Chapter 1205: The Curtain

Under the spread of famine, chaos erupted everywhere, and human hearts became as muddy as sludge.

Even Mo Hua, using the Celestial Mechanism Calculations, found the situation somewhat unclear.

The failure of attempting to civilize the Shu Gu tribe also left Mo Hua with a faint sense of despair.

It should have been enough to unite as one, help each other, to live better—at least in the face of disaster, to survive and not die of starvation.

But there were always "clever" people whose greed led them to sabotage, seize private gains, until the atmosphere became corrupt, the situation crumbled step by step, morality collapsed, hearts grew dull, and all perished together.

This proved true the saying: Those who deserve to die, will die.

Humans are like this, tribes are like this, and indeed any force in the world generally rises from decline, peaks, then declines again—ultimately, without exception, all head toward destruction.

Mo Hua looked at the Shu Gu tribe before him and felt this deeply.

He and Xiang Dan had gone out to wage war, consumed a few Man Gods, strengthened their divine consciousness—just a few months in total.

The territory under his rule had, without notice, "corrupted."

Mo Hua wanted them to be "equal among all," each Man cultivator holding equal status.

Yet some still sought to become chieftain, gathering power, secretly seizing authority, aiming to become "lords above others" through force, towering over their own people to satisfy their lust for power.

Mo Hua wanted them to have "equal resources," each Man cultivator receiving roughly the same cultivation resources.

But many still thought only of stealing others' things, seizing others' resources—until loot was unevenly divided, sparking larger-scale internal strife.

He wanted them to accept "gender equality," monogamy, no bullying the weak, no forcibly seizing women, no harem of concubines.

But men still saw beautiful women and sought to seize and abduct them—even if they already had spouses.

And some women preferred becoming the concubines of the strong. Even though "concubine" meant, in truth, slave or servant—a tool for release, beaten and cursed, possessing not a single right—they still gladly accepted it, even took pride in it.

Mo Hua wanted them to accept civilization, to unite in harmony, to treat the tribe's interests as their own, to pursue long-term gains, to value the tribe's continuity.

But all of this became "empty words."

Not a single Man tribe member listened.

Instead, short-sightedness, private gain, indulgence, greed, and every kind of ugliness and decay persisted.

For a moment, Mo Hua too felt a deep sense of disappointment.

More disappointed than Mo Hua was Xiang Dan.

"Equality among all," "united as one," and many such truths were taught to him by Mo Hua—but it was he who had implemented them.

He was inwardly kind; this was the first time in his life he had tried to "improve" a tribe, wanting everyone to live better.

But he had failed.

Failed so naturally, so utterly.

Before reality, many kind ideas were merely naive "delusions"—they shattered instantly upon touching the barrier of reality.

Xiang Dan's confidence felt cracked, sinking into deep dejection and self-doubt.

He did not think Mo Hua's teachings were wrong; he was more disappointed in his own inadequacy, in having betrayed the guidance of "Master."

The path ahead was obscure; he did not know what to do—seemed nothing he did would help, seemed everything he did would turn out just like this.

Mo Hua saw Xiang Dan's inner pain, sighed slowly, and said gently:

"Don't take it to heart—nothing in this world is truly simple when put into practice."

"If this attempt fails, learn from it, and try again next time."

"And if next time… it still fails?" Xiang Dan looked at Mo Hua, his face pale.

He was a Jin Dan, yet now, looking at Mo Hua—a Foundation Establishment cultivator—his eyes were full of confusion, his heart tormented.

Mo Hua said slowly: "Same thing—if it fails again, just keep doing it."

Xiang Dan was momentarily stunned.

Mo Hua said: "The true path to success is forged by countless failures."

"Many geniuses harbor great ambitions, wish to accomplish great deeds—but the moment they meet failure, they retreat, dare not move forward, afraid of enduring more setbacks."

"Such people, no matter how high their talent or strength, will ultimately waste their lives, achieving nothing."

"On the road to success, failure is the most common thing."

"And every failure forges a step—you must tread upon these steps to grow stronger, step by step, reaching higher."

"Those who achieve the Dao do not merely possess extraordinary talent—they must also have unyielding will, an indomitable heart…"

Mo Hua looked at Xiang Dan, his eyes sharply divided between black and white:

"Remember this: What you seek to accomplish is a great deed—the kind your elder brother, your father-king, your ancestors, and countless heroes of the Wilds could never achieve."

