In the conference hall of the Gu Yuan Tribe in the eastern region of the Wasteland Continent.
"Xiao Chen, don't be so shameless!
If you continue to be stubborn, hehe!
Then don't blame me for falling out with you. "
Looking in the direction of the voice, a gloomy young man dressed in extravagant beast skin clothes mocked the young man sitting in the main seat of the hall.
"Hehe!
Your dead father has already disappeared for more than a year. He might have already become the feces of ferocious beasts. Without the protection of a Blood Refining Realm expert, the Gu Yuan Tribe is like a piece of fat meat in the eyes of the foreign tribes. Let's see how long you can last. Hmph!
Therefore, let me give you a piece of advice. A wise man submits to circumstances. Becoming a vassal of my Black Mountain Tribe is your only way out. "
"How dare you!
My Gu Yuan Tribe has been established for 800 years and killed countless foreign tribes. Countless of our tribesmen died on the battlefield and their souls returned to the earth. We have made great contributions to the human race. How can we allow you to behave atrociously here! "
Seeing the young man's arrogance, a member of the Gu Yuan Tribe in the hall could not help but shout angrily.
"What?
You're not convinced and want to kill me?
I'm so scared!
Haha, even your tribe leader has become a coward. What can you do to me? "
"This Patriarch really looks down on you bunch of cowards!
Hahaha … "
The young man's arrogance finally succeeded in igniting the members of the Gu Yuan Tribe who had gathered outside the hall. Each and every one of them was enraged and angry. Their fists made cracking sounds, and they wanted nothing more than to cut him down with a knife.
"Our young tribe leader has spoken without thinking. Please forgive him, Tribe Leader Xiao Chen. Although his words are a little harsh, he is not a bad person. What he said is the truth. After all, our two tribes have relied on each other for hundreds of years and fought against the foreign tribes together. He can't bear to see the Gu Yuan Tribe being slaughtered by the foreign tribes."
The situation in the hall was a little out of control. Seeing this situation, a shriveled old man sitting below the young man hurriedly stepped out to mediate the situation. At the same time, he put on a compassionate expression and tried to persuade the young man.
However, his face was shriveled, giving people the feeling that he was putting on a fake smile.
This person's identity was not unfamiliar to the clansmen of the Gu Yuan Tribe. He was a wolf in human skin. Not only was he ruthless to the foreign races, he was also merciless to his own people. Within a radius of five thousand kilometers, Sun Diao's ferocious reputation was renowned, and it could stop children from crying at night.
"Elder Sun, my father hasn't returned from hunting in the Great Wilderness, so I'll temporarily take over the clan's position. But I'm still young after all, so there are some things that I can't make decisions on. Who knows, maybe my father will return soon. What do you think?"
The old and the young from the Black Mountain Tribe had come to bully him, putting on an overbearing attitude. This made Xiao Chen furious.
"Bear with it, you must bear with it!
Now is not the time for revenge. "
Under the green leather armor that no one could see, Xiao Chen's slender fingernails had already pierced deep into his palm. The slight pain coming from the ends of his nerves was constantly reminding him to remain calm. His pale face was enshrouded in anger.
His father, the previous clan leader, had gone out for more than a year and had not returned. He had most likely encountered some kind of mishap. The clan lacked high-level combat power. Not only did they have to guard against the foreign races that were eyeing them covetously, but they also had to be careful of the hidden arrows from within the human race. The safety of the clan had become precarious.
Especially in the past six months, the clan had been attacked dozens of times, and they had suffered heavy losses. Everyone was in a state of panic, and the monsters that had been hiding in the dark could not wait to bare their fangs. They wanted to bite off a piece of meat from the weak Gu Yuan Tribe. Therefore, Xiao Chen's actions could be said to affect the situation as a whole, and he had no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs.
Even so, in the face of the threat from the Black Mountain Tribe, Xiao Chen's pitch-black eyes firmly swept over the two clowns below him. His words were still soft and forceful, and he pushed Sun Diao back.
Bang!
Seeing that Xiao Chen did not fall for his trap, Xiong Yu slammed the table and stood up. He felt good about himself as he said, "Since they don't know how to appreciate favors, let the Gu Yuan Tribe fend for itself!
Elder Sun, let's go. They will beg us for help in the future. "
"Clan leader, just say the word. I guarantee that these two madmen will not be able to walk out of our Gu Yuan Tribe."
"Yes, yes, yes!
Kill these two madmen and let the Black Mountain Tribe know that I, Gu Yuan, am not a pushover. "
Seeing that the Gu Yuan Tribe was agitated and seemed to want to kill them here, the cunning Sun Diao understood that things would backfire if they were pushed too far. Now was not the time to force the Gu Yuan Tribe.
Although the strongest person in the Gu Yuan Tribe was not around, the other aspects of the tribe were not damaged. Even if they could forcefully annex the Gu Yuan Tribe, the Black Mountain Tribe would suffer a great loss. If the foreign races and other tribes took advantage of the situation, it would not be worth it.
Therefore, they could not force the Gu Yuan Tribe too much to prevent them from doing anything out of desperation.
