Chapter 401: Chapter 401

The Mouse Bone Tribe and the Mouse People were slightly different. The Mouse People looked just like large gray mice, while the Mouse Bone Tribe resembled weasels; they were much stronger in both strength and temperament.

However, the strongest individuals among the tribes in this dense forest were only Golden Immortals, and each tribe possessed few such experts.

The incensed the Saber Wolf Clan quickly reached the Mouse Bone Tribe’s territory.

Mouse Bone Tribe cubs, playing outside, spotted the outsiders approaching and scrambled back to their territory. However, Dao Ze managed to catch one. His large hand seized its weasel-like head, lifting it.

The Mouse Bone Tribe’s Heavenly Immortal on guard duty witnessed Dao Ze’s actions. Fury contorted his face as he roared, "the Saber Wolf Clan! What do you think you’re doing? Release the child!"

Dao Ze glanced at the weasel head in his grasp. With a single motion, he crushed it. A flicker of grim satisfaction lit his eyes as he bellowed, "Mouse Bone Tribe, you will pay in blood!"

"Damn you, Dao Ze! Have you gone mad? What feud do we, the Mouse Bone Tribe, have with you?" Gu Wen, the Clan Leader of the Mouse Bone Tribe, roared, his face livid with rage.

The long spear that had once impaled Dao Ze’s wife and child plunged deep into the ground before Gu Wen. Dao Ze snarled, "Gu Wen, drop the act! The filthy stench of your Mouse Bone Tribe is all over this spear. Prepare to die!"

Disguised as a logistics worker, Chen Jiuge observed the unfolding scene. He clicked his tongue. These Mouse Bone Tribe members are just weasels that gained sentience, aren’t they? They look so wretched, not nearly as cute as the large gray mice.

Seeing the two clans shouting and on the verge of fighting, Chen Jiuge drew an ordinary long spear. "It’s finally starting," he muttered.

A logistics worker beside him tugged at Chen Jiuge. "Brother, this is the Saber Wolf Clan’s affair. We shouldn’t get involved, right?"

Chen Jiuge explained, "I know. I’m just going to get in on the action."

With a great stride, Chen Jiuge leaped into the battlefield. Spotting a member of the Saber Wolf Clan about to be struck down, he swung his long spear, deflecting a chillingly sharp Bone Spur. With an air of righteousness, he declared, "Leave this one to me!"

"Thank you!" the nearly-slain Saber Wolf Clan warrior said, his gratitude heartfelt.

"You’re not from the Saber Wolf Clan? Come to die, have you?" The opposing Mouse Bone Tribe member looked surprised, then sneered, "If you’re eager to die, I’ll grant your wish!"

A bloodthirsty grin touched Chen Jiuge’s lips. His long spear, enveloped in potent Mana and augmented by Fatian Xiangdi, suddenly swelled in size. It caught his opponent completely off guard, sending them flying with a bloodied nose.

"ARGH! ARGH! ARGH! You’re courting death!" The enraged Mouse Bone Tribe member unleashed their Innate Divine Ability—Demon Shadow Stab.

A dense barrage of Bone Spur phantoms surged towards Chen Jiuge.

"Excellent! Have a taste of this!"

The massive black War Spear shattered the swarm of Bone Spurs and pierced the Mouse Bone Tribe member’s slender body. A flick of the War Spear, and the victim exploded into a mist of blood.

Chen Jiuge remarked, "Not bad strength. You could probably take on five Heavenly Immortal-level Insects."

Chen Jiuge’s display drew the attention of other Mouse Bone Tribe members. Seeing three of them converge to attack him, Chen Jiuge laughed heartily. "Only three? That’s not nearly enough!"

His usually explosive Divine Skills were unleashed consecutively by Chen Jiuge. The black War Spear swept relentlessly through the air, and one Mouse Bone Tribe Heavenly Immortal after another fell.

With Chen Jiuge taking on so many, the Saber Wolf Clan, initially at a disadvantage, began to gain the upper hand.

