After their crushing defeat at Cao Yun's hands, the tribesmen from the Raging Volcano tribe gathered farther from the Ancient Obsidian tribe. They were completely defeated. Many were even ashamed and afraid to return to their tribe. Chieftain Rong Shan had been killed. Many of their brethren had been slaughtered, absolutely swallowed by the legendary Sun-Severing Spear. And yet, they had survived. The cowards had survived.
Now that the actual fear of dying under Cao Yun's tyrannical Sun-Severing Spear was gone, only shame remained. They couldn't show their faces in their tribe after such cowardice. In fact, some even wondered if it was not better to just go back and die in battle. However, as soon as the actual fear of death resurfaced in their hearts, they ended up deciding that shame was preferable.
As a matter of fact, many men suddenly justified their cowardice. They even tried to disguise it as courage. They were brave enough to face shame and insult because, by surviving, they could protect their Raging Volcano tribe. In the end, no one knew whether they had been spineless or if they had actually made the sacrifice of their face and honor for the greater good of their tribe. Most likely, it was sincere for some and just a convenient lie for others. No one could tell anymore.
Anyway, a few soldiers naturally took the lead. They were still near the Ancient Obsidian tribe. In fact, they had left the territory that the tribe occupied when it had been at its mightiest. Still, they didn't dare to offend them at all. Thus, they left on foot before flying away only after a few more days.
When they finally got back to the Raging Volcano tribe, their shame became stronger and stronger. It was as if the Ancient Obsidian tribe was their fear and the Raging Volcano tribe their shame. When they physically got closer to one or the other, their emotions grew stronger. Nonetheless, they had to come back. However, they came back on foot. They all landed and walked toward the Raging Volcano tribe.
Obviously, they were spotted by sentinels. Very soon, the few leaders who had been left behind appeared. Among them was Shaxin. Shaxin was an old man with a very long mustache but no beard. The top of his head was completely bald, but his hair crowned his skull and flowed down onto his shoulders. For a Flameborn, he was quite old, as he was more than eighty years old. As a matter of fact, he was the oldest politician in the Raging Volcano tribe. Considering the nature of their politicians, this proved that Shaxin was shrewd.
Being smart and cunning didn't mean that he was weak. However, he was too old to actually go fight in a war or in a duel. If he had been forced to fight, Shaxin would still have been able to show impressive mastery over Fire. Chieftain Rong Shan had chosen him to lead the Raging Volcano tribe in his absence. Indeed, Rong Shan knew that Shaxin would do anything to avoid damaging his usefulness to Rong Shan. And he had been correct. Shaxin had done everything Rong Shan would have wanted, until now.
Seeing the faces of the soldiers, Shaxin felt a terrible cold rise in his stomach. He immediately thought about his own family. His son had already died, but his grandson had been with the soldiers. For a very long time, he searched the crowd. Unless Rong Shan was mysteriously lagging behind with many more men, Shaxin already knew what had happened to his grandson.
A few officials wanted to go to the soldiers, but Shaxin didn't move, so no one moved. They waited as the soldiers walked forward. More and more shame crushed the poor soldiers. As they were approaching the Raging Volcano tribe, more and more tribesmen were looking at them. Many started to cry as they had the very same idea Shaxin had. If their loved ones weren't with the soldiers, that probably meant that they were dead.
When the soldiers finally arrived at the gates, they all kowtowed toward Shaxin, the officials, and the entire Raging Volcano tribe.
"This unfilial one has failed. This worthless one begs for forgiveness."
As one man, they all pleaded. Their voices were loud, but everyone could hear their voices shake and break. The weight of their humiliation was crushing them.
Shaxin waited. He didn't necessarily want to make it last. But as long as he didn't ask, his grandson was potentially alive. Many others had the same idea. As such, this scene kept on going and going. In fact, no one could tell how long it had been, as it felt like an eternity had passed. Their entire lifespan had been spent watching the soldiers kowtowing in front of their own tribe in utter shame.
