The Woodfolk High Priest felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing Xiao Mo’s earlier words.
Initially, her intention had been to teach this territory a lesson.
While the Woodfolk were inherently kind and friendly, being spied upon in their secret treasure vault naturally warranted a response.
Although she hadn’t intended to destroy the Immortal and Demon Tribe, her original purpose was indeed to seek an explanation.
However, after sensing a danger that could instantly kill her, she immediately abandoned that thought.
Looking at the man on the throne, who appeared to be in his early twenties, the female Woodfolk began to ponder.
This lord, though young in appearance, could not be underestimated for his cunning and wisdom.
Xiao Mo said nothing in response to the Woodfolk woman’s rebuttal, merely smiling faintly and waving a hand.
“What your initial intention was is no longer important!”
“But coexistence in peace is likely impossible, for I am a Lord, and I belong to the Territorial Powers!”
“If you truly desire peace, there is only one way: bring your Woodfolk tribe to surrender to me, to be incorporated under my Immortal and Demon Tribe!”
“That is absolutely impossible!”
As soon as Xiao Mo finished speaking, the Woodfolk High Priest refused him sternly without hesitation.
“All Woodfolk of the Woodfolk tribe owe allegiance only to the Wood Emperor of the Central Region Wood Emperor Empire! We will never surrender to any territorial power!”
Xiao Mo frowned slightly, but the smile on his face did not fade.
“Since that is the case, as far as I know, among the territorial powers, there are also troop types under a lord that are your Woodfolk’s Thunder-Wind Treants!”
As his words fell, the Woodfolk High Priest immediately shook her head, clearly not agreeing with Xiao Mo’s statement.
“They are not Woodfolk from this world; they are fundamentally different! We would never have any dealings with these Woodfolk!”
The High Priest’s words brought a sigh of relief to Xiao Mo.
He had indeed been worried that some troop types in the territorial powers might mingle with the native forces.
If the Thunder-Wind Treants joined forces with the Woodfolk, and the Elven Forest with the Elves…
And then other races, if they were to form alliances.
That situation would indeed pose a significant problem for the Immortal and Demon Tribe.
One must understand that there were no Immortals or Demons on this continent; Immortals and Demons were beings from higher planes.
He couldn’t find any Immortal or Demon factions to ally with if he wanted to form alliances.
However, with the High Priest’s words now, he understood.
The various native racial factions looked down upon the “kin” within the territorial powers, and therefore would not form alliances.
Suddenly, Xiao Mo thought of the little one in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, who was incredibly fortunate.
“Even so, peace between us is impossible! The Woodfolk tribe has only two options…”
“One is for the entire tribe to surrender to me, and the other is to leave all your tribe’s resources behind and depart the Endless Abyss region. This is my bottom line!”
Hearing Xiao Mo’s unquestionable tone, the female High Priest’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed.
“Human Lord from another world, you are perhaps too overconfident! While my Woodfolk tribe is indeed peace-loving, it does not mean we fear war!”
“Moreover, your territory only has three Spirit ranks, while my Woodfolk tribe has two Monarch ranks and four Spirit ranks!”
“Do you think your territorial power can defeat my Woodfolk tribe?”
Although the Woodfolk High Priest spoke calmly, her words were filled with a threatening undertone.
Upon hearing that the other side had two Monarch ranks, a flicker of doubt flashed in Xiao Mo’s eyes.
He then recalled the report from Mo Wuxin about the Woodfolk’s Ancient Nature Tree.
It was said that the Woodfolk were born from the Ancient Nature Tree, which had existed for an unknown number of years.
Although in the form of trees, once war broke out, this Ancient Nature Tree would undoubtedly transform into a powerful fighting force!
“Two Monarch ranks and four Spirit ranks, your strength is indeed formidable, but…”
“With such strength, I truly do not take you seriously!”
Xiao Mo smiled faintly and said to the High Priest, simultaneously moving his mind to communicate with the Nine Heavens Nine Hells City.
The Immortal and Demon Stones stored within the [Bracelet of the Elven Empress] instantly vanished by a thousand, and a colossal Immortal and Demon Energy Cannon quietly activated, aiming at a mountain peak not far from the Immortal and Demon Tribe’s territory.
At the summit of that mountain peak stood a graceful figure – it was the Woodfolk High Priest, Mu Chunrou!
The muzzle of the colossal Immortal and Demon Energy Cannon directly locked onto Mu Chunrou.
Simultaneously, Mu Chunrou’s true form felt all the hairs on her body stand on end, and a chill surged from her spine to the back of her head.
In the grand hall of the Immortal and Demon Tribe’s city, Mu Chunrou’s spirit form flickered in and out of existence due to her terror of the aura of death.
After a while, she managed to stabilize her spirit form, but her large, watery eyes looked at Xiao Mo with terror.
Following that, her expression turned somewhat resentful and wronged as she said:
“Your actions will incite war between both sides! We truly despise war, and we have lived in the Endless Abyss for nearly a thousand years, how can we so easily abandon our homeland!”
Although inwardly terrified, her tone remained relatively steady, befitting the leader of the Woodfolk tribe.
“Then surrender to me, and pledge allegiance! I guarantee that the Woodfolk will receive the highest respect and will not be easily drawn into battle!”
To subdue an enemy without fighting requires both the stick and the carrot, a lesson passed down from ancient ancestors.
“The Woodfolk tribe pledges allegiance only to His Majesty the Wood Emperor of the Empire!”
Mu Chunrou bit her lip and shook her head again. Her voice was low but firm.
In ancient times, the Woodfolk worshipped the Goddess of Nature, but later, a divine war erupted, and all the Woodfolk were abandoned by the Goddess of Nature.
Later, an invading evil god from another world appeared, and just as the entire Woodfolk tribe was on the brink of annihilation, a great leader emerged.
He led the Woodfolk to become powerful, and later, in alliance with other races, they repelled the evil god from the other world.
The Wood Emperor Empire was established after that period, and the great leader at the time was the current Wood Emperor.
Therefore, although the Woodfolk no longer had a deity to worship, their loyalty was entirely dedicated to this great emperor.
While the Woodfolk were kind and friendly, they were inherently proud, much like the Elves, believing their lineage to be noble.
Besides the great Wood Emperor, no one from any other race could earn their allegiance.
Thus, they naturally would not betray the Wood Emperor Empire and bow to a still-weak territorial power.
Hearing Mu Chunrou’s continued persistence, Xiao Mo gradually became impatient, and the smile on his face began to fade.
“You don’t want to leave, and you’re unwilling to surrender. If you choose neither, then tell me what you want!”
Mu Chunrou gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, her gaze fixed directly on Xiao Mo’s eyes, her expression filled with hope and sincerity.
“The Woodfolk tribe only seeks peaceful coexistence!”