"How could such a thing be simple? No matter how many difficulties, setbacks, or failures you face, they are nothing unusual."

"Do not fear failure. Do not care about failure."

"Tread upon these failures to reach ultimate success—to prove your own Dao…"

Mo Hua's voice was steady, not grandiose, yet it carried a power that stirred the spirit, even made blood boil.

Xiang Dan felt boundless strength surge within him—as if all hardships and obstacles in this world could no longer block his grand ambition.

Beside him, Bashan and Bachuan changed expression.

Even Chifeng's gaze toward Mo Hua held an unspeakable shock.

These words could not possibly have come from an ordinary person—who exactly was this Master…

Xiang Dan pondered for a moment, silently absorbing Mo Hua's words, then bowed deeply to Mo Hua.

This bow, in the Wilds, was the standard "student's bow."

"Xiang Dan humbly remembers Xianshengde Sect's teachings."

Mo Hua accepted Xiang Dan's bow with gentle eyes.

But inside, he was not calm at all.

These words, he spoke to Xiang Dan—and also to himself.

All who achieve the Great Dao must possess not only talent beyond their generation, but also an indomitable will and a heart that refuses to yield no matter how many times it breaks…

A momentary failure or setback means nothing.

And every failure will forge the very steps by which one ascends to the Great Dao.

Mo Hua's gaze was steady and resolute.

……

In the days that followed, the situation of Seeing Dan Zhu and the others grew increasingly harsh.

The core problem was the famine.

The famine had laid the land to waste; every savage cultivator caught in its reach was plunged into extreme hunger, and all the small and mid-sized tribes struggled to survive.

The Great Wastes fell into widespread chaos for a time.

On top of that, the Shugu Tribe they had occupied rebelled, and internal strife never ceased — the surrounding area was no longer a safe place to settle.

They had to move somewhere else.

But where to go became another problem.

After all, with the famine spreading, no one knew which direction in the Savage Lands was safe. If they were surrounded by the famine, the troops Seeing Dan Zhu had painstakingly gathered would suffer a catastrophic disaster.

And even if they escaped the famine's harm, they would still be drawn into disputes with other tribes and meaningless attrition.

None of these were outcomes Mo Hua wished to see.

Therefore, after deliberating for most of the day, the group could only arrive at one conclusion:

Return to the Danque Tribe.

With the situation suddenly changed, the realm in turmoil, and the road ahead unclear, returning to the main Danque Tribe was, on the contrary, the best choice.

Even Mo Hua had to admit it.

Back at the main Danque Tribe, sheltered by the power of a great tribe, they would at least be a little safer.

First secure a foothold, then plan for development.

Besides, he truly did need to find a quieter place to study that mysterious twenty-three-pattern "Taotie Ultimate Array."

The Taotie Ultimate Array was certainly not something so easily learned.

Now, with fighting everywhere and dangers at every turn, he had many things to worry about, and Seeing Dan Zhu's fortune and misfortune still required his divination.

He simply could not scrape together a stretch of quiet time to focus on comprehending this ancient Taotie Ultimate Array.

Therefore, returning to the main Danque Tribe was imperative.

Even if it meant temporarily shelving his plan to "abduct" Seeing Dan Zhu away, build merit, and scheme for development.

But circumstances forced their hand — there was no other choice.

Mo Hua agreed.

Seeing Dan Zhu had no objections either; he always listened to Mo Hua.

Chifeng breathed a sigh of relief — he had long wanted to persuade Seeing Dan Zhu to return to the main tribe.

As the genius young lord of the Danque Tribe, staying outside was not safe.

Elder Bashan and Elder Bachuan certainly wouldn't object either.

But unexpectedly, the most vehement opposition came from Tie Shugu.

He looked as if the sky had fallen, and cried out in shock:

"Lord Wuzhu, how can you withdraw the troops? Keep attacking the Shugu Tribe! Keep seizing the altar! Keep… keep… how could you suddenly just… give up halfway?!"

If you don't go attack the Shugu Tribe, how am I supposed to scheme you to death?

How is the true Lord of the Savage Gods supposed to kill you?

How am I supposed to prove my loyalty to the Lord of the Savage Gods?

Tie Shugu was frantic — he was beside himself with anxiety.

Mo Hua's expression grew subtly strange.

