Chapter 899: Afraid

Cang Jizhi was the first to arrive at Fenggu's cave mansion.

She saw Fenggu's Dao withered and decaying, and was instantly shocked: "Elder Chief, what happened to you?"

Fenggu's Dao wasn't merely decaying—his third eye also bore a Piercing Spirit Needle.

This Piercing Spirit Needle could be inserted into Fenggu's third eye by no one but Fenggu himself.

Fenggu's face grew even grayer; he did not answer Cang Jizhi's question, but instead pulled out dozens of formation flags and hurled them.

Immediately, a series of booming echoes rang through the Tianmeng tribe's space, and a grayish sphere locked this entire region.

"Elder Chief, you've pulled out the Tianmeng Pearl?" Cang Jizhi stared at him in panic.

The reason the Tianmeng tribe had survived was because of the Post-Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Tianmeng Pearl.

After saving the Tianmeng tribe, the Tianmeng Pearl was installed as the core of the formation, protecting the entire tribe.

Now, Elder Chief Fenggu had pulled out the Tianmeng Pearl to lock this space—meaning the Tianmeng tribe's formation no longer had a core.

At this moment, Han Yi Daozun and Ao Chui Daozun, the seventh-step experts of the Tianmeng tribe, also arrived here, and they too saw the Tianmeng Pearl being seized by the Elder Chief.

"Elder Chief?" Han Yi and Ao Chui stepped into the Elder Chief's cave mansion and spoke almost simultaneously, wanting to ask why.

Seeing the Tianmeng Pearl had locked this space, Fenggu finally exhaled.

He spoke in a trembling voice: "Our Tianmeng tribe has reached its moment of life or death."

Cang Jizhi's face turned instantly pale.

She had long sensed something was wrong.

But since Elder Chief Fenggu had said nothing was amiss, she had only forced herself to suppress her Dao's corruption with her Dao Fruit.

Now, standing in the Elder Chief's cultivation cave and hearing his words, that unease within her grew clearer than ever.

Moreover, here in the Elder Chief's presence, her thoughts seemed much clearer.

Many previously hazy matters now took on some form of definition.

She suddenly understood why the Elder Chief had used the Tianmeng Pearl to enclose this space—someone had laid down a terrifying Dao principle within the Tianmeng tribe.

"Elder Chief, what has happened?" Han Yi Daozun also grew uneasy.

Years ago, when the suppressed corruption of his Dao began to spread again, he had merely resumed suppressing it, never considering anything further.

"Why hasn't Ti Yu the Elder come?"

Fenggu's words reminded everyone—they hadn't heard from Supreme Elder Ti Yu in a very long time.

In the Tianmeng tribe, Ti Yu the Elder's Dao blunting had been the least severe, and he was the easiest to suppress the corruption of his Dao.

So why had there been no word from Supreme Elder Ti Yu?

Cang Jizhi recalled more and more—she trembled as she said: "Elder Chief, if I'm not mistaken, Supreme Elder Ti Yu must have met with disaster many years ago."

"That's impossible! Even if Supreme Elder Ti Yu's Dao had been corrupted, he was still an eighth-step expert, and over these years, his corrupted Dao should have been mostly resolved."

Ao Chui Daozun blurted out without thinking.

Fenggu shook his head: "Jizhi is right—Supreme Elder Ti Yu has likely met with disaster."

"Ao Chui Daozun, you are the only seventh-step expert in our Tianmeng tribe whose Dao has not been corrupted at all—yet even your seventh-step is no stronger than those few human Dao Ancestors…"

Ao Chui Daozun lowered his head; his seventh-step had been attained later, within the Grand Universe, so his strength paled greatly compared to Cang Jizhi and Han Yi Daozun.

"Do you know what we were originally meant to do?" Fenggu asked again.

The others exchanged glances.

What?

Wasn't the Tianmeng tribe supposed to strive to strengthen itself? And weren't all Tianmeng cultivators suffering from a corrupted Dao supposed to urgently resolve their Dao's corruption?

A wave of dread surged in Cang Jizhi's heart—she remembered many things. They had forgotten the humans.

That shouldn't have happened.

The humans were their greatest enemy. As Elder Chief Fenggu had said, they should have moved against the humans immediately.

Yet they had all forgotten.

Fenggu's body was wreathed in Dao aura; he spat out a jet of black blood:

"We were meant to strike at the humans—we were to exterminate every last human, to turn the Grand Universe into the Tianmeng tribe's territory…"

"That's right! We weren't meant to go out and exterminate the humans, to turn the Grand Universe into our territory?" Ao Chui Daozun finally remembered.

"The Forgetting Dao Principle?" Han Yi's face turned pale. Long ago, the Tianmeng tribe had used this against the humans.

Had it not been for a human expert who understood the Forgetting Dao Principle, they would have already wiped out all humans in the Grand Universe.

As for the Cosmic Cataclysm, that came later.

Fenggu's voice was hoarse, each word deliberate: "Not just the Forgetting Dao Principle—but also the Dao-Collapse Law."

Including myself, all of us have used the Dao veins of the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains to suppress the further corruption of our Dao, even achieving slight improvement.

But now, have you noticed that the previously improving corrupted Dao has begun to be corrupted again—and we didn't even notice it immediately…?"

Han Yi wasn't just pale—his entire body radiated a chilling cold.

This enemy was ruthless and formidable.

If it were only the Forgetting Dao Principle, they would eventually remember.

If it were only the Dao-Collapse Law, once affected, they would recognize what had happened and correct it in time.

