After unifying and naming the Wutu Mountains, the mysterious shaman Mo Hua became the lord of all tribes in the region.

The situation in the Wutu Mountains had somewhat stabilized. Mo Hua’s first priority, once he had time, was to improve the livelihoods of the tribal barbarians. Most of the tribes’ wealth and food were gathered and distributed uniformly to ensure that during the chaotic years, every barbarian, regardless of age, gender, or physical condition, would have enough food to sustain basic survival.

Additionally, Mo Hua divided the barbarians into several demon-hunting teams. Each team was led by a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator and sent into the mountains to hunt demons and stockpile meat. The hunted meat was divided into two categories. Meat from herbivorous demons was given to children and the elderly. Meat from carnivorous demons was reserved for adult barbarians.

Carnivorous demon meat, due to the demons consuming human flesh, contained a strong stench, resentment, and malevolent energy. Excessive consumption led to severe side effects, including mental derangement, shortened lifespans, and complications in cultivation. Therefore, this type of meat was not given to children, to avoid affecting their development. The elderly, being frail, also could not eat it, as even a minor adverse reaction could be fatal. Strong young adult barbarians were physically robust and, as members of the barbarian tribe, had developed some resistance to this type of demon meat from years of consumption. Only they could consume this demon meat with its side effects. In the Great Barrens, conditions were limited; simply surviving was a luxury, leaving little room for pickiness.

Mo Hua also improved the cooking methods for demon meat. In the barbarian lands, artifact refining techniques were rudimentary and materials were scarce, making it impossible to produce good stoves. Mo Hua could only set up several large cauldrons, drawing melting fire arrays and purification fire arrays at the bottom to a certain extent, remove demonic energy, reduce the meat’s stench, and preserve nutrients, allowing the barbarians to eat with more peace of mind. He also found some spices nearby. While not exquisitely delicious, it was vastly better than before.

Besides meat, Mo Hua also selected a somewhat fertile plot of land in the valley. Using a thick earth array, he communicated with the Dao essence of the earth to nourish the soil, and he also set up some small cloud and rain arrays to maintain soil moisture. On this land, he planted some wild millet and foxtail millet native to the Wutu Mountains. This way, should disaster strike and they be unable to hunt demons, they would still have some coarse grains to fill their stomachs, preventing starvation. These cultivated lands were an initial experiment. Mo Hua issued strict orders that these lands must be fiercely protected; anyone daring to damage them would be executed without mercy.

These measures were implemented one by one. Soon, the livelihoods of most barbarian tribes improved. In particular, children who had previously gone hungry and elders left to fend for themselves now had food to eat and were, naturally, immensely grateful. Strong young adult barbarians also consumed more meat than before. Moreover, this meat, cooked and roasted with arrays, had a milder stench and better taste, making them even more convinced of Shaman Mo Hua’s authority.

Livelihood was the foundation of everything. Thanks to Mo Hua’s coordination, governance, and profound mastery of array formations, the entire Wutu Mountains underwent a complete transformation.

However, conflicts soon arose again. There remained significant disagreements among the various tribes regarding whether to submit to “Shaman Mo Hua.” These disagreements could not be resolved in a short time. Those who valued their lives had witnessed Mo Hua’s immense power and dared not resist. Most were indecisive and content to drift along. A few ambitious individuals, seeing Mo Hua accumulate significant wealth and stockpile food, could not resist stealing, or even committing murder and robbery. The Wotai Tribe was responsible for the thefts. The Wulu Tribe committed the murders and robberies. Additionally, some barbarians inexplicably deserted on their own.

All of these acts were provocations against Shaman Mo Hua. Mo Hua showed no leniency. With cold-blooded methods, he executed some, punished others, imprisoned more, and even mass-produced the array-based torture planks he had researched for a long time in the Qianxue Province. He forced the rebellious barbarians who had committed theft and murder to kneel and endure the torture. As expected, the effect was significant. Awed by Mo Hua’s firm hand and the terrible torment of the array-based torture devices, the barbarians’ attitudes towards him became much more respectful. Although they might not have been truly submissive internally, openly, no barbarian dared to defy Mo Hua anymore—including the most savage Wulu Tribe.

However, ceasing to openly oppose Mo Hua, they began to quarrel amongst themselves. The conflicts among the various barbarian tribes were, in fact, deeply rooted. They had different customs and tribal rules, and they had also killed each other and stolen from each other, harboring long-standing feuds. Now gathered together, discord was inevitable. Even the slightest friction would erupt into conflict. More importantly, the barbarian gods worshipped by each tribe were also different. Different barbarian gods had different doctrines. Adhering to a barbarian god’s doctrine would subtly influence and gradually assimilate a barbarian’s spiritual consciousness through the god’s indoctrination. This meant that these barbarians were fundamentally different in their spiritual consciousness. Even though the barbarian gods they worshipped had all been “eaten” by Mo Hua, their spiritual imprints, however, were not so easily erased. Divergences in spiritual consciousness would become their fundamental differences, and this conflict was essentially irreconcilable.

