Except for a few panic-stricken men who ran to the gates of Stonefort City and were killed on the spot, the soldiers who charged in did not go on a killing spree.
Joe Di, Cassie Cao, and all the captives were herded onto a vast plaza. Joe Di noticed that the victors did not immediately seize key strongholds or strategic locations. Instead, their first move was to encircle the prisoners—making it clear to Joe Di that captives were their most valuable assets.
Yet at this moment, Joe Di paid little attention to the situation. In fact, he felt a hint of delight, for his consciousness had already attuned to the language rules of this place. For him, as long as he touched upon the language's laws, any tongue became familiar. If not for his inability to use divine sense or divine essence here, he would have grasped the local language instantly upon arrival, without needing so much time.
The tall, defeated soldiers were likewise driven into the captive circle where Joe Di stood.
A corpulent man, clad in battle armor of unknown material, strode to the top of the plaza. His gaze swept over the crowd with satisfaction—for him, they were all spoils of war.
"You are fortunate, for my Great Wing Tribe never kills prisoners." The fat man said this after scanning the crowd, clearly pleased with himself.
Joe Di could sense many around him breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that besides the Great Wing Tribe, there were other tribes that favored slaughtering captives.
After his declaration, the fat man changed the subject: "However, my Great Wing Tribe does not keep useless people. From now on, you will help build the Shaman River. Those who contribute the most may join the Great Wing Tribe and become one of us..."
The fat man went on about rewards for building the Shaman River, but Joe Di paid no attention. Still, he gleaned some basics: this place had a Shaman River, and every tribe seemed to be involved in its construction. He also learned that wars between tribes here were essentially for capturing people to build the Shaman River.
What puzzled him was, since everyone needed to build the Shaman River, why not just work together? Why wage war?
The Great Wing Tribe acted swiftly; almost as soon as the fat man finished speaking, all the captives were herded out of Stonefort City.
No one complained along the way; everyone was extremely cautious. Joe Di soon understood why the captives were so careful—so long as they followed the rules, nothing would happen to them. Anyone who deviated from the prescribed route was immediately shot dead.
"Joe Di, I think this is a very ancient planet. At the very least, I’m sure this planet isn’t part of the Five Elements Universe. What’s strange is, these people won the battle but abandoned the enemy’s territory, taking us captives away—what’s the point of that?" Cassie Cao whispered as she walked beside Joe Di.
"Of course it’s not the Five Elements Universe," Joe Di replied firmly. "I still haven’t figured out where this is. They’re taking us away because they need us to help build the Shaman River. By the way, that fat man from earlier is a leader of the Great Wing Tribe…"
“Shaman River…” Cassie Cao murmured, repeating the words several times. Suddenly, she looked at Joe Di, her eyes growing brighter.
Joe Di looked at Cassie Cao and asked, “Cassie, why are you looking at me like that?”
Since Cassie Cao called him by name, Joe Di felt no need to stand on ceremony either.
Cassie Cao’s voice even trembled a little. “Joe Di, if this place is really what I think it is, maybe you really can stand up to Dominic Du…”
Joe Di frowned. What did whether this place was what Cassie Cao suspected have to do with him dealing with Dominic Du?
Then Joe Di thought of Dominic Du, and his mood soured once more. Dominic Du’s power was overwhelming, to the point where no matter how hard Joe Di tried, he felt helpless. He still couldn’t understand how Morgan Du had managed to plot against him back then—Morgan was a genius, too.
“Joe Di, others may not know Dominic Du’s weakness, but I do…”
Before Cassie Cao could finish her sentence, a whip cracked through the air and lashed straight at her forehead.
Joe Di was shocked—he was certain Cassie Cao at least possessed a Sacred Body. Even if she’d lost all her cultivation, a whip like that wouldn’t harm her much.
Before the whip could strike Cassie Cao, Joe Di lunged forward, shielding her beneath him. At the same time, his physical strength rapidly diminished.
Smack! Flesh and blood flew—the whip nearly broke Joe Di’s back, exposing his bones.
“Huh…” The whip wielder was surprised; instead of hitting Cassie Cao, the blow only exposed Joe Di’s bones. He glanced at his whip in confusion.
Joe Di shouted loudly, “We will work hard to build the Shaman River! Long live the Great Wing Tribe!”
Some captives, unaware of what had happened, quickly echoed Joe Di, “We will work hard to build the Shaman River! Long live the Great Wing Tribe!”
A few higher-ranked soldiers, hearing the commotion, came over to check. For the moment, the soldier forgot to continue troubling Joe Di.
Seeing the soldier leave, Cassie Cao looked apologetically at Joe Di. Only then did she realize that Joe Di could not only understand the local language, but also speak it.