Chapter 288: Makurag Clan Chief

The airship had been sailing for three days, and the Extreme Warriors finally arrived at their homeland.

Makurag is also the name of a mountain range, located in the southwest of the Sain Plateau; in many barbarian tribes' languages, Makurag means "the great mountain on the plateau," and it serves as the border mountain between the Sain Plateau and the Shi Jie Shan Mai.

The closer one gets to the Makurag Mountains, the higher the altitude becomes, and the temperature drops accordingly.

Even in the hottest summer, the wind here still carries a chill; at night the cold wind howls, and one must cover oneself with a blanket to sleep inside the airship.

Looking into the distance, one can see mountain peaks stretching endlessly.

The summits are blanketed in perpetual white snow.

"That should be the Shi Jie Shan Mai," Lei En said, standing on the deck and gazing ahead, pulling up a map of the Yoreth Continent on his phone for comparison.

The Shi Jie Shan Mai, also called the World's Roof, is the highest-altitude region in Ai Lun E Si.

This massive mountain range forms an irregular belt, splitting the Yoreth Continent—known to people as the Old Continent—in half; half of the range runs north to south, the other half runs northwest to southeast, resembling a huge hook.

The hook-shaped tip of the range extends into the Hohaben Principality, while the Sain Plateau lies inside that "hook" and to its north.

In terms of area, the Sain Plateau and the Shi Jie Shan Mai are roughly comparable.

There is no clear boundary between them; the biggest difference is that the plateau, besides peaks, contains vast flat grasslands that nurture many races and creatures, whereas the Shi Jie Shan Mai's terrain is steeper and its climate colder, making it hard for ordinary species to survive.

Both dragons and dwarves claim to be the masters of the Shi Jie Shan Mai, but one lives atop the mountains and the other dwells underground, unrelated to each other.

The Makurag people's homeland can also be considered part of the Shi Jie Shan Mai.

In fact, the Makurag Mountains hold great significance for the Empire; they are the source of the Empire's longest river, Na Qu Mo He, though few know of it and even fewer have visited.

At noon.

Suddenly, a vast plateau appeared ahead of the airship; at the edge of the view, dozens of towering peaks stood densely together, like a massive wall spanning the heavens, filling observers with awe.

"Finally home!"

"Astat, we have returned…"

The Extreme Warriors shouted loudly from the deck toward the mountains; their faces were excited, and a few even half‑kneeling, whispering prayers for the location of their homeland.

The plateau is dotted with hundreds of lakes of varying sizes, abundant aquatic plants, spectacular scenery, and even extensive forests.

It is one of the most pleasant regions Lei En has seen since entering the plateau.

The airship continued flying for over half an hour, approaching the foothills of the mountains, and finally a grand city entirely built of stone appeared in view.

Lei En stared at the city, unable to hide his astonishment.

In Xikaliusi's mouth, they have always referred to their homeland as a tribe.

In Lei En's impression, barbarian tribes should be very rudimentary, perhaps covering a large area, but given their civilization and technology, they are certainly far inferior to humans; at best they build houses from timber and stone, which isn't much.

Along the way, the airship passed several barbarian tribes, all indeed quite backward.

However, what lay before them was a genuine city!

And it was truly spectacular.

The city is built against the mountain, merging with a sheer cliff at least eight hundred meters high, divided from top to bottom into five tiers.

The lowest, first tier is surrounded by a wall ten‑plus meters high, forming a semicircle that protects the city. Inside the wall, the flat ground hosts hundreds of stone houses; proceeding along the main avenue through the front gate to the base of the cliff, two long ramps lead up to the city's second tier.

Then come the third and fourth tiers, each connected by ramps or tunnels; the higher the tier, the narrower its area and the fewer the buildings.

Each tier has its own independent wall and entrance, like a heavily fortified stronghold, making it difficult even for thousands of troops to breach.

A massive rock, like a blade, slices the entire city into left and right halves.

This blade‑like rock extends from behind the first‑tier front‑gate plaza upward to the city's highest tier. Its top has been chiseled flat, forming the fifth tier, upon which a towering temple of white megastone has been erected.

Within the temple stands a gray‑white tower; from its summit one can overlook the entire city.

Beyond the temple, the back is an even steeper stone wall, hanging on both sides; unless an enemy can fly, it is impossible to charge down from the rear mountains, making the city as solid as a gold‑filled soup.

Lei En gazed at this marvelously crafted stone city.

Although its overall size is modest, far smaller than the Empire's great cities, perhaps housing only twenty‑to‑thirty thousand people—comparable to a village on the outskirts of Mo Du—a sense of age, rustic grandeur, and magnificence washes over you, leaving one breathless.

"Xikaliusi, why never told me before that a tribe is like this?" Lei En asked with admiration.

