“Are there such superior heavy barbarian armors in the Shugu Tribe?”

“Did they forge these themselves, or are they relics from ancient times?”

“Does the Shugu Tribe possess such advanced armor-forging techniques?”

“Then, within these heavy armors, are there… some special formations hidden?”

“These formations…”

Mo Hua’s eyes brightened for a moment, his mind racing. He then said to Xiao Zhatu, who was by his side, “Call Elder Tie Shugu over.”

“Yes, Sir,” Xiao Zhatu replied.

Xiao Zhatu was young but intelligent and nimble. Dan Zhu was also fond of him, so when handling some affairs, Dan Zhu would bring Xiao Zhatu along to broaden his horizons.

Now that the Shugu Tribe had attacked, Dan Zhu had to wage war.

Xiao Zhatu temporarily stayed with Mo Hua, running errands for him.

Xiao Zhatu took the order and scurried away. A moment later, he returned with Elder Tie Shugu.

Tie Shugu now held the title of “Elder”; after all, he was a Jindan cultivator, so he needed some status.

And this time, with the Shugu Tribe’s invasion, this former leader of a Shugu nomadic unit truly acted like an “Elder” of the Danque Tribe, leading charges and fighting fiercely against the Shugu Tribe.

Moreover, Mo Hua observed that Tie Shugu showed no mercy when striking down his own clansmen.

When Tie Shugu saw Mo Hua, he bowed respectfully, his heart inevitably anxious.

He knew clearly that this “Great Shaman” was, in fact, a demon disguised in human skin, impersonating a shaman.

To associate with a demon was like treading on thin ice; he had to be extremely cautious.

Tie Shugu dared not even lift his head, much less look directly into Mo Hua’s eyes.

After a moment, he heard Mo Hua’s faint question, “How much do you know about the Shugu Tribe’s barbarian armors?”

Tie Shugu’s heart tightened. He replied, “May I ask which barbarian armor the Great Shaman refers to?”

Mo Hua did not answer.

Evidently, he had no interest in such obvious, rhetorical questions.

He merely looked silently at Tie Shugu, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

Tie Shugu felt as if a stone was pressing on his heart. After a moment, he realized that he could not deceive this “demon” in such a way, and said:

“You mean… those heavy armors?”

“Yes,” Mo Hua said softly.

Tie Shugu replied, “Forgive me, Great Shaman. Those heavy armors are a secret of the Shugu Tribe. I was merely the leader of a small nomadic unit and truly know nothing.”

Mo Hua asked him, “You truly know nothing at all?”

Tie Shugu pondered for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. “I only know that these heavy armors were likely passed down by the Shugu Tribe’s ancestors. They are heavy barbarian armors forged with ancient barbaric techniques, incredibly hard and extremely precious. Historically, only the main Shugu Tribe had the heritage to possess and store such heavy armors.”

“We nomadic units weren’t even worthy of a glance…” Tie Shugu sighed. “As for the names of these heavy armors or their specific origins, I am completely unaware.”

Mo Hua looked into Tie Shugu’s eyes.

Tie Shugu respectfully lowered his gaze.

Mo Hua nodded. “I understand. You may go.”

“Yes, Great Shaman. Tie Shugu takes his leave.”

Tie Shugu, as usual, bowed and departed.

Mo Hua mused for a moment, and a question arose in his mind:

Why would the Grade Three Shugu Tribe suddenly attack the Grade Two Wucha Mountain Realm?

To kill Dan Zhu?

Were the Five Shugu Freaks seeking revenge against Dan Zhu out of fraternal affection?

But surely the Five Shugu Freaks couldn’t make such a decision, could they?

Or was it simply because of the severe famine outside, forcing the Shugu Tribe to seek new places to settle?

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then made some quick calculations with his fingers. He watched Tie Shugu’s retreating back, his gaze meaningful.

That night, in the Danque Tribe’s encampment.

A figure quietly blended into the darkness, then, taking advantage of others’ inattention, arrived at a secluded cliff.

The figure took out a piece of white bone, seemingly writing something.

As he wrote, he seemed to grow angry. Seeing the dark moonlight and no one around, he couldn’t help but curse in a low voice:

“This damnable demon shaman!”

“He’s been holed up in this corner for three or four months, doing nothing! What a waste of time! He’s utterly lazy!”

“Doesn’t he covet the position of the Barbarian God?”

“Doesn’t he want to invade the altar and slay the false gods?”

“Such… laziness! It’s outrageous…”

“No, I can’t let him continue like this. I must put pressure on him to do what he’s supposed to do sooner!”

“To die sooner… at the hands of the true Barbarian God.”

The person cursed in a low voice. After venting his resentment, he continued to write on the bone.

