The Five Great Tribes, A Probe

"Who is it? Get out here!"

Jiao Peng, disheveled and covered in dust, stared with bloodshot eyes into the depths of the ancient village.

"And what if I do come out? You dare to speak ill of our Sacrificial Spirit? I think you're tired of living."

Everyone saw a young figure, looking no more than five or six years old with fair, delicate features, step out and stand calmly beneath the scorched willow tree.

"Good, good, good. Kid, you have no idea who you've offended."

Seeing the newcomer's appearance, Jiao Peng's rage soared. He turned to the group of experts who had dismounted from the ferocious beasts: "Uncle Cang, help me capture that brat. I want to drag him back to Luofu Marsh to be my war slave."

He was the youngest and most beloved son of the Lord of Luofu Marsh, a prodigy who had recently defeated Huo Lin of the Fire Cavern and was destined to become a human prince. To think he had been ambushed by a mountain brat of the same age!

How could he swallow such a bitter pill?

"Peng'er, show some respect."

Jiao Cang, the middle-aged expert, stopped his furious nephew, his expression turning grave as he looked at Shi Hao: "Willow Deity? You say the name of your village's Sacrificial Spirit is Willow Deity?"

"The Willow Deity is the Willow Deity. There is no doubt about that."

Shi Hao replied as if it were only natural.

The term "deity" was not to be used lightly.

In the Great Wilderness, those who dared to claim divinity were terrifying existences capable of battling ancient, true monsters and destroying countless super-tribes with a single thought.

Why were the ancient imperial kingdoms with their boundless territories able to stand tall in the Great Wilderness?

It was because the shadows of ancient gods loomed over them.

Even an elderly god whose divine fire had extinguished and whose divine power had severely waned was not someone a massive tribe of millions, like Luofu Marsh, could afford to provoke.

As for a Sacrificial Spirit overstepping its bounds and calling itself a god?

That was even more impossible. Do not forget, this was an ancient world where gods watched from three feet above. Those true divine beings would never hesitate to rain down boundless divine punishment to utterly annihilate anyone who dared to tarnish the glory of a deity.

"Hiss, this mysterious Sacrificial Spirit might be a true god!"

The experts from the various tribes exchanged glances subconsciously.

A mysterious Sacrificial Spirit calling itself the Willow Deity, a child who could easily suppress the young son of the Luofu Marsh Clan Chief—this ancient village was likely the site of a hidden, super-powerful family.

"Little brother, I am Jiao Cang of Luofu Marsh. Greetings."

Jiao Cang's expression shifted rapidly, and he immediately changed his tone.

"Shi Hao of Stone Village. If there is nothing else, please leave at once. Do not disturb the peace of our clan."

Shi Hao replied with cold indifference.

"Haha, no rush."

"Today, the Mountain Treasure has emerged in the depths of the Great Wilderness. All tribes have sent experts to investigate, which is how we stumbled upon your village. Since we have met, it is fate. Why not let the children of our tribes spar with the talents of your village?"

"Of course, Luofu Marsh will not take advantage of you. We will put up three jars of true beast blood as a wager. What do you think, little brother Shi Hao?"

Jiao Cang ignored Shi Hao's coldness and spoke with a smile.

Unreconciled, he still wanted to test them. Luofu Marsh had just suffered a setback in front of the other heroes; if there was a chance, he naturally wanted to regain some face.

Even gods could die. Jiao Cang was desperate to know if this Willow Deity was still alive.

"A fine idea. The Thunder Clan would also like to join in."

The speaker was Lei Yunkun, the fourth son of the Thunder Marquis. Black lightning crackled around his body, and the sound of thunder echoed periodically; he was exceptionally heroic.

"The Zishan Tribe seconds this!"

As the old rivals of the Thunder Clan, the Zishan Tribe was not about to be left behind.

Zishan Shou, the uncle of the Purple Mountain Marquis, wore a golden crown and held a feather fan. Dressed in flowing robes, he had the hair of a crane and the face of a child, with wisps of purple energy rising from behind his head—truly extraordinary.

The Cloud Clan had always been neutral and disliked meddling in worldly affairs.

As for the Golden Wolf Tribe, their party consisted mainly of young experts with no suitable candidate to field, so they remained silent.

The leader was a burly man in a wolf-skin robe named Batu, the first warrior of the Golden Wolf Tribe and the right-hand man of the Golden Wolf Clan Chief.

These tribal experts were all cunning, intending to join forces to probe the village.

"Kid, did you hear that? Do you dare to spar with me again? You only won because you ambushed me earlier. This time, in a fair fight, I'll beat the crap out of you!"

Believing he had the support of the others, Jiao Peng shouted arrogantly.

"Just you? A little brat in the Blood Moving Realm?"

Shi Hao glanced at the jumping, shouting Jiao Peng with a blank expression.

"Just me, Jiao Peng! What about it!"

Jiao Peng gritted his teeth, suppressing his overflowing rage.

"You are not worthy."

Little Shi's voice was devoid of ripples.

"Ahhh! Shi Hao, get over here! I'm going to kill you!"

Jiao Peng, whose pride was the most fragile, instantly blew his top, charging forward while screaming and shouting.

"Peng'er, calm down."

Jiao Cang held Jiao Peng back once more, asking with a beaming smile, "What does little brother Shi Hao mean by this? It's just a friendly spar, nothing worth getting worked up over."

"Just you wait."

Shi Hao waved his hand, and to the shock of the thousands of experts present, he turned his back on the massive crowd of clansmen and walked straight into the village, leaving them all staring at each other in bewilderment.

Gazing at the mysterious willow tree swaying in the breeze at the village entrance, the restless experts ultimately dared not cross the line.

A moment later, a whole swarm of Pihou came rushing out of the village.

There were children aged five or six, seven or eight, and even eleven or twelve, all grinning as they crowded around Shi Hao, acting as if they were attending some lively festival.

"Oh, we have visitors."

"Are these the 'bunch of morons' Little One was talking about? In such sweltering weather, instead of staying home and taking a nap, they traveled all this way to our village gate. They really must have something wrong with their heads."

"Wow, look, those two pretty girls look exactly the same! They must be twins, right?"

They boldly and enthusiastically sized up the uninvited guests from the outside world, showing not a shred of fear.

The experts of the various clans: "..."

What the hell is a "bunch of morons"? You little brats, do you have to say that right to our faces? Do I not have any dignity to maintain?!

"Little brother Shi Hao, what is the meaning of this?"

Zishan Shou, the clan uncle of the Purple Mountain Marquis, felt his mouth twitch as he spoke with forced patience.

In just this short while, a few of the little rascals had already begun "whispering" about whether his magnificent feathered robe was stolen, or if he was wearing a wig because he looked so old yet had such black hair, or how he could be so ugly and yet...

Hmph, these brats from Stone Village were simply lawless, utterly lawless!

"The descendants of your clans are just too weak. I'm not interested; let someone else keep them company."

Shi Hao glanced at Jiao Peng, then began calling out names: "Dazhuang, Ermeng, Pihou, it's your turn to perform. Beat them hard, and I'll give you extra chicken legs if you win."

Don't let the fact that Dazhuang and the others were always goofing off fool you; they were now cultivators in the Blood Moving Realm. The foundation-building method of the Stone Clan Ancient Method wasn't something they had experienced for nothing.

Jiao Peng and his group were acting incredibly arrogant, but in reality, they were also just early-stage Blood Moving Realm cultivators. Having Dazhuang face them was just right—a classic case of two chickens pecking at each other.