Chapter 70: Enmity

With a sweep of his blazing wings, Ji Hao turned into a slender streak of fire and, in a flicker, appeared before the Blackwater Wujiao. Spear in hand, he struck swiftly; the old shaman, who was in the midst of casting a spell to fend off the attack of the black-furred giant ape, let out a wretched howl. The spear pierced the wisps of black aura surrounding him with ease, driving through his chest. Flames erupted, blazing forth from every pore of the old shaman’s body, and in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to ashes.

“Damn little bastard!” The Blackwater Wujiao’s eyes bulged with rage, and he howled furiously.

“My father, mild of temper and always putting the interests of the Fire Crow Tribe first, is inevitably seen as an easy mark,” Ji Hao said, spear in hand, his figure weaving countless afterimages as he circled the Blackwater Wujiao at breakneck speed. Suddenly, his spear shot forth.

A shaman of the Blackwater Serpent Tribe, dagger in hand and treacherously lurking behind the Blackwater Wujiao, prepared to ambush the black-furred giant ape as it swung its massive cudgel. But Ji Hao’s spear was even more ruthless, darting from the shaman’s side and skewering him with ease.

The body of the grand shaman, as soft as tofu before the spear’s edge, was easily pierced. Flames roared, and the shaman of the Blackwater Serpent Tribe shrieked as golden-red fire burst from his body. Staggering, he retreated, only for Ji Hao’s spear to whirl and sever his head. His body burned to cinders, leaving only a mass of shamanic blood the size of a human head, which Ji Hao snatched from the air, the blood swiftly vanishing into his palm.

“Take, for example, the time Ji Shu vied for the position of warrior chief. If it were me, I would have exterminated his whole family long ago—how could I allow his women to plot against us time and time again?” Ji Hao sneered coldly, his spear flickering with fire as he raked it across the Blackwater Wujiao.

Suddenly, Ji Hao’s form blurred, and like a phantom he appeared behind another grand shaman of the Blackwater Serpent Tribe, his spear decapitating him in a flash.

The Blackwater Wujiao roared in fury, producing from somewhere a strange, curved blade. With difficulty, he fended off the combined assault of the black-furred giant ape and Ji Hao, shouting at the two remaining shamans of his tribe, “Join forces—kill this little bastard first!”

The two shamans quickly drew together, slapping their waists. The one-horned serpents coiled around their waists sprang forth, growing rapidly into giant pythons, each dozens of meters long, their jaws wide as they lunged to devour Ji Hao.

Ji Hao did not spare them a glance, letting their fangs sink into his body. A flash of clear light—armor forged by A Bao—blocked the serpents’ attack. Then, with a sweep of his spear, he pierced the massive heads of both serpents. Flame burst from their bodies, and their dark scales glowed red-hot.

“Or take today,” Ji Hao continued, “You’ve mustered the coalition force of dozens of tribes to trap me here. If my father were to get word and come, he would be hamstrung by the Fire Crow Tribe’s interests and reputation in the southern jungle. He would never dare to slaughter so many.”

Ji Hao looked at the Blackwater Wujiao, his lips curling in disdain. “Is this your plan? Trap me here, force my father’s hand. With so many warriors from so many tribes gathered, he would never dare act ruthlessly. You’d have your chance to trap him, swarm him with shamans, and capture him alive.”

The Blackwater Wujiao said nothing, struggling to withstand the relentless onslaught from Ji Hao and the black-furred giant ape. Their plan was exactly as Ji Hao described: to gather the warriors of dozens of tribes, using them as bargaining chips to intimidate Ji Xia.

With Ji Xia’s gentle nature and his habit of putting the tribe’s interests first, he would never dare act rashly. Otherwise, the Fire Crow Tribe would gain countless enemies in the southern wilds, and its reputation would be ruined.

A grand shaman so bound, and with Ji Hao as a burden, if Ji Xia came, he would never escape. With hundreds of grand shamans from dozens of tribes, and their sinister soul-summoning arts, even ten Ji Xias would be captured alive.

“But I am not my father!” Ji Hao laughed scornfully. “Since you are my enemies, then die! Kill all these fools, and if their tribes become enemies of the Fire Crow Tribe—so be it. At worst, I’ll waste a little effort and wipe them all out.”

“As for whether killing these men will harm the Fire Crow Tribe’s interests… Their presence here already proves they are enemies of the Fire Crow Tribe, doesn’t it?” Ji Hao smiled easily, his spear blazing as he pierced yet another grand shaman of the Blackwater Serpent Tribe.

This shaman could have dodged Ji Hao’s attack—they were, after all, worlds apart in strength. Aside from being caught off guard at first, the shamans, once they steeled themselves, were not so easy to strike. But as one tried to evade, a root as thick as a fist burst from the earth, binding him fast. Helpless, eyes wide with fury, the shaman watched as Ji Hao’s spear, wreathed in fire, drove through his body. Heat surged—and then he knew nothing more.

Ji Hao seized a ball of shamanic blood, absorbing it into himself in a few breaths. Calmly, he said, “Since you are the enemy, you must all die. Not only everyone here, but all their tribesmen—young or old, man or woman—must become slaves or perish!”

Dozens of dark green roots shot from the ground, binding the Blackwater Wujiao and the last remaining shaman of the Blackwater Serpent Tribe.

The Blackwater Wujiao, formidable as he was, broke free by sheer force, snapping the roots and rolling away to avoid Ji Hao’s killing blow. The last shaman, however, could only scream as Ji Hao’s spear drove through his heart.

“I am famed for returning every injury in kind,” Ji Hao said, eyes narrowed in glee. “Vengeance never waits for dawn. If you judge me by my father’s nature, just how naive must you be to have such a charming notion?”

The Blackwater Wujiao roared, leaping upright. But as soon as he stood, an arrow fashioned from the limb of a human-faced spider silently struck him from behind, driving through his shoulder.

The arrow was laced with deadly venom. Its poison spread swiftly, and the Blackwater Wujiao’s face grew tinged with black.

“You… you can’t kill so many!” he rasped furiously. “We have ten times as many grand shamans as you!”

The coalition warriors began to scatter, the fastest group already over twenty miles away.

Ji Hao sneered, blowing a shrill whistle.

Suddenly, a thick grey mist rose around the fleeing party. Within the fog, countless beastly shapes flashed, strange lights gleamed, and nearly ten thousand men were swallowed up in an instant, vanishing without a trace.

“Don’t you see? As I said, my ways are not my father’s. For instance, I respect the laws of the ancestral spirits, but when my own life is on the line, I have no qualms about breaking the rules now and then.”

Ji Hao’s smile was cold and fierce. Overhead, a cacophony of cawing erupted as nearly a hundred giant fire crows, their bodies ablaze, suddenly swooped down from the sky, descending upon the mountain forest.

***

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