Chi Feng stood still, secretly protecting Dan Zhu with his Golden Core mid-stage aura.

Dan Zhu’s expression was grim.

Bi Jie’s eyes flickered, and he said, “What? Does your Dan Que Tribe truly wish to fight my Bi Fang Tribe?”

Dan Zhu calmly replied, “I’ve said it before, our Dan Que Tribe only wants to rescue people.”

Bi Jie turned and glanced at the stone hall behind him. “You mean, your Dan Que Tribe members are also in this stone hall?”

Dan Zhu said, “We’ve searched everywhere else in this Shu Gu Mi Bu, and found nothing. The only place we haven’t searched is this stone hall.”

Bi Jie suddenly understood, and sneered, “I see, your Dan Que Tribe is deliberately looking for trouble. Rescuing people is just a pretense; your real goal is to enter this stone hall? Otherwise, would the lives of a mere one or two hundred low-ranking clansmen from a small tribe be worth such a grand rescue effort?”

Dan Zhu felt that reasoning with Bi Jie was futile.

Elder Ba Shan, standing nearby, snorted, “Our Dan Que Tribe isn’t like your heartless Bi Fang Tribe, abandoning our own people to die.”

Bi Jie pointed his fierce blade at Ba Shan, his eyes wide, and said contemptuously, “Where did this dog come from? I’m speaking to your master; it’s not your place to interrupt!”

Elder Ba Shan gave a cold laugh. “Someone of your caliber dares to compare yourself to our Young Master? If not for your three or four decades of undeserved seniority, allowing you to luckily reach the Golden Core mid-stage, you wouldn’t even be fit to carry shoes for our Young Master!”

“You thing with black feathers pretending to be bird feathers, with a bird tattooed on your chest, do you really think you’re a bird-man? I think you’re probably just a mongrel born from your bastard father—”

These words were so malicious that the surrounding area fell silent.

Bi Jie gnashed his teeth, his anger rising, his eyes darkening, feeling his head throb.

After finishing his tirade, Elder Ba Shan’s hands trembled slightly. He secretly turned his head and glanced at Mo Hua.

He truly hadn’t intended to say those words.

Moreover, his brain couldn’t come up with such circuitous and “insidiously venomous” insults.

These words were all taught to him by Wu Zhu, who instructed him to use them.

He was merely Wu Zhu’s “mouthpiece.”

Without Wu Zhu’s “instigation,” he wouldn’t dare, even with ten times the courage, to hurl such venomous words at the Young Master of another major tribe.

Therefore, after cursing, Elder Ba Shan’s heart was very uneasy.

Mo Hua, however, nodded at Ba Shan, signaling that he had done well and needn’t worry.

Elder Ba Shan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

These words were originally what Mo Hua himself wanted to say.

Unfortunately, he was now a “Wu Zhu” and had to consider his status and the dignity of the Divine Lord. He couldn’t casually utter vulgarities, lest it affect his “solemn and benevolent” image within the Dan Que Tribe, especially in Dan Zhu’s eyes.

Otherwise, he would have personally cursed Bi Jie to the point of being unable to live independently.

Elder Yu’s cursing lineage was not learned in vain.

Even though Mo Hua didn’t personally speak, Bi Jie was infuriated. All traces of a smile vanished from his face; even his cold and sarcastic sneers were gone.

He was a genius of the Bi Fang Tribe. Although his reputation wasn’t as great as Dan Zhu’s, he had genuine battle achievements, and no one had ever dared to insult him like this.

Bi Jie immediately activated the fierce blade in his hand—the “Bi Fang Hei Sha Da Dao,” a treasured heirloom of the Bi Fang Tribe. He intended to use his cultivation advantage and the power of the magical artifact to quickly cut through the chaos, charge into the Zhu Que Tribe, first slay Ba Shan, and then seize the opportunity to kill Dan Zhu.

Moreover, at this moment, there was a “gap” at the front of the Dan Que Tribe’s formation.

