Bi Jie could tell that Dan Zhu, beneath his feigned benevolence, was actually quite a “black-hearted” individual.

It turned out he had, from the very beginning, used the pretense of rescue to try and seize the secret treasure of the Shugu Tribe from their Bifang Tribe.

Otherwise, why would a pampered young master like him risk an armed conflict to personally rescue a mere few hundred low-ranking members of the Danque Tribe?

Now that the people were rescued, he started to act hesitant and put on a show.

Damn it, he really was a hypocrite.

Bi Jie’s face was ashen, “Dan Zhu, are you going back on your word?”

Dan Zhu, who had always been honest, kind, and trustworthy since childhood, was suddenly speechless, unsure how to respond to Bi Jie’s challenge.

Mo Hua sighed softly in his heart.

That’s how it is with sensitive youngsters; they can’t even tell a lie properly.

Mo Hua’s expression was solemn as he slowly said, “Young Master Dan Zhu, with a heart full of compassion and a reverence for life, does not wish for you to perish here. The Young Master is saving you all.”

Bi Jie’s gaze was icy as he stared directly at Mo Hua, “What do you mean?”

Mo Hua then said gravely,

“A great evil has descended upon this stone hall, making it a place of great terror. Although the Divine Lord has bestowed grace, and I, the shaman, have, with the Divine Lord’s mighty power, eradicated this great evil, the curse of the evil still permeates the hall.”

“Rashly entering, once evil thoughts enter the mind, at best, one loses one’s sanity; at worst, one becomes like Elder Cang, a puppet of evil thoughts, a man-eating beast, forever falling into the path of beasts, with no hope of redemption.”

Mo Hua wore an expression of profound compassion.

Bi Jie, of course, wouldn’t be fooled by him. He pointed at the barbarian slaves behind Mo Hua and retorted,

“Then let me ask you, why are your barbarian slaves unaffected, and haven’t turned into man-eating beasts?”

Mo Hua calmly replied, “They followed my guidance, and thus the Divine Lord protected them.”

Anyway, it was all up to him to say whatever he wanted.

Whatever he wanted to do was the Divine Lord’s guidance, and whatever he didn’t want to do was the Divine Lord’s warning.

Bi Jie was furious in his heart, silently cursing Mo Hua’s shamelessness, and then his gaze turned fierce.

He had to get his hands on the secret treasure of the Shugu Tribe; it concerned his future ambitions and grand plans.

Bi Jie activated his magic artifact, and the Bifang Black Fiend Blade glimmered with a malevolent light, accompanied by the sharp cries of a ferocious bird, as killing intent surged.

Mo Hua’s eyes narrowed, and he questioned him,

“Does your Bifang Tribe intend to defy the will of the Divine Lord?”

Bi Jie sneered inwardly.

You say the Divine Lord’s will is a divine oracle? What do you amount to?

“Attack the great hall! Kill anyone who stands in our way!”

After giving the order, Bi Jie turned around only to find the Bifang Tribe’s barbarian soldiers behind him looking timid and hesitant.

They seemed to be afraid of “Shaman Master,” and also of the “curse” of evil that Shaman Master spoke of.

Therefore, even with Bi Jie’s command, they dared not act.

Some even whispered, “If we become enemies with this Shaman Master, won’t we be struck by divine punishment?”

“This is Shaman Master.”

“How can we offend Shaman Master?”

“Shaman Master is immensely powerful.”

“Shaman Master…”

Each utterance of “Shaman Master” fueled Bi Jie’s rage.

He had seen shamans before, so he knew in his heart that Mo Hua could not possibly be a shaman.

He just hadn’t expected that this accursed Foundation Establishment pretty boy, after merely taking a stroll through the stone hall, casually saving a few people, and uttering some high-sounding words, could actually deceive everyone, garnering such prestige that even his Bifang Tribe’s barbarian soldiers dared not oppose him, and even showed signs of “defecting.”

