Chapter 1204

The spiritual awareness of a Level 22 peak Dao-hua has surpassed most Jin Dan early-stage cultivators.

This means Mo Hua's concealment cannot be detected.

Before Jin Dan early-stage cultivators, Mo Hua's presence is like a ghost or deity—known to heaven and earth, unknown to man.

He stood in the darkness, like a demon manipulating hearts.

And Tie Shuguo's faith, subtly and imperceptibly, was guided by Mo Hua into a self-reinforcing cognitive loop.

Afterwards, Mo Hua's figure silently and imperceptibly faded away.

As if he had never come, and had never existed.

Tie Shuguo remained immersed in his fervor until the fervor subsided and reason briefly returned, then he sensed something amiss.

But a certain thought had already sunk deep into his heart.

Whenever Tie Shuguo thought, he naturally formed this "loop":

"That Lord Wuzhu is a demon skilled in bewitching hearts, wearing human skin to walk among men, seeking to harm the Barbarian God and usurp His divine throne."

"But what it can kill is only the 'false god.'"

"The true Barbarian God possesses boundless divine power and will surely slay this demon and rescue me from suffering."

"Why would the Barbarian God rescue me?"

"Because I am the Barbarian God's most loyal believer."

"Otherwise, the Barbarian God would not have personally appeared in my dream to guide me—"

Each time he thought it through, his belief in this self-reasoned cognition grew firmer.

Tie Shuguo felt his heart burn with heat.

Loyalty filled his chest.

"I must do something for the Barbarian God—I will serve Him with all my strength, until death—"

Tie Shuguo muttered stubbornly.

He began rummaging through his storage bag, pulling out a pile of maps, then spent the night marking and studying them.

He studied all night.

The next day, Tie Shuguo went to see Mo Hua and presented the map he had meticulously drawn over the entire night.

Mo Hua looked puzzled and asked: "What is this?"

Tie Shuguo's demeanor grew even more reverent:

"My lord, this is the tribal map of my Shuguo clan, including branch tribes, minor tribes, and nomadic tribes—I have marked every tribe with a shrine or altar."

"Tribes migrate, but places of worship remain unchanged."

After a moment's thought, Mo Hua asked in return: "Why have you suddenly presented this map?"

Tie Shuguo's heart skipped a beat.

His head had heated up, and he had only thought of leading this "demon" to the Barbarian God for slaughter.

He had not realized that such unprovoked flattery would surely arouse suspicion in this "demon Lord Wuzhu."

I miscalculated!

Mo Hua's gaze gradually grew cold.

The image of the white-bone sword demon, surging with malevolent energy, surfaced in his mind, and Tie Shuguo felt inexplicably terrified.

Seeing this, Mo Hua lightly "reminded" him:

"Are you trying to defect to the Danque clan?"

These words were like a lifeline.

Tie Shuguo immediately seized the opening and nodded: "Yes! Yes! I—I wish to submit to the Danque clan—"

Mo Hua asked: "Why?"

Tie Shuguo's mind raced, fabricating reasons for himself:

"My—Shuguo clan is cruel, infighting, cold-hearted, but the Danque clan—its people live in harmony, especially… Young Master Dan Zhu,

who loves his people like his own children, brave and peerless, and—also—"

Tie Shuguo slightly raised his head and glanced at Mo Hua, "Lord Wuzhu—you, blessed by the divine, kind and wise, will surely spread the light of the Divine Lord across the Great Wilds—your future is limitless—"

Mo Hua nodded slightly, clearly quite satisfied.

Tie Shuguo slowly exhaled.

Mo Hua lowered his gaze, scanning the map Tie Shuguo had presented, suppressing his inner joy, and asked calmly:

"Is this map truly accurate?"

Tie Shuguo bowed deeply and declared firmly: "I, Tie Shuguo, swear by my head—it is flawless."

Mo Hua asked: "You swear by your head?"

Tie Shuguo hurriedly said: "Yes."

Mo Hua nodded: "I understand your intent. Do your duty well. Young Master Dan Zhu will not let you down, nor will the Divine Lord."

Seeing that this "demon Lord Wuzhu" truly believed him, Tie Shuguo felt immense relief.

He bowed and said: "Thank you, Lord Wuzhu, for your grace. Your humble servant takes his leave."

Before leaving, Tie Shuguo couldn't help but sneak a sidelong glance at Mo Hua.

Red lips, white teeth, handsome face, clear eyes.

He had never thought of it before, but now he saw: this "Lord Wuzhu" had skin unnaturally pale, like a corpse's hide,

lips red as if daubed in blood.

His clear gaze carried an odd, misplaced innocence.

And the reason for this innocence was precisely because he·

It's not even human!

Not human, lacking human cunning, that's why it has this strange, inexplicable "innocence."

What a flawless, beautiful demon's visage!

And this demon, wearing human skin, walks openly in the world, calling itself Lord Wuzhu, claiming to be one "blessed by the Divine Lord."

How high must its cultivation be?

