Chapter 182

Outside the village of the Hunyu tribe, the Savage Bear Demon King stood silently on a large boulder, his ferocious gaze fixed on the small mountain village not far away.

Beside him, a similarly upright lesser ferocious beast also silently watched the village of the Hunyu tribe.

The lesser ferocious beast looked somewhat like a wolf, but its ears were longer than a wolf's, its entire body snow-white, and its two eyes flickered with the light of cunning wisdom.

This is a Dragon Wolf, infamous among demons for its cunning; having absorbed the dragon aura of Burial Dragon Mountain, this wolf already possessed the strength of a great demon, and its wisdom surpassed that of most demons.

"Demon King, these barbarian villages all have spirit guardians; we must be cautious," the Dragon Wolf said, fawningly looking toward the Savage Bear Demon King.

"Are you afraid?"

"Although that black dragon is not a pure-blooded dragon, its dragon blood purity is already very high."

"If I devour him, I, the king, can at least save a century of arduous cultivation!"

Regarding the long dragon, the Savage Bear Demon King displayed an air of determination to obtain it at all costs.

That black dragon is not this human's subordinate before your eyes; could it be his mount?

"Is the black dragon your subordinate?" the Savage Bear Demon King frowned and asked.

"Without a divine body, relying solely on sacrifice to gain power is limited; fundamentally, you are no match for him."

After hearing this, the Dragon Wolf's eyes rolled around a few times, then he smiled and said: "Demon King, actually there's no need to worry too much; the barbarians' spirits can only communicate with their own divine bodies."

Fang Xu still wore a smile on his face, turned his head to glance at the nearby boulder, walked over slowly, slapped a demon beast off the boulder with one palm, and then sat down on it himself.

A flicker of alarm appeared in the Savage Bear Demon King's eyes.

"What transaction do you intend to make with me, sir?" the Savage Bear Demon King asked, slightly stunned.

Unless humans are vastly stronger than them, subduing them through sheer strength.

Seeing this, the Savage Bear Demon King thought Fang Xu was about to attack, and his muscles tensed slightly all over.

Fang Xu explained: "It is simply my black dragon."

"Subordinate?" Fang Xu laughed and shook his head.

Seeing this, the Savage Bear Demon King frowned at Fang Xu, then teased:

"Kid, are you here to deliver snacks?"

Seeing his calm expression, utterly unflustered, the Savage Bear Demon King dropped his smirk and asked curiously: "Human, aren't you afraid?"

Seeing Fang Xu's composed demeanor, the Savage Bear Demon King felt a flicker of suspicion arise in his heart.

Fang Xu stood up and said calmly: "Demon King, withdraw now, and I will no longer pursue your demon tribe's injury to the Long Dragon at Burial Dragon Mountain."

The Dragon Wolf hastily extended his two small paws toward the Savage Bear Demon King in a bow: "Demon King, stand down; leave it to your subordinates."

"Your Majesty, this human says he wants to talk with you."

Upon hearing this, the Savage Bear Demon King gave the Dragon Wolf a half-smile glance.

As his words fell, two slightly smaller Earth Raging Bears led Fang Xu forward to approach.

"The flesh and blood of the black dragon I can share with you some, but afterward you must perform well for me."

Fang Xu smiled faintly: "I am Fang Xu, and I have met the Savage Bear Demon King."

But when he saw what Fang Xu held in his hand and felt the aura emitted by that strange light, he instantly became somewhat unsettled.

The Savage Bear Demon King was stunned by his words.

"I have come merely to make a transaction with the Demon King."

Seeing this, the Savage Bear Demon King frowned even more severely.

"Power of Time!?"

The Savage Bear Demon King did not quite understand whom he meant by the Long Dragon.

I could slap him into mincemeat with one palm.

Demons are all extremely proud; the ancient dragon clan, as kings among demons, possessing dragon blood, are even more proud to the point of disdaining submission to humans.

Seeing signs of his anger, Fang Xu knew that if he did not produce something, he probably could not intimidate him.

"Savage Bear Demon King jests; why should I fear?"

A flash of light in his hand, a strange light appeared in his palm.

This is even a lower status than subordinates!

To have a near-pure-blooded dragon as a mount, what terrifying great sect lies behind this youth, or perhaps those few immortal dynasties beyond the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?

"Demon King, I am a straightforward person; I dislike beating around the bush."

As he spoke, he deliberately opened his bloody maw wide, seemingly wanting to see Fang Xu scared into losing control of his bowels and bladder.

"Demon King, you came for the Long Dragon, right?" Fang Xu continued.

"Just these?"

Fang Xu nodded.

From the Savage Bear Demon King's expression, Fang Xu knew it was time to propose terms.

"Hehe..." the Savage Bear Demon King laughed angrily, glared coldly at Fang Xu, and said: "You are playing me!?"

In his eyes, Fang Xu's strength was merely that of a human Martial Lord realm cultivator, and his body should have been injured and poisoned, utterly not worth mentioning.

He had seen the Long Dragon, a four-clawed great demon, with extremely pure and rich dragon bloodline within.

As a Demon King, he clearly understood what the power of laws represents.

As a human Martial Lord realm cultivator, Fang Xu absolutely could not master the power of laws.

Yet within his body he possesses a strand of such gentle temporal law power; behind him must surely be an expert proficient in temporal law power.

To master the power of laws to such a profound degree, the strength of the expert behind him...

The Savage Bear Demon King hesitated in his heart.

The dragon blood on the Long Dragon's body is indeed irresistibly tempting to him, but if he thus offends a suspected human expert who controls temporal law power, he estimates he would not fare well either.

