Muria's words left the entire Yanlun Tribe bewildered, unsure of how to respond. Envy was only natural. Even the adult members of the tribe, including Gu, who had three totems on his body, were envious of Heixin. After all, Gu, the most powerful hunter in the Yanlun Tribe, had never sacrificed a formidable beast like a Feathered Serpent Dragon.
"My lord, I have completed my coming-of-age ceremony," said Heixin, whose muscular build had undergone a dramatic transformation. Compared to before, he looked like an entirely different person. His face beamed with joy as he looked at Muria. His body had grown to sixteen meters, losing any trace of his former frailness, now resembling the physique of a mature Yinhuang.
Heixin's rapid increase in strength sparked envy among many tribe members. This former waste, who had once been considered a burden, had now risen to the top. With the totem formed by the Feathered Serpent Dragon sacrifice, he had laid the best possible foundation.
"Is no one answering? Are you all shy?" Muria asked, observing the silent Yanlun Tribe. He turned his gaze to the excited Heixin, whose eyes had completely changed when looking at him. It was a look of... devotion, almost like that of a fanatic.
"Heixin, show your tribe the power you gained from this coming-of-age ceremony!"
"Yes!" Heixin's face flushed with excitement as he moved to a nearby open space, where several stone weights had been meticulously crafted. These weights were used to test strength.
Under the watchful eyes of his tribe, Heixin approached the largest weight and lifted it with ease, swinging it through the air. The malicious glances from his fellow tribesmen diminished significantly, replaced by a sense of awe. In any society, those with power are often respected.
"My lord, what exactly do you intend to do?" Amid the strange atmosphere of the silent Yanlun Tribe, the old priest who presided over the ceremony finally spoke. His cloudy eyes looked at Muria, clad in armor, filled with curiosity.
"Do you want to become like Heixin? Like him, with a powerful beast like the Feathered Serpent Dragon as your first totem? Do you want that?" Muria ignored the old priest and focused his attention on the three Yinhuang youths who had not yet undergone their coming-of-age ceremonies. "Do you?"
"Yes!" shouted the youth Achai, stepping forward with determination. He was eager. The Steel-Toothed Tyrannosaur his father had prepared for him was decent, but compared to the Feathered Serpent Dragon, it seemed almost laughable. After all, the Steel-Toothed Tyrannosaur was on the Feathered Serpent Dragon's menu.
"My lord, what are you planning? This is the Yanlun Tribe!" Achai's father, Gu, stepped forward, his concern evident as his son had just responded to Muria's question.
"I want you to submit to me! In return, I will grant you the same treatment as Heixin. Each of you will be able to use a beast as powerful as the Feathered Serpent Dragon as your first sacrifice in the coming-of-age ceremony."
"Who exactly are you? You definitely don't come from the city." At this moment, the old priest by the bonfire removed his ceremonial robes, adopting a combat stance. Unlike the uninformed Yanlun tribesmen, the old priest had once traveled to a distant city in his youth. There, he had the rare opportunity to meet the city's ruler. However, the armor that ruler wore was far inferior to Muria's.
Comparing the two armors was like comparing a grass-eating rodent to a majestic Emperor Dragon. Other than being living creatures, they had nothing in common.
"Who am I?" Muria, having made up his mind after thoroughly investigating the surroundings, smiled. He took a step forward, and his previously restrained body instantly expanded. Having broken through to Legendary Rank Four, his Titan body, towering like a mountain, appeared before the Yinhuang people.
A wild gale swept in from all directions, forming a massive vortex of clouds above Muria's head. Countless silver serpents danced in the sky, illuminating the night. Golden flames naturally emanated from Muria, lighting up the Yanlun Tribe's territory as if it were broad daylight.
"I am a Titan! The third Titan destined to rule the Yinhuang world. Yanlun Tribe, do you wish to be the first to serve me in this world?"
