Building a sect from scratch.

The Nabahai tribe is the largest and most populous tribe among the surviving tribes of Tiangui Mountain.

According to Dai Min, the chieftain of the Nabahai tribe, who is also the only living monk over a thousand years old in Tiangui Mountain, only forty-three tribes survived in the entire Tiangui Mountain imprisoned by the Rift Valley, including the smaller tribes that were attached to the larger tribes. However, this was a statistic from three years ago, and it is hard to say how many are left now.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these forty-three tribes sound like a lot, and seem to be more than the three tribes that are often mentioned outside, such as the Hubuyu, Quanrong, and Sushen tribes. In reality, they are not the same thing at all.

Liuzhou is a harsh and cold place. Its earliest form of civilization was quite similar to that of the North Asian civilization on Earth, such as being mainly nomadic and hunting.

The harsh living environment made the "bloody sacrifice" custom in this place even more intense. As early as when the Sword Sect was still prosperous, the mortal tribes in this place had a custom of plundering each other and then killing and sacrificing the people of the other tribe.

Of course, this does not mean that people in this place are born particularly cruel, but rather that many customs, cultures, and even forms of civilization are closely related to geographical features and climate.

Compared to the fertile Central Continent and other rich places where one could live off a few trees or a piece of land for a lifetime, Liuzhou's grain production was almost comparable to that of ancient Blue Star. In addition, the region was rich in minerals and the soil was not suitable for cultivation, which meant that the tribes of ordinary people often had to rely on plundering each other to survive.

This mode of survival, which could both consume excess population and obtain more food, became the main form of civilization in Liuzhou for thousands of years.

As for the reason for the "torture and killing," it was essentially a form of intimidation, a way to demonstrate military strength. However, within the customs of Liuzhou, it was interpreted as a cultural practice. In the legends of Liuzhou, if a Liuzhou person is tortured and killed, their soul will be trapped in the Nine Netherworlds and suffer endless torment. Only through sky burial can the soul return to the Guixu Sea and obtain eternal peace.

This civilization, which reveres military might, has led to Liuzhou becoming almost a giant breeding ground for treacherous creatures. The Liuzhou tribes not trapped within the rift valley could still exchange goods and engage in trade with the forces and sects of the other ten continents and three islands. Larger tribes gradually expanded by selling local specialties and minerals, eventually annexing smaller tribes. Gradually, Liuzhou developed into its current tripartite balance of power.

Of course, this "three-legged balance" was a very loose one. For example, the most famous Quanrong clan occupied the lush grasslands, and their civilization had evolved the concept of a "royal tent." There were dozens of smaller "smaller royal tents," or "smaller tribes," attached to the "royal tent." However, although these tribes attached to the Quanrong royal tent also called themselves Quanrong, they actually referred to each other by the names of the people who actually controlled them. For example, the Bulaka tent was a tribe led by a small chieftain named "Bulaka."

Although the Hubuyu and Sushen clans differed slightly from the Quanrong clan in their civilization, as their territories were mainly forested and mountainous, and their dietary habits differed from those of the Quanrong clan, which was mainly grassland-based, they were roughly similar. Both were relatively loosely organized large tribes composed of many small tribes.

In comparison, the tribes within Tiangui Mountain fared much worse. While the Hu Buyu clan could still obtain sustenance through trade with other forces, the Nabahai tribe had no such means. According to Dai Min's recollection, when the upheaval occurred, all the plants and trees within Tiangui Mountain withered rapidly within half a month, the soil turned an unusable red, and the red mist caused everyone to feel gloomy and irritable. Furthermore, the cultivators who had turned into monsters would indiscriminately attack everyone.

Those days were truly unbearable. People were dying every day. Countless people refused to give up and wanted to escape this land of divine punishment, but everyone who tried to cross the rift also paid the price of their lives to serve as a warning to others.

Indeed, Dai Min called this land trapped by the rift valley, the land outside called "Arctic Stream Continent," "the land of divine punishment."

"If all the cultivators of the Sword Sect were to become monsters... how would you have survived?"

The Jade Emperor sat in the Nabahai tribe's "council house," listening quietly to Dai Min's storytelling for a long time before asking the question that had been on his mind.

He hesitated, then said tactfully, "Mortals...it's hard to contend with cultivators, isn't it? Besides, the Sword Sect has a Sword God..."

“Yes, at the beginning, they couldn’t survive at all. All the people were passively waiting to be killed or become food.” Dai Min’s expression was somewhat dazed, but his tone was very calm.

Wu Ke, standing nearby, jumped in fright: "Turn into food!?"

Dai Min sighed softly: "The flowers, plants and trees have all withered, the birds and beasts have no food and have all starved to death. Since there are no more livestock, they can only eat people."

The Jade Emperor frowned, unable to comprehend what Dai Min was saying: "But, but haven't cultivators already abstained from grains long ago!?"

However, the next second, Dai Min's words made the Jade Emperor almost lose control of his anger.

"Yes, they don't need food to survive, but they need food for spiritual practice."

"Beep——"

The Jade Emperor swore, but unfortunately, the system censored it.

However, this little incident did not affect Dai Min's storytelling. He continued slowly, "Later, some cultivators betrayed the Sword Sect. They believed that cannibalism for cultivation was no different from that of demons, so they could not accept such a thing."

Wu Ke asked impatiently, "And then what happened? What became of that sword god?"

Dai Min smiled bitterly and said, "It was the Sword God who led the defection from the Sword Sect."

Wu Ke exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible?! If the Sword God opposes cannibalism, with his absolute strength, no cultivator from the Sword Sect could possibly resist him!"

The Jade Emperor retorted in a deep voice, "No, not necessarily. The Sword Sect has not only the Sword God, but also twelve Sword Maidens who have all cultivated immortal bodies. I remember that Red Maiden, she seems to be a Golden Immortal. If they all attack the Sword God, the Sword God may not be able to escape unscathed."

“Exactly,” Dai Min nodded slightly, confirming the Jade Emperor’s conjecture: “Many sword sect immortals and cultivators, led by the Twelve Sword Maidens, believe that only by diligently cultivating and attaining enlightenment can they hope to leave this place, but the Sword God disagrees.”

As Dai Min spoke, he paused, glanced at the two people with rosy, full cheeks, and a hint of envy flashed in his eyes, but it quickly returned to its stagnant state.

He whispered, "The Sword God said this is divine punishment, and no one can escape it." (End of Chapter)