Yet as a Demon King, his pride refuses to let him simply be frightened away like this.

"Do you think that by relying on a single thread of temporal law power you can scare off this king?"

The Ferocious Bear Demon King spoke.

He said this only to try to gain some benefit from Fang Xu.

Seeing this, Fang Xu withdrew the temporal law power in his hand back onto the bronze balance, looking at the Ferocious Bear Demon King with a faint smile: "Since the Demon King insists on being obstinate, then I, Fang, can only take my leave."

After saying this, he stood up and prepared to head toward the Hunyu Tribe.

Before him, two Great Demon realm Earth Rage Bears, seeing this, directly extended their sturdy arms to block him.

Fang Xu glanced at the two Earth Rage Bears, then turned his head to look at the Ferocious Bear Demon King.

The Ferocious Bear Demon King narrowed his eyes slightly, stared fixedly at Fang Xu for a few moments, then waved his hand and said: "Let him go."

Only then did the two Earth Rage Bears allow Fang Xu to leave.

"Demon King, what now?"

After Fang Xu left, Long Bei spoke up and asked.

The Ferocious Bear Demon King furrowed his brow tightly, seemingly pondering whether offending a human powerhouse for the sake of a black dragon was worth it.

Seeing his hesitation, Long Bei's eyes darted a few times as he spoke fawningly: "Demon King, this place is the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains..."

The Ferocious Bear Demon King glanced at him: "What about the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?"

"Not to mention the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, even my Burial Dragon Mountain lineage is not of one mind."

"Once a human powerhouse comes to kill, those fellows not throwing stones down the well would already be not bad."

Long Bei hurriedly spoke: "Demon King, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are not only inhabited by the demon race..."

"Say what you want to say directly; this king has no patience for your beating around the bush!" Seeing Long Bei speak half and leave half, the Ferocious Bear Demon King's explosive temper flared up instantly.

Long Bei hurriedly clasped his hands: "Demon King, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains belong to the barbarian tribes, and the barbarian tribes and the humans beyond the mountains have deep-seated grudges."

"If a human powerhouse dares to come to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, the barbarian powerhouses will certainly take action; what does the Demon King still need to worry about?"

Upon hearing his words, the Ferocious Bear Demon King's eyes flickered slightly!

Exactly!

The barbarian tribes have no good feelings toward humans beyond the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and conflicts between the two sides often erupt from time to time.

Even if that brat has a powerhouse controlling temporal law power behind him, the barbarian tribes also have corresponding powerhouses capable of responding.

By then, I can completely take advantage of the stalemate between the two sides to escape from here.

Moreover...

Before the Ferocious Bear Demon King's eyes appeared the image of Fang Xu previously producing the temporal law power.

That is a single thread of temporal law power!

If I could seize it, I would have a chance to comprehend the power of cosmic laws through it.

Even if I fail to comprehend it, that single thread of temporal law power could still be used to exchange benefits with other demon kings.

The value of a single thread of temporal law power even surpasses that of the black dragon!

Thinking of this, the Ferocious Bear Demon King's heart began to burn hot.

On Fang Xu's side, after returning to the Hunyu Tribe, the people immediately gathered around him.

"Fang Xu, how did the talk go?" Gu Qiu asked.

Seeing everyone staring at him eagerly, Fang Xu gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "Although I frightened that fellow, he seems not intending to give up."

Upon hearing this, Chang Long was slightly startled, a flash of resolve crossing his face as he said: "Then let's fight!"

"Even if we lose, at the critical moment I will self-destruct; it's absolutely impossible to let that fellow gain any benefit!"

"Fight!"

Old Yuan also spoke in a deep voice: "Old man wants to see just how strong the Demon King's power is!"

Seeing the two of them holding a resolve to die, Fang Xu turned to Bai Zhuoyan and spoke softly: "Grandmother, this matter has nothing to do with the Hunyu Tribe; to avoid harming the innocent, please take the tribespeople out to hide for now."

The tribespeople of the Hunyu Tribe are not particularly strong; being drawn into this battle would undoubtedly be a death sentence.

Gu Qiu, seeing this, also hurriedly said: "Yes, grandmother, please quickly arrange for the tribespeople to temporarily go out and hide."

Bai Zhuoyan looked at Gu Qiu, gave a faint smile, and said: "Goddess, there's no need to worry; the Demon King is also not unbeatable."

Speaking, she glanced at Fang Xu's rear at the hundred Ghost-Faced Army, then turned to Gu Qiu and said: "Goddess, please follow this old one."

"Young Master Fang, please bring them along as well."

Gu Qiu and Fang Xu exchanged a glance, both puzzled about what Bai Zhuoyan intended to do.

Bai Zhuoyan, having taken a few steps forward, saw that no one was following, turned around and chuckled: "Goddess?"

Gu Qiu, seeing this, directly followed up.

Fang Xu also led the people to follow behind.

The group marched mightily and arrived before a shrine in the village center.

The shrine was built from massive blocks of blue stone, appearing very ancient.

Arriving before the shrine, Bai Zhuoyan stopped her steps, then turned to look at Gu Qiu: "Goddess, follow this old one inside; others, please wait temporarily outside the shrine."

Gu Qiu hesitated slightly, then slowly followed Bai Zhuoyan into the shrine.

Inside the shrine, on both sides stood eight massive stone pillars supporting a lofty dome.

Each stone pillar had three burning torches placed upon it; aided by the torchlight, Gu Qiu saw the enormous stone statue behind the shrine!

It was a statue with an eagle's head and a human body, its entire form emanating a strange aura!

The statue stood thirty feet tall; before it, on the offering table, lay fresh ferocious beast skulls and flesh.

