Nobody spoke; everyone’s expression was grave.

Only the heavy, irregular sound of footsteps grew closer.

Amidst an extremely oppressive atmosphere, the figures in the miasma slowly revealed themselves.

Lu Gu’s pupils abruptly constricted.

These Shi Gu clansmen no longer looked quite like “people.”

Their faces, arms, and bodies were covered in bite marks, as if they had been “eaten” by others, yet they bled from the corners of their mouths, clearly having “eaten” others in turn.

You eat me, I eat you—they had exchanged flesh and blood, bound together by some subtle pact.

The only one intact was the small giant among them, whose body was like a mountain.

He was Lu Gu’s elder brother, another chief general of the Shu Gu tribe:

Shi Gu, a Great Barbarian Cultivator at the late stage of Jindan.

However, at this moment, Shi Gu’s condition was not good either.

His power was too great; no one could “eat” him; he only ate others.

But he seemed to have “eaten” too many people, causing his internal flesh and blood to become chaotic, his meridians to bulge, his skin to crack, and his eyes to take on a faint grayish-black hue.

He looked like a massive “King of Zombies.”

Yet, there was still a trace of vitality in his body; he seemed not to have died yet.

Lu Gu looked at this once mighty and extraordinary elder brother, now a “living dead” in a state between life and death, and his heart was filled with unspeakable feelings.

“Elder Brother, you—” Lu Gu’s voice was bitter.

But Shi Gu showed no reaction. His reason, tormented by long-term hunger, had dwindled to almost nothing.

Only the craving for “flesh and blood” propelled him forward.

Mo Hua looked at Shi Gu, especially his grayish-black eyes, his expression as serious as water.

A sense of unease grew in his heart.

Suddenly, a wisp of malevolent energy surged in the air, and a sulfurous scent diffused.

Mo Hua’s gaze trembled slightly, and he immediately said in a deep voice:

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

As a shaman, Mo Hua commanded high prestige, his orders strictly obeyed.

As soon as his words fell, Chi Feng, Dan Zhu, and others activated their magical artifacts.

The barbarian soldiers of the Dan Que tribe also lined up their long spears.

Some soldiers of the Shu Gu tribe, having followed Mo Hua’s guidance along the way, were accustomed to obeying his commands and even raised their bone spears against Shi Gu.

Lu Gu said coldly, “This is my elder brother. Who dares?”

The barbarian soldiers of the Shu Gu tribe could only lower their bone spears.

But precisely at this moment, an extremely strong scent of blood spread, an inhuman roar echoed, shaking the mountains and forests. The surrounding blood mist also trembled, as if a storm of blood and gore had swept through.

Shi Gu’s grayish-black eyes began to rotate erratically.

Blood vessels also permeated the whites of his eyes.

This time, he seemed to have truly been “awakened” by something.

A deep, ocean-like hunger emanated from the heart of the small giant, Shi Gu, affecting the minds of many Dao soldiers.

Almost in the next instant, Shi Gu’s figure suddenly vanished.

Hardly anyone on the scene could discern his movements.

When Shi Gu reappeared, he was already standing before the formation of the Shu Gu barbarian soldiers. With a single sweeping punch, he exploded the heads of eight Shu Gu barbarian soldiers, their flesh and blood bursting into a red mist.

Then, in front of everyone, Shi Gu broke the limbs of the Shu Gu barbarian soldiers and, like eating “hand-shredded chicken,” brutally peeled and ate these barbarians.

Everyone was horrified, looking at Shi Gu with terror in their expressions, momentarily forgetting to react.

Shi Gu “ate” people extremely quickly, as if possessed by a “Taotie.” In a few swift motions, he swallowed all eight into his belly.

The entire process took only a few blinks of an eye.

After eating, Shi Gu still felt unsatisfied and decided to change his palate.

As a general of the Shu Gu, he was clearly tired of “eating” the tribesmen of the Shu Gu tribe.

In a blink of an eye, the small giant, Shi Gu, disappeared again.

