Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

After Tuoba Hongzhen's figure disappeared into the southern horizon, the barbarian leaders gradually stopped shouting, gathered together, and began to discuss among themselves.

"Can our ancestor truly achieve victory in this battle and annihilate the Xiao royal family?" a young leader asked, his face full of doubt.

"It's unlikely." Another leader shook his head, his tone full of worry. "After all, our ancestor went alone. Before, our clan had a large army with us, as well as a Grandmaster and more than a dozen Grandmaster-level experts to help us, but we still failed to break through the Great Qian Imperial City and suffered heavy losses. Now that our ancestor is all alone, it's too difficult for him to destroy the Xiao royal family."

"We must not underestimate our ancestor," a white-haired leader said, his tone full of awe. "Our ancestor was a cultivation genius from ten thousand years ago. His methods and strength are far beyond our comprehension. Perhaps, the reason our ancestor went alone this time is because he was absolutely certain of his success."

"That's true, but the human race may also have ancient powerhouses like our ancestor." Another leader said worriedly, "The human powerhouse who killed Grandmaster Tuoba Zan may also be a reincarnation of an ancient powerhouse from ten thousand years ago, or perhaps he was sealed away for ten thousand years and has only now returned to the world."

"That's not it." A leader who knew the inside story shook his head and said, "According to the intelligence provided by the Divine Judgment Organization, that human powerhouse was a contemporary person born forty years ago, not an ancient powerhouse."

"It's unbelievable that people in this era can be so powerful!" Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed shock, and their worries deepened.

"I hope our ancestor can achieve victory in this battle, allowing our barbarian tribe to gain the upper hand in this upheaval. Otherwise, I'm afraid our tribe will never have any hope of rising again." The white-haired chieftain sighed again, his tone full of helplessness.

"Not necessarily," another leader said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Our ancestors from ten thousand years ago may have prepared other contingency plans for us, but we just haven't discovered them yet."

"Even without any other backup plans, we can wait for the descendants of our ancestors who left ten thousand years ago to return. Those of our kind have inherited the bloodline and cultivation methods from ten thousand years ago, and their strength must be extremely formidable."

"Don't forget, it wasn't just our barbarian warriors who left this land ten thousand years ago; many powerful figures from the top human sects also departed. Their descendants may have already returned, and this upheaval will only intensify."

The leaders discussed the matter incessantly, their voices filled with both worry and a glimmer of hope. No one knew where the barbarian tribe's future would ultimately lead.

……

On the East China Sea, the vast expanse of blue waves surged and rolled. Banana Leaf Island stood quietly in the East China Sea, named for its shape which resembled a giant banana leaf. This was a temporary stronghold of the Duanmu family in the East China Sea.

At this moment, Duanmu Rong was leading his two Grandmaster-level experts and more than a dozen Innate-level masters back to Banana Leaf Island from the mainland of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Since the Battle of Wild Wolf Ridge, they had not entered the Great Qian Imperial City again, remaining hidden outside the city and waiting for the armies of various factions to arrive. Later, when the Japanese army arrived at the Great Qian Imperial City, they joined the Japanese forces to besiege the city together. Now that the Japanese army had been defeated and retreated, they naturally followed suit, traveling a long and winding road back to the East China Sea.

At this moment, the Japanese army was sailing on warships towards the Fusang Islands, deeper in the East China Sea. Without a Grandmaster in command and without reliable logistical support, the Japanese army dared not linger inland—since they could not destroy the Great Qian Empire, they could only return to the Fusang Islands as soon as possible to recuperate and make further plans.

Duanmu Rong originally planned to continue cooperating with the Divine Judgment Organization, using its power to stir up the situation in Daqian and seek benefits for the Duanmu family.

But who would have thought that Su Qingshan, the leader of the Divine Judgment Organization, would suddenly and mysteriously disappear, and no matter how he tried to contact him, there was no response. Duanmu Rong vaguely guessed that Su Qingshan was probably dead—after all, the Xiao family's backup plan during the siege of the Great Qian Imperial City was too powerful, even able to kill a Grandmaster of the barbarian tribes, so even if Su Qingshan was also a Grandmaster, he probably wouldn't have escaped unscathed.

Without the restraint and assistance of the Divine Judgment Organization, Duanmu Rong naturally dared not remain in the heart of the Great Qian Empire any longer. He could only lead his men to hastily retreat back to Banana Leaf Island in the East China Sea, where they would lie low for the time being and observe the changing situation.

Just as they landed on Banana Leaf Island and were preparing to rest, a towering wave suddenly rose on the sea, and a terrifying aura came from the deep sea, instantly enveloping the entire Banana Leaf Island.

"Not good! It's a sea monster! And it's quite powerful!" Duanmu Rong's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply, "Everyone, be on alert!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a gigantic tentacle suddenly emerged from the sea, carrying a torrent of water vapor, and slammed down towards the people on the island. The tentacle was entirely black, covered with fine barbs, and exuded an incomparably powerful aura—clearly, this was a level five sea beast, with strength comparable to a human Grandmaster, and a physical body far surpassing that of an ordinary Grandmaster.

Duanmu Rong's heart sank. He hadn't expected to be attacked by a level-five sea beast so soon after returning to Banana Leaf Island. Although he now had two Grandmaster-level experts under his command, the physical body of a level-five sea beast was far too powerful. To win, he would likely have to pay a considerable price.

"That eunuch who rose to prominence out of nowhere and has now been appointed as the Imperial Preceptor by the Emperor of Daqian was no lucky man to have killed my uncle on the day of the sacrificial ceremony!"

The image of his uncle Duanmu Ping involuntarily appeared in Duanmu Rong's mind. Then he thought of the Duanmu family members who had died inland recently. An indescribable grief instantly swept over his heart, and his eyes reddened slightly.

Driven by greed, I decided to cooperate with the Divine Judgment Organization, coveting the interests of the Great Qian Empire. Looking back now, it was a wrong step that has led me to this predicament—my uncle died tragically, my clansmen were lost, and my family's power was greatly diminished. It was truly a case of one wrong step leading to utter ruin!

What should they do next? Should they continue to lie low and wait for an opportunity, or seek another patron? Duanmu Rong stood in the room, his brows furrowed, his heart filled with confusion and worry. He felt a sense of powerlessness regarding his own future and that of the entire Duanmu family.

Just as he was lost in thought, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and a burly man from the Duanmu family, exuding the scent of the sea breeze, rushed in, reporting frantically, "Master! Something terrible has happened! A group of sea beasts is attacking Dongdao Island like crazy, and the islanders can't hold them off much longer!"

"What's the panic!" Duanmu Rong snapped back to reality, suppressing his grief and confusion, and coldly rebuked the burly man. He then turned and strode out of the room. "Take me to see!"

In recent months, Banana Leaf Island has been frequently attacked by sea monsters and sea beasts, which is nothing new. Duanmu Rong is already used to it. However, each attack will bring considerable losses to the island's residents and the Duanmu family.

He was secretly puzzled. In the past, those sea monsters and sea beasts that had achieved mastery of cultivation always lay dormant in the deep sea and rarely approached islands near the inland, much less launched frequent attacks. But since when did these sea monsters and sea beasts seem to have changed their nature, frequently coming ashore to cause trouble, as if some force was driving them out of the deep sea.