This “gap” was precisely Dan Zhu’s position.

Bi Jie could deduce from experience that with his cultivation and ferocity, he could easily tear open this gap in the Dan Que barbarian soldiers’ ranks and charge through.

Chi Feng’s position was also very careless, not guarding Dan Zhu too tightly.

If his strike was just a little faster than Chi Feng’s, the Bi Fang Hei Sha Da Dao could hit Dan Zhu.

Under the cultivation suppression, Dan Zhu’s Zhu Que Ling Yi would definitely not be able to block his Bi Fang Hei Sha Dao.

Alternatively, he could pretend to attack Dan Zhu’s guardian elder to draw fire, then feint and turn to kill Dan Zhu, which would also be a good strategy.

Bi Jie was shrewd and fierce, never lacking an eye for opportunity or the ability to seize it.

Therefore, the moment the Dan Que Tribe’s formation revealed this slight flaw, he seized it firmly.

Bi Jie almost immediately wanted to act without any hesitation.

But at this moment, a Bi Fang Tribe elder beside him tugged at his sleeve.

Bi Jie, annoyed, was about to erupt in anger, but turned to see a pair of calm, gray eyes.

“Young Master, calm down.”

Bi Jie immediately calmed down.

As the anger in his heart receded, Bi Jie’s reason also somewhat returned.

When he looked at the Dan Que Tribe’s barbarian soldier formation again, specifically at Dan Zhu’s position, a chill gradually rose in his heart.

This was a trap.

Although Dan Zhu’s surroundings seemed loosely guarded with many openings, this “opening” was intentionally left.

If one mistakenly believed it to be an “opening” and charged in, they would instead fall into the Dan Que Tribe’s ambush and face a dire fate.

“First, they insult and provoke me, then leave a flaw to lure me into attacking. If I aggressively seize this ‘opportunity,’ I will fall into their trap—have they even calculated my temperament—”

A chill ran down Bi Jie’s spine. He looked at Dan Zhu with a dark gaze, secretly thinking with resentment:

“This Dan Zhu, who looks so innocent, is actually so insidious and vicious, with deep cunning. I almost fell for it—”

Mo Hua, hidden in the crowd, felt a bit regretful seeing Bi Jie react.

This Bi Jie was indeed a capable individual; killing him early would save trouble.

Using Dan Zhu as “bait,” infuriating him with Elder Yu’s cursing techniques, and exploiting Bi Jie’s ability to seize opportunities, they had presented him with one.

To lure him into charging the formation.

Yet, before Bi Jie completely lost his composure, he managed to regain his senses.

To remain rational after being insulted like that, he truly was not a simple character.

And with this “invisible” confrontation, Bi Jie also realized that this Dan Zhu was “insidious and cunning,” far from as simple as he appeared on the surface. With this newfound apprehension, he was less likely to act rashly.

Killing Dan Zhu was his personal objective.

However, on this expedition against the Shu Gu Mi Bu, he had even more important matters at hand.

Bi Jie looked at Dan Zhu and said in a deep voice, “This stone hall is the treasury of the Shu Gu Tribe, containing many treasures.”

“You want to rescue people? I won’t interfere. But the treasures inside all belong to my Bi Fang Tribe. Your Dan Que Tribe must not touch a single item.”

Dan Zhu nodded. “Okay.”

Dan Zhu was kind-hearted and only cared about his clansmen.

Mo Hua was different; he was also kind-hearted, but he had a tiny bit of greed. He not only cared about the Dan Que Tribe members but also about the “treasures” Bi Jie spoke of.

However, given the current situation, he couldn’t just casually tell Dan Zhu to seize the Shu Gu Tribe’s treasury.

Seeing Dan Zhu’s compliance, Bi Jie said no more. Instead, he turned around and ordered several Bi Fang Tribe members, dressed in azure feathered robes and distinctive attire, to begin setting up an altar and drawing a formation to open the stone hall door of the Shu Gu Mi Bu.

