The Four Clan Leaders

"Great-Aunt Azure Heaven Roc, you're finally back."

Shi Hao leaped into the air, landing nimbly on Azure Heaven Roc's back like a young Golden Winged Roc spreading its wings to fly.

"You were gone only long enough to forage, and this bunch of reckless bugs came to harass the village. Who are they?"

Azure Heaven Roc's eagle eyes swept indifferently over the ground as she spoke.

Yes, Azure Heaven Roc had long been able to speak, and could even transform into human form.

In fact, Ancient Relics who reached the Inscription Realm possessed relatively pure bloodlines and all manner of wondrous abilities.

Azure Heaven Roc was simply accustomed to her beast form and rarely transformed into a human.

With the blood of three Ancient Relics catalyzing her, Azure Heaven Roc's Primordial Demonic Bird bloodline had been purifying faster, and her strength had already begun to edge into the late Inscription Realm.

Every movement she made carried astonishing might.

Willow Deity had said that once this adult Azure Heaven Roc finished the first phase of her bloodline purification, she would likely become an Array Formation King. It would simply take more time.

"The Mountain Treasure has appeared again. They're just a pack of hunting dogs drawn here by the scent of blood."

Shi Hao glanced at the ground. The experts from the various tribes, who had been so overbearing earlier, now all had their heads buried in their chests like quails, obedient to a fault.

He couldn't help laughing to himself. Willow Deity really had been farsighted, acting in advance to guide four Ancient Relics into guarding the village. It would have been far too demeaning to make a divine being like Willow Deity handle everything personally—especially when all they faced was a bunch of Spirit Transformation Realm minnows.

"Fight over the Mountain Treasure? As if they're worthy."

Azure Heaven Roc gave a disdainful snort.

The closer one came to her level of cultivation, the more one understood just how powerful the creatures fighting over the Mountain Treasure in the depths of the Great Wilderness were. Several supreme beings were battling there.

Even she had no right to get involved, let alone these minnows.

"Of course, if the Sacrificial Spirit wished to fight for it, that would be another matter. But that so-called Mountain Treasure may not interest the Sacrificial Spirit..."

Thinking this, Azure Heaven Roc discreetly glanced toward the charred willow tree at the village entrance, her gaze reverent and respectful.

Yet no one had expected that even this subtle gesture would make the experts from the various tribes grow even more nervous.

W-what was it asking permission for?!

"Little Brother Shi Hao, we accept our loss. We're willing to hand over the three jars of ferocious-beast precious blood each tribe promised. No—twice that amount."

Zishan Shou was no longer as calm as he had been while sitting pretty. Fear covered his aged face as he gritted his teeth and cupped his hands toward Little Shi, begging for mercy.

"Right, right! We accept our loss, we accept our loss!"

Jiao Cang and Lei Yunkun nodded repeatedly. In a fluster, they pulled out several fragrant clay jars, inside which various kinds of true blood could just be seen swirling.

"Now you accept your loss? Why didn't you do that earlier?"

Shi Hao gave a cold laugh, then looked down and said, "Great-Aunt Azure Heaven Roc, these thieves lost the contest and reneged on their bet. They even coveted the two supreme arts of Stone Village and tried to wipe us out. Kill them all!"

"Kill them? Very well. They're just a bunch of lowly crawling insects anyway."

Azure Heaven Roc nodded. Her chest drew in a sudden breath, and boundless essence from the world rushed toward her, as if a raging fire were gathering in her belly.

Buzz!

In the next instant, a silver disk of wind blades, dozens of yards across, rapidly formed beside Azure Heaven Roc's beak. Its terrifyingly sharp cutting force could be felt clearly even from afar.

"Clan Leader, save me!"

"Thunder Marquis, please protect us!"

The experts from the four great tribes were so terrified they nearly lost their wits. They didn't dare resist. As they turned to flee, they shouted desperately for help.

"Wait! Please, stop!"

"Lord of Luofu Marsh is willing to compensate your village for its losses!"

"The Golden Wolf Tribe is just as sincere..."

A few clear cries rang out, and sudden changes erupted in every direction.

To the east, a Purple Great Sun sailed through the sky, its surging purple aura staining a vast expanse of the world.

To the west, scorching thunder roared. A burly man wrapped in black lightning strode forward upon countless bolts of thunder.

To the south, the rushing river abruptly split.

A gray, ancient Ferocious Flood Dragon shot up from the riverbed, carrying a mysterious figure as it swiftly descended.

To the north, a golden whirlwind howled toward them.

Within the whirlwind, a tall, imposing old man could be seen.

More importantly, a Golden Divine Wolf stood beside him, looking about proudly. Its fur was golden from head to tail, and countless runes flickered in its eyes. It was truly terrifying.

The dignified old man stood half a step behind the Golden Divine Wolf, looking quite respectful.

Seeing their respective tribes' experts about to meet their doom, the leaders of the four great tribes, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally couldn't hold back and revealed themselves.

"Hmph. You four are nothing but slightly sturdier ants. You think you can stop me?"

Azure Heaven Roc's gaze was icy. She gave her enormous wings, which seemed cast from bronze, the slightest flap, and the silver disk, radiating boundless sharpness, shot down at lightning speed toward the densest part of the crowd.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Blood and flesh flew, severed limbs scattered, and the scene instantly became a sea of wailing.

Most of the experts from the four great tribes fell in an instant. Men and beasts alike dropped one after another like stalks of wheat being harvested. Even early Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators such as Zishan Shou, Jiao Cang, and the old servant of the Thunder Clan resisted for a moment before meeting their ends in turn, their deaths bizarre.

In the blink of an eye, only a few children, such as Lei Mingyuan and Zishan Kun, remained from the four tribes. Looking at the appallingly tragic battlefield before them, they burst into tears.

At the end of the day, they were only five or six, or at most seven or eight. The powerful, imposing clan experts they had known all their lives had been slaughtered in an instant, and the sight had terrified them deeply.

"Hiss! They're all dead. What a gruesome death..."

The various tribes that had retreated far away stared blankly at the scene. A deep chill swept over them like a rising tide, freezing them to the bone.

"Fortunately, our Cloud Clan didn't get involved. Otherwise, we might never make it back to the palace."

The white-robed old man from Cloud Heaven Palace was tense from head to toe. His aged hand clenched the pure-white Snow Feather so tightly that the veins stood out. Anyone could see he was on high alert.

Behind him, the twin sisters, whose looks resembled those of fairy spirits, seemed so frightened they had gone numb. Their faces were deathly pale as they clung to the old man's robe and refused to let go.

"Uncle!"

"Yunkun!"

"Cang!"

A few anguished roars rang out. The four clan leaders, who had flashed in from all directions, finally appeared in full, their faces terribly grim.

Even so, none dared take a single step closer. They could only land far away.

"Peng'er, my Peng'er..."

The Lord of Luofu Marsh coughed up a large mouthful of blood on the spot.

His most beloved youngest son, Jiao Peng, had been killed right before his eyes. Unforgivable!

"Honored sir, we've already agreed to compensate your village. Why must you still strike with such cruelty?"

Thunder Marquis—the burly man wrapped in black lightning—forced down the grief between his brows and spoke.

His fourth son, Lei Yunkun, had also just met with misfortune.