Chapter One: The Mighty Dragon Raises Its Head

That day, at noon, while everyone was taking a break from their hard work to eat, more than eighty mounted tribesmen arrived. Each man was robust, dark-skinned, and wore a saber at his waist. They rode up and demanded to know what the group was doing there.

Jingxian Bu smiled lazily, replying, “Isn’t it obvious? We’re living and settling here. That’s hardly a question worth asking.”

The tribesman snorted coldly. “This whole area—here, there, and over there—belongs to our five tribes! Who gave you permission to live here?”

“To live here, whose permission do we need?” Jingxian Bu busied himself cleaning mud from his shoes, not even glancing up.

“Ours!” the man thundered, drawing his saber and gesturing threateningly. “Without our permission, no one can live here! You’ve broken our rules and you must die!”

Another tribesman, seated on his horse nearby, chimed in. “We heard you’re wealthy. From now on, you must pay us five hundred taels of silver every month—five hundred! Then you can stay here. Do you understand?”

At this, Jingxian Bu stood up and told Baixing to bring the money. Though Baixing was unafraid of these rough men, he did as asked, fetching five hundred taels of silver. Jingxian Bu took it and said, “That’s fair. But if we pay you, will you protect us if anyone causes trouble?”

“Of course!” the man boasted. “No one dares cross us here. This is our territory!”

“Then let me go with you. I want to see where your tribe is, so if anyone troubles us, I know where to find you for help.”

The man considered, then invited him to ride back with them.

Jingxian Bu leapt onto a horse, telling Baixing and the others to wait for his return, and left with the group.

They first passed a tribe five miles away. One of the horsemen, pointing proudly at a stretch of tents, declared, “That’s my tribe! We have five hundred warriors—five hundred!”

In every place they passed, someone would boast similarly. Tribe sizes ranged from five hundred to eight hundred.

After viewing the last encampment, the leader said, “Hand over the silver. And another thing—your tribe’s women are very beautiful. The five of us like them. Tomorrow, you’ll send one to each of us. Understood?”

Jingxian Bu nodded with a smile. “Understood. But I have something to say as well, and I hope you’ll understand me too.” With that, he kicked the man he was riding with off the horse. The others, enraged, spurred their mounts to encircle him, sabers flashing.

Jingxian Bu remained utterly unconcerned, unafraid of the blades. “From today onward, your tribes are all mine. I am the messenger sent by the Grand Immortal of Divine Soul, the envoy to lead you to the world of the gods, the representative of the Divine Soul’s will. I grant you the right to govern your tribes, but each month, you will deliver to me one thousand taels of silver, fifty slaves, and a hundred cattle and sheep from each tribe.”

“You want to die!” the leader roared, slashing at Jingxian Bu’s neck. Jingxian Bu did not move. The blade struck his neck, yet he was unharmed, while the attacker was thrown from his horse by the impact, his saber spinning into the sky.

“Mortal men cannot harm the envoy of the Grand Immortal. Do you understand?” Jingxian Bu’s voice was cold as he leapt from his horse, stomping the fallen man to death. He hefted a horse, swinging it to knock down a group, then charged and toppled another row.

The tribesmen had never seen such strength, nor witnessed a man unharmed by a saber to the neck. Fear seized them. At their chief’s command to attack, they reluctantly pressed forward. Jingxian Bu seized men with his bare hands as weapons, wielded horses like clubs, and with a single kick, laid waste to a line of foes.

Witnessing their chiefs killed, the tribesmen’s courage faltered and soon they dared not fight. Jingxian Bu seized a saber, twisted it into useless scrap with his bare hands, and hurled it heavily to the ground.

“No mortal can harm the Grand Immortal’s envoy. You must submit to my rule, or death is your only path!” Jingxian Bu’s gaze was fierce, his lips curled in a cold smile.

Some spurred their horses and fled; the warriors of the other four tribes scattered completely, leaving only the last tribe’s people, trapped with nowhere to run. As Jingxian Bu strode toward their tents, more defenders emerged with weapons, but their comrades shouted desperately, “Don’t attack! He’s the messenger of the gods—blades and arrows can’t harm him! Don’t attack!”

A crowd of tribesmen surrounded him, retreating into their camp. One doubter slashed at him, but Jingxian Bu allowed the blow to land, then with a punch sent the man flying, his body crashing down lifeless.

“Submit and live; resist and die.”

Women and children watched in terror from a distance, trembling and unsure of what to do.

Their chief dead, it was a long while before anyone brought forward an elderly woman, hair white as snow, to preside over the matter. From a distance, she observed Jingxian Bu, while her attendant attempted to attack him—only to be disarmed, then seized by Jingxian Bu, who was about to fling him skyward when the old woman suddenly knelt and bowed, prostrating herself in worship.

“He truly is the messenger of the gods! The messenger of the gods…”

The panic-stricken tribesmen threw down their weapons and knelt, fear and awe mingling as they bowed and cried out in reverence.

Jingxian Bu, guessing that the young man he had caught was likely related to the saintess, spared his life. The boy, terrified, took a long time before he too knelt and bowed. Jingxian Bu took a liking to the man who had brought the saintess and declared, “From this day, he is your chief. This is my decree. Any who object blaspheme against the gods!”

At once, the tribesmen prostrated themselves to the new chief, shouting his title. The man hurriedly knelt, crawling to Jingxian Bu’s feet to offer thanks, then said, “Messenger of the gods, though we now follow you, the other tribes…”

“Gather your fighting men, prepare the horses, and come with me,” Jingxian Bu commanded.

He led his new followers from tribe to tribe. At each, when the warriors, prepared for resistance, readied for battle, he had his men watch from afar and went alone, killing any who opposed him. Witnessing his invincibility, his followers became even more convinced of his divine nature.

Thus, from one tribe to the next, he fought and subdued them, not finishing until dusk settled over the land.

Returning to the Evening Glow Tribe, he found the grasslands at the entrance stained with blood, dead warhorses scattered about, and his own people busy burying the corpses. He hurried to ask if anyone was hurt.

Bayue smiled. “When you left with them, we knew what you were planning. We were prepared—how could a few dozen roughnecks hurt disciples of our sect? They came on horseback with bows and sabers, shouting about slaughtering the Demon Tribe, but we easily drove them off. Tell us, what spoils did you bring back today?”

By now, the bodies were buried and the people of the Evening Glow Sect were butchering the dead warhorses for meat. Jingxian Bu tossed the bags of silver by the bonfire. Seeing more than a thousand taels, everyone rejoiced.