Forty Millenniums of Cultivation - Chapter 577
Chapter 577: Six Tribes Gathered!
The tanks of the Furious Bears Tribe drove in the unceasing sand for hundreds of kilometers, leaving a long, yellow trail behind them, as they entered the center of the desert.
This place was a paradise for demon beasts. Some of them that had been lurking underground had even formed a flock with a population of several hundred. But, however large the flock was, they did not dare mess around with the unstoppable iron army!
Even the most brutal demon beasts were hiding in the depths of their nests, the entrances to which they had blocked with rocks and grass. They felt the shaking earth and shuddered in the darkness!
The apocalypse cloud continued to grow larger and almost covered half of the sky. The blue color of the remaining half sky was becoming lackluster, too.
Although they were still hundreds of kilometers away, the shrieks and screams deep inside the apocalypse cloud were already audible. A large beam of smoke, which seemed to have formed from billions of evil spirits, rose up from the horizon to the sky!
Li Yao and Wu Mayan were riding forward together when they heard noises from their left and right that were even louder than the roars of the apocalypse cloud.
They looked back and noticed that two equally large teams of tanks had appeared on the horizon on their left and right simultaneously and rushed at them at the same time.
The tanks on the left side were amazingly fast and approached them like a silver hurricane.
Li Yao squinted and observed carefully. He found that the paint on the tanks was colorful and eye-catching, and he felt that they were like caterpillars with various insignia.
The structure of their tanks was similar to that of the Furious Bears Tribe’s tanks, except that they were apparently much more finely-made. A lot of rare metal materials had been used in the vehicles. Several guns and a handful of sabers and swords were placed beside almost every warrior.
On the flag behind their tanks was painted a glittering sliver crescent moon. There was a grinning face on the moon that was in the same style as the emblem of the Burning Sun Tribe.
Wu Mayan declared, “They are the tanks from the Silver Moon Tribe. The Silver Moon Tribe is the richest one of the six tribes of Iron Plateau. They have several large mother lodes in their territory, and they like to do business among the six tribes. Therefore, they have accumulated tremendous wealth. Their armor and magical equipment are the most delicate on Iron Plateau!
“However—”
Wu Mayan grimaced. “Qi-trainers of the Silver Moon Tribe are very valiant when they have enough ammunition and spiritual gas, but if the battle is prolonged and they run out of supply, it will be hard to tell!”
Li Yao nodded and pointed at the right. “What about them?”
The tanks on the right were even more raucous than the Silver Moon Tribe. Countless muscular men were wrapped in chains of cartridge clips and carried several True Qi guns on their backs.
Such weapons could spray the bullets out by the high-pressure spiritual gas. They were definitely as powerful as the spiritual guns in the outside world.
Many warriors were yelling and shooting their guns at the sky. Their bullets were almost the size of a child’s fist. There was no telling what kind of crystals were stored in them, but the chemical reaction in them was evidently not smooth. They all exploded in midair and became colorful fireworks.
Wu Mayan announced, “They are the tanks of the Heaven Wolves Tribe. People there prefer to use firearms. The larger the caliber of their weapon, the stronger they are considered to be. Therefore, the strongest expert is the one using the biggest gun! Look, their tanks are full of machine guns and turrets that can aim at any angle!
“What the top experts of the Heaven Wolves Tribe use can barely be called guns; they are essentially carrying large cannons onto the battlefield!”
While the two of them were talking, Xiong Wuji and the leaders of the Furious Bears Tribe rushed out of the formation and gathered with the heads of the Silver Moon Tribe and the Heaven Wolves Tribe. The three parties rode together and greeted each other by shouting. Obviously, they were in a close relationship.
Wu Mayan drew close to Li Yao and whispered to him, almost extending his mouth to Li Yao’s ear, “In every battle of the apocalypse, all the experts and leaders of the six tribes of Iron Plateau gather together. Therefore, every battle of the apocalypse is also a chance for the six tribes to hold a meeting. The strategy for the development of the six tribes of Iron Plateau in the next ten years will be discussed in such meetings!
“The Silver Moon Tribe and the Heaven Wolves Tribe are in a good relationship with us; we are always on the same side!
“But the other three tribes are not so close to us!”
Li Yao raised his eyebrow. “Are there conflicts?”
Wu Mayan blushed. Thankfully, it was hard to distinguish in the middle of the raging sandstorm. He explained, “The environment on Iron Plateau is extremely rough. Nobody’s life is easy. Sometimes, due to the different development plans, conflicts are bound to occur!
“Both mother lodes and arable lands are limited. In competition for resources, several major and minor conflicts have broken out over the past thousands of years.
“However, the occasional apocalypse outbursts suppress all the skirmishes in the end. A thousand years ago, the seniors of the six tribes made a deal together that the resources should be distributed according to the performaces in the battles of the apocalypse!
