In the thousand years since the appearance of the invaders, information gradually disseminated among the life of the Three Realms, turning into common knowledge.
The invaders came from a faraway land known as the Tengri Chaos World. Although they looked human, their biology was substantially different. More importantly, they used a different style of cultivation known as the Faith Path.
Although the principles behind the Faith Path were known in the Three Realms, no one took them seriously. At least, not until now.
The Faith Path relied on belief from sentient beings. Immortals could also give faith, but the amount of belief each individual provided was practically useless, and a large amount of sentient life would be needed to provide something of substance. The most numerous sentient beings were humans, but most prayed to Nuwa, the Three Purities, other Saints of Heaven, and recently Realm Linked King Zhen Yuanzi.
None of the immortals and gods dared to steal belief from Nuwa. Thus the Faith Path practically disappeared due to the harsh condition. However, after seeing the advantages and effects from the invaders, many of them had second thoughts.
In Tengri Chaos World, there was only one god from which the land was named. All other gods were derivatives or facets of him. The mortals of Tengri venerated their sole god as the Skyfather.
The mortals don't cultivate their spirit or their body but blessings. The subject of their faith could allocate belief and energy from their believers to specific individuals. Such was the case of the shaman Youxiong fought years ago.
In light of this information, a few Quasi-Saints started experimenting with the Faith Path to better understand it. There must be a reason why the Skyfather utilized the Faith Path so much, right?
Through their actions, they discovered that the more belief they possessed, the greater the Karmic Luck they possessed. In addition to that, their comprehension speed increased. There were many more benefits, some of which included offering belief power for an increase in battle prowess.
As word spread, many of the immortals, gods, and even demons began to start religions among the human race, gathering faith. However, in their excitement, they forgot about Nuwa.
Once nearly ten percent of humanity's faith swayed to these heretical religions, Saint Nuwa took action and exterminated them all. From henceforth, no one dared to poach faith from Nuwa. At least not so openly.
From her seat on the Throne of Heaven in the Heavenly Realm, Tongtian shook her head. She also enjoyed the benefits of faith, but likely not as much as Nuwa. Not just her but the whole Heavenly Court benefited, but they only attributed it to their status as heavenly officials.
Those that knew, such as Haotian and Yaochi, did not disclose the information and kept the benefits to themselves. Even Wutian knew. His status as the Martial Ancestor brought many benefits and not just luck.
She cast her gaze at the juncture from which the Tengri Chaos World had started merging. It was a spider-like crack named the World Nexus from which the Way of Heaven of both worlds exerted their influence.
At first, only regular mortals could enter. All lifeforms above the existence of regular mortals would become suppressed, being barely able to exert strength greater than a regular mortal. The only exception were Saints, but they, too, were suppressed.
Their qi would fall to the Great Firmament Realm. Though, their true strength was above the Quasi-Saints, thanks to their mastery of the laws. However, this was a significant weakness that carried too much risk, so the Saints waited for the suppression to loosen.
However, the Tengri Chaos World had one distinct advantage, their shamans. Since most shamans were regular mortals, they were not suppressed in the World Nexus and could cross and go as they liked. The problem was that Tengri could grant them power through the mechanism of the Faith Path.
Because of this, they had an overwhelming advantage against the regular mortals who crossed into the World Nexus. However, perhaps because of the constant victories, the invaders thought that no one in the Three Realms could stop them. They exited the World Nexus into the Three Realms.
Where soldiers of the Heavenly Court promptly obliterated them.
Although they could borrow power from their Skyfather, the greater the power, the greater the burden on the body. As such, they could only display power barely at the threshold of an Earth Immortal. An army of false Earth Immortals was naturally no match for the celestial army, whose members were at least in the Sky Immortal Realm.
If the Tengri Chaos World didn't have cultivators above the Earth Immortal Realm, then their lifeforms could only wait to be slaughtered. And by then, all the Saints of the Three Realms would only need to wait for the suppression of the Tengri Chaos World to disappear before entering and killing their Saint.
"Hmm?" Tongtian cast her gaze at a small group of around four thousand humans moving toward the World Nexus. She recognized the leading human, the lucky fellow who inherited her disciple's Eight Source Ascension.
The corner of her lips quirked upward as she noticed the restriction of the World Nexus change. Now, mortals up to Earth Immortals were no longer suppressed by either world. "I hope you can reveal whether or not the Tengri Chaos World has any cultivators above the Earth Immortal Realm."
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Youxiong paused for a moment and observed his surroundings.
"Is there something wrong, Patriarch?" asked his second in command.
"No, it's nothing," Youxiong said. In the past thousand years, he married Xiongnu and became the patriarch of the Bear Tribe. Xiongnu had also reached the Martial Master Realm, but she stayed behind with a thousand martial artists to protect the tribe and their children. "Let's continue moving."
The Bear Tribe's martial artists moved with a purpose: to reclaim their lost home. Although many of the martial artists had been born after they were forced to relocate, the tribe as a whole had never once forgotten this shame.
And now, it was time to wipe the shame away.
