Chapter 1182: Profound Fire Feather Robe

The small tribe that was wiped out had its blood turned to ash, a scene of utter desolation.

The burly Elder Bashan, filled with rage, said:

"Young Master, we must hurry after them—flay and sinew those Shu Gu tribe bandits to appease the spirits of these fallen clansmen."

The composed Elder Bachuan, also solemn, nodded, "If we don't pursue soon, those Shu Gu bandits will vanish without a trace."

Dan Zhu's gaze sharpened, and he nodded, "Good."

But the immediate problem was: they did not know where the Shu Gu bandits had fled, or which direction to pursue.

After all, a full day had passed—the Shu Gu bandits must have escaped far away.

If we chase the wrong way, we'll be going in opposite directions and waste our effort.

Not only will we fail to avenge them, we might become a laughingstock to other tribes.

Elders Bashan and Bachuan decided to first search the surrounding area for traces, then determine the direction the Shu Gu tribe had taken.

Mo Hua gently pointed westward, "They fled that way."

Bashan froze, asking, "How do you know?"

Mo Hua pointed to the sky, "The Divine Lord told me."

Bashan was speechless, his face darkening.

Dan Zhu glanced at Mo Hua, pondered a moment, then decisively said, "Fine. We pursue west."

"Young Master…" Bashan still tried to urge caution.

After all, if we're wrong, we'll miss the window and waste too many Zhou Zhe.

But Dan Zhu would not be refused:

"No time to lose—westward!"

Saying this, he led the way toward the direction Mo Hua had pointed.

Bashan and the others had no choice but to follow.

The hundred barbarian soldiers, seeing Young Master Dan Zhu move, also marched forward.

Chifeng, the barbarian general—tall, muscular, with hair like flaming red—frowned slightly at Mo Hua's inscrutable figure, yet said nothing and silently followed the group.

The group pursued westward, scaling mountains and cliffs, traveling for nearly half the day.

Yet along the way, not a single soul was seen, nor any trace of the Shu Gu tribe.

Bashan grew more and more regretful, and said to Dan Zhu:

"Young Master, we've taken the wrong path—no one on this mountain trail, the Shu Gu tribe never came this way."

Dan Zhu clearly realized the problem too, but he trusted Mo Hua and had not questioned him along the way.

Yet now, with Elder Bashan speaking, Dan Zhu could not help but frown and look at Mo Hua.

Unexpectedly, Mo Hua nodded and admitted:

"Correct—the Shu Gu tribe did not take this path."

Dan Zhu was stunned.

Elders Bashan and Bachuan stared in shock, then grew angry:

"You…"

Their young master, along with these elders and the hundred barbarian soldiers, had all been tricked by this traitorous Mo Hua.

Mo Hua glanced at them coolly, calm and composed:

"The Shu Gu tribe left a full day ahead of us—how could we possibly catch them by following their exact path?"

"The path I'm leading you on is the shortcut."

Elders Bashan and Bachuan were stunned.

The barbarian general Chifeng's gaze sharpened slightly.

Elder Bashan frowned and challenged again:

"You say it's a shortcut? You don't have a thousand-mile eye—how do you know where the Shu Gu tribe is?"

Mo Hua pointed to the sky again, "Didn't I already say? This is a revelation from the Divine Lord. The foolish cannot understand."

When in doubt, invoke the Divine Lord's prophecy.

When unable to explain, invoke the Divine Lord's revelation.

Elder Bashan felt a choke in his chest, his anger gone.

"Enough. Let's hurry…" Mo Hua pinched his fingers, calculating roughly, "Half a day more, before dawn, we'll likely catch them."

Dan Zhu nodded.

The two Jin Dan elders, Bashan and Bachuan, had no way to deal with this unorthodox "Mr. Witch"—they could only let him "act recklessly."

Bashan sneered inwardly:

"Such elaborate mysticism, spoken with such certainty—when we don't catch them, how will you answer to the Young Master?"

