Chapter 1226: The Pawn

No one spoke; everyone looked solemn.

Only the sound of heavy, uneven footsteps drew closer and closer.

In an atmosphere of crushing oppression, the figure within the miasma finally slowly revealed its form.

Lord Lugu's pupils contracted sharply.

These Bone-Slaughtering tribesmen no longer really looked like "people."

Their faces, arms, and bodies were covered in bite marks, as if someone had "eaten" them, yet blood at the corners of their mouths showed they had clearly also "eaten" others.

You eat me, I eat you — exchanging flesh and blood, bound together through some subtle covenant.

The only one still intact was the small giant among the crowd, whose body was like a mountain.

He was precisely Lord Lugu's elder brother, the other chief general of the Bone-Art Division:

A late-stage Jin Dan great barbarian cultivator — Shi Gu.

But at this moment, Shi Gu's condition was hardly good either.

He was simply too strong — no one could "eat" him; only he got a share of eating others.

Yet he seemed to have "eaten" far too many people, so much so that the flesh and blood within him had fallen into chaos, his meridians bulged, his skin split open, and even his eyes had taken on a pale grey-black hue.

He looked like a giant "zombie king."

But within his body, a trace of vitality still lingered — he seemed not yet dead.

Lord Lugu gazed at this elder brother, once mighty and extraordinary, now a half-living, half-dead "walking corpse," and the feelings in his heart were beyond words.

"Big brother, you—" Lord Lugu's voice was bitter.

But "Shi Gu" showed no reaction at all; his reason, long tormented by hunger, had little left.

What kept him moving was nothing but his craving for "flesh and blood."

Mo Hua looked at Shi Gu, especially those grey-black eyes, with a solemn expression.

A sense of unease began to grow in his heart.

Suddenly, a wisp of evil intent stirred in the air, and the scent of sulfur spread out.

Mo Hua's gaze trembled slightly, and he said in a low voice at once:

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

As Lord Wuzhu, Mo Hua's prestige was very high — his word was law.

The moment his words fell, Hei Yichen and Seeing Dan Zhu and the others activated their magic treasures.

The Dan Que Division's barbarian soldiers also raised their long spears in formation.

Some soldiers of the Bone-Art Division, who had been led by Mo Hua along the way and grown used to following his commands, also raised the bone spears in their hands, pointing them at Shi Gu.

Lord Lugu said coldly, "That is my elder brother. Who dares?"

The Bone-Art Division's barbarian soldiers could only lower their bone spears once more.

But just at that moment, an extremely strong scent of blood spread out, a roar that did not sound human rang out, the mountains and forests trembled, the surrounding blood-mist quivered, as if a rain of blood and a foul wind swept through.

The grey-black eyes of "Shi Gu" began to roll irregularly.

Blood threads also seeped from the depths of his eyes.

This time, it truly seemed he had been "awakened" by something.

A hunger and thirst as deep as the sea radiated from the heart of the small-giant-like Shi Gu, affecting the state of mind of many of the Dao soldiers.

Almost in the very next instant, Shi Gu's figure suddenly vanished.

Practically no one on the field could make out his movements.

When Shi Gu reappeared, he was already standing before the Bone-Art Division barbarian soldiers' formation; with a single sweeping punch, he blew apart the heads of eight Bone-Art barbarian soldiers, their flesh and blood bursting into a red mist.

Then, before everyone's eyes, Shi Gu broke off the limbs of the Bone-Art barbarian soldiers and, like eating "hand-torn chicken," peeled and devoured them alive.

The crowd was horrified; everyone stared at Shi Gu with terror-stricken expressions, momentarily forgetting to react.

And Shi Gu "ate" people extremely fast — as if possessed by a "taotie" — and in a few swift bites swallowed all eight whole.

From start to finish, it took only the span of a few blinks.

After eating the men, Shi Gu still felt unsatisfied and wanted to change the flavor.

As a great general of the Bone-Art Division and a clansman of the Bone-Art tribe, he had clearly grown tired of "eating" them.

In a blink, the small-giant-like Shi Gu vanished once more.

In that brief instant, no one detected Shi Gu's presence.

Only Mo Hua — his gaze darkened, his divine sense locked on, and then he pointed into empty air; a wisp of bright fire condensed at his fingertip and illuminated the empty space to his right front.

Seeing Dan Zhu took the hint and immediately activated the Mysterious Fire, transforming it into flame-feathers that shot toward the place Mo Hua had indicated.

The Mysterious Fire feathers touched the air and then suddenly exploded.

From within the flames, Shi Gu's massive figure emerged.

His palm, like a great fan, was reaching down from above to twist the heads off several Dan Que Division barbarian soldiers.

Those barbarian soldiers had no time to react at all.

They could not dodge Shi Gu's death-grip palm either.

