Chapter 108: Raising the Army

A vast expanse of fiery clouds surged into the sky as Si Wenming, clutching the gravely wounded Pulian, mounted his blazing qilin and, accompanied by dozens of divine guards, galloped swiftly southward. Soon, the crimson fire clouds were swallowed by the rolling rain clouds, and Ji Hao, standing atop the mountain peak to see them off, could no longer discern their figures.

Behind Ji Hao stood Ji Yi and Ji Xia, their faces feigning composure, though their eyes brimmed with excitement.

“Hao, this lord—he invited you to Pupan?” After a long silence, Ji Yi finally spoke, his voice tinged with a slight tremor.

“Yes. Uncle Wenming said Pupan is a good place. When he returns, he wants me to go with him,” Ji Hao replied, gently stroking the crow he cradled. Having taken the healing pills gifted by Si Wenming, the crow had been drowsy and lethargic these past few days.

“Pupan truly is a good place,” Ji Yi lifted his gaze, a hint of reminiscence in his tone. “It is the royal capital of our human race, the gathering center of myriad clans. Compared to Pupan, our Fire Crow Tribe, along with the Bifang Tribe, Vermilion Bird Tribe, and Flame Dragon Tribe, are as insignificant as ants.”

“Pupan is a good place,” Ji Yi patted Ji Hao’s shoulder firmly. “Young eaglet, once you grow, leave the nest and soar high. If your wings aren’t broken, fly with all your might. Hao, you are unlike the other children of our tribe—you have a great future ahead.”

Ji Hao looked southward, toward the legendary Divine Kingdom of Zhurong.

He recalled the generous, kind-hearted, warm, and cheerful Abao. He had promised Abao that when the latter returned from the south, he would follow him to join his sect and apprentice under the Daoist Yu Yu.

Yet, with Si Wenming and the mythical Pupan in the picture, Ji Hao found himself caught in a dilemma.

The rainy season persisted, the continuous drizzling making Ji Hao feel as if he might soon mold. It had been half a month since Si Wenming journeyed south. The only good news in this time was that Ji Xia and Qingfu’s injuries had completely healed.

Not only were Qingfu’s shamanic medicines potent, but Si Wenming had also left behind several healing pills—this was why Ji Xia and Qingfu had recovered so swiftly.

Cold Creek Valley remained as tranquil and indifferent as ever. Tens of thousands of mining slaves sweated profusely every day, frantically extracting the underground refined gold and exquisite jade. Another newly established warehouse was filled to the brim with refined gold and jade, and daily Ji Yi and Ji Xia personally counted the incoming wealth.

The Southern Wilderness was inherently difficult to traverse, and the floods brought by the rainy season had rendered Cold Creek Valley nearly cut off from the world. Even the nearest Fire Crow tribes had severed contact with the valley.

Yet, as an elder of the tribe, Ji Yi still received messages every three days—a fire crow would fly from Golden Crow Ridge bearing an inscribed beast bone. Thus, Ji Hao remained informed of outside events and aware of the turbulent undercurrents now roiling within the Fire Crow Tribe.

Jiang Niao’s death stirred not the slightest ripple; both Jiang Bo and Ji Shu seemed to have utterly forgotten the woman.

On the third day after Si Wenming’s departure south, Jiang Bo proclaimed he had received the will of the ancestral spirits. With the support of a group of Bifang shaman-priests and elders, he passed the war order against the Water Ape Tribe.

The Water Ape Tribe, also known as the Blood-Eyed Water Ape Tribe, was a race of ancient divine beasts born with water-manipulating powers. Dwelling underwater, their forms resembled apes, with sinewy muscles and immense strength. Their blood-red eyes possessed a soul-capturing mystical power; combined with their fierce tenacity and boundless might, they were formidable and terrifying foes.

Just as the Fire Crow and Bifang Tribes shared a complex relationship, the Black Water Mystic Snake Tribe was a vassal of the Water Ape Tribe.

