Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 401
Even the chiefs of the Giant Axe Tribe and the Feathered Snakes Tribe were shaking their heads slightly.
The chief of the Giant Axe Tribe said in a low voice, "Ah Huo, that's entirely irrelevant. The thing about Sha Yulan and Wu Mayan has been settled in the arena. It's not a tradition of the Iron Plateau natives to go back on our words."
"Yes!"
In the battle formation of the Giant Axe Tribe, a tower-like muscular man more than 2.5 meters tall suddenly walked out of the crowd. He waved his giant axes and shouted at Yan Chihuo, "That year, the three tribes gathered in Furious Bears City and made a deal with Chief Xiong to settle the matter with three battles. If he won them all, we would seek no more trouble and consider the woman and her child ordinary members of the Furious Bears Tribe!
"As it turned out, Chief Xiong defeated me, 'Mountain-cutting Hatchet', in front of everyone in the arena!
"Now, you are calling that woman a witch again. Aren't you slapping my face?"
The qi-trainers valued their credits more than their life. Since they had promised to not harass Sha Yulan anymore if they were defeated in the arena, they would not say anything against her again in public however discontented they were inside.
Yan Chihuo's accusation of 'witch', on the other hand, had violated the taboo. Even many people in the Giant Axe Tribe and the Feathered Snakes Tribe were booing him.
"Brother Yan Chihuo!"
Xiong Wuji held his head high and announced furiously, "Previously, the Burning Sun Tribe, the Feathered Snakes Tribe, and the Giant Axe Tribe gathered in Furious Bears City and demanded Sha Yulan and her child be banished from Furious Bears City. We swore in the name of the ancestors of the six tribes that we would sort everything through three battles. If I won all of them, everybody would stop nitpicking the identity of Sha Yulan and her child; if I failed any of the three battles, they would be banished to the desert to live on their own!
"The result was that I was fortunate enough to win all the three battles. The two of them had been regarded as ordinary members of the Furious Bears Tribe ever since.
"Now, you are calling Sha Yulan a witch. Do you want to overrule the result of the battles?
"As for your indictment that I was spellbound by Sha Yulan…
"Hahahaha. What's wrong with that?
"Now that so many qi-trainers of the six tribes are gathered here, I would like to announce to everybody that…
"It's true that Sha Yulan and I are in love with each other. With everything coming to this far, I will take her as my wife for the rest of my life!"
His declaration almost blew more than half of Furious Bears City into the sky like an enormous crystal bomb!
"Ah!"
Wu Mayan shouted and pinched Li Yao's waist hard.
The young man had known that his mother and his foster father were in a close relationship, but he did not expect his foster father to be so audacious as to declare his proposal in front of more than a hundred thousand people!
The qi-trainers of the tribes were all dumbfounded, especially those from the Burning Sun Tribe, the Giant Axe Tribe, and the Feathered Snakes Tribe.
They had thought that they had located Xiong Wuji's weakness, but now that he had put forward such a straightforward declaration, they suddenly felt lost and didn't know what to do next.
Li Yao found Sha Yulan in the crowd. She was dumbfounded, too. Her face was red, her body was shuddering, and she was already on the brink of passing out. There was no telling whether she was overly scared or overly happy.
Xiong Wuji squinted, his voice suddenly turning sharper than ever. "Brother Yan Chihuo, Sha Yulan is the woman I love most, and a member of the Furious Bears Tribe. I want you to apologize to her for your insulting words!"
The daunting aura of the 99th level of the Refinement Stage was fully released, as if a tornado was rising up from the ground. Xiong Wuji suddenly turned more horrifying than ever!
Yan Chihuo's face turned pale. He suddenly took a step back and swallowed. Then he said that, "Alright. I apologize. It was wrong of me to say that. Sha Yulan is definitely not a witch!"
Everybody was dazed again, especially those familiar with Yan Chihuo.
Yan Chihuo suddenly changed his tone and shrieked, "I thought that Sha Yulan, the 'witch' from space, had been deceiving our Chief Xiong with pillow talk and finally planted the idea of meeting space residents into your head!
