The Glory of the Tribe-Chapter 82

Five days later...

A woman named "Shentu Yinghong" returned to the Shentu Clan's Earth City. She was fifty years old, at the early Innate Realm, and both her son and husband had died in battle. She had escaped from the Shentu Clan two months earlier, but this time, she returned because, as an Innate cultivator, she still had value beyond the death battle, so she didn't face punishment.

Another three days later...

An elderly man named "Zhao Futou," in his eighties, arrived at the Shentu Clan's Earth City.

He claimed to have fallen in love with Shentu Yinghong!

Ever since he met Shentu Yinghong two months ago, he had fallen deeply in love and couldn’t accept her sudden departure from him.

Shentu Yinghong was still graceful despite being middle-aged, and Zhao Futou, though thirty years older, didn’t appear overly old due to his Innate Full Stage cultivation. Despite being a man in his sixties, he looked more like a man in his fifties. Zhao Futou claimed to have lived a carefree life, with no children or family, but now, in his old age, he had finally found true love that he couldn’t let go of!

He wanted to settle down and enjoy the final years of his life.

Even if it meant entering the Shentu Clan as a son-in-law, he was willing!

He even said he could fight in the arena for the Shentu Clan in the future.

At this age, he wasn’t afraid of dying!

Shentu Yinghong and he played out a melodramatic romance—"I run, you chase, I say leave, but I won’t leave"—and with her cooperation, Zhao Futou stayed. He even offered all his wealth, converted into yuan crystals, as a token to help delay the death battle for the Shentu Clan! It was a huge sum that would make any tribe member envious!

After many tests, the Shentu Clan's high-ranking members agreed to let Zhao Futou enter the clan.

The concern was always whether a powerful Innate cultivator would try to seize control.

But being a man in his eighties with only the Innate Full Stage cultivation, he wasn’t a direct member of the clan and was merely joining by marriage, which made his chances of causing trouble minimal! As an outsider, he had no legal right to hold power, and even if he dared to cause trouble, with his age and strength, it would be easy to kill him!

In fact, the high-ranking members of the Shentu Clan had little suspicion of him.

After all, the Shentu Clan was currently at a significant disadvantage in the death battles, and it wasn’t clear how long they would last. In this situation, joining the Shentu Clan was understandable if it wasn’t for true love.

Shentu Yinghong herself didn’t know the secret of the melting crystal mine, and Zhao Futou was even less likely to know.

Three days after Zhao Futou was accepted as a son-in-law, Shentu Yu, accompanied by Shen Taiping and dozens of Innate guards, returned to the Shentu Clan’s Earth City!

Zhao Futou then revealed his true identity. His real name was "Zhao Long," and he had once ranked eighth on the Flying Snow City Innate rankings forty years ago! He was an Innate peak expert who had once comprehended the divine might of heaven and earth! But in the last ten years, his strength had declined, and his rank had dropped.

Two years ago, he fell out of the top one hundred on the Innate rankings.

Zhao Long also had another identity—he was a guest of the Shen family!

The name "Zhao Futou" was a title he adopted the day before he came to the Shentu Clan, after leaving the Shen family, divorcing his wife, and severing ties with his children, becoming a complete loner.

In Flying Snow City, Zhao Long belonged to the older generation of peak Innate experts, and although his strength had declined due to age, he was still highly respected with a reputation that everyone knew.

Unfortunately, the tribe members didn’t recognize him.

They couldn’t tell who he was!

At over eighty, Zhao Long lacked the endurance for prolonged battles, but with enough medicinal pills, his combat power could still rival the top thirty of the Innate rankings!

He alone could massacre the entire Shentu Clan’s leadership!

And since he had married into the clan, if he killed any members of the Shentu Clan, it would be considered internal strife. Legally, as long as he didn’t kill the entire clan, he wouldn’t be punished, even if the Inspection Commissioner knew about it.

No laws were broken!

The tribes were highly autonomous.

Unless there was an internal issue that the clan couldn’t solve, the Inspection Commissioner wouldn’t intervene.

And the problem Zhao Long brought was solvable—he only wanted to help Shentu Yu rise to power! Shentu Yu was the purest bloodline of the Shentu Clan! She was the last descendant of Shentu Lie! Even though women weren’t typically clan leaders, the imperial law had never specified that a tribe leader had to be a man!

The tribe had a rule that only men could be leaders.

It was part of their autonomy, so they could make their own decisions.

But… since they could make their own rules, they could change them too! As long as the elders agreed, they could appoint anyone as the leader, even a dog—let alone a human.

That night… there was an elder who opposed Shentu Yu becoming the leader.

Then he died.

Someone else took his place, supporting Shentu Yu as the leader!

Accompanying Shentu Yu, Shen Taiping and the dozens of Shen family Innate guards were only for deterrence—only Zhao Long had the power to act! He represented absolute strength! Only he could massacre the Shentu Clan’s Innate cultivators and keep everything under control as "internal strife."

That night, Shentu Yu carried out a massive purge of the Shentu Clan.

Not just by killing.