After that, he said nothing more.

The group, following Mo Hua's directions, crossed barren mountain ridges and continued westward.

About half a day later, they reached the foot of a mountain—suddenly, the ground showed chaotic cart ruts and dense footprints.

The ruts were deep; the footprints tangled.

There were also traces of people dragged on all fours.

Elder Bashan knelt on the ground, pinching soil from the footprints—finding brownish bloodstains within—and looked up at Mo Hua in shock:

"You… guessed right?"

Mo Hua ignored him and ordered:

"Be careful—step lightly, make no sound."

Seeing Dan Zhu nodded, then gave the order.

Everyone followed Mo Hua's instructions, entering a small grove on the mountainside and circling upward.

At mid-mountain, Mo Hua ordered the barbarian troops to hold their position.

He took Seeing Dan Zhu, the barbarian general Chifeng, Elders Bachuan and Bashan, and a small squad of personal guards, circled around, and arrived beneath a small cliff.

Looking across, faint flickers of firelight could be seen among the trees on the opposite mountainside.

These flames were unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, one could discern a group of strange tribal barbarian cultivators gathered around them, dancing bizarrely by the bonfire at night—and their numbers were considerable.

"It's the Shu Gu tribe…"

Elder Bachuan whispered.

"But…" he frowned, "what are they dancing for? The Shu Gu tribe shouldn't have this ritual…"

Mo Hua's gaze grew deep as he said slowly:

"Prepare. Begin the encirclement and annihilation."

This Shu Gu faction was a "roving band" of the Shu Gu tribe.

Unlike the Dan Que tribe, the Shu Gu tribe was an "alliance"-type clan, lacking unified lineage or heritage.

Thus, its members were highly diverse, and their actions were often disorganized and uncontrollable.

This resulted in a large portion of the Shu Gu tribe remaining in a "roving" state.

They wandered freely, burning, killing, and looting—committing many wicked deeds.

Among these roving bands, there were not none who were decent, but the overwhelming majority were nothing but scoundrels.

This time, the misdeeds committed by this Shu Gu roving band were worse than ever before.

Seeing Dan Zhu began assigning troops for the encirclement and extermination.

He was the young master of the Dan Que tribe; though he had never seen real combat, he had learned the basics of barbarian warfare.

Moreover, Elders Bashan and Bachuan were beside him offering advice, and the battle-hardened Dan Que tribe's vanguard general, Chifeng, was overseeing the plan.

It posed little difficulty to encircle and exterminate this Shu Gu roving band in the forested mid-mountain area.

This Shu Gu roving band numbered roughly eighty to ninety, and their leader was most likely a Jin Dan.

But the Dan Que tribe was clearly stronger, and with the advantage of surprise, their edge was even greater.

Mo Hua glanced at the overall battle plan and found no issue.

Seeing Dan Zhu was a genius, Chifeng was a seasoned general—this battle plan, even if arranged by Mo Hua himself, could not be improved.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then said to Seeing Dan Zhu:

"Young Master, you lead the vanguard."

Seeing Dan Zhu was naturally pleased.

But Elders Bashan and Bachuan hurriedly said:

"Young Master, such petty scoundrels as the Shu Gu are not worth your personal effort. You must safeguard the greater picture and remain in command from behind."

They were Seeing Dan Zhu's guard elders, terrified he might suffer even the slightest harm during battle.

Though, in general, Seeing Dan Zhu's strength made serious danger unlikely.

But one fears not the ten thousand, only the one in ten thousand.

Seeing Dan Zhu was a precious life—if any misfortune befell him, these two guard elders would be guilty of death a thousand times over.

Seeing Dan Zhu naturally wished to charge into battle and slay the enemy himself.

Yet he deeply understood the earnest concern and difficult position of Elders Bashan and Bachuan.

Seeing Dan Zhu turned to look at Mo Hua.

Elders Bashan and Bachuan, seeing this, felt bitter—such a fine young master, when faced with indecision, always looked to this pale-faced sycophant.

