Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 708 - 689 Great Sun Sword Sect

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After flying across the desolate expanses of the prairie for several months, signs of human habitation finally began to appear.

It seemed to be a place called the Tahe Tribe, with more than a thousand people.

Herds of cattle and sheep, slave herdsmen, chieftains, warriors, felt tents scattered throughout the tribe like buns, and the lingering smell of cattle and sheep droppings in the air.

Everything was the same as on the Black Snow Prairie; everyone followed the same mode of production, a nomadic economy.

The only difference lay in their weapons.

Jiang Ding's Divine Sense swept across the area, and he was surprised to find that all the warriors and herdsmen here carried swords: iron swords, bronze swords, poor herdsmen with pointed bamboo and wooden swords, even sharp stone swords.

Apart from swords, there were no other weapons.

No knives, spears, bows, armor, or throwing darts; everything from self-defense and killing enemies to hunting relied solely on the sword in hand. Occasionally, someone would die during hunting or in a skirmish, but no one thought to change their choice of weapon.

Theoretically, long spears, bows and arrows, and armor could greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of low-level warriors—even a stone armor would do.

These things didn't require teaching; as long as one or two people tried them and succeeded, they would immediately spread exponentially among the people.

But in reality, there were only swords.

"This is yet another example of the huge, abnormal influence of the Immortal Sects over the secular world,"

Jiang Ding murmured to himself, recalling the Dragon and Phoenix List of Qiyu Sect in Yue Country, which all mortals had grown accustomed to and participated in tirelessly.

He wasn't in a hurry to leave; he quietly observed the Tahe Tribe under the rule of the Great Sun Sword Sect, collecting data on their social structure, customs, and spiritual beliefs to fill his database, which would serve as a reference for his true self in the future.

All things in the world are interconnected.

Even within a weak mortal society, through big data, it's possible to deduce some information about the Immortal Sects with a high degree of accuracy and reliability—something that shouldn't be overlooked.

The strongest member of this tribe was an Inner Qi Martial Artist, known as the chieftain, followed by shamans, centurions, and decurions—then nothing more.

All positions managed both governance and military, including hunting, with no clear division. There was no need for logistics or statistics personnel; approximate sufficed.

There were very few people in the tribe who didn't produce; only the families of the chieftain, shamans, and centurions could afford not to work.

The rest, including the decurions, needed to herd, hunt, and cut grass regularly. The position of decurion allowed them to be in charge and eat meat occasionally. They got more cattle and sheep's milk, wild vegetables, and a couple more women than usual.

Among the top echelons—the chieftain, the centurions, and the shamans—there was no blood relation, and all were powerful individuals.

It was the same for the decurions; all were among the strongest in the Body Refining Realm. Aside from working, they didn't forget to practice their sword techniques. Each of their sword moves was simple and ruthless, devoid of any showiness; whether hunting or killing, they were clean and efficient.

These were their basic survival skills, with no element of performance. Flashiness held no value here.

He silently observed the tribe's routines and recorded anything of use.

Unknowingly, half a month passed by.

"Clang, clang, clang…"

One morning, a young swordsman with a weathered face and wearing a conical hat appeared outside the Tahe Tribe. He was an early-stage Inner Qi Realm martial artist.

He seemed to know the people of the tribe. After a few words of conversation, he began to shout and curse, drawing his sword to behead the two who stood in his way. Blood spurted like a fountain, immediately alerting the tribe.

A decurion violently struck a piece of rusty metal, emitting a piercing sound that instantly awoke the entire tribe.

"Invaders!"

"There's an outsider!"

An indeterminate number of herdsmen, who were asleep or tending to the cattle or cutting grass, reacted instantly, touching the longswords at their waists and hurriedly rushing toward the source of the alarm.

Each one had a fierce temperament, a glint of coldness in their eyes, clearly not the placid and amiable type; the tribe's disposition was fierce.

Jiang Ding watched quietly, recording the situation.

Hundreds of people quickly gathered, each having learned at least a few sword moves. They often cooperated in hunting and driving off packs of wolves. Now, after exchanging glances, they said nothing and gradually started to surround the newcomer.

"Friend, where are you from?"

"Do you have any grudges against our Tahe Tribe?"