Mo Hua observed this scene with slight curiosity.

“Is this also a formation from the Barren Lands?”

“Are these people Wu Xiu?”

The term Wu Xiu was one Mo Hua had heard within the Dan Que Tribe.

Here in the Great Barren Lands, cultivators who specialized in body tempering, “Ti Xiu,” were generally called “Man Xiu,” or, following barbarian tribal tradition, “Yong Shi,” “Man Bing,” and so on.

Cultivators who used spells, “Ling Xiu,” were called “Wu Xiu” in the Great Barren Lands.

But the concept of Wu Xiu was not as simple as merely Ling Xiu.

Firstly, Wu Xiu also used spells, but the “spells” used by Wu Xiu in the Great Barren Lands were generally called “Wu Fa” or “Wu Shu.”

These Wu Shu also contained some of the power laws of the Five Elements of heaven and earth, but they were mixed with many unorthodox methods, such as the qi and blood of demonic beasts, and the souls of humans and ghosts. They also involved elements of poison arts, gu arts, and evil arts, making them seem both righteous and evil.

Mo Hua retreating behind the scenes, unwilling to casually cast spells, was partly due to this reason.

In the eyes of small tribe cultivators, his fireball technique, mixed with malevolent energy and appearing blackish-red, indeed resembled some “Wu Fa.”

But in a third-grade major tribe, there were more discerning people, and the difference would be easily spotted.

Although the cultivation systems of the Dao Ting and the Great Barren Lands had undergone “integration” and moved towards unification, there were still many differences in detail.

Besides “Wu Fa” and “Wu Shu,” barbarian cultivators who mastered a certain degree of formations, talismans, and elixirs could also be called “Wu Xiu.”

In the Great Barren Lands’ concept, “formations,” “talismans,” and “elixirs” could all be referred to as “Wu Fa,” so those who specialized in these cultivation techniques were “Wu Xiu.”

However, those who specialized in refining artifacts, especially in forging barbarian armor, could not be called “Wu Xiu.”

These artifact refining methods were mostly controlled by the elders of each tribe, especially the Grand Elder.

Therefore, many artifact refiners in the Great Barren Lands were tribal elders.

And “Wu Zhu” was even more distinct.

Although Wu Zhu and Wu Xiu differed by only one character, their status in the Great Barren Lands was worlds apart.

How exactly they differed, Mo Hua found it hard to say, as his identity as a Wu Zhu was actually “fake.”

He hadn’t received a systematic “Wu Zhu” inheritance; his fragmented abilities were self-taught through pondering. He might possess the strength of a Wu Zhu but lacked the true title.

Therefore, every time he displayed “Wu Zhu” abilities, he had to be cautious.

The entire inheritance system of the Great Barren Lands was rather complex and convoluted, and Mo Hua was still in the stage of familiarization and exploration.

Currently, these “Wu Xiu” from the Bi Fang Tribe were “Zhen Wu,” a type of Wu Xiu Mo Hua rarely encountered in the Great Barren Lands.

They were indeed setting up a type of formation.

Mo Hua’s gaze deepened. He used the Heavenly Mystery Derivation to infer the flow of the formation’s trajectory and discovered that what the Bi Fang Tribe Wu Xiu were drawing was indeed a type of Four Symbols Demonic Rune.

However, these Four Symbols runes, at first glance, seemed somewhat obscure even to Mo Hua.

This indicated that the Bi Fang Tribe also possessed its own unique lineage of Four Symbols formation inheritance.

Furthermore, their use of these formations to break open the Shu Gu Tribe’s great door meant that they had come prepared and had even begun eyeing the Shu Gu Tribe long ago, Mo Hua pondered thoughtfully.

And it wasn’t long before a dark-green beast pattern flashed.

The seal on the stone hall door of the Shu Gu Tribe was broken.