He truly was a born “charlatan.”

With such a “charlatan” following Dan Zhu, inciting people’s hearts, he would surely become a great threat to him in the future.

He must be killed…

Killing intent surged in Bi Jie’s chest.

But with the tribe’s morale fluctuating, Bi Jie was helpless.

At this moment, a Bifang Tribe elder with grayish eyes in the crowd whispered,

“Young Master, the situation is unfavorable. Let’s reconsider.”

Bi Jie glanced at Dan Zhu, then at Mo Hua. At the same time, he could feel the fighting spirit of the Danque Tribe’s barbarian general, Chi Feng. He gritted his teeth and slowly nodded,

“Alright…”

“We’ll retreat first…” Bi Jie said coldly. He said nothing more, only his gaze malicious and his face grim, as he led the Bifang Tribe away from the valley where the Shugu Secret Tribe was located.

After Bi Jie left, Dan Zhu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although he was a genius of his generation, he was still a step behind Bi Jie in terms of age, cultivation, insidious cunning, and methods.

Therefore, the pressure Bi Jie put on him was immense.

Not only Dan Zhu, but also the two guardian elders, Ba Shan and Ba Chuan, felt a sense of relief.

However, the barbarian general Chi Feng looked somewhat solemn.

If Bi Jie had attacked now and engaged the Danque Tribe in a battle, it would have been a good thing for the Danque Tribe.

But Bi Jie did not attack; instead, he endured and left.

This indicated that Bi Jie was not as arrogant and contemptuous as he appeared on the surface. Those who are good at enduring are the most difficult to deal with.

After Bi Jie left, he would certainly not let the matter rest.

This turmoil was far from over.

Afterward, the people of the Danque Tribe began to simply manage the aftermath.

Dan Zhu stepped forward to comfort the suffering and despairing members of the Danque Tribe, allowing them to rest for a while.

The barbarian soldiers of the Danque Tribe were stationed outside the Shugu Tribe’s valley.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, led Dan Zhu and others into the stone hall and to the Shugu Tribe’s treasury.

Seeing the rooms filled with piles of barbarian armor, bones, leather, and other military materials, stacked like small mountains before them,

Dan Zhu, Chi Feng, and the others were all greatly astonished.

They finally understood why the Bifang Tribe had been so determined to forcibly attack this stone hall and annex the Shugu Secret Tribe.

It turned out that the Shugu Tribe’s secret treasury contained such an extremely important batch of “barbarian armor” supplies.

Even the usually composed barbarian general Chi Feng couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

Barbarian armor held too much significance for the barbarian tribes.

Barbarian tribes had large populations, and while all were considered soldiers, if one excluded children, the elderly, the sick and disabled, low-level Qi Refining cultivators, and some physically weak barbarian cultivators, the actual number of truly qualified “barbarian soldiers” was not that many.

True “barbarian soldiers” were few, and elite ones even fewer.

And to forge even more elite barbarian soldiers, barbarian armor was essential.

Group battles on the battlefield were different from individual combat.

On a battlefield where real blades clashed and flesh tore, once entangled in close combat, the differences in cultivation techniques and Daoist methods among cultivators of the same realm would not be very obvious.

Especially when one was in a frenzy of killing, all spells and techniques might not be as practical as a finely crafted armor.

If your armor was good, you could endure a few more刀，a few more spells, and perhaps survive.

If someone else’s armor was a bit inferior, they might die after one or two刀。

This difference of a few刀was the difference between life and death.

Therefore, strong armor means strong Dao soldiers. Strong barbarian armor means strong barbarian soldiers.

This had almost become an unwritten rule.

And this batch of Shugu Tribe’s secret treasure, when fully integrated, could likely forge a full five hundred sets of second-grade elite barbarian armor.

If they could truly gather five hundred Foundation Establishment peak barbarian soldiers, clad in this armor and trained into elite troops, they could almost rampage through a third-grade mountain realm like a “roaming dragon,” “expanding territory.”