"Lord Muria!" Heixin, initially filled with excitement, now stared up at Muria in awe. He realized that no matter how much he craned his neck, he couldn't see Muria's full form. But soon, Heixin was the first to react.
With utmost reverence, he knelt down, pressing his forehead firmly to the ground, prostrating himself before Muria. "Great Titan, Heixin of the Yinhuang people is willing to follow you forever and become a weapon in your hand."
Following Heixin's lead, the youth Achai also knelt. The Yanlun tribesmen, shocked by the sight of Muria's Titan form, gradually followed suit, bowing one by one. Even Gu, who had initially shown hostility, and the old priest knelt down.
Their boiling blood told them that standing before them was a Titan who had been absent for over ten thousand years. No Yinhuang could possess such a magnificent form. Moreover, the phenomena Muria triggered matched the legends—storm and thunder accompanying him. The only difference was the radiant, sun-like flames.
Unsurprisingly, when Muria revealed his Titan form to the tribe, the entire Yanlun Tribe submitted without resistance. No one dared to oppose him.
...
"Point out the locations of the surrounding tribes and give me the most detailed information," Muria commanded the tribe's highest-ranking priest and the most powerful hunter, Gu, the next morning.
"Yes, Lord Muria..." The old priest and Gu, who now believed in Muria's identity, obediently began to describe the surrounding area.
"Bai Chuan, Yiliu, Tuya—these three will be my next targets for subjugation," Muria decided after speaking with the priest and Gu.
"Lord Muria, why don't you just take the true Nine Phoenix Divine Axe and march straight into the royal court? Make all the Yinhuang submit to you. This world should have been under your rule from the beginning," asked the puzzled Heixin after hearing Muria's plans to subjugate the nearby tribes. He felt a bit frustrated.
In the straightforward youth's mind, it was only natural for the Yinhuang to submit to the Titans and serve them. In fact, in their mythology, becoming a warrior for the Titans was considered the highest honor.
"Heixin, I wish I could do that, but my power is still far below that of my two elder kin," Muria replied with a smile. He didn't blame the youth for his rashness—Muria had entertained the same thoughts.
However, his power was simply insufficient. If he dared to barge into the core of the Nine Phoenix Dynasty, he would only be crushed. Worse yet, they might even kill him outright. Never underestimate the greed for power among sentient beings. In the pursuit of power, even gods can be slain.
"But with your power, who among the Yinhuang could stand against you?"
"Don't underestimate your own world, Heixin. There are still many powerful beings in this world," Muria said with a smile. Without even investigating, he knew that the Yinhuang world had beings at the peak of Legendary Rank, possibly more than one.
...
On the outskirts of Erathia, near the Titan Islands, a well-organized fleet sailed majestically through the sky. On the largest flagship, a tall, golden-haired girl stood proudly in the wind.
Even under the sunlight, the girl's body emitted a visible glow. The sunlight couldn't overshadow her radiance—her presence seemed to compete with the sun itself.
"Lady Atris, is it really okay to enter the Titan's territory like this?" asked an Ancient Gold Dragon who had voluntarily followed her, worried. After all, this place was widely known as a forbidden zone for living beings.
"What's wrong with that? Don't forget, you're now under Little Muria's command. You're Muria's subordinates, and this is Muria's home. This is your territory, where you can roam freely without fear of being attacked," replied Atris, the Golden Dragon, nonchalantly.
However, as she led the fleet into the airspace over the Titan Islands, a nearly undetectable ripple swept through the fleet, and then everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
Phew! Atris, who had just boasted confidently, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was aware that anything could happen, and she genuinely feared that the spirit overseeing the entire Titan Sea might act on a whim. After all, the fleet Muria had developed was only barely considered an extension of the Titan race's forces.
"Wait here while I communicate with the spirit of the Myriad Worlds Transmission Hall," Atris instructed, stopping the fleet as they neared the Titan territory. She then began to communicate with the special structure the Titans had built in the void...
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