Chapter 1177: Great Chief

The main tribe of the Danque Tribe was built in a basin at the center of the Great Danque Mountains, relying on the terrain with mountains encircling it, crimson rocks jutting sharply, easy to defend and hard to attack. From afar, it looked like a crimson castle, magnificent to behold.

The main tribe of the Danque Tribe enforced strict prohibitions, forbidding any outsider from entering.

But Mo Hua, this "outsider," was granted an exception today.

Dan Zhu, the prodigy young master of the Danque Tribe, personally invited and escorted Mo Hua, the "Shen Zhu"-worshipping Lord Wuzhu, into the main tribe.

With Dan Zhu leading the way, the journey was smooth throughout.

Ordinary tribal cultivators dared not block Dan Zhu, this exceptionally gifted young master deeply beloved by the people.

Along the way, people continually bowed to Dan Zhu, swearing their loyalty.

The group walked forward for a while, then Mo Hua looked up.

Before him stood a gate shaped like a Zhu Que, spanning the mountains; beneath it stretched a long, scorching staircase extending far into the distance.

On both sides of the long avenue stood tents and buildings adorned with totems and designs of red phoenixes of various breeds.

Ancient, grand, carrying a hint of wild barbarism, yet also appearing splendid and dignified.

Completely unlike the backward tribes Mo Hua had seen before.

Mo Hua gazed at the gate shaped like a Zhu Que, and suddenly couldn't help thinking:

"I wonder if there are real divine beasts, Zhu Que, or even Zhu Que's divine soul, within the Danque Tribe…"

He gently sensed, and indeed felt a certain kind of hot, ancient divine soul force—but could not determine whether it was truly the divine beast "Zhu Que."

Mo Hua did not dare probe further; this was a third-grade great tribe with ancient Dahuang heritage, not yet a place where he could act recklessly.

Mo Hua retracted his spiritual awareness, suppressed his aura, and followed Dan Zhu to the young master's palace of the Danque Tribe.

It was a palace not luxurious, yet extremely elegant, even radiating a sense of purity.

It was built personally by the Great Chief of the Danque Tribe for his most beloved youngest son.

The palace's name was also given using "Dan Zhu's" name.

Dan Zhu warmly and courteously welcomed "Lord Wuzhu" Mo Hua into his palace.

Dan Zhu's two guard elders behind him watched with wary expressions, even briefly fearing their young master was "leading a wolf into the house."

Along the way, they had repeatedly advised Dan Zhu, the young master.

This mysterious "Lord Wuzhu" had unknown origins; his background must be investigated before any deep dealings, and certainly not brought into the main tribe, lest disaster follow.

But their young master, once gentle and obedient, now stubbornly insisted, ignoring all their warnings, determined to "befriend" this Lord Wuzhu.

This matter was truly strange.

Thus, Mo Hua, this calm-faced, seemingly holy and devout "Lord Wuzhu," appeared to these guards no less than a "demon priest" skilled in mind-manipulation.

Dan Zhu, the young master, must surely have been bewitched by him.

The two Jin Dan guards' glances at Mo Hua were not friendly, even faintly tinged with hostility.

Mo Hua pretended not to notice.

Having traveled together for three days, Mo Hua had learned some details about these two Jin Dan elders.

The burly Jin Dan was named "Bashan."

The other, plain-looking, calm, and reserved Jin Dan elder, was named "Bachuan."

Bashan meant "tall mountain."

Bachuan meant "river guarding the city."

These two names were not their original names.

They were not direct bloodlines of the Danque Tribe, but warriors specially selected by the Great Chief from subordinate tribes.

The Great Chief specially granted them these names, commanding them to guard Dan Zhu like a tall mountain and a steady river.

They had served as Dan Zhu's guards since childhood, sharing his glory and obeying only his commands.

As long as Mo Hua could "deceive" Dan Zhu, these two Jin Dan guards could do nothing to him.

…

Dan Zhu arranged for Mo Hua a guest room reserved only for honored guests.

The room's style was a tent with dancing phoenix motifs—safe, serene, and warmly comfortable.

Mo Hua had visited many factions and stayed in many guest rooms for honored guests, but this room Dan Zhu provided remained the most distinctive, most memorable, most spacious, and most comfortable.

Mo Hua was very satisfied.

Dan Zhu glanced at Mo Hua, whose expression was calm and content, radiating an air of effortless composure, and felt a subtle stir within.

Throughout the journey, his interactions with Mo Hua convinced him that Mo Hua's speech and bearing were noble, far from ordinary.

