No More Pretending, Let's Lay Our Cards on the Table!

The earth caved in, and the giant beast sank a hundred fathoms into the ground, yet its bulging back still rose above the surface.

It was only temporarily incapacitated.

The tribesmen of the Bear Hug Tribe had seen with their own eyes their Young Master descend from the sky, smashing the fierce beast into the earth; they had also seen him spread his ice-blue wings, soaring through the cloud-filled sky.

But they couldn't see the nearly exhausted and disheveled state Wu Wang was in when he landed before Lin Suqing...

The helmet made from the young beast's upper jaw slipped off, revealing Wu Wang's pale, youthful face.

"Grandma?"

He mumbled the word, but of course, received no reply.

The old woman sat quietly as if she were fast asleep.

Beside him, Lin Suqing's eyes were slightly red, and she said quickly, "Senior Chief Priest has something she wants me to tell you."

Wu Wang looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

Lin Suqing's lips trembled, and she almost burst into tears, "Young Master..."

"What did Grandma say?"

Wu Wang's voice also trembled.

"She said you, you did great, because your people won't starve anymore. And don't blame the other priests; their years of prayer have made them unable to muster the will to resist the Star God.

Also, it's good that there are no gods in the Human Domain. The world of the Northern Plains is too narrow for you to fly in."

Lin Suqing secretly pinched herself, trying hard to recall the words before whispering, "That's about all she said."

Wu Wang nodded, then fell silent, kneeling there quietly.

The wind of the Northern Plains blew gently, carrying the heat brought by the fierce beast; the ground trembled intermittently as the beast tried to break free from its earthen prison.

Taking a shallow breath, Wu Wang bowed three times, picked up the helmet, and put it on silently.

"Suqing, help me take her to reunite with the tribesmen and tell them exactly what Grandma did."

Lin Suqing quickly asked, "Where are you going, Young Master?"

Wu Wang tilted his head to look at the sky and let out a soft sigh, "I am the Young Master. Whatever benefits I enjoy, I must now bear the corresponding responsibilities."

"Is it truly the Star God's blessing? Is that beast a blessing? Why do the gods of the Northern Plains..."

Lin Suqing asked, full of confusion, "Aren't living beings and fierce beasts enemies? If such a fierce beast appeared in the Human Domain, all the reclusive Immortals would step forward!"

"Don't ask too much, just watch. The Northern Plains is the Northern Plains, and the Human Domain is the Human Domain."

Wu Wang turned around and looked up at the clear blue sky, where streaks of air currents remained.

He took a porcelain bottle from his waist, swallowed a Spirit Nurturing Pill that Lin Suqing had exchanged at the market, and his complexion turned slightly more rosy. He raised his hand and drew a simple symbol.

Ice crystals formed out of thin air, assembling into smaller ice wings behind him.

"Once the tribesmen are safe, notify General San to gather all the priests."

With a flicker of his ice wings, Wu Wang shot up into the sky, flying rapidly towards the north, where the tribesmen's retreat was more chaotic.

After leaving a certain range from the giant beast, the giant wolves also regained their mobility. The Giant Wolf Riders galloped back and forth, carrying people and transporting supplies.

Since the giant beast was temporarily trapped by the earth and unable to move, General San organized a large group of Giant Wolf Riders to return to the Royal Court, salvaging valuable property from the great fire and taking away any unburnt food and water containers.

Fortunately, when Wu Wang had designed the Royal Court's granary before, he had placed two subsidiary granaries hundreds of miles away.

Flying over the grasslands, one could see tragic corpses in the conflagration and hear the cries of children in the distance.

Smoke signals could be seen rising from the horizon, and the horns of war were already sounding throughout the territory of the Bear Hug Clan.

Wu Wang could even see the first wave of reinforcements heading towards the Royal Court in the distance.

But no matter how many people there were, they were useless. To fight such a fierce beast, ordinary strong men and low-level priests could not play much of a role.

Most of the tribesmen remained relatively calm, supporting and caring for each other as they gathered at the two designated shelters to the north and south. When Wu Wang flew over their heads, their somber eyes gained a flicker of hope.

The fierce beast was trapped in the earth and could not flip over anytime soon, giving the tribesmen ample time to escape the danger zone.

The rest was up to General San and the others. His father should also be on his way back.

Wu Wang patrolled the area for a week and observed the condition of the fierce beast for a while longer. It wasn't until the starry sky descended that he arrived at the southern shelter, landing in the midst of the continuous tents.

His footing faltered, and Wu Wang almost fell to the ground, but was steadied by a large hand extended from his side.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master."

In the light of the torches, men and women emerged from the shadows. The one steadying Wu Wang was an old general from the tribe.

Of course, he was an old man.

Wu Wang waved his hand, shaking off the old general's support, and his gaze fell upon the wooden frames erected between the tents, and the bodies covered by straw mats on those frames...