Two Bi Fang Tribe elders stepped forward, one on each side, and pushed open the great door.

Within the great door, a chilling wind blew, accompanied by fearful human voices.

Mo Hua’s expression changed slightly, as he smelled a distinctly cold and unusual scent emanating from within the door.

“Evil God…”

“Indeed—it has fallen.”

Mo Hua’s eyes slightly brightened, his divine soul feeling a thirst, stirring with anticipation.

This aura of an evil god was very familiar to Mo Hua, and he was extremely sensitive to it.

But others were different; only a few with keen spiritual senses felt a slight chill and a hint of warning. Most people were completely unaware.

Bi Jie, lost in thought with a greedy gaze, immediately commanded in a loud voice, “Enter the hall!”

Bi Jie, leading several Bi Fang Tribe elders, was about to walk into the stone hall.

Dan Zhu was just about to say, “Stop!”

Mo Hua quickly tugged Dan Zhu’s sleeve, signaling him not to speak.

Dan Zhu fell silent.

But Bi Jie was suspicious. He turned his head and saw Dan Zhu remaining still, feeling a bit strange.

The Dan Que Tribe had wanted to contend with them to enter the stone hall.

But now that the stone hall was open, why was this group of Dan Que Tribe members completely inactive?

The more Bi Jie thought, the more he felt something was amiss.

He suddenly said, “Wait!”

The Bi Fang Tribe members stopped, and Bi Jie also halted, pondering for a moment before saying, “Don’t rush in. You all stay outside. I—”

Bi Jie had intended to say, “I’ll take a few elders inside—”

But the words caught in his throat, and he suddenly hesitated.

The Dan Que Tribe harbored killing intent towards him, surrounding them outside, and the interior of the stone hall was unknown.

As a Young Master, entering the stone hall rashly, if he encountered any unexpected danger, he could very likely be attacked from front and back, facing a dire fate.

So, Bi Jie named two elders, “Elder Cang, Elder Zhuo, you two take a team and go in to scout the situation.”

Elder Cang was short and sturdy, Elder Zhuo was thin, both were Golden Core cultivators with formidable power.

Both cupped their hands and said, “Yes, Young Master.”

After speaking, Elder Cang and Elder Zhuo of the Bi Fang Tribe led a team of over twenty Bi Fang barbarian soldiers, directly stepping through the stone gate and entering the dark stone hall of the Shu Gu Tribe.

Bi Jie, meanwhile, led the main force, guarding outside the stone hall, wary of the Dan Que Tribe.

Mo Hua secretly thought it was a pity.

It would have been much more interesting if this Bi Jie had personally led the Bi Fang Tribe’s Golden Core cultivators into this stone hall permeated with the aura of an evil god.

What a shame; this Bi Jie was too cautious.

Ba Shan looked left and right, a little anxious, and asked, “Sir, should we rush in and take a look now?”

The Dan Que Tribe members were likely imprisoned in this stone hall.

And since the Bi Fang Tribe was so fixated on this stone hall, there must be good things inside.

Mo Hua, however, firmly said, “No.”

Dan Zhu was a little puzzled. “Sir, inside this stone hall—”

Mo Hua shook his head. “I can’t say yet; you’ll know later.”

Dan Zhu and the others exchanged glances.

But with Mo Hua’s instructions, they did not act rashly. Instead, they quietly guarded outside the stone hall, subtly confronting the Bi Fang Tribe.

Sunlight fell on the cliff, casting a cool shade.

Everyone waited like this, and time slowly passed.

Soon, the cool shade in the mountains transformed into a hint of irritation, making people uncomfortable.

Since the two Golden Core elders of the Bi Fang Tribe, accompanied by twenty barbarian soldiers, entered the stone hall, they seemed to have vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea. An entire hour passed.

There was no response whatsoever.

Bi Jie, the Young Master of the Bi Fang Tribe, grew anxious.

The crowd also began to murmur.

