Chapter 2793

Ye Zhangqing thought that Zhao Tianqing, in order to gain merit, had thus poisoned Tanshe Zuzhang.

However, Zhao Tianqing himself was completely at a loss, unable to fathom how he had died.

Earlier they spoke so mysteriously, yet a single bowl of wine poisoned him to death—surely an exaggeration.

Zhao Tianqing had no desire to stand out at all; he only wanted to lie low and wait for a safe exit from the Barbarian God Tribe Divine Realm.

All one can say is that the world is fickle; this Tanshe Zuzhang was simply too inept.

However, Ye Zhangqing does not know any of this for now; for the time being, he can only wait for Zhao Tianqing and the Iron Peak Clan Chief to return safely before speaking further.

Each day remained the same—briefly busy with three meals, and the days passed rather peacefully.

Meanwhile, the Iron Peak Tribe was also inquiring about the whereabouts of other human cultivators, but due to the Charcoal Snake Tribe incident, progress has naturally slowed considerably, and their energy is limited.

Therefore, Ye Zhangqing was not idle either; he had everyone, in their spare time, compile a list of the human cultivators for whom there was still no news.

Although one cannot claim there are no omissions, at least it provides a trail to follow; searching according to the list will undoubtedly be more efficient.

It also allows one to catch omissions and see who might have been forgotten.

That day, after dinner, Ye Zhangqing returned to his lodgings to rest as usual; there was nothing special at night, and he never left the Iron Peak Tribe.

Only a fool would think that, with the Iron Peak Tribe and the Tree Ghost brothers of the Black Mist Forest protecting him, a well‑fed Ye Zhangqing would venture out alone on an adventure.

In the Barbarian God Tribe Divine Realm, one must be careful and not be overconfident.

However, under the cover of night, not far from the Iron Peak Tribe, two groups of figures were swiftly chasing each other through the darkness.

Running ahead were, astonishingly, more than a dozen human cultivators, led by a Heavenly Palace Celestial Official.

Among them were mighty ones from the Heavenly Palace, as well as elders from the Heavenly Family and the Wushen Palace.

The party was small in number, yet at this moment each one's face was ashen, panicked and without direction.

Behind them, a squad of Barbarian God Tribe warriors pursued relentlessly—not from the Iron Peak Tribe, but likely from other Barbarian God Tribe clans.

They had lost track of how far they had run; ever since being spotted by those Barbarian God Tribe warriors, they had been fleeing at full speed, with hardly any time to rest along the way.

Those Barbarian God Tribe pursuers behind them were like bloodhounds—once shaken off, they would soon catch the scent again.

This made the group utterly miserable, beyond words.

Each person was nearly at their limit, their Línglì long since depleted, yet they dared not stop.

"Damn it, how long are these bastards going to keep chasing us?"

"Why not turn back and fight them?"

"Exactly, if we keep going like this we'll inevitably die anyway."

Some even contemplated mutual destruction, but the Heavenly Palace Celestial Official leading them, his face grim, gritted his teeth and cursed.

"Fight? With what? Can we even win? This isn't going all‑out—it's just throwing away our lives. Cut the chatter; there's a grove ahead—let's charge in."

In the distance, the Heavenly Palace Celestial Official spotted the Black Mist Forest and, without a second thought, prepared to lead the charge into it.

They didn't know it was the Black Mist Forest; they only thought to use the woods for cover, hoping to shake off their pursuers.

Meanwhile, the Barbarian God Tribe warriors hot on their heels now realized that the Iron Peak Tribe lay just ahead.

Someone, wary, spoke up.

"Chief, the Iron Peak Tribe is right ahead—should we still pursue?"

The Iron Peak Tribe is one of the strongest clans among the Barbarian God Tribe, incomparable to theirs; naturally they dare not offend it.

However, the clan chief leading them merely laughed and said.

"We are here to repel foreign invaders; if these fellows flee into the Iron Peak Tribe, they'll be seeking their own deaths—have no fear, keep pursuing."

They are acting to eradicate these outsiders; even if the Iron Peak Tribe finds out, what crime is there?

All they need is to be respectful when the time comes and avoid clashing with the Iron Peak Tribe's people—then there will be no problem.

Regarding foreign invaders, the attitude of the major Barbarian God Tribe clans ought to be uniformly outward; this is beyond doubt.

With such a justifiable reason, the clan chief had no worries; he maintained his speed, closely pursuing the humans ahead, and plunged straight into the Black Mist Forest.

But as soon as they entered the woods, they sensed something was off.

The humans didn't know the forest's depths, but as natives of this realm, the Barbarian God Tribe naturally understood it better.

They proceeded cautiously while voicing their doubts.

"Chief, I feel this forest looks somewhat familiar."

"I feel the same."

In the night, the forest beneath their feet gave them a vague sense of familiarity, though they could not pinpoint exactly where it came from.

But before they could dwell on it, they faintly made out the silhouettes of the humans ahead.

The leading clan chief wasted no words, making a swift decision.

"Seize the people first, then we'll talk."

Saying that, he charged ahead first; at last he caught up to the humans, and seeing the clan chief act, the others likewise rushed forward.

After chasing for so long, wasn't this very moment what they had been waiting for?

The humans ahead, still searching for an exit, had not yet found one when, the next instant, they heard footsteps behind them.

Their hearts sank—had they been caught up so quickly?

Their first instinct was to keep fleeing; after all, they had clashed before, and compared to these Barbarian God Tribe warriors, the humans' strength was clearly far inferior, making a direct confrontation impossible.

But now that they wanted to flee, the Barbarian God Tribe would not allow it; having finally caught up, they would not let the humans escape so easily.

Immediately they became entangled; seeing this, the Heavenly Palace Celestial Official leading them made a snap decision.

"Go, don't linger in battle—run as far as you can."

"Lingering here would most likely result in total annihilation, with little chance of victory; better to break out now, at least saving some of us."

"Even if only one person gets away, that's still better than losing everyone here."

However, the Barbarian God Tribe side was also guarding against the humans' flight, immediately blocking as many escape routes as possible.

Even if they wanted to run, everyone would be fraught with difficulty.

And as soon as the two sides clashed, the outcome was decided instantly, and the Barbarian God Tribe side immediately took control of the situation.

The leading tribal elder said coldly.

"Run! Why aren't you running? Weren't you just good at running?"

Unfortunately, none of them understood a word of those words; at the same time, a loud shout came from the direction of the Iron Peak Tribe.

"Stop."

Hearing the sound, the Barbarian God Tribe side knew that the Iron Peak Tribe people had arrived, and the leading tribal elder echoed in agreement.

"Did you hear that? Let you stop, obey obediently, and you'll suffer less."

"I'm telling you to stop, damn it."

Who would have thought that the next second, an Iron Peak Tribe member stepped forward and kicked that tribal elder over with a single kick.