“Whoever hunts the most beasts in a battle of apocalypse will be granted with the largest portion of resources. Whoever has the best performance in a battle of apocalypse will earn the right to command everybody else in their tribe! Those who disobeyed them would be attacked by the other five tribes!
“It has been an unshakable rule on Iron Plateau.
“Therefore, although we do not always see eye to eye with one another, we managed to maintain the ostensible peace.
“However—”
Wu Mayan lowered his head deeply but held it high again a moment later. He bit his lips so hard that there were traces of his teeth on them, before he said loudly, “Since my mother brought me to the Furious Bears Tribe thirteen years ago, the conflict among the six tribes has become even more heated!
“Furious Bears, Silver Moon, and Heaven Wolves were relatively politer to outsiders. Later, after my mother cured several leaders of the Silver Moon Tribe and the Heaven Wolves Tribe, they all accepted us.
“But as for Burning Sun, Feathered Snakes, and Giant Axe, they were not so easy to talk sense to. They detest space residents and have demanded many times that the Furious Bears Tribe kick us out and leave us at the mercy of the desert!
“I remember that, when the three tribes learned that I was starting to learn the qi-trainers’ techniques, a civil war among the six tribes of Iron Plateau almost broke out!
“Father Xiong has shouldered all the responsibility by himself so that my mom and I could live comfortably in Furious Bears City to this day!”
While talking, the young man’s eyes turned red. He clenched his fists, his tone sharper than ever. “I have two motivations for my strict training. Firstly, I want to protect my mom so that nobody is mean to her!
“Secondly, I don’t want to disappoint Father Xiong!
“I remember that, when the experts of Burning Sun, Feathered Snakes, and Giant Axe gathered at the time and urged the Furious Bears Tribe to drive us away, Father Xiong took all the pressure by himself the hard way!
“I still remember clearly what my father said at that moment.
“He said that the Iron Plateau natives and the space residents shared the same blood. We are all human beings, striving for survival, and therefore shouldn’t attack each other.
“If determined to fight, the real men of Iron Plateau should challenge the Core Formation Stage Cultivators and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators in the space fairly and squarely. Why should they vent their anger from five thousand years ago on a widow and her child?
“After saying that, he defeated three experts from the three tribes in a row in the arena and therefore earned us the right to stay!
“I will never forget how manly Father Xiong was after the battle, despite the heavy wounds and dripping blood!
“He has paid so much to protect my mom and me; I shall become someone who deserves his sacrifice!
“Yes. We are all human beings, and our blood is equally red and hot. I’m going to prove that point!
“Although the blood of space flows in my veins, I will become the strongest warrior on Iron Plateau!
“Hu—”
The young man roared. He snatched a flag from the back of his tank and dashed at a slant stone. Then he leapt into the air with the stone as a platform.
The young man burst into laughter, with the flag flapping in the wind, like a torch that would not die down however intensely the storm was blowing.
The scene impressed Li Yao deeply. He recalled how Wu Mayan had fallen to the ground exhaustedly late the previous night.
The training plan he had drafted for Wu Mayan was ten times crueler than ‘the infernal special training program of death’, the plan Sun Biao had devised for him years ago. He had thought that Wu Mayan would definitely give up, but as it turned out, the young man had made his way through it!
Maybe the thirteen-year-old young man was not a genius but a lunatic just like himself.
Li Yao took a long breath in relief. He grinned and accelerated his tank to catch up with his young companion.
After another hour of rushing, the tanks from the other three tribes finally appeared!
The competition between the two sides started the moment they met!
Wu Mayan pointed at the three waves of smoke and interpreted them for Li Yao.
“The red smoke on the left, and the fastest one, is the Burning Sun Tribe! Their tanks boast the highest speed and specifications. They have also trained the best scouts and charging team in their tribe. They are an out-and-out tribe of racing!
“The Burning Sun Tribe worships speed. They believe that the faster one is, the stronger one is!”
Li Yao recalled Yan Chihuo of the Burning Sun Tribe, who was indeed an excellent tank racer. If he hadn’t had such a marvelous gadget to escape, Black Wing, he might’ve been unable to escape the man’s pursuit.
“The tanks in the middle belong to the Feathered Snakes Tribe. Do you see the falcons and giant bats in the sky? They are all animals that have been tamed by the Feathered Snakes Tribe.
“The Feathered Snakes Tribe is the tribe that is best at domesticating animals. Not only are they adept at releasing animals in a battle, they are also fond of strengthening themselves with the animals!
“There’s this virulent Feathered Snake that they specially bred. When they are young, they let the snakes bite themselves and stimulate their bodies with the poison. Their flesh, veins, and nerves are strengthened in such a way, and the strongest warriors of the Feathered Snakes Tribe are eventually created!
“On the right, it’s the Giant Axe Tribe. They are the tribe with the strictest rules in battles.
“Look, there are a lot of drumming cars in their tribe. Everybody marches forward toward the demon beasts and throws their axe at the same time according to the drumming. The overwhelming wave of axes can almost even tear a mountain apart instantly!”
