As they brushed past each other, Yang Kai offered a faint smile and nodded in acknowledgment.
The barbarian warrior stared at his retreating figure for a long while before withdrawing his gaze, chuckling under his breath. "Interesting!"
Though he was no Shaman, he was indeed a body cultivator, and as captain of the Royal City Guard, his strength was in no way inferior to that of a high-rank Grand Shaman. The only thing he lacked compared to those Grand Shamans was the shamanic arts that could bolster the strength of their clansmen. In a one-on-one fight, no Grand Shaman could possibly be his match. Yet that seemingly feeble Grand Shaman from moments ago had somehow ignited a burning urge to battle within him.
Anyone capable of stirring his fighting spirit had to be a formidable opponent he couldn't simply crush!
That much was evident from how the man had met his gaze with such calm composure. That single look, though unaided by any shamanic art, had been an instantaneous eruption of fighting will. No ordinary Grand Shaman could have weathered it so casually, yet the other party had done exactly that.
What an interesting Grand Shaman. Seemingly so frail, yet that thin body harbored inconceivable power. That fellow called Wu Tu should probably be grateful for his timely appearance—it was precisely because he had shown up when he did that Wu Tu had been spared the humiliation of losing face in public.
...
Inside the great hall, a figure whose aura was as deep and vast as the ocean stood in silence, hands clasped behind his back, quietly awaiting everyone's arrival.
It was a good while after over a hundred people had filed in before he finally turned around, brow furrowed as though something had been troubling him.
He glanced up at the assembled crowd and spoke in a resonant voice: "This King is Wu Dang, the Sixth Shaman King of the Southern Barbarian Clan. Some of you may know me, some may have heard of me, and some may have no idea who I am. But that doesn't matter, because starting today, we'll be dealing with each other often."
"Greetings, Shaman King!" Everyone placed a hand over their chest and bowed in unison.
Yang Kai was among them, his eyes flickering slightly. The Sixth Shaman King—in other words, among all the Shaman Kings of the Southern Barbarian Clan, his strength ranked sixth, and above him were five even more powerful Shaman Kings. As for how many Shaman Kings stood below him, that was anyone's guess.
Yang Kai only knew that the Southern Barbarian Clan possessed no Shaman Saint-level experts. The entire Barbarian race had only four Shaman Saints, all stationed in the four largest tribes. Within the Southern Barbarian Clan, the strongest Shaman King was a high-rank Shaman King. Yang Kai didn't know his name, either.
His understanding of the Southern Barbarian Clan came mostly from the village chief's teachings. For a village chief at the low-rank Shaman level, the information he could access was pitifully limited.
"I trust you've all heard by now. The reason you've been summoned here is because of the Demonfolk invasion—three tribes have been destroyed," Wu Dang said in a low voice. Though quiet, his words reached every ear with perfect clarity.
At the mention of three tribes being destroyed, all hundred-plus Grand Shamans tensed.
Those three tribes—none had been weaker than the Southern Barbarian Clan. Each had a high-rank Shaman King presiding over it, along with one or two hundred Grand Shamans and thousands upon thousands of Shamans. Yet they had still been annihilated. In other words, if the Southern Barbarian Clan encountered the same enemy, its fate would likely be no better.
This was no longer just the affair of those three destroyed tribes. It concerned the entire Barbarian race.
"But this news is already outdated!" Wu Dang's words sent shockwaves through the hall. While everyone exchanged bewildered glances, he spoke again: "During the very days we've been gathering here, the Lanli Tribe has also been destroyed!"
"What?"
"Is that true?"
"The Lanli Tribe destroyed as well?"
"I heard that the Shaman King of the Lanli Tribe was the most likely to advance to Shaman Saint within the next century. What's happened to him?"
The Grand Shamans cried out in shock one after another. Their pale expressions were entirely understandable—the Lanli Tribe's overall strength surpassed that of most Barbarian tribes, second only to the four tribes guarded by Shaman Saints.
To suddenly hear that the Lanli Tribe had been wiped out as well—it would be strange if they weren't shaken.
Wu Dang continued in a low voice: "No one in the Lanli Tribe survived. Not a single one."
The great hall fell into a silence so absolute you could hear a pin drop. Not a single survivor—meaning every last person had perished, including that powerful Shaman King who had been on the verge of becoming a Shaman Saint.
With war imminent, to hear such news—everyone's confidence wavered. If even the Lanli Tribe had been destroyed, just how terrifying were the Demonfolk? And who in this world could possibly stand against them?
As if reading their thoughts, Wu Dang spoke: "The four Shaman Saints have already mobilized in full. I trust that with their power, they can inflict significant damage upon the Demonfolk. However, this is a war that concerns every member of the Barbarian race. Though the Shaman Saints are powerful, we cannot place the entire burden upon their shoulders. We of the Barbarian race must also contribute our share—which is precisely why the Royal City has urgently summoned every clansman here."
Hearing that all four Shaman Saints had taken action, everyone felt a measure of relief. The Shaman Saints were the most powerful existences in this world. With them joining the fight, the Demonfolk invasion could surely be checked. But Wu Dang was right—this was a war that concerned the entire Barbarian race. No one could remain untouched. Powerful as the Shaman Saints were, there were only four of them.
"I imagine you're all eager to ask what exactly the Demonfolk are, where they come from, and why they're destroying our Barbarian tribes." Wu Dang's gaze swept across the hall as he spoke gravely: "This King will tell you—I don't know much about these matters myself. But what you need to remember is this: the Demonfolk are the mortal, irreconcilable enemies of our Barbarian race. As long as even one of us still draws breath, the Demonfolk shall never set foot upon this land!"
The assembled Grand Shamans were inflamed by his words, each one's expression burning with fervor and the resolve to face death unflinching. They looked as though they wished they could fly to the battlefield this very moment, staining the azure sky with their lifeblood and using their very lives to halt the Demonfolk advance.