Shigu Xieshen, slain by the Taixu Zhanshen Sword unleashed by Mo Hua, dissipated into smoke as his will disintegrated.

Mo Hua, like a divine “Taotie,” swallowed all the smoke into his belly.

But he didn’t consume it immediately. He planned to purify the evil god with the Jie Lei from the Daobei later before completely devouring him.

With Shigu Xieshen’s death, the nightmare began to collapse.

The surrounding scenery twisted, and cracks appeared in the evil thought’s dreamscape.

A repulsive force filled the air around Mo Hua.

Mo Hua slowly closed his eyes, allowing his divine consciousness body to be “expelled” from the evil god’s nightmare.

After a dizzying spin, when he opened his eyes again, he was still in the bloody Barbarian God’s Hall.

However, the hall now appeared more “real,” and the surging, terrifying will of the evil god was gone.

Mo Hua knew he had returned to reality.

His objective for this trip was accomplished.

He had killed the evil god and devoured the evil god.

The problem of the resurrected remnants of Shigu Bu was also resolved.

The hall was bloody and eerie, and the Qi of hunger was still spreading, making it unsuitable for a long stay. Mo Hua wanted to leave and reunite with Dan Zhu and the others.

But after a few steps, he frowned.

His previous doubts echoed in his mind.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then turned around and walked straight to the center of the hall, to the location of the Shigu idol.

The Shigu Bu idol was taller and larger, with a demonic head and human body, like a barbarian demonic god clad in bone armor, exuding immense power.

This was a stark contrast to its fallen form of rotting flesh clinging to white bones.

Mo Hua examined the Shigu idol, then released his divine sense to search the surroundings.

A moment later, Mo Hua’s divine consciousness stirred, and he indeed found traces of a formation beneath the idol.

These traces were very subtle, secretly drawn around the idol.

Mo Hua recognized the style of these formations.

“This is…”

Divine Way formations.

Mo Hua’s gaze was profound.

Someone had used Divine Way formations to imprison Shigu Manshen within this idol.

Allowing Him to endure various pollutions during the great tribulation, forcing Him to passively degenerate and eventually become an evil god…

“Using a Divine Way formation to seal a barbarian god. Then using various means of pollution to make the barbarian god degenerate into an evil god…”

Mo Hua’s expression was solemn.

This was a clear sign of human manipulation.

And these methods were beyond what an ordinary person could achieve, especially the Divine Way formations and the means of evil god transformation, which involved profound knowledge of the Divine Way.

“Who exactly… is doing this?”

Mo Hua’s first thought was his Shibo, but then he felt it wasn’t quite right.

If Shibo had truly intervened, things would never have been this “mild.”

Mo Hua frowned, feeling there were many suspicious points hidden beneath the surface of this intricate conspiracy, which he could not yet unravel.

Mo Hua could only take out a jade slip, first copying down these Divine Way formation patterns, then getting up to leave.

Outside the hall, as the evil god was dead, the malevolent will was gradually fading, but residual evil thoughts still lingered in the air.

And the mist of hunger, instead, was intensifying.

Even the Hou Tu Fugou Jue Zhen that Mo Hua had previously drawn was being re-eroded by the dense Qi of hunger.

The “Sheng Wen Zhi Lu” was somewhat dim.

Some formation patterns even needed to be repaired.

“Must leave soon…”

Mo Hua looked back at the Barbarian God’s Hall of Shigu Bu, then turned and set off on his return journey.

Outside the valley, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Although they couldn’t see the entire battle, and their naked eyes had never witnessed any traces of fighting, nor was there any light or sign of breakage deep within the miasma,

Their divine sense still felt an extreme, chilling pressure.

It was as if the boundary between the real and the illusory worlds had blurred.

In a world they could not see, an earth-shshattering battle was taking place.

And Shigu’s corpse had become extremely frenzied.

As if infected by the evil god, it was filled with anger, resentment, and fear, struggling desperately, and the Shu Gu Zhong Suo wrapped around it developed cracks.

Everyone’s expressions changed drastically.

With Wuzhu Daren absent, no one could simply “shock” Shigu into submission with just a glance.

If Shigu, controlled by evil thoughts, broke free from its chains and fought against them with its immortal body, the consequences would be unimaginable.

So, everyone had to exert all their strength to suppress Shigu.

Over twenty Jin Dan realm cultivators acted, using their energy and various magic treasures to firmly restrain Shigu.

Other barbarian soldiers also formed ranks, wary of Shigu losing control.

The atmosphere was once extremely anxious, and hearts were tense.

Just as Shigu’s frenzy reached its peak, and everyone was about to lose control of it,

A stronger surge of divine consciousness suddenly erupted from deep within the miasma.

It was as if someone had unleashed a divine consciousness so sharp and powerful that it could erase the divine senses of all cultivators present.

They should not have been able to feel the true power of this divine consciousness.