"Where is Chieftain Rong Shan?"
One of the soldiers who had become de facto leaders of the troop spoke. He didn't stand up and barely moved at all.
"Chieftain Rong Shan died in battle. Cao Yun of the Ancient Obsidian tribe used the Ash Bringer's artifact. The Sun-Severing Spear swallowed the life fire of Chieftain Rong Shan and many others. Only we were able to escape with our lives. Cao Yun has given our tribe an ultimatum. He will personally come to demand our absolute surrender, to demand that we merge with his Ancient Obsidian tribe. He demands that our Raging Volcano tribe cease to be and that all our territories go to him."
Shaxin was obviously expecting Rong Shan's death, but those words sent shivers down his spine. He wasn't old enough to have actually known the Sun-Severing Spear but he had heard legends as a kid. When he grew up, the Ancient Obsidian tribe had already been in a sorry state, but it was still respected by many when he was a young kid. His parents and his grandparents had taught him stories about the Ash Bringer. Those fairy tales were suddenly turning into nightmares before him.
All around, the tribesmen were agitated. There was fear, confusion, disbelief, anger. Shaxin could even feel dissent among the other ministers. Without Chieftain Rong Shan, everything could fall apart very fast. Moreover, it wasn't just Chieftain Rong Shan. In his demise, he had taken with him most of the powerful warriors. Thankfully, the tribe still had hunters and warriors, but the very best ones had all died, according to the survivors.
Suddenly, a woman screamed.
"Bastards! You've left my son to die to save your miserable lives!"
"Cowards!" "Traitors!"
More and more insults were hurled at the survivors. Soon, Shaxin knew that more than insults would be used. At this moment, he simply couldn't afford to lose even more men. However, he couldn't afford to turn the crowd against him. Thus, he released his flames. A huge torch appeared, like a column of fire. It wasn't very powerful but extremely theatrical. At the very least, it got everyone's attention.
"You failed to uphold your oath until death. Instead of fighting the enemy, you ran to save your lives. You will surrender yourselves to judgment."
Shaxin ordered soldiers to cast all the survivors into irons. As they were already dejected, and since everyone around them seemed to hate them with a passion, they didn't resist. While they were being led to a makeshift prison, as they didn't have any prison large enough for all of them, Shaxin was already plotting. He knew the ministers, and he knew them very well. In his mind, he already had ideas on how to play on them, to turn some against others in order to maintain power for as long as he needed. No matter what happened, he had to ride out this storm. Even though his grandson had died, he still had family members, and he had his own life.
For days, Shaxin kept on visiting and talking to all the politicians. He even visited and talked to warriors and hunters. In fact, Shaxin had never been busier in his entire life. He barely had any time to sleep and was completely exhausted. For the first time, he truly felt his old age. Until now, he hadn't had to work this hard since he was a young man.
In just a few days, there were already factions among the ministers. Shaxin even feared a coup by some warriors or even ordinary tribesmen. Women were also in an uproar over the death of their children alongside Chieftain Rong Shan. In other words, it was total chaos. Shaxin had to use some groups against others. Several individuals were sent to jail. Shaxin was also able to get a few warriors out of jail. They had to publicly denounce themselves and their brothers in order to swear an oath to die protecting the Raging Volcano tribe. Nothing was very going very well, but Shaxin had to do whatever he needed to simply keep things afloat. Besides, Cao Yun had not even arrived yet.
Many tribesmen were starting to simply doubt the events. More and more people were calling the survivors assassins. They had plotted to kill Chieftain Rong Shan and to take over, but it had mostly failed. Too many warriors had been killed because too many warriors had sided with Chieftain Rong Shan, and only a few traitors had actually survived. Some even thought that Chieftain Rong Shan was still alive. Worse than everything else, Shaxin heard people claim that he was part of the conspiracy to overthrow Chieftain Rong Shan. Honestly, Shaxin was terrified of his own tribesmen more than he was scared of Cao Yun. After all, he might literally die before Cao Yun even arrived. Thankfully, the warriors he had freed were grateful and loyal to him. Not only did they tell him everything that had happened in detail, but they also protected him and his family.