Bai Zhuoyan approached the statue, her face full of devotion as she knelt on the ground, murmuring incantations.

Afterwards, she took an ancient wooden box from the hidden compartment of the offering table and brought it before Gu Qiu.

"Goddess, do you know why the divine body holds such a exalted status in our barbarian tribe?"

Gu Qiu shook her head.

Ba Zhuoyan gave a slight smile: "The barbarian tribes have inherited from the era of ancient divine spirits."

"At that time, every barbarian tribe worshipped its own divine spirit.

The tribespeople offered their most devout faith to the divine spirit, and in return, the divine spirit would grant them some divine power to protect the tribe.

Later, in a war between humans and gods, the divine spirits of the Tianxuan Realm were either killed or driven away, and many barbarian tribes could no longer communicate with the divine spirits.

That period became known as the Dark Age to the barbarian tribes.

In the Dark Age, the barbarian tribes suffered heavy losses due to losing the protection of the divine spirits, compounded by attacks from other humans in the Tianxuan Realm.

Until later, when the first goddess appeared...

The tribespeople discovered that a goddess with a divine body could once again communicate with the divine spirits and receive blessed power from them."

After hearing Ba Zhuoyan's words, Gu Qiu was completely stunned.

She looked up at the stone statue before her, which stood three zhang and three chi tall with an eagle's head and a human body: "Grandmother, is this the Hunyu God?"

Ba Zhuoyan nodded.

The Hunyu God is the guardian deity of the Hunyu Tribe; normally, the Hunyu Tribe worships Him and offers their most devout faith.

However, the Hunyu Tribe has not encountered a goddess for countless years, and normally can only obtain meager blessings from the Hunyu God through the rituals led by her as the high priestess.

Such blessings are barely better than nothing for the people of the Hunyu Tribe.

Ba Zhuoyan also feels ashamed; her power is too weak, and she cannot obtain more blessings from the Hunyu God.

"If the goddess could communicate with the Hunyu God and receive divine blessings, defeating a demon king would not be difficult at all." Ba Zhuoyan pondered for a moment and then spoke.

Gu Qiu noticed that when she spoke of this, her eyes darted slightly, as if she were hiding something.

"Grandmother, what price must be paid to communicate with the Hunyu God?"

Ba Zhuoyan's expression startled, then she sighed: "Now that it has come to this, I dare not conceal anything from the goddess any longer."

She turned her head to look at the stone statue of the Hunyu God, then clasped her hands toward Gu Qiu and said: "Each goddess can communicate with only one divine spirit in her lifetime.

The Hunyu Tribe is too weak.

Possessing a divine body, the goddess could have chosen a powerful barbarian tribe, communicated with its divine spirit, and become the supreme being there..."

By the time she finished speaking, Gu Qiu also understood.

The goddess's divine body can be considered a one-time stake: choose a powerful barbarian tribe, become the messenger between the god and the tribe, and in that tribe, she would be the supreme being.

Ba Zhuoyan did not tell me this earlier; it should also be due to selfish motives, wanting to keep me in the Hunyu Tribe as its messenger.

But now, it seems she has found her conscience, or perhaps she knows that given the current situation, I seem to have no other choice, which is why she has spoken of this.

"What do I need to do?"

Although Gu Qiu felt some displeasure toward Ba Zhuoyan's actions, for Fang Xu's sake, she still chose to fulfill Ba Zhuoyan's wish.

"Goddess..."

Ba Zhuoyan wanted to say more, but meeting Gu Qiu's gaze, the words on her lips were swallowed back.

Reverently holding up the wooden box before Gu Qiu, she said: "Inside is a divine feather of the Hunyu God; the goddess needs only to drip her own blood upon it to communicate with the Hunyu God.

After the ritual is completed, the god will bestow blessings.

I have also discovered... discovered that the warriors beside Fang Xu have cultivated an ancient divine technique, which can fully serve as a vessel for the blessings, becoming the god's warriors..."

When she said this, Ba Zhuoyan glanced guiltily at Gu Qiu.

"Grandmother, you even factored in the Ghost-Faced Army beside Fang Xu?" Gu Qiu flashed a hint of displeasure on her face and spoke coldly.

Thud!

Upon hearing this, Ba Zhuoyan immediately knelt down!

"Goddess, forgive me!"

"I admit, this was done out of selfish motives!"

"But... I did all this for the sake of the Hunyu Tribe!"

"Goddess, I can guarantee that this will absolutely not harm Fang Xu in the slightest; for those guards, it will only bring benefits, no harm!"

After hearing her words, Gu Qiu fell into deep thought.

After a long while, she sighed:

"This matter I cannot decide."

"Go and call Fang Xu in."

Ba Zhuoyan slowly rose to her feet, came to the outside of the temple, and invited Fang Xu inside.

Gu Qiu briefly explained the matter to Fang Xu.

After hearing it, Fang Xu frowned slightly.

He also felt some displeasure toward Ba Zhuoyan's scheming.

But it seems there is no other way now, and if everything truly is as Ba Zhuoyan said, then for Gu Qiu and the Ghost-Faced Army, it would indeed be a great opportunity.

"Grandmother, I hope you will seriously tell me, aside from what you said, will there truly be no other troubles or harms?"

Upon hearing this, Ba Zhuoyan hurriedly knelt before the statue of the Hunyu God and said in a deep voice: "Hunyu God above, if Ba Zhuoyan conceals anything, the Hunyu Tribe will surely suffer divine abandonment and the clan will be exterminated!"

Seeing her swear by her own tribe, Fang Xu felt somewhat reassured.

"Then I shall begin?"

Gu Qiu, seeing this, looked toward Fang Xu and said.