Relying on his memories, Youxiong arrived at the old nest of the Bear Tribe. Almost as if to mock them, he saw an outpost for the Tengri invaders.
Youxiong suppressed a growl and crossed his arms to prevent himself from lashing out. "Go."
The four thousand martial artists of the Bear Tribe immediately descended in righteous fury. The Tengri army stationed at the encampment amounted to over twenty thousand soldiers, but they were regular mortals. How could they resist the might of martial artists?
The weakest martial artists present were at least in the Martial Practitioner Realm. They were also consisted of several hundred Martial Adepts and tens of Martial Masters. Like fish on the chopping block, the Bear Tribe's martial artists slaughtered the Tengri army.
There were two shamans at the encampment. Upon seeing the chaos, they immediately prayed to their god, the Skyfather, and received his blessing. They transformed into half-beast, half-human creatures with power equal to a Half-Martial Grandmaster.
Youxiong took action at this time and crushed the two without giving them a chance to fight back. After that, the Tengri army fled, and the martial artist gave chase. Perhaps only a few hundred of the original twenty-thousand-strong army survived.
The Bear Tribe's martial artists screamed at their victory, but Youxiong did not. He knew that this was only the beginning. The surviving soldiers will alert the other armies of what happened and bring reinforcements.
How many soldiers will they return with? Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand? Maybe even one million.
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Although martial artists possessed superior power above regular mortals, that did not mean mortals could not defeat them. Eventually, a mortal army could exhaust a martial artist to death. The question was simply the price paid for such an act.
Youxiong also worried about the shamans that might follow. In the thousand years, the Bear Tribe wasn't the only tribe forced out of their native lands. He had attempted to appeal to the leaders of the fragmented humanity, but they seemed more interested in the domination of power rather than expelling the invaders.
His eyes flickered as he recalled the legend of humanity's rulers, Sovereign Fuxi and Sovereign Shennong. If they were around or the third human ruler had appeared, the united humanity would have repelled the Tengri invaders.
That night, Youxiong ordered the tribespeople not to celebrate and rest well. Although he could have ordered them to construct barricades, it wouldn't help much. It was much better for them to get a full night's rest in preparation for whatever was to come tomorrow.
As he expected, an army far larger than the twenty thousand they destroyed yesterday arrived after the sun reached its peak. Youxiong and martial artists stared at the incoming army with taut nerves. From his observation, he approximated their size to about a hundred thousand large.
Yesterday, they had the element of surprise, an advantage they didn't possess today. Furthermore, Youxiong sensed over thirty shamans. He didn't know the exact numbers of the greater Tengri army, but thirty seemed a little low. Were they being underestimated?
"Martial Practitioners and Adepts, focus on the army, leave the shamans to the Martial Masters," Youxiong ordered.
"""As the Patriarch commands!""" the martial artists shouted.
Under Youxiong’s orders, the four thousand martial artists charged forward. They seemed so inconsequential in front of an army a hundred thousand strong. Yet, when they clashed, it was the Tengri soldiers that were sent flying.
Each Martial Practitioner equaled a hundred men in strength. Four thousand together could equal an army of four hundred thousand mortals. Even with their steeds, the Tengri army fell into a disadvantage.
Suddenly, the shaman wearing the grandest clothes of the thirty raised her hand in the air, and a staff floated in front of her. She began chanting, and a blue light flew from the far west. However, unlike the previous times, the blue light didn't descend on them but on the army.
The situation immediately changed. Although the Bear Tribe's martial artists still held the upper hand, it was not so lopsided as before.
Youxiong knew he had to take out the leading shaman. So, he charged toward the leading shaman with the Martial Masters under him. Naturally, the invaders would not let him accomplish his goal so easily and blocked his way.
"Out of the way!" Youxiong roared as he engaged in battle.
The shamans all transformed, increasing their strength. When they engaged, the Bear Tribe still had the upper hand and pushed forward. As they came closer to the leading shaman, the other shamans finally took desperate measures.
About half the shamans, the ones with the oldest appearance before they regained their youths, transformed into beastwomen, drastically increasing their strength. Like in the clash between the army and the martial artists, the battle evened out.
"Push through!" Youxiong ordered as he charged ahead. A beastwoman shaman attempted to stop him, but his punch launched her into the air and shattered half the bones in her body.
He zoomed past the rows of shamans and leaped at the leading shaman, who was still praying. The moment he reared his fist back, Youxiong saw the woman reveal an uncanny smile. Acting on instinct, he twisted his body away.
Moments later, a beam of blue grazed his side, adding a burn in addition to the scar on his chest. Youxiong landed on the ground and clenched his fist to power through the pain.
The leading shaman clicked her tongue. Unlike most of the other shamans, she appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties. Instead of retreating, she grabbed her staff and charged at Youxiong.
Youxiong spared a glance toward the martial artists fighting the army and saw that the blue light encasing the army was slowly dissipating. With the knowledge that he had shifted the battle in their favor, he focused on the shaman in front of him.
