Chapter 940

"Please!" Yanying smiled all over, gently shaking Wutou's arm.

Even knowing that the Wisdom Divine tribe's people are untrustworthy, Wutou was made by Yingying's girlish charm to feel an itchy, tingling sensation in his chest, his whole body sore and numb, and even his rugged features softened a bit.

"Hmph, you sure know how to stir up trouble." Wutou fell silent for a moment, then strode toward that large manor.

"I've heard that it's because of the Mist, Phantom Mist, you Yingying, and other scheming divine folk stirring things up that the human race of Mu Dalu has fallen into chaos, and our profits over the past year have surged astonishingly."

Wutou, loud and unrestrained, shouted while looking at the surrounding scenery.

Especially, he focused his gaze several times toward the high mountains and dense forests around the manor, his pupils flashing Blood Light, clearly using some divine ability secret art.

Of the thousands of Barbarian Gods he brought, some in pairs and threes trampled the snow and instantly vanished into the surrounding mountains and forests to begin a thorough search. They darted through the woods, scouring a thousand‑li radius of forest in just a few breaths.

Dozens of Barbarian Gods came bursting back from the forests, laughing "ga-ga", carrying on their backs some hibernating wild bears, foraging elk, dazed roe deer, and frantically fluttering wild chickens, etc.

Wutou wiped his chin, smiled, and looked at Yingying saying, "Let's rustle up some game, hehe!"

Yingying gave a cold snort, glanced sideways at Wutou: "If I really wanted to scheme against you, would I bother with these big oafs of yours?"

Wutou's face twitched, he burst into loud "ga-ga-ga-ga" laughter, then he reached out and slapped Yingying's head: "Eh, why waste words on hurt feelings? Yingying, you said we'd ally—now you can speak of it."

Yingying let go of Wutou's arm, quickly walked to the manor's main gate, and said softly, "What's the rush? Since we've left the observation outpost, we have plenty of time to prepare… Come in and rest first, then we'll talk business."

Wutou shrugged his shoulders, glanced at the Barbarian Gods behind him, and a cold light flickered in his eyes.

Thousands of Barbarian Gods surged in, pouring into the manor.

In the spacious halls, huge bronze cauldrons glowed red-hot; in the milky broth, calves and fat sheep simmered, sending up a rich aroma.

The great wine vats and jars had been opened, their rich aroma almost solidifying.

Who among these burly Barbarian Gods doesn't love meat and drink? Smelling the wine and meat, each one's muscles twitched violently as they opened their mouths and gave a foolish "heh heh" laugh.

Some simply tossed their heavy shields, spears, axes, and great swords onto the ground, strode into the hall, lifted a wine jar to drink, tore into beef and mutton, and gulped it down in big mouthfuls.

Many lovely maidens attended diligently in the hall, their charming smiles making the Barbarian Gods' elders feel completely at ease.

Wutou also brought a dozen or so trusted commanders, following Yingying into the central great hall.

The food and drink here were several grades better than in the other halls; even in deep winter, piles of exotic spiritual fruits rose like small hills, and the wines were all millennium‑aged brews secretly stored from the old Xihu court.

Moreover, troupes of flower‑like dancers in lotus dresses with lotus‑leaf sleeves sang and danced softly and seductively in the hall, a scene of luxurious indulgence.

The air was suffused with rich incense, expertly blended by master artisans—rich and enduring, smooth with a hint of sweetness that made bodies relax, spirits calm, and an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and joy well up from the heart.

Wutou stood at the hall's door, dazed, looking at the furnishings and the top‑tier food and drink, and shook his head: "Still, you lot are the ones who know best how to handle this chaotic mess."

Yingying chuckled lightly: "What do you mean by chaotic? We are gods exalted above; our power, our status—why do we pursue these things if not to enjoy better, to enjoy the best?"

She jabbed hard a few times into Wutou's waist, as hard as a steel ingot, and snapped angrily: "You lot, with such strength, yet you still eat raw meat and blood like primitive savages—what are you after?"

Wutou and his trusted commanders stared, gave a few dry laughs, and said nothing.

Thus, under Yingying's warm greeting, everyone sat down in the hall.

