Chapter 1163: Blockade

"We, we are from the Silver-Horned Rhinoceros Tribe and the Cloud-Striped Tiger Tribe..." Sangtu's throat felt dry, and he spoke nervously.

The city guard was taken aback upon hearing this. He turned to look at another soldier, casting a questioning glance.

"Never heard of them. Among the sixteen great wild tribes and the top hundred tribes... it seems neither of these two tribes exist," the latter said after a moment's thought, shaking his head.

"We are two small tribes under the jurisdiction of the Earth Dragon Tribe. You probably haven't heard of us, sir," Cloud Leopard had already dismounted from the beast-drawn cart and stood beside Sangtu. He swallowed his saliva and spoke.

Upon hearing this, the two city guards' expressions darkened, and a hint of impatience flashed in their eyes.

"Don't you know what's happening recently at Zhenhuang City and the Eight Desolate Mountains? Why are you causing trouble? This place is not for you right now. Go back to where you came from," one of them said, forcing patience.

"Sir, we know that the Blood Sacrifice Assembly is being held at the Eight Desolate Mountains. We have come to attend the grand event," Sangtu quickly said.

As soon as he said this, it drew a burst of laughter from the surroundings.

Another convoy adjacent to theirs had also arrived at the neighboring gate.

There were seventy to eighty people in that group, all born with sharp horns on their heads, faces like apes, and clad in red bronze armor. They were extremely tall, twice as tall as Sangtu, with exposed palms as red as blood. They looked over with mocking expressions.

Sangtu only glanced at them before quickly averting his gaze, because this group was the Qing Ape Tribe, one of the sixteen great wild tribes, and also one of the most bloodthirsty and combative races among all the wild tribes.

Back then, Zhu Yan, one of the Eight Wild Kings, had left four offspring, which gradually evolved into four different tribes. Among them, the one that inherited the most of his bloodline and was the most powerful was the Qing Ape Tribe before him.

Compared to the discrimination against the Silver-Horned Rhinoceros and Cloud-Striped Tiger tribes, the city guards were much more polite to the Qing Ape Tribe. Without any verification, they let them pass.

"What are you still looking at? Leave quickly..." At this moment, the city guard at this gate also urged Sangtu and the others.

"Please forgive us, sir. We have brought a descendant of one of the Eight True Spirit Kings, and we are qualified to enter Zhenhuang City," Sangtu had no choice but to quickly say.

Upon hearing this, the two city guards were clearly stunned.

"What kind of trash dares to mention the bloodline of a True Spirit King?" At that moment, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the side.

Sangtu's heart trembled at the sound, and he looked over.

He saw a Qing Ape tribesman with a scarred face striding over, his face full of anger.

"We..." Sangtu quickly lowered his head to explain.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt a tightness in his chest, and his entire body was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the thick city wall. He then slowly slid down, spitting blood.

Seeing this, Cloud Leopard was about to go help him up when a palm wind directly sent him sprawling to the ground.

The Qing Ape tribesman stepped on him, his face full of contempt: "A lowly, unranked little tribe like this dares to inherit the bloodline of a True Spirit King? Isn't this slapping the faces of us sixteen great wild tribes?"

Cloud Leopard felt as if his bile was about to be squeezed out. He whimpered but couldn't utter a single word.

This Qing Ape tribesman's strength was comparable to a Taiyi initial-stage cultivator, completely on a different level from them, and they were utterly unable to contend.

"Damn bastard, you've dirtied my foot..." The Qing Ape tribesman spat, lifted his foot with disgust, and made as if to stomp Cloud Leopard to death.

Hundreds or thousands of onlookers surrounded them, but not a single person stepped in to stop it; instead, they seemed somewhat eager to see this bloody scene.

Sangtu struggled, making as if to rush over, but was held back by two soldiers.

"We told you to leave earlier, but you wouldn't. Now don't go throwing your life away..." one of them whispered in his ear.

But Sangtu paid no heed. A blood-red light flashed in his eyes, and his body suddenly swelled several times in size. He raised his hand and grasped the air, and a huge black stone axe materialized in his hand.

However, before he could make a move, the two city guards' bodies instantly expanded, and they crossed their long halberds to press down, trapping Sangtu's neck. "If you want to die, die alone. Don't drag us down," they snarled.

At that moment, the Qing Ape's foot had already come down heavily, moving from Cloud Leopard's chest to his head, clearly intending to kill him.

Just as Cloud Leopard was about to meet his end, all the followers from both tribes, fearless of death, were about to rush forward to save their leader.

But at that moment, a faint voice suddenly came from within the beast-drawn cart:

"Try stepping on him, and see what happens..."

The voice was not loud, yet it was clearly heard by everyone present, causing them all to freeze and look in its direction.

