Chapter 263: No Need to Thank

"No need to thank me," Tang Luo said, calm and unhurried, causing the Yin brothers to raise their eyebrows slightly, even this small gesture maintaining the same rhythm.

Everyone's movements froze as the red light rose.

Some remained suspended mid-leap, falling straight to the ground like statues.

The red light transformed into immense binding power, pressing everyone down in place.

Moreover, everyone felt a growing weakness; the outer soldiers' conditions clearly deteriorated, beginning to resemble desiccated corpses.

Vitality was rapidly draining away.

The only thing still able to move freely was everyone's mouths.

For a moment, chaotic voices filled the scene.

"Yin Youqing! What are you doing!" the Fusang tribal leader roared loudly.

The totemic power on the tribal leader's body, invisible to ordinary people, was boiling, resisting the red light's force, allowing them to remain in a barely movable state.

Yet every movement felt like bearing a thousand-jin burden, becoming extraordinarily strenuous.

"The Grand Witch has emerged," the Yin brothers said, smiling.

The manifested red light should have had no effect on the two, but after severing the substitute wooden effigies, their condition clearly worsened, so they stood still, seemingly recovering.

"What Grand Witch emergence! What exactly are you doing! Explain yourself clearly!"

The Fusang tribal leader's roar represented the attitude of 99.99% of those present—they were angry and confused, wanting to know what these two shamans were up to.

"Hmm, let me think—how should I say this to make you understand better?"

The Yin brothers spoke in turn, forming a coherent sentence: "First, what do you think a Grand Witch is?"

"You seem to enjoy playing riddles?" the Fusang tribal leader said coldly.

"No, actually I'm buying time," one of the Yin brothers said, then the other continued: "Some people probably also need to buy time."

Saying this, he glanced at Tang Luo on the high platform.

"So, this works for both of us. You really think 'we'—well, just treat it as us—after we merge, can we briefly achieve the Grand Witch's realm?"

The Fusang tribal leader glanced at Tang Luo, then turned his gaze back to the Yin brothers: "What do you mean?"

"It means……the Grand Witch is vastly stronger than you frogs in a well can imagine," the Yin brothers said, faces flushed with fervor, "His existence, his power, is beyond your imagination."

"Are you wondering why I can set up this great formation?"

The Yin brothers said this while looking at the Fusang tribal leader.

The Yin brothers are skilled in formations, known to many, and the Fusang tribal leader especially knows the limits of this pair.

Even if given all the materials, everything they wanted provided.

Yet the Yin brothers could not accomplish setting up, in a short time, a formation capable of completely imprisoning everyone and draining others' vitality.

Facing the Yin brothers' "self-questioning style," the Fusang tribal leader merely snorted coldly.

"Actually, this isn't really a formation I set up," the Yin brothers said, "I merely borrowed a bit of power from a true great formation to suppress you. Yes, the Fusang tribe's legend is not entirely false."

"This place—beneath our feet—has witnessed things we can hardly imagine."

"Perhaps this was once truly part of a divine tree."

"Deep beneath the ground lies a sealed great formation, and the 'Grand Witch Venerable' you've longed for is awakening!"

The Yin brothers merging into the Grand Witch?

No, not at all. Everyone was deceived by the Yin brothers; their fusion indeed makes their power extremely formidable.

But this is not the Grand Witch—the true Grand Witch lies beneath everyone's feet.

Existing for thousands of years, sealed, now awakening, now breaking free!

Grand Witch emergence!

This is the true Grand Witch emergence!

The Yin brothers are naturally pioneers of the Grand Witch's emergence; if the Grand Witch is likened to a god, then the Yin brothers are fanatics.

As for whether the Grand Witch, while sealed, secretly influenced the Yin brothers.

Or whether the Yin brothers themselves discovered something and achieved self-conquest—no one is clear.

Because after mentioning the Grand Witch, the Yin brothers clearly became abnormal, beginning to chatter on, praising the Grand Witch's greatness, those excessive compliments making one's skin crawl.

While he praised the Grand Witch, the outer soldiers had already died off by nearly half.

Jingang's face showed a brief flicker of joy, then quickly faded.

When Tang Luo acted, killing the Wu You nest, they three received another task—weakening the strength of the Five Great Tribes of the Northern Plains.

This task is quite vague, but carrying it out is actually quite "simple," basically requiring no mental effort.

Just beat down the Five Great Tribes mercilessly.

The only problem: no one knows how weak is weak enough to complete the task.

Now the three simultaneously have two tasks: one is to stop the Grand Witch's emergence, two is to weaken the Five Great Tribes.

This is also the first time, but the task itself states there will be various "branch tasks," two branch tasks appearing simultaneously, which is not surprising.

No matter what, the current situation undoubtedly pushes forward toward Jingang and them completing their tasks.

