At the gate of the Iron Rope Tribe's walled settlement, Li Xiaotian bid farewell to Longma and Tie Xiong. Longma had a premonition of danger, fearing that people from the Ancient God Tribe might have discovered him. He did not want to implicate the Iron Rope Tribe.
"Brother Li, my hospitality these past few days has been wanting. My Iron Rope Tribe is facing great hardship and can barely protect ourselves. If it were in the past, Brother Li would have certainly felt the warmth of my tribe's welcome."
Tie Xiong clasped his fists, his eyes filled with apology. Li Xiaotian had saved him, but with the tribe's affairs being so complex these past few days, he hadn't had the time to properly entertain him, and he felt a sense of regret.
"I understand, Senior. I hope the Iron Rope Tribe's migration this time is safe and smooth."
Li Xiaotian said, then patted Longma, preparing to leave.
"Big Brother!"
From within the settlement, a small figure was rapidly running towards the gate.
Li Xiaotian's eyes flashed with a smile upon seeing this, and he stopped, waiting.
Tie Xiong, standing nearby, wanted to say something but stopped himself, looking at the approaching Xiangxiang.
"Big Brother, are you leaving?"
Xiangxiang panted, her eyes showing reluctance. She really liked the doll; no one had ever given her such a gift.
"Yes, Big Brother has matters to attend to and must leave now."
Li Xiaotian said with a smile. Longma also moved forward, nudging Xiangxiang with its head.
"Then, Big Brother, will you come to the Iron Rope Tribe again in the future?"
Xiangxiang asked, her eyes full of anticipation.
Li Xiaotian heard this, squatted down, and stroked Xiangxiang's head, saying gently.
"Yes, when I return in the future, I will come to the Iron Rope Tribe to see Xiangxiang. By then, Xiangxiang should have already become a true Great Shaman."
"Mm! Xiangxiang is already the Great Shaman of the Iron Rope Tribe, and will continue to be a Great Shaman!"
Xiangxiang said with a determined expression, though her eyes were a little red.
Tie Xiong, standing nearby, also looked a bit downcast. Outsiders rarely visited the Iron Rope Tribe, and Brother Li was the first outsider Xiangxiang had truly interacted with. Truthfully, Brother Li was a good person. If not for the Iron Rope Tribe's current precarious situation, he wouldn't have stopped Xiangxiang from giving away the Witch Spirit Sapling.
Tie Xiong picked up Xiangxiang, then looked at Li Xiaotian with sincere eyes.
"Brother Li, once the Iron Rope Tribe is settled, I will send someone to leave our address here. At that time, the Iron Rope Tribe will surely compensate you properly."
"Alright! If I'm not shy and decide to visit then, Senior, don't drive me away!"
Li Xiaotian said with a smile, understanding Tie Xiong's unspoken intentions.
"Haha, how could I? This clan leader would be delighted!"
Tie Xiong laughed heartily.
Li Xiaotian waved his hand and left with Longma, their figures receding into the distance.
At the gate of the walled settlement, watching Li Xiaotian's disappearing figure, Xiangxiang looked up at Tie Xiong and asked.
"Uncle, will Big Brother come back?"
"He will! Once we find a new homeland, Brother Li will come then."
Tie Xiong replied, his gaze distant, then he smiled and muttered to himself.
"Brother Li is a good person, but unfortunately, his horse is not. He wouldn't bear to kill it for meat. Ah!"
More than an hour had passed since leaving the Iron Rope Tribe. Li Xiaotian remained vigilant, his divine sense constantly scanning the area within a hundred-mile radius.
Fortunately, he found no trace of anyone from the Ancient God Tribe. Before, he hadn't understood the Ancient God Tribe and hadn't paid them much mind.
Now that he understood their power and the wonders of Witch Cultivation, he couldn't help but be cautious.
While he wanted to hunt the physical cultivators of the Ancient God Tribe, he didn't want to be hunted in a meticulously laid trap.
"Roar, where to next?"
Longma grunted.
"To the Chaos Battlefield!"
Li Xiaotian said. The people of Man Province were warlike and lacked resources. Therefore, in ancient Man Province, a supreme expert, to resolve this situation, demarcated a region in the very center of Man Province, naming it the Chaos Battlefield.
The Chaos Battlefield, put simply, was a place for killing, looting, and plundering, with no repercussions.
Don't have resources? Want to improve your strength? Want to become a powerhouse? Then go to the Chaos Battlefield and hunt others for resources.
Here, your identity and background were irrelevant. As long as you entered, you could kill anyone, or conversely, become sustenance for others.
Much like the battlefields before they were covered by the Sea of Blood, Li Xiaotian had fought in those zones for years, so he was very aware of the Chaos Battlefield's allure.
"Roar! Let's go! This Lord will make a name for himself in the Chaos Battlefield! Suppress all directions!"
Longma roared, its tone excited.
Li Xiaotian glanced at it. This foolish horse was a peculiar creature. Call it timid, and it dared to venture anywhere and consume any energy. Call it brave, and it only roared in battle, knowing to flee at the slightest injury.
No!
Suddenly, Li Xiaotian's heart leaped, and he anxiously asked Longma.
"Can you still sense danger?"
"No, that feeling disappeared after we left the Iron Rope Tribe."
Longma replied casually, enjoying itself, imagining making a name for itself in the Chaos Battlefield and becoming a king.
"Longma! Go back!"
Li Xiaotian's expression turned cold as he said in a deep voice.
"Roar! Li Xiaotian, are you crazy? Why go back?"
Longma growled, its tone full of surprise.
"Go back! Use your extreme speed to take me! The Iron Rope Tribe is in danger!"
Li Xiaotian coldly stated. Without waiting for Longma's response, he directly mounted its back.
"Roar! Li Xiaotian, you're courting death! You're riding me again! This is outrageous!! Do you think I'm easy to bully?!"
Longma roared, transforming into its true form and bucking violently, trying to dislodge Li Xiaotian.
"Stop fooling around! Xiangxiang is in danger! The crisis you sensed earlier was likely for the Iron Rope Tribe! Not for us!"
Li Xiaotian said. Longma had an instinct for avoiding ill fortune and seeking good fortune. It was in the Iron Rope Tribe at the time, and if the tribe faced danger in the future, it would indirectly affect Longma.
And Longma hadn't felt any danger since leaving the Iron Rope Tribe, which meant the crisis it predicted was highly likely to befall the Iron Rope Tribe.
Truthfully, if not for that little girl, Li Xiaotian wouldn't have bothered.
But now, recalling Xiangxiang's cute smile, he couldn't bear it!
"Roar! Li Xiaotian, I hope you're right, otherwise, I'm not done with you!"
Longma growled, understanding Li Xiaotian's meaning, and instantly unleashed its extreme speed, turning into a streak of light and heading back towards the Iron Rope Tribe.
Time rewound to an hour earlier. Not long after Li Xiaotian and Longma departed, a grand procession appeared in the opposite direction, their target being the nearby Iron Rope Tribe.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Giant footsteps pounded the earth as four seventy-zhang-tall giants collectively carried an open-air golden platform.
Behind the four giants, a legion of fifty fifty-zhang-tall giants followed closely. Simultaneously, on either side of the giant legion, martial artists clad in black flew through the air.
On the golden platform, Gu Chen sat on a spacious throne, surrounded by four beautiful attendants, each of whom was exceptionally stunning.
On either side of the throne stood one person each. One was a middle-aged man in armor, with a hideous scar across his face.
The other was an old man dressed in black, his face dry and withered like a mummy, with piercing green eyes.