"Cough, cough. Does Clan Leader Xiao want us to stay in your tribe as guests? Old Clan Leader Xiao is a hero. It's a pity that after he passed away, the next generation will not be as good as the last. Sigh!"
Thinking of this, Sun Diao gave a fake smile and said regretfully.
The Black Mountain Tribe's aggressive stance had caused the emotions of his tribe members to become a little violent. Xiao Chen knew that he had to do something. As the leader of a tribe, he could not protect the old and young of the tribe and lead the tribe to expand its territory. Instead, he was being bullied by others. If he did not handle this well, his prestige would suffer a heavy blow.
Bang!
In order to solve the tribe's crisis, the leader, Xiao Chen, had been preparing in private. However, he still needed some time to succeed.
If the people's hearts were scattered, the tribe would not be far from extinction!
Bang!
In response to their provocation, Xiao Chen suddenly slammed the stone table and stood up, glaring at the two of them.
"Enough!
Elder Sun, this is the internal affairs of the Gu Yuan Tribe. You don't have to worry about it. Go back and tell your tribe leader that the tens of thousands of people in the Gu Yuan Tribe, including thousands of brave warriors, are ready at any time!
We are ready for battle and have the courage to face any enemy that comes. "
"Alright!
The leader is right. The men of the Gu Yuan Tribe can only die standing, not kneel to live!
If some random person thinks that the Gu Yuan Tribe is easy to bully, we, the men of the Gu Yuan Tribe, will crush their teeth even if we die! "
Xiao Chen's domineering words caused the warriors of the Gu Yuan Tribe to cheer loudly and support their leader's decision.
Seeing Xiao Chen reject him in such a straightforward manner, it seemed to have exceeded his expectations. A cold glint flashed in Sun Diao's eyes before disappearing. Instead, he rolled his eyes and said in a rather wronged manner, "Tribe Leader Xiao Chen is indeed worthy of being an outstanding talent. You are indeed skilled in managing your tribe. Looks like Tribe Leader Xiao Chen has some misunderstandings about my Black Mountain Tribe.
After all, our two tribes have fought against the foreign tribes for hundreds of years. Our past friendship is still there. Even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still there.
Don't you think so? "
"However, friendship is friendship, and business is business. It is a fact that Leader Xiao has yet to return. It is inevitable that the Gu Yuan Tribe will encounter some trouble during this period. How about this? As long as Leader Xiao can fulfill our wish, the previous conditions will be invalid," Xiao Chen responded.
The old cunning fox suddenly changed the topic and said.
"I want to see what this old cunning fox has up his sleeve."
Seeing that Sun Diao's eyes were rolling around, revealing a hint of a conspiracy, Xiao Chen kept warning himself to be careful of the old cunning fox's tricks.
"Then, Elder Sun, please say it!"
"Peace marriage!"
"What?
Peace marriage. "
"That's right, peace marriage. This way, the two families will become in-laws. In this case, if the Gu Yuan Tribe is in trouble, how can the Black Mountain Tribe not help?"
Hearing Elder Sun's words, the inside and outside of the hall immediately became lively.
"What's the matter, Old Sun? Are you thinking of taking your leader's daughter down and making her my leader's wife?"
At this moment, an old man from the Gu Yuan Tribe, who had been sitting in the hall with his eyes closed, spoke.
This old man was wearing a black beast-skin waistcoat, and there was a hint of worry on his aged face.
He had not spoken since coming to the hall. At this moment, seeing that the astute Sun Diao was up to something, he was worried that the young Xiao Chen would fall into his trap, so he interrupted Sun Diao's words.
This old man was the oldest elder in the Gu Yuan Tribe, Gu Lin. He had assisted three generations of tribe leaders in his life and could be said to have dedicated his life to the tribe. He had a high prestige in the tribe.
Even Xiao Chen being able to take over the tribe at his young age was inseparable from the strong support of this old man in front of him.
"Old Gu, you haven't spoken for a long time. I thought your time was up. You …"
Before he could finish speaking, Elder Sun knew that he had violated the Gu Yuan Tribe's taboo, so he immediately stopped speaking. After all, a wise man knew better than to fight when the odds were against him. He could not let a few words ruin the big picture.
"I heard that there's a talented woman among the younger generation of the Gu Yuan Tribe. Her name is Mu Qing, and she's as beautiful as a flower. She's talented in martial arts. She's a match made in heaven with the young tribe leader."
After saying that, he paused and looked around. When he saw the people of the Gu Yuan Tribe, whose eyes were about to burst into flames, Elder Sun revealed a disdainful smile.
"Also, the Gu Yuan Tribe has to offer 100 young girls to the Black Mountain Tribe every year.
"Xiao Chen, this is the only chance for the Gu Yuan Tribe to survive. I hope you won't make a mistake and treat the lives of tens of thousands of tribesmen as a joke."
After hearing Elder Sun's conditions, the young tribe leader of the Black Mountain Tribe, Xiong Yu, jumped out and spoke before anyone could react.
