The Chi Ha tribe could also be considered a formidable power, not to mention other factors. Their ability to maintain a presence so close to the Supreme Royal Court was a testament in itself, one that few lesser tribes could claim. But what manner of man was Yu Wen Duo?

Though he appeared deferential and agreeable in the presence of He Lian Yun Yun, and chuckled heartily with Jiang Wang, he was in truth a scion of the illustrious Yu Wen clan, a renowned lineage of the grasslands! He had honed his skills within the Cang Yu Patrol Yamen, endured the trials of life and death on the frontier wilderness, and now served with distinction in the Cang Tu Divine Army.

Among the myriad young nobles of the Great Mu Empire, he stood as an absolute paragon of excellence. What’s more, he enjoyed the profound trust of the Imperial Princess He Lian Yun Yun and possessed a formidable talent, one who even studied within the esteemed halls of Er De Mi – the prodigy, Ya Ai.

For Yu Wen Duo, blockading the Chi Ha tribe and encircling a mere foreign minor sect was a task far from arduous. Indeed, it was so effortless that he needn’t even raise a hand himself.

Before the operation commenced, Gao Xing Wu had already meticulously investigated the intricacies of the Wu Sheng Cult’s grassland branch. A woman, who styled herself “Wu Sheng Old Mother,” had daringly journeyed to the grasslands with eighteen core disciples to establish a foothold. By falsely claiming that the Wu Sheng Divine Lord was a subordinate deity of the Cang Tu Divine God, she had swiftly gained traction.

It must be said, this tactic remarkably aligned with the Mu Court’s prevailing open religious policy, showcasing the shrewdness of this Wu Sheng Old Mother. Given the chance to flourish, she might well have carved a significant presence on the grasslands.

Their initial guise was that of Wu Ma Ke, wandering merchants who aided the distressed and assisted the impoverished among the various smaller tribes, thereby cultivating believers. Once a preliminary foothold was established, Wu Sheng Old Mother did not rest on her laurels and quickly forged ties with the young prince of the Chi Ha Tribe, Ji Chi Yan. Leveraging the Chi Ha Tribe’s influence, the Wu Sheng Cult quietly expanded, entering a new phase of development.

Had there been a tale crafted about the Wu Sheng Cult, this Wu Sheng Old Mother would undoubtedly be heralded as a great contributor to the organization. She had carved a path for the sect on the grasslands, earned merit through both teaching and cultivation, and her future seemed boundless. Subsequently, with the Grand Ceremony of the Divine Robe Succession and the Great Mu Royal Court’s promulgation of the “Myriad Sects Converge” national policy, she was like a ship with “a favorable wind lending force, sending me soaring to the blue clouds.”

Alas, their fortune turned with the arrival of Jiang Wang. The warriors of the Yu Wen clan, well-drilled and efficient, separated into trios like sharp blades plunging into softened butter, effortlessly dissecting the target area. From the tents, from the market stalls, from the sheep pens, the designated figures were systematically pulled out.

The battle lines advanced with striking speed, the warriors’ targets crystal clear. Within the target zone, the tribesmen of the Chi Ha could only flee in panic, or, under the warriors’ stern gazes, freeze in place, awaiting screening. Those outside the cordon could only watch in helpless silence.

A youth in brocade robes galloped forth, his voice ringing out even from afar, “Wait, wait! Worthy men of the Yu Wen clan, I am Wu Chi Yan! My Chi Ha tribe has always been loyal to the throne and reverent towards the gods, harboring no reckless ambitions. Why then do we face blades and spears? Surely there is some misunderstanding?”

Gao Xing Wu remained silent, and the Yu Wen clan warriors showed absolutely no inclination to halt. Those to be captured were seized, those to be slain were dispatched, without a flicker of mercy.

The brocade-robed youth rode to the forefront, reining in his steed, and glared furiously at the airborne Gao Xing Wu: “You, Gao Xing Wu, a renowned figure in the Jing Dian region, are indeed noteworthy! But my Chi Ha tribe is not easily bullied! We have never been in conflict. I know not when I might have offended you, that you would strike without a word and resort to arms!”

Around him, the warriors of the Chi Ha Tribe, for a time, gathered behind him, their gazes fixed on this side, the chilling intent in their eyes growing ever more difficult to suppress. They presented the very picture of a force ready to form ranks and charge should there be further disagreement.

Gao Xing Wu merely cast an indifferent glance at the youth, uttering not a word. His body, like an eagle spreading its wings, directly descended before a large tent, raised a hand in a sweeping motion, and with a flash of Jing Dian across the sky, the grand tent was rent asunder! The followers of the Wu Sheng Cult who had been resisting within were completely exposed to everyone’s view!