The Southern Wilderness was traditionally the domain of the Zhurong clan. The Water Ape Tribe’s territory lay not within the Southern Wilderness but on a distant continent thousands of miles to the northeast. The Black Water Mystic Snake Tribe was merely the vanguard force of the Water Ape Tribe infiltrating the Southern Wilderness.

The Bifang Tribe was now preparing for full-scale war against the Water Ape Tribe. Their territories intertwined with the Black Water Mystic Snake Tribe’s lands, and the Fire Crow Tribe—long blood enemies of Bifang—immediately sprang into action, initiating a full mobilization.

Under Ji Shu’s command, among the thousands of Fire Crow settlements, all the great shamans, over seventy percent of the lesser shamans, and more than half of the peak shaman-warriors gathered at Golden Crow Ridge.

The Southern Wilderness stirred. Birds bearing Bifang’s orders flew wildly through the air, disseminating the tribe’s firm, unyielding commands to dozens of affiliated tribes. The closest vassal tribes to the Fire Crow—the Flame Horse and Fire Tiger Tribes—mobilized their elite forces in full, sending streams of warriors to Golden Crow Ridge.

Even the Vermilion Bird Tribe, whose strength rivaled Bifang’s and whose territory bordered theirs, responded to Bifang’s request by dispatching a detachment of elite warriors to reinforce the front.

Just two days after Ji Xia and Qingfu’s recovery, a command from Golden Crow Ridge was issued: all refined gold, jade, and associated fiery jade marrow stockpiled in Cold Creek Valley were transported away without exception.

According to intelligence obtained by Ji Yi, this wealth was exchanged by Ji Shu for numerous high-quality weapons and armor, equipping the Fire Crow Tribe’s people.

Once outfitted with the new arms and armor, the Fire Crow’s elite forces set out immediately, launching a full-scale assault on the Black Water Mystic Snake Tribe’s territory.

On the first day of battle, capitalizing on the element of surprise, the Fire Crow forces annihilated over a hundred Black Water Mystic Snake settlements, seizing hundreds of fertile hunting grounds and sizable mines.

However, having clashed with the Fire Crow Tribe for many years, the Black Water Mystic Snake forces reacted swiftly. They rapidly mobilized and engaged the Fire Crows in fierce, evenly matched combat. Fire Crow casualties soared dramatically; within mere days, over a dozen great shamans had fallen.

“Fools!” Ji Yi cursed, stomping his feet in anger upon receiving the battle reports.

Ji Hao nodded in solemn agreement. To wage full-scale war against the Black Water Mystic Snake Tribe in the rainy season? How utterly foolish!

The Fire Crow Tribe’s greatest military asset—the giant fire crows—had their flight speed halved or more during the rainy season, and the torrential downpours severely weakened the innate powers of the Fire Crow warriors. In contrast, the Black Water Mystic Snake warriors and their battle beasts thrived in the rain, their combat effectiveness increasing by over fifty percent.

With these opposing shifts, the Fire Crow Tribe, initially holding the advantage of surprise, soon found itself mired in brutal conflict.

Even with continuous reinforcements from the Flame Horse and Fire Tiger Tribes, the three clans whose powers centered on fire were overwhelmed by the flooded forests and frequent flash floods.

Especially devastating were the surprise attacks by the Black Water Mystic Snake’s enormous single-horned mystic snakes. Though the Fire Crow great shamans, aided by giant crows, could often escape by flight, suffering minimal losses, the Flame Horse and Fire Tiger Tribes’ great shamans suffered grievously—nearly a hundred fell within just a week.

Ten days into the war, just as Ji Hao awoke, a sharp horn blast resounded outside Cold Creek Valley.

Totem war flags fluttered—one bearing a single-horned mystic snake, another a fierce water python, and the third a heavily armored water turtle—raised high amidst the dense woods surrounding Cold Creek Valley.

The valley was now completely encircled by an unexpected horde of elite warriors.

***

Writing this has been quite exhausting!

People against people, tribe against tribe!

Please, give me some support!