Sure enough, Mo Hua said: "Go into battle and fight without fear—there will be no danger this time."

Seeing Dan Zhu nodded and said: "Very well, Mr."

Elders Bashan and Bachuan were furious.

Elder Bashan still tried to persuade: "Young Master, your safety is at stake—do not trust so lightly…"

But before he finished, Seeing Dan Zhu, "bewitched" by Mo Hua, cut him off:

"No more words—my mind is made up."

Elder Bashan could only sigh deeply.

Afterwards, Seeing Dan Zhu began "deploying troops," dividing the Dan Que tribe's hundred elite barbarian soldiers into three columns.

Elders Bashan and Bachuan each led over thirty men to flank from the other two sides.

Seeing Dan Zhu and Chifeng led the remaining barbarians in a frontal assault.

When the time came, the three-pronged attack would annihilate this Shu Gu roving band—capture if possible, kill if not.

Mo Hua, as a Lord Wuzhu, was physically frail, only at Foundation Establishment, and had no combat capability—he need not lead from the front, only observe from the side.

This was unanimously accepted by the Dan Que tribe.

After all, Mo Hua was indeed "frail."

After the plan was issued, the Dan Que barbarian troops began moving out.

In the darkness, a subtle aura of deadly intent began to spread.

The Shu Gu roving band's barbarians continued their strange dance, lost in their frenzied world.

After a moment, all squads were in position, ready to ambush.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang out from the Shu Gu camp—as if someone had sensed danger.

This meant the Shu Gu roving band indeed had a Jin Dan leader.

And this person's spiritual sense was unusually sharp.

He sensed the ambush by the Dan Que Division.

But it was too late; as a shrill scream pierced the air, Dan Zhu was already at the forefront, launching his charge.

Fiery red, lava-crystallized Jin Dan power filled his entire body, radiating overwhelming might.

Crimson, flowing-flame feathers encircled Dan Zhu, making him shine brilliantly, like the Sacred Son of Zhu Que descending upon the world, inspiring awe.

Where Dan Zhu charged alone, ordinary barbarian cultivators of the Shu Gu Division were no match for him a single blow—they were burned by karmic fire, their meridians withered to death.

This was Dan Zhu's first time unleashing his full Jin Dan power in battle against enemy ranks.

The barbarian soldiers of the Dan Que Division, seeing Dan Zhu's divine valor, his whole body ablaze with vivid crimson flames, could not help but feel profound admiration.

And such a divine, handsome man was their young master.

Their young master was leading from the front, burning and slaying the enemies of the Dan Que Division.

They developed intense admiration and "loyalty" toward Dan Zhu; their hearts burned as if with fire, their morale soaring.

"Kill!"

At the same time, the two squads led by Elder Bashan and Elder Bachuan closed in, joining the slaughter.

The barbarian soldiers of the Dan Que Division, united in righteous fury, roared their battle cries, tearing through the night, shaking the forests.

The Shu Gu roaming forces were momentarily scattered and broken.

Yet these troops were inherently mad and vicious, and as they danced strange rituals around bonfires, their minds were entirely dominated by frenzy.

After a moment of chaos, they disregarded life and death, shaking their heads and screaming like madmen, charging headlong into battle with the Dan Que barbarians.

But before Dan Zhu, these Shu Gu troops were simply no match.

After a while of brutal fighting, their defeat became clear.

Just then, a swirl of black mist revealed a cultivator among the Shu Gu ranks, his face painted with white bones, his hair tied into filthy dreadlocks, radiating an aura of malevolence.

This man was a Jin Dan cultivator—apparently the leader of the Shu Gu Division.

His voice was shrill and squealing, muttering something incomprehensible, then he activated his artifact: a white bone staff that summoned all manner of dark, sinister energies toward Dan Zhu.

Seeing this, Dan Zhu activated his life-bound artifact.

A fiery red garment, woven from flowing flame, enveloped Dan Zhu's entire body.

