The sun rose and set, and night had fallen on the second day.
Though the Western Sea Tribes were tangled together like roots and branches, with grudges between their various clans, they were remarkably united against outsiders in order to survive between the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Normally, they fought together or surrendered together.
When word spread that the main stronghold of the Wuma Tribe, one of the Four Great Tribes, had been attacked-and by barbarians from the Great Desert of Shazhou, no less-all the tribes along Huangming Mountain were alarmed. Every clan sent its able-bodied young people rushing over, while the Dongming Tribe and Xuanhao Tribe in the central region also sent many Clan Elders skilled in martial arts ahead.
Only a day and a night had passed since the attack, yet more than ten thousand people had already gathered outside the Wuma Tribe's main stronghold. Most were Wuma tribespeople who had been away, while the others came from nearly a hundred tribes of varying sizes. They gathered in their own groups around bonfires on the grassland, with more people still arriving on the outskirts.
Although the Shatuo Tribe's eight thousand elite soldiers had surrendered before these people arrived, without any fighting at all, the solidarity of aid pouring in from every direction when one side was in trouble was still there.
To express their thanks, the Wuma Tribe immediately began slaughtering chickens and sheep and brought out their treasured fine wine to entertain the warriors of the various tribes.
At that moment, a huge bonfire blazed in the main stronghold's central square, with many young men and women dancing around it. A large tent had been erected ahead, with lambs roasting outside. Inside, the tribal leaders sat drinking toasts and discussing their tribes' recent circumstances.
As one of