For that brief moment, no one detected Shi Gu’s presence.

Only Mo Hua’s gaze deepened. He locked his spiritual sense, then pointed into the air, a wisp of bright fire condensing at his fingertip, illuminating an empty space to his front right.

Dan Zhu understood instantly and activated her Xuanyan fire, transforming it into fiery feathers that shot towards where Mo Hua pointed.

The Xuanyan fire feathers touched the air and then suddenly exploded.

From within the flames, Shi Gu’s massive figure emerged.

His palm, like a large fan, was positioned high above, twisting towards the heads of several Dan Que barbarian soldiers.

These barbarian soldiers had no time to react.

They could not escape Shi Gu’s death-dealing hand.

However, the explosion triggered by Mo Hua’s pointing and Dan Zhu’s activation of her artifact, while hitting Shi Gu, also sent a shockwave that pushed these barbarian soldiers away, saving their lives.

Shi Gu’s hand grabbed nothing, failing to catch anything to eat. He immediately let out a furious roar towards the sky.

Dan Zhu then said coldly, “Form ranks!”

“Kill!”

Chi Feng charged first, spiritual power surging through his meridians like molten lava, his long spear like a blazing fire, attacking Shi Gu, who was at the late Jindan stage.

Over a hundred Yuan Gu heavy-armored soldiers formed a battle array, surrounding and attacking Shi Gu.

Shi Gu roared and fought Chi Feng for several rounds. Relying solely on his immense blood qi, he forcefully suppressed Chi Feng, who couldn’t even lift his head.

The other Yuan Gu heavy-armored soldiers were no match for Shi Gu either.

With a casual sweep, Shi Gu knocked over more than ten heavy-armored soldiers.

Despite their heavy armor protection, they were not killed, but the barbarian soldiers inside the armor were still severely shaken, their bones fractured, and they vomited blood.

The power of a late Jindan stage cultivator was truly formidable.

Mo Hua’s heart was shaken, then his gaze narrowed slightly.

“No, perhaps what’s strong—is Shi Gu.”

Shi Gu fought Chi Feng, Dan Zhu, and others for dozens of rounds. Although he was disoriented, driven only by instinct, without magical artifacts or grand荒 techniques, he managed to suppress Chi Feng and the others simply by relying on his physical strength.

The Yuan Gu heavy-armored soldiers also couldn’t put pressure on him.

This was in the Third-Grade State Realm, where the power of Jindan was unconstrained. Therefore, even though the Yuan Gu heavy-armored soldiers had strength comparable to “Jindan,” they still couldn’t be a match for a late Jindan general like Shi Gu in a short period.

And while Shi Gu had the upper hand in strength, he couldn’t kill anyone due to the heavy armor.

If he couldn’t kill, he couldn’t eat.

Shi Gu was on the verge of berserker rage. Suddenly, he swept his fist, his blood energy like a whip, repelling Chi Feng.

He took a spear hit from Dan Zhu on his back, but it only slightly broke his skin. In that brief interval, Shi Gu roared, and his figure suddenly vanished again.

Almost the instant Shi Gu disappeared, Mo Hua turned to the Shu Gu tribe’s side and warned:

“Be careful!”

Several Shu Gu barbarian soldiers had no time to react when the colossal Shi Gu suddenly appeared behind them.

A foul wind rose sharply, and Shi Gu’s hands, like two iron pincers, directly snapped the necks of two barbarian soldiers. He then repeated the process, tearing and eating these two.

The Shu Gu tribe was thrown into chaos.

Mo Hua also noticed that each time Shi Gu ate a person, the flesh and blood, once swallowed, would instantly transform into “nutrients,” nourishing his meridians and “powering” his continued slaughter.

Shi Gu was too strong; if he continued eating like this, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Mo Hua immediately looked at Lu Gu and said:

“Lu Gu, stop your elder brother. Don’t let him eat any more people!”

Chi Feng also said, “Shi Gu is in the late Jindan stage. If you don’t act, no one can face him head-on.”