For them, this is a good thing.

The turncoats of the Five Great Tribes—really many, and all in key positions: six shamans, three turncoats, plus three who died.

Looking at it this way, it's actually quite tragic.

After praising the Grand Witch with emotional, fervent tone, the Yin brothers gasped heavily and said: "Now you understand—you can fortunately become witnesses and sacrifices to the Grand Witch's emergence."

"Fortunate, huh!"

Many cursed inwardly, but as time passed, the surrounding binding force grew stronger.

The four leaders who could barely move earlier now could only move their mouths.

Jingang was in much the same state.

As for Tang Yuhan, a flash of blood light appeared on her body, and steel wings grew from her back, allowing her to break free from the binding force in an instant and arrive beside the Yin brothers.

She swung a blade.

The Yin brothers seemed not to have expected that, under these circumstances, someone could still act.

I don't know whether it was Yin Youqing's or Yin Youque's head that fell to the ground.

Blood spurted out, and the headless corpse collapsed.

But after swinging that blade, Tang Yuhan's body trembled, the steel wings behind her suddenly shattered, and she remained frozen in the posture of her strike.

That blow should have been her final counterattack.

"Oh, how dangerous." The one who didn't die retreated two steps, "Fortunately, I am a single soul with two bodies."

A single soul with two bodies?

If it were one body with two souls, it would be easier to understand—just explain it as "schizophrenia, dual personality."

If it is a single soul with two bodies, it is probably similar to a clone, with no primary or secondary distinction.

It might also be that the Yin brothers are severely ill; in fact, they are two people, but they feel like one.

Anyway, they can merge into one, so it doesn't really matter which case it is.

The sudden death of one doesn't significantly affect the Yin brothers.

At least, the current situation is not significantly affected.

The great formation that traps everyone and devours life, once activated, does not require the Yin brothers to maintain its operation.

He only needs to wait quietly, waiting for the power offered by everyone to be sufficient to tear open a gap in the great formation sealing the great witch.

As long as it is a small gap, the great witch can successfully break the seal and emerge into the world.

"So that's how it is. In that case, does that mean the great witch is right beneath our feet, about to emerge?" Tang Luo asked.

"Yes, Master Xuanzang." Yin Youqing (or Yin Youque) said, "I can see that your eyes show no panic, anger, or fear of others. I think someone like you, a strong one, would not be as ignorant as ordinary mortals; you should also be eager to behold that magnificent existence, that boundless power. Even if we cannot reach the peak, at least we can witness the radiance displayed by those strong ones who have trodden the peak."

"You are also waiting for the great witch to emerge, aren't you?"

"Oh." Tang Luo replied indifferently, "Actually, no."

Tang Luo truly had no anticipation for the great witch's emergence; his mission is to stop it, so he plans to directly strike down the great witch when it is on the verge of breaking the seal and emerging.

As for emergence, let's just forget it.

After all, I have a mission to fulfill.

Speaking of which, he threw out two substitute wooden dolls.

Wuyang originally carried ten substitute wooden dolls, used three at the beginning, and gave the remaining seven to Tang Luo.

Tang Luo used one, then threw out four more, leaving him with two now.

Adding the three still present on the field, there are a total of five substitute wooden dolls.

Who would have thought! This monk actually still has two!

Yin Youqing indeed did not expect this; his expression of having everything under control and chest full of confidence suddenly tightened.

Not only because Tang Luo threw out two more "himself."

But also because, as he moved, the several substitute wooden dolls that had been still and motionless just now directly moved.

Five substitute wooden dolls in total directly began a silent attack.

They broke free from the binding force of the red great formation, each delivering a punch, harvesting the lives of the people from the five major tribes around them.

"……" Yin Youqing said nothing.

Those who died had not a drop of blood flowing from their bodies; their lives, their blood, everything was plundered, serving as the "power source" to break open the sealing great formation.

It must be said, the Yin brothers indeed have exceptional attainments in formation arts.

He used the power of the sealing great formation to bind everyone, then, based on that, absorbed everyone's life force to destroy the sealing great formation.

When accumulated to a sufficient degree, the great formation is broken open—even if just a gap, the great witch can break the seal and emerge into the world.

The substitute wooden dolls beginning to fulfill their task undoubtedly promotes the accumulation process; Yin Youqing should be pleased to hear and see this.

Yet, his heart is sinking bit by bit; unease, restlessness, panic, and even fear are gradually gripping Yin Youqing's heart.

The source of these emotions.

Precisely the Xuanzang monk on the high platform whom he had just thanked not long ago.

The other party, after his thanks, said, "No need to thank."

This seems…… not humility, nor politeness.

But rather a statement of some fact—some fact that the Yin brothers do not need to thank him for!