As long as they didn’t engage in direct slaughter with the main forces of a large tribe.

As a barbarian general who had fought for the Danque Tribe for many years, Chi Feng understood the importance of these supplies better than anyone.

He had actually fought in wars, and therefore knew that “five hundred second-grade peak elite barbarian soldiers” was a terrifying number.

This was completely incomparable to those “ordinary barbarian soldiers” who were merely there to make up the numbers.

Chi Feng glanced at the slightly naive Dan Zhu, and sighed in his heart,

“Young Master Dan Zhu is indeed blessed by the heavens, with immense good fortune.”

His first expedition yielded such a large haul of spoils; this was truly the foundation for establishing a family and prospering.

Then Chi Feng couldn’t help but look at Mo Hua again, frowning in thought,

“If this young man, who calls himself ‘Shaman Master,’ is truly a shaman blessed by the gods… then wouldn’t that mean Young Master Dan Zhu is truly the ‘chosen one’ destined by ‘gods’? The hope of our Danque Tribe?”

“Did this ‘Shaman Master’ come to our Danque Tribe truly by divine will?”

Barbarian general Chi Feng was quite shocked.

Ba Shan and Ba Chuan, however, didn’t think so much; they were simply happy for Dan Zhu.

If these barbarian armors and supplies were transported back to the Danque main tribe, it would definitely be a great achievement, and the Great Chief would also bestow many rewards upon them.

Young Master Dan Zhu’s status would surely rise, and perhaps he could really become the Great Chief in the future.

Their two guardian elders would also be considered to have contributed.

Ba Shan said, “Young Master, let’s transport these…”

Mo Hua, however, said, “You can’t transport them out.”

Ba Shan was startled.

Dan Zhu also sighed and nodded.

Clearly, he also understood that the Bifang Tribe would definitely not let the matter rest.

These things were originally coveted by the Bifang Tribe.

Now that the Danque Tribe had taken possession, if they tried to transport them away, the Bifang Tribe would surely find ways to ambush and intercept them en route.

At that time, with the Danque Tribe in the open and the Bifang Tribe ambushing in secret, even if the Danque Tribe had a superior force, they would suffer severe casualties.

The barbarian soldiers all had storage bags, so carrying one or two sets of barbarian armor wasn’t a big problem.

But here at the Shugu Tribe, there wasn’t just barbarian armor, but also large quantities of armor-forging raw materials.

Many of these raw materials came from demonic beast bones, and they were very large, making them difficult to cut without special smelting techniques.

These raw materials were even more precious than some finished barbarian armor.

Because already forged barbarian armor might not be suitable.

But with raw materials, more and better barbarian armor could be forged.

And to transport these barbarian armor raw materials, large storage boxes were necessary, requiring manpower to carry and carts to pull, which was very inconvenient.

It was also very easy to be ambushed, plundered, or even massacred by the Bifang Tribe en route.

“Then now…” Ba Shan frowned.

Dan Zhu said, “We must first quickly secure this secret department of the Shugu Tribe, thoroughly inventory and pack all the barbarian armor, raw materials, and other supplies in this stone hall into boxes, and then act as circumstances dictate.”

After Dan Zhu finished speaking, he looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded slightly, “What Young Master said is very true.”

This matter was temporarily settled.

The barbarian soldiers of the Danque Tribe split up; some guarded the valley, some inventoried the treasury, and others settled the captives.

Mo Hua, meanwhile, took advantage of this time to circle the stone hall again, frowning in thought.

This stone hall was considered “cleared,” and everything looked ordinary, but Mo Hua always felt that there were many oddities in the details of this matter.

First, there was the “barbarian slave” issue.

The Barbarian God had already degenerated, becoming half an evil god, with evil thoughts enveloping the stone hall. The members of the Shugu Tribe, affected by these evil thoughts, had all developed the wicked habit of “eating” people.

