Chapter 87: Alliance of Great Clans

Chen Hongxu had no heart to care about the subsequent interrogation. A major tribe like the Li family surely had its own set of methods.

Holding Jiajia, he specifically sought out an empty, deserted clearing to sit down.

The moment he set Jiajia down on the ground, Chen Hongxu heard the elderly Li clan member sigh and say, "You must have many doubts in your heart."

Chen Hongxu nodded noncommittally.

"In fact, the more you know, the more things you have to fear," the elder said after a moment of thought. "In this enclosed world, immortality belongs to the immortals, while the Kings of Men are known as Superiors. With my strength as a Superior, naturally I do not fear that brat Tongtian.

"It's just that Tongtian is merely a dog in this enclosed world. If I were to strike him down, naturally someone far more formidable would step forward to take his place. My own strength fears nothing, but I have a clan, I have concerns. Therefore, many things that you can do, I cannot."

"So you're having me test the waters?" A trace of mockery played at the corners of Chen Hongxu's lips. "If the gamble is won, all is well; even if it is lost, I suppose no one would offend a 'Superior' like you over a mere conjecture."

"I have my own unspeakable difficulties, you haven't seen—"

"Hah!" Chen Hongxu did not say much more. He and the Li clan were simply in a relationship of mutual exploitation. As long as it was premised on their own self-interest, no one could point fingers at anyone else. However, since the elder of the Li clan was so terrified of the figures in the upper tiers, it was likely that there were also those with the strength of a King of Men over there.

Recalling Xuan Kun, who had been sucked in alongside him, Chen Hongxu wore a faintly bizarre smile at the corner of his mouth.

That old bastard was certainly not one to willingly submit to others. To be able to step into the realm of the Emperor of Men, his arrogance and pride must be at their absolute peak. The forces in those upper tiers were probably about to be turned upside down.

The conversation with the elder of the Li clan did not last very long. After the two agreed upon the principles for future cooperation, the elder excused himself, claiming he needed to go check on the progress of the interrogation.

On the big picture, the elder gave Chen Hongxu his unconditional, unprincipled, and full support. Yet when it came to the topic of inviting the major factions to jointly attack the Immortal Mountain, the elder clearly hesitated, seemingly still unable to make up his mind.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed...

In the base of the Li clan, some simple houses had already been constructed. The attitude of the Li clansmen toward Chen Hongxu had also subtly changed, though of course, the most obvious emotion displayed among them remained fear.

Among these people, however, Li Lu was clearly an anomaly. Every day, she would buzz around Chen Hongxu, recounting the events that had taken place within the tribe over the past few days.

On this day, as Chen Hongxu was teasing Jiajia in the small woods, Li Lu ran over in a fluster, panting as she pulled at Chen Hongxu's sleeve and said, "They... they... are here."

"Them?" Chen Hongxu's eyes narrowed. "Let's go."

Waiting at the Li clan for the past few days had not only been about awaiting the confessions extracted from those people of the Immortal Mountain, but also about waiting for certain visitors to show up. After all, the commotion of the previous battle had been so massive, and given the Li clan's status in this world, there were surely many scouts from surrounding tribes watching closely.

The news that the Li clan had fallen out with the Immortal Mountain, and had even gone to war, had spread in all directions in an instant.

Chen Hongxu followed Li Lu to what used to be the main square of the Li clan. The ground, which once possessed a trace of vitality, was now scorched yellow, looking as though not even a single weed was willing to grow here.

By the time Chen Hongxu arrived, there were already several people present. Most of these individuals furrowed their brows, either standing or squatting, all wearing deep, contemplative expressions.

Entering the arena, Chen Hongxu cupped his hands toward the sole representative of the Li clan, the elder, and then began to scrutinize the newly arrived guests.

Without exception, these individuals all appeared to be elderly people of advanced age. Among them, one gave Chen Hongxu a sensation comparable to that of the Li clan elder himself, which meant he should also be in the realm of the King of Men.

As Chen Hongxu sized them up, the others similarly stopped what they were doing or talking about, unanimously turning their gazes upon him.

One old man with bristling, upright hair and muscles inferior to no prime-aged warrior glared fiercely at him. Without a single word, he closed in on Chen Hongxu, swinging his arm outward with a ferocious gust of wind.