Within was a white-haired old woman, her figure hunched, moving with a spectral grace. She held a long sword, its tip still dripping with blood. Three corpses lay horizontally beneath her blade. Presumably, this was the “Wu Sheng Old Mother,” indeed demonstrating the most formidable prowess on the entire scene.

Gao Xing Wu directly invoked the starlight from the heavens and immediately plunged down, engaging her in a fierce melee.

Wu Chi Yan, witnessing such blatant disregard, was instantly enraged beyond forbearance. With a *shush* of steel, he drew the curved knife from his waist. The Chi Ha Tribe warriors behind him all drew their blades.

“Wu Chi Yan!”

From the edge of the field, the unremarkable carriage suddenly drew attention. Yu Wen Duo, with one foot on the carriage shaft and the other on the horse’s back, waved a hand towards him: “Come here.”

Wu Chi Yan was somewhat taken aback and uncertain, not knowing who was addressing him.

Yu Wen Duo lifted his chin: “This old man is Yu Wen Duo!”

Wu Chi Yan subconsciously dismounted, and as if discarding a burning coal, he tossed the curved knife onto the grassland. He then hurried a few steps towards the carriage. “Young Master Yu Wen, this…” A mere steward of the Yu Wen clan, Gao Xing Wu, already possessed a reputation that overshadowed his own.

He had not recognized Yu Wen Duo immediately because, at his level, he was not yet qualified to interact with true blood descendants like Yu Wen Duo. Now that Yu Wen Duo had revealed his identity, he dared not harbor even half an ounce of defiance.

With genuine apprehension, he pleaded: “I have some friendship with Young Master Jin Ge Jin. Please, for his sake…”

Yu Wen Duo raised his hand and pressed downwards, not employing any divine powers or spells. He simply stated: “Kneel.”

*Puff!*

Power was might, power was divine authority.

Wu Chi Yan immediately fell to his knees, no longer daring to invoke the names of others: “Wu Chi Yan is foolish and truly knows not where I have offended Young Master Yu Wen. If you are willing to point it out, I shall be eternally grateful. Please, be magnanimous and grant the Chi Ha Tribe a chance to atone!”

Jiang Wang, wearing a sheep’s head mask, had silently observed the struggle between Gao Xing Wu and Wu Sheng Old Mother from beginning to end. Regardless of the unfolding events today, he was merely a spectator. He stood at the periphery, affording him a clearer vantage point to scrutinize the minutiae of the Wu Sheng Cult.

He suspected that Zhang Lin Chuan and the prominent leaders of the Wu Sheng Cult possessed some sort of emergency contact channel. This was also why, during the incident in Cheng Guo last time, only the Immortal Palace Envoy had appeared. The purpose was to avoid exposing himself and alerting Zhang Lin Chuan.

Gao Xing Wu, holding the title of Jing Dian Bian, was a cultivator of the Outer Tower realm, devoid of divine powers but possessing decent thunder techniques.

Wu Sheng Old Mother, on the other hand, was a cultivator of the Inner Mansion realm, endowed with a peculiar divine power. Her left palm held a wind hole, from which specters continuously emerged.

These specters, to varying degrees, possessed vitality. In other words, they were refined from the souls of living beings. Thus, they lacked the weaknesses of ordinary ghosts, could rampage in broad daylight, and were completely immune to thunder techniques.

The two sides battled back and forth.

Previously, in Cheng Guo, he had encountered a Di You Shi Zhe, also of the divine power Inner Mansion realm. However, that Di You Shi Zhe hadn’t had time to employ his divine power before being slain. When had divine power Inner Mansion cultivators become so commonplace?

If they belonged to some great sect of the world, some mighty nation, then perhaps it would be understandable. But Zhang Lin Chuan’s newly established Wu Sheng Cult, what foundation did it possess?

Yu Wen Duo clearly had immense confidence in Gao Xing Wu. He didn’t even glance at the battle unfolding there, merely gazing down at Wu Chi Yan. His tone was calm as he inquired: “What is your relationship with the Wu Sheng Cult?”

Wu Chi Yan abruptly raised his head. This suddenness held a hint of feigned surprise; after all, he wasn’t blind and could see who the warriors’ targets were. “I have no relationship with the Wu Sheng Cult. I merely responded to His Majesty’s ‘Myriad Sects Converge’ national policy and allowed them to preach within the Chi Ha. Young Master Yu Wen, is there a problem with this Wu Sheng Cult? The Chi Ha Tribe is also a victim! They arrived here not long ago, and what they have done, the Chi Ha Tribe is completely unaware of!”

“The Wu Sheng Cult confuses the minds of believers, and you do not know? The Wu Sheng Cult siphons the life force of believers, and you do not know? The Wu Sheng Cult is an evil sect, and you do not know?”

“Is there such a thing? Wu Chi Yan is indeed unaware. In that case, I shall apprehend them. Please, Young Master Yu Wen, exact your punishment!” Wu Chi Yan looked back at the Chi Ha Tribe warriors behind him: “Are you still not going to help?!”