Over a hundred elite Barbarian Gods warriors licked their lips, drooling as they glanced around the halls, then, muttering and grumbling, they took up posts on the high terraces of pavilions and palaces, standing guard in earnest.

The Barbarian Gods are crude, savage, brutal, and fierce, yet they have endured among the great divine clans, so they naturally have their own way of survival.

At any time, these fierce Barbarian Gods are the most elite, most professional warriors.

At any time, they never let down their guard, absolutely never letting down their guard.

Even if this manor is Yingying's estate, even if these receptions were prepared by her, even if she has, intentionally or not, expressed some ambiguous feelings toward Wutou these days,

Hmm, precisely because all this was arranged by Yingying, that's what makes it most unsettling.

The Wisdom Divine tribe's people, especially its women… whoever truly trusts them deserves to die.

Delicacies came in an endless stream, and wine flowed in just as constantly.

Whether in the hall where Wutou is or in the other halls, there are always three or five Barbarian Gods who eat and drink nothing, stationed at the doors to inspect every dish and drink the moment they arrive.

The Barbarian Gods excel in close‑quarters combat, yet their innate divine abilities and various divine techniques and arts are known to them only minimally.

But after countless years of war, they have also accumulated many useful little tricks—every bit of food and drink brought in is struck with a "detect poison" divine technique.

This divine technique detects any toxin that could threaten the Barbarian Gods' flesh, flagging it immediately.

This is the war experience accumulated by the Barbarian Gods' forefathers over long years of conflict.

With this, trying to poison the Barbarian Gods' warriors is basically impossible.

Performing the detect‑poison divine technique in Yingying's presence, before everyone, is undoubtedly extremely rude—yet the Barbarian Gods did just that, and Yingying smiled all over, showing no displeasure.

Inside the hall, Wutou voraciously devoured seven sturdy cows, twenty‑seven fat sheep, plus a plate of roasted goose, smoked chicken, and salted pork head, then drained five vats of thousand‑jin aged liquor before finally letting out a satisfied belch.

He slapped his belly, sat cross‑legged on the floor, and nodded to Yingying: "Thanks, thanks—the food and drink here are a hundred times tastier than the slop we make in our own divine hall."

He reached over, grabbed a pretty maid nearby, pulled down her long skirt to use as a rag, carefully wiped the grease from his hands, waved her away—she fled, frightened—and then he truly looked at Yingying.

"Speak, what's your plan?"

Yingying smiled at Wutou and asked softly, "Prince Wutou, what do you think of the observation outpost now?"

Before Wutou could speak, Yingying chuckled softly: "Anyone can see that whoever now leads the observation outpost could someday become the head of our own divine clan."

Playing with a delicate little dagger in her hand, she sliced the slice of salted pork ear fine, and looked tenderly at Wutou: "For instance, if I could replace Mist and seize his Wisdom Staff… if I could rise to God‑King peak, or even God‑Emperor…"

Wutou frowned thoughtfully: "Chi Chong is stronger than me. Moreover, the troops he brought are his personal guard; trying to supplant him… would be hard."

Yingying said lightly: "It's hard to replace him—just let him die."

Wutou snorted coldly at Yingying: "He's already God‑King‑level strength—kill him? Is that really easy?"

Yingying smiled at Wutou: "With my help, would it still be hard?"

Wutou shook his head: "No, you can't… your schemes might not work against Chi Chong, and I lack the strength to face him."

He let out a heavy breath and said in a low voice: "So, following your advice, I brought my loyal warriors to Mu Dalu—what plan do you have that could give me the power to oppose Chi Chong?"

Yingying's fingers flicked quickly, the dagger in her grasp turning into a silver flash of light, beautiful yet dangerous.

"In a short time you cannot gain the strength to oppose Chi Chong… I, alone, certainly cannot either."

Wutou's eyes turned completely red: "Then you're just toying with me?"

Yingying smiled at Wutou: "But consider another way—for instance, letting someone even stronger come to aid you?"

Wu Tou's face suddenly stiffened; he slowly rose to his feet. He, a full three zhang tall, stood before Lan Ying, like a fierce tiger before a kitten—their physiques differed enormously, and a brutal aura enveloped Lan Ying entirely.

