Beyond the Great Wilderness, the Daoist soldiers of the Dao Ting were fighting against the barbarian army of the Great Wilderness.

Meanwhile, within the desolate lands, famine was rampant, and the seeds of a large-scale civil war were beginning to sprout.

Disasters of war and famine raged simultaneously.

The Dao Ting and Wang Ting, locked in endless combat, were likely unaware of the events unfolding deep within the desolate lands.

And the tribes within the desolate lands, being insular and narrow-minded, had no understanding of the external situation.

The two regions were relatively isolated.

However, Mo Hua had traveled from the Dao Ting, across Li Zhou, over the Sha Hai, through Da Mo Cheng, to Feng Bo Ling, passed through Chi Bi, entered the heart of the desolate lands, and infiltrated a barbarian tribe as a shaman from the Daoist soldier camp of the Dao Ting.

From Jiu Zhou to the desolate lands.

From a Daoist soldier to a shaman.

He had personally walked this path, seeing more and participating more deeply than anyone else.

Mo Hua now had a faint feeling that this matter was far more complicated than a mere rebellion in the Great Wilderness.

The rebellion was just the beginning, followed by famine, internal strife among the barbarians, tribal wars, countless deaths, and the proliferation of evil thoughts in the world…

Yet, all the energy of the Wang Ting and Dao Ting was almost entirely focused on the front-line battles.

They would not, at this time, inquire about, or perhaps even wish to inquire about, the internal affairs of the desolate lands.

It was merely some savage tribes fighting and killing, some people starving, some dying in battle—nothing that threatened the rule of the Wang Ting and Dao Ting.

But a wise person sees misfortune before it takes shape.

Mo Hua could sense that if the current disaster truly escalated…

It would inevitably be the beginning of a true “Great Chaos of Heaven and Earth.”

In Mo Hua’s eyes, he could almost see scenes of war, famine spread across the land, terrifying evil gods descending into reality, preaching in a desperate world…

And everything from beginning to end could not possibly be a coincidence.

It was highly likely that someone was using the Great Wilderness as a chessboard to play a grand game.

Who could this person be?

“It couldn’t possibly be… could it be…”

Mo Hua’s pupils trembled, and he immediately stopped the thought.

He then looked up at the solemn main department of the Bi Fang tribe before him, then silently departed.

He had suspicions, but he dared not think further.

Everything was just beginning to show signs, and it could also be just his conjecture.

How the situation would develop, whether it would step by step descend into an abyss of no return, he, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could neither calculate nor control.

The most urgent task was to resolve Dan Zhu’s “Great Omen of Misfortune.”

Even if Dan Zhu was a genius, being besieged and encircled by the Bi Fang tribe would make it difficult for him to escape danger.

Mo Hua knew very well that while Dan Zhu’s “combat power” was strong, his methods for “preserving life” were, in fact, incredibly poor.

He was a young master, a genius, and he learned legitimate inheritances.

It was certainly impossible for him to be like himself, constantly studying stealth and movement techniques purely for self-preservation.

Although the Zhu Que Xuan Huo Ling Yi was “tough” and had strong defense, it was precisely because of this that it was easily broken when pushed too hard.

A cultivator’s techniques are all limited by their “realm.”

In the face of realms, there is no absolute strength.

Dan Zhu was, after all, only in the early stage of Golden Core. No matter how tough his magic weapon was, he could not directly withstand the killing moves of a group of Golden Core, or even mid to late Golden Core barbarian cultivators.

Moreover, Dan Zhu was also burdened by his family, unlike himself, who could fight when he could, and run when he couldn’t.

Mo Hua, still hidden, left the valley, met with Chi Feng, and returned to Dan Zhu’s encampment, briefly explaining the details.

Everyone’s expressions became much more serious.

Ba Shan was somewhat angry and confused: “Has the Bi Fang tribe gone mad? How dare they use the main department’s forces to encircle and annihilate our Dan Que tribe’s young master?”

Normally, animosities between tribes would not specifically target the young masters of various departments.

Even if there were occasional conflicts, they were usually small-scale, many even primarily “one-on-one.”

Even when leading troops, they would only bring some personal guards or small squads of barbarian soldiers.

Using a large number of the main department’s forces for encirclement was utterly “shameless.”

“Could it be Bi Jie?” Ba Chuan frowned. “He suffered greatly at the young master’s hands and feared the young master’s talent, so he wants to make a clean sweep and eliminate future troubles?”

Mo Hua remained silent, not speaking.

Chi Feng, being experienced, said with a serious expression:

“I’m afraid it’s more than that. Even if they wanted to kill Young Master Dan Zhu, there’s no need to use the main department’s forces. Their actions might be to capture the young master, threaten the Great Chieftain, and thus… attack the Dan Que tribe…”

Ba Shan’s face changed dramatically. “The Bi Fang tribe, they want to start a war? Then…”

Chi Feng shook his head. “That’s just a possibility. No one knows what the Bi Fang tribe is truly planning.”