But Mo Hua's pointing and Seeing Dan Zhu's activation of the magic treasure triggered an explosion that, while hitting Shi Gu, also blasted these few barbarian soldiers aside with its shockwave, saving their lives.

Shi Gu's hand grabbed empty air, caught nothing to eat, and he immediately threw back his head and howled, furiously enraged.

Seeing Dan Zhu then said coldly, "Form ranks!"

"Kill!"

Hei Yichen charged at the forefront, spiritual power surging through his meridians like molten lava, his long spear blazing like fierce fire, and struck toward the late-stage Jin Dan Shi Gu.

Over a hundred heavy Abyss-Bone soldiers formed an array and closed in to kill Shi Gu.

Shi Gu let out a furious roar and exchanged a few blows with Hei Yichen; relying on nothing but his overwhelming blood-qi, he forced Hei Yichen so hard that the latter could not lift his head.

The rest of the Yuan Bone elite troops were no match for Shi Gu at all.

Shi Gu merely waved his hand, flipping over more than a dozen heavily armored soldiers.

Though the heavy armor protected them from death, the barbarian soldiers inside were still shaken by the force, their bones and tendons snapping, blood spurting from their mouths.

The might of a late Jin Dan stage was this formidable.

Mo Hua was shaken inside, then his gaze sharpened slightly.

"No, perhaps the one who is truly strong— is Shi Gu."

Shi Gu fought dozens of rounds with Chifeng, Dan Zhu, and others; though his mind was unclear, reduced to mere instinct, without any treasure or Dahuang techniques, he still managed to suppress Chifeng and the others purely through raw physical strength.

The Yuan Bone elite troops could not pressure him at all.

This was within the third-grade state border, where Jin Dan power faced no restrictions; thus, despite the Yuan Bone elite troops possessing strength comparable to "Jin Dan," they still could not possibly be Shi Gu's match in the short term—the late Jin Dan general, Shi Gu.

Though Shi Gu held the advantage in strength, the heavy armor blocked him, preventing him from killing anyone.

If he couldn't kill, he couldn't eat.

Shi Gu stood on the edge of rage; suddenly, he swept his fist horizontally, blood qi like a crimson ribbon, forcing Chifeng back.

He took Dan Zhu's spear straight to his back, barely breaking the skin; but in that instant, Shi Gu roared, and his figure vanished.

Almost the moment Shi Gu disappeared, Mo Hua turned to look toward the Shu Bone faction and warned:

"Watch out!"

Before several Shu Bone barbarian soldiers could react, the massive form of Shi Gu suddenly appeared behind them.

A stench of blood surged—Shi Gu's hands became like iron pincers, snapping the necks of two barbarians, then, in the same manner, tore them apart and devoured them.

The Shu Bone faction was thrown into chaos.

Mo Hua also realized: every time Shi Gu ate someone, as the flesh entered his mouth and was swallowed, it instantly transformed into "nourishment," replenishing his meridians and fueling his continued slaughter.

Shi Gu was too strong—if he kept eating like this, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Mo Hua immediately turned to Lord Lugu and said:

"Lord Lugu, stop your brother! Don't let him eat any more people!"

Chifeng also said: "Shi Gu is late Jin Dan. If you don't act, no one can stand against him head-on."

Lord Lugu's face was icy. "Are you ordering me? To turn my blade against my own flesh and blood?"

Chifeng roared: "What time is this?"

Mo Hua looked at Lord Lugu, his expression cold:

"Do you want all your personal guards to die in Shi Gu's hands? Do you want your entire tribe to become your brother's food?"

Before Mo Hua finished speaking, several more Shu Bone barbarians were killed, torn apart, and chewed into Shi Gu's belly.

Lord Lugu's face turned ghastly.

He did not wish to fight his own brother, but the situation was dire—every moment he delayed meant more Shu Bone tribesmen would die.

If too many died, his position as general would be hollow in name only.

Lord Lugu took a deep breath, then gritted his teeth and drew from behind his spine a massive blade, resembling the spine of a demonic beast.

This was Lord Lugu's treasure—a pure barbarian artifact forged from demonic bone, nurtured within his body.

Holding the Bone-Cutting Blade, its edge gleaming with white light, Lord Lugu slashed toward Shi Gu.

Shi Gu sensed the danger, hurled away the half-eaten head of the Shu Bone barbarian, and on both arms, grotesque white bones emerged like armored bracers, engaging Lord Lugu in combat.

The two strongest late Jin Dan of the Shu Bone faction—the two brothers who had grown up together—now tore at each other in deadly struggle.

At first, Lord Lugu held back, unwilling to raise his blade against his own brother.

But the moment he clashed with Shi Gu, that familiar oppressive pressure surged forth—Lord Lugu could no longer hold back; he had to pour every ounce of strength into fighting for his life against his brother.

