Chapter 35: Undercurrents Surge (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Bookmarks)

  This dark mountain cave. Several savages wrapped in animal hides, holding heavy iron spears and guarding the entrance of the cave, their eyes dull and motionless, as if watching something very important. The outer periphery of the cave was inserted with wooden stakes, all made from the trunks of giant trees that had grown for over a thousand years, only using the oldest roots at the bottom. On the surface of the stakes, human faces twisted in pain were carved out by knives made of animal bones, men and women, old and young, thousands of them crowded together, and then sealed with curses, filled with the souls of living sacrifices who had been tortured to death and could not rest, forcibly transforming these giant trees that had grown for thousands of years into extremely poisonous magical instruments. A layer of black fog was emitted in all directions, enveloping the entire valley, making it gloomy and cold, hazy and chaotic. Even the most intense sunlight above the sky could not penetrate.

  In the depths of the cave, winding and twisting, it's unknown where it leads. Slightly deeper, countless strange and fantastical scenes come into view. Countless jade pillars hang from the top to the ground, some like inverted rain clouds in mid-air, others like white waves surging and rolling, with an atmosphere of infinite variety, forming a magnificent spectacle. The glittering stalactites are also unknown how many tens of thousands of years old, yet still radiate a soft glow, emitting flashes of light. However, the deeper one goes, the colder and more oppressive the air becomes, making it unbearable. At the deepest part of the cave, there is a giant wearing a helmet made from a beast's skull, with a thick beard covering his face, standing in the middle of a dark pool, his expression solemn, his eyes fixed intently on the seemingly bottomless dark pool.

  Suddenly, in the depths of the abyss, a massive creature stirred, its scales and claws faintly visible. Before one could get a clear look, there was a loud "boom" as a huge splash of water erupted. Amidst the splashing water, a bizarre creature emerged, neither fish nor beast, with a bald head upon which sat a gaunt, pale man in his 40s or 50s, holding a staff made entirely of white bone on his knees.

  As soon as he saw the man come out, the big fellow immediately knelt down on the ground and respectfully said: "Welcome, Great High Priest."

  When the big Han spoke, the man didn't move, but the giant beast under him suddenly opened a row of eyes on both sides of its body, each as big as a basketball, with yellowish-orange color and full of bloodshot. After a roll, they all looked at the big Han, casting a fierce, greedy, and bloodthirsty glow.

  "Black bear, you're here." It wasn't clear how much time had passed before the thin man seemed to wake up from a long sleep, speaking slowly. His voice was faint and unclear, making it seem like an illusion after listening.

  "Great Priest, I have arrived." The large man known as Black Bear said in a motionless tone, prostrating himself on the ground. If this scene were to be seen by people from other tribes, they would surely be shocked and amazed. It is well-known that the Gaya tribe has had 36 major branches since ancient times, each with their own name. This tradition has been passed down for nearly 10,000 years. Twenty years ago, the Barbarian Empire collapsed, and many of the major branches were destroyed, but a few still remained. Among them, some later rose to power and became new leaders after several years of struggle. It is as if they are like the warlords of the Warring States period, each occupying their own territory and declaring themselves king. However, no matter how fierce or unruly these people may be, they cannot escape the custom of using their tribe's name as their own surname. This man, known as Black Bear, is the current leader of the Black Bear tribe and the overlord of 17 other major branches. For many years, only he has dared to openly rebel against the Barbarian Empire, occupying its sacred land and taking its legacy as his own territory. With his powerful military strength, he has intimidated the other 17 major branches, leaving them with no choice but to watch in envy.

  At this moment, such a heroic figure is kneeling in front of an unremarkable thin man, which makes people wonder, but no one can think that the thin man in front of him is actually Tatara, the mysterious high priest of the Black Bear Tribe!

  The origin of Tatal has always been shrouded in mystery, and even the Black Bear tribe doesn't know which clan he came from. No one had ever heard of such a genius in the Barbarian Empire back then. All they knew was that over 10 years ago, this mysterious man suddenly appeared in the Black Bear tribe, bringing with him an aura of death that shook the heavens. The Black Bear tribe originally had several powerful shamans, but because of some minor conflicts with Tatal, he slaughtered them all. The entire Black Bear tribe of thousands was helpless against this one man, and they almost got wiped out by this killing god. If not for the quick thinking of the Black Bear chief, who offered up all the tribe's treasures and a stone tablet from the ruins of Xandros that recorded the forbidden spells of the Grand Shaman, the Black Bear tribe would have probably been annihilated.

