest person in the Gu Yuan Tribe and as the chief, he held the ultimate power over the tribe, with the power to determine life and death for thousands.
Soon, twenty of the strongest warriors in the tribe were selected. They were all young and robust, the strongest two hundred soldiers from the tribe's eight hundred Guardian Clan Soldiers, led by a Centurion named Ding Shan. Ding Shan was around thirty years old, had reached the Perfect Bone-Tempering Realm, was very talented, and held high prestige in the tribe.
In the vast ancient continent, every tribe had Guardian Clan Soldiers. And in Xiao Chen's tribe, the Gu Yuan Tribe, there were eight hundred of these soldiers.
A group of Guardian Clan Soldiers consisted of ten men led by a warrior in the late stage of the Bone-Tempering Realm as a sergeant, ten groups of soldiers were led by a Centurion who had reached the Perfect Bone-Tempering Realm, and ten Centurions were commanded by a Thousand-man Commander from the Blood Refining Realm.
Each soldier had at least reached the early stage of the Bone-Tempering Realm, therefore, among the tens of thousands of members of the Gu Yuan Tribe, excluding the old, weak, sick and disabled, the entire tribe could only summon eight hundred Guardian Clan Soldiers; they couldn't even form a Thousand-man Camp.
After arranging tribal affairs, the twenty soldiers, led by Xiao Chen, mounted their war horses and left the tribe, galloping toward Black Cloud Mountain, where the Black Mountain Tribe was located.
Frankly, if Xiao Chen didn't feel he would have trouble leading the dozen or so captured young girls of his tribe alone, he would have acted solo. The twenty soldiers were extremely excited to join Xiao Chen on his journey to the Black Mountain Tribe. They believed that they will surely rescue their captured tribe's sisters, especially since their tribe leader had already become a master of the Blood Refining Realm.
Before leaving, Xiao Chen secretly ordered Lin Shan to capture the traitors in the tribe and to execute all who resisted. Now that their true faces had been revealed, leaving these traitors would be too troublesome, they would have to repent in the underworld.
Xiao Chen led the way, rushing in front of the team, while the other soldiers followed in an orderly manner, two by two. The howling wind blew their leather armor, making a rustling noise like a knife cutting their faces.
The Black Mountain Tribe and Gu Yuan Tribe were both lower-ranked tribes, and their populations were not much different. Not only that, the many tens of thousands of surrounding tribes are also low-ranked along with some smaller clans that don't meet the standard ranking.
These tribes were all subject to the jurisdiction of the mid-ranking Iron Hoof Tribe. Generally speaking, the Iron Hoof Tribe did not pay too much attention to the smaller tribes under their control. As long as they paid tribute every two years, they would not interfere directly with conflicts between the smaller tribes. After all, the continent was far too vast, with human tribes too scattered and most existing in a state of individualistic warfare. Otherwise, the Black Mountain Tribe would not have been so brazen in provoking the Gu Yuan Tribe.
On the continent, the low-ranking tribes were at the bottom, above which were the mid-ranking tribes, high-ranking tribes, marquis-level tribes, and king-level tribes.
The chief of the Black Mountain Tribe was named Xiong Li, a powerful figure from the same generation as Xiao Chen's father. He had broken through to the Blood Refining Realm twenty years ago, but how many meridians he had opened in the Blood Refining Realm was unknown to others.
At the very moment when the Gu Yuan Tribe was in a state of excitement, roars had already erupted from the chief's courtyard in the center of the Black Mountain Tribe. The atmosphere was so tense that even the guards outside were feeling slightly frightened.
In the Great Hall, Xiong Yu, who had been arrogantly domineering in the Gu Yuan Tribe, had swollen cheeks, with traces of blood visible at the corners of his mouth. He lay on the ground like a lump of mud, completely ungraceful. If one approached closely, they could even see him trembling beneath his armor.
"Trash, all you do in your life is play with women. It's just a matter of time before a woman kills you. What else are you good for, apart from causing trouble to the tribe?"
The chief of the Black Mountain Tribe roared at Xiong Yu incessantly, showing disappointment that did not match his expectations.
There was an old saying - seeing is believing. Once one truly saw Xiong Li, the chief, they would understand his terrifying nature. True to his name, Xiong Li was as powerful as a tiger when he grabbed the reins. Standing at two meters tall with a bear-like waist and back, he emanated a fierce aura.
"Father, please calm down. Big Brother knows what he is doing. He never brings trouble to the tribe. Besides, he just snatched a dozen girls from the Gu Yuan Tribe. They are nothing more than a plumage-less phoenix, unable to compete even with a chicken. Xiao Chen is just a young boy, how could he possibly be your opponent?"
As Xiong Li berated Xiong Yu, a young man, who looked not much younger than Xiong Yu, spoke up in defense. This was Xiong Yu's younger brother, Xiong Kang.
"Exactly, it's just a few girls. It's not as serious as father says. Besides, with you in charge, what could the Gu Yuan Tribe possibly do to us?"
Upon hearing his brother's defense, Xiong Yu eagerly joined in, his face bearing an attitude of nonchalance.
"Shut up!"
Upon hearing Xiong Li's angry rebuke, Xiong Li's body involuntarily trembled, and in the aftermath, the figure that just began to rise from kneeling fell back on the ground with a thump.
