The sun was setting in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone brightly. The entire Celestial Wolf Mountain looked like a celestial wolf that was crawling on a desolate land. At the foot of the mountain, noises could be heard, and there were flames rising everywhere. That was the sound of some soldiers preparing meat.
Burly men were heading towards the depths of the Celestial Wolf Mountain, preparing to hunt for meat in the depths of the forest. Some of the soldiers were dragging huge ferocious beasts as they returned from the depths of the forest. Long trails of blood extended from the depths of the forest to the camp outside the mountain.
There were some benefits to going out to battle in the wilderness. There was no need to store rations for the expedition. The wilderness was filled with forests, rivers, and lakes. There were all kinds of ferocious beasts. To the human race, these ferocious beasts were their food.
At this moment, the wilderness was densely covered with camps of various sizes. There were more than a hundred camps of various sizes. These camps stretched for a distance of 50 li, and every few li, there was a ten-zhang tall wooden building. Soldiers were stationed on the wooden buildings. These soldiers had strong blood Qi, and their eyes were as sharp as an eagle's as they observed the situation in the wilderness.
When the soldiers came and went, they looked at the camp in the center of the camp with awe in their eyes. The central camp occupied an area of 10 li, and the walls of the camp were 15 zhang tall. There were observation towers around it, and teams of soldiers dressed in neat armor were constantly patrolling the area.
In the sky, there were many huge Green-feathered Eagles circling in the sky, and the soldiers on the eagles stood. Although the Green-feathered Eagles were circling in the sky, the soldiers' feet seemed to have grown roots, as if they had become one with the Green-feathered Eagles.
The central camp was the camp of the three 10,000 soldiers of the Gu Yuan Tribe. After several days of trekking, the 30,000 soldiers of the Gu Yuan Tribe arrived at the Celestial Wolf Mountain Conference.
This time, the Gu Yuan Tribe was fully deserving of being the main character, and all the tribes that came would respect the Gu Yuan Tribe.
In the center of the huge camp, there was a tent that was at least a hundred feet in size. At this moment, the tent was filled with a constant hubbub. Walking past the tent, one could clearly sense that there were hundreds of Qi and blood densely packed inside the tent.
"Silence!"
Suddenly, a loud shout rang out from within the tent, and the noise immediately came to an abrupt halt.
Almost all the Blood Refining Realm warriors from the various combat divisions were gathered in the big tent. However, the warriors who were the rulers of their respective tribes were all tensed up and their faces turned pale under the pressure of an invisible aura.
This was the pressure that came from the difference in the grade of life. Xiao Chen sat at the head of the tent, and on his left were the Blood Refining Realm warriors of the Gu Yuan Tribe.
To his right was a Blood Refining Realm warrior from one of his subordinate combat divisions.
"Greetings to the Shang Nation Sect Leader, War Tribe Leader!"
Suddenly, the cultivators on the right stood up and bowed to Xiao Chen, shouting at the same time.
"Patriarchs, you don't have to be so polite!" Xiao Chen raised his right hand, indicating that the martial artists didn't have to be so polite.
He glanced at all the martial artists with an indifferent expression and then said lightly.
"Everyone here is a righteous person. Ao Shan and many other combat divisions are immoral. When facing outsiders, they bow and scrape in front of the foreign tribes, willingly acting like cowards and losing the vitality of the human race. Internally, they bully their own people, wreak havoc on many combat divisions, and wantonly exploit their own people."
"My Gu Yuan Tribe has forged the fate of the human race and has been recognized by the human race. We can rule hundreds of thousands of miles of the Wasteland. The sun and the moon can bear witness to the boundless fate of the human race. Ao Shan and other combat divisions have brazenly attacked my Gu Yuan Tribe. This is a challenge to the dignity of the entire human race. This time, the Gu Yuan Tribe is acting righteously to save thousands of our people from the sea of suffering!"
"That's right. The Ao Shan Tribe has relied on their strength to look down on us human combat divisions. Even though we, who live near their territories, have to pay tribute to them every year, they don't care about the Demon Race's rampage!"