However, the “barbarian slaves” they held were all normal, their sanity unaffected.

This was highly unusual.

Why weren’t the barbarian slaves affected by evil thoughts?

Because they hadn’t “eaten” people?

Mo Hua frowned and shook his head.

No, that’s not right…

The two Golden Cores and twenty elite barbarian soldiers of the Bifang Tribe hadn’t eaten people either, but after entering the stone hall, they quickly fell victim to evil.

“So someone came up with a way, used some method, to prevent evil thoughts from affecting the barbarian slaves?”

“This way, these barbarian slaves, who were treated as ‘rations,’ wouldn’t be affected by evil thoughts, wouldn’t ‘spoil’?”

“What method…”

Mo Hua quickly thought of the iron cages.

These barbarian slaves had all been confined in iron cages before.

Mo Hua walked to the front of the iron cages, releasing his spiritual sense to meticulously search every corner, when he suddenly showed a look of surprise.

“Elder Ba Shan,” Mo Hua called out.

Not far away, Elder Ba Shan, who was organizing barbarian armor and supplies, immediately ran over upon hearing him.

Ever since Mo Hua had “saved” his life and he had witnessed Mo Hua demonstrating his power in front of others, Elder Ba Shan’s attitude towards Mo Hua had become exceedingly respectful.

Previously, he thought that a shaman couldn’t look like Mo Hua.

Now, he deeply believed that a shaman should look exactly like Mo Hua.

Mo Hua then pointed at the iron cages and said, “Dismantle all these iron cages and dig out their foundations.”

Ba Shan heard him but didn’t ask why, only nodding, “Yes, Shaman Master!”

Shaman Master acts according to the will of the gods, so naturally, there’s a reason for his actions.

Ba Shan was large and strong, and directly activated his Golden Core power to forcibly dismantle the iron cages where the barbarian slaves had been confined.

After dismantling them, Mo Hua began to examine the patterns at the bottom of the iron cages.

With just a glance, Mo Hua’s pupils immediately constricted.

“This is…”

Divine Dao array patterns?!

In the stone hall where the Shugu Tribe worshipped the Barbarian God, there were actually array patterns from the divine Dao realm?

This meant that the Shugu Tribe was definitely not as simple as he had thought.

This tribe had, or at least once had, “experts” in the Divine Dao.

The evolution and worship of the Shugu Tribe’s Barbarian God, had it been researched by someone, or even “manipulated” by someone?

Mo Hua’s expression was grave, and he immediately said to Ba Shan, “Break all the iron cages and completely dismantle their foundations.”

Elder Ba Shan didn’t know Mo Hua’s intentions.

But seeing Shaman Master’s solemn expression, he knew this matter might involve the gods and was no small affair. He immediately spared no effort, dismantling all the iron cages one by one.

Mo Hua examined all these Divine Dao array patterns, and the more he looked, the more peculiar they seemed.

These array patterns could block divine sense and conceal aura, and the traces were still quite new.

They were remarkably similar to the Divine Dao array formations like Divine Mist, Divine Lock, and Divine Pass that Mo Hua had learned.

The problem was, Mo Hua had learned these Divine Dao array formations from Master Tu, the chief minion of the evil god, during his time in the Ganxue Prefecture.

But Master Tu… was already dead.

He died in the blood sacrifice array, annihilated by the heavenly tribulation, turning into dust.

Who then was drawing Divine Dao arrays here in the Barbarian Wilderness?

It couldn’t be…

Mo Hua’s brows furrowed, feeling a chill in his heart. After a moment’s thought, he realized he must have been mistaken.

Master Tu himself came from the Great Wilderness, so his Divine Dao arrays naturally originated from the Great Wilderness.

So it was only natural for someone here in the Great Wilderness to know how to draw Divine Dao arrays.

One couldn’t just blame everything on a dead man like Master Tu…

Was there still a Divine Dao “expert” within the Shugu Tribe?

