<h4>Chapter 544: Conflict</h4>


    Han Li observed the unfolding battle with a contemtive look in his eyes.


    Each side only had several dozen people, but they were disying some rather interesting modes of attack.


    Among the humanoid creatures, some of them were holding short flutes crafted from some type of unknown material, some were holding small drums crafted from beast bones and beast hide, while others were holding copper bells, and they were ying these instruments to release bursts of soundwaves.


    Under the influence of these soundwaves, hundreds of demon beasts of different descriptions were rushing toward the opposing toad-like creatures like puppets on strings.


    As for the toad-like creatures, they were exposing their bellies, and it sounded as if there were someone pounding their bellies from inside their bodies, producing a peculiar sound that sent various types of spirit insects flying through the air or rushing out of the ground to swarm toward the opposing humanoid creatures.


    Among these spirit insects were golden praying mantises the size of cows and horses, as well as some that were as tiny as bees. Individually, none of them were all that formidable, but under the influence of the toad-like creatures, their auras werebined as one, allowing them to match up against their opponents on equal terms.


    Among the demon beasts, some had thick exoskeletons, some possessed enormous bodies, some were able to st forth mes and lightning, and some were extremely fast, but they were unable to keep the spirit insects at bay and were constantly being forced back further and further into retreat.


    The humanoid creatures could see that the situation was unfolding against their favor, and one of them, a man with the longest neck, wearing a ne crafted out of beast bones, let loose a loud roar.


    All of the sounds that were controlling the demon beasts and the spirit insects instantly subsided, and as a result, a temporary truce ensued.


    The man then opened his mouth to say something that waspletely unintelligible to Han Li.


    "Can you understand what they''re saying?" Han Li asked through his spiritual connection between himself and the jade Pixiu.


    "He''s speaking in the universalnguage used by the primordial tribes, and he''s talking to a person called Tureev, asking him why they were so insistent on hunting down their Longneck Tribe, even though they had already abandon the forest that they had been residing in for generations to flee all the way here," the Pixiu tranted.


    Han Li''s brows furrowed slightly as he cast his gaze toward the toad-like beings.


    One of the toad-like creatures that was wearing ayer of azure leather armor around its waist stepped forward, then said something in response in a loud and resonant voice.


    "He says, don''t be naive, Taj. Our Gray Toad Tribe and your Longneck Tribe have always been sworn enemies. Now that your Longneck Tribe has fallen from grace, of course we have to hunt you down and eradicate all of you," Xiao Bai tranted without even being prompted by Han Li.


    "How dare you! Are you trying to instigate a war between our Beast Race and your Insect Race? Are you not afraid of repeating the same horrific tragedy from millions of years ago? If you spark a war between our two races, our Beast Race will be sure to wipe out all of you once and for all!" Taj replied in a furious voice.


    "I know that you''ve led us here as a distraction to try and divert us away, while your father led the majority of your tribesmen to the Peacock Spirit Tribe over at the Peacock River, but I can tell you now that your efforts arepletely futile. Even the Tower Elephant Tribe and the Dark Hog Tribe have already been conquered by our Insect Race, let alone the Peacock Spirit Tribe," Tureev chortled as he pped his own belly with hisrge hands.


    Taj''s expression instantly changed drastically upon hearing this. "What did you say? That''s impossible!"


    "In the face of the inspect spirits that we revere, the true spirits that you worship are nothing more than a bunch of toothless dogs! Our Insect Race has been plotting its revenge for the past several million years, and it''s finally time for your Beast Race to face the mes of our wrath!" Tureev continued as a fervent look appeared in his eyes.


    After hearing Xiao Bai''s trantion, Han Li concluded, "Looks like this is a conflict between two primordial tribes that has nothing to do with us."


    He then turned to depart, but right at this moment, the golden ring on his finger transformed into Jin Tong, whonded by his side, and her cheeks were slightly flushed with apprehension as she said, "Don''t leave just yet, Uncle, I''m getting a very strange feeling..."


    "Could it be that you''ve been affected by the insect maniption techniques used by those creatures? Surely not! Even their leader is only a True Immortal, how could they possibly have affected you?" Han Li mused with a perplexed expression.


    "I... I don''t know... I just feel... really strange..." Jin Tong stuttered.


    As soon as her voice trailed off, a pair of golden praying mantises suddenly pounced at Han Li and Jin Tong from either nk beforeshing out with their scythe-like appendages.