Inside the great hall, more than a dozen of Wu Tou's trusted commanders also rose to their feet, casually grabbing the heavy weapons leaning nearby.

"Lan Ying, speak—who do you represent in coming to persuade me?"

Wu Tou spat on the ground: "I knew it—you women oddly show friendliness to me for no reason; it's not that simple… I, Wu Tou, know my own worth. You women of the Conspiracy God clan like pretty boys; no one's ever interested in our big, burly Barbarian Gods."

Lan Ying laughed and shook her head: "Those words are rather hurtful… Could I not truly have taken a liking to you?"

Wu Tou gripped the great axe, lightly tapping Lan Ying: "Speak—who wants to ally with me? You Ruo, Sheng Rong, or some other families? Well, those with the guts—Gui Chan of the Death God Clan? Or the Twisted of the Fear God Clan?"

Lan Ying tossed aside the small dagger in her hand, her ten fingertips lightly tapping each other, gazing at Wu Tou with a look of tender affection: "Could it not be… His Majesty Wu Tie of Wuguo? Your imagination is still… a bit lacking."

"Wuguo? Wu Tie?" Wu Tou suddenly recalled some unpleasant memories—his essence-blood avatar had once suffered a grave loss on the Three Kingdoms Continent.

"You…" Wu Tou raised the great axe, but a surge of intense heat suddenly spread from his abdomen, quickly permeating his limbs and bones, merging with his sinews and organs.

Wherever the heat flowed, Wu Tou could clearly feel his body receiving tremendous benefit.

His body began an excellent strengthening, even evolution, beyond his control—but because this sudden, uncontrolled enhancement and evolution, his body grew weak and limp.

The heavy great axe landed with a thud on the ground, and Wu Tou together with more than a dozen commanders all sat down abruptly.

"Impossible… if there were poison…" Wu Tou stared at Lan Ying in horror.

"Of course there's no poison—doing that would hurt feelings; how could we cooperate afterward?" Lan Ying smiled at Wu Tou, rose onto her tiptoes, stretched as high as she could to reach his head, and lightly patted his cheek.

"Don't worry, it won't harm you. It'll only bring you benefits. Hehe."

Lan Ying laughed happily: "This is a powerful tonic prescription, extremely nourishing and precious, though it's a bit hard to digest and takes some time. But rest assured, it will do you no harm whatsoever."

Stationed at the hall's entrance, the divine art tasked with releasing Probe Toxin to guard Wu Tou and the others, a host of Barbarian Gods roared in unison, drawing their weapons to charge at Lan Ying—but after just a few steps, they each rolled their eyes and collapsed limply to the ground.

"Their strength is insufficient, and the incense here is a bit too strong." Lan Ying smiled happily at Wu Tou: "They only cared whether the meat and wine were poisoned, failing to notice that this incense also contains some rare divine medicines that greatly aid sleep."

Lan Ying laughed brightly: "The Barbarian Gods' physiques are formidable; toxic gas generally could not threaten your mighty bodies… So this is actually a major oversight on your part, though you've never noticed it."

"You are too arrogant and overconfident, so you must have a weakness." Lan Ying smiled, her eyes narrowing to slits: "With a weakness, our wisdom will surely be able to seize it."

Standing on the roof, the more than a hundred Barbarian Gods dutifully keeping watch for Wu Tou and the others grew icy cold, repeatedly thudding-thudding as they fell from the roof. With their strength, they froze solid like icicles—only their eyeballs could still move, while their whole bodies were immobilized by ice.

"Ah…" Lan Ying sighed: "Elite is elite—indeed, the watch posts they selected are exactly the optimal spots we carefully calculated."

"But these best watch posts are also the formation eyes of this manor."

"The Cold Qi within a million-li radius is drawn by these formation eyes into a gentle breeze, continually fed into their bodies… Well, the timing is just right—they've all been frozen solid."

Lan Ying laughed, and amid the furious, almost fire‑spitting gazes of Wu Tou and the others, she called out toward the distance.

"Your Majesty, all the big oafs have been rounded up in one net. Just as you wished, not a single hair has been harmed."