Yu Wen Duo watched him with interest: “But before the ‘Myriad Sects Converge’ national policy was announced, this Wu Sheng Cult was already preaching in the Chi Ha. How do you explain that?”

Wu Chi Yan was suddenly shocked, cold sweat instantly drenching his back.

In that instant, myriad excuses raced through his mind, but facing Yu Wen Duo’s faintly playful expression, they all dissipated.

He immediately prostrated himself, his forehead touching the ground, no longer daring to argue: “Wu Chi Yan was blinded by avarice, deceived by evil individuals, greedy for petty gains, deceiving my tribal elders and brethren above, and oppressing the common people below, allowing this evil sect to spread its poison. I truly deserve ten thousand deaths! No matter how Young Master Yu Wen punishes me, even if it is dismemberment by five horses, Wu Chi Yan is willing to accept!”

“What about that?” Yu Wen Duo wore a look of surprise: “That’s not a grave crime?” In Wu Chi Yan’s eyes, where hope had suddenly ignited, the surprise on Yu Wen Duo’s face vanished, replaced by an untouchable indifference: “Your Chi Ha Tribe simply knew the national policy in advance, and it was leaked. That’s all.”

“No! Absolutely not so!” Wu Chi Yan’s eyes were suddenly filled with terror. He crawled a few steps forward on his knees, nearing the carriage, and desperately kowtowed: “I fundamentally did not know the national policy in advance! My father and my brethren are even more completely unaware of this evil sect! I can swear to the Cang Tu Divine God! I can swear by my life soul! How could the Chi Ha Tribe possibly have the ability to know the national policy in advance? And how could I possibly have the audacity to leak the national policy? That Wu Sheng Old Mother tempted me with secret technique Yuan Stones, promising monthly fixed payments. I was swayed by wealth and goods and acted rashly. The entire matter is simply thus! Wu Chi Yan’s sin is unpardonable and I should suffer a thousand cuts and ten thousand slices, but I only beg Elder Yu Wen to halt the blame at Wu Chi Yan and not implicate my innocent clansmen!”

In short order, his forehead was covered in mud and grass debris from his kowtowing, no longer bearing any semblance of a grassland noble’s demeanor. Yu Wen Duo lifted his chin slightly: “You mean to say I intend to implicate others?”

“I have no such intention, I have no such intention.” Wu Chi Yan was already weeping and snot-nosed, his hands trembling as he bowed to Yu Wen Duo: “Beg you, beg you grant a path to life.”

“A path to life or death, I do not understand. Can you say something I can comprehend?” Yu Wen Duo leisurely turned his head: “Heh, the person has been brought.”

Indeed, the battle on that side had concluded. Gao Xing Wu had captured Wu Sheng Old Mother, and the core followers of the Wu Sheng Cult, except for those killed on the spot, numbered forty-three still alive. They were also all bound and escorted over.

Only then did Yu Wen Duo turn to Wu Chi Yan and say: “Get up. Stand by the side and listen well. After I finish speaking, I hope you will know what to say to me.”

Jiang Wang stood silently by the carriage side, like a personal guard to a noble young master such as Yu Wen Duo. Even using the Flame Cauldron Seal, his aura was suppressed to appear even more ordinary.

Yu Wen Duo had his own way of doing things, and the grasslands possessed their inherent traditions. His forthrightness might not be feigned, but at this moment, effortlessly manipulating Wu Chi Yan’s fate was also truly him.

The white-haired old woman had both her hands shattered by Gao Xing Wu, her internal organs pierced, and was threaded with an iron chain. Just like that, she was dragged over, covered in fresh blood, and thrown before the carriage. This old woman, who styled herself “Wu Sheng Old Mother,” appeared utterly unremarkable, very ordinary. At this moment, curled up on the ground, she seemed quite pitiful.

And the forty-three core followers of the Wu Sheng Cult knelt neatly behind her. They were of varying heights, weights, and builds, with no other commonalities apart from their somewhat pale faces. Each person had a knife resting against their neck, ensuring they dared not move, dared not make a sound.

Those who had shouted for the divine lord and perished had already been slain.

Among these core followers, a portion were clansmen of the Chi Ha Tribe, but their young prince now knelt before Yu Wen Duo. How then dared others speak?

Gao Xing Wu stepped forward to report: “Young Master, all core evil sect followers on the list, twenty-three killed on the spot, forty-three captured. Not one escaped.”

Yu Wen Duo wiped his braided hair, jumped down from the carriage, and walked before Wu Sheng Old Mother. He used his boot to lift her head, looking down at her: “Do you know what happened to those who secretly came to the grasslands to preach in the past and were caught?”

