The words had barely fallen when a tall, distinguished young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes strode in.
Upon seeing him, Quinn's eyes widened with disbelief. Snapping back to reality, he exclaimed, "Brother Nong Nian, how have you emerged from seclusion?"
Nong Nian.
He was ranked first among the younger generation in Wushuang City in terms of strength. However, Nong Nian kept to himself, dedicating himself to cultivation.
At this moment, even Chen Nan felt a sense of pressure. He could sense the man's power. Even though he had cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts and possessed a formidable physique, it would be difficult to defeat him without resorting to magic.
"The leader's time is drawing near. As a member of the tribe, how can I remain indifferent?" Nong Nian said calmly. "Liu Zhou and I have discussed it; we will assist you in this assessment."
"What?" Quinn was startled, thinking he had misheard.
Nong Nian continued, "Although Liu Zhou and I stay out of worldly affairs, we know that you are more suited to be the new leader than Shi Wu."
Quinn, still reeling from the shock, recovered and bowed deeply to Nong Nian. "On behalf of the people of our tribe, I thank both of you brothers for your kindness. If I am fortunate enough to become the new leader, I will not betray your expectations."
Nong Nian replied, "Liu Zhou and I will travel together. All the alien demons we kill will be attributed to you. During this time, be wary of Shi Wu's murderous intentions."
"Don't worry, Brother Nong Nian. I will certainly be careful about my safety."
Nong Nian grunted, "Then I shall see you in a month!" With that, he turned and left.
"With the help of Brother Nong Nian and Brother Liu Zhou, we have a great chance of winning this time!" Quinn's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Nong Nian and Liu Zhou were the top two ranked experts among the younger generation. They also had many followers. Although not as numerous as Shi Wu's, this force was not to be underestimated.
Chen Nan added, "One cannot be too careful. Our alliance with Nong Nian and Liu Zhou should be kept secret."
Quinn nodded and then summoned Xia Lan, Zhou Li, Gong Yong, and Yao Chun. After all, their team had previously consisted of six members. Unfortunately, Erlang had been killed by a ferocious beast during their last outing, leaving only five of them.
Without much fanfare, the group descended through a crevice in the ground into a world of ice and snow. As soon as they emerged, they encountered Shi Wu and his followers. Shi Wu was followed by hundreds of men, each clad in thick animal skins and wielding sharp blades. A playful smirk adorned every face, as if they viewed Chen Nan and his companions as mere prey.
"Chen, hand over that black rod now, and I'll spare your life!" Shi Wu's eyes were icy, his desire for the black fire-poker in Chen Nan's hand absolute.
"Shi Wu, we are both of the human race. How can you attempt to kill your own kin for a mere fire-poker?" Quinn's eyes burned with cold fury.
Shi Wu pointed at Quinn, "Do you have the right to speak here?"
"Quinn, I advise you to withdraw from the assessment. With just a few of you, you cannot possibly contend with so many of our brothers," Chu Xiong said with a cold sneer, crossing his arms.
"That's right. We have over six hundred brothers, while you only have six. Even if you had three heads and six arms, you couldn't defeat us!"
"Do fireflies dare to contend with the radiance of the moon? Truly overestimating yourselves!"
Quinn ignored them and made a hand seal. In an instant, the figures of Chen Nan and the other five vanished from Shi Wu's sight. Quinn had anticipated Shi Wu would try to intercept them, so he had given everyone an invisibility talisman. As expected, it proved invaluable now.
"Damn it!" Shi Wu's face contorted with rage as Quinn and the others disappeared.
"Boss, there's no need to get angry over such a trivial matter!" Chu Xiong said. "Quinn is participating in the assessment anyway and will return to the tribe in a month. By then, you will be the tribal leader. If that happens, what difficulty will there be in forcing Chen Nan to hand over that fire-poker?"
Shi Wu grunted and then looked to the east. "Let's head straight to Black Wind Mountain and try to wipe out all the alien demons there."
Black Wind Mountain was a nest for alien demons, harboring dozens of them. In the past, he would detour to avoid them, fearing casualties. But now, he felt no fear. With over six hundred brothers, how could they not pacify Black Wind Mountain? Thus, the over six hundred men marched mightily towards Black Wind Mountain, two hundred li away.
Shortly after they departed, the figures of Chen Nan and his five companions reappeared in the snowy landscape. Chen Nan watched their retreating forms and said, "I propose we also go to Black Wind Mountain. After they kill the alien demons, we can reap the benefits of their labor."
They were only six in number, while the other party had over six hundred. With their limited manpower, it was impossible to surpass the other side's achievements. Therefore, the best way to win was to follow them closely and claim the spoils after they had dealt with the alien demons. After all, with their earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 - a technique allowing one to move underground), they could steal the alien demons without anyone noticing.
Quinn looked at the other four. "What do you think?"
Yao Chun voiced her concern, "There are only six of us, and they have six hundred men. The numbers are too disproportionate. Even if they kill the alien demons at Black Wind Mountain, can we really snatch the demons from their hands?"
Gong Yong nodded in agreement.
Quinn smiled. "You can rest assured about that. I previously acquired an earth-遁术 (earth-遁术) that allows us to steal the slain alien demons without them realizing it."
The two rejoiced. Yao Chun exclaimed, "If that's the case, then there's no problem. Following Shi Wu and his men is indeed the best strategy."
Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Quinn taught the earth-遁术 (earth-遁术) to Gong Yong and Yao Chun. Then, the six of them began to follow Shi Wu's group from a distance. The two hundred li journey was not a short one.
After two days and one night of travel, by the evening of the second day, Shi Wu and his over six hundred followers had arrived at Black Wind Mountain. Looking at the snow-covered mountain range before him, Shi Wu produced a short blade. He sliced his left wrist, and blood gushed out, melting the snow on the ground. A strong scent of blood wafted towards Black Wind Mountain on the wind.
About three minutes later, the originally peaceful Black Wind Mountain erupted with the roars of alien demons. In the next moment, pairs of scarlet eyes appeared in the snowy night, cold and merciless, sending shivers down one's spine. Then, dozens of alien demons sprang from the mountain, swiftly advancing towards the crowd.
Shi Wu's gaze was calm. When the alien demons were still fifty meters away, he waved his hand and shouted, "Fire arrows!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Sharp arrows flew from behind him, like a dark cloud engulfing the approaching alien demons.