Chapter 251: Cease Hostilities (Part 3)

Tang Luo's body swayed slightly.

The Heavenly Howling Dog jumped to the ground, dodging the invisible attack.

Tang Luo himself simply vanished, having used the Ghost Shadow Step.

A crackling sound rang out on the ground; the spot where Tang Luo had stood became riddled with holes, covered in dense pits of various sizes.

"Where did he go?"

The priest's face was wary, the wound from his severed finger already healed.

The Heavenly Howling Dog thought for a moment—Tang Luo had no intention of acting himself—and in a flash, it darted up onto the nearby roof.

"About time, stop."

Not long after, Tang Luo suddenly descended from the sky, landing back on the field and speaking loudly.

He walked around the courtyard, comparing the strengths of both sides.

Jin Gang smashed aside the two blocking his path, his eyes flashing as his aura overwhelmed those nearby, making them involuntarily retreat a few steps.

He didn't deliberately speed up, simply walking back to stand beside Tang Luo.

Bao'er Chijin's face was especially grim; in this short time, his men had been slaughtered by that beast-like man barehanded, losing more than half.

Morale sank, they no longer gathered around him; though they appeared loyal, they in fact lacked the courage to continue fighting.

On the other side, Tang Yuhan did not stop, continuing to pursue and kill the remaining Stone Tribe members.

Tang Luo turned and glanced, casually handing the Whirlwind Gale to Jin Gang before walking toward Tang Yuhan.

Tang Yuhan's lips were bright red, the pair of steel wings on her back already stained crimson with blood as she lunged at the fleeing figure, about to cleave him in two.

Tang Luo suddenly appeared between them, reached out, and seized the steel wings.

"You dare block me?" Tang Yuhan's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Amitabha." Tang Luo intoned a Buddhist chant, not angry but gentle: "Lady Bodhisattva, please restrain yourself."

Tang Yuhan slowly raised her other wing, the sharp feathers aimed at Tang Luo, as if about to strike.

"Still not awakened?"

At that moment, Tang Luo shouted loudly, his voice like thunder, delivering a sudden rebuke.

A flicker of pain crossed Tang Yuhan's face; her body trembled imperceptibly, the danger in her eyes quickly fading.

"Sorry." She whispered softly, retracting her steel wings.

"No matter." Tang Luo turned and walked toward Bao'er Chijin.

He wasn't here to assert authority by stopping Tang Yuhan; frankly, whether these people lived or died didn't matter much to Tang Luo.

The real reason he intervened was that Tang Yuhan's state seemed somewhat off.

She had become slightly addicted to killing, unable to pull herself away, so Tang Luo had her restrained and delivered that sudden rebuke.

Tang Yuhan's reaction also proved that her earlier state had not been entirely normal.

Bao'er Chijin glanced at the priest beside him.

The priest opened his mouth, silently uttering a phrase, indicating he needed a little time.

"Donor, can we now cease hostilities?" Tang Luo stopped his steps, not getting too close: "With your current strength, you likely cannot take this manor; better to withdraw early?"

"This... Immortal Master." Bao'er Chijin's voice came from the crowd: "Are you from the Great Obscurity?"

"Yes." Tang Luo acknowledged his identity, stating his position.

"Hey."

Bao'er Chijin sneered: "An Immortal Master from the Great Obscurity, still meddling in our Northern Wilderness Tribe's affairs? The Immortal Master truly pities heaven and man, compassionate at heart—or should I say, Han Deshun! You this fellow want to submit to the Great Obscurity?"

The latter part of his sentence rose sharply in volume as he shouted at Han Deshun, chieftain of the Blaze Tribe.

Outside, Han Deshun had of course sent people to observe, knew the general situation, and upon hearing Bao'er Chijin slap on a big hat, immediately retorted: "Get lost! I don't even know them!"

Han Deshun also thought this through clearly.

If he managed to survive this by luck, he would immediately lead the remnants to seek refuge with other tribes, seeking protection; tribes allied with the Blaze Tribe certainly existed.

Meanwhile, friction between the Northern Wilderness and the Great Obscurity had been constant, escalating in recent years; seeking refuge with the Great Obscurity could hardly be considered a good choice.

Whether the Great Obscurity would accept him was a question; even if they did...

To be frank, Han Deshun had little confidence in the current Great Obscurity, beset by internal and external troubles, on the verge of collapse.

"Truly chilling." Bao'er Chijin said neutrally: "Immortal Master, you heard—your goodwill is rejected by others? Better to withdraw early; we won't harm harmony either."

"You misunderstand, donor." Tang Luo said: "This monk does not wish to save people, only to cease hostilities. What you think has nothing to do with this monk."

Bao'er Chijin frowned; this strange monk—what exactly did he want?

He didn't look like he came to save the Blaze Tribe.

"Alright." At that moment, Bao'er Chijin heard the priest beside him speak softly.

Turning his head, he saw the priest now looked decades older, instantly transformed from a youth into a middle-aged man, his hair turned ash-gray.

Yet his eyes gleamed with sharp light, a cold smile curled at his lips—clearly he had everything under control, very confident.

Bao'er Chijin hesitated no longer, immediately saying: "Since the Immortal Master refuses to leave, then stay!"

As he spoke, the people around him all drew their bows and shot arrows; another volley of arrow rain came down.

Moreover, the ground began to tremble at the same time; the earth dragon turned over.

The ground beneath Tang Luo and the two others suddenly bulged, split open, and a crimson giant centipede about five meters long burst from the earth.

At its head was a strange human face.

"This human-faced centipede I forged by refining the heart-blood of a thousand people, catalyzed by my decades of yang lifespan." The priest said softly: "Even if one encounters a top-tier great priest, one can still fight them; it cannot be destroyed by anything less than a true 'wu'. Combined with these tribal warriors, only that woman has a slight chance to escape..."