Seeing Dan Zhu and the others also wore odd looks, wondering what had gotten into this Tie Shugu.

Had he forgotten that he was the chieftain of the Shugu Tribe?

Why was he so anxious that they weren't attacking the Shugu Tribe?

Could this man have a rebellious bone in his head — a born "traitor"?

Mo Hua sighed, feeling a touch helpless.

It wasn't that he didn't want to keep attacking the Shugu Tribe, or keep "devouring" the Savage Gods — circumstances no longer permitted it.

Moreover, he had now temporarily "devoured" his way to twenty-three patterns, and needed to settle and consolidate.

Twenty-four patterns certainly wouldn't happen overnight.

After all, between twenty-three and twenty-four patterns lay the threshold of divine sense from early Jin Dan to mid Jin Dan.

Early Jin Dan and mid Jin Dan were not the same concept at all.

This wasn't just a matter of one extra pattern.

To truly reach twenty-four patterns, he would likely need to temper himself for some time more.

At the very least, he had to do the preparatory work in advance — thoroughly comprehend the principles of the Taotie Ultimate Array and familiarize himself with it.

Even the method of "Bone Carving" had to be considered ahead of time.

Mu Bai Jin Yu's bone-shaping art also needed to begin being prepared.

After Bone Carving, the drawback of life-force draining away also had to be resolved somehow.

After all, his core formation was far too elaborate, far too unorthodox, and far too difficult.

Preparedness ensures success; lack of it ensures failure.

By preparing everything that could be prepared in advance like this, once his divine sense broke through to twenty-four patterns, he could advance toward the Jin Dan realm more swiftly.

Eating the Man God is no longer the most urgent matter right now.

This decision cannot be changed.

On Tie Shuguo's face appeared clear signs of suffering.

Mo Hua refusing to go with him to eat the Man God made him truly suffer.

But he had no power to force this "demon shaman" wearing human skin to obey his orders.

Tie Shuguo looked utterly defeated, as if life were worse than death, feeling all hope had vanished.

……

Afterwards, Dan Zhu quickly reorganized the group, and they left the territory of the Shuguo tribe, following Mo Hua the Lord Wuzhu's guidance, avoiding the famine zone, heading east toward the Zhu Que main tribe.

When they arrived, there were over a hundred Man soldiers.

Now, returning, there were fully five to six hundred people.

Among them, the surviving Dan Que tribe soldiers numbered less than one hundred.

The rest included some ordinary Man cultivators rescued from Dan Que.

Another portion were Man slaves who had submitted to Dan Zhu.

Nearly one hundred and fifty were original Shuguo tribe soldiers.

They followed Dan Zhu, fighting across lands, convinced by his heroism and wisdom, believing it a great honor to charge under such a Shaozhu's command, so they abandoned their identity as "Shuguo" tribe soldiers.

Of course, Tie Shuguo here played a "model" role.

Even a Jin Dan leader from the Shuguo roaming tribe had defected to Dan Zhu Shaozhu, charging ahead and giving his all.

What did these ordinary Shuguo Man soldiers care about?

Of course, they did not know they misunderstood Tie Shuguo, nor did they understand his inner fervent "loyalty."

Tie Shuguo's heart ached, but he could not speak.

The group left the Shuguo tribe's encampment like this.

Before leaving, Mo Hua turned back for one last look.

The famine and warfare were spreading.

Those Shuguo tribes he had wanted to save, but could not; those he had wanted to give an equal future to, but who were bound by selfish desires, fighting endlessly over power, wealth, and women—each one was tainted by the famine's aura, began eating their own kind, and eventually sank into deeper madness, heading toward annihilation…

Some deaths were inevitable.

Not everything you wish to save can be saved.

Mo Hua looked at the horrifying scene of humans eating humans; his disappointment slowly faded, his eyes turning dark and calm.

And within this calm lay a touch of indifference.

A respect and indifference toward the fate of certain living beings.

Mo Hua turned his head, casting all of it behind him, and stepped forward.

……

The road ahead remained difficult.

The extent of the famine was greater than Mo Hua had imagined, and the chaos of the Great Wilderness was broader than he had expected.

The group marched in great numbers toward the Dan Que main tribe, and along the way they inevitably encountered various dangers and unexpected threats.

There were treacherous terrain and miasma, the miasma mixed with the aura of famine.

There were packs of bloodthirsty, deranged beast-beasts.

