Chapter 1190: Strange

Bi Jie saw through it: this Dan Zhu was a hypocrite on the surface, and indeed a "black-hearted" thing.

He had intended from the start to use the pretense of saving lives to seize the secret treasury of the Shu Bone Clan for himself, competing with the Bi Fang Clan.

Otherwise, why would a nobleman accustomed to luxury like him risk his life in battle to rescue a mere few hundred low-class members of the Dan Que Clan?

Now that the people were saved, he began to put on an act, hesitating as if uncertain.

Fuck, he's truly a hypocritical bastard.

Bi Jie's face was as dark as water. "Dan Zhu, are you going back on your word?"

Dan Zhu, who had always been honest, kind, and trustworthy since childhood, was suddenly speechless, unsure how to respond to Bi Jie's accusation.

Mo Hua sighed softly in his heart.

Boys with thin skins are like this—they can't even lie properly.

Mo Hua's expression turned solemn, and he spoke slowly: "Young Master Dan Zhu possesses benevolence and a virtue of compassion; he does not wish you to perish here. He is saving you."

Bi Jie's gaze turned icy as he stared directly at Mo Hua: "What do you mean?"

Mo Hua then spoke solemnly:

"Within this Shi Dian, a great evil has descended—it is a place of terrible dread. Though the Divine Lord bestowed grace, and though I, Lord Wuzhu, have used the Divine Lord's great power to exterminate this great malevolence, the curse of the evil still lingers within the hall."

"To enter rashly, once evil thoughts enter the mind, will lead at best to loss of sanity, and at worst—to become like Elder Cang, a puppet of evil thoughts, a man-eating beast, forever fallen into the path of beasts, with no hope of redemption."

Mo Hua wore an expression of profound pity.

Bi Jie, of course, would not be fooled; he pointed at the barbarian slaves behind Mo Hua and retorted:

"Then tell me—why are your barbarian slaves unaffected? Why haven't they turned into man-eating beasts?"

Mo Hua replied calmly: "They followed my guidance, so the Divine Lord has protected them."

In the end, it was all just his mouth—he could say whatever he pleased.

Whatever he wanted to do was the Divine Lord's guidance; whatever he didn't want to do was the Divine Lord's warning.

Bi Jie's heart burned with rage; he cursed Mo Hua's shamelessness, his gaze turning fierce and cruel.

He must obtain the Shu Bone Clan's secret treasury—it was crucial to his future ambitions and grand plans.

Bi Jie activated his treasure; the Bi Fang Black Demon Blade shimmered with malevolent light, accompanied by the piercing cry of a demonic bird, surging with killing intent.

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed as he questioned him:

"Does the Bi Fang Clan intend to defy the Divine Lord's decree?"

Bi Jie sneered inwardly.

You say the Divine Lord's decree is divine edict? Who the hell are you?

"Storm the hall—kill anyone who stands in our way!"

After giving the order, Bi Jie turned around—only to find his Bi Fang barbarian soldiers hesitating, fearful, unwilling to advance.

They seemed afraid of "Lord Wuzhu," and equally afraid of the "curse" Lord Wuzhu had spoken of.

Thus, even though Bi Jie had ordered them, they dared not act.

Some whispered among themselves: "If we oppose Lord Wuzhu, will we be struck by divine punishment?"

"This is Lord Wuzhu."

"How could we dare offend Lord Wuzhu?"

"Lord Wuzhu possesses boundless divine power."

"Lord Wuzhu…"

Each whispered "Lord Wuzhu" stoked Bi Jie's fury.

He had met the real Lord Wuzhu; he knew clearly that Mo Hua could not possibly be the true Lord Wuzhu.

Yet he had never imagined that this damned Foundation Establishment pretty boy, merely by walking through the Shi Dian, casually rescuing a few people, and speaking lofty words, could actually deceive everyone into granting him such prestige—even making the Bi Fang Clan's tribal warriors fear to oppose him, and even hinting at defection.

He's a born "charlatan."

With such a "charlatan" accompanying Dan Zhu, poisoning minds, he will surely become a great threat to me in the future.

He must be killed…

Bi Jie's heart surged with killing intent.

But the tribe's morale was unstable; Bi Jie could do nothing.

At that moment, a Bi Fang Clan elder with gray-white eyes whispered:

"Young Master, the situation is unfavorable. We must plan carefully."

Bi Jie glanced at Dan Zhu, then at Mo Hua, and also felt the battle intent of the barbarian general Chifeng; gritting his teeth, he slowly nodded:

"Fine…"

"We withdraw…" Bi Jie said coldly, then fell silent, his gaze venomous and face dark as he led the Bi Fang Clan away from the valley where the Shu Bone secret treasury lay.

After Bi Jie left, Dan Zhu exhaled slightly in relief.