“So what should we do now?” Ba Shan asked.

Ba Chuan mused, “We… protect the young master, carve out a bloody path, break through the defense line, rendezvous with the main Dan Que tribe, and inform the Great Chieftain of the Bi Fang tribe’s movements as early as possible?”

Chi Feng likely had the same thought.

Although such a forceful charge would certainly result in heavy casualties.

But these seasoned barbarian generals, having been on countless battlefields, had long disregarded life and death and understood that war inevitably involved deaths.

However, Chi Feng did not speak, but instead turned to look at Mo Hua.

He was now accustomed to “when in doubt, ask Mister Wu.”

There was no helping it; Mister Wu’s “divine prophecies” were simply too accurate.

Dan Zhu also looked at Mo Hua.

He was a good young master, and the most important aspect of being a good young master was knowing how to “listen.”

Knowing whose words to listen to, and without unnecessary pride, listening when it was appropriate.

Mo Hua was also deep in thought.

He actually had many solutions.

But thinking about them, they might not all be the most suitable.

Mo Hua then said with a solemn face: “I must pray to the Divine Lord, asking for the Divine Lord’s blessing and guidance.”

Dan Zhu and the others’ expressions grew even more respectful, revering Mo Hua as they would the Divine Lord, and they all bowed, saying:

“Thank you, Mister…”

“You’ve worked hard, Mister Wu…”

Mo Hua nodded, stood up, and returned to his room. He set up an array to block sight and sound, then knelt on a futon, outwardly praying to the Divine Lord, but in reality, thinking for himself.

After all, there was no real “Divine Lord” to guide him.

All the Divine Lord’s revelations were derived from his own efforts, analysis, and calculations.

The current situation could only be handled by his own ingenuity.

Firstly, if Mo Hua were alone, it would be quite simple for him to bypass the Bi Fang barbarian soldiers’ blockade.

His spiritual sense was now stronger, and being hidden, as long as he was slightly careful, all the Bi Fang tribe members would be “blind.”

He could even walk directly along the battle lines openly, and most of the Bi Fang tribe’s barbarian soldiers would not be able to detect him.

Taking Dan Zhu with him would also not be an issue.

He just needed to create a cloak or cape for Dan Zhu for invisibility, and have him follow.

Even bringing a few more people would be fine.

But the problem was, Dan Zhu currently had five to six hundred people under his command. Creating invisibility arrays or cloaks for all of them would be too expensive, and Mo Hua could not afford it at the moment.

Even if it were possible to create them, it wouldn’t be now.

There was also the most crucial point: Mo Hua did not particularly want to expose the fact that his “stealth technique” was highly advanced.

After all, Dan Zhu seemed kind… but in reality, he was quite intelligent.

If Mo Hua were to display a very advanced stealth technique in front of him, so advanced that even a Golden Core cultivator could not detect it.

He might then associate it with the time Mo Hua had secretly approached his bed in the middle of the night, whispering “secrets” to him in the name of the “Divine Lord.”

This would undermine his authority as a “shaman.”

Moreover, cultivators with powerful stealth techniques are often viewed with suspicion and find it difficult to gain others’ trust.

After all, no one knows what bad things you might have secretly done using stealth.

As a shaman, one needs the admiration of others, not their suspicion.

Therefore, although he often employed stealth, he must never easily tell others about it.

Thus, the “infiltration” route was not viable.

Then, a direct frontal assault?

Mo Hua indeed had a way to use an array to blast open a path, and then have Dan Zhu and the others charge through.

In fact, Mo Hua felt a little stir in his heart.

It had been a long time since he had used an array to blow things up.

He really felt a bit eager to try.

But a large-scale array blast to split a mountain would certainly kill people, and that would dirty his “reformed” hands.

Even if no one died, after blasting the mountain and charging through, then what?

Mo Hua twirled his fingers, almost without needing to carefully divine, and he could foresee what would happen next.

The mountain pass would be blasted open, and Dan Zhu and Chi Feng would lead their people to break through the blockade.

The Bi Fang tribe’s barbarian soldiers would certainly rally and pursue them.

And the Golden Core cultivators of the main Bi Fang department, conservatively speaking, would definitely number between ten and twenty.

These Bi Fang Golden Core cultivators would pursue Dan Zhu. Dan Zhu might not necessarily die, but the five or six hundred people who had been painstakingly trained and followed Dan Zhu in his campaigns would undoubtedly become “cannon fodder” in the process, dying one by one at the hands of the Bi Fang Golden Core cultivators.

Even if Dan Zhu ultimately escaped, it would still be a net loss.