"I was wrong. Very wrong!
"I didn't know until this morning that Sha Yulan is indeed not a witch. She is just a poor woman whom you have been using as your camouflage!
"You were never spellbound by her!
"Since the very beginning, long before she arrived in Iron Plateau, Xiong Wuji, the ambitious schemer, has been planning to get in touch with space residents. Everything has been within your control. Her arrival merely gave you a perfect excuse for your cause!
"All this time, the Burning Sun Tribe, the Feathered Snakes Tribe, and the Giant Axe Tribe believed that Sha Yulan beguiled you and that you were confused because of her. In fact, it was never the case!
"The truth, and the biggest secret that my father discovered, is—"
Yan Chihuo pointed at Xiong Wuji's nose, his fingernails pale and his fingertips shivering.
Xiong Wuji's expression suddenly turned extremely weird. The aura around him became sharp beyond his control.
Coldness beamed out of the eyes of the chief of the Giant Axe Tribe and the chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe. They made a step forward simultaneously and shielded Yan Chihuo.
"Xiong Wuji, you never saw this coming, did you?"
Yan Chihuo laughed out loud. "You thought that your secret would be safe forever after you killed my father, but you didn't know that my father passed on the secret to me smartly before his death!
"Chiefs, elders, and seniors of all the six tribes of Iron Plateau!
"Brothers and sisters of the six tribes!
"And the qi-trainers in the Furious Bears Tribe who have been fooled by Xiong Wuji!
"Listen to me carefully!
"The man standing right before your eyes, the greatest hero on this planet who has slain a calamity-level beast on his own, known as the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau, Xiong Wuji…
"…is actually a space resident!"
Chapter 595: Beside the Black Tooth River |
Silence. There was nothing but dead silence throughout the area.
Yan Chihuo's last announcement was so shocking that it blew the minds of all one hundred thousand qi-trainers like a super crystal bomb.
The vast camp was absolutely quiet. It was not until three seconds later that hissing sounds soared to the sky.
That was because everyone had opened their mouth as wide as humanly possible and was gasping hard.
More than ten seconds later, shouts and curses occurred in the Burning Sun Tribe, the Feathered Snakes Tribe, and the Giant Axe Tribe.
The qi-trainers of the Furious Bears Tribe were more than angry. They called Yan Chihuo's name and condemned that he was talking nonsense.
The hair all over Wu Mayan's body was shivering. He crouched and could barely talk. "Father Xiong. He—he—he—"
Li Yao was dumbfounded, too, but he also realized that it was probably true. The accusation was too appalling and unbelievable. Yan Chihuo wouldn't have dared to say that if he did not have valid proof.
If that was the case, Yan Zhengdong's uncanny words last night would make perfect sense.
As it turns out, you are the one with the real acting skills here, Chief Xiong!
Li Yao secretly commended him while he recalled everything he had experienced after he had come to the Furious Bears Tribe. Many problems that had been troubling him had answers now!
He had been curious why Xiong Wuji trusted a space resident so quickly and even fully opened the core secrets of the temple of techniques to him!
He had thought that it was because Iron Plateau natives were simple and straightforward. But the truth was…
He peeped at Xiong Wuji and found his face gloomy with pity and fury. The chief's fists were clenched so hard that the air might be exploding at any moment. Yet, he didn't give any refutation.
The chief of the Giant Axe Tribe took a long breath and said solemnly, "Yan Chihuo, this is a very severe accusation. You must not attack other people blindly. What evidence do you have?
"If you do not have valid proof and simply speculate that the chief of another tribe is a space resident, the Giant Axe Tribe will not stand on the Burning Sun Tribe's side!"
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe shrieked, "Nor will the Feathered Snakes Tribe! This is too shocking! What proof have you got?"
Yan Chihuo sniffed and laughed. Then suddenly, tears flowed out of his eyes. He took out a piece of creased paper from his pocked and said, "This is proof!