Though he was an unparalleled genius, in age, cultivation, cunning, and treacherous tactics, he still fell short of Bi Jie.

Thus, the pressure Bi Jie exerted on him was immense.

Not just Dan Zhu—even the two guardian elders, Bashan and Bachuan—felt a sense of relief.

Only the barbarian general Chifeng wore a solemn expression.

If Bi Jie had attacked now and fought the Dan Que Clan, it would have been beneficial for Dan Que Clan.

But Bi Jie had not attacked—he had merely retreated in silence.

This meant Bi Jie was not as arrogant and reckless as he appeared. Those who can endure in silence are the hardest to deal with.

Bi Jie would not let this go after leaving.

This turmoil was far from over.

…

Afterward, the members of the Danque Division began simple cleanup operations.

Dan Zhu stepped forward to comfort these Danque tribespeople, who had endured great suffering and despair, and asked them to rest for a while.

The Danque Division's barbarian soldiers guarded the entrance to the Shuguo Valley.

Mo Hua led Dan Zhu and the others into Shi Dian, arriving before the Shuguo Clan's secret storage.

Before them lay row upon row of chambers, stacked like small mountains with barbarian armor, skeletons, leather, and other military materials.

Dan Zhu, Chifeng, and the others were all stunned.

They finally understood why the Bifang Clan had been determined to storm this Shi Dian and annex the Shuguo Secret Clan.

The Shuguo Clan's secret cache contained such a vast quantity of critically important "barbarian armor" supplies.

Even the usually composed barbarian general Chifeng could not suppress the heat in his heart.

Barbarian armor held immense significance for the barbarian tribes.

The barbarian tribes were numerous; though all were soldiers, once you excluded children, the elderly, the sick and disabled, low-grade Qi Condensation cultivators, and weak barbarian cultivators, the actual number of qualified "barbarian soldiers" was far fewer than it seemed.

True "barbarian soldiers" were rare; elite ones were rarer still.

To forge even more elite barbarian soldiers, barbarian armor was essential.

Mass battlefield combat differed greatly from individual duels.

On a battlefield of real blades and spears, where flesh tore against flesh, once the fighting became a chaotic melee, differences in cultivation realm, cultivation arts, and Dao techniques became barely noticeable.

Especially when eyes turned red with bloodlust, all spells and maneuvers might prove less useful than a well-crafted suit of armor.

If your armor was good, you could endure a few more blows, withstand several more spells, and perhaps survive.

If the enemy's armor was inferior, one or two cuts might kill him.

That difference of a few cuts was the difference between life and death.

Thus, strong armor meant strong Dao soldiers; strong barbarian armor meant strong barbarian soldiers.

This had become an unwritten rule.

This cache of Shuguo Clan secrets, if fully consolidated, could forge a full five hundred sets of second-grade elite barbarian armor.

If they could truly assemble five hundred barbarian soldiers at the peak of Foundation Establishment, clad in these armors and trained into elite troops, they could roam the third-grade mountain realm like a "flying dragon," expanding territory.

As long as they avoided direct confrontation with the main forces of the great tribes.

Chifeng, the barbarian general who had fought for the Danque Division for years, understood better than anyone the importance of this supply.

He had truly fought in battles, and thus knew that "five hundred elite barbarian soldiers at the peak of second-grade" was an terrifying number.

This was utterly incomparable to the mere "common barbarian conscripts" who filled the ranks without merit.

Chifeng glanced at the slightly youthful Dan Zhu and sighed inwardly:

"Dan Zhu Shaozhu is truly blessed by heaven, favored by fortune beyond measure."

On his very first expedition, he had acquired such a vast spoils—this was truly the foundation for his rise and prosperity.

Chifeng then turned his gaze again to Mo Hua, frowning in thought:

"If this youth, who calls himself 'Lord Wuzhu,' is truly a blessed servant of the gods… then does that mean Dan Zhu Shaozhu is truly the destined child chosen by the gods—the hope of our Danque Division?"

"Has this 'Lord Wuzhu' come to our Danque Division by divine will?"

The barbarian general Chifeng was deeply shaken.

But Bashan and Bachuan thought no further; they were simply delighted for Dan Zhu.

If this armor and these supplies were returned to the Danque Main Clan, they would surely earn great merit, and the Grand Chief would grant them generous rewards.

Dan Zhu Shaozhu's status would certainly rise, and perhaps one day he might truly become Grand Chief.

As the two guard elders, they too had contributed.

Bashan said: "Shaozhu, let's transport these…"

But Mo Hua said: "We cannot transport them."

Bashan froze.

Dan Zhu sighed and nodded.

Clearly, he understood that the Bifang Clan would not let this go.

These items were precisely what the Bifang Clan had coveted.

