Chapter 159: Sudden Encounter

Standing before the ancient tree, Adis looked at the frail figure of Allen before him and smiled slightly, "Well done."

"At your current level, with just a bit more training, you will reach the minimum standard for practicing secret arts."

This was a remarkable feat. Bloodline secret arts, while powerful to a certain extent, imposed even stricter demands on the practitioner—far more rigorous than the cultivation of battle qi, let alone divine arts.

Upon hearing Adis's words, Allen's eyes lit up, a glimmer of yearning and joy breaking through, as if he had instantly forgotten the exhaustion weighing down his limbs.

For some reason, a persistent sense of urgency and crisis always lingered within him, as if he were constantly walking on the edge of danger, instilling in him a primal, burning thirst for power.

This could be seen clearly in the intensity of his training. Even without any demands from Adis, he constantly pushed himself through the workouts of his own accord. For months, he had never stopped once, drawing sideways glances of awe and respect from everyone for his desperate determination.

Indeed, had he not possessed the constitution of the Dragonborn, he would have collapsed long ago under such grueling physical stress, let alone remain standing straight before Adis.

"Once I master the secret art, I'll have the strength to protect my sister and repay Lord Yarl," Allen thought, gazing first at the exhausted, slumped figure of Cassie nearby and then back at Adis. A brilliant, innocent smile bloomed across his face as excitement surged within him.

"He is still just a child after all. Even as a child of destiny chosen by the heavens, he remains so simple and pure."

Adis smiled, shifting his gaze to the other side: "Cassie, take a rest. We will continue tomorrow."

He walked over, gently supporting Cassie as she knelt halfway on the ground, and spoke with a warm smile.

As he spoke, a wisp of natural divine power surged from his body, forming a simple healing spell that enveloped them both.

The recovery rate of the Dragonborn was astonishing. Under the effect of the healing spell, Cassie slowly stood up, a blush rising on her cheeks as she looked at the hand Adis was using to steady her.

It was impossible to tell whether she had yet to fully recover from the recent training or if there was some other reason entirely.

In the distance, Elder Ida watched Adis and Cassie with a benevolent look, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

The routine training quickly passed.

At noon one day, the scouting party returned from the outside, bringing along a large group of tattered, ragged people.

"Alas, more refugees?"

Looking at the displaced crowd, a trace of worry flashed in Ida's eyes.

"Patriarch, these people were found at the edge of the territory. There are forty-three of them in total. We have brought them all back, just as you ordered."

The returning men in the distance were reporting to Adis.

"Mm, well done."

Adis nodded. "Go and settle them. Scatter them and mix them in, following the same procedure as before."

At that moment, Ida walked over, a troubled expression on his face.

"Yarl, our food supplies are running low."

He looked at Adis and advised, "Perhaps we should temporarily slow down the rate at which we take in refugees."

"No!"

Adis shook his head and said decisively, "Our current food should still last for a while longer. By tomorrow, I will lead a team out into the wilderness to hunt some magical beasts."

"In a short while, once this batch of crops matures, the pressure on our food supply will ease significantly."

"But..." Ida looked at Adis, hesitating with words unspotted.

He wanted to say that magical beasts swarmed the wilderness, and coupled with the recent rampant activity of the demon folk, they were very likely to encounter grave danger.

However, he knew in his heart that Adis would never back down for such reasons, so he simply swallowed the words.

"Ah, I can only hope our luck doesn't run too bad during this period. Once this time passes, we won't need to take such risks."

Ida sighed inwardly.

By nature, he was a conservative man.

In his view, with the ancient tree now present, the arable land was slowly expanding, various seeds could be sown and grown rapidly, and combined with the small livestock they had brought along from their original tribe, they were fully capable of self-sufficiency.

Situated deep within the wilderness, even the demon folk would find it hard to track them down. There was simply no need to court danger.

After Ida left, Adis shook his head at the elder's retreating back.

He turned his gaze toward the distant ancient tree of nature, feeling the steady expansion of the divine domain, and fell silent in his heart.

If his only goal was to hole up and defend this single tribe, given the current conditions, Adis was confident he could develop and perfect this place, ensuring its safety for years or even decades to come.

However, that was not his goal.

"The growth of the ancient tree of nature, the expansion of the divine domain, and the rapid advancement of my own strength—all of these require an abundant supply of divine power and faithful believers offering their prayers."

"Relying solely on the population of this single tribe would barely be enough to sustain the ancient tree of nature, let alone anything else. Once the outside world is thoroughly destroyed, what use would it be no matter how well this tribe develops?"

The path of divinity was about gathering the power of all living beings to nourish oneself. Yet, the natural growth of population required a vast amount of time. Relying merely on a tribe of a thousand people to multiply—what could they achieve even if given decades? How could that ever compare to the speed of directly taking in or even seizing external populations?

Adis stood up, walked outside, and looked out over the figures bustling across the settlement.

"In just one month, we've taken in three to four hundred people. It seems the demon folk are stirring up quite a storm out there."

He shook his head, "Yet, this speed is still far too slow. Too many people are being slaughtered by the demon folk, and only a tiny fraction manage to escape. It's simply not enough."

"From the looks of it, it is necessary for me to make a trip outside."

The wind in the sky gradually picked up, fluttering Adis's hair. In the distance, people hurried about their tasks, while two or three children laughed and played, painting a picture of total harmony.

Standing beneath the ancient tree of nature and watching this scene, Adis could not help but smile.

...

Early the next morning, Adis set out with a squad of his tribesmen.

Following his established custom, he organized the clansmen behind him into neat platoons, establishing squad leader positions modeled after the ways of his previous world, before finally giving the order to depart.

The group marched through the wilderness like a well-drilled unit, presenting an image of neat formations and strict discipline that bore no resemblance to the chaotic, rabble-like state they had shown just a few months prior.

This was the result of the months of training. As the founding ruler who had single-handedly built the vast Empire of Adis, Adis was exceptionally rigorous when it came to military training, and the results so far proved quite satisfactory.

He led the group to a location relatively far from the surrounding oases, intending to steer clear of the demon folk as much as possible.

After all, while Adis did not fear them, the purpose of this excursion was hunting, not waging war against the demon folk, so avoidance was naturally the wiser choice.

Yet sometimes, even when you deliberately steer clear of trouble, certain events always seem to find their way to you.

For instance, at that very moment, as Adis watched a young girl running in the distance pursued from afar by two demon folk, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.