Chapter 132: with translation of chapter title

Time flew by, the friction among the three tribes became increasingly evident, as if some hidden hand was exerting force; among them, the conflict between the Qilin tribe and the Dragon tribe was the fiercest.

Qi followed a tributary of Yunmeng Ze downstream; near the Yangtze River basin there was a ford, which the surrounding living beings called Feiyun Ferry.

This place is not conspicuous in the wilderness, yet it is one of the spots where the conflict between the Dragon tribe and the Qilin tribe runs deepest; under deliberate suppression by both sides, it has eased considerably in recent years.

A moose about a thousand zhang tall ran through the forest; the several wounds on its body indicated its condition was poor, evidently there were pursuers behind it.

Qi used divine power to guide it continually toward the ford to flee, until it leapt into the water, where the crocodiles at the ford tore it apart, its blood staining this stretch of water red.

On the bank, more than ten people in simple clothing stared at this scene with red-rimmed eyes, burning with anger; this has happened countless times in the past hundred years.

They were bare-chested, their pupils blue-green, claws and fangs exposed, with several giant wolves following at their side.

The giant crocodile in the ford also clearly noticed them, transforming into human form in the water—a youth in a green robe, who spoke with a sneer:

"What are you still doing here? They have stepped into the river water; according to the rules, this is already our prey."

"Do you intend to violate the three tribes' regulations and enter the water to seize it?"

Speaking, he even tore a large chunk of meat from the giant deer right before their eyes and swallowed it into his belly.

The youth in the green robe is a promising young talent of the crocodile tribe's Feiyun Ferry branch, named Bai Yu; having become an immortal at merely seven thousand years old, he enjoys some local fame.

Especially since a thousand years ago, he has led some of his tribesmen to continually snatch the prey of the beast tribe, thereby establishing some prestige for himself among the scaled tribe at Feiyun Ferry.

Among the people on the bank, one was noticeably much taller than the others; he stared at Bai Yu without saying much more, then simply led his tribesmen away.

"Brother Qing, are we really just going to endure this? This isn't the first time!"

A tribesman beside Qing complained incessantly.

This made Qing inevitably think of recent years, when fleeing into the water resulted in their prey being snatched by them.

To quell the strife, the three tribes stipulated their respective hunting grounds: whatever is on land belongs to the beasts' hunting grounds.

Whatever is in the water belongs to the scaled tribe's prey.

Life for the wolf tribe at Feiyun Ferry is not easy; their tribe grows ever poorer,

simply because over the past thousand years those prey seem to have fled toward the water, yet, hindered by the regulations, they have no way to continue pursuit.

Qing pondered, then said:

"For now, let us tolerate him a little; I already have a clue for revenge."

Qing recalled a beach he had previously discovered by chance; as a wolf tribesman, he immediately sensed that beach's difference, reeking of crocodile odor.

Only when it was late at night and all was quiet did Qing shout a few familiar tribesmen and lead them to that beach.

They easily evaded the guards, and without anyone noticing, dug up many giant eggs from the sand.

"Take them all away, give them to the tribesmen to taste; since this is on land, even if we eat them all, they have no grounds to complain."

After receiving the order, the several tribesmen beside him became excited, packed up all the giant eggs and carried them off; during this period, no one paid any attention.

In the high sky, Qi watched this scene indifferently; he wanted to give the three tribes something to do during this time, lest they notice the changes in the starry sky.

If not for a sudden report arriving, informing the long-reclusive Qi that there actually existed a star god among the three tribes, Qi would most likely have simply remained steadfast in Yunmeng Ze.

"Such important information, and you lot didn't even give a reminder—how shameful that you still went to listen to the Dao."

Upon reaching this point, Qi's feelings grew complex; at that time he was still in seclusion in Yunmeng Ze, and by the time he emerged, the three tribes' Dao lectures had basically ended.

Given the circumstances then, Qi naturally would not have paid attention to which new members had joined the three tribes, resulting in this information being overlooked.