She also summoned all the Innate warriors in Earth City for an impassioned speech that was so moving that many truly sided with her! Shentu Yu wasn’t just avenging those who had tried to harm her; she was doing everything she could to save the clan!

And her plan was feasible!

Shentu Yu even promised that once she became leader, there would be no more deaths in the death battles for the Shentu Clan! Someone else would die in their place!

She would delay everything until Jiang Xuan was killed!

When Shentu Yu ascended to the position of clan leader, she immediately accepted the requests of more than ten Shen family Innate guests to join the Shentu Clan, and over the next few days, more than three hundred Acquired cultivators came to Earth City, voluntarily changing their family name to join the Shentu Clan.

Most of them were old or disabled, but they were all men, eligible to fight in the arena to die.

And this was just the first batch.

With money, you can make anything happen!

As long as the money is right, there will always be people willing to give up their identities, family names, dignity, and even lives to live a better life! Of course, to find so many people willing to do this in such a short time, it requires immense power.

Shen Taiping just happened to have that power.

On July 3rd, in the rear mountains of Jiang Clan’s Earth City.

With the information he had gathered, Chen Yuanxuan discussed Shentu Yu’s rise to power with Jiang Xuan.

"Zhao Long is also a highly respected elder in Flying Snow City. This time, he’s willing to downgrade his status for Shen Taiping’s dirty work because his children and grandchildren are useless," Chen Yuanxuan said, leaning against a tree with her sword. "It’s said that Zhao Long’s three sons and his beloved grandson have all been given shops in prime locations in several counties, along with large amounts of good land, and Shen Taiping has promised them protection."

"To annoy me, Shen Taiping is willing to sacrifice so much?" Jiang Xuan shook his head, sitting cross-legged on a fur mat. "A young master from a big family, really wasteful."

"This isn’t much."

Chen Yuanxuan replied, "For Shen Taiping, the money he spent is nothing. He may have lost status in his family due to heart demons, but even if it takes him three to five more years to reach the Tribulation Realm, he’ll still be one of the top young masters of the Shen family, likely an elder in the future, with immense family power."

"Don’t know how Shentu Yu met Shen Taiping?" Jiang Xuan asked, curious.

"We don’t know for sure; even Tongtian Pavilion couldn’t get the relevant information," Chen Yuanxuan continued. "But there are rumors that Shen Taiping sought out Shentu Yu and became infatuated with her. So, this is not only to annoy you, but also to pursue a woman."

"Do you think that’s true?" Jiang Xuan asked.

"It doesn’t matter." Chen Yuanxuan shook her head. "The rumors are chaotic, it’s hard to tell what’s true or false. Someone may have deliberately spread rumors to confuse people. But what’s important is not Shen Taiping. Shen Taiping would never dare to secretly control the Shentu Clan from behind the scenes. That would be suicidal. The real person in control is Shentu Yu!"

"Shentu Yu is the core of this matter! And she’s only sixteen, the same age as you, but her cultivation is low, she has no power or influence, yet she’s managed to do all this. Whether she used Shen Taiping or not, it shows her incredible skill. She’s not to be underestimated!"

"She has some ability."

Jiang Xuan didn’t deny it. "Among the ten major tribes of Black Pond Mountain, only the Nalan Clan had a female clan leader four hundred and eighty years ago, Nalan Xiangti. But we prefer to call her the 'Nalan Queen,' the most legendary female hero in the history of Black Pond Mountain. She died a heroic death."

"I’ve read her story. She died protecting her tribe, fighting off a beast tide." Chen Yuanxuan said. "For a woman to rise to power in a tribe is harder than reaching the heavens. Shentu Yu is the second woman in a major tribe to become a leader in a thousand years. She’s ruthless, and this time she killed a lot of her own people, including some Innate cultivators. She has the potential of a warlord."

Jiang Xuan and Chen Yuanxuan discussed this matter calmly.

In fact, it was only calm between the two of them, but this matter had already caused a huge stir in Flying Snow City. Even Lei Hong, upon hearing of it, personally visited the Shentu Clan’s Earth City to question Shentu Yu... Lei Hong’s main purpose was to investigate whether Shen Taiping intended to control the Shentu Clan.

Lei Hong’s conclusion was: No!

Although Shen Taiping had provided immense support to Shentu Yu, it was clear that Shentu Yu held the real power within the Shentu Clan! The decision-making power was entirely in her hands.

Lei Hong ultimately made no ruling on the internal changes within the Shentu Clan.

During the death battles, it was extremely difficult for a tribe member to leave the tribe legally, since they were considered resources for the death battle. But someone who voluntarily joined a tribe currently engaged in a death battle faced no obstacles, as long as the tribe agreed.

Therefore, the way Shentu Yu increased the tribe's numbers was perfectly legal.

As for how much Shen Taiping contributed behind the scenes, it was all within the law.

The dynasty had long supported the practice of outsiders joining tribes, which was reflected in many of the laws. On the other hand, it was illegal for a tribe to leave its territory and control other forces.

"Shentu Yu is so capable, and with Shen Taiping supporting her," Chen Yuanxuan said as she sat beside Jiang Xuan, nudging his shoulder, "Aren’t you worried?"