On a distant mountain peak, Ming Huayu, freshly emerged from secluded cultivation, stared speechlessly at Chen Jiuge in the midst of the fray. Is it really that enjoyable to bully these Lower tribes? he muttered to himself. I was going to bid you farewell, but it looks like that will have to wait for another time.

A luminous screen materialized, revealing the imposing figure of the Netherworld King. "Huayu," his voice boomed, "it’s time to return."

"I refuse!" Ming Huayu declared, head held high.

"Behave. Don’t force me to come for you personally."

"You! If you’re so capable, then get rid of that little wench! I’ll return immediately if you do!"

The Netherworld King paused for a moment before saying, "She is your sister."

"Bullshit! You have countless illegitimate children out there! Isn’t it just because she awakened the Netherworld King Bloodline?" Ming Huayu scoffed.

"The Great Chaos War is imminent. I will not allow you to roam freely outside."

Within the luminous screen, the Netherworld King raised a hand. With a slight grasping motion, the void behind Ming Huayu suddenly tore open. A massive, greyish-white hand clamped down on his shoulder and pulled gently.

Staring at the familiar yet alien palace, Ming Huayu felt a surge of indignation. This is outrageous!

"Don’t give me that look. If you wish to prove yourself, achieve merits in the upcoming Great Chaos War. Alternatively, you can follow your brother’s example and become a mountain bandit king."

Gazing at the towering, imposing figure before him, Ming Huayu stated coldly, "I will."

Gu Wen gazed at Dao Ze, who was impaled by Gu Wen’s own tail bone. A smug look crossed Gu Wen’s face. "Did you truly believe your Saber Wolf Clan was invincible?"

"COUGH! COUGH!" Spitting out two mouthfuls of blood, a weakened Dao Ze asked, "Was it you who attacked my clan’s territory?"

"So what if it was?" Gu Wen retorted smugly. "I initially only intended to pilfer some resources. But now, it seems I can claim your Saber Wolf Clan’s Law Crystals as well."

Having received the answer he sought, Dao Ze snapped the bone spike embedded in his chest with sheer force. A savage grin spread across his face. "So, it truly was you. I feared the City Lord had misled me. It seems I worried unnecessarily."

"You... you... How is this possible?" Gu Wen’s face contorted in disbelief as pain shot through his tail bone. That’s the hardest part of a Mouse Bone Tribe member! We’re both Golden Immortals! How could he shatter it?

Dao Ze reached back, tore out his own spine, and then used Mana to construct a temporary replacement, just enough to keep his body functioning.

"Do you know why your Mouse Bone Tribe, despite also having two Golden Immortals, is disdained by other tribes?"

"And do you know why our Saber Wolf Clan, also with only two Golden Immortals, is considered one of the most powerful tribes?"

"It’s because of this!" Dao Ze roared, his extracted spine transforming into a bone blade as he invoked a Divine Skill—Winter Wolf!

A nine-headed, colossal white wolf materialized, roaring at Gu Wen before instantly devouring him.

Watching Gu Wen scream from within the giant wolf’s belly, Dao Ze’s lips curled into a cruel smile. "I won’t let you die so easily."

Elsewhere, Dao Lin, sensing a familiar aura, stopped holding back. The Mouse Bone Tribe Golden Immortal opposing him couldn’t last much longer.

Outside, corpses of Mouse Bone Tribe Heavenly Immortals lay piled around Chen Jiuge. Only the old, weak, sick, and young remained, cowering in hidden corners.

Dao Ze emerged, dragging Gu Wen’s mangled body, and hurled him brutally to the ground.

Shark Army abruptly appeared behind Dao Ze. "Interesting. I didn’t expect you to be descendants of the Winter Wolf. For Winter Wolf descendants to have their home raided by a pack of rats... truly shameful!"

Dao Ze’s face darkened. "Who are you?"

Shark Army bared his sharp teeth. "One of the Great Commanders of Horn Shadow City. Under orders from Mr. Li, I was specifically assigned to follow you."

"I thought I might need to step in. I didn’t expect such a powerhouse among the logistics personnel. Interested in joining my legion?" Shark Army extended the invitation to the disguised Chen Jiuge, his eyes glinting with appreciation.

