Chapter 290 - 194: A Chance Encounter with the ’Wu’ Tribe, Part 2

Chapter 290: Chapter 194: A Chance Encounter with the ’Wu’ Tribe, Part 2

He sat astride a ferocious, black-furred tiger. Its coat was jet-black and its eyes were vicious; one glance told you it was no ordinary beast.

"This girl’s mine!"

The black-furred tiger let out a terrifying roar and charged toward Qiudi.

Meanwhile, the other knights began to encircle Fang Yue’s hiding spot.

Fang Yue’s expression turned cold.

’These knights actually see me as a two-legged sheep!’

’These people deserve to die!’

"ROAR!"

The black-furred tiger was incredibly fast, reaching the stone pillar where Fang Yue was hiding in the blink of an eye.

"AWOOO!"

Then, the tiger tilted its head back and roared, opening its massive jaws to snap at Fang Yue.

"Hmph!"

As the tiger lunged, Fang Yue snorted, lifted his foot, and kicked out at the beast.

BAM!

With a dull thud, the tiger was sent flying by the kick, crashing to the ground.

"What?"

The knights stared in astonishment, their faces twisting with fury as they glared at Fang Yue.

"Who is this guy? How could he injure the tiger?" one knight snarled.

"Yeah, he’s so skinny. How can he be that strong?" another knight added, his face a mask of shock.

It wasn’t just the two of them; their burly leader was equally stunned.

After all, he had been sent flying right along with his tiger.

Being sent flying in front of all his subordinates was a huge loss of face. ’How am I supposed to lead these men in the tribe after this?’ Shame instantly curdled into rage in his heart.

"You bastard! How dare you launch a sneak attack on me!"

He let out a furious roar, leaped into the air, and drew a long saber from his waist, slashing down at Fang Yue.

The slash was devastatingly powerful, creating a heart-stopping whistle as it cut through the air.

An ordinary Qi Sensing Martial Master might not have been able to block such an attack.

Unfortunately for him, he had run into Fang Yue, sealing his tragic fate.

CLANG!

With a sharp ring of metal, Fang Yue knocked the man’s saber aside with one hand, then violently flung him away.

PTHOO!

The burly man was thrown so hard he was seeing stars, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

This scene once again drew gasps of shock from the crowd.

Seizing the opportunity, Fang Yue grabbed Qiudi, stole the horse from a knight who was still too stunned to react, and immediately spurred it into a gallop to escape.

"Get them! Don’t let the two-legged sheep escape!"

"Dammit, he dared to kick one of our tribe’s warriors! He’s got a death wish!"

