Free Web NovelA flash of brilliant silver light seemed to sever sound, not only silencing the Tuowolile Tribe member but also plunging the entire Zhanfu Tribe's hall into dead silence.
A few seconds later, a thin line of blood slowly appeared on the Tuowolile Tribe member's neck.
“Thud—!”
The dull thud of the body hitting the ground echoed, and it was as if everyone present suddenly remembered to breathe, gasps filling the air.
Fragrant Basil's gaze followed the falling Tuowolile Tribe member, then she stared blankly at his corpse.
By then, he had no breath left; a nearly perfect arc, from throat to nape, had cleanly decapitated him, the cut smooth as a mirror, with a faint gem-like shimmer, yet not a single drop of blood gushed out.
It was truly a sword that “sealed the throat” in every sense, not only effortlessly completing the decapitation but also severing the flow of Spiritual Energy and blood within the Tuowolile Tribe member's body.
Fragrant Basil was truly terrified, and in a daze, a faint tingling sensation spread through her fingertips.
She felt fear, not because the Tuowolile Tribe member who came as an envoy had died.
Although killing this Tuowolile Tribe member would incur the wrath of the Tuowolile Tribe, and even the three major tribes, bringing great trouble to the Zhanfu Tribe, she had long harbored the idea of taking all her clansmen to leave the Gobi Desert. If such a situation truly arose, they could just leave.
What truly terrified her was the Spiritual Energy fluctuation that enveloped the entire hall when that sword unleashed its silver light.
Although that Spiritual Energy fluctuation was not strong and only appeared for a brief moment, she could feel that its quality was remarkably high.
At least much higher than her A-rank Half-Guitan!
This suppression from the Spiritual Energy fluctuation was the real reason for her fear and for the dead silence in the entire hall. freёweɓnovel.com
Was the person who drew the sword Xiao Bai Gege? Is he already this strong? A+ rank, or... a Calamity? Fragrant Basil thought, an inexplicable, strong sense of powerlessness rising in her heart.
After parting ways with Bai Kai, she had always strived to make herself stronger.
Not only to have enough strength to protect the Zhanfu Tribe but also to catch up to Bai Kai's footsteps.
But now, she suddenly realized that no matter how hard she chased, the gap between her and Bai Kai was as vast as when they first met.
No, even much larger than back then!
It wasn't until this moment that she suddenly realized she had probably been deluded by the plots in the storybooks she collected, making her believe it was possible to catch up to Bai Kai.
In reality, if the target you want to catch up to is more talented than you from the start and moves faster, and if he doesn't stop and wait for you, under the same effort, how can you possibly catch up to him?
“Mint, you and your clansmen don't need to go to that troublesome meeting place. I'll go in your stead.”
He was already heading to Yumen Pass, and now helping Fragrant Basil solve a small problem on the way was no issue at all. freewebnovёl.ƈom
It wasn't until Bai Kai's voice sounded that Fragrant Basil snapped out of her daze, looking up and forward.
She saw Bai Kai smilingly gazing at her, his bright silver longsword slowly returning to its sheath, his white robes gently swaying, pulled by a breeze from an unknown source, exuding an aura of awe-inspiring righteousness.
“...” After a few seconds of silence, Fragrant Basil stubbornly shook her head, pursed her lips, and said with a bitter smile, “No need, Xiao Bai Gege, I'll go myself, okay? They specifically requested our Zhanfu Tribe to contribute. What would it look like if an outsider like you went?”
She knew very well that Bai Kai, once he left, would likely not return.
That meant she would not only be unable to repay Bai Kai's life-saving grace but also bear the additional burden of Bai Kai's kindness in saving the Zhanfu Tribe.
Bai Kai was always going to leave, and he even wanted her to owe him a debt of gratitude when he left; that was simply too wicked, she absolutely could not accept it!
“Outsider?” Bai Kai smiled as he stepped forward, reaching out to cup Fragrant Basil's chin, gently kissing her forehead, and softly asked, “Shouldn't it be lover?”
“Isn't it natural to do what you can for your lover?”
Saying this, he took another step forward and gave Fragrant Basil a deep hug, whispering in her ear, “Be good, you just wait at home.”
As his words fell, he flashed, disappearing from where he stood, as if scattered by the wind.
Fragrant Basil stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds, as if petrified, before recovering from Bai Kai's astonishing act, then immediately chased after him.
However, by the time she climbed out of the well in the desolate village and reached the village entrance, Bai Kai was already nowhere to be found.
After a long while, a belated Zhanfu Tribe youth quietly asked Fragrant Basil beside her, “Clan Leader, are we still going or not?”
“Go!” Fragrant Basil said with a solemn expression. After speaking, she pulled something from her bosom and placed it in the hand of the clansman beside her, “However, I'm going alone.”
The Zhanfu Tribe youth opened his palm and looked, his face suddenly changing.
In his hand lay quietly a flower-shaped emblem made of pure white gemstone, upon which tiny Huihe characters were engraved—it was the Zhanfu Tribe's clan leader's token.
“But Auntie...”
The Zhanfu Tribe youth opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Fragrant Basil's outstretched hand, “Child, from today on, you are the Clan Leader of the Zhanfu Tribe.”
“Remember, whether the other Half-Guitan tribes successfully rescue the Shaman King or not, after completing the ceremony to assume the chieftainship, you must immediately lead everyone to leave, migrate the clansmen to the forest-edge meadow on the western foothills of the Greater Khingan Range, as we planned before, understand?”
“Auntie... won't you be coming back?” the youth asked with a frown.
“...” Fragrant Basil lowered her head and was silent for a few seconds, then smiled brightly, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ “Probably.”
