I was just making up techniques… how did all of you become Emperors? Chapter 632 The Terrifying Plague

"Jiuwu, are you certain you only desire a single follower?"

Once the seven young ones had departed, Madam Ji turned to her son with a confused look and posed the question.

Ji Jiuwu clarified: "Mother, the quantity of servants matters little to me. Provided I possess sufficient strength, followers will flock to me without end."

Upon hearing these words, Madam Ji's features softened with pride as she remarked: "My boy has truly matured at last."

Ji Jiuwu rubbed his head awkwardly: "Mother, please don't say such things; it feels strange to me."

"Fine, I'll not hold you back longer. I'm returning to the rear gardens now."

With those words, Madam Ji pivoted and headed toward the backyard.

Ji Jiuwu addressed Quanya, who lingered quietly nearby: "Quanya, escort this Young Master on a tour of the tribe's outer areas."

"Young Master, to which location would you like to proceed?"

Quanya felt uncertain about the Young Master's intentions, leaving him momentarily unsure of the destination.

Ji Jiuwu replied calmly: "We'll head to the Long River for some fishing. It's been ages since I last cast a line, and I find myself yearning for those childhood angling moments."

"As you wish."

Quanya acknowledged the order, then added: "Young Master, hold on briefly. I'll fetch the angling gear."

Ji Jiuwu responded: "No need to go to such lengths. Have a household steward fetch a pair of rods; we'll simply enjoy a relaxed session."

Quanya: "Understood."

Before long, the pair mounted steeds and departed the Long River Tribe at an easy pace, making their way leisurely to the Long River.

In the meantime, far off by ten thousand li at the Sky Fire Tribe, the atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the vibrant cheer of the Long River Tribe, as a dire plague now enveloped the Sky Fire Tribe, filling all with dread and alarm.

To halt the plague's expansion, the Sky Fire Tribe banished every afflicted individual, confining them within a sealed valley. Should any plague victim perish, warriors from the Raging Fire Tribe would incinerate the remains immediately on-site.

Yet despite these measures, the outbreak within the Sky Fire Tribe raged unchecked, with numerous souls dispatched to the valley each day after falling ill.

Not even the tribe's elite escaped its grasp. That very day, a strikingly handsome youth, marked by the grime of his journey, approached the outskirts of the Sky Fire Tribe.

At present, the Sky Fire Tribe permitted departures alone, barring all arrivals. No sooner had he neared the gates than guards halted his advance.

"Stop right there!"

Jiang Yan observed the guards' formation ahead, a bewildered look crossing his features, and declared: "I am Jiang Yan, grandson of the clan leader. Behold this jade token."

As he uttered this, Jiang Yan produced a crimson jade pendant from his belt and displayed it to the assembled soldiers.

Upon recognizing the pendant, the soldiers swiftly knelt on one knee and proclaimed: "We pay respects to the Eldest Grandson Lord. Yet the High Priest and clan leader have decreed that our Sky Fire Tribe allows only exits, no entries. We beg the Eldest Grandson Lord's understanding."

Jiang Yan's brows knitted in response. He was on the verge of demanding details about the tribe's turmoil when the gates creaked open, and a carriage emerged steadily from within the city.

A single glance revealed the Sky Fire Tribe's insignia etched upon the carriage.

This vehicle belonged to his kin; precisely who occupied it now?

The gate sentinels spotted the approaching carriage and scattered aside one by one, as though fleeing a monstrous horror.

Only Jiang Yan remained rooted in place. As the carriage drew near, he commanded: "Halt."

Woo...

The driver yanked the reins, bringing the carriage to a stop. He was poised to lash out in irritation when he noticed the youth brandish a distinctive emblem of the Sky Fire Jiang lineage.

He leaped from his perch at once and bowed: "I greet the Eldest Grandson Lord."

"Dispense with the formalities."

Jiang Yan pressed on: "Who rides within this carriage, and to what destination do you travel?"

The driver displayed a bemused expression but replied truthfully: "To the Eldest Grandson Lord: The Sixth Madam and Thirteenth Young Miss occupy the carriage. Both have fallen to the plague, and the Master instructed me to convey them to Red Maple Valley."

"What?"

Jiang Yan's expression twisted in horror at the mention of "Red Maple Valley." Though its name evoked beauty, it served as the Sky Fire Tribe's dumping ground for exiles and a vast burial pit for the condemned.

Dispatching his Sixth Aunt and young sibling there amounted to sealing their fates.

His voice grave, he demanded: "Is it merely some trivial plague? Why condemn these two to Red Maple Valley?"