*Thud!*

A muffled impact rang out.

Chen Hongxu casually raised an arm to block, deflecting the old man's strike. With a sudden counter-movement, he thrust his hand forward, his palm deftly pressing against the old man's chest.

The moment contact was made, Chen Hongxu's fingers slightly curled inward, leaving only a single index finger extended outward.

"Young friend, show mercy."

Catching sight of Chen Hongxu's counter-attack, the Li clan elder narrowed his eyes and hurriedly cried out in intervention.

Chen Hongxu smiled, unswayed. With a single poke of his fingertip, he forcibly drove the formidable-looking old man back three steps before withdrawing his hand.

The bristling-haired old man was initially struck with a mix of shock and anger, but then he glanced down at the faint red fingerprint on his chest, and with a contemplative expression, he said sheepishly, "I have made a fool of myself."

Chen Hongxu shook his head dismissively. Among this group of elders, even the weakest was at the longevity stage. Though he could not discern whether they were in the realm of life or death, they were all stronger, or at the very least no weaker, than Qing Hua whom he had encountered outside. Back then, however, his cultivation rank had already been enough to utterly crush the old Daoist Qing Hua; now that he was himself in the longevity realm, why would he fear anyone of the same level?

As for the old man's probing strike, Chen Hongxu knew that testing him was definitely the primary motive. The Li clan elder had likely spoken to them about him, and upon seeing his youth, while finding it unbelievable, they undoubtedly harbored a desire to test his capabilities.

The reason Chen Hongxu had not dealt a heavy blow was partly because the Li clan elder had intervened, but primarily because he had sensed no killing intent whatsoever from the old man's attack.

At this moment, the gazes the crowd cast toward Chen Hongxu were no longer filled with mere evaluation, but carried a hint of genuine interest.

An elder clad in purple beast pelts stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Heroes truly come from the youth. Seeing you, we finally understand how the waves behind drive the waves ahead. We are getting old... This old man is the patriarch of the Liu clan, Liu Tianguang."

Chen Hongxu returned the courtesy, neither servile nor overbearing. "Chen Hongxu."

After this Liu Tianguang—whose strength matched that of the Li clan elder—extended his goodwill, the other elders around him also successively stated their affiliations.

Only then did Chen Hongxu realize that what the Li clan elder had said about uniting several equally matched tribes was no empty boast. The elders who had arrived today were all patriarchs or supreme elders of major clans whose strength was on par with the Li clan.

To a greater or lesser degree, they all knew some profound secrets concerning the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, and none of them were willing to remain caged birds. They desperately wished to lead their clansmen out to witness the vast world beyond.

From the subsequent conversations, Chen Hongxu gathered that they were genuinely terrified of the figures in the upper tiers of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. This fear had nothing to do with strength; it was a form of awe deeply ingrained from living inside the pagoda for too long. It was much like the centipede spirit in *Journey to the West*—even after cultivating heaven-shaking and earth-shattering abilities, it ultimately still feared a tiny, ordinary rooster.

This was the first time Chen Hongxu had heard that the higher levels of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda exerted such a psychological suppression over the lower levels. Yet it was hardly surprising. If these individuals possessing the strength of Kings of Men were content to stay docile and pin all their hopes of escaping on an outsider like himself, it spoke volumes. Otherwise, if this group of people simply joined forces, even if the Immortal Tongtian possessed miraculous evasion techniques, he would still have been beaten to a pulp.

After all, it was absolutely impossible for anyone at the level of the Emperor of Men to appear within the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. Such supreme figures could go wherever they pleased; how could they possibly be trapped by the pagoda?

The discussions that followed were entirely castles in the air, with every single foundation built upon the premise that Chen Hongxu could successfully escape and seize control of the entry and exit rights to the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

On this point, Chen Hongxu had no objections. He was bound to leave anyway, as he had reasons he had to leave. Furthermore, the thought of gaining unilateral control over such a powerful group of major factions—no matter where they were placed—upon escaping sent a surge of burning enthusiasm through his heart.

Just as everyone was debating the subsequent details, a Li clansman came running over with an excited expression, bowing respectfully as he reported, "The location of the Immortal Mountain has been extracted through interrogation."