Mo Sang

"Oh? You've figured it out?" Grandpa opened his eyes and looked at Su Ming.

"I couldn't have killed Sikong! Given his status, even as the son of the Black Dragon Tribe's chieftain, he couldn't possibly have unleashed the power of that tribal defensive spear. Most importantly, he couldn't have deceived the entire Black Dragon Tribe to come hunt me down all on his own!" The more Su Ming spoke, the more alarmed he felt, cold sweat breaking out across his body.

"It seemed as though he was the only one chasing me, but in reality..." Su Ming's pupils contracted.

"In reality, I fear the Barbarian Duke and the chieftain of the Black Dragon Tribe were both aware of his pursuit! They didn't stop him; they let the situation play out!"

"And... they might have even been following right behind, witnessing my battle with Sikong with their own eyes!" Su Ming gasped. He wasn't afraid of anything else, but he feared the power of the moonlight being seen by them. Yet, the more he analyzed it, the more his heart raced; it was as if a real scroll was slowly unfurling before him.

But soon, Su Ming furrowed his brows, his eyes filled with confusion.

"You don't understand why, if the Barbarian Duke or the chieftain of the Black Dragon Tribe were following, they would let you take the spear so easily, is that it?" Grandpa spoke calmly, pointing out the biggest question currently in Su Ming's mind.

Su Ming didn't speak, instead falling into deep thought. After a long while, he looked toward the vast, distant horizon and spoke slowly.

"The one following in secret behind Sikong and me couldn't have been the Black Dragon chieftain. If it were him, he wouldn't have been able to hold back upon seeing Sikong injured. I think the one following behind must have been... the Barbarian Duke of the Black Dragon Tribe! But I still don't understand why she would let me take that Barbarian Artifact spear."

"Correct! The one following you was clearly Lesu, the Barbarian Duke of the Black Dragon Tribe!" Grandpa's eyes shone with a sharp, appreciative light.

"Your analysis is spot on. If the Black Dragon chieftain had been following, how could he have stood by and watched you bully his son? As for your question, Grandpa can give you the answer! This pursuit was merely a show; in reality, the Black Dragon Tribe wouldn't kill you! After all, you saved Bai Ling. If they returned evil for good, they would surely enrage our Wu Mountain Tribe. Especially at this critical juncture, they wouldn't do such a thing!" Grandpa's eyes glinted with wisdom as he analyzed it for Su Ming.

"They were trying to intimidate me?" Su Ming's expression turned to one of realization, but it quickly shifted into distress.

"Haha, they were indeed intimidating you—the boy who wants to eye the girls of their tribe! They wanted to scare you off, to fill you with fear so that you would never dare approach the Black Dragon Tribe again! Sikong likely didn't know this. His murderous intent was real; he must have had designs on Bai Ling, and Lesu, the Barbarian Duke, simply used his anger. If you hadn't been a match for him, you would have been injured at most, and she would have intervened secretly to make it look like you had escaped by the skin of your teeth. You are still too young; you can't see the heart of the matter. If it were Grandpa, I wouldn't have run at all. I would have walked straight into their Black Dragon Tribe, bold and open, and looked for the girl I liked right in front of them. You are her savior and my child; could they have easily harmed you?" Grandpa laughed and patted Su Ming on the head.

Su Ming was stunned for a moment, a look of regret appearing on his face.

"This was perhaps also a test from the Black Dragon Tribe. After all, the girl you like is Lesu's granddaughter." Grandpa looked at Su Ming with a smile.

"Grandpa, that Barbarian Duke of the Black Dragon Tribe is too cunning!" Su Ming said with a bitter face, having finally understood the truth after Grandpa's explanation.

"Don't be discouraged. Aside from failing to see their intentions, you actually did quite well. I imagine Lesu didn't expect that not only would you avoid being in a sorry state under Sikong's pursuit, but you would actually subdue him! As for why Lesu let you take that Barbarian Artifact..." Grandpa's eyes flashed.

"She saw that she hadn't scared you off, so she let you take it on purpose to tell me that the matter of you saving Bai Ling is settled by this spear! The Black Dragon Tribe is a bit different from us, especially Lesu. She isn't skilled in Barbarian Arts; she specializes in crafting Barbarian Artifacts—not true ones, but imitations! For instance, the spear you obtained is a replica, modeled after the Blood Scale Spear, one of the three great Barbarian Artifacts of the old Wu Mountain Tribe." Grandpa raised his right hand and patted Su Ming's arm. Immediately, Su Ming felt a cold sensation seep in, and soon, a black line slowly emerged on his right arm.

"Grandpa has already refined this spear for you and made some changes, turning the black dragon into a black eagle that can merge into your body. You only need to think of it when you need it." Grandpa raised his right hand and spoke with a smile.

Su Ming looked at the black line on his right arm, hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak.