Yet occasionally, a trace of pure, youthful innocence still seemed incongruous.

This made Dan Zhu often wonder: Could this "Lord Wuzhu" be younger than him?

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

If he were younger, he could never possess such transcendent bearing.

Surely, he had endured great trials yet retained inner purity and devout faith, achieving a childlike return to simplicity.

Yet one thing remained…

Dan Zhu glanced again at Mo Hua.

When they first met, he had not been certain.

But after traveling together, he was now certain: this "Lord Wuzhu" possessed only Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Why, after enduring so much, having cultivated so long, was his cultivation still only "Foundation Establishment"?

Dan Zhu did not understand.

He himself had formed his Golden Core at twenty.

Forming a Golden Core—could it really be that hard?

But this remark was somewhat Tang Tu; Dan Zhu suppressed it and did not speak it aloud.

Fortunately, he did not speak it aloud, or Mo Hua would have been furious and silently "blocked" him in his heart.

Dan Zhu spoke gently and respectfully: "Please, Mr. Wuzhu, rest for a while; we will host a banquet to welcome you later."

Mo Hua nodded and said: "Thank you, Young Master."

Dan Zhu left.

Mo Hua remained in the tent to rest.

Since he was on someone else's territory and had to maintain the guise of "Lord Wuzhu," he could not relax too much.

Mo Hua sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, cultivating stillness, exuding an air of immovable calm.

About an hour and a half later, Dan Zhu returned, followed by several maids bearing fine wine, delicacies, spirit fruits, meals, and several sets of tribal garments in the style of the Dan Que tribe.

Mo Hua burned incense, bathed, donned the Dan Que garments, and in his handsome and solemn appearance, gained an additional touch of exotic beauty.

Dan Zhu, upon seeing him, was momentarily stunned.

Then Dan Zhu invited Mo Hua to drink wine and taste the Dan Que tribe's fresh fruits and delicacies.

The two exchanged small talk for a while, after which Dan Zhu dismissed his attendants, his expression troubled.

Mo Hua took a small sip of wine and asked softly:

"Young Master, what troubles you?"

Dan Zhu opened his mouth but hesitated, then looked up at Mo Hua—and saw in Mo Hua's eyes a glow as if piercing through the soul, directly seeing into his heart.

"I…" Dan Zhu hesitated.

Mo Hua said: "You do not know what it means to be Young Master."

Dan Zhu was startled, then slowly replied: "Yes."

Mo Hua spoke gently: "You are Young Master, beloved by all, yet you are unsure whether you are worthy of such love and admiration."

"Yes…"

"Your talent is exceptional, your cultivation advances rapidly, yet you do not know why you cultivate—or what lies at the end of the Dao."

"Yes…"

Mo Hua's voice was soft: "Since birth, you have been burdened with great expectations. Yet you fear that one day, should you lose your talent and become mediocre, or spend your life in insignificance, unable to fulfill your duty—how will you answer to the tribe members who place such hope in you?"

Dan Zhu remained silent for a long time, then sighed softly and said:

"Yes…"

Dan Zhu looked again at Mo Hua—at his Bai Yu-like face and jet-black eyes—and felt that every word this "Mr. Wuzhu" spoke seemed to strike directly into his heart, voicing all the inner confusion and anxiety he, the Dan Que tribe's peerless prodigy, had never dared to voice to anyone.

His unspoken inner thoughts were laid bare before another.

Dan Zhu felt a pang of shame, yet also a sense of relief.

Mo Hua asked again: "Do you have any great vow?"

Dan Zhu paused, then slowly nodded, his gaze resolute:

"I have made a great vow: to dedicate everything so that my Dan Que tribe may forever flourish and grow strong, so that its people may forever live in abundance and joy."

Mo Hua nodded, then said at once: "Your vow is narrow-minded—and somewhat childish."

Even with his good temper, Dan Zhu felt a flicker of anger.

He had just thought this Mr. Wuzhu might truly understand him.

He had revealed to him, for the first time, the grand "vision" he had held since childhood.

And now he was told it was "narrow-minded" and "childish."

Dan Zhu grew irritated, his face flushing slightly, about to retort—when Mo Hua countered:

"Suppose… your Dan Que tribe's prosperity and strength must be built upon conquering other tribes, slaughtering countless barbarian cultivators, oppressing, exploiting, plundering, and even enslaving countless innocent people…"

"Would you still accept such 'prosperity and strength'?"

Dan Zhu was left speechless.

He had never considered this question before.