Tie Shugu felt a chill in his heart.

The thought that he was now "plotting" against this demon, and would soon enter the scheme himself, serving this "demon," guiding it, leading it to die at the hands of the Barbarian Lord—

Tie Shugu felt both fear and "glory," as if bearing a great mission, a solemn tragedy rising within him.

Tie Shugu's gaze hardened like iron.

Yet he still lowered his eyes, daring not to look at Mo Hua, fearing this demon, this terrifying "demon Wuzhu," might sense his "rebellious" thoughts and ruin everything at the last moment.

Tie Shugu bowed and withdrew.

Mo Hua's gaze held a hint of amusement; he silently pondered within.

"This Tie Shugu is indeed a 'talent'—"

"But—he also has something truly strange about him."

Mo Hua couldn't help but softly recite the words Tie Shugu had prayed last night:

"Ancestral Lord, bless and protect your believer, bless your descendants, spare them from calamity and misfortune."

"Let no disaster cling to me, let all karmic retribution fall upon others."

"Let the straw dog become me, let the dead die—not me—"

"Spare from calamity—let no disaster cling to me, let karmic retribution fall upon others, and the dog—"

What do these words mean?

Does Tie Shugu carry some kind of karmic inheritance?

What inheritance? What incantation? What medium? What method? What law of karma?

Why does Tie Shugu bear this inheritance?

Did the Barbarian Lord grant it to him?

Or did his ancestral forebears pass down this secret art?

Does Tie Shugu even know he carries this inheritance? Does he truly understand the meaning behind these karmic phrases?

The more Mo Hua thought, the deeper his gaze became.

In the month that followed, with Tie Shugu, this loyal "traitor" to the Barbarian Lord, leading the way, Mo Hua began a more precise campaign against the Shugu Tribe.

His sole purpose:

Find the Barbarian Lord.

Consume the Barbarian Lord to replenish his spiritual consciousness.

Tie Shugu's sole purpose:

Lead Mo Hua to the Barbarian Lord.

Let the true Barbarian Lord kill this "demon Wuzhu."

To achieve this goal as swiftly as possible, Tie Shugu even took direct action against the Shugu Tribe himself, clearing obstacles for Mo Hua, storming forts and crushing strongholds.

He had held back before, because he was a Jin Dan cultivator, the leader of the Shugu You Tribe.

He was not like the common tribesmen.

In the Great Wasteland, a leader's defection was shameful.

Tie Shugu had dignity—he could not submit to a stronger foe, nor surrender to an enemy tribe while turning his blade against his own.

But now it was different.

He had received guidance from the Barbarian Lord, seen through illusion, strengthened his faith, knew what to do, and no longer cared for others' glances.

Even if others saw him, the Shugu "leader," as a traitor, fallen, and disgraceful, he did not care.

For the Barbarian Lord, he was willing to bear this humiliation, unbothered by misunderstanding.

His suffering would be witnessed by the Barbarian Lord alone.

Thus, Tie Shugu transformed into Mo Hua's vanguard in the campaign against the Shugu Tribe.

To subdue stronger outlying tribes, Seeing Dan Zhu or Chifeng had to be deployed.

But for smaller tribes, outlying clans, or wandering bands with almost no Jin Dan strength, Tie Shugu became the main force.

Each time a Shugu tribe was breached, Tie Shugu personally led Mo Hua to the altar before the idol.

He arranged the offerings, lit the bone-fire, danced the sacrificial rite himself, and prepared everything meticulously for Mo Hua.

Then, in a haze, the mystery descended.

Tie Shugu entered the dream of the Divine Path once more, meeting the Shugu Tribe's Barbarian Lord again.

As always, he kowtowed before the Barbarian Lord.

And as always, a brilliant flash of sword-light passed—and the Barbarian Lord's head fell.

In the past, Tie Shugu would have panicked, been disoriented, terrified.

But now, he merely sighed inwardly:

"Another 'false god'—"

The true Barbarian Lord could never have his head severed by a sword-demon.

Only a "false god" could have his head cut off.

Tie Shugu was searching.

Searching for the one who could not be slain by the sword-demon, radiating brilliant, pure golden light—the "Barbarian Lord."

Only this barbarian god my lord can save him from calamity.

Only this barbarian god my lord can kill that terrifying demon shaman, wearing human skin.

Afterward, Tie Shugu kept searching, always bringing Mo Hua to attack the Shugu tribe's major and minor clans, to seize altars, to storm the divine statues.

Tie Shugu was even more eager than Mo Hua himself.

And he kept entering dreams, kept kowtowing.

And every time he kowtowed, a barbarian god's head fell off.

As he kept kowtowing, Tie Shugu realized that after visiting so many altars and kowtowing so many times, he had never encountered the true barbarian god my lord—instead, that sword-demon had grown increasingly profound in power, and the pressure he exerted grew ever stronger.

It was a psychic pressure, formless yet omnipresent, cold and sinister.

The stronger this pressure became, the greater Tie Shugu's sense of urgency grew.

