"You... are you Wan Lei?"
Deng Yangge was stunned, not expecting that the person spoken of by the divine being was right in front of him.
"Yes, you should know how my three heads came to be, shouldn't you."
Deng Yangge pondered for a moment, and was greatly alarmed.
"They are... they are the three enemies you just fought?"
"Yes, there are only fifteen cultivators in the Mahayana stage in the entire Land of Life Control, and I have killed three. Now you know what kind of danger I will face.
You and your tribe can discuss whether you want to follow me.
If you follow me, I have the heads in my hand and will take you to the Great Wall, but the entire Land of Life Control knows I have them, so they might come to besiement me. At that time, your situation will be very precarious.
If you don't follow me, you can find cultivators yourselves to help you, and then I will look for other tribes. We can go our separate ways. You go discuss it."
After Wan Lei finished speaking, he turned around directly, closed his eyes, and imagined the general outline of this continent.
The place they were currently in was almost the northernmost point of this continent. Looking north, they could vaguely see vast snow-capped mountains, which they thought must be the northern barrier of this continent.
The snow-capped mountains were bare, and humans could not survive on them. Wan Lei didn't need to ask further; if survival were possible, the Beast Taming tribe wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to the south.
This was also the lowest-lying area. When the Purple Rain gathered, this would be the first place to become a lake or an ocean.
Not long after, Deng Yangge walked over and beckoned to those behind him. The thousand-plus tribesmen knelt down again in a rush.
Looking at their appearance, Wan Lei knew their choice.
In fact, they had no choice. With their strength, it was impossible to find a cultivator who could lead them and kill a Mahayana stage cultivator. They could only rely on Wan Lei.
However, whether this was good fortune or disaster remained to be seen.
"Alright, let's go."
Wan Lei nodded and prepared to head south. Suddenly, a person ran over from a distance and knelt before Wan Lei.
"Divine Being, I heard everything you said. I am Yan Kejun, the leader of the Yan Ke tribe. Please take us with you as well. With the Purple Rain descending, if we stay here, we will not survive.
Our tribe has almost been wiped out by the Deng Yan tribe. With our strength, we won't be able to reach the Great Wall before being annihilated by other tribes. Please, take us with you too."
Wan Lei looked at Yan Kejun kneeling before him, feeling troubled.
"However, I also heard the rules, that each person can only lead one tribe. I cannot lead two."
Yan Kejun froze on the spot, sat down on the ground, and stared blankly ahead.
Wan Lei did not say that he would abandon the Yan Ke tribe for the Deng Yan tribe, which would be no different from the current situation. A choice had to be made.
Yan Kejun looked at the mighty procession moving forward, then looked back at the hundreds of tribesmen behind him, feeling lost and desperate.
The Purple Rain hit his face, making his heart as cold as his body.
Suddenly, Yan Kejun turned his head and shouted at Wan Lei,
"My Yan Ke tribe is willing to give up our tribal designation and voluntarily join the Deng Yan tribe. From now on, we are members of the Deng Yan tribe. I implore the Divine Being not to abandon us, and to save us."
Wan Lei stopped and looked back at Yan Kejun.
Giving up their tribal designation, while not quite extinction, was akin to surrender for these grassland people for whom tribes were paramount.
Moreover, the tribe he was joining had been fighting them to the death only a few hours ago, an irreconcilable hatred.
According to the customs of the grasslands, defeated tribes that were incorporated into victorious ones had their entire population reduced to slavery. Worse still, all males taller than a cartwheel were to be executed.
The decision he made showed the immense resolve he possessed.
From this day on, there would be no more Yan Ke tribe in the world.
But for the continuation of their race, for the survival of his people, he had no choice but to do this.
"Follow us."
Wan Lei said faintly.
"Good."
Yan Kejun was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed.
"I implore the Divine Being to rest briefly at the Deng Yan tribe's camp. My tribe is two miles to the north. I will immediately return to gather my tribesmen, pack our belongings, and rush over. I know where the Deng Yan tribe's camp is."
After speaking, Yan Kejun got up and waved repeatedly, signaling his tribesmen to run towards the north.
It was worth mentioning that none of their sacred beasts followed them.
Wan Lei was somewhat perplexed by the twenty iron-armored warriors who were also trailing far behind them, unsure of their intentions.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu, along with the little yellow dog, followed Deng Yangge southward.
That's right, they were walking, because most of the Deng Yan tribe members were in the initial strength realm and could not fly, so they could only rely on their legs.
Of course, in this world, there was no such distinction as initial strength and foundation building; it was simply divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2 warriors. Deng Yangge was one of the few Tier 3 warriors in their tribe.
Wan Lei also explained to them that Mahayana stage cultivators were Tier 6 warriors.
"In the Land of Life Control, the strongest tribes have top-tier existences of Tier 5 warriors, who are very powerful. Unlike our small tribe, we only have Tier 3 warriors.
It is rumored that before the Purple Rain descended, our Sacred Beast Taming tribe also had Tier 6 powerhouses. However, some were lost during their internal conflicts, and a batch perished during the invasion of the dynasty. Finally, under the dynasty's weakening over thousands of years, Tier 6 no longer existed. Only in the Qian Kingdom, there is a Grand Tutor who is a Tier 6 powerhouse. Our Beast Taming tribe no longer has any.
By the way, Divine Being, you can kill three Tier 6 cultivators, so are you also a Tier 6 powerhouse, or perhaps Tier 7?"
"My wife and I are both Tier 4."
Wan Lei said without lifting his head.
"Tier 4? How is that possible? Tier 6 warriors are like totemistic beliefs, like gods. How can they be killed by Tier 4? This is impossible."
"There's nothing impossible. Realm... Tier does not represent combat power. I have more tricks up my sleeve, which allowed me to win by luck.
There are still twelve Tier 6 powerhouses in the Land of Life Control now. If they were to unite, they could sweep across the so-called Qian Kingdom, but... they are unlikely to unite."
"I see, I understand. Divine Being, our camp is just ahead."
Deng Yangge pointed to a cluster of white tents in front of them.
Wan Lei looked up, and the rows of white tents were striking against the grassland, forming a beautiful landscape.
Stopping here, Wan Lei looked at the endless gray-green surroundings with a solemn expression.
In the coming days, they would be vying for dominance in this Land of Life Control. Whether they could survive and reach the Great Wall was still an unknown.