Chapter 1221: External Enemy

Three months later, Mo Hua's reforms of the Da Huang tribe had already begun to show results.

Half of the Wu Sha mountain realm, the entire Wu Tu mountain realm, and several surrounding minor mountain realms were merged by Mo Hua into one, uniformly named "Wu Tu."

In the Man language, "Wu Tu" symbolizes "fire."

Mo Hua also intended to build a great tribe under the name "Wu Tu."

This Great Wu Tu Tribe, under the leadership of Mo Hua as Lord Wuzhu, acted in the name of the "Divine Lord."

Dan Zhu's Dan Que tribe was an ally of the Wu Tu tribe.

Everyone revered a single Divine Lord and honored Mo Hua alone as "Lord Wuzhu."

Divine authority was unified under Mo Hua.

Power was centralized under Dan Zhu, with an Elder Council established to deliberate, supervise one another, and make collective decisions.

Additionally, tribal offices had ranks, but all clan members were equal, bound by tribal law.

No one was permitted to kill arbitrarily, monopolize power, or impose private punishments.

Every child must receive Mo Hua's instruction, learn a certain lineage, and become a useful person who would one day serve the tribe and remain loyal to the Divine Lord.

Mo Hua also attempted to propose abolishing the "Man slave system," aiming to grant all Man slaves equal status and let them live under the sun.

Prisoners taken in future wars would no longer be treated as "Man slaves."

But this proposal was condemned by nearly every tribal chief and elder, except Dan Zhu.

This idea was still too advanced.

The foundation of the Da Huang tribe was the "Man slave system."

Abolishing this system was equivalent to dismantling the very foundation—everything previously built within the tribe would collapse entirely.

Under the threat of the Great Calamity, this was not a prudent decision.

Moreover, whether Man slaves truly deserved equal rights was a question that was unpleasant but undeniably real.

Many Man slaves were themselves vile "criminals."

They had committed unforgivable sins and been reduced to slavery—devoid of conscience, worse than beasts.

Adultery and murder of husbands, greed-driven patricide, illicit affairs and murder of wives, betrayal and murder of children, and so on.

Human hearts are sometimes more vile than beasts.

Some people simply do not deserve to be called "human." Treating them as human and showing them mercy would only encourage the decay of order and bring endless calamity.

Mo Hua recognized this complex, cold, and ugly reality, and temporarily abandoned the idea.

He established only one rule: no arbitrary killing of Man slaves, no private punishments against them, and no use of them as "living sacrifices."

This was already the greatest concession possible under the harsh realities of the barbaric world.

Further, deeper reforms would be sought gradually.

Through Mo Hua's various explorations and attempts, the embryonic form of a new great tribe had begun to take shape.

Due to the continuous improvement of internal institutions and the guarantee of livelihood, external combat strength—including troop numbers, Man armor, lineages, and military systems—was also developing steadily.

But this development gradually hit a limit.

Because the Wu Tu mountain realm was still a remote, second-rank mountain realm, resources were scarce, materials for forging armor and arrays were insufficient, and manpower was lacking.

Once development reached a certain point, it naturally hit a bottleneck and became impossible to break through.

Just as Mo Hua was searching desperately for a way to break the deadlock, a powerful "external enemy" arrived.

This enemy was an old acquaintance.

Bi Fang tribe, Bi Jie.

In these past months, the Wu Tu mountain realm had already faced several external enemies.

And without exception, all of them had been repelled by Lord Lugu.

Some had even been "swallowed" by the Shu Gu tribe.

As Mo Hua had predicted, the Shu Gu tribe had become the shield of the Wu Tu mountain realm.

But previous external enemies were all small or medium tribes that had scattered here for various reasons and were weak in strength.

Now it was different: Bi Jie was the young master of the Bi Fang tribe, a fully grown, battle-hardened, and highly respected young master qualified to command a full tribe's forces.

Now Bi Jie had amassed his troops beyond the borders, advancing toward the Wu Tu mountain realm, coveting this rare haven of peace in the chaotic age—and this rich "prize."

Not to mention that within this haven dwelled his enemy and archrival—Dan Zhu.

One Bi Fang full tribe, and one Shu Gu full tribe.

Both were tigers.

