Chapter 478

Bei Cao Sheng tells Wang tribe leader that Ge tribe owes its conquest of Yan tribe to one man, and Wang tribe leader recognizes the name: Chang Shan Yin, the Wolf King who once killed rank five Gu Master Ha Tu Gu and his bandit group. Bei Cao Sheng argues the reputation has outlived the man, since the Wolf King’s returning wolf group is ordinary, holds no mutated beast, and already took heavy losses against Yan tribe. He casts Ge tribe’s unprovoked attack on Yan tribe as demonic-path conduct that breaks northern plains’ rules and calls for the alliance to punish it. ^{ch. 478}

Wang tribe leader stays wary of the Wolf King’s unexplained years away and possible hidden advantage. Bei Cao Sheng answers that Bei tribe’s forest soldier corps and Zheng tribe’s lightning spear battle formation can hold the wolves, and that Pei tribe leader Pei Yan Fei, already at rank four peak stage, can move past the wolves and strike Chang Shan Yin directly. Enslavement path Gu Masters are known to fear exactly this beheading tactic, since it can send even a huge army of millions into chaos. Wang tribe leader asks for a few days to consider, and Bei Cao Sheng grants three, warning that delay lets Ge tribe recover. ^{ch. 478}

Once Bei Cao Sheng leaves, Wang tribe elder Wang De Dao confirms his tribe leader has no intention of joining. Wang De Dao reads the alliance as Bei, Zheng and Pei tribe currying favor with Liu tribe’s Liu Wen Wu, since Yan tribe was tied to Liu tribe through Yan Cui Er, the young master’s fiancee, and wanting Wang tribe to share their risk. He lays out the stakes of the coming Imperial Court struggle: a disastrous blizzard strikes northern plains every ten years, only entry into the Imperial Court shields a tribe from it, and the quota is too narrow for every claimant. His plan is to entertain Bei Cao Sheng for three days, decline politely, and quietly warn the Wolf King so the two sides fight while Wang tribe profits from the sidelines. ^{ch. 478}

At Ge tribe’s camp, Ge Guang reads Wang tribe leader’s warning to a silent, anxious circle of elders, who worry that an outside assault could trigger a revolt among the newly taken Yan tribe captives. The elders trade suggestions without settling on one, and Ge Guang finally ends the debate by revealing that Chang Shan Yin has agreed to become the tribe’s supreme elder. Morale surges through the tent at the news. ^{ch. 478}