The Black Tiger Tribe and the Bird Tribe both regarded Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang as emissaries of the Beast King, but only the two of them knew how absurd this notion was.
Let alone them, even any other outsiders who had arrived on this Beast King Continent before them could not possibly be emissaries of the Beast King; at best, they were just as unlucky cultivators.
"The spiritual power within the shaman of the Bird Tribe does not come from meridians, but from flesh and blood, more akin to the body refinement techniques of physical cultivators," Ji Wuwang said shortly after leaving the Bird Tribe, voicing his observations from earlier.
Xu Yi nodded. She too had sensed the sudden surge of vital energy in the shaman of the Bird Tribe. While this was indeed a power that surpassed human capabilities, it was not enough to give Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang hope of returning home.
They now had only one solution: to head to the King City.
Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang followed the route on the map towards the King City. Along the way, they crossed mountains and forests, traversed rivers, and even passed through a desert inhabited by no one. They also encountered numerous tribal people with different lifestyles.
Finally, on the fourth day, they reached a plain and, at its end, saw the city that resembled a sleeping beast. The King City had arrived.
Before they entered the King City, they encountered a group of tribal people who had come from afar. They were incredibly tall, even a head taller than Ji Wuwang, with broad backs and thick palms. Based on her understanding of the tribal people during this period, Xu Yi deduced that their tribe must be related to bears, perhaps even named the Bear Tribe.
Xu Yi was not mistaken; this traveling group was from the Brown Bear Tribe. The Brown Bear Tribe lived in the distant north and had come to complete a transaction for essential goods, such as coarse salt.
Upon seeing Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang, they displayed both aversion and displeasure. This was evident in their raised eyebrows, disdainful gazes, and conversations that were not at all discreet, held right in front of Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang.
"Quick, look, such scrawny tribal people!"
"They aren't tribal people, they are defectors!"
"That man isn't brave at all, and he's so ugly!"
"..."
The people of the Brown Bear Tribe, like their stature, were loud and boisterous. Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang were some distance away, yet they could still clearly hear this conversation.
Xu Yi's expression turned peculiar upon hearing this. The Beast King Continent valued sturdiness as beauty; the more robust the physique, the more attractive one was to the opposite sex. Ji Wuwang's appearance would have earned him praise on the Jiuzhou Continent, yet here, on the Beast King Continent, it was called ugly.
Just as Xu Yi was about to comfort Ji Wuwang, she was cut off by another gruff male voice. The person said, "There's a skinny woman next to that man, they truly are a matching pair."
Xu Yi: ...
Xu Yi clenched her fists until her knuckles creaked. Her anger quickly dissipated when she caught a fleeting smile on the corner of Ji Wuwang's lips. Ji Wuwang had actually smiled. It was rare, truly rare.
As Xu Yi pondered whether Ji Wuwang's smile was self-deprecating or mocking her, they had already reached the city gates. The Brown Bear Tribe people rushed into the city ahead of Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang. Before entering, the most powerfully built man at the end of the Brown Bear Tribe formation cast a provocative glance at Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang.
Xu Yi frowned. These tribal people were truly hot-tempered. She and Ji Wuwang hadn't provoked them, yet they were being bullied by others; it made no sense. She glanced down at the gravel under her feet, gave a light chuckle, and then moved her toe.
*Whoosh—*
The sound of air breaking caused the Brown Bear Tribe to fall into brief disarray. But because they were too close, and before they could dodge, the pebble accurately struck the back of the last man, who was part of the main group.
*Crack!*
The sound was neither heavy nor light, but it made the burly man stiffen. Ji Wuwang glanced at Xu Yi, a smile flitting across his eyes once more.
The Brown Bear Tribe people had calmed down by this point. They turned to look around, and finally, their target was locked onto Xu Yi and Ji Wuwang. The area was open with nowhere to hide, so the attackers could only be these two.
The burly man, with a dark expression, walked towards Xu Yi and the other. As he approached, Xu Yi felt the light in front of her dim considerably.
"Were you the ones who attacked?" The burly man's voice was laced with uncontainable anger. Clearly, being attacked by two defectors far smaller than him made him feel immensely humiliated.
Xu Yi looked up, about to speak, when Ji Wuwang, standing beside her, lightly parted his thin lips and said coldly, "And if we were?" His seemingly rhetorical question, which was actually a statement of affirmation, immediately enraged the burly man. Without hesitation, he raised his arm and swung a palm at Ji Wuwang.
"Bu'a is angry, that defector is doomed!"
"Who told him to provoke Bu'a? He brought this upon himself."
"Bu'a once sent a Red-tailed Monkey flying with a single palm strike. This tribal person will likely suffer the same fate as the Red-tailed Monkey."
Not far away, the people of the Brown Bear Tribe showed no signs of panic. They discussed with great interest the fate that awaited the defector. Bu'a was the foremost warrior of the Brown Bear Tribe and a strong candidate for the next chieftain. He had once subdued a fully grown brown bear by himself. In the eyes of the Brown Bear Tribe, Ji Wuwang was naturally inferior to a brown bear, or even that Red-tailed Monkey.
Therefore, when they saw Ji Wuwang slowly raise his arm and then effortlessly grip Bu'a's wrist, they were stunned. Bu'a was also shocked by this scene. His attack had been blocked by a weak defector. His ensuing rage, coupled with the gasps from behind him, plunged him into a frenzy. He clenched his left hand into a fist and smashed it towards Ji Wuwang. He put all his strength into this punch; as his arm descended from a height, a piercing whistling sound could be heard.
Seeing this, Xu Yi inwardly sighed. Wasn't this seeking his own death? Her earlier pebble was meant as a minor retaliation, a way to vent the frustration of being verbally insulted just moments ago. But when this burly man chose to strike with lethal intent, he had, in fact, pushed himself onto a path of no return. He chose to attack Ji Wuwang with his fist, so Ji Wuwang would retaliate with his fist.
When their fists collided, it was evident that the burly man's fist was easily two sizes larger than Ji Wuwang's, a stark contrast like that between an adult and a child. Yet, the seemingly weaker fist contained a terrifying power capable of shaking mountains. Bu'a, as Ji Wuwang's opponent, felt it even more acutely. He could clearly feel a tremendous force shattering his arm bones, then surging into his body, sending him flying. The clear sound of bone cracking was so piercing in his ears. Only when he hit the ground did the bone-piercing pain flood him. He only had time to widen his eyes, look in Ji Wuwang's direction, and then collapse, blood flowing from his seven orifices.
"Bu'a!"
The people of the Brown Bear Tribe were stunned by the sudden shift in the situation. It wasn't until one of them let out a cry of agony that they rushed forward in a panic. By then, Bu'a had already breathed his last.