If these were ordinary small or medium forces, Lord Lugu would have devoured them.

But the situation now was different: the Bi Fang tribe was strong, so Lord Lugu would most likely not fight Bi Jie to the death.

In fact, the two sides would most likely not fight at all—they would likely join forces to confront Dan Zhu and invade the Wu Tu mountain realm.

After breaking through the Wu Tu mountain realm and killing Dan Zhu, they would divide the "prize" between them.

Mo Hua's mood grew solemn.

And as events proved, his prediction was correct.

The Bi Fang tribe and the Shu Gu tribe had only clashed slightly upon their first encounter, with some fighting.

But soon after, the conflict subsided.

The Bi Fang tribe and the Shu Gu tribe ceased fighting altogether.

The two sides seemed to have reached some "understanding," or perhaps secretly signed a "pact."

Afterwards, the Shu Gu tribe made way for the Bi Fang tribe.

Bi Jie's Bi Fang full tribe entered the Wu Sha mountain realm.

The forces of two full tribes converged, their combined might pressing against the Wu Tu mountain realm like dark clouds crushing a mountain—panic spread through the realm.

Seeing Dan Zhu and others wore solemn expressions.

Mo Hua also frowned.

One Zhengbu of Lugu was manageable; even if their general was a Jin Dan late-stage Lord Lugu, within the Second-Rank Mountain Realm, Mo Hua had confidence he could suppress them.

Even if he put in some effort, directly swallowing the Lugu Zhengbu would pose no problem.

Of course, Lord Lugu could not be killed, but the other Lugu sect Jin Dan and the Lugu Zhengbu's barbarian troops would surely suffer heavy casualties.

But add to that a Bi Fang Zhengbu, and the situation changes entirely.

Although after several months of rest and development, the Wutu Mountain Realm had gained more heavy armor and stronger troops.

Yet facing the Lugu and Bi Fang Zhengbu together remained extremely difficult.

Even if victory were ultimately possible, it would be a "pyrrhic victory," and the number of his barbarian troops lost would be incalculable.

The troops he had painstakingly cultivated would be wiped out in one great battle.

Once his base was gone, rebuilding afterward would become exceedingly difficult.

Moreover, the situation in the Great Wilderness was worsening day by day; Mo Hua had no time to rebuild from scratch again.

What should he do…

Mo Hua stood atop the peak of Wutu Mountain, gazing far at the Wusha Mountain Realm, watching the dark masses of barbarian troops from Lugu and Bi Fang, his expression grave.

Wutu Mountain Realm was Mo Hua's last stronghold; there was no place to retreat to.

Bi Jie, this man, held grudges and would surely not let this go.

Lord Lugu, having suffered defeat before, would surely seek to reclaim his honor.

Now, both men shared a common enmity—the situation was dire.

Mo Hua was not worried about his own safety; if he truly wished to flee, no one could stop him.

But his "estate" lay here; the monk may run, but the temple cannot.

Mo Hua stood on the mountain peak, gazing intently into the distance.

Beyond Wufeng Ridge, one side was lined with Lugu barbarian troops painted in white-bone war makeup.

On the other side stood Bi Fang barbarian troops clad in dark-blue and black barbarian armor.

The entire Wufeng Ridge was occupied by these two forces—half pale white, half dark blue-black—their aura overwhelmingly oppressive.

As Mo Hua watched, his gaze suddenly flickered, and he unconsciously recalled the great Daoist law model he had comprehended from life and death during his study of Taotie's power.

One life, one death.

One white, one black.

It bore striking resemblance to the scene of enemy troops massed beyond the border.

"Laws… are not merely abstract principles. The Dao encompasses all things; thus, all things must follow certain frameworks and laws…"

"This framework and model can analyze laws, and naturally, can also dissect all things in the world, even all warfare and combat."

"Life and death, white and black, even…"

"Yin and yang?"

Mo Hua gradually gained another indescribable insight.

All methods in the world are opposites united.

All things on the surface of these laws are likewise so.

The Lugu and Bi Fang tribes before him appeared to form an "alliance," yet they were originally opposed.

They seemed a powerful united force.

But if he could find a crack, intensify their conflict, and provoke their "division."