Now that the Danque Division had seized them, any attempt to move them would surely provoke the Bifang Clan into ambushing and slaughtering them en route.

At that point, the Danque Division would be exposed, while the Bifang Clan lay hidden in ambush—even if the Danque Division held superior strength, they would suffer heavy casualties.

The barbarian soldiers all carried storage pouches; carrying one or two suits of armor posed no problem.

But here in the Shuguo Clan's cache, there was not only armor—there were far greater quantities of raw materials for forging armor.

Many of these raw materials came from demonic beast bones, and their volume was enormous; without special methods to melt and forge them, they could hardly be cut.

These raw materials were even more valuable than some finished suits of armor.

Because finished armor might not be suitable.

But with raw materials, they could forge more and better armor.

To transport these armor raw materials, they would need large storage chests, manpower to carry them, and carts to haul them—extremely inconvenient.

Along the way, they would be highly vulnerable to ambush, robbery, or even massacre by the Bifang Clan.

"Then what now…" Bashan frowned.

Dan Zhu said: "First, we secure the Shuguo Secret Clan's stronghold. We fully inventory all the armor, raw materials, and supplies within Shi Dian, seal them into crates, and then act according to circumstances."

After speaking, Dan Zhu looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua gave a slight nod. "Shaozhu's words are wise."

…

The matter was temporarily settled thus.

The Danque tribe's barbarian soldiers split up: some guarded the valley, some inventoried the storerooms, and others settled the captives.

Mo Hua took advantage of this time to retrace his steps along the Shi Dian, unable to suppress a frown as he sank into thought.

This Shi Dian had already been "cleared"—everything looked ordinary—but Mo Hua couldn't shake the feeling that something strange lurked in the details.

First, there was the matter of the "barbarian slaves."

The Barbarian God had fallen, becoming half a demon god; demonic thoughts enveloped the Shi Dian, and the Shuguo tribe's people, influenced by these thoughts, had developed the habit of "eating" humans.

Yet the "barbarian slaves" they imprisoned remained perfectly normal, their minds untouched.

That was highly unusual.

Why were the barbarian slaves unaffected by the demonic thoughts?

Because they had never "eaten" humans?

Mo Hua frowned and shook his head.

No, that wasn't right…

The two Jin Dan and twenty elite barbarian soldiers of the Bi Fang tribe had also never eaten humans, yet after entering the Shi Dian, they were swiftly corrupted.

"Then someone must have found a way, used some method, to shield the barbarian slaves from the demonic thoughts?"

"That way, these slaves, treated as 'rations,' wouldn't be affected by the demonic thoughts, wouldn't 'corrupt'?"

"What method…"

Mo Hua quickly thought of the iron cages.

These barbarian slaves had all been locked inside those iron cages.

Mo Hua walked to the iron cages, extended his spiritual sense, and meticulously scanned every corner—then his expression suddenly changed in shock.

"Elder Bashan." Mo Hua called out.

Elder Bashan, nearby, sorting through barbarian armor supplies, immediately ran over.

Since Mo Hua had "saved" his life and he'd witnessed Mo Hua's divine manifestation before others, Elder Bashan now treated Mo Hua with utmost reverence.

He had once thought the Lord Wuzhu could never look like Mo Hua.

Now he firmly believed the Lord Wuzhu must look exactly like Mo Hua.

Mo Hua pointed to the iron cages and said: "Tear down all these iron cages. Dig up their foundations."

Elder Bashan didn't ask why—he simply nodded: "Yes, Mr. Wuzhu!"

The Lord Wuzhu, acting under the gods' will, naturally had his reasons.

Elder Bashan, large and powerfully built, directly unleashed his Jin Dan power and forcibly tore apart the iron cages holding the barbarian slaves.

After dismantling them, Mo Hua examined the patterns on the bottom of the cages.

One glance—and his pupils shrank sharply.

"This is…"

Divine Dao array patterns?!

How could there be Divine Dao array patterns inside the Shi Dian where the Shuguo tribe worshipped their Barbarian God?

This meant the Shuguo tribe was far more complex than he'd assumed.

There had been—or at least once had been—a "master" of the Divine Dao within this tribe.

Had someone studied, even manipulated, the evolution and worship of the Shuguo tribe's Barbarian God?

Mo Hua's expression turned solemn, and he immediately ordered Elder Bashan: "Break every iron cage. Demolish every foundation."

Elder Bashan didn't understand Mo Hua's intent.

But seeing Mr. Wuzhu's solemn expression, he knew this involved the gods—something of immense gravity—and without hesitation, he spared no effort, dismantling every single iron cage.

Mo Hua examined every one of these Divine Dao array patterns, and the more he studied, the more suspicious they became.

