Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 738 - 737: Visitors to Yiting

The courtyard was serene, with a young Hunter dining in the room while the old woman was alone in the yard, visibly distressed.

Just like countless other Yiting families, life in the big mountains was always fraught with danger and helplessness, something they had grown accustomed to. However, for her, the burden was even heavier.

The mother and son depended on each other for survival, and it was uncertain how long this way of life would continue—perhaps it would only become livelier when the son married and had children?

Caught in her thoughts, a loud voice sounded from outside the yard with rapid footsteps, "Xing Kong, this is bad, guests from Yiting have reached an agreement with our tribe, they are going to open the coffin in the Ancestral Temple, just for that bead!"

The door flung open, and the young Yiting man, hair and beard bristled, eyes wide with fury, held a steel pitchfork that gleamed coldly,

"If they want to open the coffin, they must get past my pitchfork first!"

A few young Yiting men who had just returned from hunting rushed about, preparing to storm the Ancestral Temple, when the old woman shouted from behind, "Hold on!"

Xing Kong stopped in his tracks, turned around, and said with sorrow and anger, "Mother, they want to open sister’s coffin!"

The old woman’s face showed deep sadness. How could she not understand the intricacies involved in her whole life? But prevention was not that simple; the tribespeople had a decisive nature, and even an old woman possessed a fierce resolve.

"We cannot just go like this; you are too few in number. Shan Zi, go find Uncle Jiu and muster the hunting team; Da Zhuang, go find Lord Yellow Earth and gather the farmers; Xiao Hu, go find Sister Lin and have the sisters head to the Ancestral Temple!"

The old woman’s expression returned to calm as she picked up her walking stick from the corner, "Xing Kong, don’t rush, let’s take it slow. If anyone dares to open the coffin today, we mother and son will leave our lives in the Ancestral Temple!"

The flustered young men finally sobered up and scattered to carry out their tasks. Xing Kong, supporting his mother, was pushed away by her,

"I can still walk, I can still wield my stick!"

The entire valley began to stir, with tens of thousands in the tribe, who were easily linked due to their close relationships. The purpose of the visitors from Yiting was no secret anymore, although the tribal leader was still arguing their case, everyone was waiting for news.

It was as if bait were thrown into a fish pond, causing seething turmoil.

Groups and teams, old and young, armed with guns and sticks, slowly converged towards the Ancestral Temple. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

What could an Ancestral Temple in a small Yiting tribe have that people would covet? But here, there was now an object of desire for many, both within and outside the tribe: the Earth Spirit Pearl.

It was embedded in the forehead of the last generation’s Saintess, buried in the underground chamber of the Ancestral Temple.

For ten years, the competition for this treasure had never ceased. Human Cultivators were unable to use Cultivation Power and had to resort to the tribe’s mundane strength to achieve their goals—a difficult and lengthy process taking several years, pressing down layer by layer from Yiting to the tribe, until now they had a glimmer of progress, forcing the tribal leader to reluctantly nod.

Countless times they had sought the opinion of the mother and son, but as family members, they had never given in until today.

They could no longer withstand it.

Streams of people converged; such significant affairs allowed no one to remain indifferent, and for a small tribe, every individual had a voice.

Leading the procession were the female members of the tribe, unable to tolerate their Saintess’s death being disgraced; followed by the farmers who, though unfamiliar with cultivation, could roughly understand the importance of the Earth Spirit Pearl to the land beneath their feet;

Hunters were last, they would not allow betrayal as it was an insult to them. Ten years ago, the Earth Spirit Pearl had been sent out of the mountains for appraisal, and hundreds of hunters had paid with their lives while escorting it. Now, were they expected to simply hand it over?

Among the lower ranks of the tribe, this was consensus, which was why they would always remain at the bottom.

Almost the entire tribe gathered in front of the Ancestral Temple; amidst the noise, a disturbance could erupt at any moment, but because the Ancestral Temple was particularly special to a tribe, it had not yet sparked unrest.

Inside the Ancestral Temple, several individuals looked at the chaos outside and frowned. Among them, a figure in a black robe showed dissatisfaction,

"Ku Ji, it seems your tribespeople are somewhat disobedient?"

Ku Ji, the tribal leader of these winged people, maintained a stony expression. "The same would happen at Yiting, for no winged person would willingly obey in such matters!"

The winged person in the black robes came from Yiting, which was akin to the human kingdom’s Royal Court. Although the Royal Court of humankind was less powerful, Yiting wielded substantial control over the winged tribes of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

They had many methods to make a winged tribe comply, such as unleashing a Beast Tide or instigating wars. Despite all being winged people, the tribes were not harmonious due to disputes over land, hunting grounds, water sources, and history, among other things.

Losing the Earth Spirit Pearl could indeed cause the soil here to degenerate, but at worst, life would become harder. However, some things could strip the tribe of its very foundation for survival.

What was more critical? Each person had their considerations. Thus, even if Ku Ji was reluctant, he had to bow under the pressure from Yiting. They could ultimately not act independently from the race of the winged people.

The figure in the black robe huffed, unable to be too harsh since he still wanted to achieve his goal. Anything beyond that was not his to scrutinize closely, after all, it was the cry of tens of thousands of winged people,

"You need not react like this. The Earth Spirit Pearl hasn’t been given to outsiders. Hasn’t the Master of Northern Heavenly Gate protected us for thousands of years? Is this request too much? We are offering compensation and the terms are quite generous already. The use of the Earth Spirit Pearl will not go beyond the scope of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Is such a reaction necessary?"

Ku Ji remained silent. By this time, saying anything else was useless; the decision was not made by him alone but determined collectively by the council of elders. Yiting had pulled many strings behind the scenes, winning over many people. The temptation of material gains was inevitably irresistible.

Seeing that Ku Ji did not respond, the figure in the black robe refrained from pressing him too hard and turned to address two persons behind him, "Master, these small tribes’ subjects are crude and reckless and do not heed advice. What do you think?"

From inside the spacious robe, a voice chuckled, "No matter, I anticipated this. We need not force the issue. With a mere trick and a little sleight of hand, what would they know?"

These individuals hailed from Northern Heavenly Gate, a mysterious force within the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Continent’s cultivation world, having ties with all tribes within the mountains. They could be considered a sovereign cultivation power. To Yiting, they could refuse Daoist Sects, Buddhist Sects, or any sect except Northern Heavenly Gate, which was inconvertible.

It was precisely because of Northern Heavenly Gate’s involvement that the Earth Spirit Pearl had remained secreted away here for ten years without being stolen. Otherwise, given the reckless nature of cultivators, their methods were far too numerous.

"I have a treasure fit for a display. Shortly, I’ll reveal it to the public, allowing your tribespeople to worship. If the public will is united, I can use this distraction to substitute the Earth Spirit Pearl.

But rest assured, the substitute is also a treasure capable of preserving the Saintess’s flesh from decay, making the deception perfectly plausible."