Friendly reminder: The Website is about to be revised, which may result in loss of reading progress. Please save your “book shelf” and “reading record” (screenshots recommended) in time. We apologize for any inconvenience caused!
————
After the various Half-Guitan tribes formed an alliance in the natural plaza within Devil City and elected the Tuowolile Tribe Leader as their head, they quickly returned to their respective tribes to gather forces, while the sandstorm had not yet intensified.
As the strong winds began to rage across the Gobi Desert, and a thick fog-like sandstorm enveloped the land, combat teams composed of Half-Guitan, led by experienced Half-Guitan elders, began to advance towards Yumen Pass, braving the wind and sand.
As dusk approached, the sky darkened at a visible rate.
Not black, but dim, an oppressive and uneasy gloom.
Clouds churned in the sky, and sand and stones, like rain falling from the clouds, converged into dark yellow lines, pouring down upon this almost lifeless land.
Strong winds swept back and forth across the land, the wind howling incessantly, and within the tornado columns, dazzling lights occasionally flashed, either white or blue.
That was not lightning.
Some say it was a natural phenomenon caused by strong winds picking up phosphorus-rich sand and stones, which then violently collided in mid-air. However, only those familiar with the area around Yumen Pass or Half-Guitan knew that it was the intensely fluctuating Spiritual Energy erupting from the opening fissures between the God Kingdom Yumen Pass and the real world.
If Yumen Pass were compared to a giant beast that devours urban legend, then the streaks of intense light would be its wide-open mouth, which would shred everything that approached it and drain all Spiritual Energy.
Amidst the strong sandstorm, Half-Guitan teams emerged from beneath the yellow sand, from caves formed by wind-eroded rocks, from the ruins of dilapidated desolate villages, from the water pools of Gobi Desert vegetation... They advanced through the swirling yellow sand, like streams gradually converging, growing stronger, eventually forming surging rivers, and finally gathering around Sanlongsha.
At the end of the combat team, which was composed of the Tuowolile Tribe and seven medium-sized tribes, Fang Ji looked back with an uncertain expression until a figure riding a colossal beast broke through the sandstorm and appeared before him.
Seeing Gu Qianqian descend on her flying pig named “Jinhua” in front of him, he asked irritably, “Where have you been running off to again? Tell me yourself, how many times have you fallen behind now?”
In truth, Fang Ji's question was rhetorical; he clearly remembered that since their departure, this was already the seventh time Gu Qianqian had fallen behind.
Every time they passed a medium-sized tribe's settlement, she would fall behind once.
Such a coincidence gave him reason to suspect that every time they passed through those Half-Guitan tribe settlements, Gu Qianqian would seize the opportunity to sneak in and plunder them.
Before this, Gu Qianqian was already involved in the business of desert pig bandits, so it wasn't entirely impossible for her to immediately pick up her old trade whenever she had a chance.
Moreover, it wasn't just about plundering wealth; Fang Ji suspected that she might also “eat people”!
After all, Gu Qianqian's explanation for the sudden disappearance of the “breeding machines” imprisoned by the Tuowolile Tribe was that she had eaten them.
Whether it was Gu Qianqian, the bloodthirsty Demoness who consumed urban legend raw, or the infamous, ruthless Disaster, both could devour humans or urban legend, so...
What's wrong with her eating a few people?
Although Fang Ji could reluctantly accept this explanation, when he relayed it to the Tuowolile Tribe Leader, the latter's facial expression twitched as violently as if he were having an epileptic seizure.
“Can't you restrain yourself a little?” Fang Ji said earnestly to Gu Qianqian, “We are in a cooperative relationship with these Half-Guitan now. If you keep causing trouble like this, do you still want your friend to awaken?”
“I...” Gu Qianqian pouted, “Alright, I know, you're so nagging! Next time we pass by those bandit dens, I just won't go.”
As she spoke, she dared not look Fang Ji in the eye.
Honestly, she was still very guilty, worried that those Half-Guitan would discover that she had ransacked their tribes, leaving not a single hair behind.
Although her original intention was to rescue the Half-Guitan and humans who were tragically imprisoned in the Half-Guitan tribe settlements, just like her cellmates, time was pressing. She felt she couldn't do it without leaving a trace, so she simply put all the living beings from every Half-Guitan settlement into the Bamboo Scroll Illusion.
This was what the system taught her.
When you're not confident about doing things without leaving a trace, you can choose to leave no survivors...
Just leaving no survivors doesn't mean killing everyone, right?
“You won't have the chance to go even if you wanted to.” Fang Ji rolled his eyes, looking ahead, and squinted.
They were only five kilometers away from their destination, and there were no other Half-Guitan tribe settlements along this five-kilometer stretch...
He just hoped that Gu Qianqian's plundering of those seven Half-Guitan settlements wouldn't be exposed too quickly, or that if it was exposed, the other party wouldn't react too violently, Fang Ji thought.
As he was pondering, the voice of the Tuowolile Tribe Leader suddenly sounded behind him, “Brother Fang, in about another quarter of an hour, all the Half-Guitan tribes will be gathered. Shouldn't we start preparing the method you mentioned earlier for entering Yumen Pass?”
“No hurry, no hurry.” Fang Ji waved his hand, “The key person hasn't arrived yet!”
“Key person?” The Tuowolile Tribe Leader frowned.
“Our esteemed Holy Child!” Fang Ji said with a smile.
“Then when will he arrive?”
Fang Ji stretched out his hand, holding up five fingers, “Five...”
“Five minutes?”
“Four, three, two, one!”
As his words fell, a low booming sound was heard not far away.
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a ragged figure carrying a woman, leaping over the sand dune and scrambling towards them.
Extremely disheveled.
The Tuowolile Tribe Leader, “...” Is the Holy Child of the Miracle Order this kind of person? He doesn't seem very capable!