These patterns could block spiritual perception and conceal qi signatures—and their traces were surprisingly fresh.

They matched exactly the Divine Dao array techniques Mo Hua had learned: Divine Mist, Divine Lock, Divine Barrier.

The problem was, Mo Hua had learned these Divine Dao array techniques in Qian Xue Prefecture—from the number-one enforcer of the demon god, Mr. Tu.

But Mr. Tu… was already dead.

He had perished in the Blood Sacrifice Array, obliterated by the heavenly tribulation, reduced to ashes.

So who in the Wildlands was drawing Divine Dao arrays?

It couldn't possibly be…

Mo Hua's brow furrowed, a chill creeping into his heart—but then he realized he'd been mistaken.

Mr. Tu had originally come from the Great Wilds; his Divine Dao arrays naturally originated from the Great Wilds.

So it was only natural that someone here in the Great Wilds knew how to draw Divine Dao arrays.

You couldn't just blame every mystery on a dead man like Mr. Tu…

Was there another Divine Dao "master" within the Shuguo tribe?

Why had he drawn these Divine Dao arrays?

What was his true scheme?

Mo Hua considered using the Demon Bone Divination technique to calculate the origins of these Divine Dao arrays and peer into their karmic threads—but instinctive dread made him hold back.

The enemy's situation was unknown, their strength unclear; it was unwise to recklessly probe karmic connections.

Mo Hua was no longer the naive boy who feared nothing.

He now understood that karma was truly perilous—especially when facing grand schemes, powerful foes, and certain unknown terrors.

He had known this principle before, but deep down, he hadn't truly taken it to heart.

When it came time to "court death," he'd still "court" it once or twice.

Until his senior uncle taught him a lesson on "Destiny Plague"—then Mo Hua etched it into his soul and never dared to be reckless again.

Mo Hua copied down these divine path array runes and temporarily set them aside.

Without clues, no amount of pondering would help.

Moreover, Mo Hua had another, more important matter.

He thought for a moment, then said to Elder Bashan:

"Elder Bashan, I must enter temporary seclusion to seek the guidance of the Divine Lord. Find me a quiet place—do not disturb me under any circumstances."

Upon hearing "the guidance of the Divine Lord," Elder Bashan's expression turned solemn, and he immediately replied:

"Mr. Wu, rest assured, I will see to it."

Elder Bashan found a serene Shi Shili within the Shi Dian, meticulously cleaned it, and laid down a soft wolf-pelt rug for Mo Hua's rest and seclusion.

He then ordered Zhong Mingren to guard the perimeter strictly.

Elder Bashan himself did nothing else, standing watch for Mo Hua.

These barbarian cultivators' minds were indeed simple.

If he suspected you, if he despised you, he would naturally target you in every way.

But if he trusted you, revered you, he would treat you with wholehearted sincerity, without pretense.

Mo Hua felt a quiet pang of reflection.

He then sat down in the Shi Shili, closed his eyes, gathered his spirit, and settled into seclusion.

About two hours later, Mo Hua estimated the time had reached midnight, and sank his spiritual sense into his mind sea.

In the center of the mind sea, the ancient, profound Dao Stele emerged.

Upon the Dao Stele, a vivid red calamity rune pulsed.

Mo Hua expelled the half-silver, half-blue spiritual force of the Shu Gu barbarian god he had swallowed earlier, placing it upon the calamity thunder to roast.

A ferocious roar erupted suddenly—a white-bone divine face materialized as a phantom, howling—then, amid the flickering crimson light of the calamity thunder, it was utterly erased.

The corrupted demonic will within the Shu Gu barbarian god, already weak, vanished completely.

"Poison purged," Mo Hua swallowed the spiritual force again, and calmly refined it.

Threads of pure spiritual force merged into Mo Hua's divine body, nourishing his spiritual sense.

The faint silver-white divine marrow was slowly absorbed by Mo Hua's Dao-transformed soul.

Abundant spiritual sense, and divine marrow.

This was a sensation he had not felt in a long time, and hard-won indeed.

Mo Hua felt serene, savoring it slowly.

Time slipped away gradually.

Finally, all the spiritual force and divine marrow of the Shu Gu barbarian god were refined by Mo Hua, and his spiritual sense experienced a noticeable surge.

It rose from mid-level Twenty-Two Mark to the peak of Twenty-Two Mark.

Mo Hua had nearly touched the threshold of Twenty-Three Mark spiritual thought.

Twenty-Three Mark spiritual thought was the strongest spiritual sense realm a Jin Dan cultivator in early stage could attain.

And Mo Hua, at the late Foundation Establishment realm, was only one step away.

Mo Hua exhaled deeply, his gaze brightening—he felt he had taken another step toward the Jin Dan he had long dreamed of…

(End of Chapter)