Dan Zhu frowned, pondered for a moment, then said:

"If… my Dan Que tribe's strength rests upon exploitation and enslavement, then naturally… it cannot be called true 'strength.' Even if it flourishes for a time, it will eventually collapse…"

Mo Hua nodded and added: "What if your tribe's upper echelons grow strong by draining the blood of its lower-class members?"

Dan Zhu froze.

Mo Hua said: "In that case, the prosperity and strength of the Dan Que tribe and the well-being of its common people are inherently contradictory—they cannot coexist. Even if achieved, it will vanish like a fleeting ephemerally blooming flower."

Dan Zhu's spirit trembled, his face pale.

The words of "Mr. Wuzhu" were deeply counterintuitive, seemingly contradictory.

Yet deep inside, Dan Zhu felt this might… be the "reality."

In this world, there is never prosperity without cause.

If you grow rich, it means someone else grows poor.

If the Dan Que tribe becomes "prosperous and strong," it means greater oppression and enslavement of other tribes and countless barbarian cultivators.

Even more, if the upper echelons of the tribe grow wealthy, it inevitably means the lower classes are being "bled."

Even if the whole appears "prosperous and strong," the imbalance between top and bottom will eventually cause collapse.

Hence, Mr. Wuzhu called his vow narrow-minded and childish.

Because this vow, in itself, is contradictory—and unrealistic.

As if the beautiful "vision" had been torn open, revealing its cruel, ugly truth.

Dan Zhu's heart was filled with bitter, tangled emotions; for a moment, he had no idea what to do.

Mo Hua said nothing, letting Dan Zhu slowly digest his emotions, slowly absorb these truths, letting him think deeply for himself about the path of his life.

Time slipped away slowly, and Xiang Dan's mood gradually eased; the confusion of his youth as a prodigy slowly faded.

In its place came another kind of "bewilderment"—one with no visible path or direction, even more desolate and heart-sickening.

"Mr. Wu, I…"

Xiang Dan murmured.

But before he could voice his question, he suddenly fell silent.

He sensed someone approaching outside.

Mo Hua naturally sensed it too, so he said nothing further, merely lifted his wine cup and took a small sip.

Indeed, after a moment, footsteps sounded, and a guard bowed respectfully and said:

"Young Master."

Xiang Dan said: "Enter."

The guard stepped into the tent and bowed to Xiang Dan.

Xiang Dan asked: "What is it?"

The guard replied: "The Great Chief has set a family banquet and wishes to see the Young Master."

"Father…" Xiang Dan nodded. "I understand. Go tell Father I'll be there shortly."

"Yes."

The guard bowed and withdrew.

Xiang Dan turned to Mo Hua with an apologetic expression. "Mr. Wu, I'm sorry. I must go see my father."

Mo Hua nodded. "Young Master, please go ahead."

Xiang Dan rose to leave, but after taking a few steps, he still could not shake his doubts. He turned back to look at Mo Hua and said:

"Mr. Wu, perhaps… you could come with me to meet my father?"

Mo Hua was momentarily startled.

He had not anticipated this.

He had originally planned to first teach Xiang Dan some basic concepts, to help him understand certain truths, before making further moves.

Until now, he had never intended to meet the Great Chief of the Zhu Que tribe so soon.

In this remote wilderness, someone capable of ruling such a large tribe—

The Great Chief of the Zhu Que tribe could not possibly be an ordinary man.

He hadn't even properly "deceived" Xiang Dan, his "disciple," and now he was to face his father directly—it was indeed too "hasty."

Mo Hua politely declined: "Since it is a family banquet, to intrude uninvited would be too Tang Tu."

But Xiang Dan shook his head. "I want my father to meet Mr. Wu."

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

For a moment, he could not tell whether Xiang Dan was easy to deceive—or not.

But since things had come this far, further refusal would only seem suspicious.

Mo Hua said: "Very well."

Then Xiang Dan led Mo Hua out of Xiang Dan Palace and to the Grand Hall of the Zhu Que tribe, where they attended a grand "banquet."

At the highest point of the hall hung a totem resembling Zhu Que.

Beneath the totem lay the "main seat," upon which sat a towering, muscular barbarian chief with crimson eyebrows.

This was the Great Chief of the Zhu Que tribe, and also Xiang Dan's father.

Behind him stood a row of barbarian women, dressed lightly and of striking beauty.

These women were the chief's "concubines," attending to him during the feast.

Of course, even among concubines in the Great Wilderness, there were ranks.

Those closest to the Great Chief were clearly dressed most opulently, adorned with gold, silver, jade, and stone in their hair, glittering brilliantly.

