"Three thousand people? Wuniu, you're nothing but a low-tier Great Shaman. How could you possibly have the power to control that many? Watch out — bite off more than you can chew and you'll burst."
The words had barely rung out when a hulking figure plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground beside the mountain of weapons. The tremendous impact shook the earth, sending plumes of dust into the air and setting the weapons clattering and ringing.
Yang Kai glanced at the thick patch of dark hair on the newcomer's chest and raised an eyebrow. "Wutu? What brings you here?"
Wutu threw his head back and laughed. "This shaman simply saw that you're young and your strength is… lacking, and felt a bit concerned for you."
"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but you needn't worry."
Wutu shook his head. "Now that's no way to talk. We're both Great Shamans of the Southern Barbarian tribes — we ought to look out for one another. Tell you what, I'm a bit stronger than you, so I'll bear more of the burden. You keep another thousand people, and I'll take the remaining thousand off your hands. As a token of gratitude… just hand over the extra weapons."
Even as he spoke, he reached straight for the pile of weapons without giving Yang Kai the slightest chance to react.
"Stop!" A Hu seethed with fury. These weapons had cost Niu a tremendous price to acquire from the royal city. He didn't know how Ah Niu had come by so many demon cores for trade, but now someone was actually trying to lay their hands on them — he certainly wasn't going to stand by and watch.
Great Shaman or not, anyone who dared rob them was an enemy.
With a furious shout, A Hu already swung his axe down at Wutu.
"Scram!" Wutu didn't even turn his head. He simply bellowed, and a visible shockwave rippled outward from beneath his feet. The wave clearly carried tremendous force, because the instant it touched A Hu, the man was sent hurtling through the air like a kite with a broken string, crashing to the ground.
In the same moment, Wutu's hand closed around a fine steel spear. With a slight flex of his fingers, the entire mountain of weapons trembled, and nearly half the items lifted into the air. Their trajectory was unmistakably heading toward Wutu's barbarian warriors.
The members of Wutu's tribe broke into elation, their faces alight with anticipation as they prepared to receive the shower of weapons.
But just then, a figure materialized out of thin air atop the weapon mountain. Without any visible movement from him, the thousand-plus weapons soaring through the sky suddenly froze as though pinned beneath an enormous mountain before plummeting back down, crashing into one another with a cacophony of clangs and chimes.
Hovering in midair, Yang Kai looked down at Wutu with a mocking expression. "Trying to rob me?"
Wutu flushed red. "Rob? How is this robbing? I said it already — we're all Southern Barbarians. I was only trying to relieve you of your burden. Forget thanking me, you're actually slandering my good name? You've got quite the nerve, Wuniu."
Yang Kai let out a snort of contempt. "I never agreed to let you 'relieve my burden.'"
Wutu waved his oversized head dismissively. "Whether you agree or not is irrelevant. I've always been this generous with my help. Now move along. Don't be ungrateful!"
Yang Kai feigned shock. "Wutu, could you at least try to have a shred of shame? Spouting such bare-faced lies — don't you blush?"
Wutu did indeed blush, but his voice remained hard. "Fine, fine, fine. You little upstart, so unappreciative. As a high-tier Great Shaman, it is my responsibility and duty to teach you what reality looks like."
As he spoke, an incantation erupted from his lips. He raised a hand, and shamanic energy surged as two visible chains of power lashed toward Yang Kai. Caught off guard, Yang Kai was bound tight in an instant.
Wutu burst into hearty laughter. "Remember this: if you can't see reality now, it'll only cost you face. If you can't see it on the battlefield, it'll cost you your life. So don't thank me — this is what I should be doing." With that, he yanked hard, clearly intending to drag Yang Kai down from midair.
But his expression changed in the next moment, because despite his effort, Wuniu standing atop the weapon mountain hadn't budged an inch. The young man simply gazed down at him with an amused smile, as though he were nailed in place by some invisible force.
A jolt of disbelief ran through Wutu. This was impossible. The other was nothing but a low-tier Great Shaman, two minor ranks below himself — bound as he was, how could he possibly resist his strength?
Unwilling to believe it, Wutu tried again with even more force, only to discover with horror that it still had absolutely no effect.
What he'd bound didn't seem to be a low-tier Great Shaman at all, but an actual mountain. After two failed attempts, his face and neck had turned a deep shade of crimson.
The crowd of onlookers stared in bewilderment, unsure what exactly Wutu was playing at. Several other Great Shamans flashed Wutu urgent looks, signaling him to end this farce quickly.
Earlier, the few of them had gathered to discuss strategy. They'd concluded that the best way to seize the initiative was to humiliate Wuniu. The thousands of weapons he'd brought were an established fact — they had attracted the attention of many powerful barbarian warriors and piqued their interest in pledging allegiance.
But that interest was built entirely on the weapons. If the tribesmen saw that this Wuniu was utterly useless in a fight, those on the fence would surely reconsider their options.
Weapons were tempting, yes, but a weak Great Shaman was not worth entrusting your life to. The barbarians were about to face a life-or-death battle, and a powerful shaman leader offered far greater security than any stockpile of arms.
That was why Wutu had stepped forward to pick a fight. His plan was straightforward — crush Wuniu in front of everyone, strip him of all credibility, and his advantage would evaporate.
But things weren't going according to plan.
Wuniu had already been subdued, so what was Wutu even doing now?