"Don't you think your father understands what you're saying? Xiao Zhan has disappeared, rendering the Gu Yuan Tribe insignificant. What makes me angry is your obsession with beautiful women. If you could be half as responsible as Kang, I would be satisfied."
Xiong Kang stepped forward, helped Xiong Yu up, turned his head, and said, "Big Brother's abduction of the Gu Yuan Tribe's women isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just happens to be a good opportunity to see the Gu Yuan Tribe's reaction. After all, their 800-year-old heritage should have some depth. Moreover, the Grand Elder of the Withered Wood Tribe is currently our guest, so the banquet tonight should not only be held, but it should be grand, well known among the surrounding tribes within a few days."
Having said that, Xiong Kang turned to Xiong Yu and said, "Let me congratulate Big Brother in advance on marrying a beautiful wife. She is said to be the number one beauty of the Gu Yuan Tribe. Big Brother, you are a lucky man. I will certainly bring a gift to congratulate you tonight and ask for a cup of wedding wine."
Listening to Xiong Kang's analysis, Xiong Li paced back and forth in the Great Hall before finally making a decision.
"Summon the people and inform them that our young tribal chief, Xiong Yu, will marry the most beautiful girl from the Gu Yuan Tribe as his concubine tomorrow. Have the tribe prepare for it."
"Yes."
Instantly, the Black Mountain Tribe was bustling with activity.
News that the young tribal chief was to take a new concubine tomorrow quickly made its way through the Black Mountain Tribe. However, people weren't surprised, considering the number of concubines Xiong Yu already had. The part that piqued their interest was that the lady he was marrying this time wasn't from their tribe but was forcibly taken from the neighboring Gu Yuan Tribe.
Tribe member A said, "I heard that over a dozen girls were kidnapped."
Tribe member B said, "You are uninformed. It's well-known that the concubine the young tribal chief is marrying is considered the beauty of the Gu Yuan Tribe. Rumor has it, she grew up with their new tribal chief."
Tribe member C, seeing the two others engrossed in conversation, eagerly interjected, "So what if they grew up together? He still couldn't protect her."
...
After a long journey with continuous galloping and no rest, by dawn the next day, Xiao Chen and his party were near Black Cloud Mountain, ten miles away from the Black Mountain Tribe. They could faintly see the outline of the Black Mountain Tribe here.
Only upon physically being there could one truly appreciate the majesty and grandeur of Black Cloud Mountain. Winding and grand, the mountain peaks piercing the vault of heaven were like flying giant dragons or sharp swords.
Even more remarkable was that the middle of the mountain was shrouded in mist, covered by grey clouds. This majestic mountain, cursed so that nothing could grow, was full of grotesque rocks.
"Chief, should we... just go directly to the Black Mountain Tribe like this?"
Ding Shan, seeing Xiao Chen about to urge his horse forward, quickly rode up to Xiao and hesitantly asked.
Unlike Xiao Chen, Ding Shan, who was more than a decade older, somewhat dreaded the renowned Chief Xiong Li of the Black Mountain Tribe, who was a notorious strongman.
"Correct. Since the Black Mountain Tribe has made their move, we the Gu Yuan Tribe must unsheath our swords!"
Hearing what Xiao Chen said, Ding Shan gritted his teeth, spurred his horse, and followed closely. Once the chief had made his decision, he and the other subordinates could only risk their lives and charge in recklessly.
Dozens of war horses charged past at a dizzying pace, raising dust in their wake, as they dashed straight towards the Black Mountain Tribe. The ten-mile trip was covered in an instant at the horses' speed.
"Which tribe are you guys from? Halt! This is not a place where you can create a disturbance."
At the gate of the Black Mountain Tribe, the guards who were far away saw a group of horse-riders charging towards the gate. One of the guards, a centurion who was at the peak of the Bone Tempering Realm, quickly tried to intercept them.
Smack!
Xiao Chen on his war horse ignored the shouts, raised his whip, and without looking, lashed out hard at the man coming at him.
"Ah!"
One could only hear that the Black Mountain Tribe's influential centurion screamed out, got blown away, and his body gave off cracking noises as if it were falling apart. His body uncontrollably shot towards the city wall.
Xiao Chen's blow dealt with anger, and although not at full strength, it was still more than what a warrior at the Bone-Tempering Realm could handle. Hence, after landing, the centurion collapsed, looking severely injured.
"Centurion, centurion!"
Ignoring the chaos at the city gate, Xiao Chen led his tribe's warriors straight through the city gate, rushing towards the residence of the Black Mountain Tribe's chief, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.
At this moment, the Black Mountain Tribe's marriage ceremony had already started. Mu Qing, who for unknown reasons seemed weakened and fragile, was held up by two young women, even though she was bound.
People in groups of three and five below them pointed and laughed, with Xiong Yu appearing smug.
"To worship Heaven..."
An elderly man acting as the master of ceremonies began to issue orders.
Just as the two young women were about to forcibly have Mu Qing bow...
Suddenly an unexpected change occurred!
"You're seeking death!"
A furious shout came from outside the door. Accompanying this shout, a long spear shot towards Xiong Yu like a bolt of lightning.
[The tribal chief has published a new book! If you're tired of the old one, please take a look at the new one, 'The Rise of Human Dao'. Combining the deficiencies of the old book, this new one presents a different Great Wasteland!]