The forest was no longer recognizable as such; the scene was one of utter devastation, as if the land had been struck by a natural disaster. Anyone who had previously surveyed the battle zone map would have immediately thought to revise it, for the forest was gone.
The black-clothed man was now completely terrified. Given his standing within the Black-Clothed Alliance, he didn't need to adhere to their rules. Most importantly, his own life was on the line.
Therefore, he answered truthfully to every question Qing Lin asked.
Qing Lin’s younger brother, Qing Shi, had been killed by members of the Black-Clothed Alliance. While the Black-Clothed Alliance committed many wicked deeds, they were selective in their targets. They did not kill people from the three major Human tribes, nor the offspring of the powerful Demon Emperors from the Myriad Demon Royal Court. This was why they could continue their wicked ways and survive.
However, no one could have foreseen that Qing Shi was from the Ancient God tribe. Upon hearing this, Li Xiaotian couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Qing Shi.
It was unexpected that someone from the Ancient God tribe wouldn't have the surname Gu.
After Qing Lin finished her questions, she fell silent, her eyes becoming red and her aura unstable. She was filled with sorrow.
Their clan was reduced to just her and her brother. They had been adopted by the Ancient God tribe. With her brother alive, there was still hope for their lineage to continue. Now, only she remained.
At this moment, Li Xiaotian gave Qing Lin some space. He took the black-clothed man to another location. With her only relative dead, Qing Lin’s tribe had truly perished. Li Xiaotian understood her desire for revenge, even though she knew she was no match for the Black-Clothed Alliance.
Bang!
He threw the black-clothed man to the ground. Despite the man grimacing in pain, he dared not make a sound.
"Speak. Tell me everything you know about the Ancient God tribe," Li Xiaotian said calmly.
"My lord, if I tell you everything, can you spare my life? My true identity is an elder from the Western Alliance tribe. I believe my identity would be useful to you. Henceforth, I will follow your commands," the black-clothed man said nervously, filled with apprehension. He didn't want to die. He had worked hard to achieve his current strength and status and was unwilling to give it up.
"Do you think you are in a position to negotiate with me? If you don't speak, will I not capture someone else to question?" Li Xiaotian's voice turned cold, his eyes filled with disdain. The man clearly didn't understand his situation.
"My lord, my lord, please forgive me, I know my crime!!!" The black-clothed man's body stiffened upon hearing this, and he quickly spoke with a subservient attitude, regretting his impatience in his heart.
Immediately, the black-clothed man recounted everything he knew about the Ancient God tribe. Listening to him, Li Xiaotian couldn't help but sigh, realizing he had stumbled into a massive problem.
The Ancient God tribe had four top overlords. Besides the publicly known Gu Qiankun, the Great Shaman of the Ancient God tribe, and the First Divine General, there was also a hidden top overlord whose cultivation system was unknown. Excluding the four killed by Li Xiaotian, there were six more ordinary overlord powerhouses: four physical cultivators and two shamanistic cultivators.
Of course, if Qing Lin was included, that would make seven.
Furthermore, Gu Qiankun's strength far surpassed that of a top overlord. This was because he was a Heavenly-level expert in ancient times. He had suffered severe injuries, causing his realm to fall to its current state, and he was suspected to be a quasi-Golden Body.
A quasi-Golden Body meant he was close to achieving true Golden Body status and could potentially forge one at any moment.
Additionally, the Great Shaman of the Ancient God tribe was not to be underestimated. Shamanistic cultivation methods were mysterious and unpredictable. The Great Shaman of the Ancient God tribe specialized in prying into heavenly secrets and destinies, capable of killing people without a trace.
This shaman could alter a person's destiny through meditation or kill their opponent.
It was also worth noting that the Giant Legion of the Ancient God tribe was incredibly powerful when fighting in formation. The more people there were, the more terrifying the formation's strength became. In ancient times, the Giant Legion, fighting in formation, had even trapped a Heavenly-level expert.
Li Xiaotian frowned. The Ancient God tribe was indeed troublesome. It seemed that if he was truly outmatched, he would have to consider returning.
Gu Qiankun, with his Ancient God body standing three hundred zhang tall, was the limit for a giant's physique below the Heavenly level. It was clear that Li Xiaotian was no match for him, even with his Golden Body.
Unless he could increase his own Ancient God body to three hundred zhang in a short period, a single Gu Qiankun would already make things extremely difficult for him, Li Xiaotian mused.
If he were to be surrounded by the Ancient God tribe, with one of their three top overlords tying him down, the other two would have a high chance of killing him.
And this was not even considering the hidden expert.
At this moment, Li Xiaotian was unaware that the major tribes of the Wild State had already formed an alliance to hunt him down. Otherwise, he might be considering whether to leave the Wild State right now.
He couldn't fight them head-on. Could he leverage the situation and disrupt the Wild State? Li Xiaotian analyzed his options.
The black-clothed man not only described the situation of the Ancient God tribe but also analyzed the conflicts between the various forces in the Wild State, primarily those with disputes with the Ancient God tribe.
The Ancient God tribe was too powerful, stifling all other forces in the Wild State. Consequently, many forces harbored dissatisfaction with the Ancient God tribe's rule.
The most prominent example was the Demon race. Humans and demons had been at odds since ancient times. Although the relationship between the two races in the Wild State was not one of outright enmity, their grievances were numerous.
As the second most powerful force in the Wild State, the Myriad Demon Royal Court, while outwardly acknowledging the Ancient God tribe's status, was often in conflict with them behind the scenes. Battles between overlords were common, and their mutual hatred had reached an irreconcilable point.
However, the Ancient God tribe was wary of the Myriad Demon Royal Court's foundation. If they were to annihilate the Myriad Demon Royal Court, the Ancient God tribe would lose at least half of its foundation. In doing so, they would be unable to maintain their position as the foremost power.
Therefore, a delicate balance had been maintained between the two sides.
In addition, among the Human race, the Ancient God tribe's relationship with the Western Alliance tribe, the third-ranked Human tribe, was also strained.
This was because, during ancient times, a heavenly prodigy emerged from the Western Alliance tribe, surpassing all other prodigies of his generation. His rise was astonishing; he rapidly reached parity with the older generation of powerhouses and was invincible within the same realm.
It was not until that prodigy broke through to become a supreme expert that the Ancient God tribe finally couldn't tolerate it and intervened, setting up a grand formation to kill him.
The Ancient God tribe felt threatened. A powerhouse invincible within the same realm, once he became a supreme expert, the Ancient God tribe's position as the number one power in the Wild State would be in jeopardy.
As such, the Western Alliance tribe's attitude towards the Ancient God tribe was understandable. Their tribe had an opportunity to unify the Wild State and become the dominant power, but it was shattered by the Ancient God tribe.
As for the Xing Tian tribe, ranked second among the Human tribes, they had always maintained neutrality and did not provoke any conflicts with other tribes.
Li Xiaotian pondered. The Myriad Demon Royal Court and the Western Alliance tribe could potentially be utilized. Of course, he didn't expect them to directly assist him. However, if he presented them with an opportunity to severely wound the Ancient God tribe, those two forces would act even without him saying a word.
With this thought, Li Xiaotian cast a cold glance at the black-clothed man. The man's divulgence of the Ancient God tribe's feud with the Western Alliance tribe was clearly an attempt to gain his own release.
Unfortunately, as a Heavenly King of the Black-Clothed Alliance, the man had committed too many evil deeds. Although Li Xiaotian had no personal enmity with him, he didn't mind killing one more scumbag like him.