Chen Jiuge gave a wry chuckle and was about to explain, when Gu Wen, still on the ground, suddenly shrieked, "I have backing! You can’t kill me!"

"Hah! Backing? So do we!" Shark Army scoffed.

"We are vassals of the Yaksha Clan! You cannot annihilate my people!" Gu Wen screamed.

"Yaksha?" Chen Jiuge reverted to his true appearance, a look of surprise on his face.

Asura, Netherworld King, and Yaksha were known as the Hellish Triad. Asura represented belligerence and bloodlust; the Netherworld King, darkness and death; and Yaksha, carnage and brutality.

"City Lord!" Dao Ze and Shark Army exclaimed, their expressions stiffening as they looked at Chen Jiuge.

"Hmm. So, on what grounds do you claim to be vassals of the Yaksha Clan?" Chen Jiuge asked nonchalantly.

A statue resembling an Evil Ghost—green-faced, with sharp fangs and bony wings—emerged from the ground. Gu Wen declared piously, "This is the Yaksha Clan’s token!"

Chen Jiuge squatted, examining the small statue. He stroked his chin. "Just this little trinket?"

A large hand condensed from Mana instantly shattered it. Gu Wen stared blankly. "Smashed... it’s smashed?"

A cyan phantom floated up. An grotesque figure materialized, its face contorted with rage. "You shattered my effigy?"

"Yours?" Chen Jiuge paused, thinking. It does look somewhat familiar.

"That was me. Do you have a problem with it?" Chen Jiuge retorted casually.

The phantom was about to rebuke him when it sensed Chen Jiuge’s aura. It frowned. "Asura? Is this the aura of a new Divine Son?"

"Since you are a Divine Son of Asura, why would you move against my Yaksha Clan?"

The Asura and Yaksha Clans were actually on decent terms. Among the Hellish Triad, only the Netherworld King Clan was hostile to the other two.

"Your vassal tribe wiped out a tribe under my command. Now this one claims you’re his backer. I figured smashing your effigy was the quickest way to get your attention," Chen Jiuge explained succinctly.

"Ah, so that’s how it is. Annihilated, you say? So be it. Divine Son of Asura, the Great Chaos War is about to begin. I wish to cooperate with you. I am Yaksha Jing. My time here is up; we’ll speak in detail next time we meet. As for this... weasel, do with him as you please. Consider it my welcoming gift to you." Yaksha Jing’s figure slowly faded.

Gu Wen stared blankly at the corpses of his kinsmen, a desolate smile on his face. Is this the tragedy of the weak?

Gu Wen took his own life. His tall frame dissolved into motes of Spirit Light, dissipating into the air.

Chen Jiuge observed Dao Ze, who seemed lost in thought, and chuckled. "That is merely the sorrow of the defeated."

"Welcome to Horn Shadow City."

Shaking off his somber thoughts, Dao Ze managed a strained smile. "It is my clan’s honor."

Leaving the logistics personnel behind, Chen Jiuge planned to convert the Mouse Bone Tribe’s former territory into a new settlement. Horn Shadow City was poised to enter a phase of rapid development.

Then there’s this so-called Great Chaos War, Chen Jiuge mused. It sounds significant, and perilous. Both Ming Huayu and this Yaksha Jing seem to think I’ll participate. While I don’t intend to get involved voluntarily, some things are simply beyond one’s control.

The addition of the Saber Wolf Clan wasn’t a major event for Horn Shadow City. Although they brought two Golden Immortals, Chen Jiuge didn’t establish a new legion for them. Their strength still fell short compared to Shark Army and the Asura legion.

The two Golden Immortals ultimately joined Shark Army’s legion. The remaining members of the Saber Wolf Clan were free to choose: live as ordinary residents of Horn Shadow City or enlist in a legion.

After all, the Saber Wolf Clan needed to repopulate. Chen Jiuge wasn’t some ruthless exploiter bent on working them to death. Googlᴇ search NoveI-Fire.ɴet