“Is there a foolproof method that ensures no one dies?”

Mo Hua frowned deeply.

He pondered for a while, then deduced for a while, but it seemed no matter what he chose, the final outcome would not be very good.

Waiting in place would mean enduring the constantly spreading threat of “famine”…

“Famine…”

Mo Hua mused for a moment, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat, his expression becoming solemn.

He had overlooked a crucial matter:

The Wu Tu tribe!

It had been over a year since he left the Wu Tu tribe and came to the Dan Que tribe.

During this past year, he had to pretend to be a shaman, “deceive” Dan Zhu, understand the internal affairs of the tribe, deduce the situation, comprehend array formations, crusade against the Shu Gu tribe, devour barbarian gods, enhance his spiritual sense… and so on.

There were too many things to do, and Mo Hua had been constantly busy, his spiritual sense continuously operating, almost without rest.

This also caused Mo Hua to almost forget about the matters in the Wu Tu Shan Jie.

And now, famine was beginning to spread, and disaster was imminent.

What would happen in the Wu Tu Shan Jie?

Were they also suffering from famine?

What about Elder Zha Mu and little Zha Tu? What about the children he taught in the name of “Mister”? Would they encounter danger?

The more Mo Hua thought, the more worried he became.

Famine was merciless, reality cruel. If the Wu Tu and Wu Sha Shan Jie were also engulfed by famine, then everything he had done before would turn to dust.

Those children might not escape, all of them starving to death.

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart and did not hesitate. He immediately cast another divination to ascertain the safety of the Wu Tu Shan Jie and the lives of little Zha Tu and the others.

However, the resulting divination was somewhat subtle.

It could not be described as good, nor was it overly dire.

And it had been some time since he left the Wu Tu Shan Jie; he knew nothing of the specific situation and could not deduce more detailed causal relationships.

Mo Hua inevitably felt somewhat worried.

He really wanted to go back to the Wu Tu Shan Jie to take a look.

But he couldn’t just ignore Dan Zhu here.

If he didn’t return to the Wu Tu Shan Jie and something happened to little Zha Tu and the others, Mo Hua would find it hard to rest easy; he would probably feel guilty for the rest of his life.

And without using karmic techniques to protect Dan Zhu, once Dan Zhu died in the tribal infighting, all future plans would become empty talk.

Faced with these two choices, Mo Hua was in a dilemma, growing more worried the more he thought about it.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Mo Hua, and he thought of a less-than-ideal solution:

“Why not just ‘abduct’ Dan Zhu to the Wu Tu Shan Jie?”

This way, he could both protect Dan Zhu and check on the situation in the Wu Tu Shan Jie. Wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?

But Mo Hua thought for a moment, then shook his head, feeling that this idea was somewhat wishful thinking and unrealistic…

The Wu Tu Shan Jie was a second-grade minor mountain realm. Dan Zhu was a Golden Core cultivator; it was generally impossible for him to go to a second-grade mountain realm.

Moreover, he was the young master of the third-grade Dan Que tribe. What would he do in such a small place?

However…

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized: wouldn’t Dan Zhu be safer in a second-grade mountain realm?

In a third-grade mountain realm, Dan Zhu, an early Golden Core cultivator, would face threats from mid to late Golden Core cultivators.

But upon reaching a second-grade mountain realm, Dan Zhu’s cultivation would be “at its peak”; he would be the “strongest.”

He would only need to restrain his cultivation and not use his Golden Core power.

And the Bi Fang tribe’s large-scale military deployment definitely wasn’t just targeting Dan Zhu; it would inevitably mean a major war.

This war would likely affect the entire third-grade Zhu Que Shan Jie, causing most Golden Core cultivators to engage in deadly combat.

In such a situation, a second-grade mountain realm would actually be safer.

As for what Dan Zhu would do in a second-grade mountain realm…

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered Mister Tu and the Great Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Array.

Mister Tu’s concept for the Great Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Array was to connect lower-grade minor state realms using the blood sacrifice evil array, forming a grand evil array to blockade the fifth-grade Qian Xue State Realm.

This was a way of connecting lower-grade state realms to blockade a higher-grade state realm, under the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao.

Although Mister Tu was dead.

His approach, however, could be adopted by Mo Hua.

Let Dan Zhu lead troops to a second-grade mountain realm to “develop,” using the second-grade mountain realm as a “base,” refining armor and training soldiers. Once their strength grew, they could then “surround” the third-grade mountain realm.

Using a small mountain realm as a stronghold to counter-devour a large mountain realm.

Mister Tu could do such a thing—and he actually succeeded, only for it to be ruined by Mo Hua himself.

Among three people walking, there must be one who is my teacher.

Now, Mo Hua could completely emulate Mister Tu’s approach.