This so-called alliance would collapse on its own.

Extend this logic: all tribes, all clans, all sects—even all factions—were much the same.

They appeared mighty, invincible.

Yet within them, there inevitably existed divisions and contradictions.

If he could find those divisions, stoke them, incite them, and fan the flames, even the strongest force would one day crumble.

Cultivators seek the Dao; the Dao contains all methods, and all methods connect to all things, even specific people and events.

All of this is interconnected.

Some laws can be used for cultivation, understanding arrays, and generating spells.

They can also be used to resolve concrete matters.

Thinking this way, Mo Hua suddenly felt a profound clarity.

With this understanding of "law," his enemies before him automatically split apart—black and white, their contradictions stark.

The entire situation seemed vastly simpler.

Mo Hua himself found it almost unbelievable.

After pondering for a moment, he felt the Lugu Zhengbu and Bi Fang Zhengbu were no longer two "powerful enemies," but two "playthings" he could manipulate, exploit their contradictions, and twist as he pleased.

Even the methods of manipulation were simple.

Mo Hua summoned Tie Shugu and asked him: "How do you paint your tribe's face makeup?"

Tie Shugu did not understand what Mo Hua intended, but he answered truthfully, detailing everything and sketching out all the patterns.

This white-bone face makeup was a symbol of the Lugu tribe's "identity" and "rank."

What patterns were painted carried strict meaning.

Out of fear of Mo Hua, Tie Shugu dared not conceal anything.

Mo Hua received the face-paint patterns from Tie Shugu, gave them to Xiao Zatu, and gave him specific instructions.

Afterwards, Mo Hua began using the causal principles of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity to calculate the battlefield.

The battlefield has grown larger, with more people, and Mo Hua's spiritual sense has limited computational power, unable to calculate many developments.

He only calculated one thing: Bi Jie's movements.

After that, Mo Hua began deploying troops and arranging formations based on that single piece of intelligence.

Seven days later, Bi Jie could no longer hold back and, alongside Lord Lugu, launched a full-scale assault on the Wutu Mountain Border.

The battle situation was going extremely well.

After four months, the Shu Bone Clan crossed the Wu Feng Ridge for the first time, advancing en masse toward the Wutu Mountain Border.

Meanwhile, Bi Jie encountered his lifelong nemesis—the prodigy young master of the Dan Que Clan, Seeing Dan Zhu.

The two led their troops into fierce combat.

After hundreds of rounds, Dan Zhu could not hold out and withdrew his forces.

Bi Jie laughed loudly and pursued relentlessly.

The two sides chased and fled, all the way to a hundred li away, where Dan Zhu received reinforcements.

They were thirty Dan Que Clan barbarian soldiers clad in Deep Bone Heavy Armor.

This was Bi Jie's first time directly experiencing the power of such heavy-armored barbarians.

But he was not surprised.

Before the battle, he had met Lord Lugu and had long been informed by him that the Dan Que Clan had stolen the ancestral heavy armor of the Shu Bone Clan.

Moreover, while this heavy armor was powerful, its numbers were inevitably limited.

The combined forces of the Bi Fang Clan and the Shu Bone Clan, along with dozens of Jin Dan barbarian generals, would not be at a disadvantage in direct confrontation.

Bi Jie had already made arrangements for this.

The two sides clashed in chaotic combat.

The Jin Dan of the Bi Fang Clan led their barbarian troops to engage and tie down these Deep Bone Heavy Armor soldiers.

The rest, alongside Bi Jie, desperately surrounded and sought to kill Dan Zhu.

On the second-rank mountain border, Dan Zhu could not use magical artifacts—he was at a severe disadvantage, and after fighting for a while, he indeed lost again.

Dan Zhu continued to flee.

Bi Jie continued to pursue.

As he chased, just as Dan Zhu was about to be cornered, a unit of Shu Bone Clan heavy armor soldiers suddenly burst out from the forest.

This unit consisted of twenty men, all clad in Deep Bone Heavy Armor, their faces painted with superior Shu Bone battle makeup.

These were elite troops.

Their leader was a Jin Dan, his bone patterns stark and orthodox—clearly a Shu Bone Clan Jin Dan.