"Who's there, hiding in the carriage and playing tricks? I stepped on it, so what?"

The Qingyuan clan member's movements paused slightly, then a sneer curled at the corner of his mouth as he stomped down heavily.

A crackling sound of thunder and lightning rang out!

A cyan figure wrapped in silver lightning shot out from the carriage and instantly appeared before the Qingyuan clan member.

Before he could see what was happening, a ball of thunder suddenly exploded.

The Qingyuan clan member's body, numbed, flew backward at great speed and slammed directly into the black city wall, causing the entire wall to shake violently.

The surrounding crowd was shocked by this sudden turn of events, and all eyes focused on the cyan figure.

It was naturally Han Li, who had to reveal himself to save the Cloud Leopard's life.

He slowly bent down, helped the Cloud Leopard up, waved his hand to produce a cyan pill and handed it to the latter, then frowned as he looked at the two soldiers still holding Sang Tu.

Seeing Han Li's stance, they knew he was not to be trifled with and quickly let go.

Sang Tu also stumbled back hastily.

Han Li likewise took out a pill and gave it to Sang Tu to swallow, then turned his gaze to the Qingyuan clan member.

The latter, naturally robust in physique, had even cracked the thick city wall reinforced by formations, yet he seemed unharmed. After falling from the wall, he patted off the dust and stood steady.

However, Han Li did not wish to escalate matters and had not truly activated his bloodline power, instead nearly sealing his immortal spiritual power fluctuations. He too remained calm, staring fixedly at the other.

"Thunder Peng clan... Are those two your subordinates?" The Qingyuan clan member, seeing this, did not rush to act again, evidently somewhat wary of the Thunder Peng clan, and asked.

Like the Qingyuan clan, the Thunder Peng clan were descendants of the true spirit You Tian Kun Peng, one of the eight primordial true spirits, and also ranked among the sixteen great wild clans. Although their overall strength was slightly inferior to the Qingyuan clan, their clan leader was both powerful and fiercely protective of his own.

Historically, whenever a junior he valued was bullied, this clan leader would personally come forward to seek justice, and such incidents were not few.

"We're just entering the city. Is there any need to go this far?" Han Li did not answer, but asked calmly in return.

"I know quite a few from the Thunder Roc clan. Dare you tell me your name?" the Qing Ape clan man said, frowning.

"Can we enter the city now?" Han Li asked the two soldiers, ignoring him.

"Yes, of course, please..." one of the soldiers quickly nodded and said.

Han Li then waved his hand, and the two tribesmen quickly helped Sang Tu and Cloud Leopard onto the beast cart, preparing to enter the city.

"There's no one like you in the Thunder Roc clan. Could it be... a mongrel scattered from some tribe? Someone like you is not qualified to attend the grand gathering. Get back!" Seeing that Han Li completely disregarded him, the Qing Ape clan man finally flew into a rage and shouted.

For the barbarian tribes, bloodline was extremely important, and being called a 'mongrel' to one's face was something worth risking one's life over.

Han Li was not of the barbarian race to begin with, so his heart was not greatly stirred by these words. He only wanted to enter Zhenhuang City smoothly and then go to the Eight Desolations Mountain to revive Xiao Bai. Still not angered, he simply turned and walked toward the carriage.

But in the eyes of others, this action was seen as a clear admission of defeat. Thus, jeers arose all around, and many joined in, telling them to get back.

Seeing this, the Qing Ape clan man grew even more smug, convinced that Han Li was merely a collateral branch of the Thunder Roc clan. He then stepped forward, reaching for Han Li's back, and shouted loudly:

"You mongrel! If you want to enter this gate, you'll have to get past me first."

The moment he stepped forward, the black stone pavement suddenly cracked, and a giant hand shot out, instantly arriving behind Han Li's heart, poised to crush his chest.

Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, and he sighed inwardly, knowing that he couldn't avoid it.

With a thought, his figure suddenly turned, his five fingers slightly curved into an eagle's claw, and he reached out to grab the Qing Yuan clansman's fist.

The bloodline power and star power within him erupted simultaneously, silver lightning surging wildly, and the silver electric threads outside his arm condensed into a huge Thunder Roc claw, which collided with the Qing Yuan clansman's fist with a thunderous impact.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion erupted, and a powerful gust of wind burst forth from between the two, sweeping in all directions.

Layers of silver electric light exploded from the center, erupting into fist-sized spherical lightning bolts that shot outward, forcing all the onlookers to retreat step by step.

Some of the beasts pulling carts were startled, neighing and stirring restlessly, plunging the surroundings into chaos.

The Qing Yuan clansman was shocked. The Thunder Roc clan was known for their speed, and while their strength was not weak, it was always inferior to that of the Qing Yuan clan. Yet this fellow had come at him head-on with brute force and was not at all at a disadvantage—truly strange.