Without immediately attacking, a bearded centurion shouted loudly, first trying to gauge the stranger's intentions.

In a world where cultivation existed, numbers and strength didn't always correlate; tribes that survived for a long time didn't rush into combat upon the first sign of provocation.

"Uncle Batu,"

The weathered-faced youth didn't continue the confrontation and lifted his conical hat, revealing a face full of dry scars, and licked his lips, "Do you remember me? I'm the fifth child from the Zhahe family."

"The Zhahe family's fifth?"

The bearded centurion was taken aback, looking more closely at the person in front of him. Indeed, he could vaguely make out the figure of a young boy from times past.

"Meng?"

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He probed.

"It's me, Uncle Batu."

The young swordsman smiled and said.

The surrounding herdsmen buzzed with a loud murmur, similarly recognizing this person.

"Is this man Patriarch Zhahe's fifth son?"

"How many years has it been since Patriarch Zhahe died..."

"Back then, Patriarch Zhahe seemed quite good, collecting far less tax than now..."

Many of the older herdsmen reminisced about the past.

"He's an imposter!"

Others' eyes flickered.

"Kill him!"

"He is our archenemy, sent by the Iron Mountain Tribe as a spy to kill all our men and steal all our women!"

They clamored loudly, relying on past prestige to rally many followers who grasped their sword hilts with fierce gleams in their eyes.

What of an Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist?

With the chieftain present and so many people, it wouldn't be difficult to ambush and impossible to escape.

"Hehe, Tuhe, you have ultimately grown old."

"Haha..."

The young swordsman laughed loudly, drew his longsword, and pointed it obliquely at the sky, his eyes showing respect, "Longevity Heaven above, today I wish to challenge the chief of the Tahe Tribe, and I am willing to follow the teachings of Longevity Heaven. If I win and become the chief, I will only kill Tuhe and my enemies."

"I swear, if the people of the Tahe Tribe worship me and respect me, I will likewise fulfill the duties of a chief and clan leader, protecting the Tahe Tribe from the plunder and harassment of outsiders."

"I also ask the Sun Shaman to bear witness."

The young swordsman respectfully looked towards a black-robed shaman in the crowd, his chest adorned with a Great Sun emblem.

This black-robed shaman's eyes shone coldly, seemingly quite displeased with the youth, but under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he hesitated slightly and had no choice but to speak.

"I am willing to bear witness."

"This is an honorable duel, in accordance with the teachings of the Great Sun and Longevity Heaven."

Seeing this, many of the previously noisy herdsmen grew cold at heart and dared not say anything more.

All eyes involuntarily turned to a tall and sturdy old man in the crowd.

His cultivation base was at the mid-stage of the Internal Qi Realm, his gaze cold and fierce, he said angrily, "Sun Shaman, how is it reasonable for a bastard whose origin we know not simply to challenge, and I must accept? Have you forgotten our many years of camaraderie?"

He felt aggrieved in his heart.

With hundreds of soldiers under his command and years of operation within the Tahe Tribe, his warriors were loyal and the leadership was as close as brothers. A single command could chop a person into mincemeat, and many past tribal battles had gone this way.

Now, however, such a dignified person as himself had to personally take such a risk, which he found unacceptable.

"Naturally, it's reasonable."

The black-robed shaman spoke with helplessness in his tone, "Old friend Tuhe, this is an injunction from the Great Sun and Longevity Heaven, no one can defy it. Anyone who has sworn to Longevity Heaven and is willing to abide by the chief's duties can challenge to become the tribe's chieftain.

Unless you can silence all of us bystanders or ensure they keep the secret forever."

"Otherwise, you, I, and anyone who interferes with the honorable duel must die."

Many of the herdsmen who had caused a commotion earlier felt a chill in their hearts.

"This isn't fair!"

Tuhe roared, "My strength is not just my own; the warriors under my command are also my strength. It's not fair for me to face this alone."

"It is fair."

"No defiance is permitted."

In the ensuing argument, any semblance of camaraderie in the black-robed shaman's heart quickly dissipated, and he coldly said, "When you killed the former chieftain Zhahe years ago, he did not have a large contingent of troops to besiege you."

"As the chief of a tribe with a thousand warriors, you may choose two people to join you in battle."

"There's no need for further words, let us begin."