Lu Gu’s face was cold, “Are you ordering me? To fight my own flesh and blood?”

Chi Feng angrily retorted, “What time is this?!”

Mo Hua looked at Lu Gu, his face indifferent, and said:

“Do you want all your retainers to die by Shi Gu’s hand? Do you want your tribe to become food for your elder brother?”

Before Mo Hua could finish his sentence, several more Shu Gu barbarian soldiers were killed, torn, chewed, and swallowed by Shi Gu.

Lu Gu’s face was extremely grim.

He didn’t want to oppose his elder brother, but the situation was such that every moment he delayed meant more Shu Gu tribesmen would die.

Once too many died, his position as a general would be in name only.

Lu Gu took a deep breath, then gritted his teeth and drew a huge monster-slaying bone saber from behind his spine, which looked like the spine of a demonic beast.

This was Lu Gu’s magical artifact, a pure barbarian tribal artifact forged from demon bones and nurtured within his body.

Lu Gu held the monster-slaying bone saber, its blade gleaming with a chilling white light as he slashed towards Shi Gu.

Shi Gu, sensing danger, discarded the half-eaten head of the Shu Gu barbarian soldier in his hand. Ferocious white bones, like gauntlets, emerged on both his arms, and he charged into battle with Lu Gu.

The two strongest late Jindan cultivators of the Shu Gu tribe, two brothers who had grown up together, thus clashed in a deadly struggle.

At first, Lu Gu did not go all out; he did not want to wield a butcher’s knife against his own elder brother.

But once he engaged Shi Gu, that familiar oppressive feeling surged, and Lu Gu found himself unable to hold back, forced to fight his elder brother with all his might.

Otherwise, even a slight lapse could mean his own death.

And in the entire arena, only Lu Gu could withstand Shi Gu’s assault head-on.

Taking advantage of this interval, Mo Hua quickly arranged, “Lord Chi Feng, you and General Lu Gu will work together to suppress Shi Gu.”

“The other Jindan cultivators will guard the surroundings, taking turns to assist in the attack, but each person can only make three moves.”

“These three moves must be made with full power. Retreat immediately after, and no matter what happens, never linger in battle.”

“The Yuan Gu heavy-armored soldiers will form a encirclement fifty zhang away, only defending, not attacking, to trap Shi Gu.”

“The rest of the barbarian soldiers, retreat a hundred zhang away. By no means let Shi Gu kill and eat you. If you are not eaten by Shi Gu, that is already a great help.”

“Young Master Dan Zhu, you will deal with the remaining crippled soldiers of the Shi Gu tribe—”

Mo Hua’s commands were issued one by one.

The battle situation instantly became much clearer.

Dan Zhu led her people to battle the other zombie-like “crippled soldiers” of the Shi Gu tribe.

Fortunately, the Shi Gu tribe suffered from a famine and resorted to cannibalism; most of its members died during the famine, and not many “survived.”

Among the Jindan cultivators, only the strongest, Shi Gu, remained; the other Jindan cultivators were all gone.

Therefore, as long as Shi Gu could be suppressed, the situation could be controlled.

The suppression of Shi Gu also went smoothly.

Though Shi Gu was powerful, he ultimately had no “brain,” fighting entirely by instinct.

With Lu Gu blocking him head-on, plus the “relay battle” of other Jindan cultivators each making three powerful moves, Shi Gu was continuously depleted, being “eroded” little by little.

And he couldn’t eat people to replenish his blood qi. With every bit of energy depleted, his strength would weaken, and his movements would slow.

Eventually, Shi Gu began to lose ground.

But even so, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Shi Gu, without blood and flesh replenishment, still possessed extremely potent blood qi.

The more so, the more cautious everyone became.

Finally, after a full hour of such careful attrition, Shi Gu’s blood and flesh power was finally exhausted, and his remaining vitality began to dwindle.

After another hundred-plus rounds of fighting, all of Shi Gu’s movements suddenly ceased.

