Jiang Chen felt rather at ease now.
He strolled forward leisurely, then abruptly changed the subject. "Ancient Nuo King, from what you've said, among the four great tribes of the Bitter Barbarians, not even the chiefs hold the highest authority?"
The Ancient Nuo King sighed. "The supreme authority of the Bitter Barbarians naturally rests in the hands of Patriarch Ku Zhu. The four great tribes must all answer to him, for he is the Master of the Divine Temple, the Master of the Sacrifices. He commands all sacrificial rites among the Bitter Barbarians and can commune with the Barbarian God."
"Commune with the Barbarian God? Do you believe that?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "And what is Patriarch Ku Zhu's cultivation level?"
The Ancient Nuo King looked somewhat embarrassed. "I have my doubts, to be honest. But Patriarch Ku Zhu's cultivation is undeniably above that of the four great chiefs. Some even suspect he has reached the sixth level of the Celestial Realm!"
"Oh?" Jiang Chen was genuinely surprised.
The sixth level of the Celestial Realm — that was an exceedingly powerful existence. Even in the Myriad Realms, possessing a cultivation at the sixth level of the Celestial Realm would secure someone a rather respectable standing. If one could reach the Great Celestial Realm, then even among the Myriad Realms, an ordinary person of common birth could transform themselves into nobility — albeit minor nobility.
He hadn't expected that the old patriarch of the Bitter Barbarians would be this formidable.
This was quite the revelation. Jiang Chen pressed further. "Then why hasn't Patriarch Ku Zhu come all this way?"
"Word has it that a human powerhouse went to the Bitter Barbarians' territory and caused quite a stir, tying down Patriarch Ku Zhu. That human powerhouse apparently even threatened the safety of the Divine Temple. So Patriarch Ku Zhu hasn't dared to let his guard down. The Divine Temple is our Bitter Barbarians' most sacred ground. Should anything happen to it, it would be seen as a blow to the Bitter Barbarians' fortune."
Jiang Chen sorted through the threads and roughly had the picture now.
"Patriarch Ku Zhu… a human powerhouse…" Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. "Which human powerhouse, exactly, has shown such courage?"
Jiang Chen was rather taken aback by this. Because of Shu Wanqing, he'd grown somewhat disillusioned with human Celestial Realm experts.
Yet here, in the Bitter Barbarians' own territory, a Celestial Realm cultivator had gone to cause trouble. It was this person who had tied down Patriarch Ku Zhu, which in turn had kept the Bitter Barbarian army at bay this whole time.
The people of Glazed City had speculated about countless reasons, but none had come close to the truth.
Looking at the Ancient Nuo King, barely clinging to life, Jiang Chen smiled in an unhurried manner. "Ancient Nuo King, let me ask you — do you truly believe the Bitter Barbarians possess the strength to invade the human race?"
The Ancient Nuo King closed his eyes, his voice heavy. "The victor takes all, the loser is condemned. What else is there to say? If our Bitter Barbarians were not relegated to the hinterlands, starved of resources, we would not be one jot inferior to your human race! You humans occupy such vast territory, yet you squander it like scattered sand, accomplishing nothing — hogging the trough without doing any work. Why should you, the humans, be so indolent and scheming, yet enjoy such a magnificent domain? We, the Bitter Barbarians, endure hardship and toil ceaselessly, yet we're crammed into barren wastelands beyond the frontier?"
His voice carried a thick undercurrent of resentment, as though the heavens themselves had been unfair.
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Ancient Nuo King, don't you believe that every race has its own destiny? For your Bitter Barbarians, this is your fate. Without such harsh conditions, would your people truly be so hardy and industrious? If placed in a comfortable environment, can you guarantee that your warriors wouldn't grow lazy, wouldn't chase after pleasures?"
It was the plain truth.
The Bitter Barbarians were industrious precisely because their circumstances demanded it.
Given favorable conditions, who would want to live like an ascetic monk every single day?
The Ancient Nuo King let out a soft sigh. "Enough, Jiang Chen. Grant me a quick death. All I ask is that you honor your promise and spare my son's life."
Whether human or Bitter Barbarian, a father's love for his son was the same — no one could let go, no one could rest easy until the child was safe.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Killing you or not isn't particularly important to me. I, Jiang Chen, have never been one for cruelty and bloodshed. Ancient Nuo King, I have an opportunity for you to live. Would you like to hear it?"
The Ancient Nuo King's expression changed, the instinct to survive making his eyes snap open. "What opportunity?"
"As long as your Nuo Tribe swears allegiance to me, I will not only spare your life, but I will also install you as the rightful ruler, making you the only one among the Bitter Barbarians to hold true authority. I will make your people strong…"
Jiang Chen swiftly laid out a magnificent blueprint before the Ancient Nuo King's eyes.
The Ancient Nuo King's gaze flickered, clearly mired in indecision.
There was no question that Jiang Chen's proposal was enormously tempting. For the Bitter Barbarians, attacking humanity or allying with humanity — neither was out of the question.
The Bitter Barbarians were a pragmatic people. They chose whatever served their interest. Survival came first above all else.
This was a race that didn't concern itself with matters of honor and propriety.
The Ancient Nuo King pondered for a moment, then a sharp gleam shot from his eyes as he looked toward Jiang Chen. "Young Master Jiang Chen, I have only one question. Patriarch Ku Zhu is a being of terrifying power — what method do you have to deal with him?"
If he couldn't handle Patriarch Ku Zhu, then propping the Ancient Nuo King up as the Bitter Barbarians' ruler was nothing but a joke, utterly impossible to achieve.
Patriarch Ku Zhu at the sixth level of the Celestial Realm was indeed an extraordinarily difficult opponent.
But rather than answering directly, Jiang Chen smiled enigmatically and replied, "Shouldn't that be your concern?"
The Ancient Nuo King froze. "What do you mean?"
"My earlier proposal was simply to give you a chance at survival. If you lack the capability and expect me to solve everything for you, then even if I install a puppet, I'd hardly want one who can't even stand on his own feet, would I?" Jiang Chen remarked in a leisurely tone.