    Han Li immediately swept a sleeve through the air upon seeing this, releasing two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords that shot forth toward the pair of oing praying mantises, slicing them in half in the blink of an eye.


    Immediately thereafter, a swarm of ck beetles converged from all directions to surround Han Li and Jin Tong, and some of the Gray Toad beings also began to make their way toward Han Li''s duo.


    Seeing as they had already been exposed, Han Li emerged into the clearing with Jin Tong.


    Tureev took a nce at Han Li and Jin Tong, and his expression changed drastically as he began to speak again, and furious looks instantly appeared on the faces of the Longneck beings upon hearing what he had to say.


    "What are they saying?" Han Li asked through voice transmission.


    "Tureev is using the Longneck Tribe of falling into depravity and colluding with humans. He says that it''s no wonder that even the true spirits that they worship aren''t able to protect them, and the Longneck beings are very angry to hear this," the jade Pixiu replied.


    "It sounds like humans aren''t very popr around these parts," Han Li mused with a wry smile.


    "Humans aren''t the only ones that are denounced here, any beings of any race whoe from the immortal regions have alwayse to the primordialnd solely to plunder and steal and..."


    The jade Pixiu''s voice trailed off here.


    Indeed, the title of primordial hunter sounded quite prestigious, but they were nothing more than opportunistic gatherers and bandits.


    "Tell them that we''re just passing through, and that we have no intention of getting involved in their conflict," Han Li said as he swept a sleeve through the air, and the jade pendant hanging from his waist flew through the air before transforming into a jade Pixiu that was around 10 feet in length.


    Xiao Bai took a nce at Han Li, then turned to the two groups of primordial beings as it ryed Han Li''s message to them.


    Tureev took a nce at Xiao Bai, then turned his gaze to Jin Tong before finally turning his attention to Han Li, following which it dered in thenguage of the Northern cial Immortal Region, "I would''ve been willing to let you go, but you just killed two of our spirit insects. How do you n topensate for that?"


    "Whatpensation do you want from me?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.


    "Leave that little girl behind and I''ll let you go," Tureev dered as he pointed a finger at Jin Tong.


    Han Li couldn''t help but heave a forlorn internal sigh upon hearing this. He knew that a peaceful resolution was out of the question now.


    Sure enough, before he had a chance to say anything, Jin Tong had already stepped forward with an enraged expression as she began rolling up her sleeves.


    "You want me to stay, do you?" she asked in a cold voice as her aura began to swell rapidly.


    Tureev was very rmed to sense her rapidly elevating aura, and all of the ck beetles around Jin Tong instantly began to rush back in retreat out of an instinctive sense of fear.


    Tureev took a few steps backward before hurriedly urging all of his tribesmen to spring into action, and the other Gray Toad beings immediately began to produce the same croaking sound from before with their bloated bellies.


    A small portion of the spirit insects that they had summoned were still surrounding the Longneck beings, but the rest were all swarming toward Jin Tong.


    "Go and help her," Han Lin instructed with slightly furrowed brows.


    Xiao Bai immediately did as it was told, swelling drastically in size as it let loose a loud roar before pouncing at the swarm of spirit insects.


    The dense swarm of ck beetles inundated Xiao Bai in an instant, but ayer of bright white light had emerged over its body to keep all of the ck beetles at bay.


    At the same time, it opened its mouth to release a burst of tremendous suction force, which sucked in all of the surrounding ck beetles in a frenzy.


    Meanwhile, Taj and the other Longneck beings were discussing how to proceed, yet all of them had fallen silent and were staring at Xiao Bai with stunned looks on their faces.


    At the same time, Jin Tong had transformed into a giant golden beetle that was shing its front legs through the air in rapid session, releasing streaks of translucent golden light that swept forth in all directions, shredding all of the spirit insects in their path.


    Tureev was horrified to see this.


    In the blink of an eye, his army of spirit insects was on the verge ofplete eradication!


    In contrast, Taj was ecstatic to see this, and he hurriedly began yelling something in the primordialnguage.


    The Longneck beings were instantly reinvigorated, and they began ying their instruments again, spurring on their demon beasts to attack the surrounding swarm of spirit insects.


    The previously orderly ranks of the Gray Toad beings were instantly thrown intoplete disarray by Jin Tong and Xiao Bai, and Tureev was frantically instructing his spirit insects to unleash a final wave of attacks while simultaneously instructing his own tribesmen to retreat.