Within the tower, the bunch of people who were pathetically panicking froze when they heard the cracking sounds and look towards its source.
Everyone in the tower had been brutally affected by the energy waves. Some people were crouching, some standing while leaning against the stone pillar. When he heard the sounds, the person leaning against the thick stone pillar stopped breathing. His eyes widened as he stared at the stone pillar like he had seen something unbelievable.
A long crack appeared on the pillar, extending upwards like an unstoppable snake. It swam under his palm up to the top.
Feeling the vibrations under his hand, the person leapt and ran immediately.
“Run! It’s collapsing!
As if the wicker to a bomb had been ignited, everyone exploded in panic. Without caring for their clothes and hair, everyone rushed down the tower.
Crack— Crack crack—
Crackle crackle—-
Pebbles and dust rolled downwards, the more and more fell. Tiny stones became large slabs and in the end, with a deep rumble, the ancient slabs of stone used to build the tower split open and it collapsed.
The deafening crash scared many bystanders but they watched helplessly. All they could do was stand back as they watched the towers on both sides of the city gates crumble before their eyes.
The guards at the gates had already disappeared.
With another boom, a giant piece of stone fell on the ground. A cloud of dust curled up and blurred the crowd’s vision.
Yi Shi stood on the city wall, on a very peculiar spot. One crack in the wall separated him and the rest of the tower, it looked like two different worlds. On this side of the crack, he didn’t feel much of the impact. When he sensed something was about to happen, he squatted to hide behind the stone wall. Compared to the rest who felt the impact of the waves, he was doing fine.
Yi Shi was privately glad that he was far away. However, it was not good for him to stay while everyone panicked. As everyone rushed to leave, he ran with Yi Bing and the rest. He had won the bet, Yi Bing needed to pay him.
The guards at the city gates were terrified, yes, but the Lu family was utterly traumatised. The initial plan was that Luzong killed Shao Xuan. And if Luzong couldn’t, another person would take over the task. While they were ready to take over after Luzong lost, this was a more dramatic ending than they had expected.
That was just one punch. And the fight was over. They did not see where Luzong landed, no one knew if he was alive.
Should they continue?
The people of the Lu family all hung their heads, terrified they’d be named. Their opponent had defeated Luzong so easily, what could they do? They’d also get beaten up, no?
The city wall was cracked and the towers had fallen. Would they be able to fight him? Everyone knew what would happen so they did not want to sacrifice their own lives.
On the other side, Maoda finally closed his almost-unhinged jaw, instructing his men to comfort the bears. One bear had collapsed on the ground in shock and the sacks on its back were scattered on the ground. At least the sacks were tied tightly so the grains did not spill.
Black Bear looked at Shao Xuan with an unreadable look as if he did not truly know the person standing before him. The first time he met Shao Xuan, Shao Xuan stopped a large cauldron easily. The second time at King City, Shao Xuan had beaten Lubi with his own hammer, now…
No one knew if Luzong was dead or alive, the city gates were destroyed and both towers had collapsed. This… this wasn’t human at all?! Was this Shao Xuan’s doing?! Was he human or beast?!
As he recalled what Shao Xuan said to Luzong, Black Bear suspected that the kid had already anticipated this outcome. Now all the damage would be compensated by the Lu family, yet he could just shrug and leave.
Guang Yi went up to Shao Xuan. “Elder, are you alright?”
At the tribe, the shamaness had designated a flat piece of empty land for him to practice. While other people did not know what this was for, Guang Yi had witnessed it once. He was not near so he couldn’t feel the impact. All he knew was that after every practice session, there would be more craters in the ground. The shamaness said this was the power of the ancestors.
Now, Guang Yi finally witnessed the measure of this power!
Shao Xuan slowly retracted his arm and shook his head. “I’m fine.”
His eyes swept around and everyone quickly looked away. They dared not meet his eyes, especially the Linlu people who whimpered when he looked at them, terrified he’d name them for a duel.
Shao Xuan did not move. They chatted for a bit before he finally moved his feet. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to leave, his legs were numb. If he moved immediately, other people would easily see that Shao Xuan’s unbothered, uninjured look was fake. Every time he borrowed the ornament’s powers, he would be injured to a certain extent. However, this was a lot better than his first time at Gongjia Mountain. Now, he was familiar with controlling this power and could anticipate what would happen after the fight.
In the past, he had always practised alone. Just now, the battle of power between him and Luzong had caused him internal injuries- though they were minor.
