Chapter Twenty-Nine: Verdant Plains

Ji Hao sat atop the head of a four-tusked mammoth, gazing curiously at his surroundings.

The four-tusked mammoth was the most common beast of burden in the Southern Wilds, standing over six zhang tall and stretching more than ten zhang in length. An adult mammoth possessed brute strength comparable to a mid-tier warrior of the Lesser Shaman realm, making it ideal for traversing mountains and rivers.

Ji Hao rode the lead mammoth among a procession of over a hundred such giants. This nearly ten zhang tall beast swung its massive head with effort, its four lengthy tusks easily shredding fallen trees that blocked their path, carving a broad highway through the dense jungle.

Suddenly, a snarling Blood-Spotted Fang Wolf barred their way, letting out a threatening howl to drive the invading behemoths from its territory. But the lead mammoth stomped heavily, flattening the wolf—whose strength matched an ordinary Lesser Shaman warrior—into a bloody pulp.

"What a magnificent creature!" Ji Hao exclaimed with delight, patting the mammoth's head and affectionately scratching the tender skin behind its ear. The mammoth let out a contented roar, then sneezed, sending a gale that shattered several giant trees into countless splinters dozens of yards away.

Following the lead mammoth was a female, larger than the others, the mate of the lead. Upon her back was built a platform several zhang wide, complete with a shelter against wind and rain. Qing Fu, still physically weak, lay inside, smiling at Ji Hao.

Ji Xia stood atop the female mammoth, frequently calling out to the warriors riding behind: "Be careful, watch out for poisonous miasmas and swarms of venomous insects. Beware the strangling, man-eating vines lurking for an ambush. Stay close, do not fall behind."

The jungles of the Southern Wilds were perilous; even a Great Shaman, venturing alone, risked grievous harm from unknown dangers. As leader, Ji Xia had to constantly remind his clansmen not to grow complacent.

Their party included, besides Ji Xia, three warriors who had just entered the Great Shaman realm—Ji Ying, Ji Lang, and Ji Bao—each close kin. There were also fifty elite warriors of the Lesser Shaman realm and six hundred warriors above the fifth tier of the Shaman realm. In these jungles, such a force was formidable.

As the vast caravan receded into the distance, atop a mountain beyond Gold Crow Ridge, Jiang Yao watched them with a face of iron, her twisted expression as venomous as a vengeful ghost. "Ji Xia! Qing Fu! And that wretched little bastard Ji Hao!"

"The Death Sting! Qing Fu, you actually destroyed your clan's heirloom shaman treasure to save yourself! Damnable woman!"

"You will all die, all of you! Ah Wu, my son! My precious child!" Jiang Yao trembled violently, her eyes flashing with murderous light.

Jiang Bo stood behind her, his face equally grim as he glared at his daughter. "Look at the mess you've made. It would have been easy to deal with them quietly, but now you've created trouble. Ji Hu, Ji Feng, and Ji Shui are dead; do you think their father will show us any mercy?"

He snorted, gritting his teeth. "What's worse is that girl Jiang Xue! I told you to keep a close eye on her, but you let her go after Ji Hao! Now Ji Hao's alive and Jiang Xue is missing—how am I supposed to explain this to that old ghost Jiang Zhu?"

Jiang Yao cackled, her fierce laughter sending chills down Jiang Bo's spine. She stared at her father, teeth clenched. "But what does it matter? The things we wanted from Fire Crow Clan are already ours. What that lord desires, we can supply endlessly now."

A flush of red appeared on Jiang Bo's face, and he nodded with a smile. "You're right. Some trouble and loss are inevitable. As long as that lord is pleased and we serve him well, the benefits awaiting us are beyond imagination."

Jiang Yao looked at Jiang Bo, grinding her teeth. "I want Ji Xia's family to suffer worse than death! Never again will you stop me!"

Jiang Bo was silent for a moment before waving his hand lightly. "So long as the old ones of Fire Crow Clan don't catch wind, do as you please. This matter should be concluded."

Days passed, stars turned overhead. They crossed mountains, forded rivers, battled man-eating crocodiles, tangled with countless venomous serpents, and encountered myriad bizarre creatures. Ji Hao's party journeyed through the jungle for half a month, now far from Gold Crow Ridge.

Along the way, they passed through dozens of Fire Crow Clan settlements, gathering ample supplies. At Ji Xia's summons, these clans also dispatched some elite warriors, doubling the size of their force.

One day, Ji Hao was dozing atop the mammoth's head when its tusks ripped through a thick curtain of vines. Suddenly, light burst forth, revealing a radiant lake before him.

The azure waters stretched for a thousand miles, bordered by fine white sands. Large freshwater turtles lounged lazily on the beach, basking in the sun. Overhead, countless white waterbirds swooped and soared, occasionally plucking wriggling fish from the lake.

Less than a mile away, on a black stone by the shore, a giant flood dragon, more than ten zhang long, lay snoring. Roused by the commotion, it sneezed, glanced lazily at Ji Hao, then darted into the lake and vanished.

Ji Hao stared, dumbfounded, at the spot where the dragon disappeared.

A true flood dragon—white scales, white whiskers, a single horn, three claws beneath its belly, radiating a divine and formidable aura. This was a genuine flood dragon, and Ji Hao was captivated by its sleek, perfect form.

"A small flood dragon, what a pity it slipped away so fast. Otherwise, I'd have chopped it up—dragon meat is the finest delicacy," Ji Xia grumbled at the stone. "Back when your grandfather was alive, he tasted it once. Ah, that flavor... Hao, if you ever get the chance, you must try slaying a flood dragon for its meat."

Ji Hao sighed in admiration. Truly, these folks were fierce—was a flood dragon merely a meal to them?

Suddenly, a green shadow flashed from the dense forest, and without a sound, an arrow appeared before Ji Xia.

Ji Xia laughed loudly, flicked his finger, shattering the arrow, then called out to the direction it had come: "Ying, have you not eaten lately? There's no force to this arrow—did your wife drain all your strength?"

"Big Brother, don't teach the boy bad habits! Is this Hao? The last time I saw him was at his birth."

With laughter, a tall, slender young man sped out of the forest so quickly he left afterimages in his wake. Close behind him, nearly two hundred similarly lean young men rushed out in swift succession.

All wielded longbows, with large beast-hide quivers at their waists.

Ji Hao looked at the leader and quickly recalled his face from memories of infancy. "Uncle, it can't have been easy coming all the way from the Green Reed Clan."

Qing Ying, Qing Fu's younger brother, leader of the Green Reed Clan's warriors.

Ji Hao looked at Qing Ying, his heart full of joy.

Ji Xia's warriors jumped from their mammoths, arms wide, to greet Qing Ying and the Green Reed warriors.