Fang Xu nodded: "Be careful, I am right here beside you."

Gu Qiu slowly opened the wooden box and saw a black feather lying still inside.

The feather resembled iron-forged casting, extremely hard and sharp.

Gu Qiu picked up the feather, hesitated for a moment, then decisively cut her finger and dropped a drop of fresh blood onto it.

Fresh blood was instantly absorbed by the feathers, and a terrifying power directly enveloped the entire temple.

Following this, the statue of the Hunyu God before them underwent a subtle change.

The statue's eyes suddenly burst forth with two beams of black light, directly shining upon Gu Qiu!

In an instant, Gu Qiu's entire aura changed!

Vast, ancient, indifferent, lofty...

Feeling this, Fang Xu frowned slightly.

This might be what is called divinity.

At this moment, Gu Qiu gave the impression of not being human at all, devoid of any human warmth, appearing utterly alien.

What he did not know was that this aura had once appeared on his own body.

"My people..."

A clear, cold, ethereal voice issued from Gu Qiu's mouth.

Ba Zhuoyan, seeing this, hurriedly knelt respectfully on the ground.

"God..."

"Your servant Ba Zhuoyan offers you the most sincere reverence!"

Gu Qiu coldly glanced at her, his face showing no expression.

"State your request..."

Ba Zhuoyan's body trembled, then she quickly spoke: "God, the Hunyu tribe faces crisis; fortunate that the goddess appeared, I beseech the god to bless and protect my Hunyu tribe."

"I know."

After speaking these words, the divine-like quality on Gu Qiu's body vanished in an instant.

Subsequently, the feather in his hand burst forth with a hazy gray light.

"Li li ku ka li ya..."

A strange sound echoed within the temple; Gu Qiu held the divine feather, nodding slightly.

All movement gradually faded; Gu Qiu slowly approached Fang Xu and said: "Go summon the soldiers of the Ghost Face Army here."

Fang Xu nodded, calling all the Ghost Face Army soldiers into the temple.

Facing the Ghost Face Army, Gu Qiu held the divine feather and lightly waved it toward them.

The hazy gray light instantly enveloped all the Ghost Face Army soldiers.

The next moment!

The ghost face armor and divine ghost faces on the bodies of the hundred Ghost Face Army soldiers were all activated!

Following this, Fang Xu saw the ghost faces on their faces violently twisting, seemingly transforming toward the eagle-headed likeness of the Hunyu God.

Moreover, in his sea of consciousness, the secret art of the Ten Phases Great Nadir suddenly underwent some perturbation.

It seemed the Hunyu God's blessing was forcibly altering the Ten Phases Great Nadir!

The bodies of the Ghost Face Army soldiers began to violently tremble, and low, mournful howls eventually issued from them.

They appeared to be in extreme pain.

Seeing this, Gu Qiu's expression changed slightly.

"Fang Xu..."

But at this moment, Fang Xu could no longer respond; he felt a strange power actually invading his sea of consciousness!

This power seemed poised to forcibly erase his memories of the Ten Phases Great Nadir within his sea of consciousness!

Trying to steal my Ghost Face Army!?

Fang Xu coldly snorted, immediately invoking the Soul of Xuan Water, using the endless Xuan Water to envelop the secret art of the Ten Phases Great Nadir completely!

That strange power did not intend to yield; it began to forcibly infiltrate the endless Xuan Water, attempting to scatter the Ten Phases Great Nadir.

Fang Xu grew angry!

Suddenly, purple flames erupted on the endless Xuan Water in his sea of consciousness!

Vast amounts of purple flames ignited out of nowhere, soon filling his entire sea of consciousness!

Cry!

A faint, angry cry echoed in his sea of consciousness; following this, Fang Xu felt that power slowly fading.

In his sea of consciousness, above the endless Xuan Water, after the purple flames extinguished, a dark pearl hovered silently at the center.

"What is this thing?" Fang Xu curiously eyed the black pearl, his soul wanting to approach, yet fearing deceit.

After some hesitation, he directly summoned the Twelve Palace Star Chart, drawing this black pearl into the Bull Star Palace.

Last night's events, he only now slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing the hundred Ghost Face Army before him now calm, their aura also greatly strengthened, Fang Xu breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Qiu, seeing the crisis resolved, immediately came forward angrily to question Ba Zhuoyan:

"Didn't you say there would be no problems?"

Facing Gu Qiu's question, Ba Zhuoyan's face was ashen.

She also did not know why this change occurred.

Although she was unclear about the specifics of what had just happened, she clearly felt that their Hunyu God seemed intent on forcibly seizing these hundred soldiers...

"Forget it, this is not her fault." Fang Xu said, turning to look at the Hunyu God's statue with a faint smile: "Even gods have selfish motives."

Fortunately, this will of the Hunyu God should have descended across endless time and space into his sea of consciousness, not too strong, easily resolved by himself.

"Hmph!"

At this moment, Gu Qiu was clearly displeased with Ba Zhuoyan.

Seeing the hundred Ghost Face Army already awake, she immediately turned and left the temple.

"Goddess..."

Bazhuoyan still wanted to say something, but at this moment he turned somewhat pale.

Fang Xu glanced at her, then left the temple with a hundred Ghost-Faced Army, leaving Bazhuoyan alone in the temple.

"Hundun God..."

Bazhuoyan looked at the statue before her with a complex expression; she did not understand why the god she had worshipped all her life would do this.

In her heart, a god should be impartial and benevolent, loving the tribe...

Bazhuoyan finally muttered the sacrificial purification words, vainly attempting to communicate with the Hundun God, to hear a whisper of divine revelation from Him, to gain an explanation.