"Grandpa knows what you want to say. I ask you: now that you have taken the Barbarian Artifact from the Black Dragon Tribe to settle the debt of saving Bai Ling, how are you thinking about this matter? Are you going to return the spear to trade for a chance to see that girl, or will you keep the spear and never see her again?" Grandpa said with a smile.

Su Ming pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"This spear was collateral for the five thousand stones Sikong owed, so naturally, I can't return it. As for Bai Ling... I am her savior, after all." Su Ming blinked.

Grandpa laughed heartily, patted Su Ming on the head, and looked at him with great admiration.

In the middle section of the giant Black Python's body, Bei Ling sat cross-legged. He watched the backs of Grandpa and Su Ming. Although he couldn't hear what they were discussing, seeing Grandpa's smile and Su Ming's laughter, Bei Ling lowered his head.

A flash of jealousy crossed his eyes.

"Su Ming, if you were a Barbarian Warrior, that would be one thing, but when you first underwent the Barbarian Awakening, you didn't even possess a Barbarian Body. Why is it that a commoner like you—not only does Chen Xin have a fondness for you, but most importantly, why does Grandpa treat you so well? Just because you're a child Grandpa picked up?! You have no blood relation, and I am the hope of the tribe, yet Grandpa has never smiled at me... even Father is the same, often sighing that you have the potential to become a Scout Leader! Su Ming, if it weren't for you, Chen Xin, Father, and even Grandpa would never treat me the way they do now. Su Ming, you always thought I was cold to you because of Chen Xin and always wanted to explain, but you don't know that I don't want to hear your explanations!! A child picked up from nowhere, someone who isn't even from my Wu Mountain Tribe, someone who doesn't even look like a Barbarian—what right do you have to explain to me, and what right do you have to make me waste my time listening to you!!" Bei Ling's breathing was ragged, and it took him a long while to calm down. When he finally looked up, everything had returned to normal—still cold, still aloof.

Standing not far away, Bei Ling's father, the Scout Leader of the Wu Mountain Tribe, furrowed his brows slightly. After glancing at Bei Ling, he looked at Su Ming's back and let out a soft sigh.

At the tail of the Black Python, beside Lei Chen, the leader of the hunting team, Shan Hen, had a strange glint in his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. As someone who was always reticent in the tribe, few could ever discern his thoughts.

Time passed quickly. If Su Ming were to run on foot from the Wu Mountain Tribe to the Fengzhen Tribe, it would usually take nearly two days, but on Grandpa's Black Python, it took less than an hour before a massive tribe could be seen in the distance on the earth.

In the center of the tribe was a huge mud-stone city. From the sky, it didn't look large, but as the Black Python descended, the city revealed itself clearly to Su Ming's eyes.

This majestic mud-stone city contained numerous mud-stone dwellings, appearing not the least bit chaotic, but very orderly. Although it couldn't compare to the Fire Barbarian Tribe from the ancient ages that Su Ming had seen, it was far, far superior to the Wu Mountain Tribe where he lived.

This city alone was something the Wu Mountain Tribe could never possess.

The city walls were several zhang high; one had to look up to see the top when standing below. Even now, as Su Ming looked down from mid-air, his heart was stirred. Not only him, but Lei Chen also leaned over the Black Python, craning his neck to look down, his eyes filled with envy and shock.

The same went for Wu Mang, who stared blankly at the massive mud-stone city; it was something she had never seen before. Only Bei Ling remained calm.

The massive city seemed capable of housing thousands of people, with plenty of room to spare. In the very center of the city stood a tall, pitch-black, pentagonal altar. The altar was over ten zhang high, faintly etched with bird and beast totems, exuding a primitive aura; it was the most striking object in the city.

If it were just this mud-stone city, it wouldn't fully demonstrate the power of the Fengzhen Tribe—the hegemon of the region that ruled over all directions, accepted tribute from countless small tribes, and was the only tribe with connections to the higher-tier tribes. Yet, surrounding this mud-stone city were six other tribes just like the Wu Mountain Tribe!

These six tribes were all directly subordinate to the Fengzhen Tribe and had now become a part of it.

Su Ming stared blankly at the vast tribe on the ground. The power of the Fengzhen Tribe exceeded his imagination. In his mind, a tribe like this was almost like the heavens themselves, capable of destroying any enemy.

As the Black Python drew closer, Su Ming saw many tribesmen in the Fengzhen Tribe below looking up at them. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he sensed a hint of arrogance in the expressions of these unfamiliar Fengzhen tribesmen.

"This is the Fengzhen Tribe!" Grandpa's voice echoed across the Black Python.

"Once a vassal tribe of my Wu Mountain Tribe, now... the strongest tribe in all the surrounding lands!"

"Grandpa, was our Wu Mountain Tribe once as large as the Fengzhen Tribe?" The girl named Wu Long asked.

Grandpa did not speak, a flicker of dimness in his eyes.

Just then, a gentle laugh suddenly drifted out from within the Fengzhen Tribe.

"Mo Sang, it is not easy for you to come to my Fengzhen Tribe!"