Chapter 702: The New High Priest

E Ji and Su Ji, the two beautiful women, now guided the way and, before nightfall, led Li Yi to a slave master named Gong Man, a major slave owner with a large inventory of valuable merchandise.

"Guest, would you like to buy slaves?" Gong Man greeted Li Yi with great courtesy, then noticed E Ji and Su Ji behind him, his eyes flickering slightly.

Clearly, Gong Man recognized the two women—they were the beauties he had once sold.

He remembered selling them to the merchant lord Xiu Xiang for two hundred gold.

Li Yi said, "Do you recognize these two beauties beside me?"

"Of course," Gong Man smiled. "They're slaves from the Changshan Tribe—one named Su, the other E. Last year, they were the two most beautiful women in my possession. But now I have even lovelier concubines—would you like to buy?"

"I'm not here to buy beauties," Li Yi said, glancing at E Ji behind him.

E Ji immediately said, "You hold a great shaman named Dou Kun from the Changshan Tribe. We beg you to sell him to my master."

Gong Man smiled. "You're clearly favored by your master. But a great shaman's price is not cheap—they hold ancestral knowledge and command the power of heaven and earth. In the marketplace, they're rare treasures. A great shaman from a major tribe is even more valuable than a divine-blood warrior."

Li Yi cut him off directly: "How much gold to sell me this Dou Kun?"

Gong Man studied Li Yi, his eyes shifting slightly.

This was a golden opportunity, and he wouldn't sell cheap—but he couldn't price it too high, or word would spread and damage his reputation, harming future business.

Gong Man said, "A great shaman? Three thousand gold."

Three thousand gold?

Hearing this, E Ji and Su Ji trembled, stunned—and instantly gripped by panic and unease, for the price was far too high.

Recall that the divine-blood warrior Long Yu was worth only a thousand gold.

A great shaman should be worth at most one to two thousand gold—this slave master dared to double it.

Though Li Yi didn't know the world's prices, he knew this was an inflated offer. He frowned.

Gong Man added quickly, "The price is high, but I'll throw in five beautiful concubines."

Even five beauties would be worth at most five hundred gold—and only if they matched E Ji and Su Ji's caliber.

Clearly, he intended to bundle it all into one big deal.

"Two thousand gold. I don't want the five concubines. Deal?" Li Yi said.

Li Yi expected further haggling—but Gong Man immediately beamed and agreed: "Done!"

"." Li Yi.

He agreed too readily—two thousand gold must have been too high. Clearly, business wasn't his strength.

"Bring him out."

Li Yi no longer cared. Luckily, he'd earned eighty thousand gold from Merchant Lord Lie Hou—otherwise, he couldn't have bought anything. Now he owed Lie Hou thanks—he'd become rich overnight.

He handed Gong Man twenty red gold ingots.

Though shrewd, Gong Man was trustworthy—he took the gold and immediately ordered his servants to bring out the great shaman, Dou Kun.

Soon.

Li Yi saw an old man, wrinkled and leaning on a cane, his body covered in ancient totems. He was ancient, his vitality withered, his frame emaciated—but his eyes burned bright, childlike, unforgettable.

"Great shaman."

E Ji and Su Ji immediately knelt before the old man.

"Is it E and Su?"

Dou Kun sighed deeply. "You two are good children—but you shouldn't have rescued an old man with little time left. Live well yourselves. Let me wither like autumn leaves, melt like spring snow. Don't defy heaven's natural law."

He was old, but not foolish.

As slaves themselves, E and Su must have paid a heavy price to free him. So when freed, he felt no joy—only shame and helplessness.

"We live because of you, Great Shaman," E Ji said earnestly. "Whenever we had a chance, we'd rescue you."

Dou Kun lifted his aged head and looked at Li Yi.

He saw at once: this Li Yi was a divine-blood warrior, young, his body brimming with boundless potential. More astonishing—he sensed two bloodlines within this man.

"Remarkable young warrior. You will surely become a god."

His assessment matched exactly that of the former Nan Shan Bo—both believed Li Yi would become a new deity.

Li Yi merely smiled. "I hope so. Great Shaman, don't blame E and Su. They see you as vital. Your life matters deeply to them. If you died in a slave master's hands, they'd regret it for life."

"You're right."

Great Shaman Dou Kun said, "But my duty and purpose ended with the fall of the Changshan Tribe. Even if I'm freed, the tribe won't return—just as we once extinguished other tribes. Rise and fall follow the Dao of nature. No one can defy it."

"Then live differently. Follow me, for instance?"

Li Yi said, "You're an old sage. To leave you wandering alone is cruel. Let me care for your final years."

Hearing this, E Ji and Su Ji's faces lit up with joy.

If the Great Shaman followed Da Yi, it would be a great blessing—he could help Da Yi govern, and they could bear divine-blood heirs.

Though the Changshan Tribe had perished, its bloodline and legacy had been reborn from ashes.

E Ji and Su Ji understood this. So did Great Shaman Dou Kun.

What matters most in forming a tribe? The great shaman, a powerful chieftain, and enough warriors and descendants.

Coincidentally—

All these conditions now existed.

Like a tiny seed, it only needed time to take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree.

But could he live to see that day?

To witness a divine-blood tribe reborn?

Still—he must try.

At least, E Ji and Su Ji still had a future.

He was old—perhaps he could still burn as dry wood one last time.

"Young warrior, what is your name?" Dou Kun asked.

Li Yi said, "I am Da Yi."

"Da Yi—a fine name. I accept your offer. I will follow you, serve you as my lord. I beg you, Da Yi, do not disdain my age and uselessness. I will pass on all I know, to help you grow your divine-blood lineage."

Li Yi smiled. "Age is never a flaw here. I guarantee you'll live in comfort and peace."

"Thank you, Da Yi," Dou Kun said sincerely.

Li Yi said, "Let's go. We should return. With time left, let's buy wine and meat—tonight, we feast. For now, none of you need do anything. You're all wounded, weak—you must rest."

Shan Guo, Long Yu, and Great Shaman Dou Kun all looked at Da Yi.

Indeed, he was a born leader—worthy of devotion. He never humiliated others; he gave full respect.

That respect was worth dying for.

E Ji and Su Ji supported Dou Kun, their eyes fixed on Da Yi ahead. They now knew: this man was their entire world.

What the future held, they didn't know. They only knew: Da Yi's fate was their fate.

On the way back, Li Yi bought much wine and meat—over a dozen divine beasts alone, for now many mouths needed feeding.

As master, he bore all expenses.

So being the boss carried pressure.

(End of chapter)