“Heh heh heh.” The old woman knelt on the ground, raising her face, her mouth full of blood. Yet, she stared at Yu Wen Duo and continued to laugh. Her laughter was strange, terrifying, and fearless.

Yu Wen Duo looked at her and said no more.

*Swish!*

A warrior’s horse knife chopped down, and the head of one Wu Sheng Cult follower rolled away.

Silence for a few breaths.

*Swish!* The blade flashed. Another head.

Some pleaded: “Wait, wait! Whatever you want to ask, Old Mother knows, I know! Don’t kill me, I’ll tell you everything!”

Some cursed: “Dare to blaspheme the divine spirits, to kill divine servants! You shall die without burial, forever unable to be reborn!”

But from beginning to end, Yu Wen Duo only looked at Wu Sheng Old Mother. The warriors of the Yu Wen clan also made no other sounds.

Only the horse knife fell again and again, and only the heads of the Wu Sheng Cult followers, one by one, rolled down. This silently spreading pressure was like pushing people into deep water.

Wu Sheng Old Mother finally stopped laughing.

She looked at Yu Wen Duo with resentment: “Who are you? What do you want to do?” Then she let out a cry of pain, “Ah!”

Her left ear was severed!

“I don’t like others asking me questions.” Yu Wen Duo said, tossing the horse knife, still tinged with red, back to the warrior’s hand. His tone was very casual: “Like this, how about you tell me, who are you, what do you want to do?”

Quite obviously, during his time in the Cang Yu Patrol Yamen, Yu Wen Duo must have been a very qualified Fei Ya, exceptionally skilled at controlling the rhythm of interrogations. The old woman at this moment was covered in blood, her body excessively weak, and the constantly escalating pressure had almost broken her defenses. She trembled and slowly said: “I am Wu Sheng Old Mother. I came to the grasslands to spread the glory of the god.”

“Within your organization, what is the position of Wu Sheng Old Mother?”

“Wu Sheng Old Mother is a title I gave myself, convenient for preaching on the grasslands. My position in the sect is Di Ling Shi.”

“Seven two Di Sha.” Yu Wen Duo was somewhat surprised: “Your sect is very powerful, ah!”

The old woman said: “I only know that I am Di Ling Shi, and I only know the situation of the grassland branch. I do not know where the other Di Sha Envoys are, nor how many there are in total, nor do I know how truly powerful the sect is.”

“Very reasonable.” Yu Wen Duo nodded and looked at her: “Honestly speaking, looking at your appearance, I truly cannot bear to use heavy hands. For you to still be out harming people at this advanced age, there must be some hardships. Tell me, how did you join the Wu Sheng Cult?”

Fresh blood slowly trickled through the deep wrinkles. The old woman had a vacant expression, her eyes also very empty: “That was shortly after I was married. One evening, our home was robbed. There were three of them in total, carrying two pig-slaughtering knives and a hammer. They took all the valuables in the house. They said if I served them well, they wouldn’t kill us. I complied. Yet they still slit my husband’s throat, stabbed me twice, and set fire to our home. I jumped into the water vat and was not burned to death. At that time, I thought, whoever can help me get revenge, I am willing to do anything. The god answered me.”

“Shortly after marriage?” Yu Wen Duo looked at her: “May I ask your age?”

“Twenty and one.” The old woman said.

Silent for a moment, Yu Wen Duo said: “Tell me about your god. What does it look like? What divine miracles did it perform? How strong is it?”

“I have never seen it. It only appears in my heart. It is a voice, very kind…” The old woman murmured, her eyes suddenly rolling back, staring directly at Yu Wen Duo! Her voice also became sinister and terrifying: “What do you think a god is!?”

In the large tent from which Wu Sheng Old Mother had been dragged, her god was enshrined. The pale white god image, a faceless wooden statue, enshrined with white candles – everything was very familiar. Gao Xing Wu, in apprehending Wu Sheng Old Mother, hadn’t paid attention to these furnishings.

Jiang Wang, naturally, had noticed, but he hadn’t reminded Yu Wen Duo, nor had he immediately swept away the god shrine. He merely observed everything in silence. During the hurried departure from Cheng Guo last time, the focus was on concealment, and he felt at the time that his strength was still insufficient to confront Zhang Lin Chuan.

Today was naturally different. Not to mention he had already achieved the Divine Proclamation realm and could handle most unexpected situations. More importantly, this was the Mu Kingdom. What evil god could come here and not be suppressed? Even if Zhang Lin Chuan was more terrifying, could he change the sky here?

Precisely when Wu Sheng Old Mother mentioned the deity, the originally extinguished white candles instantly ignited, emitting a faint fragrance. The faceless strange god statue in the god shrine suddenly opened a pair of eyes! At this moment, the old woman broke free from all restraints, her voice hoarse like an old crow, roaring and leaping up hoarsely:

“Those who do not respect, die!”