"What’s there to worry about?" Jiang Xuan glanced at Chen Yuanxuan.

"With Shen Taiping’s wealth, he could send three hundred and sixty Acquired cultivators to Shentu Yu every year, indefinitely prolonging the death battles," Chen Yuanxuan said. "And our analysis in the Chen family shows that the Wei and Dong families will strike at you! They’ll try to kill you! That’s what we can already foresee!"

"Shentu Yu can extend her tribe’s life so strongly. What else is she planning? Who knows, aren’t you worried?" Chen Yuanxuan said, getting closer to Jiang Xuan, glancing at his lips.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

"All schemes and tricks are useless in the face of absolute strength."

Jiang Xuan said firmly, "As long as I surpass the Innate stage before I turn twenty and reach the Tribulation Realm, I’ll go with Lord Lei Hong to the military city. With the identity of the military city, whether it’s the death battle, the Wei family, or the Dong family, they will be nothing to worry about! Right now, the only issue is I can’t let my sister marry. Maybe I should take some time and kill Dong Junchu!"

"Surpass the Innate stage before twenty? How sure are you?" Chen Yuanxuan leaned closer to Jiang Xuan.

"One hundred percent sure! Actually, my goal right now is to surpass the Innate stage at eighteen!" Jiang Xuan said.

"Eighteen?! So confident?" Chen Yuanxuan was surprised for a moment but then smiled widely, leaning closer.

"I think I can do it." Jiang Xuan nodded.

"I love your confidence, husband~" Chen Yuanxuan let out a soft sigh, then threw herself onto Jiang Xuan on the mat, kissing him.

"Let’s go to the wooden house." Jiang Xuan hugged Chen Yuanxuan and turned into a blur, diving into the forest.

Chen Yuanxuan had discovered last month that her injury talent was recovering, and she realized the greatest benefit of dual cultivation for her. Since then, she had become a bit clingy, and Jiang Xuan was happy with it. For now, he still relied on dual cultivation to enhance his primordial spirit, which improved his comprehension of skills and technique foundations!

And because Jiang Xuan’s primordial spirit was "more advanced," while Chen Yuanxuan's heart power hadn’t yet transformed, it was still undergoing significant enhancement through their dual cultivation.

Both of them were enjoying their cultivation and pleasure at the same time.

Their marriage was harmonious.

Two months later, Chen Yuanxuan pretended to have just grasped the Tribulation Realm technique and found Lei Hong to demonstrate the first form of the Tribulation Realm sword technique, "Cloud Sky Sword—Shattering Mountain and Chasing the Moon."

Jiang Xuan won the bet with Lei Hong as a result.

That night, the Jiang Clan held the marriage ceremony for Jiang Cuiyun and Di Kaisheng. Witnessed by Lei Hong himself, Di Kaisheng officially joined the Jiang Clan as a warrior.

This caused some ripples, but it wasn’t as big as initially anticipated.

After all, Shen Taiping had already caused a stir by having an elderly peak Innate expert marry into the Shentu Clan! Compared to that, Di Kaisheng’s lower rank in cultivation made the Black Armor Guard’s marriage seem less dramatic.

This actually helped Jiang Xuan keep a low profile, as he had hoped.

The Black Armor Guard had been stationed in the Jiang Clan for over a year, and Di Kaisheng was not the only one planning to marry into the Jiang Clan. It was better to stay low-key.

Time flew by, and four months passed in the blink of an eye.

The new year arrived, and Jiang Xuan was seventeen.

On January 8th!

In the deep rear mountains of Jiang Clan’s Earth City, far from the transmission stone, Jiang Xuan sat alone in a cave, in secluded meditation. Chen Yuanxuan sat cross-legged on a cliff nearby, dressed in black, her sword resting across her legs.

She was sensing her surroundings, a bit nervous.

Because today was an incredibly important day for Jiang Xuan.

Inside the cave, Jiang Xuan sat with his palms facing upward, his mind calm.

"I achieved the Innate Full Stage on June 3rd, and it was on that day that I discovered my heart power had transformed into primordial spirit," Jiang Xuan thought to himself. "Other geniuses need at least a year to understand the unity of man and sword, but I only needed a month and nine days. It wasn’t because my talent was ten times better than theirs; it was because I had already perfected the Nine Styles of the Wind Chasing Sword, so understanding the earlier realms was much easier. Compared to heart power, the primordial spirit improves my comprehension even more."

"On July 12th, I reached unity with my sword!"

"On the night of September 21st, I grasped the power of heaven and man! I reached the same realm as my father! And that was just two months ago! The power of the primordial spirit is more powerful than I imagined! The Right Breathing Method has constantly unearthed my hidden potential! Even the senior stones were amazed at how my talent has steadily increased!"

Only Chen Yuanxuan knew how terrifying Jiang Xuan's rate of growth was. The goal of surpassing the Innate stage before eighteen was no empty boast!

"After comprehending the power of heaven and man, three and a half months have passed. Today! I will attempt to comprehend the divine might of heaven and earth!" Jiang Xuan closed his eyes and immersed himself in a trance.