The 104th Empyrean Tusk!
It was currently dragging a long caravan of carts made out of bone. Each cart was a three to four-storey house, large enough to house twenty people comfortably. Mobile ramparts moved around the caravan that housed the Mammoth Clansmen from the 105th and 106th Settlements.
Elites stood guard on these ramparts, braving the danger that plagued them. Thankfully, the number of Empyrean Tusks in the herd surpassed a hundred, as a result generating a formless oppressive force passively that prevented Pranic Beasts from coming close.
Hence, the number of dangers faced by these elites on the ramparts was within considerate levels. As a result, their death toll wasn't severe enough to cripple their population.
It was a stark contrast to what they had to face in Sumatra Chronicles. There, the number of Empyrean Tusks in their herd had dropped from 44 to 43. Without the passive suppression, they were subject to endless attacks from all sorts of Pranic Beast hordes.
The twenty survivors of the 44th Settlement led horrible lives. Basically, they were like a ruined kingdom subjected to Mammoth Clan's level of danger. Every step of the way, they suffered.
But in this timeline, there were plenty of masters in the 105th and 106th Settlements who protected the caravan.
It wasn't just that. Originally, in fear of the Boar King discovering them, the previous Gannala kept survival the highest priority of the herd. It was why when she stepped onto a Mud Viper nest by mistake, the rest of the herd didn't come to her rescue and instead continued on their path.
The previous Gannala nurtured the herd with the prime intention of staying away from the Boar King's radar. Hence, there was a lack of data in the inheritance they received from her.
This caused their development to not be realised fully, causing untapped potential to be left behind. As they hadn't explored their potential, their growth hadn't reached its peak. This effect trickled down to the Mammoth Clan, influencing them as part of the Empyrean Tusk's immune system.
It was one of the main reasons that contributed to the strength of the masters not going beyond the 8-Life Stage. The reason why Gannala did that was simple.
If a Mammoth Clansman were to reach the 9-Life Stage, they would hit the peak of the Mystic Bone Art's third stage—meant for Life Stage cultivators. Following that, they would begin touching the final stage of their cultivation technique, one that would allow them to access secrets related to the Transcendence Stage.
And if they were to unlock it, not only would they be able to converse with the Empyrean Tusk, but they'd also figure out the secret that the Empyrean Tusks once used to be Mammoth Clansmen.
Next, the Empyrean Tusk would influence its Mammoth Clan and cause many of the next generation births to be born with the Fragment Disease, since communication was now possible.
Many women with the Fragment Disease would appear, resulting in the birth of more Empyrean Tusks.
It didn't stop at this. If the conditions were right and the respective Transcendent World were to appear over Sumatra, the Mammoth Clansmen that had unlocked the final stage of Mystic Bone Art would also be able to converse with the Mammoth Ancestor. That would allow them to understand the full details of the Mammoth Clan and begin acting as one.
With their limited strength, acting as such would make them too high profile, resulting in overly evident traces. If their actions create ripple effects among Pranic Beast territories, the Boar King will eventually notice them.
That would cause their doom. It was why the Mammoth Clan part of her herd had a custom of chucking all students with the Fragment Disease into the mouths of Pranic Beasts if they failed to contribute to the Clan by the time of their graduation.
The original Mammoth Clan didn't have such a custom. There were plenty of other such rules exclusively created by the previous Gannala to limit the Mammoth Clan's potential.
However, after the merger, those unnecessary customs were abolished. The 42 Empyrean Tusks received a portion of data from the larger herd and, as a result, now possessed a full inheritance.
Thanks to that, their Mammoth Clansmen masters were no longer limited to the 8-Life Stage. As long as they had the ability, they could reach the peak. As they couldn't communicate with their Empyrean Tusks, they weren't aware of the limitation being lifted.
Besides, all of them died at least twice to the Boar King. So, it would take a long time before any of them were to reach the 8-Life Stage, which was typically reached only by Settlement Leaders.
Currently, two Settlement Leaders sat on the balcony of one of the caravan houses, sipping tea as they stared into the wilds, seeing shadows of Pranic Beasts flash past in the distance.
"I want to squish a few," Bora Tusk muttered longingly, staring at his trembling fingers, "I feel the itch."
"Go do it, then." Yahard Tusk stated reflexively, fed up with this madman, "Why are you bothering my tea time with your murderous spree?"
"They're too far away." Bora Tusk grumbled, "No Pranic Beast dares come within a kilometre radius. And those that do are weakling idiots that are taken care of by the elites."
"Send a body or two then," Yahard Tusk complained, "After they have their fun of slaughter, they can chase after the herd and return."
"I would love to do that," Bora Tusk sighed, "But I'm a Settlement Leader without an Empyrean Tusk, a joke among the circle of Settlement Leaders. I can't do shit like that for now."
"At least you're self-aware," Yahard Tusk commented, "Well, Harrala will soon assume her Empyrean Tusk form."
"I'm envious!" Bora Tusk groaned and slumped on the chair, "When will my Deity return?"
"I feel restless without her."
"I feel the same too," Yahard Tusk shook his head, "But this cannot be rushed. Harrala needs to grow a bit before she can transform. And it would take a decade or two before we can begin living on her back. How soon we can do that depends entirely on her growth rate."
"Fuck!" Bora Tusk cursed in anger, "I have to live in this shitty place for that long?"
"Inala, that dumbass. I hope he's taking care of Gannala well." He grumbled as his eyes glinted with a dangerous hue, "If he dares to starve her for even an instant, I'll butcher him!"
"Let's hope he's protecting her well." Yahard Tusk said, "I heard from the Chief that Inala is alive and doing rather favourably for himself. He also told me that Gannala's growth is rather spectacular. She'll definitely grow into a powerful Empyrean Tusk."
"Why the heck is he telling you that instead of me?" Bora Tusk glared, "I'm the Settlement Leader of her Mammoth Clan!"
"Ask the Chief, not me." Yahard Tusk shrugged, thinking, 'You're not even in the right state of mind to process such things. I'm surprised you haven't charged into the wilds to find Gannala yet.'
"I want to see my Deity's glorious form soon." Bora Tusk said and got up all of a sudden, leaping in the direction of the wild, intending to run in the direction of the Sanrey Plains. But suddenly, his figure remained stuck in the air, following which, he was slowly returned to his seat.
"Stay put! That's my final warning! Try going out one more time, and I'm putting you into a life of labour." Raaha's annoyed voice resounded on the balcony.
'Ahh! So that's why.' Yahard Tusk immediately got his answer, sighing, 'The Chief has his work cut out.'