There were Man cultivators driven mad by hunger, mindless, like zombies.

There were bloody heretics whose entire tribes had become puppets of "evil gods."

And there were also major tribes that seized the chance to wage war, seeking to expand their power and plunder slaves.

Among these major tribe forces, some feared Dan Que and dared not offend Dan Zhu; some, seeing Dan Zhu's strength, dared not act rashly; some gave Dan Zhu face, maintaining peaceful coexistence.

But such "sensible" ones were ultimately few.

In this chaotic situation, most, upon seeing Dan Zhu, were seized by murderous intent, wanting to crush this once-in-a-millennium genius before he could rise.

Thus, Dan Zhu faced constant pursuit, ambushes, and assassinations—extremely perilous at every turn.

Each morning before marching, Mo Hua would cast a divination to gauge Dan Zhu's fortune.

Few days brought a "lucky" omen; most were "neutral," "minor ill," "medium ill," and so on.

Yet even so, they had to keep moving forward.

Mo Hua could only use the divination to determine their route, guiding Dan Zhu toward fortune and away from misfortune, doing his utmost to preserve Dan Zhu's life.

On rare occasions when he drew a "major ill" omen, Mo Hua would order the group to set up camp and remain in place until the omen shifted from ill to lucky, or at least to "minor ill," before continuing.

Thus, along the way, Mo Hua invisibly helped Dan Zhu avoid countless risks.

Dan Zhu did not fully understand, but he faintly sensed that "Master Wuzhu" had exhausted his spirit and effort for his safety, and he was deeply moved.

The Man general Chifeng was also profoundly awed by the Lord Wuzhu's "divine foresight."

But Mo Hua's "divination" began to fail several days later.

No matter how he cast, every omen was "major ill"—three days straight, the ill omen never faded.

This meant that if they continued forward, Dan Zhu would face an extreme life-or-death crisis.

Mo Hua frowned, troubled, and ordered Chifeng to guard him as they went ahead to investigate.

They walked for half a day with no major issue, until they reached a valley.

Mo Hua sensed something odd, so he told Chifeng to stay put, while he concealed himself and moved deeper.

Beyond the desolate mountains, he looked up and saw, amid towering peaks, countless bone-staff banners standing tall, each bearing a dark green-black monstrous bird:

Bi Fang.

It was the Bi Fang tribe—and they were numerous.

Mo Hua looked out over the entire valley, and many nearby mountains, all teeming with Bi Fang tribe's barbarian soldiers.

These barbarians wore Bi Fang barbarian armor of green feathers and black plumage — without exception, all were elite troops.

These were the main forces of the Bi Fang tribe's high-ranking officers.

Among them, Mo Hua's spiritual sense swept briefly and detected no fewer than ten barbarian generals at the Jin Dan realm.

Mo Hua's heart tightened.

No wonder…

The Zheng Bu barbarians block the mountains; Jin Dan barbarian generals encircle to slaughter.

For Seeing Dan Zhu, this is indeed a "great omen of doom," possibly even a "certain death" scenario.

As soon as Dan Zhu's six-hundred-strong force enters the Bi Fang tribe's line of sight, they will be detected instantly.

Large-scale battles between Dao soldiers and barbarian troops differ from cultivators fighting one-on-one.

Without "concealment" techniques, forces numbering as few as dozens or as many as hundreds or thousands, once approaching, will inevitably detect each other.

By then, it will be too late to flee.

Both sides can only charge head-on.

The Bi Fang Zheng Bu barbarians will surge out of the valley and crush Dan Zhu's side with overwhelming force.

The disparity in numbers is too great.

Fleeing is impossible — at this moment, any retreat will shatter formation, expose their backs to the enemy, and lead to even more deaths from trampling.

Even if Dan Zhu ultimately escapes, the barbarian soldiers who have pledged themselves to him and fought alongside him across the lands will surely be slaughtered to the last man.

Mo Hua frowned.

The Bi Fang Zheng Bu has blocked here, sealing every mountain path — they clearly intend to "ambush and slaughter" Dan Zhu.

And yet the Bi Fang tribe has deployed its Zheng Bu forces, openly and loudly, to encircle and kill the young master of another third-grade tribe.

This likely also means that the Great Wasteland is truly about to "descend into chaos."

With famine as the catalyst, the curtain may soon rise on a far larger "tribal war"…