The more Mo Hua thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and he even faintly felt that this might be the most suitable path for the current situation and for himself.

Of course, how to implement it still needed further consideration.

Mo Hua thought for another night and calculated all night, preparing all routes and plans.

At dawn the next day, Mo Hua summoned Dan Zhu and the others, and said with an extremely serious tone:

“The Divine Lord has given me a revelation. We cannot return to the main Dan Que tribe. Ahead… is a dead end with no return!”

Dan Zhu and the others were startled.

“A dead end?” Chi Feng’s expression was grave.

“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded, and said solemnly, “According to the Divine Lord’s revelation, if we press forward and forcibly break through the Bi Fang tribe’s blockade, our entire army will be annihilated. Not only will these barbarian soldiers perish without exception, but even Young Master Dan Zhu… will be dismembered and die at Bi Jie’s hands…”

Everyone’s faces turned pale.

Ba Shan was even more terrified, trembling, “Esteemed Shaman, what… what should we do?”

“Follow the instructions of the Divine Lord; only by avoiding this deadly calamity can we survive…”

Mo Hua unfolded a map and pointed to a corner in the southeast. “This direction is the ‘path to life’ guided by the Divine Lord, and the only path to seek life amidst death.”

Dan Zhu and the others looked in the direction Mo Hua pointed, frowning in confusion. “This place is a second-grade mountain realm?”

Mo Hua nodded.

“But… if we go to a second-grade mountain realm, how can we settle down?” Ba Chuan asked. “Moreover, according to the ancestral teachings of the Great Wilderness, Golden Core cultivators never enter second-grade mountain realms.”

Mo Hua stated firmly: “Precisely because of the ancestral teachings, we must do the opposite to seek life amidst death.”

Dan Zhu and the others exchanged glances.

Entering a second-grade mountain realm was completely unexpected; they had never even considered such a thing before.

But “Mister Wu’s” words also seemed very reasonable.

Moreover, this was the Divine Lord’s guidance.

Along the way, Mister Wu had repeatedly proven to them that the Divine Lord’s guidance was real and true, and the Divine Lord’s instructions were, without exception, all correct.

This time, it should also not be wrong.

Of course, they did not know that this time, the “Divine Lord” told a small lie.

The situation was not as serious as Mo Hua made it out to be.

They were not necessarily forced to go to a second-grade mountain realm.

It was their “Divine Lord” Mo Hua who deliberately guided them this way.

And after such a long period of interaction, Mo Hua had gained sufficient “prestige.”

Dan Zhu pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, “Everything will strictly follow the Divine Lord’s guidance. Please lead the way, Mister.”

Chi Feng and the others also had no objections.

Mo Hua also nodded with satisfaction. This way, his two forces could formally “merge.”

And so, while the Bi Fang tribe blockaded them from the front.

Mo Hua led Dan Zhu and the others, taking a detour and marching southeast.

After half a month of arduous travel and encountering some dangers, they finally left the third-grade Zhu Que Shan Jie and arrived at the second-grade Wu Sha Shan Jie, which was more familiar to Mo Hua.

Seeing the scene before him, Mo Hua breathed a slight sigh of relief.

To his relief, the famine had not yet spread here.

This meant that the true “turmoil” had not yet reached the Wu Sha and Wu Tu Shan Jie.

But Mo Hua was not entirely happy.

Because the current state of the Wu Sha Shan Jie was not much better.

The Wu Sha Shan Jie was originally a remote second-grade minor mountain realm in the eastern part of the desolate lands.

This mountain realm previously had no fixed name.

It was only after its conquest that Mo Hua, the esteemed shaman, specifically permitted the chieftain of the Wu Lu tribe to name it after him, “Wu Sha,” as a reward for Wu Sha’s merits in various campaigns.

Although this Wu Sha Shan Jie was named after “Wu Sha,” its true “master” was still Mo Hua, the esteemed shaman.

Under Mo Hua’s governance, this mountain realm should have developed according to his envisioned path.

But now, a year had passed, and the Wu Sha Shan Jie was still the same, or even slightly worse.

Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, sweeping over the surrounding situation, and saw that some tribes were still struggling; many low-level barbarian cultivators were still starving; some children wandered by the roadside, still not receiving the spiritual cultivation education.

And the barbarian soldiers of the mountain realm, clad in barbarian armor, swaggered around, oppressing others, and extorting wealth.

In the Wu Sha Shan Jie, many tribes, though clearly poor with their people barely clothed and starving, were forced to expend human and material resources to carve fine stone materials and erect exquisite stone statues.

The statues stood high, their faces depicting the chieftain of the Wu Lu tribe: “Wu Sha.”

Any barbarian cultivator passing by had to bow and salute Wu Sha’s statue, an imposing display of power.

Mo Hua’s gaze gradually turned cold.