But the arrival of the evil god and the fear of impending death caused the boundary between reality and illusion to merge instantly.

The fluctuation of divine consciousness was transmitted to reality beyond measure.

Mo Hua’s “Zhanshen Sword,” unleashed with all his mighty mental power, made the Jin Dan cultivators in the mortal world also feel the fear that a single sword strike could utterly annihilate even an evil god’s soul.

This was a power that made all living beings shudder in terror.

This was the true power of a god.

Everyone’s expressions changed, and their hearts trembled.

After one sword strike, everything became calm.

All movement deep within the miasma ceased.

Shigu even lost its “soul,” slowly kneeling to the ground.

Everyone was so tense they almost forgot to breathe.

“It’s over?”

“What’s the result?”

“Wuzhu Daren… did he… win?”

Everyone stared at the valley, unblinking.

The surroundings were silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

They waited like this, quietly.

After an unknown period, a ripple came from within the dense miasma. As the mist surged, a figure emerged.

This figure was slender and frail, not tall.

But at this moment, in everyone’s eyes, this solitary figure walking through the evil mist was terrifyingly powerful.

Soon, sacred patterns appeared on the ground.

The evil miasma retreated to both sides.

Mo Hua slowly emerged from the evil mist. Although his face was pale, his gaze was serene, his expression calm, and his robes were not stained with a speck of dust.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Mo Hua slowly looked up at their eager gazes and slowly spoke:

“The Divine Lord is immortal, granting me great power. The heretic has been vanquished.”

“Our deceased kin can now rest in peace…”

These words carried compassion, gentle and soft, yet imbued with unwavering conviction.

Everyone felt a surge of devout power infused into their hearts, and they all knelt on the ground, reverently chanting:

“Wuzhu Daren, wise and mighty!”

“The Divine Lord is immortal, protecting our Great Wilderness!”

Everyone cheered in unison, their voices echoing through the forest and mountains, shaking hearts.

Dan Zhu and the others saluted Mo Hua.

The Jin Dan cultivators of Shu Gu Bu couldn’t help but bow to Mo Hua in respect.

From then on, Mo Hua’s prestige grew even greater, and the name Wuzhu was deeply ingrained in people’s hearts.

Only Lu Gu stood rooted to the spot, his expression shaken.

After the commotion subsided, Mo Hua arranged some follow-up matters.

The entrance to Shigu Bu valley was sealed by Mo Hua’s orders with huge stones, and he inscribed some formations on them to prevent anyone from entering.

Although the evil god was dead and devoured, residual mental power could still become an “inciter,” leading to people’s moral decay.

Once ordinary cultivators were contaminated, there would still be unthinkable consequences.

Furthermore, there were some unknown conspiracies hidden in Shigu Bu, and Mo Hua planned to return to investigate if he had the opportunity later.

If he had the chance, he would search Shigu Bu again as a whole to see if there were any other discoveries.

But with residual evil thoughts and the spreading Qi of hunger, conditions did not permit it, so Mo Hua could only temporarily let it go.

In addition, there was the matter of burial.

The deceased members of Shigu Bu could not be buried in the earth; they had to be burned directly.

In the customs of most tribes in the wilderness, those who committed crimes or were lowly barbarian slaves would be “cremated,” to be purified of their sins by fierce fire.

Cremation was a “profanation.”

But these people of Shigu Bu could only be “cremated.”

These people had all eaten others and had been “polluted” by the evil god, dying and resurrecting.

Although the evil god was now slain and the source eliminated, Mo Hua was unsure if other problems would arise if these corpses were truly buried in the earth.

Therefore, they could only be burned.

Regarding this, others, especially those of the same tribe in Shu Gu Bu, felt it was inappropriate but had no other choice.

Moreover, Mo Hua stated that these people had received “redemption from the Divine Lord.”

As long as they were cremated, the Divine Lord would forgive them.

With Mo Hua, the Wuzhu, saying so, no one objected any longer.

These “zombie-like” tribesmen of Shigu Bu were gathered together, cremated, and then a large stele was erected to commemorate them.

But when it came to cremating Shigu, problems arose.

Firstly, Shigu was a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator in life, and his physical body was extremely powerful. Ordinary barbarian fires could not burn him.

Even if they could, it would take at least forty-nine days.

Secondly, Lu Gu completely disagreed with the “cremation” of his elder brother.

Lu Gu didn’t care about other Shigu Bu tribesmen, but Shigu was absolutely out of the question.

“This is my elder brother, a great general of my Shu Gu Bu. Burning his corpse is an insult to him, and I will never allow it!”

Lu Gu’s attitude was extremely firm.

Chi Feng tried to persuade Lu Gu but failed.

The others dared not speak even more.

Lu Gu was a late-stage Jin Dan general, the most powerful, highest-ranked, and strongest among them. No one truly dared to defy his wishes.

But having experienced Shigu’s “death and resurrection” before, no one dared to truly bury Shigu in the earth again.