He shouted: "Young Master Bi Jie, I come under Lord Lugu's orders to aid you in slaying Dan Zhu!"

Bi Jie's heart leapt with joy: "Good! Join me in surrounding and killing Dan Zhu—today is the day this scoundrel dies!"

The Shu Bone Clan's heavy armor soldiers surrounded Dan Zhu completely.

The Shu Bone Clan's Jin Dan seized the opportunity to stab Dan Zhu to the ground with a bone spear.

Bi Jie felt a faint unease—as if something was off.

But Dan Zhu, lying on the ground, bleeding from the shoulder, pale-faced and panicked, was more "alluring" than the most beautiful woman in the world.

Bi Jie's thirst for revenge burned fiercely, and in that moment, he lost reason, ignoring all doubts.

He wanted to kill his enemy with his own hands, making Dan Zhu suffer humiliation before death.

Bi Jie strode forward, raising his blade toward Dan Zhu.

But before he could reach him, a bone spear coated in deadly poison suddenly stabbed from behind, from an angle he could not see.

Bi Jie, naturally suspicious and ever-alert, sensed the danger at the last moment, activated his body technique, and dodged the spear.

But the poison on the spear still scraped his cheek.

Bi Jie suddenly felt an inexplicable craving.

Before he could recover, a searing heat came from his side.

Dan Zhu, who had been lying on the ground, looking exhausted, now stared coldly, brimming with killing intent, wielding a Zhu Que Flame Long Spear, thrusting straight at Bi Jie's ear gate point.

Bi Jie clearly had not expected that the upright Dan Zhu had learned to "ambush."

This spear strike was powerful, blazing with flame, and its angle was cunning—as if meticulously calculated. Bi Jie could not fully evade it.

At that exact moment, a Jin Dan of the Bi Fang Clan rushed forward and took the spear for Bi Jie, his chest pierced through.

Bi Jie quickly retreated, temporarily escaping Dan Zhu's killing intent.

But before he could catch his breath, over twenty Shu Bone Clan Deep Bone Heavy Armor soldiers, their faces painted with white bone makeup, suddenly turned their spears and surrounded him to kill.

Bi Jie roared in fury: "How dare you?! Your Shu Bone Clan dares betray the alliance?!"

But the heavy armor soldiers said nothing, pressing forward with relentless killing intent.

Dan Zhu also spurred his spear, his body blazing like fire, charging at Bi Jie.

Bi Jie, fighting through the strange, faint hunger, began to struggle against Dan Zhu and the twenty heavy armor soldiers.

But he could only fight desperately to survive—there was no room to counterattack.

Bi Jie's heart burned with rage, and after a moment, he could not help but be filled with doubt:

What is going on?

Has Lord Lugu betrayed the pact?

Or is Dan Zhu this brat, and they are "performing" to deceive me?

Could these barbarian soldiers, painted with white bone makeup and clad in Deep Bone Heavy Armor, be Dan Que Clan members in disguise?

But reality gave him no time to think.

Dan Zhu and his group, seeing they could not kill Bi Jie quickly, shifted their blades and turned to slaughter the other Bi Fang Clan members.

Less than a hundred rounds passed before one Jin Dan was severely wounded.

More than twenty other Foundation Establishment barbarian soldiers died beneath the bone spears.

The Yuan Gu soldiers of the Shu Gu tribe, alongside Seeing Dan Zhu, were killing Bi Jie's personal attendants.

No matter the truth, what he saw before his eyes was this very scene.

Bi Jie's eyes bulged with rage.

He suddenly remembered something:

Could the secret of the ancestral heavy armor really be so easily leaked?

Even if it had been leaked, who could possibly recast such ancient heavy armor?

Could this whole thing have been Lord Lugu's deception from the start?

He had long been in cahoots with Seeing Dan Zhu—even "lending" the heavy armor to the Dan Que tribe.

The two of them were setting a trap, aiming to lure him in, swallow his Bi Fang Zheng tribe, and kill him, the young master of the Bi Fang tribe.

Cold sweat poured down Bi Jie's back; the more he thought, the more plausible it seemed.

Otherwise, how could a mighty Shu Gu Zheng tribe fail to capture even a Rank-Two Mountain Realm?

