Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Siege of the Seven Great Clans

It was an ordinary day. Jiang Xuan went out and brought back two seventh-tier leopard demons he had slain. Dealing with beasts of a lower cultivation level than his own had become as effortless for him as eating or drinking.

"Thank you for the feast, Big Brother! You've worked hard!"
"Big Brother is invincible! If it weren't for you, how could we have reached seventh-tier cultivation?"
"Exactly! Without you, we’d probably be starving, not even knowing if we’d survive the day!"
"Enough, enough! Just eat. And don't forget what I told you about the storage rings—everyone needs to get one!"

He tossed the two small leopard demons into the cave, and his minions swarmed over them, tearing into the bodies. Jiang Xuan sat alone outside the cave, crafting clothing using his spiritual energy. Both the Empress and the Demon Lord had reached the ninth tier and would soon enter seclusion to break through to the next realm. He planned to finish the white robe in his hands and craft one for each of them as well.

This was not a difficult task. Spiritual energy is, in essence, the manifestation of laws; as long as the materials were sufficient, creating garments was trivial. The raw materials—roots, fibers, and various plant-based cottons—were harvested from spiritual herbs. While not top-tier, the infusion of spiritual energy allowed him to weave even complex materials.

"I’ll make them one each next—one black, one white. The style doesn’t really matter," he mused. "I’m spending all my precious sleeping time on you two... Wait, why aren't they back yet? Damn it, I’ve already finished hunting, and those two are still out gallivanting!"

After stowing the newly finished white robe into his storage ring, Jiang Xuan stood up and looked into the distance. His heart sank. The sky in the distance was ablaze with light, and the aura of spiritual energy was surging violently. Confused, he muttered, "What on earth is going on?"

"Have you lot encountered anything strange lately?" he asked his minions. "Don't you think their progress has been a bit too fast?" In just a week since becoming greater demons, they had all jumped from the sixth to the seventh tier. Although he provided them with food and resources every day, this was far too rapid.

"Big Brother is asking us!"
"Should we tell him? If he finds out we haven't been diligently collecting spiritual herbs, we're in trouble."
"True. Xiaocui, you're close to Big Brother—why don't you say something?"
"I won't! Xiaolan is close to him too, and so is Xiaomei. I’m not the only female eagle here!"
"How about all three of you go? You’re all female eagles; use the 'beauty strategy'—Big Brother won't be able to resist!"
"I can hear you, you idiots! Beauty strategy my foot! Tell me the truth right now, or I’ll pluck every single feather off your bodies!"

Jiang Xuan was furious. What was once a suspicion had now been confirmed.

"Big Brother, well... we were just following the Empress and the Demon Lord!"
"Yes, Big Brother, we didn't mean to! It’s just that more resources are always better, right?"

Terrified by Jiang Xuan’s threat, the minions spilled the whole story. Ever since before Jiang Xuan became a greater demon, the Empress and the Demon Lord had been colluding to set up a secret base. They had been dumping all the resources they plundered there. According to the minions, there were dozens of beast corpses stockpiled at that location.

*Ding!*
"Host, your younger brother and sister are being besieged by the Seven Great Tribes of the Outer Territories. Their lives hang by a thread! You must rescue them immediately!"
"Rescue your brother and sister to receive five first-tier Beast Pills! Three Spirit-Replenishing Pills and two Blood-Shocking Pills!"

Dammit! It was exactly as Jiang Xuan had feared. Resources required sustainability. While he hunted, the scale was negligible compared to the vastness of the Western Outer Territories. But the Empress and the Demon Lord were insatiably greedy, hunting species to near extinction. Even a clay figurine has a temper; it was only a matter of time before the various beast tribes united against them.

"Stop eating, all of you! Follow me to save the Empress and the Demon Lord!"
"Huh? What happened to them?"
"Big Brother, what’s going on?"
"Still asking? I’ll burn you all to ash!"

The Primordial Yang Fire flared in Jiang Xuan’s palm, sending the eagle demons cowering to the ground. Furious, Jiang Xuan swept his sleeves and flew out of the cave. The minions, not daring to breathe, scrambled to follow.

...

In the heart of the Western Outer Territories, the Empress and the Demon Lord lay in a pool of blood, gasping their last. Before them stood an army of beasts—the Seven Great Tribes: Tiger, Ox, Sheep, Wolf, Leopard, Mantis, and Peacock. In less than a month, these seven tribes had been driven to the brink of extinction by the eagle demon army led by the Empress and the Demon Lord. Such brutality had forced these once-rival tribes to unite. Today was the first strike of their counterattack.

"Hmph! Since the birth of the Beast Forest, there has never been such a vicious and cruel act!"
"You two deserve to die! But you shouldn't die so easily!"
"We will carve a piece of meat from you every day. Only after every member of our seven tribes has feasted upon you will you be allowed to die with your sins!"

The leader was a tyrannical ninth-tier Tiger. It was his presence that had brought the Empress and the Demon Lord to this state. The Tiger tribe was revered as the head of the Seven Great Tribes.

"Our Sheep tribe has been decimated! You two demons! Why were you so fixated on killing us?"
"I won't be satisfied until I grind your bones to dust!"
"Hmph! Most of our Peacock tribe has been slaughtered as well. These two eagles have no demon nature at all; they are the disgrace of our kind!"
"My Ox tribe has lost many as well. But everyone, these two are just the first step. That greater demon is the true priority!"

The Demon Ox stepped forward, his massive frame blotting out the sky. The Blood-Moon Wolf followed, its eyes glowing with a sinister red light.

"Why waste time talking? Pull out their wings and toss them over the cliff! Let that greater demon know our resolve!"
"If we seven tribes unite, what does it matter if he is a greater demon?"
"Right! In that case, I’ll go first! Finish them!"

As the words fell, a Cloud-Spirit Sheep leaped out, its wool extending like sharp branches, aimed directly at the Empress and the Demon Lord.

But in the nick of time, a figure in green robes stood before them. The sharp wooly blades stopped three inches from Jiang Xuan, unable to advance a single step further.