The remaining knights finally came to their senses and spurred their horses in pursuit.

~~~~~~~

「That night, in a leeward mountain hollow.」

Fang Yue and Qiudi were resting by a bonfire.

"Who were those people?"

They had been chased all day by men from the so-called Hui Tribe and had only managed to lose them with great difficulty before hiding in this hollow.

"A tribe from the north bank of the Hun River. They worship a Snake God. They’re very difficult to deal with. If you kill one, they’ll hound you relentlessly."

Qiudi pondered for a moment before saying slowly, "They’re tribespeople who worship Demon Beasts. It’s said that Demon Beast blood flows in their veins."

’Worshiping Demon Fiends!’

Fang Yue wasn’t completely ignorant. During his time in Taohua Village, he had learned that two kinds of people inhabited this region.

One kind worshiped Ancestral Spirits, believing their ancestors could protect their people, like those in Taohua Village. The other kind worshiped Demon Beasts, revering them as gods—like the members of the Hui Tribe they had encountered today.

Fang Yue nodded in understanding. It reminded him of modern society, where even though humanity revered science and upheld the law...

...many people still believed in ghosts and monsters, worshiping Demon Fiends, ghouls, Immortals, or some other manner of evil entity.

Of course, here, people believed they could gain power this way—and they actually could.

They worshiped Demon Beasts, and with demon blood possibly flowing in their veins, they were ferocious and violent.

"They might even be the hybrid offspring of Demon Fiends and humans," Qiudi continued.

Fang Yue froze for a second. ’How is that possible? Different species can’t have offspring.’

’Then again, this world has already shown me so many things that defy imagination.’

Fang Yue shook his head and said no more.

After daybreak, he and Qiudi continued toward Great Mang Mountain.

During that time, they encountered several more waves of pursuers, all of whom were easily repelled by Fang Yue.

However, as they ventured deeper, Fang Yue noticed something even stranger.

The closer they got to Great Mang Mountain, the more desolate the surrounding forests became, to the point where there were almost no animals.

But any beast they did encounter was extraordinarily powerful.

For instance, Fang Yue had once spotted a black bear in a valley.

Its body was a behemoth, at least thirty feet long, with an astonishing weight. Each step it took was like a heavy-duty truck, rumbling loudly.

Its hide was tough and its defenses were astounding. An ordinary Martial Artist would be no match for it. Anyone caught by it would surely be torn to shreds.

Even Fang Yue, if he were to fight it without a suitable weapon, feared he wouldn’t be a match for the bear.

A beast of that size had its advantages, namely that many of its usual vital spots were no longer weak points.

Its thick hide was no mere figure of speech.

Unless Fang Yue could strike a vital point with precision, it would be very difficult to kill it.

Moreover, Fang Yue also discovered some other strange and bizarre creatures.

For example, hidden among the leaves and branches of the treetops was a strange snake. The giant python was the color of blue jade and shimmered with a cold light.

Whenever prey drew near, it would spit a frosty breath, freezing its victim to death.

"We’ll be able to enter Great Mang Mountain tomorrow. It’s dangerous, but there might be a path that leads to the outside world."

Qiudi said, a look of excitement on her face. But a moment later, her expression fell.

’If we find a path, then this disciple of mine will probably leave. But I know I can’t stop him, nor do I have any way to.’

Just then, Fang Yue suddenly stood up.

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

Qiudi asked immediately, seeing Fang Yue stand up so abruptly.

"Someone’s coming," Fang Yue said calmly.

"Huh? What? Someone’s coming?"

Startled, Qiudi quickly scrambled to her feet and took a defensive posture.

The newcomers weren’t the Hui Tribe warriors chasing them from behind, but were approaching from the direction of Great Mang Mountain.

There were a full twenty of them, all dressed in black. Their clothes were embroidered with a massive, blood-red dragon—the insignia of the Blood Dragon Platform.

That design was the unique symbol of the Blood Dragon Platform!

’These are undoubtedly people from the Blood Dragon Platform, but why are they here? They don’t look like they’ve stumbled here by accident; they have a purpose.’

"Huh? Why are these people from the Wu Tribe coming out of Great Mang Mountain? What rotten luck to run into these bad guys here!" Qiudi’s expression grew grim.

The Wu Tribe had migrated here from elsewhere in recent years. They had very poor relations with the tribes and villages near Great Mang Mountain, and clashes between them were frequent.

A few months ago, her village had also clashed with people from the Wu Tribe, and several people had been killed or injured.

"Hm? You’re saying they’re a tribe, too? The Wu Tribe?" Fang Yue asked, a look of surprise on his face.

The Great Mang Mountain region spanned thousands of square kilometers and was home to many tribes and villages.

For various reasons, these tribes mostly kept to themselves, living in their own territories. Conflicts occurred from time to-time, but it was rare to see a tribe like the Wu Tribe, which repeatedly trespassed on other tribes’ hunting grounds and clashed with numerous other tribes and villages. No one knew what those people were trying to do.

As a result, the Wu Tribe had practically become a public enemy in this region.

However, the Wu Tribe was tyrannical and possessed a deep well of power, so most tribes were helpless against them.

"That’s right, the Wu Tribe," Qiudi confirmed.

Fang Yue’s expression first turned grim, but then a thought struck him. ’If I can run into people from the Blood Dragon Platform here, does that mean there really is a path to the outside world within Great Mang Mountain?’