Chapter 204: Chapter 203: With North Snow as the Head, and [Hill] as the Honored
Outside the great hall of the North Sea Palace, warriors and leaders from numerous tribes paced restlessly, their fingers tapping against the Cold Iron Spears or Great Curved Bows in their hands.
A grim, solemn atmosphere enveloped them all. No one spoke. The two opposing factions stood silently on either side of the great hall’s entrance in a silent standoff.
The tribal warriors led by Hunt of the North Snow Tribe now slightly outnumbered the West Ice Tribe, who had previously boasted nearly double their numbers. Most of the smaller tribes had gathered on their side.
However, a few dozen warriors from the smaller tribes still chose to remain behind the West Ice Tribe. It wasn’t out of loyalty, but because their own tribes were weak. They had already sided with the West Ice Tribe, and now that they had seen Qiu break through to the Nine Stripes inheritance on the Square Stele, they couldn’t just switch sides in front of everyone. Their tribes were small and their foundations weak; they couldn’t afford the inevitable retaliation.
Several days had passed since Qiu’s breakthrough to the Nine Stripes inheritance. Everyone remained silent. Even the North Snow Tribe’s warriors no longer spoke of the crisis back in their tribe; they simply stared intently at the Square Stele, sizing up the warriors of the West Ice Tribe.
VMMMM...
A faint tremor emanated from the phantom image of the Square Stele above the great hall, signaling the end of the trial in the Ancestral Ruins. Someone had completed the inheritance!
Grips tightened.
Fingers clenched as the North Snow Tribe warriors tightened their hold on their Cold Iron Spears, one by one. They puffed out their chests like towering mountains, a light of fierce pride glinting in their eyes.
Soon, a dull, heavy impact echoed from within the great hall, followed by what sounded like shattering ice. The sounds were audible even from hundreds of meters away.
Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed on the phantom image of the Square Stele.
War of the West Ice Tribe took a deep breath. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s, his fists cracking as he clenched them. The hilt of the greatsword in his right hand reflected a cold light.
’For tens of thousands of years, the Northern Boundary Human Clan has failed to unite. Why must there be four Main Vein Tribes?’
’This generation’s Chosen Ones include the exceptionally powerful Gold, who descended upon our West Ice Tribe. Shouldn’t the West Ice Tribe take on the responsibility of restoring the Human Race to glory?’
’The Northern Boundary Human Clan is already being squeezed by the Demon Race, with barely any room to survive. Each Main Vein Tribe occupies its own small territory, unable to support more than a few powerful warriors, while the smaller splinter tribes further divide what little resources remain.’
’This is all meaningless!’
’If the Human Race is to become truly powerful, we must consolidate all resources. Everything must be centralized under a single pillar of strength.’
’And that pillar of strength should be the West Ice Tribe, the most powerful of all right now!’
’Our Chosen One, Gold, was raised using all of our tribe’s resources. He is already incredibly strong, and after receiving an inheritance from the Ancestral Ruins, he is certain to have undergone a transformation!’
’So what if Qiu was the one to obtain the ancestral inheritance? So what if Gold’s inheritance ended up being one stripe lower than his? The palace in the Ancestral Ruins is dilapidated. It probably couldn’t have given Qiu that profound of an inheritance anyway.’
’In other words, the ancestral inheritance might not be a boost in power, but rather some ancient knowledge or texts.’
’The only true victor is the one who walks out of the North Sea Palace!’
Just as War, the Leader of the West Ice Tribe, was lost in his bloodshot-eyed reverie...
BANG—
The Ice-Sealed Gate shattered with a crash. His pupils trembled as he saw a "general" clad in blue ice step out of the North Sea Palace. He looked like a warrior awakened from ancient times, striding across the ages.
The very instant their eyes met, an impulse to submit rose within him!
To see this youth in Ice Armor was like seeing an ancestor descend to the mortal world!
’He obtained the complete ancestral inheritance and walked out of the North Sea Palace!’
War’s heart pounded wildly. Rush after rush of hot blood surged from his chest to his Celestial Spirit Acupoint. His face, neck, and even his limbs grew scorching hot. He spat, "Where is Gold, the Chosen One of our West Ice Tribe!"