The Ao Shan Tribe and the other combat divisions' behavior was very ugly. They had taken in many combat divisions' tributes, but they didn't protect their own tribes. No wonder these combat divisions were filled with resentment.
"Not only that, if our combat divisions can't gather enough resources to pay tribute, we will face the danger of extinction. Young women will be abducted and raped, and men will become slaves!"
"In the past thousands of years, the few major tribes in the central area have committed uncountable crimes. They have lost their courage when facing the foreign tribes, but to us, they are as vicious as wolves and beasts. I beg the upper state tribe to give us justice!"
Many of the War Tribe leaders were agitated. They seemed to want to burst out the resentment that had been accumulated in their hearts for many years. Suddenly, the new Major of the Gu Yuan Tribe, Ding Shan, spoke.
"Leaders, my Gu Yuan Tribe has been ordered by the tribe to announce to the vast wilderness that we have forged the fate of the human race. We will carry on the will of the human race's ancestors and protect the descendants of the human race."
Finally, after a period of agitation, everyone calmed down. They didn't say anything else and waited for the order from the upper state tribe leader.
At the head of the table, Xiao Chen was silent. His fingers lightly tapped on the armrest of his chair. Just like this, the tent fell into a strange silence. Only the sound of Xiao Chen's fingers tapping on the armrest could be heard.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xiao Chen still did not speak. His eyes were closed as if he was thinking about something. At this time, many of the chiefs of the War Tribe seemed to have felt that something was wrong. Beads of sweat even appeared on their foreheads. Some of the weaker chiefs of the War Tribe could not help but tremble.
"Everyone, nothing can be accomplished without rules!
For our human combat divisions, offering sacrifices and conquering are the two most important things. Offering sacrifices is to remember our ancestors and martyrs, and conquering is even more important. The rise and fall of the tribe depends on the war! "
Finally, Xiao Chen opened his slightly closed eyes. A sharp light flashed through his eyes as he said, "Therefore, openly prohibiting conquering is the most basic element, Elder Qiu Hu!"
"This subordinate is here!" Qiu Hu suddenly stood up with a ferocious aura.
"Do you know your crime!
That day, my edict stipulated when to gather the troops. Did you treat my edict as child's play and did not pass it to the other tribe leaders? "
"This subordinate doesn't dare. That day, this subordinate followed Lord Tribe Leader's edict and informed the various combat divisions to gather at the foot of Celestial Wolf Mountain at noon today to discuss important matters!"
"Our Ancient Origin Combat Division, the Fortune Forging Clan, has erected a Ten Thousand Tribe Stele. The names of the 135 low-grade combat divisions affiliated to our Ancient Origin Combat Division are engraved on the stele. Since you have already sent my edict to the various combat divisions, are there any combat divisions that you have missed?"
"How can I not know that the Ancient Yuan Fortune Forgers have 135 low-ranked combat divisions as their vassals!
Lord Tribe Leader's edict has reached all the subordinate combat divisions without missing a single one! "
"Since my edict is so clear, why are there still combat divisions that dare to disobey it? Could it be that they are looking down on me and my Gu Yuan Tribe?!"
Xiao Chen's words were gentle and did not contain any anger. However, the temperature in the tent immediately dropped. It was as if ice was forming in the air. This was a bone-chilling coldness.
Among the many War Tribe Patriarchs, there were several martial artists who were sweating profusely and trembling uncontrollably. Finally, several figures flashed to the open space in the center of the tent, knelt on both knees, and begged for mercy.
"Lord Tribe Leader, our tribes are too far from here. Adding on the fact that the Wasteland is extremely dangerous, it is difficult to march. We did not mean to disobey the Tribe Leader's edict. Please show mercy. We are willing to lead the combat masters under us and be the vanguard of the army!"
Looking at the nine martial artists kneeling at his feet, Xiao Chen's eyes were indifferent as he said, "Major Ding Shan, what will happen to those who disobey military orders?"
