Chapter 887: Heron Tribe

A caravan of over thirty people was traveling alone across the boundless grassland. Though there were only seven or eight vehicles, the leather-clad riders surrounding them were all young and vigorous, some even children as young as eleven or twelve.

Leading the caravan was an old man, splendidly dressed and mounted on a yellow steed. He wore a fiery red fox fur hat, and a three-colored brocade belt, symbolizing his status as a tribal chief, was tied around his waist.

They were in the southern part of the Tianlan Grassland, a Tuwu caravan on its way to the Holy Temple to offer tribute. The "Tianlan Grassland" was the Tuwu people's name for the Mulan Grassland. They had always believed in the legendary "Tianlan Beast," revering it for generations as their tribal guardian deity, which was why the grassland bore this name.

Originally, the Tuwu people had only occupied the southern half of the Tianlan Grassland. However, thirty years ago, after decisively defeating their sworn enemies, the Mulan people, in a battle in the central grassland, they had since taken control of the entire vast grassland. Their power had naturally skyrocketed, leaving them with no rivals.

The vast Tuwu tribe comprised countless internal clans, ranging from small ones with tens of thousands of people to colossal ones with hundreds of millions, all spread across the grassland. Moreover, the last holy war had seen many distinguish themselves, leading to the emergence of numerous new independent tribes. Some of these tribes were sizable, while others were rather insignificant, with populations numbering only in the tens of thousands.

The "Cangluo Tribe," to which the old man belonged, was one such micro-tribe that had branched off from a larger clan. Though it could be called a tribe, its total population was only seventy to eighty thousand.

The old man, Yingluo, had been exceptionally brave in his youth. During the holy war, he had consecutively crushed several small Mulan tribes and captured numerous nobles, which earned him his current esteemed position. However, years of strenuous effort and the ravages of time had taken their toll; though only in his fifties, his body already showed signs of advanced age.

It was midday. The old man looked up at the scorching sun, then back at the young children in the caravan, and sighed deeply. By custom, every tribe, regardless of its size, was required to have an immortal master among its ranks. Without one, ordinary mortals would be utterly defenseless against natural disasters or demonic beasts.

However, nascent, small tribes like theirs found it impossible to attract any immortal masters. Even the lowest-ranking masters were unwilling to settle in such a tiny tribe. After all, for immortal masters, joining a larger and wealthier tribe was more advantageous, as it could provide ample resources for their cultivation. Some smaller tribes did manage to retain low-ranking immortal masters, but these were typically individuals who either originated from those tribes or possessed inferior cultivation aptitudes, making larger tribes unwilling to support them. Thus, they were reluctantly left behind.

The Cangluo Tribe, where the old man resided, had not yet had the opportunity to cultivate its own immortal masters. Consequently, for years, whenever issues arose, they had to pay exorbitant sums to hire low-ranking immortal masters from neighboring tribes for assistance. Just a few interventions could consume a significant portion of the tribe's annual income, exacerbating the Cangluo Tribe's already meager resources.

Fortunately, the "Spirit Awakening Day," an event that occurred only once every twenty years, was finally approaching. Yingluo, who had long been concerned about this, naturally could not miss the opportunity. He immediately led several tribal youths, who had been tested and found to possess spiritual roots, toward the Tianlan Holy Temple closest to their tribe.

The Tianlan Holy Temple had originally been built to venerate the Tianlan Sacred Beast. However, over many years of evolution, it had become a sacred site for the Tuwu people, serving as the primary training ground for low-ranking immortal masters of the Tuwu tribe. Each Holy Temple housed several high-ranking immortal masters responsible for teaching fundamental cultivation methods. Upon achieving some proficiency, those with lesser aptitude would return to their respective tribes for sustenance, while individuals with promising potential were taken as disciples by high-ranking cultivators for specialized training. High-ranking immortal masters were strictly forbidden from privately teaching immortal arts to any mortal who had not undergone the Spirit Awakening ceremony.

There were only sixty to seventy such Holy Temples, yet they were evenly distributed across the vast grassland. Each served as the central hub for a large region, encircled by thousands of tribes, both large and small. As the sole Holy Temple in its region, larger tribes were naturally situated closer to it. The Cangluo Tribe, however, being small, was assigned a location extremely far away, requiring a full three months of travel to reach the Holy Temple from their home.

Left with no choice, Yingluo had led the expedition from the tribe four months prior. During the previous "Spirit Awakening Day," even though he had already established his tribe's independence, he couldn't gather enough tribute and was forced to let the opportunity slip away. This time, Yingluo was absolutely determined not to miss it. Even if the entire tribe had to tighten its belts and live frugally for several years, he was resolved to ensure his tribe had its own immortal masters.