The calls of "Young Master" seemed to echo in his ears.

"How much longer until Father arrives?"

"Judging by the distance of the signal fires, the chieftain will be back by dawn."

"Mhm," Wu Wang let out a sigh of relief and walked into the large tent before him. Inside, he saw his grandmother, surrounded by flowers. Her expression was still incredibly peaceful, and several priests were kneeling beside her, murmuring prayers.

"All of you, out."

The old priests looked at Wu Wang with concern.

"Out."

Wu Wang's expression darkened slightly, and his tone carried a hint of coldness. The priests rose, bowed, and quietly exited the tent.

Lin Suqing soon found her way over and waited at the tent entrance.

Wu Wang took a deep breath and sat beside his grandmother's body. He watched over the elder, who looked as if she were merely asleep, settling into the meditative posture, centering his energy and circulating it through his body to replenish his spirit.

His pale complexion quickly regained its color, and the splitting pain in his forehead rapidly subsided. His thoughts began to stir.

A blessing?

Is this what a blessing is?

Wu Wang considered himself to have been a model citizen since his birth in this world. He had been diligent and conscientious, constantly striving to be a good young master for his clan, and always reminding himself of four words:

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

He hadn't spread any new ideologies, hadn't dabbled in things like 'one saltpeter, two sulfur, three charcoal,' and had never made any moves to provoke the current order of the Northern Plains.

Even when his strange illness likely stemmed from the Star Invocation Technique, he hadn't blamed the Star Gods at all, merely trying to find a solution.

And this was the result!

An obedient clan's home was destroyed, a non-troublemaker died tragically, and now he was expected to kneel and express gratitude for a Star God's blessing?

Go to hell with that.

The Bear Hug Tribe hadn't engaged in external warfare for fifty years. They had been content to develop within their own territory. Their people simply desired a prosperous and peaceful life, with little concept of territorial expansion.

And in return, they received a blessing from the Star Gods that resulted in heavy casualties among the clan members, and his own grandmother exhausting herself to death while trying to stop the fierce beasts.

Yes, his grandmother was already frail and nearing her end, but to have her live one less day was an irreconcilable blood feud!

Calm down.

He was the Young Master, the one in charge of the clan before his father returned. He absolutely could not lose control now.

Complaints and curses wouldn't solve anything.

I must first figure out who the enemy is.

He stopped circulating his energy and concealed his Daoist techniques. Wu Wang took off the necklace hanging around his neck and lightly tapped the central gem. The necklace emitted a faint glow and floated before him.

Star light guides, returning to the eternal abode.

"Mother?"

Wu Wang called out softly and immediately felt his mother's presence. This presence coalesced into a gentle hand, pulling him and guiding him.

His consciousness seemed to sink into a mire, only to quickly break through it.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the divine hall he had seen before, with boundless stars beneath his feet.

In the hall, seven figures stood silently. His mother was in the center, and the other six Sun Priests were gathered around her, facing her.

Suddenly, one of the Sun Priests turned and berated him, "Who dares trespass in the sacred hall!"

The surrounding starlight flickered, and the divine hall before him rapidly shrank, turning into a speck of light before vanishing completely.

Wu Wang's body trembled a few times. His vision returned to the large tent he was in. He casually caught the falling necklace and sat there, lost in thought.

The necklace in his hand felt slightly warm, and his mother's voice echoed in his mind:

'Ba'er, are you injured?'

Wu Wang's nose inexplicably stung.

'Mother, I'm fine. It's just... Grandma... What exactly is this Star God's Blessing?'

*'...'

'Mother, are you still there?'

'I have already seen the star representing Mother extinguish its light.'

Cang Xue's calm tone carried a hint of emotion. She said softly, 'This is quite complicated to explain, and it has little to do with the other Sun Priests. If the blessing had occurred today in the Great Wave Tribe, I would have also confined the Sun Priest from the Great Wave Tribe, just as they did. This is the rule of the Northern Plains.'

'I need to understand this,' Wu Wang responded in his heart, his tone quite resolute. 'This is very important, for me, for our clan, and even for the Northern Plains. Without sufficient information, I might make the wrong judgment.'

Cang Xue remained silent for a long time, seemingly contemplating.

'Ba'er, when you were little, you always asked me if I had truly seen the Star Gods. Mother can answer you now.'

His palm suddenly felt a prickling pain. The emerald gem on the necklace turned a light blue, and a series of images appeared in Wu Wang's mind.

This is!

In the deep starry sky, a magnificent figure floated quietly, its immense size immeasurable.

She had an upper body resembling a human, with the wings of a golden eagle growing from her back, but a long serpent's tail for her lower body. The golden armor she wore was covered in cracks, and her chest bore a gaping, abyss-like hole.