But the Forgetting Dao Principle combined with the Dao-Collapse Law—specifically targeted at the Tianmeng tribe—caused them to unconsciously ignore the Dao-Collapse, letting their Dao deteriorate day by day.

The few of them were the strongest cultivators in the entire Tianmeng tribe.

And even they were this broken.

What of the other Tianmeng cultivators affected by the Dao-Collapse Law? For them to recover would be miraculous.

Cang Jizhi spoke slowly: "There must be another killing law, specifically targeting our Tianmeng tribe. I now realize—the tens of thousands of Tianmeng cultivators who entered the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains should have returned not a single soul."

That killing law wasn't placed within the Ten Thousand Dao Abyss—it was laid outside the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains.

But as time passed, the Killing Principle gradually reached the territory of the Tianmeng tribe in the Wanda Mountains.

Now, the only Tianmeng tribe members still alive are those who have entered the Eternal Life realm, and all of them have been affected by the Ru Dao Principle.

You could say we haven't even moved, yet our Tianmeng tribe is already on the brink of annihilation.

Everyone was filled with icy dread.

So ruthless, so calculating, so cunning.

Deliberately luring human cultivators out of the Wanda Mountains, then luring most Tianmeng cultivators into the Wanda Mountains to seek the Dao veins.

Then setting up the Ru Dao Principle, the Forgetting Principle, and the Killing Principle within the Wanda Mountains.

Over these years, under the influence of these heavenly principles, nearly all Tianmeng cultivators remaining in the Wanda Mountains have perished.

Even those Tianmeng cultivators who stayed within the Tianmeng territory of the Wanda Abyss have barely survived.

"Ji Zhi, continue," Feng Gu said, his gaze turning to Cang Ji Zhi.

Cang Ji Zhi felt a surge of fear—if she could go back, she would have chosen never to oppose the human race in the first place.

If we each left the other alone, that would have been the best outcome.

Long before the Great Cosmic Cataclysm, the Tianmeng tribe began arranging to seize the Great Cosmic

Realm, and planned to exterminate all human cultivators in the Great Cosmic Realm.

At that time, the Tianmeng tribe still had the aid of the Cosmic Tree, and their plan was flawless.

Even as the human race neared annihilation, no one in the Great Cosmic Realm noticed.

But at the very last moment, someone shattered the Forgetting Dao Principle, jolting the human race awake.

After the human race awoke, although the Tianmeng tribe could still slaughter them in great numbers, completely wiping out the human race became impossible.

Later events proved this: had the Great Cosmic Cataclysm not arrived, no one knew whether the Tianmeng tribe or the human race would ultimately prevail.

The human who emerged then was simply too powerful.

This time, it was the same—just as the Tianmeng tribe seemed on the verge of success.

Then another powerful human cultivator appeared—he not only set up the Ru Dao Principle, but also the Forgetting Dao Principle and the Gene Killing Principle.

All of these were aimed solely at the Tianmeng tribe.

In ruthlessness, this man surpassed every human cultivator before him.

Is it true that the Tianmeng tribe can never defeat the human race?

"Let's go out and fight! The human race must fear us—otherwise, they wouldn't resort to such despicable tactics," roared Dao Zun Ao Chui.

Cang Ji Zhi spoke slowly: "Tribal Chief, several Dao Zuns, based on my guess—

The one who set up these killing principles targeting our Tianmeng cultivators is waiting for the right moment, preparing to wipe out our entire Tianmeng tribe in one stroke.

Perhaps even our Tianmeng Pearl is within his plans. With our current strength, we can only retreat from the Great Cosmic Realm and flee far from here."

Feng Gu immediately said: "From today, Cang Ji Zhi is the next Tribal Chief of the Tianmeng tribe. The Tianmeng Pearl is entrusted to Cang Ji Zhi's care."

"Tribal Chief?"

Cang Ji Zhi was about to speak, but Feng Gu waved his hand: "Ji Zhi is right—we leave immediately. If we wait any longer, not one of us will escape.

Ji Zhi, lead all surviving Tianmeng cultivators out of the Great Cosmic Realm using the Tianmeng Pearl—do not hesitate for a single breath."

"But…"

"Don't worry about me—I'll hold the rear. My Dao is already severed; I have no hope of survival. I will hold the rear for the Tianmeng tribe one last time.

Remember: until you reach the Ninth Step of the Dao, or even until you transcend your own Dao, do not provoke the human race again."

"Yes."

……

Even Ding Huan had not anticipated that his Forgetting Dao Principle, Ru Dao Principle, and Gene Killing Principle would drive the Tianmeng tribe to such a dire state.

The main reason was the Forgetting Dao Principle.

Without the Forgetting Dao Principle, even if Tianmeng cultivators were affected by the Ru Dao Principle, they could quickly recover.

With the Forgetting Dao Principle added, the effect of the Ru Dao Principle was amplified infinitely.

Had Ding Huan known the combined effect of the Forgetting Dao Principle and Ru Dao Principle would be so devastating, he would not have rushed to comprehend the Barrier Cataclysm.

He would have acted before the Tianmeng tribe withdrew, and seized the Tianmeng Pearl.

Got it.

At this moment, Ding Huan was no better off than Feng Gu, the Tianmeng tribal chief.

For when he comprehended the mystery of the Barrier, he was fully drawn into it and came into contact with the Cataclysm Principle.

As the first Cataclysm Principle effortlessly tore through his protective domain, Ding Huan's physical body was continuously ripped apart by the Cataclysm Principle.

Worse still, his Dao was rapidly dissolving beneath the Cataclysm Principle.