Dan Zhu himself grew even more magnificent and noble, his aura astonishing.

Zhu Que Mystic Flame Feather Robe.

This was Dan Zhu's life-bound artifact, said to have been passed down since the Great Wilderness Wang Ting era by the Dan Que Division.

When activated, Zhu Que feathers transformed into Mystic Flame, enveloping the body like a splendid robe of Zhu Que fire—offensive, capable of burning enemies; defensive, protected by feather armor. It was an exceedingly rare life-bound artifact.

Both offensive and defensive, powerful and exquisitely beautiful.

Mo Hua watched from afar, his heart filled with envy.

Look at his artifact—look at his own.

From Qian Xue, through Lizhou, then exiled to the Great Wilderness—he'd gone through so much, yet still possessed only a single, unusable array diagram, no life-bound embryo formed, not even a shadow of an artifact.

Mo Hua couldn't help but sigh.

Indeed, comparing oneself to others only breeds despair.

If only he had a Zhu Que Mystic Flame Feather Robe himself—when activated, it would shimmer with radiant light, how wonderful…

Of course, Mo Hua knew he could only dream of it.

Artifacts like the Zhu Que Mystic Flame Feather Robe, true top-tier luxury artifacts, must have extremely stringent inheritance conditions and extraordinarily high talent requirements.

Perhaps across the entire Dan Que Division, even the whole Great Wilderness, only Dan Zhu—the prodigy who formed his Jin Dan at twenty—could forge it.

With his mid-low grade spiritual root, he had no hope in this lifetime.

Mo Hua couldn't help wondering: what would his own life-bound artifact look like?

According to his current plan, he would use Mu Bai Jin Yu Bone Casting Method to forge the array medium, then carve the Twelve Meridians Taotie Spirit Bone Array onto his own bones, finally merging this Taotie Array with his life force into one.

If the artifact was carved into his bones, when activated, wouldn't it emit not a single gleam?

Would he end up cultivating an artifact so dull, so devoid of light, that no one could even see it?

Though one should be humble and conceal one's strength.

But after all the hardship and effort spent forging an artifact, if no one could see it, it was simply… too much like wearing brocade in the dark.

It wouldn't even display his identity as a Jin Dan cultivator…

Mo Hua glanced again at Dan Zhu—his body clad in flowing flame, Zhu Que feathers as wings, glowing brilliantly in the night like a divine being of Mystic Flame—and his heart grew even more unbalanced.

"Enough…"

Mo Hua sighed.

He hadn't even earned money yet, and he was already thinking about how to spend it…

He hadn't even formed his Jin Dan, and he was worrying about what his Jin Dan artifact would look like…

He was simply overthinking.

If he could just calmly focus on forging his life-bound artifact and forming his Jin Dan, everything would be fine.

Whether his final artifact was handsome or beautiful—given his current condition—he had no right to be picky…

Mo Hua stilled his thoughts and continued watching the battle from afar.

The battle outcome was no surprise.

Dan Zhu's life-bound artifact was simply too good, too powerful—completely overwhelming.

That Shu Gu leader, with his bone-painted face and sinister aura, could not stir up any trouble before absolute power.

Soon, he was crushed beneath Dan Zhu's Mystic Flame, unable to raise his head.

Watching from afar, Mo Hua could not help but marvel: this young man, Dan Zhu, was truly formidable, his talent impossibly gifted.

He must train this boy well—he will surely achieve great things in the future.

After that, it was basically a lost cause.

The head of the Bone-Art Department did indeed struggle desperately for a moment. On his dharma treasure, the White Bone Staff, bloodstained cracks appeared, and he summoned blood-colored filth that could contaminate others' dharma treasures.

A contaminated dharma treasure was an enormous hazard.

Even some cultivators with deep cultivation at mid Jin Dan, if they were the least bit careless, could suffer a serious loss.

But Seeing Dan Zhu's dharma treasure was simply too "top-grade."

