The Ice Horned Demonic Dragon finally surrendered.
It did not matter if he was a headstrong demon emperor in ancient times; it had lost its ambition after being locked up in the Demon-sealing Tower for 5,000 years.
It just wanted to go out now.
With the Nine-winged Skydragon, Old Kui Ox, the Ice Horned Demonic Dragon leading the way, Ling Jiu pushed all the way through, subjugating the Sky-splitting Rhino, the Coral Unicorn, the Flame Golden Lion, and the Eight-clawed Fire Dragon, the Thunderbolt Bat Dragon, the Blue-winged Sea Dragon, and the Sea-splitting Dragon Whale.
All the top ten direbeasts had surrendered and become his super-clustered Level-9 running dogs. His strength had increased tremendously.
Ling Jiu was happy. But he also had a question in his head. Leoux told him that there were 10,086 super-clustered beings imprisoned in the Demon-sealing Tower.
Among them, there were nine apex and 81 Level-9 super-clustered beings.
The question was, who were these nine apex super-clustered beings, and the other 72 Level-9 super-clustered beings other than the top ten ancient direbeasts?
When Ling Jiu asked this question, the Nine-winged Skydragon and other ten ancient direbeasts quickly gave their answers.
“My Lord, those 81 super-clustered beings are not direbeasts, but humans,” the Nine-winged Skydragon replied in a low voice. “They are Chiyou’s eighty-one brothers.”
“What did you say?” Ling Jiu was stunned. “Chiyou’s eighty-one brothers? Are you kidding me?”
Everyone in Huaxia knew the famous Chief Marshal Chiyou.
He was the tribal leader of the Nine Li Tribal Alliance in ancient times, and of the Ox Totem and Bird Totem clans. He had 81 brothers, all of whom were extraordinary and brave.
Chiyou and the Yan Emperor used to be in the same tribe. But he left the Yan Emperor to carve his own path because there were conflicts between them. Later, he fought with the Yan Emperor and defeated him.
So the Yan Emperor Yan and the Yellow Emperor joined forces, launching a fierce battle with Chiyou’s army in Zhuolu, and finally killed Chiyou.
This was the famous Battle of Zhuolu.
After the Battle of Zhuolu, the Yellow Emperor unified Huaxia. It was the start of the glorious history of the Huaxia civilization.
The Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor were recognized as the victors, while Chiyou, the loser, in the annals of history,
Everyone in Huaxia knew who Chiyou was. But people knew Chiyou had 81 brothers and had no clue who they were.
It struck Ling Jiu dumb when he learned that Chiyou’s 81 brothers were imprisoned in the Demon-sealing Tower. He had no words.
“There are only eighty-one humans—Chiyou’s brothers—in the Demon-sealing Tower. All others are direbeasts,” Old Kui Ox said. “These eight-one humans are brave, good at fighting, and extremely strong. They are the strongest beings in the Demon-sealing Tower. Besides, they often hunt and kill direbeasts for food. We, the demonic beasts, formed an alliance to fight them. That’s why we know them well.”
“That makes sense now,” Ling Jiu said. “Let’s check them out.”
With the ten direbeasts leading the way, Ling Jiu came to one of Chiyou’s brothers.
A gray-haired elder, he made a hut out of animal skins and bones, and made a fence with beast ribs to fence up the hut.
The elder came out of the hut when Ling Jiu and the others came to the hut.
He had to support himself on a crutch that he made from the rib of a direbeast when he walked. Dressed in animal skin like a primitive man in ancient times, he trembled as he looked at Ling Jiu and his entourage.
“An old man…”
Ling Jiu could be hard-eyed in dealing with direbeasts. But he did not really know how to deal with an elder from the ancient times. Should he be more respectful or indifferent?
“Are you from the outside, young man?”
Probably noticing Ling Jiu’s awkwardness, the elder spoke first.
His voice was a little hoarse, his speech was intermittent, almost like spelling out each word. It sounded as if people in the ancient times spoke this way, or this man had not been speaking for too long.
“That’s right, Mister.” Ling Jiu nodded.
“What year and month is it now, young man?” the elder asked again.
“It’s been five thousand years since ancient times!”
“I didn’t know what five hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye—five thousand years of vicissitudes.”
The gray-haired elder let out a soft sigh and coughed violently. “Young man, why did you come to the Demon-sealing Tower?”
“Nothing. Just strolling around,” Ling Jiu said. “I heard people say that there are countless ancient great demons held up here in the Demon-sealing Tower. So I was curious and came in to take a look.”
“Came in to take a look…” The gray-haired elder squinted and then looked at the ten direbeasts behind Ling Jiu with a gleam of light flashing in his muddy eyes. “Young man, you can freely enter and exit this Demon-sealing Tower?”
“That’s right.”
“No wonder.” The gray-haired elder’s eyes brightened up, his shriveling body slightly trembling. “Young man, please wait a moment?”
“Sure.” Ling Jiu nodded although he did not know what the elder was going to do.
“Thank you.”
The gray-haired elder thanked him, and then lightly tapped the rib crutch in his hand.
The ground made a muffled bang instantly, as if he had hit a drumhead. The elder kept striking the ground for nine times.
Ling Jiu squinted, watching on saying nothing. With Leoux and the Leoux here, he had nothing to fear.
Not long after the nine muffled bangs, figures started to flicker in the sky as dozens of people appeared out of thin air and descended to the earth.
They were all dressed in animal skins, much like savages.
Ling Jiu felt a suppressive aura exuding from them, much like that of wild beasts. Apparently, these people were at least Level-9 super-clustered beings.
“Brother Duanxiu, it’s been a long time.”
“Why did you suddenly summon us today, brother Duanxiu?”
“How are you, Brother Duanxiu?”
They greeted the gray-haired elder with respect as soon as they emerged.
They then looked at Ling Jiu and the ten direbeasts with a hint of hostility in their eyes.
“What are these beasts doing here?”
“Are they attacking Brother Duanxiu?”
The ten direbeasts were enraged at hearing what they said. They became hostile and looked back at those people with no fear in their eyes.
“Damn humans! Mind your language!” The hot-tempered Sky-splitting Rhino snapped. “You all were just a group of junior humans who were not fit to carry shoes for us in the ancient times!”
“The strength of you all had only increased after entering the Demon-sealing Tower and killing many direbeasts. You all would not have talked to us like this otherwise.”
“Exactly. A bunch of damn humans!”
“A bunch of beasts. You all have a death wish?”
Chiyou’s 80 brothers sneered, anger rising as they were about to make their moves. Just then, the gray-haired elder Duanxiu gently tapped on the crutch. “Step back!”
“Aye, Brother Duanxiu!”
The eighty people shot a glare at the ten direbeasts as they fought back their anger.
“I summoned you all for something else; not because they are attacking me.” The gray-haired elder looked at Ling Jiu. “The person whom the Xuanyuan clan prophesied might have appeared.”
“What did you say?”
“That person in the prophecy of the Xuanyuan clan?”
“For real?”
“Who is he, Brother Duanxiu? Where is that person?”