But what he didn’t know was that in the darkness, someone was standing behind him, leaning over, watching what he was writing.

The person writing was, of course, Tie Shugu.

The person watching him was, of course, Mo Hua.

The night was dim, and the starlight faded.

No one noticed that Mo Hua, invisible, stood behind Tie Shugu, curiously watching him write on the bone.

The words on the bone were carved with Tie Shugu’s blood.

They were barbaric script, somewhat messy, and appeared dark in the night.

As Tie Shugu wrote, Mo Hua read in his mind:

“To the esteemed Lord Lugou…”

“Tie Shugu is unswervingly loyal and vows to serve the Shugu Tribe until death.”

“You are already aware of the previous message; Tie Shugu has not uttered a single false word.”

“This Wucha Mountain Realm is indeed fertile ground. Tribes live mixed together, and there are many barbarian cultivators who can be used as ‘livestock.’ Additionally, there are large fields of millet for sustenance during famine years. The customs are simple, the old and young are orderly, and the children are intelligent, receiving传承 from a young age, making them excellent sacrifices.”

“Deep in the mountains, there are occasional roars of fierce tigers, suggesting the presence of a king beast.”

“This is an extraordinary sign. By residing here, the Shugu may have the potential for great prosperity.”

“And more importantly, the hidden master of this Wucha Mountain Realm is the… ‘great enemy’ of the Barbarian God!”

At this point, Tie Shugu’s hands trembled slightly:

“I, Tie Shugu… have risked my life to uncover a terrifying truth: the shaman worshipped by the Danque Tribe is not actually human, but an incredibly powerful demon, disguised in human skin, capable of walking among humans in broad daylight.”

“This demon is also the hidden master of the Wucha Mountain Realm.”

“Please, Lord Lugou, you must use the ‘Yuangu Qianman’ troops to conquer this mountain realm!”

“Achieve complete victory in one swift strike, annihilate this demon shaman and his forces, and crush this great enemy of the divine in its cradle!”

“Tie Shugu is in the dark, but his heart yearns for light. Even if my body is shattered, I will eliminate this demonic scourge for the Barbarian God. I beg Lord Lugou to grant this wish!!”

The last line of text was carved forcefully by Tie Shugu, indeed imbued with great emotion.

Within this emotion were faith in the Barbarian God, fear and anger towards Mo Hua, the “demon,” and the tragic resolve to sacrifice himself for righteousness.

After Tie Shugu’s emotions settled, he took out another piece of white bone.

On this bone, he dipped it in blood and carved some military maps.

This was intelligence he had painstakingly stolen, risking his life, lurking beside the demon shaman, enduring humiliation, and going through countless hardships.

Tie Shugu, in front of Mo Hua, transmitted this intelligence stolen from Mo Hua to the Shugu Tribe.

Mo Hua quietly stood behind Tie Shugu, silently watching him “operate.”

Tie Shugu seemed to be using a very secret bone art technique, using white bones as a medium to transmit text.

But this method of transmission did not seem like a “yuan magnetic” type of method, and it looked somewhat peculiar.

After Tie Shugu finished all this, the blood characters on the white bone disappeared, seemingly transmitted.

He threw the remaining white bone down the cliff, leaving no trace of “evidence,” then stood up, letting out a sigh of relief.

In his heart, he seemed to be “praying” for something.

He didn’t speak these words aloud.

But Mo Hua guessed it was something like, “I hope Lord Lugou can act on behalf of the ‘god’ and eliminate that hateful demon…”

Having done all this, Tie Shugu dared not linger.

To accompany a “demon” was like accompanying a tiger; he dared not reveal any flaws, lest he arouse the demon’s suspicion.

Tie Shugu stealthily departed.

Much later, Mo Hua revealed himself. He walked to the edge of the cliff, looked down at the white bone Tie Shugu had thrown, his expression somewhat strange:

“So, it was to kill me…”

He had thought that the Shugu Tribe’s invasion of Wucha Mountain Realm was to kill Dan Zhu.

It turned out that the Shugu Tribe was “lured” by Tie Shugu to kill him, this “demonic heretic.”

This Tie Shugu was truly “loyal and devoted.”

Mo Hua didn’t know what to say.

Counting it up, he had only not fought the Shugu Tribe and eaten their Barbarian Gods for three or four months for the sake of studying famine and formations.

Was Tie Shugu really that eager?

He even called him “lazy”…

Of course, the Shugu Tribe’s invasion shouldn’t be just to kill him, this “demon shaman.”

It wasn’t just to eliminate him, this “great hidden danger,” for their Barbarian God.

Famine, territory, population, food, and so on, were probably all reasons for the Shugu Tribe’s aggression.

The situation outside might already be very severe.

