Chapter Seventy-Two: Straw Dogs

"Hey, hey, you little rascal, am I still your uncle?" The blue shadow leapt in front of Ji Hao, and gave him a hard knock on the head.

"Ouch, Uncle is of course my uncle. But this time you couldn't help, so I didn't tell you!" Ji Hao grinned as he spat out three black Life-and-Death Needles from his mouth, and casually used them to tie up his hair into a bun.

The blue shadow looked like a fish out of water, gaping in stunned silence, unable to utter a word thanks to Ji Hao's remark.

The spear Ji Hao had wielded earlier still stood thrust into the ground, and a tiny, three-legged golden crow flitted joyfully around it, letting out soft 'caw caw' sounds. Even without being activated, the spear radiated an oppressive heat; ordinary warriors of the Witchfolk realm couldn’t approach within thirty yards.

"This is Elder Ji Zhuo's life-bound witch treasure!" The blue shadow suddenly jumped up, recognizing the origin of the spear.

It was Ji Zhuo's life-bound witch treasure, the inherited artifact of his lineage. Rumor had it that this spear was personally forged by a peak Witch King ancestor of Ji Zhuo, and passed down through generations for over ten thousand years. Through centuries of nurturing with their life-blood, this spear had become sentient, its powers fearsome beyond measure. Thus, even with Ji Hao's humble cultivation, he could easily pierce the body of a Great Witch.

As for the three Life-and-Death Needles Ji Hao had spat out, even blind, the blue shadow could not fail to recognize them.

They belonged to Qing Fu—his elder sister—her life-bound witch treasure, the treasured inheritance of the Qing Yi tribe: a set of nine Life-and-Death Needles, six in blue and white that could save lives, and three black ones, infamous for their deadly venom.

Ji Hao had just used the Life-and-Death Needles to injure Jiang Yao and the Blackwater Crocodile. Clearly, Qing Fu had transferred their control to Ji Hao.

That meant both Ji Zhuo and Qing Fu knew about Ji Hao’s little scheme?

And only he, the blue shadow, had been kept in the dark?

He held his longbow, spread his arms, and spun twice in place, bewildered and wronged: "Hey, hey, what am I to you all? Hao, I’m your dearest uncle! How could you not tell me a thing?"

He cried out in grievance, "What about our bond of blood and kinship? Hao, this really breaks my heart!"

Ji Hao turned, squinting as he smiled at the blue shadow. "Blood and kinship? Well, look at all these captives—pick three thousand strong, young ones, Uncle. The Qing Yi tribe doesn’t have many slaves, right? I’ll gift Qing Yi three thousand robust slaves. How’s that for kinship?"

The blue shadow yelped in delight, leaping up and somersaulting several times in the air. He laughed so hard his eyelashes trembled, shouting, "Now this is the Hao I know! Three thousand slaves? Our Qing Yi tribe is going to prosper!"

Ecstatic, the blue shadow rushed off with his clansmen to choose slaves from among the captives. This alliance encircling the Fire Leopard tribe was composed entirely of elite warriors from various tribes—each sturdy, tall, and strong. Once subdued and controlled by witchcraft, they would be first-rate slaves.

With three thousand able-bodied slaves, the Qing Yi tribe could open three new hunting grounds, mine seven or eight veins, and raise ten times more livestock. The tribe’s wealth would multiply, grain would abound, and newborn children would grow strong.

It was a splendid virtuous cycle; with this opportunity, the Qing Yi tribe might leap from a small tribe to the foundation of a great one.

In the past, when Qing Yi fought alongside Fire Crow, even if there were captives, Fire Crow and its vassal tribes would take nearly all, and Qing Yi would be lucky to gain a hundred slaves.

But now Ji Hao had generously granted three thousand robust slaves; the blue shadow was so elated he staggered as he walked, as though drunk.

In the scorched, heat-ridden mountains, waves of allied warriors abandoned their weapons and knelt pale-faced on the ground. Nearly a hundred giant crows circled overhead; when they swooped low, the fearsome heat shattered the courage of the alliance warriors.

Over a hundred Great Witch warriors from dozens of tribes, along with dozens of leading priests and elders, sat dejectedly nearby, their faces ashen as corpses.

They had been beguiled by Jiang Yao, lured by her promises of rich reward, and had rallied their elite forces to lay a trap for Ji Hao and his father. Yet never in their wildest dreams did they expect Ji Hao to turn the tables and enact such a grand drama.

Here, the elite warriors of dozens of tribes within thousands of miles had gathered. Their home tribes now only had elders, women, and children left. In the southern wilds, a tribe without warriors could barely survive half a month.

Everyone was uneasy and cursing the damned woman Jiang Yao. Some furtively glanced at Ji Hao, plotting how to escape this dire predicament.

Not far from these Great Witches and priests, dozens of Fire Leopard priests and elders were busy at work.

Dozens of freshly captured giant beasts had their veins slit; steaming beast blood was mixed with powdered fine gold, jade, and other minerals, forming a thick, blood-colored liquid brimming with witch power.

The Fire Leopard priests and elders eagerly smeared it on the ground, embedding blood-red runes that radiated an imposing aura and suffocating waves of power.

At the center of these blood runes, dozens of massive beast bones formed an altar, encircled by a blood-painted totem of a three-legged crow, spanning nearly a mile.

The gravely wounded Blackwater Crocodile lay sprawled on the ground, staring fixedly at the altar the Fire Leopard priests and elders were constructing.

As a sworn enemy of the Fire Crow tribe for countless years, the Blackwater Crocodile was intimately familiar with their methods. Seeing the three-legged crow totem and the runes nearing completion, his face suddenly turned deathly pale.

Suddenly, the Blackwater Crocodile screamed hoarsely, "Ancestor spirit sacrifice—you’re going to use us as offerings, sacrificing us to your Fire Crow ancestors?"

At once, the captive Great Witches and priests shrieked together, rising in terror to curse and rail at Ji Hao. But after only a few words, the Life-and-Death Needles in Ji Hao’s hair glimmered faintly, and the Great Witches and priests collapsed limply.

"That’s right, you’re all offerings!"

Ji Hao gazed helplessly at the Blackwater Crocodile and the others. "Otherwise, how do you think Crow Elder convinced so many partners to help me?"

The giant crows circling high above cried out in unison, and the three-legged crow totem painted with beast blood on the ground suddenly erupted in roaring flames.