-
After many days, everyone saw a terrifying sight in the sky. In the distance, they could see a majestic bird made of flames. It was a 9-core Crimson Annihilation Fenghuang. Of course, it was Hongyu. Not a single Flameborn had ever seen such a creature, but they recognized that it wasn't a fire beast. Hongyu was flying so fast that they simply couldn't track her at all.
As soon as someone pointed at her, Hongyu was already above the Raging Volcano tribe. She had simply gone through all the defenses of the tribe. As she stopped, a terrifying boom shook the entire tribe. They had not heard her arrival, but when she finally appeared, the shock wave of her passage crashed over the tribe and shattered a few walls here and there.
Hongyu was not being discreet or subtle at all. After all, Cao Yun wanted a show of strength. Thus, she fully unleashed all of her flames. Her nine tails were whipping the air, leaving sparks like scars in the sky. Many vivid colors were coming out of her flames. She was a living, breathing Sun for Flameborns who had always seen a dark sky. Such a sight was terrifying.
Then, Cao Yun unleashed his killing intent. Although he focused his killing intent on the warriors and hunters, everyone felt it to some degree. The entire Raging Volcano tribe fell silent. They felt cold throughout their bodies. Even the warriors were paralyzed. With Cao Yun's presence in the sky, they remembered the stories from the survivors and realized that they had most likely been true. As such, it terrified them even more. No one dared to make a move.
Suddenly, a small group of warriors broke free from this terror. They ignited their life fire and flew toward the invader. Cao Yun had no mercy. He commanded Hongyu. The powerful Crimson Annihilation Fenghuang flapped her wings. Scorching winds pushed the enemies back. If they were humans or demons, they would have caught on fire at this very moment. But even Flameborns like them were in pain because of the heat. Cao Yun's flying swords flew toward them. Before they could react, they were sliced apart. Their mangled flesh fell back toward the ground. Without their will protecting their flesh, Hongyu's heat charred them beyond recognition.
Cao Yun would have preferred to kill no one, but he wasn't an idealist.
"Raging Volcano tribe, you have persecuted our Ancient Obsidian tribe. You have stolen from us by hunting on our grounds. You have threatened us. Your sons have abused our sons and daughters. You have tried to shift the blame onto us. You have tried to eradicate us. We would be justified in seeking retribution. We won't. We would be justified in demanding reparations. We won't. We only ask of you that you surrender to our Ancient Obsidian tribe. From this day forward, you will all prosper with our Ancient Obsidian tribe. Those who agree will know glory and honor. Those who refuse will know oblivion. Make your choice. Our tribes could have been great allies from the start. There is no need for more ashes to be cast down. We will discuss the terms with your leadership."
Although Cao Yun was domineering, Shaxin saw hope. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how the Raging Volcano tribe would follow him. He had to make plans. After some time, he was convinced that there was a way. He had to make sure that the terms could at least satisfy a few key people. Most likely, they would have to get rid of some annoying Flameborns, but there was a path to peace. Anyway, Shaxin had no desire to fight Cao Yun at all, nor could his tribe survive such a fight. Indeed, Cao Yun might not be able to obliterate them, but he could easily escape with his terrifying mount. He would attack relentlessly, and the Raging Volcano tribe was weakened. This wasn't a battle they could win. Dissent from within would probably destroy them even faster than Cao Yun.
Shaxin would do everything he could to avoid such a fate. Thus, he immediately gave orders to assassinate a couple of Flameborns who would oppose him. Then, he flew toward Cao Yun. He was shaking but tried to hide it. The old man kept his head high and approached Cao Yun. When he felt Hongyu's gaze, he stopped and bowed a little.
"I am Shaxin of the Raging Volcano tribe. I have come to negotiate."