"Pfft!"

Before he finished speaking, the priest suddenly spat a large mouthful of black blood, spraying it onto the ground.

Some tiny worms could be seen wriggling twice within it, then soon stilled.

"How..."

Bao'er Chijin's face changed abruptly, he reached out and pushed aside the person in front of him, looking toward the arena.

Yet he saw that giant human-faced centipede suspended in midair, its crimson body riddled with numerous cracks, and in the next breath it shattered with a boom into a mass of black vapor, vanishing without a trace.

"Sacrifice—" Bao'er Chijin looked toward the priest beside him, only to see the priest instantly transform from a middle-aged man into an old man, his breath rapidly dissipating as he collapsed outright.

Bao'er Chijin instinctively supported him, but suddenly realized this priest—the strongest in the tribe, just one step away from the High Priest—had already become a withered corpse.

As if dead for many years, fragile as a piece of rotten wood.

The priest's introduction about that human-faced centipede actually concealed one more detail.

Namely, that besides consuming yang lifespan, the centipede is also linked to his life force and can devour other things to make them its own.

Seeing that these three individuals are extraordinary, if he could devour even one of them, he would not only compensate for his losses but also advance further.

This loss and that gain would inevitably secure victory. Even if not, what the priest said—that only a true shaman could destroy his centipede—is also a true statement.

At worst, he could at least escape.

Know that shamans in the entire Northern Plains number only six. The equivalent immortal masters of the Great You are roughly comparable, their numbers neck and neck, at most one or two more.

How could such a great figure possibly appear suddenly in this place?

Thus, "a risky move, not risky"—once successful, the reward would be immense.

"Master, centipede? That big a lump?" Jin Gang sent back the Whirlwind.

Just as he sensed movement underfoot, coupled with the incoming arrow barrage, he instinctively dodged, still unable to clearly see what had emerged, when that elongated object lunged straight at Master Xuanzang.

Then Master Xuanzang casually waved his hand, and Jin Gang didn't even see clearly whether he had struck it or not.

That crimson elongated object paused momentarily, then dissipated into nothing.

"Hmm." Tang Luo took the Whirlwind, "Not a good thing; I'll liberate it. Let's begin."

The Whirlwind transformed into a sword then a whip, sweeping across, a spray of blood erupted, and slaughter resumed.

"Stop! I'm willing to stop!" Bao'er Chijin threw the corpse to the ground, no longer looking, no longer thinking about what had happened, and shouted loudly.

Regret filled his heart, and the flames of anger burned fiercely.

If not for these three people suddenly appearing, he would have already beheaded Han De Shun at this moment, carrying a pile of spoils home in victory.

Now he must forcibly "cease hostilities"—how could he not be angry?

Though angry, Bao'er Chijin will not let anger cloud his judgment, choosing to stop.

Just after shouting these words, a heavy object falling sound came from behind the door inside.

Then the heavy gate opened, and a man led dozens of vicious individuals charging out, shouting loudly: "Haha! Bao'er Chijin, now I will chop off your head!"

No need to say more—it's probably that Han De Shun.

Han De Shun originally had no hope for these few sudden troublemakers; he only wanted to consume part of Bao'er Chijin's strength, create chaos, and give himself a chance to carve a bloody path—already a relief.

As for whether the three live or die, it's none of Han De Shun's concern.

Moreover, having just distanced himself from them, he likely already offended these three; letting them die by Bao'er Chijin's hand would also be a good thing.

Who would have thought the tide would turn—Bao'er Chijin here actually isn't a match for those three!

Even the priest died mysteriously; originally prepared to break through, Han De Shun made a swift decision, seized the opportunity, and prepared to launch a counterattack.

Unexpectedly, the victor of this great battle turned out to be himself.

As for that monk's talk of ceasing hostilities—cease what nonsense! Han De Shun won't listen; relying on the monk's might, he will first kill Bao'er Chijin, then devour the Giant Stone Tribe—this is the superior strategy.

If this monk doesn't kill Bao'er Chijin, then he will do it himself!

Ambushed from behind, his morale already shattered, Bao'er Chijin's side fell into utter chaos, and in an instant he was rushed to the front.

Han De Shun's spirit surged, and he slashed with a blade toward Bao'er Chijin.

"You're courting death!" Bao'er Chijin roared furiously, swinging his blade to counterattack.

The two blades collided, emitting a loud sound, faintly revealing the clash of firelight and stone illusions, flashing past, both vanishing.

At this very moment, Bao'er Chijin suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower back.

He jerked his head around, and saw a face twisted with a sinister grin.

Son! Han De Shun's son! This brat secretly cut the rope in the chaos and actually stabbed him!

This wound isn't fatal, but Bao'er Chijin still has Han De Shun glaring like a tiger before him—how could he miss such an opportunity?

"Die!"

Han De Shun bellowed, chopping downward; Bao'er Chijin tried to raise his hand to block, but a wave of pain struck, leaving him strengthless.

He could only watch helplessly as that bloodied blade grew larger and larger, nearly filling his entire vision, until it finally stopped.

"Huh?" Bao'er Chijin startled—had the blade stopped?

"Donor, the monk said he would cease hostilities—why don't you understand?"

Tang Luo's voice came from beside him, carrying a faint tone: "Since you don't understand, then don't blame the monk for slightly liberating you, so you will comprehend."

Han De Shun collapsed, a severed arm fell to the ground, blood gushing wildly.

Bao'er Chijin's body trembled, and he roared furiously: "Stop! All of you, stop!"

The sound was so mournful, it seemed as if the person "liberated by the severed arm" was himself.