Chapter 424 - 323: Chuyun Stockade

"This is the target of our mission this time."

Li Wu spoke while pointing to a spot on the animal skin map.

"Chuyun Stockade, located east of the Liao River, is an outpost camp of the Jiuli Tribe."

"It’s under the jurisdiction of another High Priest."

"Another High Priest?" Han Zhan raised his head in confusion upon hearing this, "If I remember correctly, didn’t you say that each High Priest has their own jurisdiction?"

If it’s beyond the jurisdiction of the High Priest of Hejian, why issue such a mission?

Li Wu’s hand, pointing at the animal skin map, paused slightly. His tone was filled with bewilderment and absurdity.

"Because that High Priest has disappeared."

Disappeared?

The High Priest disappeared?

That indeed sounds absurd.

Recalling the High Priest’s massive stature in his mind, such a prominent figure, how could they disappear without a trace?

"According to the Jiuli Tribe’s regulations, if a High Priest in a jurisdictional area encounters an accident, the adjacent High Priest takes over for temporary jurisdiction until the Jiuli Tribe dispatches a new High Priest."

"The village closest to Chuyun Stockade is Hejian Village, so the High Priest sent the two of us to investigate the current situation in Chuyun Stockade."

Li Wu relayed all this information shared by the High Priest to Han Zhan.

After hearing this, Han Zhan furrowed his brows even deeper.

The High Priest responsible for this jurisdiction must be at least Tier Eight in power.

In such a situation at Chuyun Stockade, it’s strange that the High Priest doesn’t go themselves but sends subordinate Priests instead.

"The High Priest is too conspicuous. Going there rashly might not reveal anything."

"Moreover, because the High Priest possesses the ability to devour evil entities, once he appears, those entities would hide, making them even harder to find."

Li Wu’s explanation made Han Zhan slightly agree.

"Anyway, I’ve already accepted the High Priest’s favor, and it’s too late to back out now."

"Based on the past two experiences of entering the Fruit World, only by following the ’plot’ can we complete the exploration of the entire Fruit World and leave here."

From any angle, Chuyun Stockade is a must-go.

"When do we set off?"

Li Wu looked at the now-normal Han Zhan who asked again, then glanced at the sun just rising to the top.

"We’ll set off immediately."

...

Chuyun Stockade is a hundred meters from a tributary of the Liao River, so a waterway was specially opened to bring it into the stockade.

Han Zhan and Li Wu chose to take the waterway, as it was much faster than the land route due to the downhill flow.

Also, they didn’t want to encounter hordes of evil entities forming into Fierce Beast Riders.

Although they didn’t have to flee in panic, a big fight would alert others, which didn’t align with their mission objective this time.

"I didn’t expect the Jiuli Tribe would also build rafts."

"That sounds like saying you didn’t expect us to eat, too."

Sitting on the raft, Han Zhan and Li Wu chatted casually.

The Jiuli Tribe’s rafts were specially made for the Jiuli Clan people, so they were quite large; at least Han Zhan felt very spacious sitting on one.

The raft drifted down with the current, and the landscape on both banks changed rapidly, brushing past in a flash before disappearing behind them.

Near the Jiuli Tribe’s side, the bank was filled with dense forests and towering trees were everywhere.

Across the river was an endless plain.

If you strained your eyes, you could vaguely make out the scattered villages, but there was no smoke or signs of life, just empty villages.

"Ever since the Jiuli and Yellow Emperor tribes went to war, both sides of the river have become battlefields, with fighting possible at any time."

Seeing Han Zhan staring at the villages, Li Wu explained.

"To seize more territory and habitable lands," Han Zhan continued.

He had read about this historical legend in books.

Unexpectedly, Li Wu looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Seize territory and habitable land? What is that?"

"Wasn’t the war between the Jiuli and Yellow Emperor Tribes because of the evil entities?"

"The entities caused mutations in the Yellow Emperor Tribe, and once parasitized, they began to invade the Jiuli Tribe’s territory."

"For this, Great Chief Chi You even had a meeting with the Yellow Emperor by the Yellow River, but it ended badly, leading to further eruptions of war."

The historical legend had been altered again.

This didn’t surprise Han Zhan too much.

"Was the Yellow Emperor parasitized by the evil entities?" This was Han Zhan’s most pressing concern.

If comparing the combat power across several Fruit Worlds, the Yellow Emperor should be on the same level as Fu Xi and Nuwa.

If the Yellow Emperor was also parasitized, it would be hard for him to win alone.

Perhaps, building a good relationship with Great Chief Chi You is key to successfully completing the exploration of the Wilderness of Zhulu in the Fruit World.

"I don’t know about that." Li Wu shook his head, "The Yellow Emperor is a figure comparable to the Great Chief. I’ve never even seen the Great Chief, let alone know about the Yellow Emperor."

"However, since the Great Chief agreed to meet him by the Yellow River, I guess he wasn’t parasitized by the evil entities?"

Not parasitized, yet refusing to cease the war; this decision was baffling.

The two continued to chat about various topics, with most of the conversation consisting of Han Zhan asking and Li Wu answering.

Unknowingly, afternoon had arrived.

Finally, just before sunset, they reached Chuyun Stockade.

The waterway in Chuyun Stockade was a separate branch opened by the Jiuli Tribe warriors.

They controlled the raft, turning a small bend from the tributary of the Liao River, then entering an internal waterway.

A wooden fortress also built from towering giant trees, when the dock at the end of the waterway saw the raft carrying Han Zhan and Li Wu, the gate at the end of the stockade’s waterway was pulled open, revealing a large entrance into the stockade.

"Why does it feel like the construction standards of Chuyun Stockade are much higher than those of your Hejian Village?"

"Even the waterway and gate were built."

Han Zhan’s criticism successfully aroused Li Wu’s dissatisfaction, and he snorted somewhat defiantly.

"It’s just designed and built by captives from the Yellow Emperor Tribe."

"Such wooden gates are useless. I could punch a hole in it if I wanted to!"

Han Zhan humorously leaned back.

"You don’t think your power level is low, do you?"

"With all the Body Tempering through alchemy you’ve undergone, your body’s strength is unrivaled among the same tier within the Jiuli Tribe."

"Also, the task you’re undertaking, if completed successfully, will grant you the method to advance into a Great Power."

Are there many Great Powers in the Jiuli Tribe? The answer is no.

The conversation between them was interrupted as a sturdy figure appeared near the docking spot at the waterway’s end.