Like a puppet with its spring removed, he stood motionless, completely devoid of any aura.

Watching this scene, everyone lowered their magical artifacts and weapons, slowly letting out a sigh of relief.

Only Lu Gu’s expression was heavy, mixed with pain.

He wanted to approach and see if his elder brother was truly dead.

To see what had truly happened to his elder brother.

But before he could get close, Mo Hua spoke to stop him: “Don’t go over. He still has breath; he’s feigning death.”

Lu Gu was startled.

The third of the Five Shu Gu Eccentrics, however, sneered at Mo Hua:

“Who do you take Lord Shi Gu for? Lord Shi Gu is a hero of great ambition; how could he use such a lowly tactic as feigning death—”

The Five Shu Gu Eccentrics were also Lu Gu’s subordinates.

The five brothers had a feud with Dan Zhu, but due to Lu Gu’s prestige, they grudgingly worked together.

Naturally, they held no goodwill towards Dan Zhu, nor towards Mo Hua, the shaman of the Dan Que tribe.

Now, seeing Mo Hua seemingly look down on Lord Shi Gu so much, he naturally felt discontent.

Just as he turned his head to look at Mo Hua.

The previously “frozen” Shi Gu had opened his eyes again, vanished with a flash, and reappeared beside the third of the Five Shu Gu Eccentrics at an even faster speed.

A pair of bloody hands clamped around the neck of the third of the Five Shu Gu Eccentrics.

The third Shu Gu Eccentric couldn’t break free, his expression terrified. He turned his head and saw the once “heroic” Shi Gu, now with green eyes, like a rabid, inhumane beast.

A sharp pain shot through his neck.

The third Shu Gu Eccentric’s eyes widened, he tried to break free but couldn’t.

And his blood was being sucked by Shi Gu.

Not just blood, but all the flesh on his body was being sucked by Shi Gu’s hurricane-like mouth, sliding from between his teeth down his throat.

This was a true consumption of flesh and blood.

Mo Hua’s gaze was stern, and he immediately decided:

“Quick! Kill it!”

Chi Feng’s spear, like fire, immediately thrust towards Shi Gu’s chest, but it was deflected by Lu Gu’s demon-slaying bone saber.

Chi Feng angrily said, “Lu Gu, what do you mean?”

Lu Gu’s face was grim, “Shi Gu is my elder brother.”

Chi Feng urged, “If we don’t completely shatter his heart meridian and cut off his vitality, he will keep eating people!”

Lu Gu remained silent, not uttering a word.

Mo Hua then slowly said, “Once Shi Gu eats a Jindan cultivator and replenishes his blood qi, if he keeps eating like this, everyone will die. He has lost his sanity; even if you consider him your elder brother, he won’t recognize you and will still want to eat you.”

Lu Gu’s heart trembled, but he still couldn’t make up his mind.

But if he was unwilling to act, others were.

The other four of the Five Shu Gu Eccentrics activated their magical artifacts, unleashing dark power, to strike at Shi Gu’s heart meridians.

There were once six brothers, but one died, leaving five Shu Gu Eccentrics.

Now, if one more died, they would become the Four Shu Gu Eccentrics.

However, they were only at the early Jindan stage, with a significant disparity in cultivation. Their various bone knives and bone swords, and barbarian techniques, could only wound Shi Gu’s skin.

Meanwhile, a chewing sound came from Shi Gu’s mouth.

The flesh and blood of the third of the Five Shu Gu Eccentrics had almost been completely devoured.

And Shi Gu’s blood qi was gradually recovering. Even his eyes were slowly becoming darker and deeper.

Everyone was shocked.

Lu Gu’s heart “thumped,” and he realized the problem. If he continued to cling to fraternal affection and allowed Shi Gu to keep eating, the situation would truly spiral out of control.

Lu Gu immediately swung his demon-slaying bone saber, slashing at Shi Gu’s shoulder.