  After that, the self-proclaimed Tatar priest settled down in the Black Bear tribe. Occasionally, he also taught some martial arts, techniques, or other miscellaneous spells to the people of the tribe. Later, when Black Bear saw an opportunity for profit, he made Tatar the chief priest of the Black Bear tribe, and he even taught him some extremely powerful forbidden techniques, making the originally unknown Black Bear tribe gradually stronger, eventually surpassing the other seventeen major tribes and becoming the most powerful force after the collapse of the Barbarian Kingdom. It was also because of Tatar's instigation that Black Bear had the idea of occupying Xandros and proclaiming himself king. Of course, he didn't have a legitimate claim to the throne, nor did he possess the war god's artifact, so if he were to simply declare himself king, not many people would submit to him. Moreover, rumors circulated that the bloodline of the former king still existed in this world, and the war god's artifact was in the hands of the former high priest Mutta. Therefore, Black Bear joined in on what everyone else was doing: sending troops to hunt down the king's descendants and seize the artifact from them - the Thunder King. Of course, although everyone was doing this, other major tribes were relatively more discreet, at least not daring to openly declare their intentions. Only the Black Bear tribe dared to take up the banner and hunt down the king's descendants, euphemistically calling it "hunting down the remnants of a fallen nation". This indeed earned them the admiration of the other tribes.

  Over the years, as Black Bear's position became more and more stable, his thoughts of pursuing and killing the King's bloodline, taking the sacred object, also grew stronger, almost to the point of being unable to eat or sleep. This time, he sent out his scouts to investigate Mutta's gang, and under the guise of Tatal's name, had Xiongshan bring three newly cultivated high-level magic beasts to pursue them, even sending out his most trusted general, Duoluo. It was a desperate move. However, Xiongshan and those useless trash went out for half a month, and now there is no news from them at all. Black Bear was anxious like an ant on a hot pot. He had no choice but to come and ask to see Tatal, who was in seclusion here, to discuss countermeasures.

  As soon as Tatal appeared, he brought a extremely oppressive and brutal aura to Xiongshan, almost suffocating the black bear. Although in all these years, the black bear's strength had been rapidly advancing, already comparable to Mangshan, but the oppressive feeling that Tatal gave him was always increasing, strong enough to make him fearful. Fortunately, this person was eccentric and not enthusiastic about power, otherwise the black bear really didn't know what to do.

  Tatal slowly opened his eyes, slightly hesitated, and then slowly said: "I already know what happened. The Xiongshan troops have been completely defeated. Only Duoluo managed to escape."

  "What!" The black bear raised its head, with a shocked expression: "Those remnants have been hiding and escaping, their strength is weak. How could they swallow so many of my elite troops! Moreover, among them are the three high-ranking magic beasts that you, the great priest, cultivated!" As for the great priest's various abilities, the black bear had long since heard rumors, and even many warriors could feel being spied on at night, as if the entire tribe was under surveillance at all times, making people's hair stand on end. In addition, those three high-ranking magic beasts were all cultivated by Tatal alone, and it was uncertain what kind of mysterious connection there was between them. Therefore, the black bear did not have the slightest doubt about Tatal's ability to predict the future, but instead asked urgently.

  "Foolish! Tatar, who had always been calm and collected, suddenly burst out laughing: "What a revered figure the High Priest Mutta is! His magical powers are formidable. Even in the heyday of the Barbarian Empire, among the 16 high priests, he was one of the top two. How could he be taken down by just a few shrimp soldiers? You're thinking too simply!"

  The black bear exclaimed in shock and disbelief: "Isn't Mutta already stripped of all his magical powers and reduced to a mere shell of his former self?"

  Tatal let out a cold snort and said disdainfully, "The number one forbidden technique user among the generations of high priests, an existence that can rival Elvira, a demigod who is only one step away from becoming a god. How could his every move be understood by you insignificant people?"