Jiang Qiu stood silently on the steps before the great hall of the North Sea Palace. His unspoken response to War came from the nineteen tribal geniuses who walked out from behind him!
"Kill!"
Wall shot out like a cannonball, his war cry booming like thunder. He leaped a hundred meters, his fist falling like a meteor toward War at the very front of the West Ice Tribe’s ranks. While War was still stunned, eighteen other experts, all near or at the Steel Bone Realm, charged forward. Among them was another Chosen One, Fan.
BANG BANG BANG! BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Wall’s iron-hard fist collided with War’s greatsword. Fan, using his palm as a sword, weaved between the remaining enemy warriors.
The other tribal geniuses, whose bodies weren’t as physically powerful, hastily retrieved their weapons from their fellow tribesmen and called upon them to surround and kill the members of the West Ice Tribe.
After a brief explanation, the leaders of the small tribes, who had been shocked, confused, and terrified, suddenly broke into wide smiles. A fiery passion surged through their bodies as they raised their spears and shouted, "The great Chosen One of the North Snow Tribe has spoken! In this battle, there is only one enemy: the West Ice Tribe!"
In just a few breaths’ time, the warriors from the small tribes who had been standing behind the West Ice Tribe swiftly drew their spears and turned on them. They coordinated with the high-Realm geniuses from the various tribes to pincer the West Ice Tribe’s members.
Hunt, the Leader of the North Snow Tribe, stood frozen in place. The warriors of his tribe behind him were also dumbfounded by the scene. More surprising than the small tribes actively helping them was the fact that two other tribes’ Chosen Ones had survived and were sincerely committed to slaughtering the West Ice Tribe.
For tens of thousands of years, something like this had been completely unheard of. When had the end of an Ancestral Ruins inheritance ever seen more than a single Chosen One walk out of the North Sea Palace?
But now, three had walked out, and two of them were even proactively helping his own tribe resolve its crisis!
Hunt took a deep breath, an indescribable feeling of exhilaration filling his deep-set eyes. Most of the apprehension he had previously felt about his tribe’s Chosen One, Qiu, going on a killing spree after his victory had vanished.
’I was worried that our Chosen One, Qiu, might take the opportunity to eliminate Wall, a future competitor in the struggle between Chosen Ones. After all, he is the Chosen One of our ally, the South Mountain Tribe. If Qiu had really killed him, the South Mountain Tribe wouldn’t have dared complain for years to come; they might have even respected North Snow more for it.’
’But if he had done that, it would have destroyed the hope of the tribes rising together. The seeds of hatred would have eventually sprouted. After North Snow reached its Peak under Qiu’s leadership and then inevitably declined, the next time the South Mountain Tribe rose to power, North Snow would have faced certain disaster.’
’The West Ice Tribe hates North Snow precisely because their previous generation’s Chosen One was killed by the North Snow Tribe’s Chosen One, Food...’
CRACK!
As the last greatsword of the West Ice Tribe snapped in two, their Leader, War, who had been desperately clutching its hilt, fell beneath Wall’s fist. Every warrior from the West Ice Tribe who had come to the North Sea was now dead.
The blood-soaked warriors of the various tribes turned to look at the youth in Ice Armor, Jiang Qiu, as he walked toward them step by step. Their eyes shone with reverence and awe for his power.
Wall raised his right fist and shouted, "The Northern Boundary Tribes shall be led by North Snow! The Northern Boundary Human Clan shall revere Qiu!"
His shout stunned the many small tribes. Even the leader of his own South Mountain Tribe was dumbfounded. They had never expected the famously arrogant Chosen One, Wall, to say such a thing.
’But that’s not important. Our tribe’s Chosen One survived, which undoubtedly means Qiu spared him. The North Snow Tribe truly values us as an ally!’
The leader immediately raised his right arm and roared, "North Snow! Qiu!"
One voice rose, and ten thousand followed!
Every surviving warrior chanted the names of North Snow and Qiu. Even Hunt and the other North Snow Race People felt their chests tremble, their blood boiling as they fixed their fervent gazes on the youth who was the center of everyone’s attention. "Qiu!"
