Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Alliance of the Eight Great Families

Since the failed joint assault on the Yi tribe by the Wu family, the Black Dragon Society, and the Dark Skull Gang, word had spread that the Yi tribe had discovered a hidden treasure. Spies from various powerful factions began to appear frequently around the tribe. To ensure nothing went wrong, the chieftain and the tribal elders sent word to Deputy Leader Yi Zhen, who was overseeing the extraction of elemental stones at Peach Blossom Valley, instructing him to halt all shipments back to the tribe for the time being, lest their activities be discovered.

Meanwhile, every warrior in the tribe stood ready for battle. Even their usual mountain hunting excursions were suspended, out of fear that they might be ambushed by rival factions or inadvertently reveal clues about the treasure. These precautions forced the Yi tribe into a defensive posture, leaving the other factions with no opportunity to exploit any weaknesses.

Within Black Dragon City, all the major powers were plotting. The treasure rumored to have been found by the Yi tribe stirred the hearts of every faction and martial artist—it was a fortune and an immense resource for cultivation that no one would willingly forgo. Yet, these powers were paralyzed, uncertain how to break the stalemate. Under the watchful eyes of dozens, even a hundred, of Black Dragon City’s large and small factions, not even the formidable Black Dragon Society, the eight great families, or the Grand River Gang dared to eradicate the Yi tribe and seize the treasure for themselves.

This was especially true given the strength of the Yi tribe, which resembled a well-defended hedgehog; any attempt to snatch the treasure from them would result in a fierce counterattack and heavy losses. However, the deadlock was soon broken.

The Great Elder of the Wu family emerged from his secluded cultivation and harshly rebuked Wu Shigong, nearly stripping him of his position as family head. Thereafter, he contacted the other seven great families. Their elders and patriarchs gathered in secret and deliberated at length before reaching a decision: they would join forces to annihilate the Yi tribe and divide the treasure among them.

Once united, the eight great families immediately became the target of curses from all the other powers in Black Dragon City. The Liu, Li, Wu, Xu, Chen, and the other three families were first-class forces in Black Dragon City; each wielded significant influence that none dared to underestimate. Now, joined together, their combined strength was unrivaled—even the Black Dragon Society could not contend with them.

The Wu family’s alliance with the seven others came at a cost: their share of the treasure would be reduced by thirty percent. This was the price of their previous duplicity—attempting to secretly split the treasure with the Black Dragon Society and the Dark Skull Gang, while keeping the other families in the dark. Despite their grievances with the Wu family, the others had little choice but to agree to the alliance. Over the centuries, through intermarriage and complex ties, the eight families had become inextricably linked, always presenting a united front against external threats or suppressing any force that might challenge them.

Now, the prospect of the Yi tribe’s treasure brought them together once more.

Thus, the eight great families began to mobilize their forces, gathering their martial artists en masse. The Black Dragon Society, Grand River Gang, and other powers, upon learning of this, could not help but frown. In the face of this alliance, there was no force in all the land of Black Dragon City that could stand against them. The Black Dragon Society, Grand River Gang, and the Dark Skull Gang could never hope to unite as seamlessly as the eight families.

Soon, the eight great families had assembled a force of one hundred thousand martial artists—a force capable of destroying any faction in Black Dragon City. Against such power, the Yi tribe was like a chicken before a tiger. Nearly two-thirds of the families’ strength had been mobilized; a hundred thousand warriors marched to the Yi tribe’s gates, their collective bloodlust surging like a monstrous beast descending from the heavens.

In addition, all the Great Elders of the eight families were present, accompanied by dozens of ninth-tier family elders. As the eight Great Elders gazed upon the Yi tribe, there was a hint of unease in their eyes. Though they were confident of victory, the Yi tribe was a formidable adversary—over two thousand tribal warriors, all master archers, capable of slaying foes many times their number. A direct assault would not be without considerable cost.

This was especially true considering the last time the Wu family, Black Dragon Society, and Dark Skull Gang had attacked, their combined force of over ten thousand was nearly annihilated—a grim lesson from the past.

“Send word to the Yi tribe: as long as they surrender and hand over the treasure, we’ll let them live,” said the Great Elder of the Liu family to another elder at his side.

“Yes, sir!” the reply came.

The other Great Elders raised no objection. To them, this was merely a feint, a tactic to lull the enemy into complacency. Even if the Yi tribe surrendered, they had no intention of sparing them—no roots could be left to sprout again, especially from so powerful a foe.

Soon after, a martial artist stepped forward and called out to the Yi tribe. But his words were met with silence. On the stone walls, tribal warriors stood ready with great bows, prepared to loose their arrows at any moment. Meanwhile, the rest of the tribe began streaming up to the ancestral temple, disappearing into underground passages.

On the walls, Yi Tian and the others did not order an attack. Despite the recent surge in their power, they could not withstand a force of one hundred thousand martial artists and dozens of ninth-tier experts. Any battle would be disastrous.

At that moment, the Second Elder descended from the mountain. After giving instructions to the chief, Yi Ke, he departed.

Yi Ke then called out in a loud voice to all the warriors: “Retreat to the ancestral temple at once!”

At his command, the warriors dashed toward the temple at the mountain’s peak.

Seeing the Yi warriors withdraw, the patriarchs and elders of the eight families were bewildered.

What was this new development?

“Today marks the end of the Yi clan—advance!” came the command.

The Great Elders of the eight families gave their orders.

In an instant, the army of one hundred thousand surged into the tribe, encircling the ancestral temple atop the mountain. Yet, when they reached the summit, they found that the thousands of Yi tribespeople had vanished, leaving only two hundred or so elite warriors standing in the square, each armed with a spirit bow, armor-piercing arrows nocked, and deadly intent locked onto the approaching elders from the eight families.

This sudden turn left the patriarchs and elders of the eight families in a precarious position. Clearly, the Yi tribe possessed a secret passage, and the rest of the tribe had already escaped through it, likely taking the treasure with them.

Now, they faced these two to three hundred elite warriors.

The Great Elders and patriarchs, seeing the true strength of the Yi tribe, could not help but pale. They had never imagined the Yi tribe commanded so many high-level fighters.

They themselves had deployed only slightly more than seven hundred top-tier martial artists.

The archery skills of these Yi warriors were terrifying—even eighth-tier martial artists would struggle to survive, and ninth-tier experts would be wary as well. If all two or three hundred of these elite warriors attacked at once, even the strongest among the enemy would suffer heavy losses.

Moreover, at the center of the square stood the chieftain, the chief elder, and the other tribal elders, spirit bows in hand, their auras rising. At such close range, even ninth-tier experts could not hope to dodge their arrows—a single shot could mean instant death.

The air was thick with tension, both sides locked in a deadly standoff. If battle erupted, the eight families would pay a heavy price, and the treasure would likely be lost forever.

The leaders of the eight families weighed their options.

“We charge together. I refuse to believe they can withstand our army of one hundred thousand!” declared the Great Elder of the Chen family, his eyes flashing with resolve.

To him, the treasure was worth whatever sacrifice was necessary—even if it cost the lives of some of their martial artists. Of course, the elders themselves would not be at the front; they would send their affiliated warriors to storm the enemy lines. Once inside, the Yi warriors’ arrows would lose their advantage.

The other Great Elders made their decision as well, each ordering their forces to attack.

At that moment, a figure stepped forth onto the square and shouted, “Stop!”