After another stick of incense worth of time, footsteps suddenly came from within the silent stone hall. A figure emerged from the stone hall, step by step.

He looked somewhat familiar.

It was precisely Elder Cang, the short and sturdy man who had entered the stone hall earlier.

The anxious Bi Jie quickly asked, “Elder Cang, what happened? Why did it take so—”

Before he finished speaking, his expression instantly changed dramatically.

By this time, Elder Cang had reached the stone hall entrance. As the sunlight from the cliff shone down, everyone clearly saw Elder Cang’s appearance.

The flesh on his thigh had been torn away, leaving only white bone.

And half of his cheek had been gnawed off.

A large hole in his chest, his internal organs almost completely removed.

He looked utterly gruesome.

All the barbarian cultivators present, whether from the Bi Fang Tribe or the Dan Que Tribe, turned pale.

Gasps of cold air rose one after another. They were tribal cultivators, most of whom had experienced battle and were not unfamiliar with more bloody and tragic scenes.

But those scenes were casualties from direct combat.

They were completely different from the eerie and bizarre feeling of the current situation.

Even Mo Hua felt a slight chill in his heart.

He knew that a fierce evil god should be hidden within this stone hall. These people, unprepared, rashly entered the stone hall, and there was a high probability they would not end up well, suffering some hardship.

But Mo Hua hadn’t expected this evil god to be so “fierce.” Mo Hua frowned slightly.

Bi Jie was horrified and anxiously asked, “Elder Cang, what exactly happened?!”

But he only dared to ask from a distance; he didn’t dare to approach at all.

Elder Cang, covered in blood and exposed bone, exuded an inexplicable strangeness. His face was half-terror, half-despair, and he cracked a smile, saying:

“All dead—”

“All eating—”

“I killed Elder Zhuo because he wanted to eat me, and I also ate him—”

As Elder Cang spoke, he felt his vitality rapidly draining away. He tried to activate his magic artifact for protection, but as soon as his jade bracelet artifact was activated, it was covered in mottled stains, as if his entire artifact had been corrupted.

Bi Jie was stunned.

Elder Cang gave a bitter smile, knowing that it was too late to reverse the situation. With his last breath, he said to Bi Jie in a chilling tone, “Inside the stone hall, there is a great evil—Young Master, take care—”

Before his words finished, his magic artifact dimmed, and Elder Cang died.

Bi Jie’s face was pale.

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence, followed by exclamations of fear and uproar.

A Golden Core elder had just died.

Moreover, he died so inexplicably, with such a terrifying appearance—

They didn’t even know what had happened.

Amidst the uproar, Mo Hua’s gaze shifted slightly. He suddenly looked at Chi Feng beside him, nudged his chin towards Bi Jie opposite them, and whispered, “Can we kill him?”

Chi Feng was startled, then instantly understood.

Now, the Bi Fang Tribe had two Golden Core cultivators and twenty elite barbarian soldiers dead in this inexplicable stone hall, greatly reducing their strength.

The Dan Que Tribe, however, had suffered no losses. At this moment, the enemy was weak and they were strong. If they launched a sudden sneak attack, they might genuinely be able to threaten this Young Master of the Bi Fang Tribe—Bi Jie—who possessed both talent and ruthlessness.

“This ‘Mister Wu’ truly has a keen mind and quick calculations—”

Chi Feng sighed inwardly, then couldn’t help but feel a little tempted.

Kill Bi Jie…

But just as he thought this, Bi Jie, in the distance, seemed to feel a murderous intent.

No good!

Bi Jie immediately disregarded mourning Elder Cang and the deceased Bi Fang Tribe members. He decisively ordered in a deep voice:

“Bi Fang Tribe, listen to my command! Everyone, tighten your formation and protect me!”

The Bi Fang Tribe barbarian soldiers, recovering from their shock, immediately obeyed the order, forming a formation that securely protected Bi Jie in the center.