Her long, unbound hair flowed with wisps of starlight. At the ends of her hair, various types of fierce beasts were enveloped in membranes formed from starlight.

Looking closely at her face, it was majestic, serene, and almost perfect, yet like an ancient sculpture, devoid of any life.

Her right hand rested on the edge of the hole in her chest, while her left hand was held out, palm upward, supporting a disc. The disc was gently rotating. Whenever the disc trembled and flashed with red light, the fierce beasts at the ends of the goddess's hair would open their eyes.

At this point, three figures would fly out of the temple and kneel in the starry sky, praying to the disc. From beneath the disc, three chain-like streams of light would extend, binding the three figures.

Almost simultaneously, in the area of the goddess's head, one fierce beast would break free from the restraint of the hair, slowly sinking into the disc with its membrane, transforming into a beam of light and rushing into the depths of the starry sky.

Wu Wang couldn't help but frown, his gaze fixed on these scenes.

So that disc is the key?

What condition was triggered when it flashed red?

The chains extending from it bind the priests who pray, extracting their memories to determine which clan needs 'balance' and where the fierce beasts should descend?

This...

His mother's voice echoed in Wu Wang's mind, tinged with helplessness:

'This is the process of the blessing, and the secret guarded by the successive Chief Priests. Mother telling you this is already disrespectful to the Star God. Do not harbor any thoughts of defying the Star God's will; it will bring true disaster to the clan.'

Wu Wang clenched his fist subconsciously. After a moment of silence, he asked, 'Is the Star God... still alive?'

His mother's voice wavered slightly as she patiently explained:

'The Star God has long since fallen into slumber, waiting quietly for the moment of her awakening. The ancient wars of the gods wounded her too deeply. The Star God was on the winning side; the Northern Plains are her spoils, and the gods of the other eight plains are forbidden to invade. The Star God worried that powerful beings or forces might emerge in the Northern Plains by the time she awoke, so she created the Star Invocation Technique and three restraints. After cultivating the Star Invocation Technique, one cannot cultivate other powers; this is a prohibition of the Star Invocation Technique. The first restraint is the council of the Seven-Day Sacrifice. The second restraint: should any life threatening to the Star God emerge in the Northern Plains, the disc will descend a calamity to eliminate it prematurely. The third restraint is the Star God's Blessing, aimed at clans and tribes. When the Star God's disc perceives a clan with the potential to unify the Northern Plains, it will bestow a blessing, sending down fierce beasts formed from the Star God's hair to maintain the situation of multiple clans in the Northern Plains. Child, compared to the Star God, we are truly too insignificant...'

With a sigh, Cang Xue stopped speaking.

Wu Wang sat in a daze for a while, then asked in his heart, 'The main effect of the Star God's Disc is to prevent any single clan from unifying the Northern Plains?'

'That's right.'

'Then, if the overall strength of the Northern Plains increases, while maintaining a state of multiple dispersed clans, will that trigger the disc's prohibition?'

Cang Xue was silent for a moment, then said, 'Over the long span of years, the overall strength of the Northern Plains has naturally been growing. This should not violate the Star God's restraints.'

Then...

Wu Wang grabbed the necklace and immediately stood up, a faint light shining in his eyes.

"Someone!"

Lin Suqing was the first to flash in, followed by a large group of elderly people, nearly collapsing the tent.

"General Xiong Kun, make a personal trip. Ride a Flying Bat to inform my father first. If my father agrees, immediately dispatch the Flying Bat Riders. Bring our Giant Crossbows and go to the Great Wave Tribe, Kuafu Tribe, Northern Lion Tribe, Strong Armor Tribe, Quanrong Tribe, and Deep Eye Tribe. Remember, only go to these six major tribes that are among the strongest and have a contemporary Chief Priest! Use five thousand Giant Crossbows, sixty thousand crossbow bolts, and the purchase quota for an additional thirty thousand Giant Crossbows and three hundred thousand crossbow bolts, in exchange for their Clan Leaders and the ten strongest experts to come assist in the battle! For the three fastest tribes to arrive here, I will give them the design blueprints for the Wooden Light Crossbow and a batch of young livestock! Of course, all of this requires my father's approval."

An old general immediately accepted the order, turned, pushed through the crowd, and sprinted towards the edge of the camp.

An elder hurriedly said, "Young Master, the Giant Crossbows are the clan's sharpest weapons. To just give them to other tribes..."

"It's not a gift, it's a sale," Wu Wang stated firmly. "The important thing is the smelting process. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The enemy is in the starry sky.

The ones who killed my grandmother and countless clansmen are the Star God and the restraint mechanism left by the Star God.

"General Xiong San, immediately summon all the Priests. I have something to say to them. Also, send someone to dig up everything you buried before! We cannot let the clansmen who suffered disaster die in vain, nor their deaths be meaningless. Since this fierce beast is the Star God's blessing, then this blessing... I accept it!"