Chapter Fifty-Seven: Each with Their Own Thoughts

  Guarding the Savage Tribe for a thousand years is actually a very vague concept, but it also has profound meaning. No matter what kind of living being, once they reach a higher level, their internal abilities and soul will further merge, forming an energy cycle. Even if they no longer intentionally cultivate and temper their own abilities, these energies can still grow over time through accumulation.

  As for Old Liu's current situation, the three abilities have been refined by the heavenly thunder, making them more pure and forming a cycle with even greater vitality. Even if he sleeps all day and does nothing from now on, he can still enter the realm of legendary strongmen after hundreds or thousands of years and become that level of strongman. However, if Old Liu really doesn't have what it takes and isn't willing to strive for himself, wanting to rely on his past achievements to get by, then his greatest achievement in life will be nothing more than this, and he won't be able to take a step further into higher realms. When the thousand-year time limit arrives, even if he is a high-level demon beast or magic insect with a lifespan far greater than that of human strongmen of the same level, this life will have reached its end, and in the end, he can only turn into a pile of rotting mud. And Old Liu's value to the entire Barbarian tribe will also come to an end, drawing a period at the end.

  However, the High Priest had always placed high hopes on Old Liu and couldn't let this potential "Insect God" who could become the protective deity of his clan fall into depravity. In order to prevent Old Liu from becoming unmanageable and relying on his past achievements after he passed away, the High Priest naturally wanted to make all arrangements before his death. Therefore, the methods used seemed somewhat extreme. But regardless of the approach, they were intentionally or unintentionally guiding Old Liu's mindset, stirring up his determination, and making him realize the importance of enhancing his strength. Take, for example, how he didn't mind putting himself in a precarious situation to achieve the prerequisite that the barbarian tribe was under fierce attack and unable to withstand the enemy's advance, requiring the help of the Totem Beast. Then, using the content of the contract, he forced Old Liu to fight against the Two-Legged Flying Dragon, revealing his ruthless decisiveness. From a normal person's perspective, they would never do things this way.

  Afterwards, the high priest's actions during Lao Liu's evolution process were even more chilling, almost every time he nearly crippled or killed Lao Liu. The reasoning behind it is actually the same. Such extreme measures can only be taken by Mutta, the high priest who knows his days are numbered. If it were someone else, like Mang Shan, they wouldn't be able to do it and wouldn't even think of it. They would probably just obediently keep Lao Liu in their own tribe, feeding him well and letting him live a good life, stupidly following the vague terms of the contract. Just like the Barbarian Empire 20 years ago. Until the capital was breached, they didn't think to awaken the totem beast sleeping in the ancestral burial ground to fight against the enemy. They didn't think to join the battle from the start. Adhering to established rules is simply foolish.

  Previously, Mutta the High Priest accepted Tata's challenge and let Old Liu fight against the Sky Dragon, which was full of deep meaning. He wanted to stimulate Old Liu's will to fight and combine it with his own devilish training to bring out the maximum potential within him.

  Of course, with the High Priest's understanding of Tatal, he naturally knew what this little guy was thinking. He was just angry that he had been expelled from the Barbarian Empire and even more furious that his achievements were ignored and the position of successor was given to Shiroke, who was far inferior to him. Now, he wanted to prove his accomplishments through years of cultivation and make himself acknowledge his abilities. So, Tatal only wanted to defeat the High Priest in the aspects where he was most proud of himself, not kill him. Nor would he go after Old Liu, whom the High Priest had high hopes for and almost regarded as a "bug god" to cultivate. Therefore, even if he lost, Old Liu wouldn't be in trouble. With the High Priest's understanding of Tatal, that little guy was definitely focusing on fighting against himself, and as for the other two bets, with his arrogant personality, he must have thought he had already won before they even started, giving orders to just touch and go. Of course, these things couldn't be told to Old Liu, otherwise, with the High Priest's grasp of this "little guy"'s eccentric personality in recent days, he knew that after Old Liu put down his heavy heart, he would definitely not give it his all. Wouldn't that be a waste of his good intentions?

  Now that the news of Tiankong's death has been revealed, adding how to break the contract and become a free person is a strong stimulus for Lao Liu to make up his mind. It's also a gamble. The high priest is betting that he has already seen through Lao Liu, understood this little guy's personality, and knows that when he really reaches that point, with his personality, he will not abandon the friendship between himself and the Barbarian tribe, and will definitely help his own clan when they are in trouble. Human feelings are far more useful than any forced contract, and there is no deadline. That's why during this period, the high priest would think of building a good relationship with Lao Liu, establishing a "deep" friendship with him, so that his investment can be rewarded in the future and benefit his own descendants!

  These worldly affairs, the high priest is far more cunning than Old Liu, this inexperienced young man. Old Liu can't see it clearly yet, but the high priest has already laid out his plans for the future, even thinking about what might happen a thousand years later. That's not something that Old Liu, this foolish youth, can compare to.