He had also heard about Mu Qing, the number one talented woman of the Gu Yuan Tribe. Such a top-grade beauty was a fatal temptation for someone like him, who could not live without a woman.
He had been longing for the talented woman of the Gu Yuan Tribe for a long time, but he had never had the chance to meet her.
Crack!
"Marriage!
Offering 100 young girls!
Haha!
Do you think there's no one in the Gu Yuan Tribe? "
Xiao Chen laughed instead of panicking. He glared at Xiong Yu, clenched his teeth, and said word by word.
"The safety of the Gu Yuan Tribe depends on the warriors of the tribe to fight for it. I'd rather take the straight path than the crooked one.
I'm sorry to use the safety of the women of the tribe to exchange for the peace of the tribe.
I, Xiao Chen, can't do it. The men of the Gu Yuan Tribe are not dead yet! "
In the Ancient Barrens Continent, population was an important resource for a tribe. The larger the population, the higher the probability of producing more experts. Hence, young girls played an important role in the tribe's reproduction.
Correspondingly, if there were too few girls in a tribe, the number of newborns would be relatively low. The newborns couldn't make up for the loss of the tribe's population, and the tribe would slowly decline.
After all, this continent wasn't a paradise on earth, where people would die all the time.
Hence, offering young girls to the Black Mountain Tribe was digging up the roots of the Gu Yuan Tribe!
"You …!"
Xiong Yu felt as though he was facing a bloodthirsty beast when he was stared at by Xiao Chen's scorching gaze. His back was drenched in cold sweat, followed by a surge of rage. He felt humiliated by being frightened by Xiao Chen.
In his opinion, the Gu Yuan Tribe was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered without a Blood Refinement expert. Xiao Chen was a reckless clown, and he, Xiong Yu, was the young chief of the Black Mountain Tribe. He was the son of a Blood Refinement expert. How could he endure such humiliation?
Just as Xiong Yu was about to explode, Elder Sun held him back and gestured for him not to provoke the Gu Yuan Tribe again. "Chief Xiao, don't let your emotions affect your decisions. You'll end up sacrificing thousands of lives for nothing!"
"I hope that within five days, we can see Miss Mu Qing and a hundred young girls appear in the Black Mountain Tribe."
"Farewell!
Haha … "
Then, the two of them left with arrogant laughter.
The veins on Xiao Chen's face bulged as he watched the two of them leave as if there was no one else around. He cracked his mouth and revealed a cold smile.
"We still don't know who will win!
Since you're courting death, don't blame me for killing the chicken to warn the monkey. "
Ever since he became the chief, Xiao Chen felt the difficulty of being the chief of a tribe. The old chief of the Gu Yuan Tribe had gone missing. To the people within thousands of miles, he was like a fat sheep. Everyone wanted to take a bite out of him, but they were afraid that others would take advantage of him. Therefore, all the tribes were watching from the sidelines. The Black Mountain Tribe could not help but jump out first.
"Don't worry, Patriarch. If worse comes to worst, even if I have to risk my life, I won't let them get what they want. I've lived for nearly a hundred years, and I've experienced countless hardships and killed countless Outsiders. Now, I'm old, my blood and Qi have dried up, and I've been buried up to my neck. I can't die on the battlefield of the Outsiders. Let me, this old bag of bones, do my last bit for the clan!
As long as there are still people, the Gu Yuan Tribe will definitely prosper on the mainland. "
Gu Lin held onto Xiao Chen's arm tightly and said firmly when he saw that he was still in a daze.
The old man had not expressed his opinion much earlier. He had lived for a long time and experienced many hardships. How could he not understand the Black Mountain Tribe's wild ambition? Even a marriage alliance could not stop the Black Mountain Tribe's ambition to swallow the Gu Yuan Tribe. Although he did not completely agree with Xiao Chen's decision, since they had met, they could not hide. It was better to fight with their backs against the wall. If they won, they would be reborn. If they lost, they would die.
"Me too!"
"Count me in too."
…
Hearing the old man's words, the tribe members who had yet to disperse started shouting.
Xiao Chen helped the old man back to the stone chair and waved his hand to signal for everyone to quiet down. His gaze swept across the crowd.
"I know that everyone is feeling indignant. You all blame me for being a useless tribe leader. Others are bullying us right at our doorstep, but we cower in fear.
If it really comes to a point where we have no choice but to fight, I, Xiao Chen, swear that I will fight at the front lines of the tribe. If I take a step back, everyone can kill me. Unless I die in battle, I will not let anyone in the tribe be bullied by others. At this critical moment, everyone should go back and prepare your troops to guard against other tribes' sneak attacks. "
After comforting the crowd and waiting for them to disperse, Xiao Chen turned to Gu Lin and said, "Old Ancestor, I, Gu Yuan Tribe, have thousands of warriors who dare to fight. Why would I need you? Furthermore, the Gu Yuan Tribe will also have Blood Refining Realm warriors!"
"What did you say?"
Perhaps it was because Gu Lin was too old, but he did not hear what Xiao Chen had said clearly.
Xiao Chen did not answer the old man's question. Instead, he gave him a mysterious smile.
Heavenly secrets must not be revealed!