Consequently, soon after peace was established and they had enjoyed a few days of full meals, conflicts continuously arose among the tribes. Awed by Mo Hua’s authority, while not resorting to deadly combat, mutual insults and private brawls frequently occurred. There were even instances of bullying children and defiling women, leading to an extremely corrupt atmosphere. Mo Hua had no choice but to spend more time consulting with tribal elders to establish a stricter set of tribal laws. These included prohibitions against insults, theft, private fights, and especially wanton killing among tribes and allies. Children must be protected, and elders respected. Tribal women cultivators must not be arbitrarily violated, among other rules. Violations would be met with penalties ranging from capital punishment, array-based torture, flogging, to imprisonment, with sentencing determined by the severity of the offense. These tribal alliance laws were promulgated by Mo Hua in his capacity as shaman and strictly enforced. The corrupt practices were temporarily curbed.

But Mo Hua knew that this was merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Essentially, the barbarians were a group of “immoral” cultivators. While some possessed integrity, their numbers were extremely small. Barbarians like Elder Zhamu, who had ventured out to large tribes to study shamanic arts and possessed open minds, were exceedingly rare. Most barbarians were either Wotai thieves or Wulu murderers. In their eyes, there was nothing but eating, drinking, killing, and mating. Barbarians of such character would surely achieve nothing. Mo Hua was also genuinely unwilling to serve as the shaman for such a morally corrupt group of barbarians, lest his own reputation be tarnished in the future.

And for the first time in his life, Mo Hua realized the importance of “education.” Without proper education, many barbarians under his command were simply “beasts” who could speak human language. They were even more greedy, selfish, and cruel than beasts. So, in the name of the shaman, Mo Hua told them to “unite as tribes,” to “be friendly as allies,” to “cultivate their minds,” “cultivate their character,” “exercise self-restraint,” “strive for self-improvement,” and to “seek the survival and long-term development of the tribe.” These words, however, were akin to talking to a brick wall. Many barbarians looked at Mo Hua as if he were an idiot, completely bewildered by what he was saying. Even Mo Hua felt like an “idiot.” He then gave up, profoundly realizing the truth that “the ignorant cannot be enlightened.”

In that instant, Mo Hua even doubted whether his plan to unify the Great Barrens was truly correct. A leopard cannot change its spots. These barbarians were too deeply rooted in their negative tendencies. Could they truly develop a desire for cultivation and be used for his purposes? Was helping them truly upholding the Heavenly Dao, or was he merely raising “pigs” that would become a menace? Just as his grand endeavor was beginning, Mo Hua involuntarily fell into initial self-doubt.

However, he was not one to give up easily. Every undertaking presented difficulties, and they had to be overcome step by step. If rectifying the Great Barrens were so easy, someone would have done it long ago; it wouldn’t be his turn. It was precisely because it was difficult that it held value. Mo Hua nodded slightly, firming his Dao heart.

Still, the internal conflicts within the tribes had to be resolved. Mo Hua deliberated for a long time, realizing that under current circumstances, the tribal conflicts, rooted in spiritual consciousness-level faith chaos and moral decay, were fundamentally irreconcilable. Unless all these barbarians were killed to completely eliminate the conflicts, and then, the next generation of barbarian children, these new minds, would need to be “educated” and undergo spiritual consciousness-level reshaping to fundamentally change the situation. But this approach was also impossible. Mo Hua thought for a long time and still came to only one conclusion: External conquest to divert internal conflicts. He would send these barbarians to march into other mountain ranges and conquer other tribes. This way, with a common enemy and targets for battle, the barbarians would no longer focus on internal strife and infighting.

“External expansion” was originally part of Mo Hua’s plan. However, in his original calculations, he intended to wait until the Wutu Mountains were completely stable, internal conflicts were resolved, and the barbarians were reorganized and retrained before proceeding with external expansion. One must first secure internal stability before addressing external threats. But now, it seemed this plan had to be advanced. If external threats were not addressed, internal conflicts would remain irreconcilable. Rather than letting these barbarians constantly quarrel and ultimately kill each other, it was better to let them expand externally and fight against enemies. Even if they died, they should die on the path of conquest, dying as warriors, rather than dying within the tribe for petty theft.

