Chapter 1269: Confrontation with the Black Panther Clan

"How can we reach the Tiger King clan's headquarters fastest from the Gobi region?" Xu Yang asked.

Queen Talia immediately provided an answer. "The fastest route would involve passing through the territories of three major clans. These three clans are, in fact, three of the eight major clans within the Tiger King clan's dominion that I mentioned to you earlier. Two of these three clans are close to the Scorpion clan, having long-term trade relations and cooperative ties, while the third is an ally of our Serpentine race. The route I've chosen should be considered the most convenient way to reach the Tiger King's territory from the Gobi region. However, as you might expect, there will inevitably be some clashes and conflicts along the way, so you must be prepared for battle."

Xu Yang nodded with a smile. "Don't worry. This time, we don't need to bring too many people. It would be safer to leave all the warriors of the Scorpion and Serpentine clans at their main camps in the Gobi. After all, a large-scale war just occurred here. Moving en masse towards the Tiger King clan might put undue pressure on them, which would be detrimental to our subsequent plans."

Queen Talia's smile deepened. "I actually thought the same, but I couldn't bring myself to ask you to exert more effort. The fewer people I bring, the greater the pressure you few will face during this journey."

However, upon hearing Queen Talia's slightly self-reproachful tone, Xiao Hua, who was beside her, smiled. "Your Majesty, you don't need to worry so much. Apart from us, you already have a full understanding of A-Yang's strength alone. With him here, even the clans in the Ten Kings' Domain won't be able to cause much trouble. We are merely passing through as a matter of routine and will not be excessively troubled by them. If these individuals are truly so unreasonable, we will impose swift and severe sanctions if necessary. In any case, our sole objective this time is to reach the Tiger King's headquarters as quickly as possible."

After settling all matters at the headquarters, Queen Talia no longer hesitated. She immediately set out from the Gobi with Xu Yang's core team members, heading southwest.

It took a full three days just to exit the Gobi region. The strength and stamina of these individuals were far beyond what ordinary warriors could match. Even so, it took them three full days to reach the border of the Gobi region, which clearly demonstrates the vastness of the northern wilderness.

"My goodness, we've finally left the Gobi's border. Your territory is immense! No wonder intense wars frequently break out among clans, as they seek to seize more land. Controlling such a vast land means access to abundant resources. One could say that an extra inch of territory equates to an increase in prestige and capital."

Queen Talia did not refute Qing Long's point, but she did offer her own perspective. "In reality, it ultimately depends on the extent of the strongest individual's power within a clan. This is precisely why I was so eager to continuously enhance my bloodline strength. If a clan has a sufficiently powerful leader, then the clan's inherent security will naturally be higher than that of other clans. In fact, the positions of the so-called Ten Kings' leading clans within the Ten Kings' Domain are not fixed. If a clan within a certain jurisdiction becomes more powerful than the original King's clan, then the Beast Emperor clan will issue a new decree, transferring the regional rule of the corresponding Ten Kings' clan to the emerging, more powerful clan.

"However, among all the savage clans within the Tiger King clan's jurisdiction, no force has ever been able to threaten the Tiger King clan's status as a king over the years. This is because the three great leaders of the Tiger King clan are the three strongest individuals, unparalleled throughout the entire domain. Even my current strength is barely a tenth of the Tiger Kings'. It is precisely because these three Tiger Kings possess such immense power that they can ensure the Tiger King clan maintains its leadership status, looking down upon all others, firmly occupying a spot among the leaders of the Ten Kings' Domain. As for us clans ruled by them, we can never hope to usurp their position.

"Our Serpentine race, due to limited reproductive capabilities, has always been subordinate among the eight major clans under the Tiger King's dominion for many years. We, the lower-ranked, rarely come into contact with the Tiger King clan and have almost no opportunity to witness their power. However, according to rumors, the Tiger King clan's true foundation is almost entirely concentrated in those three leaders. In other words, as long as nothing happens to those three, the Tiger King clan's leadership will endure indefinitely."

As Queen Talia said this, the members of Xu Yang's team nearby all seemed to show unusual expressions, especially the young White Tiger. The little guy chuckled and suddenly moved closer to Queen Talia. "Don't worry. With our boss A-Yang around, it's not impossible to beat those pathetic Tiger Kings into submission. So, Queen Talia, if you want to achieve a higher status, just serve our boss well and steadily. He can grant you whatever you desire." As soon as the young White Tiger uttered these words, Xu Yang and Xiao Hua were completely stunned. They hadn't expected this young rascal, despite his age, to have so many outlandish ideas. Especially when he said this, Queen Talia's cheeks flushed, and she looked quite embarrassed. After all, an unspoken relationship already existed between her and Xu Yang. Hearing this provocation, Queen Talia gave Xu Yang a deep look, and her previously settled emotions seemed to stir once more. Fortunately, Xu Yang's temperament was far more composed than Queen Talia's. Since they were currently traveling, it was absolutely impossible for anything to happen between them in front of their teammates.

Five more days passed, and Xu Yang's team arrived at a relatively humid jungle area. According to Queen Talia, this jungle was home to about a dozen powerful clans. The strongest among them was the Black Panther clan, a renowned member of the eight major clans under the Tiger King, ranking alongside the Serpentine and Scorpion clans! Upon hearing the name, Xu Yang and the others roughly guessed that the Black Panther clan must be an allied force with ties to the Scorpion clan. Therefore, a confrontation between their members and Queen Talia would undoubtedly be a fight to the death. After all, no external powers currently knew that the Scorpion clan had been completely annexed by Queen Talia.