"After my father and Xiong Wuji's meeting failed, the more he thought of it, the less confident he became. Therefore, he released a stream of sharp spiritual gas and left shallow traces on the paper.
"The words were not readily recognizable. But as long as you mix the ash of the Candle Grass and the Purple Firefly Powder into water and soak the paper into the solution, the substances will have chemical reactions with the spiritual gas left on the paper, and you can see the tiny words appearing on the paper!
"The paper was folded and thrown into the dustbin.
"But when we were checking our father's body, we found that his eyes were unclosed and focused on the dustbin. That's how we retrieved the paper in the end!
"Leaving 'hidden script' with spiritual gas was our father's favorite game that he liked to play when my brother and I were young. I did not expect that he would be playing the game with us for the last time in such a way!"
Yan Chihuo was weeping again while he was talking.
The chief of the Giant Axe Tribe nodded. "That explains a lot. What exactly was written on the paper? Don't be hasty and take your time. If possible, don't skip any words on it."
Yan Chihuo sniffed. Biting his lips, he said, "It was a story that happened beside the Black Tooth River more than forty years ago."
The Black Tooth River was a big river to the south of the territories of the six tribes. The river was rapid, the spiritual energy was abundant, and there were many resources. Occasionally, many precious beasts would go by the place. It was a prime hunting spot for many qi-trainers in the six tribes.
"That year, my father went hunting with his companions in the tribe upstream of the Black Tooth River. They met a very cunning demon beast along the way, which escaped even though it had been shot.
"My father pursued the demon beast and got further and further away from his companion. Eventually, they lost in touch with each other, and my father did not know where he ended up.
"At that time, he encountered Xiong Dachuan, a qi-trainer from the Furious Bears Tribe!
"The two tribes were in better relationships than right now, and Xiong Dachuan was a well-known warrior among the six tribes. My father had always admired his valiancy. The two of them had a nice talk.
"As it turned out, Xiong Dachuan had an only son who was not one year old yet. His wife passed away because of dystocia during labor. The baby had congenital muscular dystrophy and suffered from various other diseases. There was no telling how much longer he could survive.
"According to the shaman in the tribe, only a 'Seven-colored Phoenix Tail Mushroom', a rarely-seen fungus, could potentially restore his son's health. He was looking for such mushrooms in the origin of the Black Tooth River.
"Then, the two of them went further to the upstream and hunted together. But later, my father discovered in a bush the remains of an escape capsule and some items for infants when they were apart.
"A while later, he heard Xiong Dachuan roaring. My father hurried to join him and check, only to find the bones of a baby that had been gnawed out of shape by demon beasts.
"It must've been an escape capsule of the space residents that malfunctioned during the forced landing to Iron Plateau. It happened to fall into the depths of the desert and became the victim of demon beasts.
"It was not unusual in Iron Plateau. Although the Burning Sun Tribe was never fond of the space residents, young infants were innocent after all. My father and Xiong Dachuan slayed two demon beasts that were planning to feast upon the bones and buried the poor baby. Then, they searched the escape capsule's surroundings for a day and a night, only to find no other space residents.
"They must've been eaten by the demon beast if there were any survivors of the crash.
"My father did not think too much of the incident and dropped it when he returned to the Burning Sun Tribe. He and Xiong Dachuan became good friends and exchanged quite a few letters. My father had even asked somebody to bring a batch of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to aid in his son's recovery.
"Later, it was said that Xiong Dachuan finally found the Seven-colored Phoenix Tail Mushroom, and his sick son gradually got better. My father was very happy for him!
"But what was odd was that, although my father valued his friendship with Xiong Dachuan and planned to visit him in the Furious Bears Tribe many times in the years to come, Xiong Dachuan always avoided meeting my father on purpose.
"My father did not overthink it. He thought that their friendship was affected by the relationship between the two tribes that was getting more and more intense. In the end, he dropped the idea once and for all.
"But fifteen years ago, Xiong Dachuan suddenly sent a letter to my father and insisted that my father come to meet him.