  Of course, Lao Liu is not as cunning as the high priest in dealing with people, but he's not a fool either. His brain is extremely clever, and at least he can be considered a sinister and shameless person. He vaguely thought to himself that after three growths, his approach of relying on others had reached its limit. If he wanted to go further, he could only rely on his own efforts, which would be a very long process. Becoming a god was even more impossible, and many talented individuals who had the potential to become gods were stuck at the last hurdle, unable to take that final crucial step until death. He himself hadn't thought of going that far, just wanting to become human and live a good life for 180 years would be enough. But this old man still placed such high hopes on him, saying he must become an immortal or a god. What made him think he had a way to make himself become a god?

  At this point, Old Liu couldn't help but glance at the High Priest, and then slapped himself on the face, muttering to himself: "How is that possible? If he had a secret to becoming a god, why wouldn't he use it himself? I must be thinking too much. This old man is actually just arrogant. He's all talk. What becoming a god, I've never even thought about it." After scolding himself in his heart for a while, Old Liu began to calculate the gains and losses of this trip. He secretly rejoiced: "This time's luck was really not bad, unexpectedly allowing my Thunder and Lightning power to transform into true Thunderbolt power. Haha, this is an ability that only a few legendary-level strongmen can cultivate. Although the other two abilities aren't bad either, they can't be cultivated together. I'm going to take the specialized path, yeah, from now on I'll specialize in cultivating this one."

  At this time, Mangshan, who had been healed by the High Priest's forbidden technique after being injured, and Ying, who had refined half of the Longyuan Dan's medicinal properties and consolidated his cultivation, also rushed over. Although Mangshan had already been healed by the High Priest, the injuries he sustained were too severe, almost taking his life, so his face still looked somewhat pale, and walking a few steps made him feel like he was having trouble breathing. However, what really affected this barbarian warrior wasn't this, but another reason. Originally, among these people, his strength was second only to the High Priest's, and he should have been the main force of this group, but unexpectedly, he was the first to be injured and also the most severely injured one. He almost collapsed as soon as he came up, without exerting much effort. His effect wasn't even comparable to that of his own nephew, who had just entered the higher ranks, or a subhuman evolved from an original blood mosquito. This blow was enormous for Mangshan, leaving him speechless with shame for a time.

  Only the high priest noticed the thoughts hidden in his heart, patted him on the shoulder and said lightly: "Giving up is not something a warrior should do. The blood of the war god flows through your veins, you were born to be a warrior. Your talent is no less than that of your brother, nor is it inferior to that of your father or your ancestors. But why are they all famous brave warriors who can resist super monsters with high-level strength and even slay them, while you cannot? Twenty years ago, your brother was younger than you are now, but he was already a great warrior who could rival legendary strongmen! Even the Duke of Storms from Sylvis died under your brother's war spear! And you, since taking over this tribe, have been stuck in place for so many years without making any progress. Wanting to make the tribe better is good, but you've put too much thought into these things and neglected what it means to be a warrior.

  The high priest said this, but wasn't he talking about himself? He was in a high position and had to think deeply about the future of the barbarian empire, playing various roles, and the thoughts he spent were really too many. It's not easy to have come this far, relying solely on one belief. As Old Liu said, those who calculate too much will eventually exhaust themselves to death. If he were carefree, with his talent, devoted himself to studying forbidden laws, it's possible that in his lifetime, he could further advance and enter the realm of a demigod. He might even find the broken legacy of the sacrificial lineage from ancient times, touch upon a hint of its trajectory, and take the final step. Unfortunately, all this has become impossible now. Perhaps his disciple Tatal still has this possibility.

  Mangshan hung his head in shame and said in a low voice, "High Priest, I've let you down. But now with the situation of our tribe, someone has to take charge after all. Fortunately, Ying has grown up and can take care of himself. Now I just hope he can grow up well and become a brave and unmatched warrior. In the future, it's also good to hand these things over to him with peace of mind."

  "You really are......" Mutah shook his head and sighed, then said to the crowd: "Let's go. Back to the tribe. By the way, little guy, you have to tell me later what happened during your growth."

  "Alright, no problem." Old Liu gestured with the Lei Wang in his hand and said with a smile: "Then this weapon..."

  Lao Liu farted, and the great priest knew what kind of shit he was going to pull. His eyes lingered between Lao Liu and Lei Wang for a moment, and it really was a bit of a headache. In the end, he could only say helplessly: "You take it first, consider it borrowed from me."

  "Haha, thank you!" Old Liu was overjoyed, and with a flourish, he hoisted Lei Wang onto his shoulder, puffing out his chest and strutting forward with an air of triumph, as if the Yalu River lay before him. Just then, the High Priest spoke up again: "Do you still want this thing?"

  "What's that?" Old Liu turned his head around, saw the thing being held by the High Priest, and his face changed greatly. He repeatedly said: "No need, no need, we'll just give it to you as a gift."

  The high priest slapped his forehead, sighed, and went up to grab Old Liu's ear, saying with some resentment: "You little rascal, you really don't know the goods! How can you not even recognize a good thing when you see it? This is the real deal!"

  Starting point. Welcome, book lovers! The latest, fastest and hottest serialized works are all on the starting point of original works!