Thus, ten days later, Mo Hua organized a force of eight hundred barbarians, who set out on a dusty journey south towards another mountain range. The vast majority of these eight hundred were barbarians from the Wulu Tribe. The Wulu Tribe remained the strongest faction within Mo Hua’s Wutu Mountain forces. And the Wulu cultivators were the most bloodthirsty. Mo Hua was not at ease leaving the Wulu cultivators in the Wutu Mountains, fearing they might incite rebellion. Therefore, for this expedition, he transferred out all the core strength of the Wulu Tribe. This included the Wulu tribal chief, two high-ranking elders, about a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators, and six hundred robust Qi Condensation stage Wulu barbarians.

Leaving the Wutu Mountains, the group traveled south, crossing treacherous mountains and entering a dark, forested range. The forest was dense with miasma and thick with demonic energy. Using his spiritual consciousness to pinpoint locations, Mo Hua found a tribal encampment at the foot of a mountain. This was also a small tribe, not particularly powerful, with only five to six hundred barbarians. To Mo Hua’s surprise, however, these barbarians were wearing armor made of leather and bone, adorned with demon runes to enhance the armor and resist blades and spears. This tribe was called the “Black Horn Tribe.” This was also the first time Mo Hua had seen tribal barbarians resembling “barbarian soldiers” in the Three Thousand Great Barrens.

War between the two sides was imminent. The Wulu Tribe held the advantage in cultivation level. However, the Black Horn barbarians had the advantage of armor. As the two sides clashed, Mo Hua did not stand idly by; he timely threw several fireballs, suppressing the Black Horn Tribe’s chief. But the Black Horn chief had a fierce temperament and refused to surrender, no matter what Mo Hua said. The Wulu Tribe’s chief then beheaded him. With the chief’s death in battle, the dust settled, and the fighting quickly subsided. In this campaign, dozens from the Wulu Tribe died. Over a hundred from the Black Horn Tribe died, and the rest were forced to surrender.

After their defeat, the Black Horn barbarian warriors all wore expressions of grief and indignation. Some ordinary barbarians also looked sorrowful, and the children’s faces were filled with terror. According to the rules of the barren lands, defeated tribes would become “barbarian slaves.” Barbarian slaves were no different from livestock, subject to arbitrary killing, and their plight was miserable. This was the harsh reality of the Great Barrens.

In an atmosphere of bloody tension, the youthful Mo Hua, clad in the shaman’s black robes, ascended the Black Horn Tribe’s elevated plaza platform with a solemn demeanor, surrounded by bloodstained Wulu barbarians. A profound silence fell over everyone. In this atmosphere, Mo Hua addressed the crowd, proclaiming himself the “shaman” chosen by the Divine Lord, stating that he had not come for slaughter but to bring peace and prosperity to the tribes of the Great Barrens. Nor would he allow anyone to become a barbarian slave. Mo Hua’s voice was gentle and clear, possessing a calming power. The terrified Black Horn tribe members inexplicably quieted down. Mo Hua then ordered grain and meat to be distributed to calm the crowd. Only then did he instruct his allied barbarians from the Wulu, Wutu, and Wotai tribes to enter and set up camp within the Black Horn tribe’s settlement. All wealth and food of the Black Horn Tribe were confiscated and uniformly distributed by Mo Hua. Everything temporarily calmed down.

However, an incident still occurred that night. Several Wulu cultivators secretly infiltrated the Black Horn Tribe’s camp, chopped off the arms of a few barbarians, and intended to take Black Horn women for their amusement. This was their custom: slaughter and mating. First, they would kill the men of other tribes, then seize the women for their gratification. This was generally how tribal barbarians had operated in the past. Sometimes, once their desires were ignited by bloodshed, these barbarians lost all self-control. Fortunately, Mo Hua’s spiritual consciousness was strong; he discovered them immediately and bound these Wulu barbarians using Water Prison Arts. But the impact was still extremely negative. The Black Horn Tribe, whose emotions had just barely settled, showed signs of resistance once more.

Mo Hua’s gaze turned cold, and he considered making another example of them. However, the Wulu Tribe’s chief personally sought out Mo Hua to plead, cupping his hands in respect: “I beg you, Shaman Mo Hua, to show leniency.” Among the offenders was his nephew. Mo Hua knew this, but he neither cared nor wished to show mercy. Not even the Wulu chief could break his rules. Seemingly sensing Mo Hua’s indifferent coldness, the Wulu chief’s heart immediately tightened, and he pleaded: “Shaman Mo Hua, please understand, this time, Wusha is not acting out of self-interest, but for the stability of morale.”

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Tell me.” Wusha, the Wulu Tribe’s chief, then said: “Shaman Mo Hua, when tribes in the Great Barrens fight, it’s customary to seize spirit stones, food, and women after a victory. Now, we, the Wulu Tribe, have followed you on this campaign, and although we clearly won, we’ve gained nothing. What’s more, we are now to be beheaded for breaking the rules. Even I, as the chief, wouldn’t dare to act this way. If this continues, I fear my Wulu tribesmen… might rebel.”