  The black bear was frightened by Tatar and turned pale, sweating profusely, saying: "What's to be done? What's to be done? Great priest, you must save me!" Due to years of indulgence in power and the erosion of time, this originally ambitious tribal leader had long since lost his former bravery and become greedy for life and afraid of death. When he heard Tatar say that Mutafar was still alive, he was even more frightened, fearing that Mutaf would come and kill him like he did to Xiongshan, his father, and take his head off. For a moment, he couldn't help but beg bitterly.

  Tartar cast a hateful glance at the black bear and snorted, "Even if you didn't come to ask me, there will be a battle between him and me sooner or later. I have been waiting for 31 years!"

  "Yes, yes, yes! The High Priest is absolutely right." Hei Xiong didn't dare to ask about the grudges between Tataer and Mutu, and just kept nodding his head in agreement. Tataer was even more furious, waved his hand and shouted: "Still not leaving?!"

  The black bear got up and was about to leave. But Tatal suddenly said: "Wait, come back."

  The majestic black bear leader, who was usually so intimidating, stood before Tata like a small child, not daring to show any disobedience. He obediently returned and stood aside with a worried expression, speaking in a respectful tone: "High Priest, are there any further instructions?"

  "You, send some people to check out the territory of the Water Witch. It seems that something has appeared there." Tatal hesitated for a moment, then solemnly said: "Remember, once you have discovered anything, be sure to notify me at the first time. The matter of Mutah the High Priest is not your concern, leave it to me to deal with. What you need to do now is complete my task. Ah, if there are not enough people, then go and bring all 30 of my newly cultivated high-level magic beasts."

  The black bear listened to Tataer's repeated instructions, but he still refused to clearly state what he was looking for. The black bear became anxious and after holding back for half a day, he couldn't help but weakly ask: "Great Priest, what exactly are you looking for? Can you give me a hint so that the brothers in the tribe can find something?"

  "What are you looking for?" Tata's face suddenly showed an extremely manic expression: "Of course, it's the Insect God! I didn't think that such a thing actually existed in this world. Hahahaha!"

  The black bear was still in a daze, wanting to ask more questions, but Tatar, with his changeable personality, had already glared at him and shouted: "I still have things to do. You'd better get out of here! If you can't handle this matter properly, don't come see me again!" The giant beast under him seemed to sense its master's agitation and let out a loud roar, almost shattering the black bear's eardrums and causing intense tremors in the narrow mountain cave.

  At the same time, next to a major tributary of the Songhua River.

  A deep blue, bald creature rushed to the shore, holding a dying companion and roaring in grief: "What's going on! What's going on! Who hurt you like this!" It was Holk, the water demon who had given Liu the Soul Pearl.

  The dying Pabai water demon, although also human in shape, was far inferior to Holg in terms of evolution, and still had obvious fish-like organs on its body. The Pabai water demon was covered in wounds, with blood flowing from the corner of its mouth, and weakly said: "Barbarians, barbarians! Among them is an old man, and a very powerful barbarian warrior... Ah——" This Pabai water demon's pupils suddenly enlarged as it spat out a large mouthful of blood, grasping Holg's arm with a reflective glow, excitedly saying: "They said they are from the Black Bear Tribe. They discovered the Bug God here! A variant blood mosquito with three abilities! Hurry and inform the queen, inform everyone..."

  "What!? Are you sure!?" Holk grasped his companion and asked anxiously.

  "It can't be wrong... I overheard them talking, and then they found out... Wow, General, anyway, go inform the Queen quickly. The Bug God has appeared..." Bai Xiaosheng couldn't catch his breath. It's all over now. Leaving Holke in that eerie howling cry: "I've already sent someone to fetch holy water, just wait a bit longer. Wait a bit longer!"

  Xu Liu, with eyes blazing red, Hulk suddenly let out a thunderous roar, causing the great river to churn and boil. Thousands of waves burst forth, transforming into a mighty torrent that engulfed Hulk's body, once again turning him into a colossal water giant resembling a Titan. With his head thrown back, he bellowed at the sky: "Black Bear Tribe, I remember you! You will not die well!!!!!!"

  ………………

  I've posted several times, but there were layout errors and the paragraphs were all messed up. Hopefully this time is okay.