Chapter 1088 - 886: Tribal Conflict (Part 2)

In his hand, there was no weapon, but on his left shoulder, he carried a metal Totem Pole as thick as a human thigh, with densely engraved runes spiraling around its body, and a deep red crystal the size of a fist embedded at the top.

Kao’s face changed drastically.

Byron, the Clan Leader of the Stone Hammer Tribe.

This person had not appeared on the battlefield personally for over a decade; the last time he took action was in the large-scale tribal war years ago, when he shattered an entire wall of the enemy tribe with one strike.

"Byron?" Kao’s voice came from behind the fence, carrying suppressed anger and a barely noticeable tension. "You’ve come in person?"

The gigantic figure outside the fence stopped and forcefully planted the metal Totem Pole into the ground.

The dull thud caused the entire ground to tremble slightly, and the deep red crystal at the top of the Totem Pole lit up with a dark red halo in the night, like an eye slowly opening.

Byron raised his head, revealing a square face full of muscle, with a ghastly old scar stretching across his forehead from the end of his left eyebrow to the underside of his right cheekbone.

He grinned, revealing a set of teeth yellowed by years of exposure to mineral dust.

"Kao boy, you’ve grown a lot taller."

He spoke with a relaxed tone as if greeting a neighbor’s child, but Kao could hear the weight behind those words.

"Byron, are you prepared for a fight to the death with the Black Stone Tribe?" Kao’s voice turned cold, his right hand already on the handle of his War Axe at his waist. "You should know, if you make a move, when my father returns, he will definitely seek revenge on the Stone Hammer Tribe. At that point, it won’t just be a simple conflict over mines."

These words were both a warning and a probe, as he needed to confirm to what extent Byron was willing to go.

Byron’s smile deepened. He extended a large palm, wagging a finger at Kao like correcting an ignorant junior.

"Your father?" Byron laughed audibly, his rough voice carrying a hint of unsuppressed pride. "Kao, your father won’t be back anytime soon."

Kao’s hand clenched suddenly, the knuckles cracking audibly.

"What do you mean?"

"It means I’m here to see you not because I want to take advantage of your father’s absence." Byron slowly pulled the Totem Pole from the ground and slung it back onto his shoulder, as if the heavy metal pole was as light as a twig in his hand. "I dare to come because I know he won’t be back, at least not today."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dull roar came from the distant horizon.

The sound was not loud, like thunder rolling across the sky, but upon hearing it, Kao felt the hair on his entire body stand on end.

The energy fluctuations at that level, even from such a distance, were clearly perceptible. To transmit energy waves through such a far distance, the person acting must be at least at Level 4.

A battle between Level 4 powerhouses.

Kao sharply turned his head towards the direction the energy wave came from, which was precisely the direction of Stone Split Valley.

It was several hundred kilometers from the Black Stone Tribe’s dwelling area; the aura of a typical Level 3 Warrior could never be transmitted so far. Only when Level 4 entities clashed could the shockwave be sent over such a distance.

His father was a Level 4.

And at Stone Split Valley, a Level 4 battle was erupting.

The Stone Hammer Tribe didn’t have so many Level 4 warriors; they had sought help and laid an ambush at Stone Split Valley.

His father left with a few of the strongest trusted aides, but he didn’t know that the Stone Hammer Tribe had allied with other tribes and were waiting for him at Stone Split Valley.

Judging by the waves coming from there, it was at least two Level 4s against one. Whether his father could return alive was now uncertain.

Byron planted the thick metal Totem Pole heavily on the ground, the dull sound like the prelude of a war drum.

He twisted his thick neck, the vertebrae cracking audibly, then lifted the Totem Pole with one hand, striding toward the fence.

Every step he took made the Earth beneath his feet quiver slightly, the deep red crystal at the top of the Totem Pole casting a dark red trail through the night.

The Black Stone Tribe’s veterans on the fence tensed up almost simultaneously.

The archers had their arrows nocked, the arrowheads aimed at the massive approaching figure, but without Kao’s command, no one dared to shoot first.

A Level 4 powerhouse—ordinary arrows would be like scratches to him, and hastily shooting could hasten the collapse of their defenses by provoking him.

Byron stopped a few yards from the outer perimeter of the ancestral protection’s light screen, tilting his head to examine the faint golden transparent curtain before him.

The surface of the light screen flowed with countless ancient runes, imprints left by the souls of the Black Stone Tribe’s ancestors in the idol. Each rune represented the faith and prayers of countless generations.

He extended a thick finger and poked it hard at the light screen’s surface. Upon contact, a faint golden arc of electricity sparked, throwing his finger back with singed skin and a faintly burnt smell.

He looked down at his finger, blew on the fingertip, then laughed: "This turtle shell of yours in the Black Stone Tribe is still tough as ever."

He stepped back a few paces, gripping the end of the Totem Pole with both hands, lifting the thick metal pole high.

The runes engraved on the Totem Pole’s surface lit up, and the deep red crystal at the top suddenly burst with dazzling light.

He exerted all his strength to smash the Totem Pole enveloped in red light violently against the ancestor’s protection light screen; the moment the pole struck, the entire ground of the settlement shook intensely.

The shockwave spread across the light screen’s surface, golden arcs splattering like heavy rain, the light screen quivering violently, runes at the impact point whirling madly, struggling to maintain structure stability.

Byron was pushed back half a step by the recoil, his tiger’s mouth slightly numb.

He grinned again, lifting the Totem Pole once more, this time his arm muscles bulging suddenly, the red light surrounding the Totem Pole become intensely tangible.

The pole’s descent was nearly twice as fast as the first time, and tiny cracks appeared at the impact point on the light screen’s surface for the first time, though they quickly mended with surrounding golden runes. Yet, this momentary break was enough to sway hope in everyone who saw it.

Byron didn’t pause, launching the third attack immediately, then the fourth and fifth, the Totem Pole pounding repeatedly at the same location like a pile driver, the golden runes there were just mended and were shattered again, the repair speed gradually failing to keep pace with the destruction.

The Black Stone Tribe warriors on the fence turned pale, a young scout gripping a Hunting Bow trembled so much he could barely hold the bowstring.

The ancestral protection they had revered for generations had never been battered so fiercely and fiercely.

Byron tucked the Totem Pole under his arm and rammed toward the screen like a mobile mountain of flesh.

His shoulder blades bulged with two massive muscles during the charge, the Dragon Lizard Skin Cloak flapping loudly in the wind pressure. Every step left a deep footprint in the gravel ground.

The light screen caved in several feet at the moment of impact, cracks spreading madly in a spider-web pattern from the impact point, several directly penetrating the entire thickness of the screen.

But before these cracks could spread to their limit, they halted, then healed as if smoothed by an invisible hand, shattered golden light regrouping into complete runes, layer upon layer patching the damaged spot.

Byron retreated a few steps, shaking off the numbness in his shoulder from the recoil, reassessing the screen before him.