But at this very moment, Bazhuoyan was astonished to discover that she could feel not a trace of response!

Bazhuoyan could not believe it, and once again began to mutter the sacrificial purification words.

Yet her Hundun God still gave no divine revelation or instruction...

Bazhuoyan collapsed to the ground, her eyes instantly losing all luster.

"God abandoned..."

"God abandoned!"

"Hundun God! Have You abandoned Your people?!"

The hysterical howls echoed in the temple; hearing them, the tribespeople outside rushed in.

"Grandmother!"

"Grandmother..."

The people helped Bazhuoyan up, asking repeatedly what had happened.

Bazhuoyan did not answer, only kept murmuring: "God abandoned... Our god has abandoned us..."

"God abandoned..."

The people were puzzled, and helped her out of the temple.

"Goddess, Grandmother..." Bashan respectfully clasped his hands toward Guqiu.

Looking at Bazhuoyan now, Guqiu also felt uneasy in her heart.

She knew that Bazhuoyan was not greatly at fault in this matter.

Everything she had done was for the Hundun tribe; she had merely miscalculated, never expecting that the god she worshipped would actually have selfish motives, desiring to seize the Ghost-Faced Army.

"Grandmother..."

Guqiu slowly walked up to Bazhuoyan.

Seeing Guqiu, Bazhuoyan broke free from the people's support, fell with a thud to her knees before Guqiu, and said: "Goddess, please ask the Hundun God, ask Him why He has abandoned our Hundun tribe?"

Faith collapsed in an instant; Bazhuoyan could not accept this at all.

Guqiu shook her head and said: "He actively severed His connection with me..."

From the moment Fang Xu used the Divine Blaze flames to burn to ashes that wisp of will of the Hundun God, Guqiu felt that her subtle, unseen connection with the Hundun God was cut off.

Bazhuoyan was dazed; deathly ash instantly spread across her face.

She did not know why things had come to this!

Perhaps this was also related to her own greed.

If not for her scheming against Fang Xu's Ghost-Faced Army, everything should have been perfect...

Like a walking corpse, Bazhuoyan crawled up from the ground, handed her headpiece and bone staff to Bashan beside her, then slowly walked toward the village outskirts.

"Grandmother?"

Guqiu called out.

Bazhuoyan did not turn back.

"Where is she going?" Fang Xu asked.

Bashan looked at the bone staff and headpiece in his hands, his voice sorrowful: "As the High Priest of the Hundun tribe, having lost the ability to communicate with the spirits, according to tribal law... Grandmother must leave the tribe."

"And keep walking on until... death."

Hearing this, Fang Xu furrowed his brows.

Now outside the Hundun tribe are the demon beasts of Burial Dragon Mountain; Bazhuoyan walking out like this is certain death.

Fang Xu flashed forward to block Bazhuoyan: "Grandmother, this is not your fault."

Bazhuoyan shook her head: "Young Master Fang, please leave this old woman a shred of dignity."

She slowly turned her head, glanced at Guqiu in the crowd, bowed deeply, then prepared to go around Fang Xu and continue walking outward.

Seeing this, Fang Xu directly stretched out his hand, a knife-hand strike knocking her unconscious, then shouted at Bashan: "Are you just going to watch her go to her death?"

Bashan and the other Hundun tribespeople looked at each other; though reluctant, no one spoke.

Fang Xu helped Bazhuoyan to them and said: "She is your clansperson."

"But tribal law..." Beside Bashan, a thin old man was about to speak when Guqiu interrupted him: "What about the tribal law?"

"What about God abandoned?"

"Without the Hundun God, can the Hundun tribe survive?"

Bashan's expression shifted slightly, wanting to say something, but the old man beside him glared at him.

Fang Xu noticed his small movement and sneered: "Old man, do you really want Grandmother to die?"

Hearing his words, the old man's expression turned flustered, then he waved his hands repeatedly: "Absolutely not!"

Fang Xu glanced at Guqiu.

Guqiu also understood his meaning, and directly addressed the Hundun tribespeople: "If you still recognize me as the Goddess, then I now announce, in my identity as Goddess, that Bazhuoyan does not have to die."

Having said that, she turned to Bashan: "Take Grandmother back to rest, and watch over her."

Bashan hesitated for a moment, then firmly nodded: "Goddess, rest assured!"

Other youths of the Hunyu tribe also stood up at this time, helping Bashan support Bazhuoyan as they left the place.

"Gu Qiu, the urgent matter now is to first deal with the Bear Demon King outside."

The matter having been temporarily settled, Fang Xu looked toward Gu Qiu and spoke.

The crisis of the Bear Demon King must be resolved first, after which we will deal with the affairs of the Hunyu tribe.

Gu Qiu slowly took out that divine feather.

"Although the Hunyu God severed the connection between him and me, this divine feather was indeed blessed by him, and his power remains on it, so it can still be used."

"Fang Xu, take me to see that Bear Demon King."

The two walked out of the village and soon arrived before the Bear Demon King.

Upon meeting, the Bear Demon King was about to speak, but Gu Qiu directly took out the divine feather.

Holding the divine feather, Gu Qiu slightly activated it, and the entire feather immediately emitted a faint gray light.

Although this faint light appeared harmless, the aura unique to the Hunyu God on it caused the Bear Demon King's hairs to stand on end instantly.

The Bear Demon King, face full of fear, retreated several steps, staring at Gu Qiu in disbelief: "You are a goddess!?"

Gu Qiu arrogantly lifted her chin, and the faint gray light on the divine feather in her hand intensified.

Feeling this tremor originating from deep within the soul, the Bear Demon King dared not utter another word, turned, and ran toward the direction of Burial Dragon Mountain.