Lord Lugu was a late-stage Jin Dan general—how could he fail to defeat a Rank-Two Mountain Realm, or even lose to Seeing Dan Zhu?!

All of these were red flags.

Previously, Bi Jie had been fixated on killing Seeing Dan Zhu, on capturing and torturing him, never pausing to think deeply.

But now, spurred by the scene before him, suspicion surged—and all these suspicious "flaws" came to light.

"Lord Lugu and Seeing Dan Zhu, those two bastards, are in league! They're trying to lure me into a trap and kill me!"

Bi Jie was thrown into panic.

The Yuan Gu heavy-armored soldiers before him radiated terrifying might.

The Dan Que tribe's heavy-armored soldiers and the Shu Gu tribe's heavy-armored soldiers merged together, charging toward Bi Jie.

"Both tribes are wearing identical heavy armor!"

"Damn it!"

Bi Jie gritted his teeth: "Retreat!"

If he didn't retreat now, once Lord Lugu came charging again, his life would be over.

Bi Jie immediately ordered his troops to retreat; halfway through, he discovered that several encampments along the way had all been breached.

Shu Gu barbarian soldiers were looting the supplies of Bi Fang tribe.

This was Mo Hua's order.

During battle, no Dan Que barbarian soldier was allowed to seize supplies from Bi Fang's encampments; instead, they were to tear open storage bags, smash storage chests, and dump the supplies on the ground for Shu Gu soldiers to take.

The Shu Gu soldiers would definitely take them.

These barbarian cultivators had no strict discipline.

If supplies were stored inside encampments, they might not think to steal—but if dumped on the ground, they could not resist the temptation.

This was no longer Mo Hua's men pretending to be Shu Gu soldiers; these were genuine Shu Gu soldiers looting Bi Fang's supplies.

Bi Jie flew into a rage and immediately ordered his men to kill these Shu Gu barbarians looting the supplies.

This killing was seen by the Shu Gu tribe's Jin Dan.

They began pointing at Bi Jie and shouting: "Young Master Bi Jie, why are you killing our Shu Gu clansmen?"

Bi Jie sneered, "Ask your general, Lord Lugu—why are you trying to kill me?"

The Shu Gu Jin Dan roared: "You dare accuse us first—you despicable coward!"

Before Bi Jie could reply,

A new group burst from the crowd—Yuan Gu heavy-armored barbarians with white-bone war paint on their faces. Without a word, they silently launched an attack on Bi Fang's barbarian soldiers.

The other Shu Gu barbarians, seeing this, instinctively followed behind these "Yuan Gu heavy-armored soldiers," launching a massacre against Bi Fang.

They had already been filled with anger; now that their "ancestral heavy-armored troops" were avenging them, they had no mercy.

Seeing this, Bi Jie confirmed his suspicions—and his rage exploded:

"So it's true—you're all in league! You're all damned!"

From the crowd, someone suddenly shouted:

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

More and more voices joined in.

The situation grew even more chaotic.

Without Bi Jie's command, Bi Fang and Shu Gu barbarian soldiers began fighting each other, fighting over loot.

They were barbarian cultivators from different tribes, with not a shred of loyalty between them.

When there was no conflict, they could barely fight together.

But now, with blood spilled, loot stolen, and grudges formed, it was like a powder keg ignited—exploding instantly.

Bi Fang killed Shu Gu soldiers; Shu Gu retaliated.

Shu Gu looted Bi Fang's supplies; Bi Fang fought back to reclaim them.

You kill, I loot; you loot, I kill—plus a wave of "Shu Gu heavy-armored soldiers" leading the charge—the chaos exploded outward, spreading rapidly.

Before they even breached Wu Tu Mountain Realm, the Buluotong Alliance of Shu Gu and Bi Fang tribes turned on each other.

Within Wu Tu Mountain Realm, smoke filled every corner.

Mo Hua stood high above, watching it all from afar, thinking: Just as expected.

"Rules like these apply everywhere."

"This move is pretty handy too. From now on, I should learn to make greater use of contradictions, to sow discord and drive a wedge between others…"

"A thorough understanding of worldly affairs is itself a branch of learning. One must not only use formations to gain enlightenment, but also use concrete people and events to gain enlightenment…"