Otherwise, even a slight misstep would mean his own death.

And throughout the entire battlefield, only Lord Lugu could directly withstand Shi Gu's assaults.

In that moment, Mo Hua spoke rapidly: "Commandant Chifeng, join forces with General Lugu to suppress Shi Gu."

"The other Jin Dan, hold positions around the perimeter, take turns advancing to assist—each of you may strike only three times."

"Pour all your strength into those three strikes, then retreat immediately. No matter what happens, do not linger."

"The Yuan Bone elite troops form a circle fifty zhang away—only defend, do not attack; contain Shi Gu."

"The rest of the barbarians retreat a hundred zhang out—do not let Shi Gu kill or eat you. Simply by not being eaten, you're already helping immensely."

"Young Master Dan Zhu, deal with the remaining Shi Gu faction soldiers—"

Mo Hua issued his orders one by one.

The battlefield's situation instantly became clearer.

Dan Zhu led his men to slaughter the other Shi Gu faction soldiers, zombie-like "remnants."

Fortunately, the Shi Gu faction suffered famine, turning on each other; most of their members had already died in the famine, and very few remained "alive."

The Jin Dan were reduced to only the strongest one—Shi Gu—every other Jin Dan had vanished.

Thus, if they could suppress Shi Gu, they could control the situation.

And suppressing Shi Gu proceeded smoothly.

Though Shi Gu was strong, he had no "mind," fighting purely on instinct.

With Lord Lugu holding the front, and the other Jin Dan taking turns with three strikes each—the ultimate "wheel battle" form—Shi Gu could only be steadily worn down, slowly "consumed."

And since he could not eat anyone, he could not replenish his blood qi; every bit consumed weakened him further, slowing his movements.

Over time, Shi Gu fell into disadvantage.

But even so, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse—without flesh to feed on, Shi Gu still possessed formidable blood qi.

The more so, the more cautious everyone became.

Finally, after carefully wearing him down for a full hour, Shi Gu's flesh and blood strength finally ran out, and his remaining vitality began to fade.

After another hundred rounds of battle, all of Shibi's movements suddenly ceased.

Like a puppet with its winding spring removed, he stood motionless, utterly devoid of breath.

Seeing this, everyone lowered their magical artifacts and weapons, slowly exhaling in relief.

Only Lord Lugu looked solemn, his expression tinged with pain.

He wanted to step closer and see whether his elder brother was truly dead.

He wanted to see what had happened to his elder brother.

But before he could approach, Mo Hua spoke to stop him: "Don't go near—he's still alive. He's faking death."

Lord Lugu froze.

Diao Laosan, one of the Five Bones of Shuguo, sneered at Mo Hua:

"Who do you think Shibi my lord is? Shibi my lord is a great talent, with grand ambitions—how could he possibly resort to such a lowly trick as faking death?"

The Five Bones of Shuguo were also Lord Lugu's subordinates.

The five brothers had a grudge against Seeing Dan Zhu, but were forced to unite under Lord Lugu's authority.

Yet in their hearts, they held no affection for Seeing Dan Zhu—or for Mo Hua, the Lord Wuzhu of the Danque Division.

Now that Mo Hua had shown such contempt for Shibi my lord, Diao Laosan naturally felt resentment.

But the instant he turned his head to glare at Mo Hua—

Shibi, who had just been "offline," opened his eyes again, vanished in a flash, and reappeared beside Diao Laosan of the Shuguo Five at even greater speed.

A pair of bloody hands gripped Diao Laosan's throat.

Diao Laosan couldn't break free; his face twisted in terror as he turned his head and saw the once-great "talent" Shibi, his eyes now glowing green, like a mindless, frenzied beast.

A searing pain shot through his neck.

Diao Laosan's eyes bulged wide—he struggled, but could not escape.

His blood was being drained by Shibi.

Not just his blood—his entire body's flesh was being sucked and torn by Shibi's "hurricane-like" mouth, sliding from his teeth down his throat.

This was true blood and flesh consumption.

Mo Hua's gaze turned solemn; he acted without hesitation:

"Quick! Kill it!"

Chifeng immediately thrust his spear like a flame straight at Shibi's chest—but Lord Lugu's Demon-Bone Blade struck it aside.

Chifeng roared: "Lord Lugu, what are you doing?"

Lord Lugu's face darkened. "Shibi is my elder brother."

Chifeng cried: "If you don't completely shatter his heart meridian and sever his life force, he'll keep eating people!"

Lord Lugu fell silent, saying nothing.

Mo Hua spoke slowly: "Once Shibi consumes a Jin Dan and replenishes his blood qi, if he keeps eating like this, everyone will die. He's lost all reason—even if you recognize him as your brother, he won't recognize you. He'll still try to eat you."

