Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

He had witnessed everything that had just happened with his own eyes.

The three Guardian Gods had attacked together. Forget dealing with a mid-sized tribe; handling a small one should have been complete overkill, more than enough to secure victory.

Yet he never imagined this would be the outcome.

Two Guardian Gods were slain on the spot. ’Am I next?’

The giant snake was filled with regret. After all, if it had just stood firm and fought back with the other two, they might not have lost so helplessly. They certainly wouldn’t have met such a miserable end.

But now the other two were dead.

As the last one left, a lone snake, it stood no chance at all.

It didn’t dare to make a move. Trembling, it said, “Greetings, my lord! I am the Guardian God of the Barbaric Snake Tribe. I am willing to acknowledge you as my master and follow you for all eternity!”

If his body’s Energy hadn’t been full, Li Chang’an certainly wouldn’t have given it any chance to live. But Li Chang’an was sated now. Plus, the opponent was a snake, naturally suppressed by him in the evolutionary hierarchy. ’Taking it on as a subordinate seems like a good choice.’

Thus, after a moment of thought, Li Chang’an spoke. “In that case, I can agree to spare you. Begin the ceremony of submission!”

Hearing Li Chang’an relent,

The giant snake, which had been fraught with anxiety and terrified that Li Chang’an would kill it, let out a heavy sigh of relief.

It hastily peeled a scale from its neck.

After dripping its blood and a wisp of its Incense aura onto the scale, the giant snake knelt respectfully on the ground. “My lord, from now on, this humble one and the Barbaric Snake Tribe are your vassal tribe!”

Li Chang’an took the scale it offered, nodding in satisfaction. “Have your people come clean up the battlefield.”

The scale contained a great deal of the giant snake’s information.

If the giant snake ever rebelled, Li Chang’an could use the information on this scale to track it across vast distances. It was, in effect, a pledge of fealty.

Everything on the battlefield had happened very quickly.

From the Tribal Alliance’s sudden appearance, which caught the Fusang Tribe completely off guard, to Li Chang’an soaring into the clouds and achieving his Transformed Form, and finally to Li Chang’an making his move and sweeping away all opposition…

The entire process seemed to stretch on, but in reality, it had taken less than thirty minutes.

The soldiers of the Tribal Alliance couldn’t process the speed of events, and even the people of the Fusang Tribe were left dumbfounded by what had just transpired.

When they learned they had suddenly gained a vassal tribe for no apparent reason, the entire Fusang Tribe erupted in an uproar.

Having a vassal tribe was a privilege typically reserved for mid- to large-sized tribes.

Although the Fusang Tribe had once been a large tribe, those days were long gone. Now, they were at best a small settlement.

Yet, backed by Li Chang’an’s tyrannical power, they had managed to annex another small settlement despite being one themselves.

They had even gained a subservient Guardian God who had completed the ceremony of submission.

For them, it was all like a dream.

…

Having lost the support of their Guardian Gods and their Will to fight, the battle’s outcome was a foregone conclusion.

News that the Fusang Tribe, with a population of less than fifteen thousand, had defeated the joint attack of four tribes and killed four Guardian Gods in the process, spread quickly.

Suddenly finding themselves with a powerful new neighbor, several tribes surrounding the Fusang Tribe began a great migration. They wanted to get as far away as possible, lest the Fusang Tribe decide to retaliate once they had recovered.

As a result, the Fusang Tribe’s territory instantly tripled in size.

If the Barbaric Snake Tribe’s lands were included, the current Fusang Tribe could almost be considered a mid-sized tribe once more.

Of course, the Fusang Tribe’s population was still too small and they lacked a sufficient number of warriors. They would need to grow their population to maintain a territory of this size.

And as the one most responsible for the Fusang Tribe’s newfound prosperity, Li Chang’an’s treatment within the tribe was now nothing short of extravagant.

The Fusang Tribe not only increased the scale of their rituals but also their frequency. They now presented Li Chang’an with an offering once every month.

Yet even so, because the spoils of war were so plentiful, the entire Fusang Tribe continued to thrive.

[Ding! Defying Fate successful!]

[At 1,350 years old, you have finally achieved your Transformed Form. You defended the Fusang Tribe against a joint attack from other tribes and killed four Guardian Gods in succession. Your fame has spread throughout the surrounding small tribes, and even a few mid-sized tribes have become wary of you.]

[Rebirth evaluation has increased. You have received an additional 30,000 Rebirth Points!]

…

The Fusang Tribe kept its own history. Ever since the tribe’s first ancestor, also named Fusang, established it, they had followed their own calendar. The current year was 16,834 of the Fusang Calendar.

「One hundred and fifty years later, in the year 16,984 of the Fusang Calendar.」

Li Chang’an was now fifteen hundred years old.

Over these one hundred and fifty years of quiet cultivation, Li Chang’an had completely consolidated his Cultivation in the Transformation Realm.

Although he could move now, perhaps due to his stony nature, he didn’t much care for moving. He usually just stayed inside the Temple the Fusang Tribe had built for him, constantly cultivating.

Fortunately, the Temple the Fusang Tribe had built was massive enough to accommodate him.