Shi Gu’s shoulder was cut for a small portion. He instantly roared in anger, immediately dropped the third Shu Gu eccentric, and turned to attack Lu Gu.

Shi Gu was covered in blood, his eyes ferocious, resembling a “demonic beast.” He no longer looked like the mighty and decisive “elder brother.”

This appearance, reflected in Lu Gu’s eyes, made Lu Gu’s heart grow colder by the minute.

He knew that his elder brother was truly “dead.”

The figure before him was no longer his elder brother, but merely a “beast” clad in his elder brother’s skin.

Lu Gu’s gaze hardened; he no longer held back.

The others also dared not be careless and continued to follow the “relay battle” encirclement.

After another hour or so, just as everyone was about to be exhausted, Shi Gu’s “blood and flesh power” was finally depleted again.

Shi Gu’s movements stopped once more.

This time, Shi Gu truly stopped.

And Lu Gu was no longer polite. After confirming that Shi Gu was not “feigning death,” he personally used his demon-slaying bone saber to sever his elder brother’s limbs.

He then took out a long spear, pierced his elder brother’s chest, and dug out the still-warm heart.

His blood qi was exhausted, his limbs severed, and his heart dug out.

In this way, Shi Gu himself no longer had any trace of vitality.

All his meridians were also deprived of supply, making him unable to move.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Gu, being a late Jindan stage cultivator, was simply too powerful.

Almost everyone was wounded in this battle.

The third of the Five Shu Gu Eccentrics had most of his flesh and blood eaten by Shi Gu, losing his vitality. Now, the Five Shu Gu Eccentrics became the Four Shu Gu Eccentrics.

Only Lu Gu stood rooted, looking at his elder brother, whom he had personally “dismembered” and whose heart he had dug out, a profound sadness in his heart.

Thus, this inexplicable storm finally passed.

With Shi Gu’s death, the remaining crippled soldiers of the Shi Gu tribe were even less of a match. Like Shi Gu, their limbs were severed, and their hearts were removed. Everyone dug a pit and buried these bodies together.

After all, they were of the same clan, and after death, they deserved to rest in peace.

The deceased General Shi Gu was also buried.

Lu Gu personally dug a large pit and buried Shi Gu in it, erecting a large monument inscribed with:

“Tomb of Shi Gu, Chief General of the Shu Gu Tribe.”

Under normal circumstances, a general’s burial would never be of this simple scale.

Even among the barbarians, tombs would be constructed, coffins used for elaborate burials, and arrays slowly used for “corpse dissolution.”

And with Shi Gu’s achievements, he was qualified to be buried in the ancestral tombs of the Shu Gu.

But now, with famine rampant, no one could afford to pay attention to such matters.

While alive, people had distinctions of status, nobility, and wealth; after death, they were merely a handful of yellow earth, scattered by the wind.

Shi Gu, in his lifetime, was also an extremely powerful and magnificent general.

In Lu Gu’s heart, his elder brother could have achieved great deeds and left his name in the history of the Barbarian Wasteland.

But now, all of that was gone.

He had personally killed his elder brother, dismembered his body, dug out his heart, and ended it all.

Lu Gu stood before Shi Gu’s simple tomb, an unspeakable desolation filling him.

Mo Hua stood behind Lu Gu, silently watching everything.

Others might not know, but he understood in his heart.

Whether it was Lu Gu, or Shi Gu, or even all those who died in this battle—everyone was actually on his Martial Uncle’s chessboard.

Everyone was a chess piece of his Martial Uncle.

But they were completely unaware.

Their fates were manipulated, and they were oblivious.

They did not know where the famine came from, why they died, why there was such a tragedy of “people eating people,” nor did they know the root cause of all this.

They hadn’t even heard the name “Gui Dao Ren.”

And so, amidst feelings of the impermanence of the world and the cruelty of fate, they were unknowingly manipulated to their deaths, never knowing why they died—

Never knowing until their death that they were merely pawns.

Perhaps even just one of countless pawns, utterly insignificant, never even noticed by his Martial Uncle.