Legendary Clan Chief
Chapter 82 - 82 81 Elemental Stone Vein_1

82: Chapter 81: Elemental Stone Vein_1 82: Chapter 81: Elemental Stone Vein_1 Stars shimmered, bringing serenity to the expansive wildlands under the cover of night.

However, over a thousand miles south from the Gu Yuan Tribe, a landscape of low hills was bustling with activity.

This region was originally a hunting ground for the Black Mountain Tribe.

After Xiao Chen led the Gu Yuan Tribe to assimilate the Black Mountain Tribe, their hunting grounds fell into Gu Yuan’s possession.

Subsequently, the Gu Yuan Tribe extended their sphere of influence from thousands of miles to almost three thousand miles, as a result.

The expansion of hunting grounds led to a several-fold increase in game hunted by the Gu Yuan Tribe, gradually strengthening the tribe’s overall power.

Continuing at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the Gu Yuan Tribe’s would regain its ancestral glory.

However, the Gu Yuan Tribe members who used to venture out for hunting and resource gathering were nowhere to be seen; all had retreated into the city to defend it from enemy attacks, leaving the vast wildlands to become a playground for other tribes.

Under the faint starlight, on the rolling uphill, over a thousand scantily clad slaves were quietly working.

With primitive tools, they cut down large trees, sweating profusely as they trudged tirelessly.

Tree after tree fell and was swiftly stripped of its leaves before being carried to an open space nearby.

Not far from there, hundreds of fully armed human war soldiers looked down from above at these laboring slaves.

In front of these fearsome soldiers, the slaves dared not slack off.

The dozens of fresh corpses hung at the base of the hill served as a stark warning to them.

The sound of tools striking against wood echoed endlessly around the hillside.

“Commander Xia, I reckon that by tomorrow afternoon, the shelters for these despicable slaves can be constructed.

The day after tomorrow, we will be able to start mining this Elemental Stone Vein.” A robust man sitting atop a giant rock said to the burly man next to him.

As he mentioned the elemental stone, a fiery fervor sparked in his eyes.

Behind them, besides a small creek, stood a row of wooden houses on stilts that had been constructed.

Slaves were tirelessly hollowing out a spot on a steep cliff to build a watchtower.

Thick vines hung from the top of the cliff, continuously hoisting neatly-cut timber to the top.

Gazing at the almost completed tower, the Commander surnamed Xia spoke with a grim expression, “If it wasn’t for that stubborn clansman from Gu Yuan Tribe, we wouldn’t have wasted half a month finding this vein.

Fortunately, the tools for prospecting and mining should arrive tomorrow.

Then, this elemental stone vein will serve as the springboard for our two tribes.”

“You need not worry, Commander Xia.

Regardless of how stubborn they were, they ultimately provided us the location of this vein.

However, these mere thousands of mining slaves are insufficient.

I wonder when the next batch of mining slaves will be delivered.”

“Ha ha, Commander, rest assured.

Tomorrow, when the mining tools are delivered, a new batch of mining slaves will also arrive.

That should sustain us for a while, giving our two tribes time to capture more scattered tribes from further territories.”

Mining is inherently risky and laborious.

Even a strong, fully grown man would gradually become incapacitated due to the various toxins in the mine after laboring there.

Mines are dangerous, with accidents happening without any warning; workers can end up dead or at best, crippled.

“Commander Xia, as far as I know, all the scattered tribes in and around our areas have already been captured.

Where will you find more slaves in just a few days?”

“Ha ha, while there may not be any more around our tribes, the Gu Yuan tribe surely has a surplus.

Their chief attracted quite a number of scattered tribes to seek refuge with them a few days back, and now that the Gu Yuan tribe can’t even defend its own people, hundreds of whom we’ve captured, they surely won’t be able to provide for these scattered tribes.”

“Oh, that Xia Chen from Gu Yuan Tribe isn’t someone to scoff at.

He managed to kill three Blood Refining Realm Warriors in a row.”

“Without a tiger in the mountains, the monkey claims to rule.

No matter how capable Xia Chen may be, remember that we possess four Blood Refining Realm Warriors.

Even if he were an entity with three heads and six arms, he won’t escape his doom.

The only reason this is happening is his Tribe came into possession of something they shouldn’t.”

Chilling laughter echoed from the two men’s mouths throughout the surrounding forest.

However, their rampant display of arrogance caused the slaves working at the foot of the hill to shudder in fear.

“Death awaits!”

Suddenly, Commander Xia leapt down from the huge boulder.

His whip harshly struck towards a skinny figure in front of him.

A bony figure in the crowd was instantly struck and sent flying.

His barely covered body sprayed blood rapidly and soon ceased to breathe.

“Drag it away and leave it for the beasts.

This is what awaits those damned slaves who don’t work properly.”

While the slaves were busy constructing the houses, Xiao Chen had been traveling for several nights, and he was now just one day’s journey away from the Gu Yuan Tribe.

He had switched his mount for a Unicorn, a fearsome beast he tamed during his journey.

His journey’s urgency over the past few days had claimed the lives of two warhorses he had borrowed from the Shadow Forest Tribe.

After days of travel, Xiao Chen’s initial panic was replaced by a calm introspection of the Gu Yuan Tribe’s predicament.

This brings us to the tribes surrounding the Gu Yuan Tribe.

To the south of Gu Yuan lay the now-annihilated Black Mountain Tribe, whereas the tribes that had besieged the Gu Yuan Tribe were its neighbors to the east and west.

To the east of the Gu Yuan Tribe was the Xuan She Tribe, and to the west was the Kui Shui Tribe.

These two tribes hadn’t had any significant conflicts with the Gu Yuan Tribe because the shared borders were not resource-rich.

This led Xiao Chen to inadvertently overlook these two tribes.

When the Gu Yuan Tribe rose to prominence under Xiao Chen’s leadership, it resulted in intense concern from the two neighboring tribes.

They had formed a private alliance to jointly curb the Gu Yuan Tribe’s expansion.

The saying, “wealth incites greed,” proved true when the Gu Yuan Tribe discovered an Elemental Stone Vein in the original Black Mountain region.

This became a catalyst for the Xuan She and Kui Shui Tribes to make a joint move against the Gu Yuan Tribe.

In a bid to seize the Elemental Stone Vein, these two tribes mobilized their forces, catching the Gu Yuan Tribe off guard, and even managed to enslave hundreds of its members.

The reason they didn’t immediately wage an attack on the Gu Yuan Tribe, for one, was out of respect for the shared brotherhood between tribes that forbid any internal fighting.

Secondly, they wanted to trap Xiao Chen and his forces to annihilate them all at once.

Once Xiao Chen was killed, the Gu Yuan Tribe would easily fall apart.

Otherwise, Lin Shan and the others couldn’t have escaped so easily to inform Xiao Chen.