Night descended silently in a dense forest. Due to the abundant foliage, moonlight could not penetrate through the leaves. Despite this, beneath the branches it was not dim, as there were many bonfires and some fireflies flying about.
These fireflies were not just the usual seven or eight, but rather a dense swarm that looked like a group of dancing sprites.
The orange-red light of the fire combined with the silver-green glow emitted by these fireflies, creating a harmonious scene in this quiet forest.
All these fireflies were flying around a massive tree, and around this enormous tree were many bonfires lit.
The reason for so many bonfires around the tree was because the surroundings of the tree were filled with wooden huts.
Indeed, this was a Tribe, a Large Tribe that had formed primarily around a towering tree.
Although it was nighttime, many people in this Tribe were busy working.
This was because it was the time they prepared to go out hunting. Near this Tribe, when night fell, many strange beasts would appear.
These strange beasts tasted exceptionally good, often attracting the Tribe’s people to hunt at night.
Moreover, these strange beasts were very easy to catch, so they often went out in groups to hunt these creatures at night.
The sound of burning wood in the bonfires and the calls of beasts in the forest were incessant.
The Warriors were all fully equipped, holding weapons and ready to depart. The whistles they wore were all black in colour.
And the Beast Bone necklaces they wore looked strange, different from those of the Flame Dragon Tribe or the Spotted Deer Tribe.
These Warriors looked very peculiar. Each warrior’s hair was grown long and tied into a high ponytail. Their teeth were all black, and the Beast Bone necklaces hanging on their bodies were also black. These Warriors also had a layer of black pigment smeared under their eyes.
Overall, they gave an impression of darkness, and they looked rather eerie.
They did not resemble ordinary Warriors, but rather looked more like Shamans.
Those dark warriors kept making strange roaring sounds. This scene was part of the ritual performed before going out to hunt.
After shouting these strange calls, the Warriors began to leave for hunting.
Just as these Warriors were walking away from the Tribe, a not-very-tall person began walking into the Tribe.
His appearance was not very different from those dark Warriors. He also had a high ponytail, wore black Animal Hide, and his bare upper body was smeared with many black substances. He looked very anxious. He passed the wooden huts beneath the big tree and went straight towards climbing the tree.
Each movement was very clean and efficient, without any hesitation. In less than ten minutes, he had ran to the middle part of the tree.
The middle of this large tree also had many wooden huts, about forty or so in number. Each wooden hut was built on the thick branches extending from this massive tree. Because this tree was so enormous and had many extending branches, it was possible to build so many wooden huts on it.
The person who had just entered the Tribe went directly towards the largest wooden hut on the tree. None of the patrolling Warriors on the way stopped him.
He pushed open the door and walked in after getting permission from the wooden hut’s owner. The Warrior standing guard at the door of the wooden hut watched expressionlessly, as if this happened frequently.
The wooden hut was filled with many arrangements. Everywhere hung strange beast heads, Animal Hide, and even some strange beast carcasses.
It also emitted many strange smells, not just the smell of blood, but also some strange plant odours.
In short, this wooden hut also gave people a very eerie feeling, with strange things everywhere.
After the man entered the hut, he immediately placed his left hand on his right shoulder and respectfully greeted, "Shaman, I have returned."
The person who entered the Tribe was Li Ya. He was an intelligence agent of the Dark Scorpion Tribe.
His mission was always to collect intelligence for the Tribe or to disseminate intelligence outward, and he had just returned from collecting intelligence.
"Hmm? So, how is the news you’ve gathered?" A voice came from the darkness, deep and elderly.
The owner of this voice was the Shaman of the Dark Scorpion Tribe, called Chen Shao, who was around sixty years old. His long hair had already turned half white, also tied up high. Although he was aged, the features on his face still looked very strong. His well-defined jawline and high nose bridge told everything, especially his pair of piercing purple eyes.
"Black Snake… the people of the Black Snake Tribe are all gone." Li Ya obviously spoke with difficulty.
"All the people of the Black Snake Tribe are gone? What happened?" Chen Shao frowned and asked.
"I don’t know. According to custom, when I didn’t receive any news for several days, I specially went to the meeting point and waited for two or three days but still received no news from them."
Li Ya gulped and continued. "So, I sent people to gather information. On the way, they met some people from the Black Snake Tribe who said…"
"Speak!" Chen Shao said sternly.
"They said that the people of the Black Snake Tribe were… were eliminated by another Tribe." Li Ya said.
Chen Shao’s purple eyes widened slightly, and his steady voice sounded again, "Which Tribe? How could such a Large Tribe be eliminated just like that?"
"It seems to be the Flame Dragon Tribe. There were not many people, only one or two hundred, but they completely dealt with the Black Snake Tribe." Li Ya said.
"Li Ya, even when making up stories, there should be a limit to your nonsense. You know my temper, right?" Chen Shao said with a dark face.
"Shaman, what I’m saying is all true. This news was told to me by people from the Black Snake Tribe themselves." Li Ya said with certainty.
Although when he first heard this news, he also felt it was absurd and even impossible. But seeing how firmly the other party spoke, and how terrified they looked while talking about it, he knew it was definitely not a lie.
"Then tell me, with just one or two hundred people, how did they wipe out the whole Black Snake Tribe?" Chen Shao sat up straight and asked.