The Ancient Nuo King's gaze was sharp as he swept his spiritual sense across everyone. Jiang Chen, meanwhile, activated his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and Evil Golden Eye to scrutinize these warriors of the Ancient Nuo Tribe.
Jiang Chen's powers of insight were now as clear as fire. At a single glance, he could tell who was going through the motions and who was genuinely convinced.
Among these warriors, the majority were absolutely loyal to the Ancient Nuo King — without a moment's hesitation or second thought, they would follow him to the death.
But a few of them had a flicker of complex emotion in their eyes, as though they were scheming something. Though the reaction was subtle, Jiang Chen had easily caught it.
His spiritual sense locked onto these few in an instant.
"If you wish to follow me, I require you all to swear an oath," the Ancient Nuo King said calmly. "This matter, whether it succeeds or fails, puts all our lives on the line. I owe it to the majority to take precautions."
"Right — a binding oath!"
"What if some scoundrel betrays our Chief?"
One after another, they began swearing their oaths. The warriors of the Ancient Nuo Tribe raised no objections and cooperated willingly.
When it was done, the Ancient Nuo King approached Jiang Chen. "Young Master Jiang Chen, what do you think?"
Jiang Chen, his spiritual sense still trained on those few, transmitted his thoughts to the Ancient Nuo King: "These few — I sense something dark in their hearts. They'll surely turn on us."
The Ancient Nuo King's heart sank. The ones Jiang Chen had identified were precisely the ones he himself had not been entirely certain about.
In truth, the Ancient Nuo King had also planned to quietly dispose of them later.
He transmitted back: "Rest assured, I've had my eye on them too. I'll find an opportunity to deal with them discreetly."
"No need. I'll handle it."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen moved his fingers in quick succession. Two Mesmerizing Puppets glided like phantoms into the crowd. None of the ones Jiang Chen had identified were Heavenly-tier powerhouses, so they had virtually no power to resist — one after another, the two Mesmerizing Puppets plucked them from the crowd and tossed them aside.
This display left every warrior of the Ancient Nuo Tribe frozen in fearful silence.
"There's no need to worry," Jiang Chen said. "I have cultivated the Art of Mind-Reading and can see through people's hearts. These few are the dregs among you — they could betray you at any moment. I've weeded them out on your behalf."
Of course, Jiang Chen had no actual mind-reading ability.
But his words had the desired deterrent effect. That said, with his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil working in conjunction with his Evil Golden Eye, Jiang Chen genuinely could perceive a great deal.
These few — Jiang Chen was certain they were harboring guilty intentions.
"Ancient Nuo King, I've done what needed doing. The rest is up to you."
The Ancient Nuo King nodded. "Good. Everyone has agreed to gather outside the Liuli Royal City. When Patriarch Ku Zhu arrives, I'll seize the opportunity to release the poison."
"That's right, but be careful. If you're exposed, it means death for your Ancient Nuo Tribe. And rest easy — once you see this through, my human race and your Ancient Nuo Tribe will be allies. From then on, there will be no more Kuman Tribe — only the Ancient Nuo Tribe. You'll be your own clan, the Nuo Clan. Why not?"
Hearing this, the Ancient Nuo King was deeply moved. "Then we'll be entirely in Young Master Jiang Chen's hands."
Jiang Chen then beckoned to Gu Tianqing. "You're the Ancient Nuo King's most trusted man — you'll need to show some sincerity. I have a pill here. Take it first. There will be no ill effects in the short term. Once everything is settled, I'll provide you with the antidote."
It was worth noting that Gu Tianqing's cultivation was far superior to Jiang Chen's.
Yet at this moment, Gu Tianqing was utterly terrified of Jiang Chen. He was somewhat reluctant, but ultimately didn't dare refuse. He stepped forward, took the pill, and swallowed it in one gulp.
"Excellent!"
Jiang Chen clapped his hands and smiled. "Up ahead is the Heavenly Dragon Sect. If you want to run wild in their territory, I'll turn a blind eye. However, once you pass the Heavenly Dragon Sect and head south into the territory of the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect, you'd better rein it in. Conduct a token sweep — nothing serious. The Nine Yang Heavenly Sect is now an ally of my Liuli Royal City. I won't tolerate any recklessness."
"Yes, yes." Seeing how much Jiang Chen valued his allies, the Ancient Nuo King felt somewhat reassured. Forming an alliance with Jiang Chen felt a bit like plotting with a tiger for its hide, but the Ancient Nuo King had observed this young man and found him unfathomably deep — yet not someone who would betray his word.
Perhaps, for the Ancient Nuo Tribe, partnering with him truly was an opportunity to rise to greatness.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Well then, I wish you every success. We'll rendezvous at the Liuli Royal City."
The Ancient Nuo King nodded meekly in acknowledgment.
Jiang Chen's figure flickered, and he vanished in a streak of light.
The Ancient Nuo King let out a long breath and dropped onto a nearby stone slab, staring blankly into space. Today's ordeal left him feeling like crying without tears.
A perfectly good situation had ended like this.
The ending wasn't exactly terrible, but it was certainly not what the Ancient Nuo King had wanted.
"Don't be disheartened, Chief," Gu Qi consoled him. "We Kuman have always believed in going with the flow. If we can't best the humans, bowing our heads in temporary submission is nothing."
The Ancient Nuo King sighed heavily. "Gu Qi, it's not that I want to betray Patriarch Ku Zhu — it's that... I have no choice but to consider the greater picture of the Ancient Nuo Tribe. If we all die here, our tribe will surely be struck from the Kuman roster. Those left behind to guard the homeland would never be able to withstand the encroachment of the other three great tribes."
Gu Qi nodded. "Chief, survival always comes first. If it were any of the other three great tribes in our position, they would do the same. That is our Kuman philosophy of survival."