"What happened next?"
"Later, both sides were so exhausted from fighting that they had to compromise.
The southern dynasty ceded a mountain range for us to survive, agreeing that once the purple rain stopped, we could return to the grasslands.
Later, after decades, the purple rain ceased, but the grasslands had become a sea. After several more centuries, the purple sea gradually disappeared, transforming back into grasslands.
Our ancestors returned to the grasslands, but due to the dynasty's centuries of pressure on our living space, our population dwindled.
Upon returning to the grasslands, our ancestors could only focus on recovery. The land was vast and sparsely populated, sufficient for the surviving tribes to develop.
However, ever since then, the purple rain descends every thousand years. This is now the fifth time.
When the second purple rain fell, the southern dynasty was prepared and repelled our attacks with full force.
We had no choice but to offer tribute of sacred beasts and serve them to be allowed to live within the mountain ranges.
Later, as the purple rain receded, our ancestors returned to the grasslands. However, the southern dynasty allowed some of the Beast Tamers to continue living in the mountains, while the rest were to retreat to the grasslands.
Those tribes that remained did not fare well, oppressed by the dynasty, forced to serve them.
During the dynasty's wars of conquest, they had to fight for the dynasty.
During times of peace and prosperity, they were mere playthings for the dynasty's amusement.
The current dynasty is called Qian, and it has been in power for over a thousand years. Having experienced the last purple rain extinction event, they are even more experienced.
And it is Qian that persecutes the Beast Tamers the most.
After several purple rain extinction events, the population of Beast Tamers plummeted, while the southern Qian dynasty developed peacefully and became unprecedentedly powerful. The Beast Tamers were no longer a match for the dynasty.
Years of peace led the bored royalty and nobility to turn their attention to the Beast Tamers. They commanded the subordinate Beast Tamer tribes to attack the Beast Tamers on the grasslands, forcing them to slaughter each other for their amusement..."
"Amusement was secondary; the primary goal was to control the grassland population. This is a common tactic for ruling dynasties."
Wan Lei interrupted Deng Yangge.
Deng Yangge gave a wry smile, as if he didn't know this himself.
"Yes, fifty years ago, our Deng Yan tribe's old chieftain calculated the timing, knowing the purple rain was imminent. He led the entire tribe to migrate towards the Great Wall.
The Qian dynasty was willing to accept us, but their condition was that we reduce our population by half ourselves."
The words were spoken lightly, but Wan Lei felt a chill. He could already guess how they were expected to reduce their numbers.
"We killed all the old, weak, and infirm, including some of the young and strong. I was only a few years old then, so I managed to escape. We settled in the Tian Duan mountain range; that is our new home.
As the purple rain approached, the Qian dynasty dispatched all the subordinate Beast Tamer tribes. Their command to us was that we must bring back a number of heads equivalent to our tribe's population to continue living in the mountains.
If we couldn't bring back enough, we would have to kill our own people.
If we all died here, they would kill our women and children, eradicating our entire tribe.
For the sake of survival, we were forced to raise our blades against our former compatriots.
Qian refers to the grasslands as the 'Land of Life Control,' signifying their ability to control everyone's lives. The Beast Tamers are their playthings, their fate entirely at the dynasty's whim.
The tribe we are fighting is the Yan Ke tribe. We are close to defeating them, and our quota of heads is almost met.
However, just now, we heard a divine voice, and the rules have changed. Each tribe must present the head of a cultivator at the Mahayana stage to enter the mountains.
Divine being, we wish to return home. Do you know what a Mahayana stage head is?"
Wan Lei remained silent. These new rules were more bloody and cruel than the previous ones.
Before, they only needed to wipe out a few tribes and gather enough heads to go home. Now, they were forced to compete for a mere fifteen heads, meaning at most fifteen tribes could return to the mountains.
Among them were twelve living individuals, cultivators at the terrifying Mahayana stage.
"Why do you call me a divine being?"
"We all witnessed that earth-shattering battle just now. Among the Beast Tamers, no one possesses the world-destroying power you command. Moreover, all these sacred beasts rushed towards you. If you are not the divine being prophesied to guide our survival, then who are you?"
Wan Lei looked up at the sky, letting the purple raindrops, carrying an aura of destruction, fall on his face.
"I finally understand why the Dog Immortal in the Golden Immortal Secret Realm told us to properly comprehend the Rain Calling divine ability, saying it would be useful in the Water Immortal Secret Realm. It's because of this.
This purple rain isn't natural; it's merely a divine ability of those immortals. I even suspect they are testing and creating their abilities here.
The lives here mean nothing to them."
Fang Xiaoyu stroked Xiao Huang's head and sighed.
"Earlier in the Wood Immortal Secret Realm, Doggy repeatedly emphasized that the Wood Immortal was the kindest. We didn't believe it then, seeing so many corpses and saying the Wood Immortal was too cruel.
But after experiencing the Golden Immortal Secret Realm and now coming to the Water Immortal Secret Realm, we realize that compared to these two secret realms, which destroy worlds and annihilate populations at the slightest provocation, the few people who died in the Wood Immortal Secret Realm were nothing."
"Indeed. Compared to the Wood Immortal, the Golden Immortal and Water Immortal are more adept at playing with human nature. If I ever get to meet those immortals, I will point at their noses and ask if they are truly worthy of being called immortals."
Xiao Huang raised its head, wanting to say something, but eventually lowered it.
It couldn't defend its friends.
"Divine being, divine being."
Deng Yangge called out cautiously.
"What is it?"
"Do you know what that Mahayana stage head is?"
"It's the head of a Mahayana stage cultivator. You must kill them and cut off their heads. Mahayana stage cultivators are very powerful. They are the strongest among us outsiders. There are only a dozen or so. With your tribe's strength...
A Mahayana stage cultivator could easily kill all of you with a single palm strike."
Upon hearing this, the Deng Yan tribesmen turned pale with fear and fell into despair.
How could they possibly decapitate such powerful beings?
"By the way,"
Deng Yangge's eyes suddenly gleamed.
"The voice just now mentioned a person named Wan Lei who has three heads. Do you know him? Can we buy one from him?"
"The entire grassland has at least tens of thousands of tribes, yet there are only a few heads. Why do you think he would sell one to you? By then, the entire grassland will be madly scrambling for them."
"This... what should we do then?"
Deng Yangge's face turned ashen.
"Don't be discouraged,"
Wan Lei patted Deng Yangge's shoulder and smiled slightly.
"I am Wan Lei."