Right after Xia Chuan drew his sword and killed two people, Yuwen Dao and over a hundred others also drew their weapons, slaying all the more than a hundred people they had just escorted there.
Over a hundred lives were ended in less than three breaths.
The entire cave was silent, save for the crackling of the burning wood. The smell of blood filled the air as everyone present looked at the more than a hundred corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, swallowing hard.
They looked up at Xia Chuan, Yuwen Dao, and the others, faces filled with joy, bewilderment, shock, and a hint of fear—a complex mix of emotions.
The joy was because the Three Tigers Camp, which had been plaguing the Five Ape Mountain, was destroyed!
The bewilderment was because it was destroyed in such an absurd manner.
They didn’t even know the whole story. The two main culprits of the Three Tigers Camp, along with over a hundred followers, were executed.
The shock, of course, was due to the power of Xia Chuan and Yuwen Dao, and the strength of the Great Xia Camp they represented.
The fear was even simpler.
Present today were the leaders of eleven camps.
Since the Great Xia Camp had come to Five Ape Mountain...
Those were the words Xia Chuan had just spoken.
This sentence, along with his bloody and domineering execution of the Three Tigers Camp people right in front of the leaders of the eleven medium-sized camps, made his intentions easy to guess.
It was undoubtedly a show of strength, meant to intimidate them.
As for the purpose...
They were unclear. And it was this uncertainty about Xia Chuan’s intentions that instilled fear in their hearts.
Would the Great Xia Camp stay in Five Ape Mountain from now on?
Would they become like the previous Three Tigers Camp?
With the power that Great Xia had just demonstrated, if that were the case, they...
"Zhu Xing pays his respects to you, my lord! Thank you, Lord Xia Chuan, for removing this great evil from our Five Ape Mountain. Henceforth, if Great Xia commands, Zhu He Camp will not dare disobey!"
Seeing Zhu Xing rush to speak, Meng Yuan cursed inwardly and quickly followed suit, bowing to Xia Chuan:
"Meng Yuan pays his respects to you, my lord! I’m deeply grateful for your righteous intervention. Henceforth, Tongling Camp will likewise honor Great Xia. Whatever Great Xia needs, Tongling Camp will provide without hesitation!"
"Chen Hua pays his respects to you, my lord! Today..."
"Liu Zhen pays his respects to you, my lord..."
"Kong Xiu pays his respects to you, my lord..."
As soon as Zhu Xing and Meng Yuan spoke, the remaining eight quickly followed, respectfully bowing to Xia Chuan. Their words varied, but they all conveyed the same sentiment:
Henceforth, they would all honor Great Xia’s authority and follow its commands unconditionally.
This was the effect of intimidation!
Seeing everyone’s reactions, a look of satisfaction appeared deep in Xia Chuan’s eyes.
This was precisely the outcome he desired.
Ever since the incident with Hong Guang, he had been pondering.
What would be the best way for Great Xia to expand?
Violence like Hong Guang’s was too brutal. Although it could achieve the goal quickly, it easily sowed resentment and had endless future troubles;
Conversely, a gradual approach like he used with Xiao He Camp, leveraging gifts to demonstrate the camp’s strength, was effective but time-consuming and exhausting, and thus not feasible either.
Xia Chuan finally realized that a combination of intimidation and goodwill was the optimal approach.
By clearly telling these people that Great Xia had strength but harbored no ill will toward them, future negotiations could align more closely with his plans.
The current scene was exactly as Xia Chuan had anticipated.
Of course, what he sought was more than just having these camps respect Great Xia’s supremacy.
"Since all of you have said so, I might as well be straightforward..."
After glancing around at everyone, Xia Chuan continued, "What our Great Xia Camp currently lacks most is people!"
Upon hearing this, only Xiao Kangcheng remained unchanged in expression.
The other ten all showed slight changes in their expressions, with surprise flashing in their eyes.
"Don’t worry, our Great Xia is not like the Three Tigers Camp..."
Knowing what everyone was thinking, Xia Chuan continued.
"To be honest, under my elder brother Xia Hong’s leadership, Great Xia Camp has already conquered over three hundred square kilometers of territory.
The outer area on the east side of Redwood Ridge, and the entire northern Arrow Bamboo Forest, are now our Great Xia hunting grounds, filled with beast skins, beast meat, beast blood, iron ore, coal mines, rare herbs, and exotic treasures... everything you can imagine..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Kangcheng’s expression turned strange, as Xia Chuan had said something similar when he first visited Xiao He Camp more than ten days ago.
But seeing Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and the others’ reactions, he immediately realized that today, Xia Chuan’s words were far more effective than they had been previously.
Indeed, Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and the other ten leaders, as well as their camp members behind them, showed signs of yearning despite some lingering doubts, after hearing Xia Chuan’s description of Great Xia Camp.
This was the benefit of intimidation!
If Xia Chuan had done nothing and merely said these words flatly, no one present would have believed him.
But with over a hundred Earth-digging Realm fighters like Yuwen Dao, alongside the annihilation of Three Tigers Camp, these people couldn’t help but believe it.
"... So, the only thing our Great Xia Camp lacks is people!"
After Xia Chuan finished this sentence, everyone present fell silent.
Resources so abundant that people were the only shortage—this seemed unbelievable and unimaginable to them. Yet, the message conveyed by Xia Chuan’s earlier words suggested exactly that.
Whether they believed it or not, the ten leaders present finally understood.
This was an attempt to forcibly annex their camps.
Understanding Xia Chuan’s intention, their eyes immediately turned wary, with a few even showing clear resistance on their faces.
"Of course, our Great Xia won’t force any of you to integrate. Like Xiao He Camp, each camp can send three people to come and learn about Great Xia. Whether to integrate or not is up to you!"
This sentence brought a huge sigh of relief from everyone.
Even the most wary among a few leaders visibly relaxed.
"Consider the integration as Great Xia’s gift to you. Whether you seize this opportunity is up to you, but let me say this first: such a direct opportunity for integration is available only once. If you miss it, it won’t come again!"
After completing this statement, Xia Chuan shifted his tone, smiling as he said: "I’ve heard that most camps in Five Ape Mountain are in urgent need of iron ore. This exchange meeting greatly interests us at Great Xia.
If you can offer something attractive enough, there’s no limit to the amount of iron ore Great Xia can provide!"
After saying this final line, Xia Chuan signaled to Shi Ping beside him with his eyes.
Shi Ping nodded, clapping his hands.
The eight members of the Cloud Jiao Team stepped forward, each carrying a leather bag, and, in front of everyone, opened the bags directly.
Five large bags of iron ore, along with nearly a hundred weapons, were poured out with a clanging sound.
Everyone’s gaze instantly froze, filled with desire as they looked at the large quantity of iron ore and hundreds of sharp weapons on the ground.
Meng Yuan and Zhu Xing awkwardly stepped forward to block the single bag of iron ore they had brought with them.