Wutu's provocation had not only failed to produce the desired effect — it had actually bolstered Yang Kai's prestige.
Now everyone knew that this Great Shaman called Wuniu, despite looking scrawny, possessed unfathomable personal strength. If one could follow such a Great Shaman, it would surely be safer and more promising than following anyone else.
Moreover, joining him meant being issued weapons.
Who could resist such terms?
So after Wutu's departure, Yang Kai's recruitment efforts proceeded with extraordinary smoothness.
In the span of roughly one incense stick's time, another two thousand people had joined his ranks, claiming the last of the remaining weapons.
Yang Kai did not accept everyone indiscriminately. He recruited on a village-by-village basis — two to three hundred people per village. Two thousand souls required no more than eight or nine villages to fill.
Among these recruits, the vast majority were barbarian warriors and archers. Only a scant few were shamans of varying abilities.
Die consolidated information on the newly recruited two thousand and reported to Yang Kai. His forces now boasted several additional shamans. Combined with those who had followed him to the Royal City from the start, he now commanded thirteen shamans in total — four Shaman Adepts and nine Shaman Apprentices.
There were no Shaman Masters among them, but that could not be helped. Shamans were rare to begin with, and villages simply could not cultivate anyone to the Shaman Master level. Only smaller tribes of a thousand or more, and the Royal City itself, could produce such existences.
But this was no great problem, because Yang Kai still had Die.
Other Great Shamans had Shaman Masters under them, but Yang Kai had another Great Shaman. And Die was no ordinary Great Shaman. Having received years of guidance from Elder Qing, her command of shamanic arts far surpassed that of other Great Shamans. Once battle commenced, the two of them working together could cover three thousand people with shamanic arts and still have room to spare.
Next, Yang Kai personally took charge of restructuring the three-thousand-strong force, dividing them into ten small squads. Each squad comprised between two hundred fifty and three hundred people, with squad leaders and deputy squad leaders appointed from among the strongest warriors and archers.
He also selected one hundred elite fighters from the three thousand to form a bodyguard unit.
It was not that Yang Kai needed bodyguards. At his current strength, he hardly needed barbarians to protect him. The primary mission of this special unit was to safeguard the thirteen shamans — aside from himself and Die.
These shamans were merely Adepts and Apprentices. In one-on-one combat they were of limited use, but in small- to mid-scale engagements they served as vital nodes linking the ten squads. Losing even one would be an enormous blow.
So Yang Kai had no choice but to take extra precautions for their safety.
Once the assignments were finalized, the three-thousand-strong force became immediately clear in its structure. Each squad was managed by its own leader and deputy, and these leaders answered directly to Yang Kai — far more efficient than issuing commands to three thousand people at once.
The surrounding Great Shamans observed this and grasped its advantages. They quickly followed suit, and before long every Great Shaman's tribe had fallen into orderly formation.
After all these measures were implemented, the three thousand people were thoroughly deferential to Yang Kai, feeling certain they had chosen the right leader this time. In the battles to come, they might well hold an edge over the warriors of other clans.
After ordering the three thousand to begin drills — drilling cooperation and formation work — Yang Kai quietly slipped out of the Royal City with Die.
……
"Where are we headed?" Die did not know why Yang Kai had pulled her away and asked with curiosity.
Yang Kai flew ahead, leading the way without looking back. "When I was in the Royal City earlier, I spotted some tamed demon beasts. We're going to catch a few."
"You want to tame beasts?" Die regarded him in surprise.
"Did Elder Qing teach you the Beast Commanding Art?" Yang Kai turned his head to glance at her.
Die gave a small nod. "He did, but I've never used it. I don't know if it'll work."
"As long as he taught you. Whether it works, we'll find out when we try. I've never used it either." Yang Kai smiled faintly.
"But… do you know where to find wild beasts?"
"Just follow me. Those beasts in the Royal City didn't appear out of thin air. If they could capture them, so can we."
With that, Yang Kai pressed onward.
He had already made inquiries beforehand. Roughly half a day's journey from the Royal City lay a mountain range, and within it was his target.
The two set out at night. It was not until dawn that a sprawling mountain range appeared ahead, like an enormous dragon reclining across the earth. They entered the mountains and pushed forward without stopping.
After roughly half the day had passed, a piercing cry suddenly echoed from overhead.
Yang Kai halted in midair and looked up. Through the scattered canopy, he spotted a massive eagle-shaped demon beast plummeting from a great height, diving into a mountain hollow. When the creature rose again, its razor-sharp talons had seized an enormous serpent. The serpent thrashed wildly, even coiling its body around the eagle's legs in a desperate squeeze.
The eagle ducked its head and drove its beak into the serpent's body. Blood immediately rained down from the sky. The serpent struggled even more violently, its writhing so fierce that the eagle's form wavered and shook, as though it might come tumbling from the sky at any moment.