The faces of the elders of the Li Tribe were gloomy as they listened to the report delivered by a rank two Gu Master. The face of the Tribe Leader grew dark, a deep frown dominating his expression. Even Li He, who had previously been lively and shouting about strength and battle, remained silent.
The Tribe Leader spoke, breaking the heavy silence. In a steady tone he said:
"Our spies inside the Gan Tribe have sent news of an incident that shook the entire Gan Tribe camp! The Gan Tribe Leader and one of their elders fell into a terrifying demonic trap. Because of it, one elder of the Tribe died, and the Gan Tribe Leader suffered severe injuries. It would have been wonderful if matters ended there—but due to this incident, the Gan Tribe Leader can no longer issue orders. The elders have taken over his authority, and because of that they have placed the blame for this demonic trap upon us. In fact, someone is already on the way here to deliver their demands."
From an outsider's perspective, the reaction of the Gan Tribe was natural. But from the viewpoint of the Li Tribe Leader, it was extremely foolish—and very dangerous.
He clearly understood that the third party who had been provoking conflict between the two Tribes was responsible for this incident. Yet what he could not understand was this: if that third party possessed such tremendous ability and overwhelming power—enough to create a trap so powerful that even the rank four upper-stage Gan Tribe Leader nearly died—then why would they bother acting in the shadows instead of stepping forward openly and acting without restraint?
"I cannot understand the intentions of whoever is behind this… Could it be another Tribe from the righteous path that intends to reap enormous benefits from our conflict? But there are no Tribes near the territories of either us or the Gan Tribe."
The Li Tribe Leader felt a sharp headache and waved his hand toward the elders, signaling them to voice their opinions.
"Tribe Leader… this situation is difficult. No matter what happens, we will suffer losses. Either we give compensation to the Gan Tribe, weakening the foundation of our Tribe, or we confront them directly. In a direct confrontation, our treasury will be drained dry to properly equip our Gu Masters—and even then, victory will not be guaranteed. At best, it will only slightly increase our chances of success. In the end, we will suffer severe losses, both material and human."
One elder laid out the dangers of the conflict, causing the others to nod in agreement.
"That is correct. Severe losses are something our Tribe cannot bear—especially with the ten-year snowstorm arriving in five years. To outsiders, that might seem like a long time, but for Tribes like ours, we must preserve our foundation in order to compete for the Blessed Imperial Court land. Do not forget that we are descendants of the venerable immortal Giant Sun, and with the blessing of Longevity Heaven, we may obtain enormous resources that could elevate our Tribe into a truly great power!"
"Elder Chun's ambition is our goal!"
Even the Tribe Leader Li He'an praised Elder Chun and encouraged him to strive toward that goal.
"Elder Chun, you certainly possess a remarkable vision. It aligns well with my own. But we have an urgent matter before us now. We must not think about the future unless we first survive and secure the present."
At that moment, Li He, who had been listening quietly from the side, suddenly spoke for the first time during this council meeting.
"The Tribe Leader is correct. Regarding this matter… this son has an idea, one that I hope will meet with the approval of everyone present…"
Gan Tribe Camp
Within the Gan Tribe, the atmosphere had become explosive after the news spread that one elder had died and the Tribe Leader had suffered grave injuries.
Because of this, the morale of the Tribe's warriors dropped sharply. Fear and anger filled their hearts, and they desperately wished to direct that anger toward something.
Public pressure fell upon the elders of the Gan Tribe, and because of it they were forced to announce shocking news:
The Li Tribe was responsible for the attack.
Thus, the anger of the Gan Tribe members was directed toward the innocent Li Tribe.
The ordinary Gu Masters did not care about the explanations given by those in higher positions. They simply wanted to vent their fear and rage upon someone. The higher ranks had conveniently provided them with a scapegoat.
Even the more intelligent individuals among them did not know the truth. They genuinely believed the Li Tribe was behind everything. After all, the Li Tribe had been in conflict with them for a long time.
"It's like a realistic play… Near the end of my life on Earth, things were the same. People in power would stage performances to justify their misconduct or failures, distracting the masses with convenient targets."
Fang Tian observed the situation quietly from within the Gan Tribe.
"When you think about it, this world isn't that different from Earth in terms of rules. The only thing you need is unbelievable shamelessness—to tell lies and turn them into truths, justifying your actions through those lies. The only difference is that on Earth you needed military power to enforce such narratives… but here, individual strength alone is enough to suppress everything."
From the sidelines, Fang Tian watched as the currents within the Gan Tribe flowed in a single direction.
Public opinion and the elders had reached an agreement: make the Li Tribe their target. Doing so would reduce the pressure upon themselves—and perhaps even allow them to gain enormous benefits if they managed to absorb the remnants of the Li Tribe.
The Gan Tribe Leader could not move or issue commands, so the elders had divided his authority among themselves. If this situation continued, it would not be long before internal conflict erupted within the Gan Tribe.
"But there is something I don't understand… What makes the Gan Tribe so confident about dealing with a rank four Gu Master? From what I can see, the Li Tribe Leader is not a simple character."
Fang Tian activated Bright Thought Gu, increasing the number of thoughts within his mind and making thinking far easier.
Brilliant thoughts collided in his head like fireworks, exploding to form new ideas or splitting into smaller chains of thoughts.
Through the use of Bright Thought Gu, Fang Tian carefully examined every aspect and analyzed all the information available to him—whether trivial or important.
After all, his schemes were enormous and involved a great number of variables. He had to focus on many different aspects simultaneously.
This placed him under tremendous mental strain—almost unbearable.
Yet Fang Tian still managed to endure beneath the overwhelming flood of information and possibilities.