Lord Lugu's heart trembled, yet he still could not decide.

But since he refused to act, others were willing.

The remaining four of the Five Bones of Shuguo activated their magical artifacts, channeling dark power to strangle Shibi's heart meridian.

The six brothers had been five—now one was dead, and they were the Five Bones of Shuguo.

If one more died, they'd become the Four Bones of Shuguo.

But they were only at the early stage of Jin Dan—their cultivation gap was too vast. Their bone knives, bone swords, and barbarian techniques could only scratch Shibi's skin.

And from Shibi's mouth came the sound of chewing.

Diao Laosan's flesh and blood had nearly been consumed.

Shibi's blood qi was gradually recovering. Even his eyes grew darker, deeper.

Everyone was stunned.

Lord Lugu's heart lurched—he realized the truth: if he clung to brotherly affection and let Shibi keep eating, the situation would spiral beyond control.

Lord Lugu immediately swung his Demon-Bone Blade at Shibi's shoulder.

The blade sank halfway into Shibi's shoulder; enraged, Shibi dropped Diao Laosan and turned to kill Lord Lugu.

Covered in blood, his gaze monstrous, Shibi resembled a "demon beast"—no trace remained of the noble, decisive "elder brother."

Seeing this, Lord Lugu's heart grew colder, bit by bit.

He knew: his elder brother was truly "dead."

What stood before him was no longer his brother—only a beast wearing his brother's skin.

Lord Lugu's gaze hardened; he no longer held back.

The others dared not be careless either, continuing their "wheel attack" assault.

After another half-hour of fighting, just as everyone neared exhaustion, they finally drained Shibi's "flesh and blood power."

Shibi's movements halted again.

This time, Shibi truly stopped.

Lord Lugu no longer hesitated. After confirming Shibi was not faking death, he used his Demon-Bone Blade to sever his elder brother's limbs.

Then he drew his spear, pierced his elder brother's chest, and tore out his still-warm heart.

Blood qi exhausted, limbs severed, heart removed.

With this, Shibi had no life force left whatsoever.

All his meridians were cut off—no movement possible.

Only then did everyone truly feel relief.

Shibi, at late-stage Jin Dan, had been far too powerful.

In this battle, nearly everyone was wounded.

Diao Laosan, one of the Five Lugu Brothers, had also been devoured of much of his flesh and blood by Shibi, his vitality gone; now the Five Lugu Brothers had become the Four Lugu Brothers.

Only Lord Lugu stood in place, gazing at his elder brother, whom he had personally dismembered and had his heart torn out, a profound, indescribable desolation settling in his heart.

Thus ended this inexplicable turmoil.

With Shibi dead, the remaining remnants of Shibi's forces were no match for them. Like Shibi, they too had their limbs severed and hearts removed. The survivors dug a pit and buried all the corpses together.

After all, they were of the same clan; the dead must be laid to rest.

The fallen general Shibi was also buried.

Lord Lugu personally dug a deep pit and buried Shibi within it, then erected a large stele, on which he wrote:

Tomb of Shibi, Great General of the Main Lugu Division.

Normally, when a great general died, burial would never be this modest.

Even among the barbarians, tombs would be built, coffins and outer casings used for lavish burial, and arrays slowly employed to "release the corpse."

Given Shibi's achievements, he was worthy of being interred in the ancestral tombs of the Lugu clan.

But now, with famine ravaging all, no one could afford to care about such things.

While alive, people had distinctions of realm, nobility, wealth, and poverty; after death, they were but a handful of yellow earth, dissolving with the wind.

Shibi, while alive, had been a mighty and formidable general.

In Lord Lugu's heart, his elder brother had the potential to achieve great things and leave his name in the annals of the wilderness.

But now, all was gone.

He himself had killed his elder brother, dismembered his body, torn out his heart, and ended it all.

Lord Lugu stood before Shibi's humble grave, overwhelmed with desolation.

Mo Hua stood behind Lord Lugu, silently watching all this.

Others did not understand, but he knew clearly.

Whether Lord Lugu, Shibi, or all those who died in this battle—every single person was on his Senior Uncle's chessboard.

Every one of them was his Senior Uncle's pawn.

Yet they remained utterly unaware.

Their fates were toyed with, and they never knew.

They did not know where the famine came from, why they had to die, why the horror of "cannibalism" had arisen, nor what the root cause of it all truly was.

In fact, they had never even heard the three words "Weird Daoist."

And so, in the midst of sorrow over life's capriciousness and fate's cruelty, they were toyed with to death, never knowing why they had died—

Never knowing they were merely pawns.

Even less knowing they were but one of countless pawns, so insignificant that his Senior Uncle would never so much as glance at them—..

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