The Gan Tribe Leader sat upon a leather seat, while refreshments, fine wine, and various dishes were placed before him. Across from him, Elder Hai Fen reached out and picked up a cup of wine as he spoke in a somewhat unsteady tone.
"Tribe Leader, forgive my rudeness, but as someone who has stood beside you since we were young, I would like to set aside formality in this discussion and speak honestly…"
The Gan Tribe Leader closed his eyes deeply, yet replied calmly.
"Hai Fen… you may say what you wish, but do not cross the line."
Elder Hai Fen nodded deeply toward the Gan Tribe Leader and continued.
"Tribe Leader… the Li Tribe is our neighbor. Our attempt to absorb them is merely a dream on our side. We are only a recently risen large Tribe, and we cannot compare with the great forces that possess a history and foundation stretching back hundreds of years. If we possessed a rank five Gu Master, we could ignore foundation and history and simply use strength to pressure the Li Tribe into joining us. But that is impossible, since both Tribes only possess a single rank four Gu Master."
Hai Fen paused briefly before continuing.
"We surpass them by a decent margin, but if we risk a direct confrontation with the Li Tribe, our losses will exceed our gains. What is the point of absorbing them if we must suffer heavy losses? Absorbing the Li Tribe would certainly be wonderful, but if we cannot do so without severe damage, then what benefit is there? I hope the Tribe Leader will consider my opinion when making a decision."
Hai Fen sighed tiredly as he spoke, as if advising a friend—or perhaps a son.
The Gan Tribe Leader did not mind. On the contrary, he appreciated having someone who treated him like a friend and offered sincere advice without seeking any benefits.
"Hai Fen, do not worry. I will never place my Tribe in a difficult position. But I promise you that I will seriously consider your opinion before making any decision."
The Gan Tribe Leader spoke with Hai Fen for a while. After their discussion ended, he rose from his seat and prepared to leave.
"I will open the door for you, Tribe Leader… Also, I hope you will speak privately with the other elders. The authority of the Tribe Leader prevents certain snakes from plotting when they must face you directly."
The Gan Tribe Leader nodded toward Hai Fen and prepared to depart as the door of the Large Lizard House Gu opened.
But at that very moment, a terrifying change occurred within the house Gu.
The door transformed into foul Qi that suddenly surrounded Hai Fen and the Gan Tribe Leader, tightly restricting their movements!
Space bent and compressed around them in a chained sequence, while numerous Gu worms erupted and attacked them immediately.
"Who dares attack me, the Leader of the Gan Tribe?!"
The Gan Tribe Leader roared. The aura of a rank four Gu worm erupted from his body, pushing back against the compressing space and blocking the incoming Gu worm attacks.
Hai Fen was not as fortunate—or as strong—as the Gan Tribe Leader. He was severely struck by the Gu worms, and the pressure of space crushed his body.
The Gan Tribe Leader gritted his teeth fiercely as he shouted inwardly.
"This!… How did this happen?!"
He resisted with all his strength, erupting with terrifying power and tearing open a gap in the compressing space, connecting the interior of the Lizard House Gu with the outside world.
In the Gan Tribe camp, a dazzling silver light suddenly burst forth in the center of the settlement. A thunderous explosion followed, destroying one Large Lizard House Gu along with several nearby structures.
The sound was like rolling thunder that shook the hearts of both Gu Masters and mortals alike.
The thunderous noise continued, and the silver light swelled to a terrifying degree, causing all the elders of the Tribe to rush outside and stare pale-faced toward one of the Large Lizard House Gu.
The Large Lizard House Gu resembled a giant lizard, just as its name suggested.
Now that enormous "lizard" writhed violently as it screamed in pain. The silver light pierced through its body from every direction, tearing it apart from within.
After some time, the silver light weakened, prompting the elders to shout.
"Attack the Large Lizard House Gu! That silver light is the signature of the Tribe Leader!"
More than ten rank three Gu Masters attacked the Large Lizard House Gu with terrifying force. It did not take long before the Gu worm was torn into numerous pieces, revealing the Tribe Leader, who struggled under the pressure of distorted space.
"This was not the Large Lizard House Gu restraining the Tribe Leader—someone trapped him in a deadly trap!" one elder shouted as he looked at the old, branch-like figure of the Tribe Leader struggling with difficulty.
"Idiot! Attack that barrier!"
The elders quickly regained their focus when another elder shouted. They struck the barrier restraining their Tribe Leader from the outside.
Under the combined assaults from both inside and outside, the Gan Tribe Leader, though severely injured, finally managed to escape the deadly trap.
"Tribe Leader!… Elder Hai Fen!"
The elders rushed toward their leader in panic, reaching out toward him and attempting to heal him using every method available.
"These fools… do they think my methods are so easy to heal?"
Fang Tian watched from within the crowd of gathered Gu Masters, looking toward the Tribe Leader with apparent concern.
"I used numerous methods—even some Wood Path techniques deduced from Li Hua's inheritance. Even in their dreams, they will not be able to heal their Tribe Leader anytime soon."
Fang Tian's acting was flawless. His face was filled with expressions of worry and shock as he looked at the fallen Tribe Leader lying on the ground.
Blood slowly seeped from the leader's body, accompanied by drifting clouds of red Qi. At times, rotten pollen-like seeds emerged from the pores of his skin and burst upon his flesh, which gradually began to decay.
"These elders are somewhat capable. They are united and are trying to heal their Tribe Leader with various methods… But at best, his condition will only stabilize. He will not be able to move or fight for quite some time. That will give the elders great authority within the Tribe."
Fang Tian secretly smiled inwardly.
"I only hope they blame the Li Tribe for this and start fighting. Then I can harvest the benefits."
"Idiots! Why are you all gathering here?! Disperse immediately!"
One of the elders shouted angrily while waving his fists threateningly at the crowd. A loud commotion rose among the gathered Gu Masters, but under the authority of the elder, they eventually dispersed.
It did not take long before rumors began to spread.
"Did you hear? Elder Hai Fen was killed in a deadly trap, and even the Tribe Leader, who rushed to save him, was severely injured!"
"My brother saw the whole thing! He said the Tribe Leader turned into a dazzling silver light while fighting a terrifying beast that looked like a hairless bear!"
"You fool! It wasn't a beast—it was one of the elders of the Li Tribe who transformed into a monster!"
"Really?! Those arrogant bastards from the Li Tribe deserve to be punished!"
Fang Tian had only spread a few small and vague rumors. Yet the imagination of humans truly exceeded expectations.
All kinds of rumors spread among the Gu Masters. Some said the Tribe Leader had rushed to save Hai Fen and fell into a deadly trap. Others claimed he fought a ten-thousand-beast king that suddenly appeared within the camp.
But all the rumors shared one common point.
They all blamed the Li Tribe.
Naturally, these rumors soon reached the ears of the elders, who gathered to hold a meeting to discuss the matter.