The remaining two elders also stood beside Bi Jie, carefully guarding against anyone charging to kill their Young Master.

The opportunity to kill Bi Jie was gone again.

Mo Hua “tsk’d” and then felt a bit strange.

This Young Master of the Bi Jie Tribe was a little too sensitive to killing intent.

Almost as soon as he opened his mouth, preparing to call people to surround and kill him, Bi Jie detected it.

On the other side, Bi Jie’s eyes flickered, his heart uneasy:

“Who exactly is it, repeatedly stirring up murderous intent, looking for an opportunity to harm me?”

“Is it Dan Zhu? Can he truly have such insidious thoughts?”

Bi Jie was somewhat puzzled.

The situation temporarily reached a stalemate.

The Dan Que Tribe had shown murderous intent.

The Bi Fang Tribe was on high alert.

Neither side made a move, but neither dared to be careless.

The Bi Fang Tribe had suffered a great loss, losing two Golden Core cultivators, so they naturally dared not act rashly.

As for the Dan Que Tribe, although they had the advantage in strength, in a situation where they couldn’t launch a sneak attack to kill Bi Jie, there was no reason for them to engage in a direct conflict with the Bi Fang Tribe.

After a moment, Bi Jie’s thoughts stirred, and he said to Dan Zhu, “We agreed to keep to our own affairs and live in peace.”

“Now, your Dan Que Tribe can go in to rescue people; our Bi Fang Tribe will not stand in your way.”

Dan Zhu frowned.

He was kind-hearted, lacking a bit of experience, but he wasn’t a fool.

Having spent a long time with Mo Hua, Dan Zhu’s “insidious” little thoughts had gradually increased. How could he not know now that Bi Jie was trying to trap him?

Within the stone hall, an inexplicable and terrifying danger lurked; even the Golden Core elders of the Bi Fang Tribe went in and died without burial.

What good could their Dan Que Tribe gain?

As the Young Master, he certainly couldn’t put himself in danger.

Dan Zhu also didn’t feel comfortable letting Chi Feng, Ba Shan, and Ba Chuan, the three Golden Core cultivators of the Dan Que Tribe, enter the stone hall.

Even if the stone hall were safe, these three Golden Core cultivators could return unharmed after entering.

But during the time these three Golden Core cultivators were inside the stone hall, this Bi Jie would definitely try to kill him.

This was the “born from adversity” awareness that Mister Wu had taught him.

At all times, he must prioritize his own life and be wary of bad people trying to harm him.

Dan Zhu kept this firmly in mind.

Therefore, at this time, he could only stand still.

Leaving the stone hall was not an option; the people wouldn’t be rescued, and it would allow the Bi Fang Tribe to do as they pleased.

Entering the stone hall was even less of an option.

The stone hall was a place of great danger; even a Golden Core cultivator would face near certain death upon entering.

But Dan Zhu also knew in his heart that a stalemate was not a solution.

Just then, a deep but gentle voice came, “I’ll go in—”

Dan Zhu was stunned. He turned to look at Mo Hua, saying in disbelief, “Mister Wu, you—”

Mo Hua wore a solemn and serious expression, exuding a bold spirit of unwavering determination, generous “sacrifice,” and a sense of “who else but me?”

He said in a grave tone:

“I can feel that within the stone hall ahead, there lurks an enemy of a certain Divine Lord. This is a heretic of the gods.”

“As a Wu Zhu, it is my bounden duty to eradicate evil, suppress corruption, and spread the Divine Lord’s grace. I—will not regret until death—”

After speaking, Mo Hua tilted his head slightly, looking up at the sky, his face revealing a determined yet tragic expression.

The people of the Bi Fang Tribe looked at Mo Hua, all deeply moved and speechless.

Ba Ni and Ba Chuan also felt a surge of reverence in their hearts.

Even the barbarian general Chi Feng felt a shock in his heart, developing a genuine respect for this “Mister Wu” whom he had not thought highly of before.