Their skin, draped in silk and brocade, was delicate as if it could be pierced by a breath, and their faces the most beautiful.

These beautiful concubines wore precious silk, not animal hides.

This indicated that the Wang Ting of the Great Wilderness, and other great tribes, had previously maintained frequent contact and "trade" with the Dao Court, the Nine Provinces, and other major powers.

Below the chief's main seat were several nearby positions.

These were reserved for his own bloodline descendants.

Xiang Dan sat in one of them, in fourth place.

In the barbarian wilderness, seniority and birth order were strictly observed; even if Xiang Dan was the most "favored," his seat would never outrank his elder brothers'.

Above Xiang Dan sat a Jin Dan cultivator.

He wore a Zhu Que barbarian robe, with hawk-like eyebrows and a long face, his gaze sharp and shrewd.

If Mo Hua was not mistaken, this man was Xiang Dan's third brother, named "Dan Bie," meaning "astute beast" in barbarian tongue.

Above Dan Bie, two seats remained empty.

Clearly, Xiang Dan's eldest brother and second sister had not attended this "family banquet."

Beyond these, there were other noble seats, level with Xiang Dan and Dan Bie but farther from the chief's main seat.

These were for the elder elders of the Zhu Que tribe—those with long tenure and high prestige, or powerful, middle-aged elders.

Below them, seats were arranged according to blood proximity, rank, and elder status.

As Xiang Dan's invited "guest," Mo Hua's seat was not low—he sat only two or three positions below Xiang Dan.

But the problem was, this was a "family banquet."

Though grand in scale and attended by some elders and youths with familial ties, the gathering was not large.

The greater problem: nearly every guest present was a Jin Dan.

Mo Hua, this Foundation Establishment cultivator, had a face still unfamiliar, and among them, he stood out as particularly conspicuous and "odd."

At first, no one paid him any mind.

After all, Mo Hua had been brought in by Seeing Dan Zhu.

But as the banquet progressed, this group of Dan Que tribe members—their bloodlines the most exalted—ate and drank together, chatting about tribal affairs and relatively private matters.

Mo Hua's presence became awkward.

Again and again, eyes turned toward Mo Hua.

Mo Hua, however, acted as if no one were around, eating quietly on his own.

After a while longer, some finally grew impatient.

On the high seat, Dan Bie, third son of the Dan Que chieftain, turned to look at Dan Zhu and sighed:

"Fourth brother, this is a family feast—why did you bring an outsider?"

His tone held no blame, only resignation.

Dan Zhu replied: "This is… a friend I recently met…"

Dan Bie glanced at him: "A friend? A Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Dan Bie did not say the words "Foundation Establishment"—he spoke in the barbarian tongue—but Mo Hua still understood.

The Dao Court and Great Wilderness cultivation lineages shared similar core traditions, their major realms alike, though terminology differed slightly.

After all, the barbarian terms could not possibly match those of the Dao Court.

Later, the Dao Court "changed customs and manners," promoting its own written script.

The term "Foundation Establishment" became common throughout the Great Wilderness.

Only a few barbarian cultivators, born of great tribes and of noble status, occasionally used ancient barbarian terms to describe cultivation realms, to distinguish themselves.

Dan Zhu said: "He is not an ordinary Foundation Establishment."

Dan Bie shook his head. "Foundation Establishment is Foundation Establishment—if you can't reach Jin Dan, what difference does ordinary or not make?"

Dan Bie looked past Dan Zhu and directly at Mo Hua, asking:

"Boy, who are you? What is your name?"

Mo Hua's expression turned solemn, and he spoke slowly: "I have come into this world under the will of the Divine Lord; I had no name—but all people reverently call me… Lord Wuzhu."

At these words, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Dan Bie's gaze grew more serious as he asked: "You… are Lord Wuzhu?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Correct."

Dan Bie immediately sneered. "How old are you? How can you be Lord Wuzhu? And why are you only at Foundation Establishment?"

Mo Hua felt displeased, silently grumbling:

Do you think I don't want to form a Jin Dan?

If I had formed a Jin Dan, would you dare speak nonsense before me?

But outwardly, Mo Hua maintained a reverent, solemn expression:

"I am the Divine Lord's Lord Wuzhu; all my great power comes from the Divine Lord's grace."

"As long as faith is sincere, one gains heavenly power—whether one's realm is Foundation Establishment or Jin Dan makes little difference…"

"Before the Divine Lord's heavenly power, life and death hang on a single thought; there is no high or low, noble or base. All beings—even flesh and blood life—are equal…"

(End of Chapter)