What was his purpose in drawing these Divine Dao arrays?

What exactly was he scheming?

Mo Hua wanted to use demon bone divination to calculate these Divine Dao arrays and glimpse the karma within, but out of an instinctive apprehension, he ultimately held back.

The enemy’s situation was unclear, their strength unknown; it was unwise to rashly probe into karma.

Mo Hua was no longer the fearless rookie he once was.

He also knew that karma was truly perilous, especially when facing a grand scheme, powerful enemies, and certain unknown great terrors.

Mo Hua had known this principle before, but deep down, he hadn’t truly taken it seriously.

When it was time to “court death,” he would “court” it once or twice.

It wasn’t until his Senior Uncle gave him a “life omen” lesson that Mo Hua firmly embedded it in his heart and dared not be presumptuous anymore.

Mo Hua copied down these Divine Dao array patterns and temporarily put them aside.

Without clues, no amount of careful deliberation would help.

Moreover, Mo Hua had an even more important matter.

He thought for a moment, then said to Ba Shan,

“Elder Ba Shan, I need to go into seclusion temporarily to pray for instructions from the Divine Lord. Please find me a quiet place and ensure I am not disturbed.”

Elder Ba Shan, upon hearing “instructions from the Divine Lord,” immediately became incredibly serious and said,

“Shaman Master, please rest assured, I will handle it properly.”

Elder Ba Shan found a quiet stone chamber in the stone hall, carefully cleaned it, and even laid soft wolf skin blankets for Mo Hua to rest and seclude himself.

Afterward, he ordered people to strictly guard the surroundings.

Ba Shan himself did nothing but “stand guard” for Mo Hua.

The cultivators of these barbarian tribes were rather simple-minded.

If he doubted you and was hostile towards you, he would naturally target you in every way.

But if he trusted and respected you, he would treat you with his whole heart, full of sincere enthusiasm and without pretense.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Then he began to meditate in the stone chamber, closing his eyes and concentrating, entering seclusion peacefully.

Approximately two hours later, Mo Hua estimated the time to be around midnight. He then immersed his spiritual sense into his Sea of Consciousness.

In the center of the Sea of Consciousness, the ancient and profound Dao stele emerged.

Upon the Dao stele, a stroke of crimson tribulation pattern surged.

Mo Hua spat out the semi-silver, semi-blue thought power of the Shugu Barbarian God that he had swallowed earlier, placed it on the tribulation lightning of the Dao stele, and roasted it.

A ferocious roar suddenly erupted, and a skeletal divine face transformed into a roaring phantom. Then, amidst the flickering red light of the tribulation lightning, it was completely obliterated.

The evil god’s will, which was not strong to begin with, within the “degenerated” Shugu Barbarian God, completely dissipated.

After “disinfecting” it, Mo Hua swallowed this thought power back into his abdomen, refining it with peace of mind.

Strands of pure thought power merged into Mo Hua’s divine body, nourishing his spiritual sense.

And the faint silvery-white divine marrow was also absorbed little by little by Mo Hua’s Dao-transformed soul.

Abundant spiritual sense and divine marrow.

This was a feeling he hadn’t experienced for a long time, and it was quite hard-won.

Mo Hua felt comfortable in his heart, slowly savoring it.

Time passed by bit by bit.

Finally, all the thought power and divine marrow of the Shugu Barbarian God were refined by Mo Hua, and Mo Hua’s spiritual sense also saw a small but significant increase.

From the middle stage of twenty-two patterns, it rose all the way to the peak of twenty-two patterns.

Mo Hua had almost touched the threshold of twenty-three patterns of divine sense.

Twenty-three patterns of divine sense was the strongest level of divine sense that a cultivator in the early stage of Golden Core could possess.

And Mo Hua, in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, was only one step away from this.

Mo Hua let out a long breath, his eyes slightly bright, feeling that he had taken another step closer to his long-sought Golden Core…

(End of this chapter)