Chapter 375: Northern Tribesmen (1/2)
= Bing Province, the Northern Region of Aves Continent =
On the mountain top, countless corpses of skeleton beasts, rotten monsters, and dead zombies ruined the beautiful and tranquil scenery.
The mountain peak was several thousand feet above the clouds while the top area of this mountain range was as flat as a road. Someone had paved the mountain range, turning the top area into a large disk-like flatland.
At the center of the Bing Mountain, a former pylon tower of Liu Bian had collapsed.
A giant monster with one eye and Jia Shan stood next to each other, gazing at the ruined tower, which had been destroyed by their hands.
”Thanks for your help,” Jia Shan sighed as he looked at the broken shadow element crystal on his hand in pity.
”No, thank you. Without you, my clansmen would have been slaughtered by those death knights.”
The cyclop warchief, Xia Dun, faintly smiled and nodded at Jia Shan. Then, he turned around to check the state of his tribesmen.
Over a thousand corpses of cyclops had already been organized and transported to the lower hills for a proper burial. Most of them were elders and women, who couldn't defend themselves against the sudden emergence of an undead army from the tower.
Xia Dun made a mistake when he first came here. As he sensed that the mysterious tower continued to produce shadow element Qi, he gathered his clansmen to build a city around the tower, hoping to strengthen his people with this rare elemental Qi.
Everything seemed fine for several weeks. Many weak cyclops quickly adapted to the elemental Qi in the air, though many children had to stay at the foot of the mountain as they couldn't handle dangerous elemental Qi.
But last week, a portal to the shadow plane suddenly appeared on top of the tower. Many undead monsters also rushed out and began slaughtering his clansmen.
A massacre ensued.
Xia Dun and elite cyclops did their best to rescue all remaining tribesmen from the undead monsters, but he lost so many people because of several death knights, who were without a master.
Fortunately, Jia Shan, Ma Ping, and several elders from Siren City showed up. They swiftly defeated the undead monsters without saying or asking anything in return.
From Xia Dun's point of view, these people were strange and sketchy. He still vividly remembered that Jia Shan and Ma Ping hated demons. But now, he couldn't sense killing intent or see the usual disdain expression on their faces.
On the contrary, Xia Dun felt like they got used to mingle with demons because of their relaxed demeanor. The light in their eyes was also without hate or ill-will toward the cyclops.
”Alright. Now that the tower in the rumor is busted, I think we should have a heart-to-heart talk,” Ma Ping led the conversation and confronted Xia Dun, who was once an enemy in the previous war. Yet, the elder was calm.
”Oh, sure.”
Xia Dun also had cool-headed. He guided them to a ruined house and arranged a set of table and chairs to sit down.
Jia Shan, Ma Ping, and Xia Dun sat around the table, gazing at the other party.
Ma Ping smiled and got to the point, ”I'll get to the point. My clan would like to propose a peace-treaty between Siren City and the Cyclop Tribe.”
”Siren City?”
Xia Dun had heard about the place when the cyclops were still staying in Mountain Goose City. However, he didn't know about the miracle spring water and what Miaomiao had been doing.
”I heard Siren City is at war with Yuan Shaoqing and Wei Huang. Is it going to be alright without your help?”
”Of course, we're worried, too. But we have gathered several experts to defend the city, so they should be fine… for now.”
Ma Ping referred to Zhao Bao and Lu Fengxian, who could singlehandedly kill 7th-stage cultivators with ease. However, they were concerned if they could handle 8th-stage cultivators and several armies at once without their help.
Xia Dun nodded as he got the general idea of what Ma Ping wanted to do, ”So, you're looking for an additional ally, right?”
”Not exactly, but I guess you can say that.”
”But humans and demons are enemies. Even if we make peace here, I see no benefit from it. I also don't want to join or help you since we've just survived the monster raid. We're not in a condition to start another big fight.”
Ma Ping shook his head, ”You misunderstood me. We don't want you to help Siren City. In fact, we just want you to stay wherever you want but the battlefield near our city.”
”Hoh?” Xia Dun raised his only eyebrow, ”I see. You just want to make sure that no one will attack you or your city during the war or after the war. Am I correct?”
”Yes. That's our intention.”
Ma Ping and Jia Shan had been acting under the instruction of Lu Fengxian, who had assumed control of Siren City in Miaomiao's stead.
The ex-immortal sent them to negotiate with Liu Xuande and every city lord near Yeet City, bribing them for a peace treaty and a trade agreement so that they could survive after the war.
Defeating and repelling Yuan Shaoqing's forces was not everything. After the war, they had to be ready to recuperate from the losses, repair the structures, and strengthen the city defense.
After all, post-battles were the most vulnerable time for armies, which had participated in the bloodbath - Any smart 3rd party could easily raid them when their guard was down and kill everyone within a night!
Xia Dun bitterly smiled and nodded, ”Fine. That's our intention anyway. We have no time or manpower to start a fight, so we'll just stay here as you've asked.”
Ma Ping heaved a sigh of relief, ”That's settled then.”
”But,” Xia Dun glared at Jia Shan and Ma Ping.
”Hmm?”
Xia Dun straightened his back, ”After you go back, never tell anybody about my tribe or our current location.”
”Oh, sure. No problem.”
Ma Ping and Xia Dun concluded their peace talk without a document signing ceremony or a covenant pact since they were short on time.
After Ma Ping and Jia Shan got Xia Dun's words, they led their followers to the east, heading for the next destination.
As soon as the humans left, Xia Dun returned to his duty, helping his men cleaning the battlefield.
While Xia Dun was busy piling zombie corpses down the mountain, several cyclop tribesmen approached him.
Another cyclop, who was still in his human disguise form, was the leader of this company. He carried a heaven-grade longbow behind his back while he dressed like a military general in a blue uniform.
He was Xia Yuan, Xia Dun's brother from a different mother.
Xia Yuan's disguise form was a stout middle-aged man with a messy beard and tanned rough skin. He looked like a barbarian, who had been living in a jungle for his entire life. His human appearance also had two eyes instead of one.
”Brother Dun, what did the humans come here to do?”
Xia Dun turned to look at his younger brother. Upon seeing the complex expression of Xia Yuan, the former snickered, ”They're struggling to survive like us. What else?”
”Survive?”
”Yeah, survive.”