Li Chen was startled when he saw a dozen burly and robust barbarians surrounding him, ready for a fight at any moment.
Jiao Long leaped out from his embrace and let out a low and authoritative roar at the barbarians.
After exchanging glances, the barbarians actually all knelt down together, devoutly kowtowed three times to Jiao Long, and mumbled something incomprehensible.
Although Li Chen couldn’t understand their indigenous dialect, he could clearly see what was happening.
This fool, Jiao Long, knew them and was regarded as a deity by them.
Li Chen hadn’t expected that Jiao Long, such a fool, was doing so well here. Not only had it made a fourth-level demon beast its minion, but it had also become the local emperor in the barbaric land.
He found it somewhat funny and habitually patted Jiao Long on the head.
However, this gesture infuriated the barbarians. Each of them glared with eyes as big as copper bells, wishing they could rush forward and tear the man who "blasphemed" their deity into pieces.
Luckily, although Jiao Long was a bit silly, it was very loyal to Li Chen. It roared at the barbarians, suppressing them into submission. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel⚑fire.net
Afterward, Li Chen followed Jiao Long to a tribe called "Azure Dragon."
This tribe was not small, roughly the size of a prefecture-level city in Jiangnan, but its population was not very large, only twenty or thirty thousand.
Upon entering the tribe, the barbarians, both tall and small, bowed their heads respectfully when they saw Jiao Long, as a sign of respect.
Li Chen was quite astonished by this scene. Based on Jiao Long and Lian Hongshang’s cultivation, it was impossible for them to conquer such a large barbarian tribe.
However, when Li Chen entered the inner area and saw a giant stone sculpture, he suddenly understood.
The sculpture stood on the highest peak of the tribe, depicting a ferocious dragon with bared teeth and claws.
Li Chen also noticed that there were five claws under the belly of the dragon. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was likely a Five-clawed Golden Dragon.
Little Dragon carried the bloodline of a Five-clawed Golden Dragon, and its appearance bore some resemblance to that dragon.
The Human Clan worshipped deities, and the barbarians worshipped totems.
That is to say, this Five-clawed Golden Dragon was once the totem of the Azure Dragon Tribe.
"The Divine Dragon has returned, the Divine Dragon has returned!"
As Li Chen was in contemplation, a barbarian guard suddenly shouted loudly.
Instantly, all the barbarians put down their work and respectfully knelt to Jiao Long in veneration.
To this, Jiao Long seemed very pleased, swaggering through the crowd.
Li Chen glanced around and saw several tribal elders fixating on him, pointing and discussing among themselves.
It seemed they were very surprised and puzzled by the sudden appearance of Li Chen, a stranger.
Now, Li Chen only wanted to meet Lian Hongshang and naturally couldn’t be bothered with them.
When he reached a serene house, Jiao Long "chirped and chattered" at the inside.
Soon, Lian Hongshang’s voice emerged, clear and pleasant as a lark’s song.
"Little Dragon, don’t you usually come home only after dark? Why have you returned so early today?"
Hearing Lian Hongshang’s voice, Li Chen called out urgently, "Hongshang!"
Before his words even fell, the door suddenly opened, and a stunningly beautiful woman dashed out.
It was none other than Lian Hongshang!
"Chen, I’m not dreaming, am I? Is it really you?"
After saying that, Li Chen immediately embraced Lian Hongshang in his arms.
After a brief moment of affection, Li Chen asked Lian Hongshang how they ended up in this tribe.
Lian Hongshang smiled and recounted everything that happened to her and Jiao Long after entering the Immortal Sect.
Turned out, the portal she chose led directly to the Southern Barbarian Territory. And coincidentally, it was the day the Azure Dragon Tribe worshipped their totem.
The totem of the Azure Dragon Tribe hadn’t manifested for many years, for reasons unknown. Because of this, their tribe suffered humiliation from other tribes, an unbearable plight.
The appearance of Lian Hongshang and Jiao Long led these totem-seeking barbarians to mistake them for the manifested totem that protected the tribe.
Particularly Jiao Long, with its Five-clawed Golden Dragon bloodline resembling the totem sculpture on the mountaintop, deeply convinced the barbarians who even referred to Jiao Long as the Totem’s child, descended to hone its skills.
Hearing Lian Hongshang’s explanation, Li Chen finally understood, with an expression of realization.
Lian Hongshang blinked her large eyes, looking puzzled at Li Chen.
"Chen, how did you find your way here?"
Li Chen briefly organized his thoughts and narrated what had happened to him after entering the Cultivation Realm.
Of course, there were some inconvenient truths which he glossed over.
"Hongshang, how is the cultivation of the Cultivation Technique I taught you progressing?"
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Immediately after, the voice of a barbarian maid could be heard, sounding very anxious.
"Divine Envoy, terrible news! The Divine Turtle Tribe is at our doorstep!"
The barbarians of the Azure Dragon Tribe held Jiao Long in the highest respect.
However, since Jiao Long only obeyed Lian Hongshang, she was also respectfully referred to as Divine Envoy, meaning the messenger of the deity, commonly understood as the spokesperson for the totem.
After hearing the maid’s report, Lian Hongshang, lying bare in Li Chen’s arms, frowned slightly.
Then, she looked up at Li Chen with an inquiring gaze.
"Chen, what should we do? The Divine Turtle Tribe is causing trouble again?"