And this pressure reached its peak several months later, after he breached a powerful offshoot of the Shugu tribe, danced the sacrificial dance, and entered the dream.

After kowtowing and "kowtowing" to death a monstrous "false god," it peaked.

Tie Shugu could feel the sensation of being scorched as if in a hellfire.

Then he heard a sound like a hurricane reversing, sucking inward.

The next instant, a terrifyingly powerful aura suddenly surged upward.

Golden light blazed brilliantly, sharp as swords, its overwhelming momentum still climbing, like a hurricane sweeping all around, crushing Tie Shugu until he could barely breathe.

Tie Shugu could only kneel on the ground, bowing his head low, daring not to look at anything.

But he knew in his heart: this was surely the demon shaman's manifestation of strengthened psychic power, having slain enough "false gods."

After an unknown length of time, the storm subsided.

The dream twisted and dissolved.

With a dizzying whirl, when Tie Shugu opened his eyes again, he found himself kneeling before a divine statue.

The statue's head remained intact, but its "soul" seemed gone.

Tie Shugu's heart jolted; involuntarily, he turned to look at Mo Hua—and just caught Mo Hua's eyes flickering with black and white, his vast psychic power swirling like a vortex back into his body, radiating a deep, abyssal, eerie aura.

Then all aura vanished completely.

Mo Hua was still Mo Hua, like a normal "human."

But Tie Shugu felt a chill.

He could be certain: this demon had grown stronger again.

This demon's cultivation was already formidable enough. Now its psychic power had advanced further—how much stronger would it become?

Tie Shugu felt fear, secretly anxious:

"I must lead this demon shaman to the barbarian god my lord's true body soon—otherwise, as time passes and this demon grows ever stronger, the threat to the barbarian god my lord will only increase."

If this demon continues to grow and reaches a certain level, the situation may become entirely different.

Even if the barbarian god my lord can slay it, he will surely pay a terrible price.

Even some shocking accidents would not be surprising.

Tie Shugu believes in the barbarian god, but he dares not underestimate this "demon."

A "demon" capable of slaying a god cannot possibly be an ordinary demon.

"I must act soon! Quickly! Trap and kill this demon!"

Tie Shugu was consumed with dread.

Mo Hua, however, felt joy inside:

"Finally—twenty-three patterns. After months of being led by this Tie Shugu, I've roamed everywhere devouring barbarian gods, absorbing psychic power."

His psychic power has now reached twenty-three patterns—the peak of Jin Dan early stage's spiritual awareness realm.

Mo Hua hadn't even expected it to be this smooth.

This Tie Shugu truly helped him immensely.

Indeed, there is a world of difference between threatening someone to act and making them willingly serve you.

The Dao Heart Seed Demon, guiding spiritual awareness—this is truly the supreme method.

Now, he can formally attempt to learn the Tie Wen.

Mo Hua's gaze was bright.

But before Mo Hua could turn his attention to it, the surrounding situation suddenly worsened.

Mo Hua's original plan faced heavy obstacles.

First, although many small Shugu clans had been conquered and sufficient territory secured, there were not enough personnel to occupy them, leading to frequent rebellions.

Second, after one of the Six Wonders of Shugu died, the remaining five began reassembling barbarian cultivators to seek revenge against Xiang Dan.

Third, famine.

After several months, the famine that had once stalled began spreading again.

Once famine spreads and disasters expand, all nearby small and medium tribes will be severely affected.

More and more tribes fell into extreme hunger, forced to survive by "eating" people.

On the barbarian wastes, faith corrupted, and evil thoughts spread.

And Mo Hua's "experiment" with Seeing Dan Zhu had failed.

Seeing Dan Zhu had indeed followed Mo Hua's teachings: distributing resources evenly, banning wanton killings, promoting education, improving livelihoods—

But such things are not accomplished overnight. To truly establish them might require ten, twenty, even a hundred years.

Yet to destroy them? Only a moment's work.

With Mo Hua as shaman and Dan Zhu as young master present, things still ran relatively orderly,

but once the two left, the situation would gradually deteriorate.

Within the tribe, some harbored selfish motives, some harbored greed, some harbored tangled desires, always stealing the clan's interests for their own use.

Once one person started it, more and more people like this appeared.

Gradually, the "rules" that had just been established became mere empty formalities.

Overnight, the tribe once again fell into internal strife, internal exhaustion, internal greed, and internal chaos.

And besides the internal chaos, the Six Bone-Art Freaks, and even some other mid- and small-sized tribes from outside, often came to kill and plunder.

All the newly built foundations, before they could be tamped solid, were completely ruined.

Just at this moment, the famine spread once more.

For nearly a thousand li around the Bone-Art Tribe, greater turmoil ensued—tribes slaughtered and plundered each other, casualties were countless, and laments rose on every side.

Mo Hua looked at the scarred, ravaged land and the endlessly warring tribes, and slowly let out a sigh.

His divine sense was indeed growing stronger.

Yet the situation was bit by bit growing worse.