If the power of temporal law in Fang Xu's hand made him feel wary, then Gu Qiu holding this feather belonging to the Hunyu God directly terrified him out of his wits.

After all, the person behind Fang Xu merely mastered the law of time; ultimately, he had still been fortunate enough to witness it, and knew that among these hundred thousand great mountains, there were barbarian strongmen capable of matching it.

But the aura emanating from Gu Qiu's divine feather was truly and substantially divine!

He never expected that the tiny Hunyu tribe would actually have a goddess!

As one who can communicate with spirits without hindrance and borrow spiritual power through the body, even if you gave the Bear Demon King a hundred courages, he would not dare to act.

The Bear Demon King fled, and the remaining demon beasts dared not linger, scattering instantly in all directions.

Seeing their appearance, Fang Xu estimated that for a long time to come, the demon clans of Burial Dragon Mountain would not dare to set foot in the Hunyu tribe even half a step.

The crisis having been resolved, Fang Xu also felt somewhat relieved for the time being.

At night, Bazhuoyan woke up, and Bashan told her what Gu Qiu had said.

Bazhuoyan remained silent for a long time, but ultimately still chose not to continue enforcing the tribal rules.

The next day, Fang Xu had not yet risen when he was suddenly startled by a noisy commotion.

Fang Xu and Gu Qiu came to the village center and saw Bashan leading a group of Hunyu tribespeople, holding various tools, preparing to charge into the temple.

Some other tribespeople were firmly blocking them.

The two sides even came to blows.

Fang Xu and Gu Qiu arrived at the scene and temporarily separated the two parties.

"Bashan, what's going on?" Gu Qiu asked.

Bashan clasped his hands: "The Hunyu God has abandoned us; we no longer deserve to enjoy his offerings. I want to tear down his statue!"

Hearing this, Fang Xu was dumbfounded.

Good grief, the Hunyu God ceased work yesterday, and this fellow Bashan today wants to tear down his statue.

This inevitably reminded Fang Xu of the old custom of the Dragon King in his hometown.

Whenever there is a great drought, people go to the Dragon King Temple to pray for rain; if rain still does not fall, they bring out the Dragon King statue and leave it in the sun to bake.

The emphasis is on: work brings food, no work brings no food—whether you are a god or a human, we will not indulge you!

"Bashan, forget it."

Fang Xu snatched the hoe from his hand: "Keep it as a memento; from now on, just stop offering sacrifices to him."

After hearing his words, Bashan hesitated for a moment, then relented.

The people stayed in the Hunyu tribe for more than ten days; during this period, Fang Xu taught the tribespeople many martial techniques and cultivation methods.

Although the Hunyu God's previous blessings were barely better than nothing, they at least protected the Hunyu tribe.

Now that the Hunyu God has abandoned them and we cannot stay here forever, Fang Xu decided to still leave them some means of self-defense.

As barbarians, the Hunyu tribe's people are naturally endowed with vigorous qi and blood, but their soul power is weak; practicing the external martial artists' system of cultivation would obviously yield little achievement.

However, Fang Xu's mind contains many cultivation methods he has comprehended from the inheritance of the Azure Dragon's bloodline; although he does not know their specific power, most are ancient legacies passed down, so they should not be bad.

After leaving them some things, Fang Xu prepared to lead everyone away from here.

The battles on the Immortal Island have long passed, yet we still do not know the outcome; we must return to see.

……

On the boundless sea, the Azure Dragon transformed into a black dragon, carrying Fang Xu and the others swiftly toward the Immortal Island.

On the sea surface below, corpses could be seen drifting aimlessly from time to time.

Because of the previous great battle, many experts of the Dharma Appearance realm appeared, and the sea beasts in the surrounding waters had long fled far away.

These corpses floated on the sea and had not been gnawed by sea beasts.

"Strange, judging by the time, we should be able to see the Immortal Island by now..." Kong Jie frowned on the black dragon's back.

Fang Xu also stood up, looked around, and said: "Azure Dragon, is the direction wrong?"

As he spoke, he took out his identity token.

After becoming a core disciple, the identity token also gained the function of the Ascension Immortal Command, capable of guiding the location of the Immortal Island.

But when Fang Xu's gaze fell upon the identity token, he suddenly discovered it had failed.

"Senior Sister Kong, my identity token seems to have malfunctioned."

Liu Xin, upon hearing this, also took out her identity token: "Mine seems not to work either..."

Then Gu Qiu, Kong Jie, and even the Old Ape took out their Mountain Lord tokens, all discovering they could not locate the Immortal Island.

"What is going on here?"

Could the immortal island have been sunk?

Fang Xu asked doubtfully.

Hearing his words, several people's faces instantly turned solemn.

They had witnessed the terror of the Dharma Aspect Realm; being able to sink the immortal island was also possible.

"Wait a moment!"

Fang Xu suddenly shouted at the long dragon:

"Do you see that small island over there?"

"I sensed the aura of the ghost-faced army soldiers."

Upon hearing his words, the long dragon immediately adjusted its direction and flew toward the small island Fang Xu mentioned.

On the island.

A ghost-faced army soldier hurriedly came before Sha Tianrui: "Reporting to the commander, subordinate has sensed the young master's aura!"

Sha Tianrui's face showed surprise, then great joy: "In..."

Oh!

Before he could finish speaking, a clear dragon roar rang out in the sky.

Subsequently, the figures of the long dragon and others instantly appeared on the small island.

Around, countless ghost-faced army soldiers came running over!

"Greetings, young master!"

Sha Tianrui and that ghost-faced army soldier also came forward; seeing Fang Xu safe and sound, Sha Tianrui's face showed a hint of a smile.

