The vast Beast King Continent has only one city, the very city the Bird Tribe's shaman spoke of as the Royal City.
The Royal City was originally a place for worshipping the Beast King's statue. As more tribal people began to visit, it gradually formed into a small city.
The first tribal people to settle in the Royal City, abandoning their original customs, became known as betrayers among all the tribes.
Initially, the betrayers sought to occupy the Royal City, but they were opposed by all the tribal people who came to pay homage to the Beast King's statue.
However, no one knew why these betrayers suddenly possessed the unique shamanic power exclusive to shamans.
Pure strength proved utterly vulnerable against shamanic power.
The betrayers occupied the Royal City, yet they did not prevent other tribes from coming to worship the statue. They even established dedicated trading areas within the Royal City to attract more tribal people.
Consequently, the Royal City became the most prosperous and bustling place on the Beast King Continent.
The original betrayers also acquired a new name: they became known as the Attendants, those who served the Beast King.
Before succeeding his position, the Bird Tribe's shaman possessed an intense curiosity and a strong desire for knowledge. He had traveled to many places alone. It was only upon receiving the summons from the previous shaman that he returned to take his place, never to step outside the Bird Tribe's territory again.
Even so, after all these years, he had never forgotten his experiences in the Royal City.
The attendants residing in the Royal City were different from every tribal person he had ever seen. They wore more ornate, lighter clothing and had abandoned the custom of nudity.
Their every movement exuded a different demeanor, distinctly unlike that of the tribal people.
It was there that the Bird Tribe's shaman learned of certain rumors he had never heard before.
Now, it seemed, those were not mere rumors but actual events.
"It is said that a long time ago, a foreigner descended upon the Beast King Continent. It was he who changed the attendants' customs and brought the present-day writing. The attendants of the Royal City say that this foreigner was actually an emissary of the Beast God, leading us towards a brighter path."
In the past, the Bird Tribe's shaman had scoffed at these claims, considering them fabricated stories by the attendants to flatter themselves.
However, now that two genuine foreigners stood before him, the Bird Tribe's shaman felt a rare sense of bewilderment.
Could those claims be true after all?
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang exchanged glances, excitement flickering in their eyes.
The "foreigner" mentioned by the Bird Tribe's shaman was likely a cultivator who had accidentally been stranded on the Beast King Continent from the Kyushu Continent.
To the Royal City!
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang immediately made their decision.
The Royal City bore traces of foreign habitation, and they could find the attendants there.
Perhaps they could glean more answers from the attendants.
However, before departing, Xu Yi made a request.
She wished for the Bird Tribe's shaman to demonstrate his shamanic power before them.
She wanted to know the difference between shamanic power and spiritual power.
The Bird Tribe's shaman agreed.
In fact, under the pressure of Xu Yi and Ji Buwang's strength, he had no room to refuse.
After the Bird Tribe's shaman consented, Xu Yi stepped back, observing the changes in his body intently.
As a strange power began to flow within him, his dark eyes gradually lightened, and his gaze grew sharp.
The moment his gaze fell upon Xu Yi, she felt as though she were being stripped bare from the inside out.
Just as Xu Yi marveled at this wondrous power, Ji Buwang suddenly took two steps forward, his arm moving like lightning as he swiftly reached for the Bird Tribe's shaman.
The Bird Tribe's shaman had anticipated Ji Buwang's next move as soon as he had moved.
He immediately retreated to dodge, but while his vision was excellent, it could not compensate for the disparity in physical strength.
Ji Buwang's arm tightly grasped his withered wrist.
At that moment, the Bird Tribe's shaman suddenly recalled encountering a gray wolf during his travels.
The gray wolf was young, likely only about a year old.
It had either lost its pack or was venturing alone in the forest, starving and exhausted. It then targeted the Bird Tribe's shaman and bit his arm.
That was the most dangerous situation the Bird Tribe's shaman had ever faced.
His arm had been held just as firmly then, rendering him unable to struggle.
Fortunately, the gray wolf was too starved, and the Bird Tribe's shaman, being strong at the time, was more than capable of dealing with a weakened wolf, even if he wasn't as ferocious as ordinary tribal people.
Later, an indelible scar remained on his arm, a constant reminder to be cautious and never to underestimate any crisis that could lead to his demise.
But now, facing a similar situation, he was unable to escape the wolf's jaws as he had done before.
His blood seemed to freeze, and his entire body became as rigid as a statue.
A few breaths later, Ji Buwang released his grip and shook his head at Xu Yi.
Xu Yi felt a pang of disappointment, but then she realized that their trip had not been entirely without gain, and she perked up.
"We apologize for the intrusion."
As Xu Yi and Ji Buwang's figures disappeared behind the wooden hut, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside.
"Shaman! Shaman!"
The anxious cries made the shaman jolt. His previously calm heartbeat raced wildly, as if only now reacting.
Upon entering the wooden hut, the Bird Tribe people breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw the unharmed shaman.
The shaman was the most important existence in a tribe; no one could replace him.
If the shaman died unexpectedly, the entire tribe would face the crisis of disintegration.
Therefore, as soon as the Bird Tribe people regained their ability to move, their first reaction was to check on the shaman's condition.
"I am unharmed."
The shaman shook his head gently and then returned to sit slowly at the wooden table.
His face was still a little pale, and his spirit was somewhat depleted.
He was already quite old, and intense stimulation would further strain his body.
"Shaman, who were those two people?"
The Bird Tribe leader asked cautiously, his eyes filled with both hatred and apprehension.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang's actions were tantamount to a provocation against the entire Bird Tribe, so naturally, the Bird Tribe leader held no good feelings toward them.
However, due to the terrifying power the two had displayed earlier, his perception of them was complex.
After all, admiration for strength was a common trait among all the tribes on the Beast King Continent.
"They are foreigners."
The shaman's voice was very soft, so soft that the Bird Tribe leader thought he had misheard.
Foreigners?
Were foreigners not mere legends?
Did foreigners truly exist?
The Bird Tribe leader recalled the peculiar attire of the two individuals just now and suddenly found it not so difficult to accept.
Legends said that foreigners were emissaries of the Beast King.
Did that mean those two were...?
A flicker of panic crossed the Bird Tribe leader's face.
Respect for the Beast King was deeply ingrained in their souls.
The thought of potentially offending the Beast King's emissaries made the Bird Tribe leader uneasy.
But remembering how they had been knocked down by the emissaries earlier, the Bird Tribe leader became agitated again.
This was the closest he had ever been to the Beast King.