Chapter 117: Negotiations and Conflict

Hearing the Muhe River God make such a declaration, Feng Zi was stunned on the spot and couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Wait... why must we move away? Can we not settle here? Whose rule is this, and why should I have to follow it?"

If they were told to leave and they just left, would they ever be able to live their lives normally again?

But facing Feng Zi's obvious mockery, the River God seemed not to hear the subtext at all and answered earnestly:

"Settlement is forbidden on both banks of the Muhe; this is an agreement between me and the tribes on both sides."

"You call yourselves the Muhe Tribe, so you should also be a tribe that believes in me. How can you not abide by the agreement?"

Hearing this response, Xia was momentarily speechless and found himself answering involuntarily:

"I truly did not know of this matter... perhaps the elders of the tribe knew, but they have all passed away."

"This..." The River God was also taken aback upon hearing this.

But a moment later, its upper body swayed slightly, as if expressing a shake of the head:

"Regardless, settlement is forbidden on both banks of the Muhe; this is a rule from thousands of years ago. You should still migrate elsewhere."

The River God spoke with such self-assurance that Xia could not help but shrink back a little.

The other party could not help but step forward and whisper to Feng Zi: "Lord Cun Xin, if this rule truly exists, should we consider moving—"

"You're quite easy to talk to, aren't you? If someone tells you to move, you move? If I tell you to commit suicide, will you find a knife and slit your own throat too?"

Without waiting for the other to continue, Feng Zi turned around and looked at Xia with a gaze of "concern."

After a long while, he let out a long sigh and said earnestly:

"You should thank the old chieftain in your heart every day. If he hadn't entrusted me to look after you all, I fear you'd have sold the tribe and not even known how it happened."

"Forget it... just watch carefully and learn well. Remember, being too honest never leads to a good end."

Having said that, Feng Zi turned around, slowly floated up, and stood face-to-face with the River God.

The Muhe River God was very puzzled and asked suspiciously: "Human, what do you intend to do?"

Feng Zi clearly had no intention of exchanging pleasantries and got straight to the point: "You said that the prohibition of tribal settlement on both banks of the Muhe is a rule from thousands of years ago."

"May I ask, who set this rule? Was it a rule set by you?"

Regarding this question, the River God was even more puzzled and answered as a matter of course: "Naturally. I am the innate divine being who protects both banks of the Muhe; I naturally have my own rules."

Very good, the other party had already entered his rhythm.

Feng Zi pressed these thoughts to the bottom of his heart and followed up: "Then, why did you set this strange rule, and why do the surrounding tribes have to follow it?"

Regarding this even more obvious question, the River God's heart was full of confusion:

"Humans believe in me, and I respond to the faith of humans; naturally, I must also put forward my own requirements—can I not live in a quiet place?"

"Then have you truly responded to the faith of the humans?" Feng Zi questioned sternly.

Having said that, he turned to the side, pointed at the people behind him, and pressed:

"These people are the remnants of the Muhe Tribe, and you admitted yourself that the tribe only follows the requirements you put forward because they believe in you."

"Then, can you tell me, when this tribe was besieged by the Beast Tide, did they pray to you? And did you take action to help this tribe that believes in you?!"

Looking at Feng Zi's impassioned and unyielding stance, the eyes of the tribal youths flickered with a light they had never had before.

In the dark, some kind of spirit within their hearts rose up, as if a voice were telling them:

A real man should be like this!

Yes, as humans, they should be like Lord Cun Xin, standing tall before the masses without retreating an inch.

The River God seemed to be intimidated by Feng Zi's momentum, and its form could not help but retreat a few paces.

Feng Zi naturally would not leave any chance for a breather and continued to press forward:

"Since you have not fulfilled your duty to protect your believers, according to the principle of equivalent exchange you insist upon, the Muhe Tribe settling here is not in the slightest bit improper!"

Until now, Feng Zi still strictly categorized the event as a "verbal conflict."

If this Muhe River God were truly willing to concede at this point, both sides would naturally be at peace.

But if the other party were to become angry from embarrassment, Feng Zi would not mind showing a bit of strength.

Against a Great Demon at the Nascent Soul realm, perhaps he had no means of dealing with it at this moment.

But facing an existence with Golden Core strength, even if the other party were a so-called "innate divine being," he would not be afraid in the slightest!

It was obvious that as a River God supported by the offerings of the masses, the other party had never seen such a boorish human and was naturally unwilling to back down.

It raised its "hand" and said stiffly:

"Settlement is not allowed on both banks of the Muhe; this is my rule as a divine being. No matter what situation arises, there can be no exceptions."

"Human, considering it is not easy for you to have cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Realm, leave now and I will treat it as if nothing happened. Otherwise—"

Before the words had faded, the calm Muhe instantly whipped up waves dozens of feet high:

As long as the River God gave the order, the wide river could instantly submerge this crude tribe.

Seeing this scene, everyone present felt a kind of crushing fear.

Facing the great power of nature, Xia only felt his legs trembling and could not help but want to retreat.

The great passion in the hearts of those tribal youths who had felt inspired was also shattered by these huge waves:

In the face of the great power of nature, can humans really press forward without fear?

But Feng Zi only felt a sense of ridicule and mocked from the bottom of his heart:

"What... do you think that because you are still willing to show mercy, you are a kind-hearted divine being?"

Since the other party could not be refuted through words and was attempting to use power to suppress others, then Feng Zi would no longer hide anything:

The language of power—who doesn't know it?

He only slightly displayed a portion of the strength he had been hiding—

In an instant, a terrifying pressure emanated from him, actually suppressing the River God's momentum completely.

In a flash, the birds in the sky fluttered down to land on trees, the beasts in the forest cowered in the shadows of the trees, and even the fish in the water could not help but bury their heads in the mud at the bottom of the river.

Even the churning river water broke free from the River God's control, slowly settling down and returning to its former calm.

In the blink of an eye, the River God realized that the human before him seemed to have transformed into some kind of terrifying ferocious beast!

"Since you chose to disregard reason first, let's see whose skills are superior," Feng Zi said indifferently.

The people behind him might not have felt anything, but for the River God, he only felt...

Every word uttered by that human carried a bone-chilling coldness.

Before the words had even faded, Feng Zi drew the precious bow in his hand, nocking an arrow.

His movements appeared clear, but by the time the Mu He River God reacted, he only heard a "whoosh" as something streaked past his ear:

That was the sound of an arrow piercing through the air!