"My father was quite confused, but he went to Furious Bears City anyway. Then he learned that Xiong Dachuan was dying due to heavy wounds from a hunting trip.
"Xiong Dachuan was in a high fever for three days and three nights, and his head had become muddled. But my father's arrival somehow refreshed him. He dismissed everyone else and talked to my father alone.
"Xiong Dachuan told my father that he did a silly thing more than twenty years ago which had been bothering him the whole time. He could not let go of it, nor did he know how to face my father!
"My father was greatly baffled and pursued further, but Xiong Dachuan went mad again and kept repeating 'Black Tooth River' without offering any explanation.
"Three days after my father left, he heard news of Xiong Dachuan's death.
"My father was puzzled by Xiong Dachuan's riddle. More than twenty years ago. Black Tooth River. The clues suggested their first encounter. Then what was the silly thing that he referred to?
"It was not until the next battle of the apocalypse, in which Xiong Wuji, Xiong Dachuan's only son, greatly distinguished himself and made unparalleled contributions to the elimination of the calamity-level beast, thereby becoming known as the best expert in the younger generation of the six tribes, that my father noticed him!
"However, after his observation, my father found that Xiong Wuji and Xiong Dachuan were not alike at all!
"Xiong Dachuan was a typical qi-trainer of the Furious Bears Tribe. He was more than 2.4 meters tall and extremely muscular, literally a moving iron tower. His face was long, and his jaw was very sharp!
"Xiong Wuji, on the other hand, was less than two meters tall, even shorter than the common qi-trainers of his tribe. His shoulders were not wide, and his face was square.
"My father thought that he took after his mother. But after investigation, my father found that his birth mother was also more than 2.2 meters tall. She had been a marvelous warrior herself!
"How come the son of two giants was so short? Was it because of his natural-born deficiencies? But how did a child with natural-born deficiencies grow into the best expert in the younger generation of the six tribes?
"Beside the Black Tooth River, more than twenty years ago…
"My father pondered for a long time and finally figured out a shocking theory. Was it possible that Xiong Dachuan's only son had died more than twenty years ago, and the 'Xiong Wuji' right now was a space resident that he had picked up beside the Black Tooth River?"
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe couldn't help but remark, "But years ago, your father saw the bones of the baby and buried his body himself!"
"Indeed. It was the exact question that perplexed my father."
Yan Chihuo nodded and continued. "The question remained unanswered for several years, until he went to congratulate the wife of a qi-trainer who had given birth to twins.
"When he saw the twins, he was suddenly enlightened and thought—what if there had been more than one baby in the escape capsule?
"A pair of twins were placed in the escape capsule. One of them was killed by the demon beast, while the other one was lucky enough to survive the disaster and be discovered by Xiong Dachuan!
"New fathers are always tender to babies. Besides, Xiong Dachuan's own son was dying. He must've hidden the surviving child with the complicated feelings!
"Later, his only son still died, and he simply replaced the deceased baby with the child from space that he'd picked up beside the Black Tooth River!
"There wouldn't be much difference between one-year-olds. Besides, Xiong Dachuan's son had been sick since he was born and remained in his home all the time. Few people had seen him in person. Even if somebody else noticed the anomaly of the baby, Xiong Dachuan could always give the credit to the Seven-colored Phoenix Tail Mushroom, which had turned his son plump and healthy again. That was perfectly convincing!
"If the aptitude of the baby had been insufficient and he ended up being an ordinary member of the Furious Bears Tribe, maybe Xiong Dachuan would have been less bothered.
"However, seeing the child from space reveal a natural talent in training and was almost certain to become an important figure of the tribe in the future, Xiong Dachuan naturally felt uneasy and therefore summoned my father to Furious Bears City.
"It was a shame that he had been grasped by madness before he was able to tell the story. When my father thought the whole thing through, it was already years later!
"At that time, Xiong Wuji had earned the title of 'best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau' and was already nominated as the chief of the Furious Bears Tribe!"
