Chapter 32: Spirit

At night, Li Xianzhi once again entered the fragments of time. Although only one day had passed in the outside world, over a decade had gone by within the fragments.

In these ten-plus years, too many things had happened within the fragments of time.

The Divine Tree, as the totem of the Fire Mulberry Tribe, was not limited to a mere form of spiritual belief; it provided tangible benefits to the tribe. Hunting, farming, strength, and so on—in short, every aspect of the Fire Mulberry Tribe's daily life was inseparable from the Divine Tree.

"As expected, it has to do with the legal system!"

Seeing Sang—the mother of Huo Sang Daoren—once again, the woman had completely changed. She had not only broken with her son but also with the Fire Mulberry Tribe. She herself had become a priestess of a New God.

The God of Equality, a New God born from the endless mountain rocks, bestowed equality upon the human world. Beneath the high mountains, all living beings are equal—this was the divine word of the God of Equality.

In the tribal era, equality was a term people could not even imagine. Only strength could bring you status.

In the Fire Mulberry Tribe, the High Priest and the Chieftain belonged to the first tier, the tribe's warriors to the second, the warriors' kin to the third, commoners to the fourth, and slaves to the lowest.

Usually, the tribe's living and cultivation resources were taken in bulk by the top three tiers, with very little left for those below. Even the tribe's legal system favored the upper tiers. If someone from the upper tiers beat a difficult person from the lower tiers to death, they bore no legal responsibility whatsoever.

If it were not so, Sang would not have had to live so arduously. In fact, it was not just Sang; many commoners at the bottom of the tribe shared the same fate.

And when Sang, with the help of an evil god, raised the banner of rebellion, after a decade of operation, a new tribe was born not far from the Fire Mulberry Tribe, like a nail driven firmly into the heart of the Fire Mulberry Tribe.

At the same time, the Fire Mulberry Tribe's Divine Tree seemed to have been affected as well.

When Li Xianzhi first arrived, this Divine Tree standing in the middle of the Fire Mulberry Tribe had a canopy spanning dozens of miles, tall and resilient. But now, seeing it again, the tree had actually shrunk by half, and a sense of decay permeated the entire tree.

"Your good mother, she has brought 'Disaster'. As the most outstanding totem warrior of the tribe's new generation, you should know what to do."

The High Priest looked coldly at Li Xianzhi, who was Huo Sang Daoren in his early twenties. At this moment, Li Xianzhi was still using the identity of Huo Sang Daoren to continue exploring the fragments of time.

"High Priest, I know Mother has betrayed the tribe, but what is 'Disaster'?" Li Xianzhi looked at the High Priest with an ignorant expression.

In Li Xianzhi's view, Sang's rebellion had a traceable path; to a certain extent, it would not be an exaggeration to call Sang a pioneer.

The High Priest's expression was very poor. In the towering, dim temple, the High Priest, dressed in white ceremonial robes, looked at Li Xianzhi with anger and said, "Have you been bewitched too? I remember it was you who reported your mother to the tribe. Do you now see that your mother possesses powerful strength and want to betray the tribe as well?"

"High Priest, you misunderstand. I really want to know what 'Disaster' is." After saying this, Li Xianzhi looked at the High Priest with a solemn expression. He had clearly sensed the killing intent that flashed through the High Priest's eyes just now.

"You don't need to show your loyalty. If the Divine Tree hadn't sensed something, do you think the tribe would trust you? Since the Divine Tree approves of you, it is no harm to tell you."

The High Priest seemed to be struggling internally. The High Priest certainly did not trust Huo Sang Daoren. But the High Priest had prayed to the Divine Tree several times, and the instructions received were always to support this young man at all costs.

"Do you also feel that the slogan shouted by that traitor has merit? Do you feel that it is unfair for the tribes of this world to divide people into different ranks?"

"Sigh. Actually, it is not just you; even I, when I heard this slogan, fell into a struggle. I had never imagined that this world, human tribes, could operate in such a way." Having said this, the High Priest seemed to have aged significantly, looking into the darkness deep within the temple, his eyes flickering with an indescribable light.

Li Xianzhi did not speak; he was waiting. Judging by the High Priest's appearance, there seemed to be some hidden secret.

"Those scoundrels in the tribe bullied Sang, abused Sang, even to an inhumane degree. I am not surprised that Sang rebelled. But she did not just rebel against the tribe; she rebelled against the Divine Tree, against this world."

The High Priest suddenly turned around, looking at Li Xianzhi with ferocity. "Do you know? This will bring very serious consequences, serious enough to overturn the entire world. These past ten-plus years, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, droughts—where do you think they came from? The legal system is in chaos, it is in chaos..."

The High Priest, like a child, slumped to the ground, muttering to himself.

"High Priest, are you not being too serious? As far as I know, from the ancestors eating raw meat and blood to the current farming and hunting, the legal system of this world seems to have changed more than once. Can Sang really bring about such great destruction?"

Li Xianzhi really wanted to know what the connection was.

"What do you know? The world's legal system is like a long river. We are currently in the upper reaches, but the downstream riverbed has long existed. Even if tributaries appear occasionally, they will eventually flow back into the mainstream. But Sang, she has opened a new riverbed. Do you understand?" The High Priest was like a madman, as if the end of the world were imminent.

"Then, as water in the riverbed, no matter where it flows, isn't it still water?" Li Xianzhi did not continue to play dumb, but instead voiced the doubt in his heart.

"Heh, naive."

The High Priest looked at Li Xianzhi with surprise, then showed contempt.

"Who are you? You are Fire, the fire of the Fire Mulberry Tribe, Sang's son, a totem warrior. Am I right?"

"Yes!" Li Xianzhi looked at the High Priest intently, not knowing what he was going to say next, but the High Priest was right.

"Then, if all this information belonging to you is stripped away, who are you then?"

The High Priest looked at Li Xianzhi mysteriously, a strange smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Eh?" Li Xianzhi did not know how to answer, but upon reflection, he understood the meaning of the High Priest's words. "You mean, when the riverbed changes, the water is still water, but it is no longer the water of that river."

"You still have some wisdom. This involves the existence of a True Name, and also involves the 'Spirit'. But knowing too much about this now is useless. I want you to kill Sang. Can you do it?"

"Only you can approach her, and only you can quell the current disasters. Can you bear to watch your tribal brothers and sisters, and all humans in the entire world, continue to live in fear? Go, kill the person who is destroying the world, and you will be a hero." ===== CHAPTER 33 =====