"Eldest Grandson Lord, this affliction defies all cures. Those who catch it face certain death. The Sixth Madam can yet converse, but the Thirteenth Young Miss clings to life by a thread. Delay in removing them risks the ruin of the entire Young Master's Residence."

The mere utterance of "plague" twisted the driver's face in fear. He harbored no desire to escort these nobles beyond the walls; departure meant no return.

Yet his own son faced dire charges, and only this grim duty could spare the boy punishment.

For his child's sake, the driver resolved to forfeit his existence.

"Allow me to see them."

Jiang Yan strode toward the carriage as he spoke.

This move stunned the onlookers. The gate captain dashed forth and dropped to his knees before Jiang Yan: "Eldest Grandson Lord, you cannot! Should harm befall you, the clan leader will punish us all."

Jiang Yan held high standing in the Sky Fire Tribe. To all, he embodied the clan's future head. The present Young Master owed his position solely to this Eldest Grandson before them.

Witnessing this, the remaining soldiers advanced to kneel and obstruct Jiang Yan's way.

"Do you presume to dictate my actions, all of you?"

As Jiang Yan voiced this, an oppressive aura emanated from him. Those nearby paled in astonishment at the formidable force.

The guard captain whispered in awe: "True Blood Realm... Eldest Grandson Lord, how did you attain True Blood mastery?"

"Such matters lie beyond your purview. Will you persist in barring me?"

Jiang Yan's words carried an unyielding edge.

Cold sweat beaded on the guards' brows. The captain contemplated unsheathing his blade for self-harm to repel the Eldest Grandson, but terror gripped him as he realized this True Blood Realm surpassed the norm.

The aura he exuded neared Condensing Spirit levels, rendering movement impossible.

He pleaded hastily: "We dare not. Kindly ease your pressure, Eldest Grandson Lord."

"Hmph!"

Jiang Yan snorted disdainfully and dismissed the soldiers. Amid the crowd's fearful stares, he climbed aboard the carriage.

The guard captain, witnessing this, swiftly drew a bamboo tube from his belt. He uncorked it, and with a sharp crack, a fiery orb streaked skyward, bursting above.

This signaled the city guard's dire alert, reserved for crises alone; he would never invoke it lightly.

Jiang Yan caught the blast's echo but paid it no mind. He believed no plague existed that he could not conquer.

Entering the carriage, a nauseating reek assaulted him, nearly provoking retching.

He steeled himself against the odor and peered within. Little Thirteen's visage had darkened to black, with dark blood trickling from her lips now and then—the source of the vile scent.

Beside her, the Sixth Aunt's skin bore spreading black veins. In mere hours, they would engulf her form entirely.

Jiang Yan had encountered no such scourge previously, yet anxiety eluded him. In the prior three years, he had crafted countless antidote elixirs and poison-cleansing spirit pills.

Even his master commended that his creations neutralized any toxin below Half-Saint potency.

From his storage pouch, he retrieved a fine porcelain vial containing pellets forged from premium spirit herbs.

He dispensed one, dividing it evenly, and gently administered the halves to the pair, channeling spirit energy to aid ingestion.

The Sixth Aunt and Little Thirteen possessed modest cultivation; a full dose would overwhelm their frames with raw potency.

While Jiang Yan tended to his aunt and sister against the plague, turmoil erupted inside the Sky Fire Tribe.

More than a thousand troops encircled the Young Clan Leader's manor. At their forefront rode a burly, rugged middle-aged man atop a Fire Lion, clutching a massive hammer that lent him a fearsome presence.

He bellowed fiercely: "Big brother, don't imagine you can sneak folks out undetected! Unless your entire household vacates the city today, your little brother will personally escort every soul, from elders to infants, beyond the walls!"

This uproar swiftly roused the elite dwellings miles around. The neighborhoods encircling the Young Clan Leader's manor housed the affluent and influential.

Suddenly, the Sky Fire Tribe's upper echelons fixed their gaze upon the Young Clan Leader's manor.

Within the manor, Young Clan Leader Jiang Qi's countenance brimmed with anxiety. He had deemed his scheme flawless, yet mere moments after dispatching the afflicted, his impulsive second brother stormed the gates with forces.

What course lay open now?

The rest fared no better. Women and children cowered in their quarters, trembling. They ventured not outside, dreading both the plague's touch and forced exile.

Beyond the walls, Jiang Second Master noted his elder brother's silence and savored a surge of triumph.

He mused inwardly: At last, this chance has arrived!

He called out anew: "Big brother, don't claim your sibling lacks mercy. Emerge within a quarter-hour, or we storm inside!"

Scarce had his words echoed when a thunderous report rang from the South City Gate. Heads turned skyward, beholding the flare of an urgent beacon.

The city's tension shifted anew, drawing all eyes toward the South City Gate...