However, traversing such a vast grassland with the tribute was an extremely perilous undertaking for them. After all, the tribute items were highly valuable to immortal masters and incredibly precious to ordinary mortals. Many ill-intentioned individuals seized this opportunity to rob weaker caravans; even some immoral immortal masters might even take action. Such incidents were common during the annual "Spirit Awakening Day" period. Tribes closer to the Holy Temple fared somewhat better, as people generally feared the Temple's name and dared not be overly reckless. However, for distant tribes like theirs, the danger was extreme.

It was rumored that during the last period, a medium-sized tribe in this region, carrying a nearly thousand-year-old spiritual medicine as part of their tribute, had their entire caravan mysteriously vanish on the way to the Holy Temple after word leaked out. Not a single person was ever found. Consequently, many speculated that a high-ranking immortal master from a large tribe, coveting the treasure, had committed murder and robbery. The Holy Temple was naturally angered by this and reportedly sent its own immortal masters to investigate, but for some reason, the matter eventually faded away without resolution.

Therefore, even though the tribute items were prepared this time, the absence of an immortal master to protect them had left the Cangluo tribal chief restless since their departure. During the "Spirit Awakening Day" period, immortal masters from various tribes were also busy accompanying their own groups to the Holy Temple. No one was willing to be hired, even for spirit stones. Any wandering immortal masters were quickly snapped up by larger, neighboring tribes with substantial payments. As the chief of one of the weakest tribes, Yingluo could only watch helplessly.

At this thought, the old man sighed and glanced back. Among the seven or eight vehicles behind them, four were loaded entirely with tribute, pulled by horses specially selected from the tribe. These wagons were also prudently constructed from the tribe's sturdiest red birch wood. To avoid drawing attention, however, all the vehicles were made to appear dilapidated and exceedingly old on the surface.

It was fortunate these precautions were taken, or trouble might have arisen much earlier. Even with these measures, the caravan had nearly suffered casualties when they encountered a small pack of wild wolves earlier in their journey. To break free from the wolves, the caravan had been forced to abandon their two slowest vehicles to reach their current safe location. Although those two vehicles contained nothing valuable, they had held most of the group's food supply for the next two months. It seemed they would have to pause their journey for a few days. He remembered there was a canyon nearby, about two days' journey ahead. It was rarely visited; perhaps they could hunt some wild cattle or sheep there to replenish their supplies.

At this thought, the old man reached back to touch the hardwood bow hanging from his saddle, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Huh! What's that?" a clear female voice suddenly exclaimed from beside the old man, full of surprise. It was Ying Shan, a graceful young girl riding closely behind the old man, who had spoken. The girl, named Ying Shan, was fifteen or sixteen years old. A junior relative of Yingluo, she was also one of the few in the tribe found to possess spiritual roots, and naturally, she was deeply favored by him.

Startled by her words, the old man quickly looked up. Indeed, not far ahead, amidst a dense thicket of bushes, a flickering blue light could be seen, dimly suggesting something was within. He remembered clearly that there had been no such light in that direction before he had just looked back. The old man's heart tensed. As a tribal chief, he was naturally familiar with the spiritual light emitted by immortal masters when they used their powers. Could an immortal master truly be targeting their meager caravan?

Yingluo's heart sank. With a sudden raised hand, the caravan behind him immediately came to a halt. Everyone else had also seen the blue light in the bushes ahead, and their faces betrayed a mixture of alarm and caution. The old man feigned composure, gripping the reins tightly and remaining still, but his mind raced, desperately searching for a strategy to protect them.

However, after a moment, the old man realized something was amiss. Although the blue light in the bushes continued to flicker, no immortal master appeared, nor were any immortal arts unleashed. Yingluo's eyes lit up. He quickly looked closely at the bushes, which were so dense and tall, reaching a person's height, that it was impossible to discern anything clearly.

"'Tumen! Go and see if there's really an immortal master there,' the old man suddenly instructed, his eyes flickering.

"'Yes, Chief!' A strong, fierce-looking young man from the caravan, startled by the command, quickly assented. He then dismounted and cautiously headed towards the bushes about twenty paces away. When he was only five or six paces from the blue light, the young man hesitated, and his steps instinctively halted.

"'May I ask which immortal master is here? We are from the Cangluo Tribe, and we have come specifically to pay our respects,' the young man said courteously, seemingly holding some status in the Cangluo Tribe, his face displaying a respectful expression.

However, only the spiritual light continued to flicker within the bushes, with no sound emitted. Seeing this, the young man couldn't help but glance back at the old man. The old man considered for a moment, then silently nodded to him. The young man immediately gained some confidence and quietly continued forward. When he reached the bushes, the young man hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and parted the foliage before him.