Maintaining his composure, Shao Xuan asked Maoda, “Can the trading party leave the city now?”
“Yes, yes!” said Maoda worriedly. In the past, he’d joke around with Shao Xuan but after seeing Shao Xuan hit Luzong in the air, Maoda dared not talk nonsense with him.
“You all should leave soon. As for the city gates, since the Lu family already said they’d bear the costs, we don’t have to worry,” said Black Bear.
If they stayed, they might never leave.
Shao Xuan thanked Black Bear sincerely then left with Maoda.
The Lu family did not chase after them, the guards did not stop them. Even the Lu family members hiding in preparation for an ambush outside the city looked at each other awkwardly. None of them dared attack, merely watching as the bears passed by. Especially when Shao Xuan passed, the ones near him shuddered.
At this moment, in several spots within King City, the ones who did not take the Lu family and Shao Xuan seriously were shocked to hear the news.
Within the palace, several people rushed in. They had also received news– personally, they had also felt a chill just now.
“Flaming Horn? Flaming Horn tribe? Why is it always them?” frowned an old aristocrat with white hair.
“Since when did they get so powerful?”
“I heard it’s the Flaming Horn’s tribe Elder. Very young.”
Someone recalled the words left behind by a master of the Yi family years ago and panicked. “The huge changes the master mentioned, was it referring to the Flaming Horn tribe?”
“If you recall, Flaming Horn comes from another place.”
“This tribe is a large threat, I have been saying this for years.”
In a moment, everyone sitting down was silent. They thought it was possible.
While the people of King City debated how much of a threat his tribe was, Shao Xuan had already left the city. As he walked on the long dirt road and into the forest, not just the bears- Shao Xuan was a lot more relaxed too.
“Maoda, I’d like to borrow your bear,” said Shao Xuan.
Maoda was thinking of forging a closer relationship with the Flaming Horn people. Just from today, they could see that the Flaming Horn’s capabilities far exceeded their expectations. It would benefit them to work with this tribe, plus Shao Xuan knew Master Heng and Ji Ju.
When he heard Shoa Xuan, his train of thought was interrupted. He asked in confusion, “Borrow my bear? For what?” Was it for food? He heard the Flaming Horn people ate a lot of beast meat after expending a lot of energy.
“I want to ride one, take a nap,” said Shao Xuan.
Maoda’s eyes flashed, understanding that Shao Xuan might not be as well as he looked.
With a shrug, he said, “Take any one of them.”
Shao Xuan chose the nearest one. It was coincidentally the bear that wanted to attack him when they first met.
When Shao Xuan approached, the bear shuddered and wanted to hide. Too bad Shao Xuan had already sat on his back. After, the bear walked awkwardly and lost all rhythm in its feet, almost tripping itself over.
In the past, he was cautious of Shao Xuan. Now, he was terrified. However, since Shao Xuan did not do anything after getting on its back, it slowly relaxed.
Shao Xuan had to rest so his injuries would recover. He had faced such a huge force- from his neck to his shoulder, every bone and muscle seemed to groan. He could feel his body getting heavier by the second as every movement became more difficult.
However, with his rejuvenation abilities, a nap would greatly improve his situation. That was why once they were out of the city and no one was watching, he slept ton the bear’s back.
Guang Yi didn’t speak, guarding the back of the bear. At the same time, he was thinking. If Shao Xuan was so powerful, would he be able to find a way across the ocean? The shamaness and chief had placed all their hopes on Shao Xuan. In the past, Guang Yi was sceptical. Now, he thought, perhaps Shao Xuan could.
He was very interested in the other branch of the tribe. At the village, when his old friends ate together, they’d talk about their brothers in the other tribe. It had been a thousand years but the Flaming Horn people still did not develop strong feelings for this piece of land. The shamaness said this was not where they should be, that was why they did not feel like they belonged.
If outsiders attacked, Guang Yi would guard the tribe with the rest. However, if they could not defend, and the shamaness and chief decided they had to move, they would not be too emotional about it. Every year, they’d hear about some tribe moving. Some moved from the forest to somewhere with more people. Others were forced to leave their centuries-old homes to hide in the mountains.
When the fire seed did not root itself in one place, the humans did not root themselves either. They just floated and landed wherever they could. Some tribes scattered and never reunited again. Other tribes’ values became distorted– like the Linlu tribe.
What would happen to the Flaming Horn tribe?
Guang Yi looked at the falling yellowed leaves in the mountain. He hadn’t been this emotional in a while.