This matter could only be resolved by Mo Hua.

Mo Hua then went to Lu Gu’s tent.

It was late at night, and Lu Gu had placed his elder brother Shigu’s corpse beside him. He guarded it all night, allowing no one to approach.

Firstly, he feared that Shigu’s corpse might undergo further changes.

Secondly, he would not allow anyone, especially those from Dan Que Bu, to forcibly burn his elder brother’s corpse following Mo Hua’s orders.

When Mo Hua, escorted by Chi Feng, entered the tent,

Lu Gu’s cold gaze immediately turned to Mo Hua, and he said lightly, “Wuzhu Daren, still want to burn my elder brother’s corpse?”

Since earlier in the day, when Mo Hua paved the way with sacred patterns, entered the evil mist alone, and used the “Divine Lord’s” power to slay the heretic, Lu Gu’s attitude towards Mo Hua had become much more respectful.

Even though Mo Hua’s “background” was complex, whether he was a divine envoy or a demon, Lu Gu still couldn’t figure it out.

But respect for the “strong” was a barbarian tradition.

Lu Gu had begun to view Mo Hua “on par,” and even with a hint of “admiration” that even his own pride would not allow.

Mo Hua’s purpose for this visit was also simple.

It was to persuade Lu Gu to personally burn his elder brother Shigu’s corpse.

This way, dust would return to dust, and all karma would be resolved.

Others couldn’t burn it.

Firstly, Lu Gu wouldn’t allow it.

Secondly, only late-stage Jin Dan Lu Gu, activating his Dan fire, could burn Shigu faster.

Others’ cultivation was insufficient to burn Shigu at all.

However, it now seemed that Lu Gu was very stubborn and his attitude extremely firm, not to be persuaded by a few words.

Mo Hua looked at Lu Gu, then at Shigu’s corpse beside him, bound by iron chains, kneeling on the ground, massive and mighty like an Asura ghost, exuding a chilling aura. A thought suddenly crossed Mo Hua’s mind.

Mo Hua’s eyes flickered, and he said, “You don’t have to burn it.”

Lu Gu was startled. “Not burn it?”

Mo Hua nodded slightly, “Since you don’t want to burn it, then don’t burn it. But burial in the earth is also not allowed; it’s unsafe…”

Lu Gu frowned. “Then…”

Mo Hua said, “Take it with you on the journey.”

Lu Gu couldn’t help but look surprised.

For him, this was already the best option, so good that he himself found it somewhat unbelievable.

“Is that truly possible?” Lu Gu confirmed.

He wouldn’t ask Mo Hua’s opinion on other matters.

But regarding Shigu, who had “died and resurrected” due to evil, he had to take Mo Hua’s words as the “Wuzhu” seriously.

Mo Hua nodded, then said, “However, there’s one thing I need to make clear to you beforehand…”

Mo Hua paused slightly, looked at Lu Gu, and slowly said:

“If Shigu’s corpse is burned now, his karma will be resolved, and he will die cleanly.

“But if not burned, a trace of karma will remain. Whether this karma is good or bad, and what your elder brother will become later, no one can say for sure.

“I am not exaggerating; consider it carefully yourself. To burn… or to keep?”

Mo Hua’s voice was calm, but his tone was very serious.

Lu Gu felt an unusual heaviness in his heart for some reason, as if a fated choice had suddenly been placed before him.

After pondering for a moment, he still firmly said, “Elder brother’s corpse cannot be burned. I want to take it with me on the journey.”

Mo Hua sighed softly in his heart and nodded, “Alright.”

After that, Mo Hua said no more and turned to leave.

The next day, Mo Hua ordered people to cut down trees that had not yet withered and made a wooden coffin, in which Shigu’s huge corpse was placed.

Mo Hua drew some formations on the outside of the coffin.

These formations could not prevent Shigu’s “corpse transformation”; they were merely to seal the body, isolate blood Qi, and prevent others from prying with their divine senses.

Thus, the matter of Shigu Bu temporarily came to an end.

Afterwards, everyone set off.

With hunger rampant and corpses strewn everywhere, the future was uncertain. Dan Que Bu was unreachable, and Shigu Bu was annihilated. Everyone was temporarily at a loss as to where to go.

But this place was no longer tenable.

Mo Hua looked around, counted on his fingers, and roughly found a direction without “ominous signs,” then said, “Let’s go.”

The line of barbarian soldiers then set off again in a mighty procession.

However, this time, they also carried a huge coffin, in which was sealed a barbarian general, a late-stage Jin Dan realm powerhouse.

They traveled like this for two days until they reached a desolate forest, where everyone temporarily stopped to rest.

Mo Hua finally found some free time.

He sought a quiet place, sealed the surroundings with formations, then submerged his divine sense into his sea of consciousness, preparing to officially begin devouring the evil god of Shigu Bu to enhance his divine sense…

(End of this chapter)