Chapter 178 - War Flower Empire
When the Bloody Totem Tribe Leader returned to her home, she was stunned to find Yaan waiting for her in the entrance hall, sitting calmly on a prayer mat.
“Senior, I hope you rested well?” The woman asked after recovering herself.
Yaan took a glance at this woman…even though she was only a Late 4-Star body temperer and quite young compared to some others in the tribe, she was clearly competent as a leader. Just her ability to rapidly recover form her shock, adapting quickly to the unexpected situation, showed that her mindset was suited to leadership.
Compared to the female Qi refining cultivators that Yaan had encountered frequently on the Qi Plane, this tribal leader possessed a different kind of beauty. She was tall, her muscles were toned and well defined, her skin was heavily tanned and tattooed across her arms. She wore a sleeveless fur jackets and sturdy fur leg-wear, she truly looked like a warrior.
Body temperers tended to have more rugged appearances than Qi refiners, even the females. There were exceptions to this of course, such as Yaan himself. Yaan’s appearance was a result of him stopping ageing as a child, combined with the fact that his body had always been suited to both body tempering and Qi refining.
These humans on the Blood Plane possessed the mortal rank progressive physique constitution from birth, whilst they did not possess a Qi refining system capable of refining Yuan Qi, leading to their development in this direction.
“Yes. I appreciate that you followed my instructions properly.” Yaan nodded. He planned to have some further dealings with this person, so he remained polite when speaking to her, despite the difference between them in terms of strength.
“Then, senior…will you be staying for longer?” The tribe leader asked slowly.
Yaan examined her expression. He saw that whilst she was apprehensive of him, she seemed to have something that she wanted to ask. Smiling slightly, he didn’t respond to her question, but instead asked:
“You want me to stay?”
“This…” The woman hesitated, but ended up nodding seriously. “Senior, if my guess is correct, you are not from this region...you have no affiliation to a tribe in the War Flower Empire, am I correct?”
Yaan frowned, this question was a bit intrusive, but he reminded himself that the people on the Blood Plane seemed to be more blunt and straight forwards compared to the scheming Qi masters he was accustomed to dealing with. This question felt tactless to him, but to these people, it was only normal to ask.
In the end, Yaan just gave a light nod.
Seeing this, the woman’s eyes shone with anticipation.
“Senior, I know this might be a bit abrupt, but how about you become an external elder of my Bloody Totem Tribe?”
“Oh?” Yaan raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly makes this worthwhile for me?”
The woman smiled slightly, causing Yaan to pause. Her expression suggested that he had just asked something that should be obvious…unknowingly, he had given away just how little he knew about this region, or perhaps about the Blood Plane itself.
Seeing Yaan’s expression which was starting to look slightly gloomy, the tribe leader coughed and hurriedly explained herself.
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“Let me explain, senior. The War Flower Empire consists of 5,000 kingdoms. Each kingdom is filled with countless tribes and is ruled by the strongest tribe within the kingdom, in fact, it is said that each and every kingdom is ruled by an immortal! The kingdoms all operate differently, they all have their own rules and customs, but there is one consistent law that rules supreme throughout the entire War Flower Empire…the war flower law!”
Yaan hid his shock at the ridiculous scale of this empire, immediately asking:
“What is this law exactly?”
“Rather than a single law, it is a sort of passage which dictates the way in which conflict should be handled throughout the kingdom. Senior, please read this.”
The tribe leader passed Yaan a beast-skin scroll, which contained a passage of text upon it.
Yaan briefly glanced at the scroll, before looking away, showing no change to his expression.
“I see, this is quite interesting.”
Internally, his mind shook. He had seen this language once before, back in the 4th trial realm! Yaan had only encountered this language a single time back then, but it left a deep impression on him.
Mortals used many different languages, but the cultivators on Planet Yushu all stuck to the same written language. In the 4th trial realm, the main written language was similar, but it had developed some differences over the years of separation. Anyway, with Yaan’s intelligence learning a new language was not a big deal, he could manage this within a few hours at most.
But this language was different. It was no language that Yaan had ever learned personally, and yet, he instinctively knew what each character, each letter, each stroke, meant! There seemed to be a sharp intent behind each word, as if the user had imbued the text with their very aura…
This sort of language was one that could be inherently understood by any intelligent being, even if they had never seen it before. Yaan did not know the secret behind this language, but he was certain of one thing…
Anyone able to write this language must possess a very high level of strength!
“It is said that the War Flower Emperor created 5,000 major scrolls and countless minor scrolls. To establish a kingdom, it is necessary to possess a major scroll. To establish a tribe, the minor scroll is required.”
Yaan nodded slowly, this was stated on the scroll itself.
The passage of mysterious text on the scroll explained the structure of the empire quite simply. In essence, this empire could be defined by the concept of ‘organised war’.
The kingdoms were permitted to battle against one another, but certain rules must be abided. Likewise, the tribes could wage war against one another, but they must stick to the rules of war.
The main point that Yaan took away from the passage, was that in this kingdom, an individual could not stand up against a tribe or kingdom, because this went against the war flower law!
If a lone individual with no affiliation to a tribe suddenly attacked another tribe, they would be hunted down until their inevitable death. If the law enforcement warrior from the kingdom could not kill that individual, then someone from the empire would be sent!
This meant that if Yaan wanted to achieve anything in this empire, if he wanted to do anything in this place, it was imperative that he join a tribe.
After realising this, Yaan looked at the tribe leader deeply. Her heart skipped a beat under his gaze, but she stood firm and stared him in the eyes, knowing that he understood now.
“So you want me to join your tribe for our mutual benefit…” Yaan spoke slowly. “But are you willing to deal with the consequences of accepting me into you house?”
“I am!” The tribe leader exclaimed without hesitation. “Even if you use my tribe to wage endless war on every single living being in the kingdom, I will not regret my decision. Do you know why, senior?”
“Why?” Yaan asked calmly.
“Because I am not content with merely surviving! I will not remain ordinary forever…no matter what, I will become extraordinary! And I believe that with your help, senior, I can lead my Bloody Totem Tribe towards that extraordinary future!”
When he heard her speak these words with such resolution in her gaze, Yaan could not help but smile. However, this smile was quite unsettling, it was filled with killing intent, seemingly directed towards anything and everything in this world.
“Good. In that case, I will join your tribe. Do not regret your decision, tribe leader, it is too late for you to turn back now.”
“Thank you, senior!” The woman exclaimed joyously, not caring about Yaan’s words which foreshadowed a bloody and brutal future.
On the Blood Plane, life was eternally bloody and brutal, so what did it matter if she took a step deeper into this insanity, embracing an unknown in the hope of achieving a better tomorrow?
Yaan silently left the tribal mansion, walking unhurriedly until he stepped outside. The tribe leader followed behind him, watching his back with a gaze of unhidden anticipation.
She could not wait to see what this ‘senior’ would bring to her tribe...would it be fortune, or calamity? Regardless, she felt that life would become quite exciting from here on.
Yaan took a step, flying up into the air, high above the tribal mansion, high above the rest of the tribe. As he gazed down at the tribe and at the lands all around, he slowly turned around, taking in the view of the Blood Plane.
The killing intent in his eyes grew deeper and deeper, until it reached monstrous levels that Yaan had not shown for a long time.
He would leave this world, no matter what it took, no matter what he needed to become.
“I think it is about time that I cultivate like a proper demon.”