"Young master, seeing you unharmed puts this subordinate at ease."

Fang Xu nodded, glanced at the assembled ghost-faced army, found none missing, and also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

"General Sha, where are Princess Yan Yang and the child?" Fang Xu suddenly noticed Princess Yan Yang was missing from the crowd, and asked anxiously.

Sha Tianrui's expression changed slightly.

Seeing his expression, Fang Xu's heart skipped a beat.

"General Sha..."

"Thank you for your concern, young master, but my wife and child should be fine." Sha Tianrui spoke.

Fang Xu was somewhat curious: "Were they taken away?"

Sha Tianrui shook his head, then gestured with his hand: "Young master, please go inside; this subordinate will slowly explain to you."

On the island, inside the simple wooden house, Fang Xu and the others all looked at Sha Tianrui with stunned faces.

"General Sha, do you mean... the immortal island has left!?" Kong Jie still couldn't believe it and asked.

Sha Tianrui gave a wry smile and nodded: "It has left."

As he spoke, he slowly pushed open the wooden house's window and pointed to a distant small island: "Young master, look at that island."

Fang Xu came forward and looked through the window toward the distant sea island.

"Is that... the small island you previously stayed on?"

After the ghost-faced army followed him to the immortal island, since they were not members of the Ascension Immortal Assembly, Fang Xu had temporarily arranged for them to reside on a sea island not far from the immortal island.

That island was then located to the south of the immortal island.

Looking north along the direction of the sea island, aside from the endless ocean, the immortal island had truly vanished.

"But... but this doesn't make sense, such a large island, how could it just walk away?" Gu Qiu asked in disbelief.

Sha Tianrui shook his head: "At that time, the battle was extremely fierce; this subordinate heard the report from the ghost-faced army soldiers under him, saying the young master's aura had disappeared, and in anxiety, brought all the ghost-faced army soldiers to prepare to search for the young master.

But we had just left the immortal island two days when we heard an angry roar.

That roar, even though we were already several thousand li from the immortal island, still made our qi and blood surge.

Realizing something had happened to the immortal island, we hurried back.

When we arrived here, from afar we saw the immortal island trembling and towering as it marched eastward..."

Gazing at the endless eastern sea, Sha Tianrui murmured: "Princess Yan Yang and the child were still on the immortal island at that time; now they should probably still be alive."

The wooden house fell into a brief silence.

Everyone remained immersed in Sha Tianrui's seemingly absurd story.

That was the immortal island, such a large island, and it walked away by itself!

"General Sha, did you see the immortal island walking, not drifting?" Fang Xu suddenly asked.

Sha Tianrui was stunned for a moment, then recalled the scene again in his mind, and nodded: "It was walking; this subordinate remembers clearly feeling the immortal island's each step forward, with the surrounding sea water slightly trembling."

After saying this, he looked at Fang Xu: "Young master, what have you discovered?"

Others also looked curiously at Fang Xu, wanting to know if he had heard of walking islands.

Fang Xu slowly turned around, pondered for a moment, and said: "I once saw a legend in an ancient book."

"The legend says that in ancient times, there was a sea giant turtle, enormous in size, capable of carrying a mountain while walking..."

"Fang Xiazi, do you mean the entire immortal island is actually on the back of a giant turtle!?" Before he finished speaking, the old ape interrupted with a face full of disbelief: "What size of turtle would be needed to carry the immortal island!?"

Long Dragon nodded in agreement: "When I was on the island, I also felt no abnormal aura; if the immortal island truly were on a giant turtle's back, that turtle would have to be what kind of existence, and I and Yuan Bo could absolutely not detect any trace."

Fang Xu shook his head: "I am only speculating, after all, this matter is too shocking to hear."

"Fang Xu, now that we cannot find the trace of the immortal island, what should we do next?" Liu Xin spoke.

They are all disciples of the Ascension Immortal Assembly; now the sect is gone, and for a time they also do not know where to go.

"Let's go to the Central Continent." Fang Xu thought for a moment and said.

The immortal island has already left, and we don't know where it went.

For now, we can only temporarily go to the Central Continent; there, we can cultivate while inquiring about news of the immortal island.

"Alright, let's go to the Central Continent." Liu Xin nodded, then turned to Kong Jie and said, "What about you, Senior Sister Kong?"

Kong Jie looked at them, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'll go to the Central Continent with you too."

"We'll go to the Central Continent to find those beasts of the Yin Corpse Sect and take revenge for the people of my Chiyan Tribe and Elder Lian Xin."

Everyone agreed, and Sha Tianrui immediately ordered the Ghost-faced Army to start packing up and prepare to depart for the Central Continent.

"Young Master, I almost forgot—this item was given to me by Elder Ou of the Divine Weapon Hall to deliver to you."

In the room, Sha Tianrui, who was tidying up, noticed a jade tablet on the desk, hastily picked it up, and handed it to Fang Xu.

Taking the jade tablet, Fang Xu examined it for a moment and sensed a subtle spiritual fluctuation within it.

He immediately pressed his soul power against the jade tablet.

Instantly, a large amount of information surged out from the jade tablet, appearing in his sea of consciousness.

After digesting it, Fang Xu discovered that this was the method he had previously researched for forging the Ghost-faced Armor.

He stored the jade tablet in his Qiankun Bag, then helped Sha Tianrui move all the items onto the treasure ship outside. Everyone left the small island and headed toward the Central Continent.

After spending nearly a month, the outline of the Central Continent reappeared before them.

"Big Brother Fang Xu, stop for a moment!"

Gazing at the surrounding sea, the Long Dragon suddenly spoke.

