Sang stood by the entrance to his village and frowned while looking at the radially flowing river before the village.
Sang was the leader of the White Deer Clan, the strongest warrior of this clan which had a population of nearly five-hundred-thousand. He was merely a half step away from growing an inner spirit star. In a couple of years, he would certainly grow the first inner spirit star and promote himself to a Divine Magus, becoming the strongest warrior in the history of his clan.
Tens of years ago, White Deer Clan was still a weak homeless clan. Their original residence was located in the far west. After losing a battle to their archenemy, the survived members of White Deer Clan were forced to live a homeless life. Drifting from place to place, they came to Pu Ban City.
Emperor Shun was merciful. He gave White Deer Clan a fertile land for them to graze and rest. Having developed for tens of years, White Deer Clan gradually regained its life-force, and even grew bigger than before.
Perhaps, Pu Ban was truly a magical place. From the younger generation in the clan, talented and strong ones like Sang emerged one after another. For many times, responding to the calls of the alliance of human clans, White Deer Clan warriors went to the north to fight. Some of them fell in Chi Ban line of defense, but some returned with merits and glory.
Because of all the merits earned by White Deer warriors, the territory belonging to this clan had been expanding, and this clan absorbed more homeless clans. Surviving the flood, White Deer Clan people returned to their homeland, restored their grassland, and raised their livestock again. A better life was right before their eyes.
"How can Emperor Xun give a half of our grassland to those non-humankind monsters?" Sang crossed his arms before his chest as he frowningly faced the green grassland. That was the richest grassland owned by White Deer Clan, that a large half of the livestock raised by White Deer Clan lived on this grassland.
But days ago, for an unknown reason, a group of non-humankind beings came to White Deer Clan with an order of Emperor Xun and forcibly occupied this fertile grassland. Some White Deer Clan warrior couldn't accept this and started a conflict against those non-humankind beings, but as a result, they ended up injured severely.
Sang couldn't understand this. The grassland was given to his clan by Emperor Shun, and the broad rangeland in the surroundings was earned by White Deer Clan warriors by showering their blood on battlefields while fighting against the non-humankind. The grassland was a property of White Deer Clan, but how on earth could Emperor Xun give this best grassland to the non-humankind?
Did White Deer Clan offend Emperor Xun?
Was Emperor Xun punishing White Deer Clan on purpose?
Sang scratched and shook his head in confusion. White Deer Clan was a small clan. As the warrior leader of this clan, Sang had never even stepped into the Town Hall. Even if he had the guts to offend Emperor Xun, he never had the chance.
"Send out some people to ask around and find out if we're the only clan with such a trouble or all clans are the same." After frowning, Sang said to a few brothers of his standing around him in a low voice.
Before the few brothers left, a heavy and muffled series of footsteps could be heard. Large groups of non-humankind warriors mounted on hideous battle beasts, whistling shrilly as they quickly approached White Deer Clan.
Not only from the other side of the river, more non-humankind troops had also been approaching from the other three directions. Following behind the cavalries was a flying fort.
Over ten divine towers shone dazzlingly on the flying fort. Above each tower, a blood-red erect eye opened slightly and locked on Sang and his brothers with cold light beams. Instinctively, Sang sensed a great danger.
"Tell our people to stay put and be careful! These monsters aren't so easy to deal with!" With a low voice, he hurriedly growled to his people.
Before his voice faded, a tall and sturdy Jia Clan warrior had already flashed across the air and came up to Sang. This Jia Clan warrior was at the level of high-Divine Magus, twice as tall as Sang.
The Jia Clan warrior gave a twisted grin, then gripped Sang's head, lifted his right knee, and smashed Sang's head violently against his knee.
A half-foot-long thorn on the kneepad of this heavily armored Jia Clan warrior penetrated Sang's head. Sang gave a muffled snort as his brain flew out of his head. He died right on the spot.
"White Deer Clan, warrior leader, Sang, right? You have rendered meritorious service in Chi Ban Mountain. Hah, all human warriors like you should die!" The Jia Clan warrior laughed and threw Sang's body on the ground.
Without even wiping the blood on his hand, this Jia Clan warrior clapped his hands and looked at all the panicked White Deer Clan people in the village, laughing wildly, "White Deer Clan people, I brought an order from Emperor Xun. You White Deer Clan are lucky. In the northern side of Chi Ban Mountain, we have picked a fertile land for you, and it's ten times larger than your current rangeland!"
"You are lucky. Emperor Xun has made an agreement with our emperor, Dishi Yanluo, to trade your rangeland with a many times larger land in our territory! Now, I command you, all of you, to start moving!"
The Jia Clan warrior pointed at the north and continued with a fake smile, "A good life is expecting you!"
The old clan leader of White Deer Clan tremblingly walked out of the crowd in anger and said with a dry voice, "Do you want us to move to the north? But, why did you kill Sang?"
The Jia Clan warrior paused briefly. He knitted his eyebrows, pondered for a while, then nodded, "The leader of White Deer Clan, Lujiu, right? You're old Lujiu, if I'm not misremembering your name. Old Lujiu, I wanted to say that it was because of some personal issues between Sang and me...But, why would I lie to an ant?"
Spreading his hands, this Jia Clan warrior grinned evilly and continued, "Sang had contributed a lot for the humankind in Chi Ban Mountain. He killed many of our kind, so I killed him. It's that simple...Do you have any other question?"
Before Lujiu said a word, this Jia Clan warrior pulled out his blade and hacked Lujiu into two.
Hearing the cries and wails of countless White Deer Clan people, this Jia Clan warrior burst into laughter, "Ahah, as the leader of White Deer Clan, Lujiu disobeyed Emperor Xun's order, he deserved to die. And I, mercifully gifted him a quick death...Everyone, move now! Now! Hurry!"
Large groups of non-humankind warriors rushed into the village and madly whipped all White Deer Clan people, killing all White Deer Clan warriors who dared to resist. White Deer Clan people cried and screamed, dropped all their belongings, lined up, and headed north.
Not only White Deer Clan, the same thing also happened to a great number of clans located in Pu Ban City's outskirt.
Non-humankind warriors broke into these clans and forced their people to move north.
Other than the outskirts of Pu Ban City, non-humankind armies had also swept across the other areas in coordination with family forces sent out by large human families and clans. They forced countless mid to small clans to move, and split the territories of these clans.
Within a month, a scarily large number of human being were forced to move north.
Rumors began spreading among human beings, but were quelled by all large families and clans with a combined power.