Mo Hua’s gaze was indifferent as he faintly looked at Wusha: “Do you think I would care?” Wusha’s heart leaped. Mo Hua coldly stated, “Do you truly believe I cannot destroy your Wulu Tribe? That I must use your Wulu Tribe? If your Wulu Tribe is obedient, I will give you a chance. If not, I’ll simply switch to another tribe. There are three thousand tribes here in the Great Barrens; there are plenty of them. If your Wulu Tribe doesn’t pledge loyalty, others surely will.”

A chill ran down Wusha’s spine, and his heart pounded. Seeing that Wusha was frightened, Mo Hua’s voice softened slightly as he said: “However, your willingness to come and speak with me shows your loyalty. For your sake, I can spare your clansmen’s lives. Nevertheless, while they may be spared death, they will not escape punishment. You shall personally flog them forty times as a warning to others, and this matter will be considered settled. But this is an exception. Should they offend again in the future, I will not spare their lives.” Wusha immediately bowed and said, “Shaman Mo Hua’s great kindness, Wusha will engrave it in his heart.” Mo Hua nodded. “You may leave.”

Wusha took his leave, but before departing, he secretly glanced at Mo Hua, seemingly with something on his mind. Mo Hua’s gaze shifted slightly, and he asked him, “Is there… something you wish to ask?” Wusha was startled, feeling that while this Shaman Mo Hua did not appear old, his eyes held a profound depth that seemed to see into people’s hearts. Under Mo Hua’s gaze, Wusha dared not conceal anything and could only whisper, “Shaman Mo Hua, are you… not from the Great Barrens?”

Mo Hua’s heart subtly tightened, but he showed no change in expression as he asked, “Why do you ask?” Wusha replied, “Your style of doing things doesn’t resemble someone from the Great Barrens. Furthermore, the water and fire arts you use don’t look like the shamanic arts of the Great Barrens; they seem more like… cultivation spells from the Nine Provinces.” Wusha kept his head bowed. Mo Hua neither confirmed nor denied, merely stating indifferently, “Everything I possess is bestowed by the Divine Lord. All is arranged by the Divine Lord.” Wusha then clenched his hand into a fist, placed it across his chest, and bowed, saying, “Yes, Wusha has been too presumptuous. Please forgive me, Shaman Mo Hua.” Mo Hua waved his hand. “No matter, you may leave.” Wusha respectfully replied, “Yes, I will go now to flog those offending clansmen to establish authority.” Wusha turned and departed.

Mo Hua, however, slowly fell into contemplation. Although Wusha was cunning, he had indeed given Mo Hua a warning. He could no longer use his spells casually. In fact, from now on, the less he acted personally, the better. The more he acted, the more obvious the traces he left, making it easier for people to notice clues and expose his identity. Not only would his identity as a shaman be questioned, but it could also lead to lethal danger. Most importantly, what he was doing in the Great Barrens was inherently clandestine. If he acted too much and exposed his identity, it would create a “dark history” for him. If others investigated these traces and unearthed his identity, he would be doomed. For him, a Dao Court cultivator, to come to the Great Barrens to “make a name for himself,” not only would he incur the hatred of the Great Barrens Royal Court, but he would also become a “rebel traitor” officially wanted by the Dao Court, recorded in their archives.

Therefore, from now on, he must maintain a low profile, staying hidden behind the scenes as much as possible, acting as a symbolic “Shaman Mo Hua” who does not personally intervene. If he could avoid acting, he absolutely would. All matters of life and death combat would be left to his subordinates. Mo Hua made up his mind and nodded slightly.

Afterward, under the cover of night, he visited the Black Horn Tribe’s altar. Using the sacrificial method he had learned from the Black Horn elder, he entered the barbarian god’s dream and met the Black Horn Tribe’s barbarian god. The Black Horn Tribe’s barbarian god was a black ox with a broken horn. This barbarian god exuded malevolent energy and was certainly not benevolent. To Mo Hua’s surprise, however, this Black Horn barbarian god’s cultivation was remarkably strong, even slightly surpassing the Wulu Tribe’s Blood Wolf God. Mo Hua killed it with a single punch. He then refined its remains using an array formation and absorbed its spiritual power. After a moment, his spiritual sense suddenly expanded, surging like a mighty river. Mo Hua was momentarily stunned, unexpectedly discovering that after devouring the Black Horn barbarian god, his spiritual consciousness bottleneck had directly broken. His spiritual consciousness had now officially reached twenty-two patterns.