The moment that filth-blood touched his Zhu Que Li Lingyi, it was instantly evaporated clean away by the black fire.

When the grade was high enough, it could crush every technique beneath it.

The head of the Bone-Art Department exhausted every means, yet could not break through Seeing Dan Zhu's dharma treasure defense, and despair filled his heart.

Even Mo Hua found it a little hard to keep watching.

A top-grade dharma treasure like this was just too shameless…

Soon, the head of the Bone-Art Department ran out of tricks and was completely subdued by Seeing Dan Zhu.

The remaining stragglers of the Bone-Art Department were also nearly all killed; the few left alive were captured alive and taken as prisoners.

Seeing the fighting was nearly done and the situation basically settled, Mo Hua at last made his way to the battlefield at a leisurely pace, walking with the Steps of Flowing Water.

When he drew closer, Mo Hua discovered that over the Bone-Art Department's bonfire, human arms and legs were hanging.

These members of the Bone-Art Department were roasting human flesh to eat.

Mo Hua felt a little sick at heart, and his expression was not a pleasant one.

Seeing Dan Zhu and the others were equally furious.

During the charge earlier, they had not paid much attention; only now, looking carefully, did they also notice the matter of the Bone-Art Department "eating people."

And all those killed and eaten by these wandering members of the Bone-Art Department were kin of their own Vermilion Sparrow Department.

Someone said in fury:

"Young Master, let's kill every last one of these beasts!"

"Sever their limbs, strip off their skin, let them die by the lingchi!"

"These animals…"

Every one of the Vermilion Sparrow Department folk was filled with righteous fury.

Seeing Dan Zhu was also extremely angry in his heart, but then he looked at Mo Hua, saw that Mo Hua's expression was dazed and thoughtful, and instantly calmed down, asking:

"Mr., is there some problem?"

Mo Hua looked all around, then said slowly, "It seems… something's missing…"

"Something's missing?" Seeing Dan Zhu didn't quite understand.

Mo Hua looked all around once more, carefully, when suddenly his gaze shifted and he caught sight, in a corner not far away, of a small mountain cave no one had paid any attention to.

In front of the cave, some patterns had been drawn with human blood.

But the cave was very shallow; one look took in everything inside, and there was nothing there at all.

Mo Hua turned his head, looked at the head of the Bone-Art Department, and asked, "What is this cave for?"

After his defeat, the head of the Bone-Art Department, bound tight in chains, still gave a cold laugh and did not answer.

Mo Hua then said, "Someone come, cripple his four limbs."

Seeing Dan Zhu and the others exchanged uncertain glances.

The head of the Bone-Art Department was at Jin Dan, while this Mr. Wu was only at Foundation Establishment; by any logic, he certainly could not cripple a Jin Dan cultivator.

This sort of thing required a Jin Dan cultivator.

But Elder Bashan and Elder Bachuan were not very willing to follow Mo Hua's instructions.

Seeing Dan Zhu was about to do it himself.

The barbarian general Chifeng, however, got there a step ahead of him and said, "Young Master, let me."

During the fighting just now, Chifeng had barely lifted a hand the whole time; his presence was only there to catch whatever might fall through.

The real slaughter, the real tempering, still had to depend on Seeing Dan Zhu himself.

But now Seeing Dan Zhu had performed splendidly, the fighting had died down, and for Chifeng this small matter was nothing more than a flick of the wrist.

Besides, he was mid Jin Dan; to sever a man's four limbs, his hand would be heavier and quicker.

Seeing the towering, burly, fierce-looking barbarian general Chifeng coming over to strike hard, the head of the Bone-Art Department instantly went pale and said through gritted teeth:

"I'll talk!"

Chifeng's movement paused slightly.

Mo Hua, however, said coolly, "Too late… Even if you talk now, the four limbs still get crippled first."

He was a man whose temper was not very good, whose heart was a little dark, and who had never liked haggling with others—especially with bad people.

If you wouldn't answer his questions, then you had to pay the price.