"Um…" Xikaliusi scratched his head, "I thought, boss, you knew."

Lei En's expression froze.

He always projects an erudite image before others, as if he knows more than anyone, but in truth he relies on the phone library to appear wise—essentially showing off.

There are countless things I don't know…

Lei En muttered.

With a few minutes left before the airship lands, he hurriedly searched the library for information on the Makurag Mountains and quickly obtained detailed data.

It turned out the city was not built by barbarians but by dwarves.

At the beginning of the previous era, about ten thousand years ago, dwarves rose, emerged from the Shi Jie Shan Mai, and gradually ruled the Sain Plateau and the eastern expanses of the Old Continent, including the present Empire's territories, all once dwarf lands.

Dwarves built many cities on the plateau; the most famous is the one before them, called "Mongdebog" in dwarf tongue, once the political center of dwarves on the plateau.

At the era's end, the Abyss invaded, dwarves weakened, and retreated underground within the Shi Jie Shan Mai.

The spectacular city was abandoned by the dwarves, taken over by the plateau's barbarians; after several struggles and many changes of ownership, the Makurag people finally became its masters, up to the present.

The Makurag people named it after their oldest ancestor, called Astat.

The name is known only within the tribe.

Because of its superior location and the fertile lands surrounding the city, Astat has been coveted by numerous barbarian tribes, troll clans, and various intelligent races on the plateau, leading to centuries of continuous war.

The Makurag people also lost divine protection, making their continued hold on the city especially hard.

The airship reached the sky above the city.

Even from several thousand meters away, the Makurag people in the city were alarmed; the temple's high tower sounded a resonant horn, and squads of towering barbarians ran everywhere, scaling the walls.

Every barbarian, regardless of gender, was robust and strong, wielding weapons and bearing spears.

They hid behind each tier's wall, peeking up at the airship, eyes alert and somewhat curious, yet none showed fear.

Lei En kept the airship at a safe distance, hovering in mid‑air.

Then he said to the three Extreme Warriors riding flame dragons, "You go down first."

"Alright, boss."

Xikaliusi and his two companions leapt onto the flame dragons, clamping their legs together, and the dragons glided down toward the city.

The arrival of the three flame dragons made the Makulag people below even more on guard, but some saw the figures on the dragons' backs and recognized them as their own kin.

"Don't make a move."

On the giant rock platform at the city's highest point, in the open space before the temple, a towering, immensely muscular Makulag person stood at the edge and shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the city.

Lei En looked at him, and his Soul Eye saw that he was a legendary barbarian.

The Extreme Warriors had mentioned before that currently there is only one legend among the Makulag tribe, namely the chieftain Maliwusi.

He is the strongest barbarian Lei En has ever seen, his power close to a Mid-stage legend, possessing more than twenty Elements, most of which are powerful physique Elements, making his physical condition terrifyingly robust—taller than an average Makulag by a head, nearly two and a half meters.

Strength, Swiftness, Toughness, Enduring Stamina, Self‑healing, Rapid Recovery, Unyielding Willpower, Charge, Heavy Strike, Blood Frenzy, Angry Strike, Keen Sight Eye, Precise Throw, Reverse Slash, Wind Slash, Swift Shadow Thrust, Lightning Counter, Speedy Run, Leaping Jump, Force Release, Battle Frenzy, Shockwave, Power Burst, Soul‑shattering Roar, Pain Ignorance, Toxin Resistance…

Just the Strength Element alone, this barbarian chieftain has reached level eight, same as me; all his combat technique Elements have been honed over years, almost all at the limit.

He is the fully upgraded Xikaliusi!

All the Elements Xikaliusi possesses, Maliwusi also has, and stronger; any Elements Xikaliusi lacks, Maliwusi also has, and has trained them to high levels.

Lei En glanced and felt a certain amount of pressure.

If it were only melee strength, I might not be his match; of course, using various augmentations and spells, defeating him should not be a problem.

The flame dragons descended to the city's highest point, the platform in front of the temple.

Xikaliusi and his two companions jumped down and said, "Chieftain, we are back."

Surprise flashed in Maliwusi's eyes; the barbarian warriors beside him were equally curious, letting out exclamations.

Maliwusi looked at Xikaliusi clad in heavy armor, his gaze sweeping over the three flame dragons before landing on the airship in the sky, and finally asked, "Xikaliusi, what happened to you this year in the Empire, why such a big change?"

"Where did you get those flame dragon mounts?"

"Also, what's up with that airship in the sky?"

"Hm? Wrong!"

Maliwusi hadn't finished his question when his eyes suddenly changed, staring at the three Extreme Warriors as if he'd discovered something alarming, his face paling in shock: "Xikaliusi, and Tailien, how did you both advance to legend?"

(End of chapter)