Ding Shan's eyes were expressionless as he opened and closed his eyes. Even though the nine martial artists in front of him were kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.
"Those who disobey will be executed!"
What!
Everyone was shocked. Just because they had exceeded the time limit during the gathering of the troops, they were going to be executed. This was clearly to use these combat divisions to establish their might.
Poof!
In the tent, there was a flash of blood. In the blink of an eye, nine huge human heads flew into the sky. Strangely, there was not a single drop of blood. The bodies of these nine martial artists were covered in a layer of white ice crystals.
Even the flying heads were covered in sparkling ice crystals. Everyone's faces still had the mournful look of death. Before they could even react, their heads had already been chopped off.
Xue Sha had made his move!
Coldness filled the air and froze the void.
"This … this …"
Everyone was shocked. Nine Blood Refining martial artists had been killed in front of their eyes just like that, and they did not feel anything at all. Blood Refining martial artists were the peak combat power of a low-rank combat division. They could support the backbone of a low-rank combat division, but they had been killed just like that without being able to fight back.
Even so, not a single martial artist stood up to object. The difference between the ranks of the tribes was like an extremely wide chasm between them and the Gu Yuan Tribe.
This was not just the difference between the supreme powerhouses, but also the difference between the strength of the tribes. In the vast wilderness, a top mid-rank combat division had more than a million direct subordinates. Their territory spanned hundreds of thousands of miles, and they even had 100,000 combat masters.
However, even a top-notch low-rank combat division had at most ten thousand combat masters. This was not only a difference in quality, but also a difference in quantity. Even if the Gu Yuan Tribe had not developed into a top-notch mid-rank combat division, it was still not something they could withstand. Moreover, they had already submitted to the Gu Yuan Tribe and were bound by it.
Immediately afterward, some soldiers entered the tent and collected the corpses, as if what had just happened was a dream.
"Major Ding Shan, the combat masters under these nine will be temporarily led by the chiliarchs of the Gu Yuan Tribe. If anyone disobeys the edict, kill them!"
"Understood!"
The two Thousand Men Commanders who had accompanied Clan Chief Xi Huai to the Celestial Wolf Mountain Range wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads as they discreetly glanced at their clan chief. They couldn't help but feel impressed by their clan chief's decisiveness in leading the combat masters to the Celestial Wolf Mountain Range after receiving the imperial edict.
"Everyone, our Gu Yuan Combat Division values military merit, and we are fair in our rewards and punishments."
Looking at the pale-faced faces of the many chiefs, Xiao Chen understood that he had already achieved his goal of establishing his authority, and it would not be good to go overboard. He immediately said, "This time, the Phoenix Creek Tribe was the first to gather troops at the foot of Celestial Wolf Mountain, and they even built a stronghold and set up defenses for our Alliance Army in advance. This will be punished, but meritorious service will be rewarded!"
"Chief Xi Huai!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Hearing Xiao Chen's words, the chief of the Phoenix Creek Tribe, Xi Huai, hurriedly stood up and acknowledged.
"This bottle contains a martial dao pill. It can help a Tempered Bone realm martial artist break through to the Blood Refinement realm. Consider it a reward from your Phoenix Creek Tribe!"
Xiao Chen took out a jade bottle and threw it toward Xi Huai.
What!
In the next moment, everyone's eyes lit up as they looked at the jade bottle in Xi Huai's hand. No one felt that Xiao Chen's words were false. This was related to the reputation of a mid-tier combat division. For a pill, Xiao Chen would not go to the extent of risking the reputation of the entire Gu Yuan Tribe.
To any low-tier combat division, there was no such thing as too many Blood Refinement realm martial artists. A pill like this could increase the number of Blood Refinement realm martial artists in the tribe. If that was the case, this pill would be enough to pass down the legacy of the tribe.
When the tribe's Blood Refinement realm martial artists ran out of manpower, a martial dao pill like this would be enough to allow the tribe to flourish and pass down its legacy. It would ensure that the tribe would not be reduced to a scattered tribe.