Chapter 200: Chapter 199: Jiang Qiu Breaks Through to the 9-Bar Inheritance
In this world, the power of the Demon Race is formidable. If the Human Race cannot develop the strength to resist, it might be completely devoured by the Demon Race in a matter of years.
While the Human Race currently possesses the protection of its ancestors, the Demon Race has powerful methods of its own to counteract these protections.
The Northern Boundary is a unique place where everyone struggles to survive within a great seal. Even the Demon Race, with their naturally powerful physiques, yearns to break through it.
Although they occupied the best lands, their lives were not as easy as one might imagine. Sickness and old age were commonplace, and without the support of Spirit Charm, their lifespans were not particularly long.
Every one or two hundred years, a cycle would complete, and a generation of demons would die off. They too were frantically trying to break the seal of the Northern Boundary. Their Celestial Chosen Demons were also vying for victory in the great contest, hoping to finally shatter the Northern Boundary’s seal and claim the Enlightenment Fruit.
This was common knowledge, and the people of the West Ice Tribe were no exception. However, what they wanted was to be the ones to lead the Human Race to victory and ultimately suppress the Demon Race.
This generation was a particularly glorious one for the West Ice Tribe. They had an exceptionally powerful Chosen One and an ambitious Leader. They hoped that this generation of the West Ice Tribe would be the one to lead the Human Race to victory. But then, Qiu of the North Snow Tribe burst onto the scene, his progress in the inheritance already far surpassing that of Jin.
Without a doubt, Qiu’s potential was immense. It was safe to say he had all but secured the dominant position among the Human Race. As soon as he emerged, most tribes would undoubtedly flock to the North Snow Tribe’s side.
Even with the North Snow Tribe currently under attack by Han Tianya’s Demon Race forces, the loyalties of the people were still shifting in their favor.
When the North Snow Tribe’s Leader, Hunt, dispatched a portion of his Warriors to reinforce their defenses, many smaller tribes also considered sending their own Warriors to help. And when Jiang Qiu’s superior Talent became undeniable—that is, when he surpassed Jin by two stripes—most of the tribes did indeed dispatch Warriors to support the North Snow Tribe.
The situation at the North Coast was now quite delicate. Although the West Ice Tribe still had strength in numbers and occupied the most prominent position, giving the appearance of broad support, many of their supposed allies were, in fact, secretly dispatching their own Warriors south to support the North Snow Tribe.
They all hoped to curry as much favor as possible with the North Snow Tribe, seeking a stable position for themselves when Jiang Qiu finally emerged. It wasn’t about seeking wealth and power, but at the very least, they didn’t want their tribes to be led down the wrong path.
And the West Ice Tribe was that wrong path. They still schemed to seize command of the Human Race. Seeing the rankings on the Square Stele remain largely static with Jiang Qiu firmly in first place, their leader, Zhan, took a deep breath and quietly gave an order to his tribe’s Hunting Team Captain.
After a brief exchange, onlookers noticed a few members of the West Ice Tribe’s Hunting Team—just two or three of them—also heading south. They appeared to be on a mission, but it clearly wasn’t to support the North Snow Tribe.
It was obvious the West Ice Tribe wouldn’t support the North Snow Tribe. Everyone knew about the conflict between the two, so there was no way the West Ice Tribe would ever send aid to them.
However, it was entirely possible they would kick the North Snow Tribe while they were down. That would be perfectly in character.
After all, the conflict between the West Ice Tribe and the North Snow Tribe was already nearly impossible to resolve. The grudges and friction between them had built up over decades; the West Ice Tribe had even seized the North Snow Tribe’s hunting grounds at Ice and Snow Ridge. They weren’t just going to hand that back, were they?
Besides, the inheritance in the Ancestral Ruins hadn’t even concluded yet. No one knew the final outcome.
Some people speculated that the few Warriors dispatched by the West Ice Tribe had ulterior motives. Hunt felt a sense of unease, but as he stared at Zhan, there was nothing he could do.
Right now, everyone was here at the North Sea, waiting for the final result from the Ancestral Ruins. He couldn’t just abandon his people, let alone Jiang Qiu, to return to the tribe and provide support.
He had to ensure Jiang Qiu’s safety to secure a new beginning for the North Snow Tribe. Of that, there was no doubt.
But watching the West Ice Tribe’s Hunting Team depart, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
’This is not good.’ But there was nothing to be done. The current situation dictated that everyone had to wait for the inheritance in the Ancestral Ruins to finish. Starting a conflict out here would be a bad idea for everyone.
The tribes of the Human Race had a tacit understanding. If the West Ice Tribe were to initiate a conflict, they would lose the support of all other tribes.
Ever since a Warrior from the North Snow Tribe traveled a great distance to deliver the news, Hunt had lost his appetite and couldn’t sleep. He had been distracted and anxious, desperate to return and lend his support. Most of the Warriors who had accompanied him felt the same, eager to defend the North Snow Tribe and defeat the invading forces of Han Tianya’s Demon Race.
But it couldn’t be helped. They had to stay here. They had to ensure that Jiang Qiu wouldn’t be harmed by the West Ice Tribe when he emerged. No one could guarantee that the West Ice Tribe would actually abide by the unwritten rule: that the Chosen One with the most advanced inheritance progress would lead.
At this thought, Hunt clenched his fists and continued to wait.
...
「Two months passed in the blink of an eye.」 Soaked in the Water of Origin, Jiang Qiu had attained even greater power. His Realm had finally broken through to the Steel Bone Realm.
In the final moments, his inheritance also broke through to Nine Stripes. At this, the tribe members watching from the outside were overcome with joyful surprise.
The tribe members had long since gathered outside the Square Stele, surrounding the great hall as they awaited this very moment. They had been watching Jiang Qiu’s progress all along. When he reached Eight Stripes, everyone had crowded around, astonished and shaken.
This was an unprecedented achievement, a level of progress never before seen in the inheritance. Even the strongest of the first-generation Chosen Ones, Zhuang, had only reached Seven Stripes. Yet Jiang Qiu had reached Eight Stripes. This meant his bloodline was exceptionally pure, his Talent was incredibly high, and the power he received from the inheritance was the greatest of all.
This filled most people with a mixture of awe and joyous surprise, because they knew the dawn of a new era for the Human Race was at hand. To have such a powerful Chosen One meant the people of the Northern Boundary would no longer have to fear the Demon Race. The horn for humanity’s counterattack had been sounded.
The seal on Northern Boundary Mountain might even be broken. And now, Jiang Qiu had pushed even further, breaking through to the legendary Nine Stripes, on the verge of completely receiving the ancestral inheritance.
Everyone was incredibly excited and filled with longing—everyone except for the Leader of the West Ice Tribe and his followers. They stood frozen in place, eyes wide with disbelief, looking numb, their voices gone.
’Qiu... he actually broke through to the Nine Stripes inheritance!’