As he engaged her, the other Martial Masters fought the other shamans. The two duked it out, with him holding the upper hand. Time passed, and the leading shaman no longer exuded the confidence she once displayed.
She disengaged and attempted to shoot another blue bolt, but Youxiong trailed after her, not giving her a chance to unleash the attack. As more and more injuries appeared over her body, the shaman roared. Without any preparation, she suddenly transformed into a beastwoman with far more bestial traits than the other shamans.
Her mouth elongated into a snout, wolf ears grew out of the top of her head, and fur grew all over her body. With a piercing roar, she slashed Youxiong, leaving gashes on his arm and body.
Youxiong observed the transformed shaman. Her strength had risen slightly above his, but he wasn't worried. From his experience, this power was not hers and would disappear soon enough. All he needed to do was bide his time to counterattack while defending against any last-ditch attempt.
As he expected, the power left her after a certain time, but what Youxiong did not expect was for her to suddenly turn tail and flee. Youxiong wanted to give chase but decided against it. Instead, he turned around and killed the remaining shamans, not letting a single one leave.
After the remaining shamans fell, Youxiong and the other Martial Masters aided the rest of the martial artists in defeating the army. Due to their large numbers, the Bear Tribe's martial artists could only exterminate half while the other half fled.
Youxiong ordered a count on the number dead and injured. Nine Martial Masters, seventy-three Martial Adepts, and nearly three hundred Martial Practitioners had died. Twenty Martial Masters, one hundred and twenty Martial Adepts, and eight hundred Martial Practitioners were too injured to participate in battle for at least several weeks.
He ordered a full retreat out of the World Nexus and back to the Bear Tribe. From then on, Youxiong would periodically lead an expedition to clear the Tengri invaders from their land.
As the years passed, Youxiong learned of the other tribes and groups who also participated in the war against the Tengri invaders. One tribe, the Jiuli Tribe, stood out. They were a branch descendant of the demigiants of the Houtu Tribe.
With their powerful bloodline and inheritance from the giants, they displayed overwhelming power against the Tengri invaders. The Jiuli Tribe's members stood, on average, a head and shoulder above all other tribes. It was a testament to their natural physical strength.
In fact, the reason the Tengri army had only dispatched an army of one hundred thousand and thirty shamans was that they needed to focus their resources on fighting the Jiuli Tribe, saving Youxiong and the Bear Tribe from catastrophe.
Five hundred years later, Youxiong led another one of his expeditions into the World Nexus. In the five hundred years of conflict, he gained numerous scars to the point that there was not a single untouched patch of skin on his body.
He was followed by three of his nine sons, each one a Martial Master. His army of martial artists had grown from five thousand to eleven thousand strong. On this expedition, he led eight thousand of them, intent on delivering a fatal blow to the Tengri army.
The battle started out like any other. The Bear Tribe launched a surprise attack on an army of three hundred thousand strong. At first, they held an absolute advantage, but that all changed when she appeared.
The shaman wore luxurious robes far beyond anything Youxiong had ever laid eyes on. The most striking difference between her and the other shamans he fought and saw was her apparent age. The other shamans always appeared middle-aged or above before they transformed into their youthful selves, but this shaman was naturally young. She couldn't be older than her mid-twenties.
Her presence hung over the battlefield like a mountain. It was as if she was a ruler and they were mere sinners. Youxiong couldn't move, like something was physically shackling him.
The shaman slowly walked toward him. The Tengri army parted with deep reverence. Some even kneeled as she passed. None of the Bear Tribe members could move except for their eyes.
Then, the shaman stopped in front of Youxiong. "Die for the Skyfather."
Before Youxiong could comprehend that the shaman could speak the Three Realm's language, he was sent flying with a wave of her arm. When he crashed, over half his bones cracked, but he still lived.
The shaman frowned, displeased by Youxiong's survival. She had intended to kill him in one strike, but he still survived. She started walking toward him again, this time with clear killing intent.
Despite the mountainous pressure, Youxiong forced himself to stand, but that was all he could do. It was his last act of defiance, as he knew death was coming for him.
At that moment, the thing that had eluded him for years appeared. Youxiong gained the inspiration needed to open the Gate of Death and step into the Earth Warrior Realm, but it was too late. His body was in no state to break through. Opening the Gate of Death in his current state was akin to suicide.
As the shaman drew closer, Youxiong stared her down, refusing to show the slightest hint of fear. Even before death, he would stare it down.
He waited for his death, but it never came.
The mountainous pressure disappeared as the shaman paused mid-step as if someone had frozen her in time. Without warning, her head fell off her neck and tumbled to the ground, followed by her body. Her eyes still bore her killing intent, even in death.
No one said anything; no one could. The reversal of the situation had come too suddenly.
Suddenly an unknown yet melodious voice entered everyones' ears. "Wretched scoundrels of Tengri, today is the day of your reckoning. For I, Sacred Mother Wudang of the Interception Sect, shall reap your lives."
Youxiong looked up to see a beautiful woman clad in pristine silver robes standing midair. Her long black hair trailed in the wind, and hugged between her crossed arms was a sheathed sword.