With Xiao Ying invoking the old priest's name, compounded by High Priest Fang's unreasonable, disconcertingly reckless and witless conduct, the Lifen Tribe and the Sky Bow Tribe could only withdraw reluctantly.
Of course, the real reason the two great tribes withdrew was the message the old priest, the Soul Devourer King, had instructed High Priest Fang to deliver to their high priests!
With more than forty-five hundred tribespeople, the Black Tower Tribe was indeed weaker overall than the Sky Bow Tribe, but stronger than the Lifen Tribe. Moreover, it was an upper-middle-ranking barbarian tribe affiliated with a branch tribe of one of the ten great Heavenly Divisions, not some tiny tribe anyone could squeeze and bully at will.
The two great tribes could indeed destroy the Black Tower Tribe by joining forces, but absorbing it was hardly possible. They would only leave both sides battered and severely weaken the barbarian forces on Mulberry Elm Island. Forcing the issue simply was not worth the cost.
The second crucial reason was naturally that High Priest Fang had mastered Totem Power so quickly. Under equal conditions, attackers needed twice the defenders' strength to be confident of victory. With the amplification of Totem Power, the two great tribes could not destroy the Black Tower Tribe without suffering more than twice its casualties. Neither tribe could afford that price, so they could only withdraw for now and devise another plan!
For the next half month, Xiao Ying continued using the old priest's instructions as an excuse to remain at the Ritual Altar and "consolidate" his cultivation. On one hand, he knew nothing about the barbarians or the Immortal Realm and did not want too much contact with others; on the other, quite a few factions eyed the Black Tower Tribe like hungry tigers. He dared