Fortunately, it is not too late to make amends now; otherwise, waiting for them to notice the starry sky, Di Jun and their efforts would come to nothing.

"Feiyun Ferry is now on the brink of war; the rest is left to those who share the same ambition."

Within the Feiyun Ferry basin, the two strongest forces are the crocodile tribe and the wolf tribe; under Qi's guidance, the fuse has now been laid.

The wolf tribe's surprise attack on the crocodile tribe's spawning grounds will inevitably trigger war, which cannot be stopped; pulling one thread moves the whole body, so Qi only needs to intervene at the critical moment to expand the scale of the conflict.

Everything unfolded as Qi had anticipated; war erupted instantly, and the entire Feiyun Ferry descended into chaotic chaos.

"Dragon Lord, you must decide for us! Those poor infants, not yet born, have already fallen victim to the wolf tribe's vicious hands—such a great grudge, how can we not avenge it?"

In the Qujiang Water Manor, the Qujiang Dragon King gazed at the kneeling Feiyun Ferry Crocodile King, his head aching as if it would split.

He is merely a minor tributary dragon lord; how did he get entangled in these troubles?

Now the Yangtze's water vapor is abundant, and we cannot refuse to hostilities on the grounds of insufficient water vapor; moreover, the wolf tribe's conduct is indeed excessive, and tolerating it would greatly damage the Dragon tribe's prestige.

"Please wait a while; allow me to report to the Yangtze Dragon Lord, then we shall see his reply."

Those whom the Dragon tribe dispatches to various major waterways to serve as local dragon lords are all outstanding talents of the Dragon tribe; the Qujiang Dragon King is naturally such a one.

He knows that the present moment is not suitable for rashly initiating hostilities, and one must not raise an army out of anger; merely, the nuances of this matter are hard to gauge, leaving him unable to make a decision.

"Your words, Dragon Lord, are probably too late; we have already decided—this feud will be endless! At this very moment, our crocodile tribesmen have already set out toward the shore."

"Now that war has already begun, the tribe still has need of me; I will not disturb the Dragon Lord, excuse me as I take my leave first."

The Feiyun Ferry Crocodile King's voice was no longer as shrill as before, but had become much calmer; yet the bloodlust within it assailed the nostrils.

The Qujiang Dragon King's expression was grim; merely after the Crocodile King withdrew, he summoned the turtle chancellor dispatched by the Dragon tribe and said:

"Please report this matter to the Yangtze Dragon Lord and ask him how we ought to proceed."

"Yes."

After the crowd dispersed, the Qujiang Dragon King's countenance returned to calm, as if what had just occurred had never happened.

Having suffered such a great calamity, it would be strange if the Crocodile King could tolerate it; he had already anticipated the Crocodile King's behavior, and reporting upward was merely a notification.

The Qujiang Dragon King rested his hand on his forehead, pondering the origins and developments of this affair, seeking to find where it was unreasonable.

"The beast tribe's prey entering the water, the scaled tribe seizing the prey, the beast tribe retaliating—this is quite reasonable, yet for some reason I always feel there is something amiss."

Another hand's fingers kept tapping the tabletop; amid the rhythmic sounds, the Qujiang Dragon King seemed to think of something, and after a while he sighed:

"I know now—it is time, time moving too fast; a mere thousand years, and the situation has actually become this dire."

"Moreover, within such a brief span, merely a lowly wolf tribe soldier actually managed to discern the crocodile tribe's spawning grounds."

"And he easily bypassed all defenses, carrying away many crocodile eggs intact without alarming anyone along the way."

"Such a thing could not happen by mere chance; it seems some unknown entity has intervened."

The Winding River Dragon King fell into deep thought, constantly guessing who was behind it and what they intended to plot, but ultimately came to nothing.

Qi dwelled high above the clouds, silently watching the slaughter below; to him, these battles were no more than children's play.

"Come, someone with some weight; this little fluctuation won't draw the attention of the three clans."

Qi muttered to himself.

(End of chapter)