And the Wucha Mountain Realm, including the area around Wutu, was originally just a small Grade Two mountain realm, not particularly remarkable.

But now, with his development here, people’s livelihoods had greatly improved.

And with famine raging outside, compared to that, this place was indeed a “hot commodity.”

The Shugu Tribe probably truly harbored a desire to “annex” it.

What concerned Mo Hua even more was the name Tie Shugu had written on the bone tablet:

“Yuangu Qianman soldiers.”

“Could this be the name of that heavy armor passed down from ancient times by the Shugu Tribe?”

“Yuangu Qianman Heavy Armor?”

“Doesn’t this Tie Shugu know the name? He still didn’t tell me…” Mo Hua mumbled softly.

Mo Hua then fell into thought.

Yuangu, refers to… bones from the Endless Abyss?

And Qianman? Are there a thousand sets of this heavy armor in total? Or does it mean that a thousand demon beasts were used to forge this barbarian armor?

Shugu, ancestors, Endless Abyss, Yuangu, Qianman…

Mo Hua’s heart stirred slightly. “Could this heavy armor also be related to Taotie?”

The Shugu Barbarian God statue was hidden in the secret Shugu department, and in the storehouse of that department, many materials for Shugu barbarian armor were hidden.

And within the head of the Shugu Barbarian God statue, there was also a twenty-three-pattern Taotie formation.

Mo Hua faintly felt that there seemed to be something else hidden here, an ancient clue…

“Yuangu Qianman Armor…”

“I need to find a way to get my hands on it and study it thoroughly…”

Mo Hua’s eyes flickered, deep in thought.

Since the Yuangu Qianman Armor was a heavy armor passed down by the Shugu Tribe’s ancestors, only inheritable by the main tribe, and extremely sturdy and precious.

Then it would naturally not be easy to obtain.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then calculated for a while. That night, he secretly summoned Dan Zhu and said, “We’re changing tomorrow’s tactics.”

Dan Zhu was startled. “It’s already been ordered. Are we changing it now?”

Mo Hua nodded.

His plan had been secretly leaked to the Shugu Tribe by Tie Shugu.

If they continued with the established tactics, tomorrow’s casualties would undoubtedly be severe.

But Tie Shugu had also done a good thing.

By leaking secrets, he had, in turn, given the Shugu Tribe “answers.” Mo Hua, knowing the Shugu Tribe’s “answers,” could change the questions.

And Mo Hua had a more important goal.

“Try to seize a few sets of the Shugu Tribe’s heavy armor tomorrow,” Mo Hua told Dan Zhu.

Dan Zhu nodded, clearly having the same idea.

Originally, Dan Zhu had no concept of “seizing.”

But now, having spent a long time with Mo Hua, he had gradually been subtly influenced by Mo Hua, and felt that when leading troops in battle, “seizing” the enemy’s possessions was perfectly normal.

However…

Dan Zhu frowned. “In a Grade Two mountain realm, these heavy bone barbarian armors are indestructible. I can’t even break their defenses, so how can we seize them?”

Mo Hua said, “Don’t worry, I have a way.”

Dan Zhu nodded. “I’ll listen to Sir.”

Afterward, Mo Hua explained the plan to Dan Zhu.

He didn’t change too much; overall, it still followed the tactics Tie Shugu knew.

However, in the details, he added some modifications, changing “attack” to “defend” and “advance” to “retreat.”

This would make it less likely to arouse the Shugu Tribe’s suspicion.

Mo Hua still hoped to allow Tie Shugu to gain the Shugu Tribe’s trust as much as possible.

If the “military intelligence secrets” Tie Shugu leaked were completely false, then he would fail as an informant.

He would become an “untrustworthy person” in the eyes of the Shugu Tribe.

Mo Hua didn’t particularly want to see that outcome.

After all, Tie Shugu had helped him greatly, and he didn’t want to make things too difficult for Tie Shugu.

At the same time, Mo Hua also added some small traps to the plan to catch “fat sheep.”

The next day, the battle began.

Mo Hua stood on a high vantage point, surveying the situation, and found that things were largely as he expected.

The Shugu Tribe had indeed formulated their tactics based on the “secrets” transmitted by Tie Shugu.

However, the Shugu Tribe’s leader, “Lord Lugou,” clearly did not completely trust Tie Shugu, and thus devised a somewhat conservative plan.

This gave Mo Hua even more room to maneuver.

A frontal engagement was naturally unwinnable.

The forces of the Danque Tribe and the Wutu Alliance were already inferior to the main Shugu Tribe.

No one among them could break the Shugu Tribe’s Yuangu Qianman Armor.

Now that their tactics had been leaked by Tie Shugu, and the Shugu Tribe was targeting them everywhere, it was even more impossible for the Danque Tribe to win.