Fang Xu curiously asked, "What's wrong?"

The Long Dragon looked at Kong Jie, then said to Fang Xu: "Back then, that goat-bearded fellow who captured you all probably arrived around this time, and for some unknown reason, he sank that white-clad corpse refiner into the seabed."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kong Jie on the treasure ship directly leapt into the sea.

Seeing this, Fang Xu helplessly said: "Long Dragon, go down and help her."

Long Dragon nodded and immediately followed her down.

After a long while—

The sea surface suddenly exploded!

Kong Jie and Long Dragon supported a white-clad figure and flew back onto the treasure ship.

"Uncle..."

Looking at the white-clad corpse refiner soaked in seawater and now somewhat pale, Kong Jie directly used Xuan Yang fire to evaporate all the moisture on his body and wiped away the salt residue on his face.

"Senior Sister Kong..."

Fang Xu wanted to comfort Kong Jie, but didn't know how to go about it.

Kong Jie grieved for a while, then finally waved her hand and stored the white-clad corpse refiner into her Qiankun Bag.

The Qiankun Bag cannot hold living beings, but at this moment, Lian Xin was already a corpse, so he could be stored inside the Qiankun Bag.

"Senior Sister Kong, perhaps it's better to let Elder Lian Xin rest in peace." Gu Qiu hesitated for a moment before speaking.

She knew Kong Jie felt deep guilt over Lian Xin's death.

But people are dead—carrying a corpse around is ultimately not right.

"No... I must find a way to bring Uncle back to life." Kong Jie insisted stubbornly.

Bring back to life?

Fang Xu and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

Lian Xin's soul has long since dissipated—how many years, no one knows—how could he possibly be revived?

But at this moment, Kong Jie clearly wasn't listening to anyone's advice, and no one else continued to persuade her.

The treasure ship continued sailing and eventually reached the edge of the sea once more.

"Where are we going?"

"Should we return to the Hunyu Tribe?"

Gu Qiu spoke up.

Fang Xu nodded: "With the Ghost-faced Army around, we can't just openly appear elsewhere."

"The Ten Thousand Great Mountains are a good place—we can use this location to gradually build our own power."

With thirty thousand Ghost-faced Army troops plus us, if we suddenly appeared outside the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, we would inevitably draw attention.

After all, if any faction suddenly gained such a group of martial artists, they would become wary, and conflict might easily break out.

Compared to that, returning to the Hunyu Tribe is still better.

Moreover, the Hunyu Tribe has lost the protection of the Hunyu God due to helping us, and Fang Xu also wants to help them.

When everyone arrived at the Hunyu Tribe, it was already dark.

After discussing with Ba Zhuoyan, the Ghost-faced Army independently built a new village in the forest beside the Hunyu Tribe.

Time quickly passed—one month went by.

The new village had already taken initial shape. Fang Xu summoned everyone, discussed for a while, and decided to send people to search the surrounding areas.

The Ghost-faced Army and their cultivation require various resources.

Now that the resource supply from the Immortal Island is gone, everything must rely on ourselves.

Fortunately, the Central Continent is relatively fertile, and the Ten Thousand Great Mountains are a place rarely visited by people, so finding some cultivation resources should not be too difficult.

"Uncle Yuan, please take care of things here."

After giving all the instructions, Fang Xu suddenly spoke up.

Hearing this, everyone became somewhat puzzled. Liu Xin asked: "Junior Brother Fang, where are you preparing to go?"

Fang Xu looked toward the distant dense forest and said: "I want to go outside and take a look."

It's clearly unwise for all of us to stay hidden deep in the mountains—we must send someone out to explore and gather information about the outside world.

Otherwise, when we eventually walk out of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, we won't know anything at all.

"I'll go with you." Gu Qiu spoke up.

Fang Xu shook his head:

"You are the Ten Thousand Poisons Sacred Body; staying in the great mountains is more advantageous."

"I will return soon."

Gu Qiu was somewhat unhappy, but also understood Fang Xu's meaning.

"Then you must be careful in everything."

Fang Xu nodded, bade farewell to everyone one by one, and then set off toward outside the great mountains.

……

The reason the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are called the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains is not merely because there are a hundred thousand great mountains.

After Fang Xu left the crowd, he proceeded forward along the way, carefully avoiding the dangerous places of ferocious beasts and poisonous insects in the mountains, having already walked for nearly three months, yet still had not found a way out.

During this period, he fortunately encountered some other barbarian tribes.

Fortunately, these barbarian tribes were not too strong, and since Fang Xu was alone and showed no hostility, they were all very courteous in offering him additional clues.

Synthesizing the information gathered along the way, after two months, Fang Xu finally emerged from the vast mountains stretching for who knows how many ten thousands of li, arriving at a small town.

This small town is called Huangya Town, belonging to Jiangzhou Prefecture of Liang Kingdom's Seventy-two Provinces.

From the common folk in the town, Fang Xu also learned a piece of news.

Jiangzhou Prefecture can be considered a place capable of mutual communication with the Nanjiang barbarians.

Other powers, at their points of contact with the Nanjiang barbarians, have laid down numerous formations and traps; the relationship between the two sides has deteriorated to the point where they fight upon meeting.

Upon hearing this news, Fang Xu felt somewhat relieved.

His luck seems not bad; if he had exited from elsewhere, a bloody battle would likely be unavoidable.

"Fang Xu!?"

On the streets of Huangya Town, Fang Xu was pondering whether to make a trip to Jiangzhou Prefecture, where he might possibly gather more news about the Central Continent, when suddenly a voice full of doubt, joy, and disbelief came from behind!

(End of Chapter)