Therefore, as soon as the two sides engaged, the Danque Tribe only resisted for a dozen or so rounds before “collapsing.”

The rest of the Wutu Alliance also retreated, falling back to both flanks.

The Shugu Tribe naturally pursued their victory, pressing forward.

The battlefield became chaotic.

Everyone in the Shugu Tribe charged forward as they pleased.

But they evidently did not realize that their disorderly routes were already within the realm of karmic prediction.

They had been meticulously designed beforehand.

They were following their own “impulses,” but walking along a pre-designed path of advance.

As the Shugu Tribe pursued, the terrain became more complex, with more mountains, rocks, and gullies.

And because the heavy armored soldiers and ordinary barbarian soldiers marched at different speeds, the Shugu Tribe’s pursuit formation became fragmented first.

The Yuangu heavy armored soldiers were briefly separated from the main Shugu forces.

Lugou, the general of the main Shugu Tribe, felt a subtle sense of alarm, but by the time he wanted to issue orders to warn them, it was too late.

This detachment only lasted for a very short time.

But for those who were prepared, this time was already ample.

From the tall grass, Dan Zhu, Chi Feng, Bashan, and Bachuan, along with over thirty peak Foundation Establishment realm barbarian soldiers of the Danque Tribe, instantly rushed out.

They began to encircle and annihilate the detached Yuangu heavy armored soldiers.

General Lugou, who was commanding the overall situation from a distance, detected this scene with his divine sense. His face immediately changed, and he understood Dan Zhu and the others’ intentions.

He immediately ordered the Shugu barbarian soldiers to go and support them.

But the battlefield was chaotic, and any command issued had a significant delay.

Moreover, Dan Zhu and the others’ movements were simply too fast.

Their formation, like a dagger, instantly cut off over twenty of the Shugu Tribe’s Yuangu heavy armored soldiers.

Then, with Jindan cultivators leading, every ten people encircled five Yuangu heavy armored soldiers.

Under normal circumstances, this situation would have been a complete rout.

But these “Yuangu heavy armors” passed down from the Shugu Tribe’s ancestors were truly too hard, like turtle shells, completely unbreakable, especially in a Grade Two state, where even Jindan cultivators were helpless.

Seeing this, Lugou in the distance let out a slight sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, an unexpected change occurred.

On the ground, golden light suddenly appeared, sand and dust flew, and mud and rocks swirled, forming a vortex that directly engulfed these heavy armored soldiers.

Sacred纹!

Moreover, it was an extremely high-grade, Grade Two sacred纹!

It was even a sacred纹 that General Lugou had never seen before!

These sacred纹 contained many layers of changes, forming a very special complex formation structure.

The earth turned into quicksand, and the quicksand condensed into a cage, directly trapping the Yuangu heavy soldiers, leaving them unable to advance or retreat.

And following the formation’s lock, Dan Zhu and the others each took out a special set of chains.

On the chains, a strange “water prison” formation was carved.

Once activated, the water prison directly transformed into a blue cage, “drowning” the Yuangu heavy armored soldiers within.

The earth prison and water prison mingled together, earth and water interacting. The water turned the earth into a mire, while the earth provided a medium for the water. Adhering together, with the water drowning their throats, they simply could not break free.

If the Yuangu Qianman Heavy Armor was top-tier Grade Two defense,

Then this formation, incorporating some fusion of laws and utilizing both water and earth, was top-tier Grade Two control.

Stuck in the mud, feeling like a thousand pounds, with water drowning their mouths and noses, unable to breathe, it was an extremely sickening “soft” control.

While these heavy armored soldiers were being controlled, Danque Tribe barbarian soldiers had already brought out flat carts.

Chi Feng, Bashan, and Bachuan, the three Jindan cultivators, using their physical strength, forcibly “chained” three Yuangu heavy armored soldiers.

They placed these heavy armored soldiers onto the flat carts.

On the flat carts, there was also a golden prison formation laid by Mo Hua.

Incidentally, Mo Hua had also drawn some basic “wind-walking formations” on the wheels of the carts for speed.

Then, everyone no longer lingered in battle, hijacked three heavy armored soldiers, and quickly retreated.

These events happened in a flash.

In just a few dozen rounds, Dan Zhu and the others, with the cooperation of the formations, snatched all the Yuangu heavy armored soldiers.

Their actions were swift, their discipline strict; they only aimed to seize the men and did not linger in battle.

By the time General Lugou of the main Shugu Tribe arrived with his men, he could only vaguely see the flat carts speeding away in the distant dust.

And on the flat carts were three heavy armored soldiers of the Shugu Tribe, bound like “fat pigs”…

(End of this chapter)