The four ink-painted figures concealed their aura and approached the oasis. From several *li* away, they could see that, under the cover of night, the oasis was brightly lit, a grand spectacle, like an *Epiphyllum* blooming in the famished desert. All were filled with surprise.

They didn’t rush in but observed from a distance for a while.

The oasis contained various tents and palaces built of sand and stone.

Many *manxiu* came and went, diverse in appearance, wearing different clothes, and with different totems and demonic patterns carved on their skin, indicating they likely came from different tribes.

This was clearly a desert camp for survivors during the famine.

Moreover, those allowed into the camp seemed to be of unusual status, at least prominent figures within their respective tribes.

Inside the oasis, in some rooms, cups clinked, beautiful bodies reclined, and joyous whispers filled the air without end.

Outside, famine raged and corpses floated in the wilderness, yet here, people lived in drunken revelry, a scene of profound absurdity.

At this time, the main gate outside the oasis was tightly closed.

Outside the gate, some people had gathered.

These individuals, travel-worn and fleeing from unknown places, had seen this oasis in the desert like a firefly in the dark night as they approached despair. They all gathered, hoping to find refuge in the oasis.

However, the oasis gate did not open at night.

These refugees could only wait outside the gate, their faces filled with anxiety and worry.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then had Dan Zhu and Lu Gu discreetly queue outside the gate.

All of them were disguised.

Dan Zhu, handsome, appeared as a young master, Lu Gu and Chi Feng as his guards, and Mo Hua as the young master’s attendant. With their aura concealed, no one suspected them for a while.

However, in these famine years, everyone was preoccupied with their own survival, and no one paid attention to them.

The group waited like this until dawn broke.

Voices came from within the oasis, and the gate slowly opened, revealing a guard.

The crowd, eager to rush in, was immediately deterred by the guard’s cold gaze and outward display of power.

“Golden Core!”

Everyone was startled, seeing a Golden Core stage cultivator as a mere gate guard. No one dared to act rashly.

Some who had harbored ill intentions, thinking of looting in the chaos, also restrained themselves.

The oasis guard said, “These are years of great disaster. My master, being virtuous, can allow you to enter.”

“However, there are two conditions:”

“First, you must have a proper identity, at least that of a tribal steward or an elder.”

“Second, you must pay a considerable entrance fee.”

“If you don’t meet these two conditions, but still wish to enter, that’s also possible.”

“However, you will have to humble yourselves and become *mannu* (barbarian slaves). *Mannu* can also enter the oasis, but their treatment… I don’t need to elaborate.”

“If you don’t meet the conditions and are unwilling to become *mannu*, then you can only return. We regret that we cannot accommodate you.”

“The current times are chaotic, and my master is forced to do this. We ask for your understanding.”

The guard’s tone was polite, but his attitude was firm.

And a place where a Golden Core cultivator served as a guard clearly brooked no insolence from outsiders.

The crowd began to queue, presenting tokens to verify their identities and paying some valuables or cultivation treasures as an “entrance ticket.”

As it was nearly Mo Hua’s turn, a small conflict suddenly erupted ahead.

A burly man vehemently claimed to be the chief of a certain tribe.

When the guard asked him to show a token, he said that as a chief, he didn’t need one.

The guard replied, “No token, no entry.”

The burly man grew agitated, insisting he was indeed a chief and even attempted to force his way in. The guard had no choice but to break his leg and throw him into the desert.

Afterward, the guard reiterated, “Words alone are not proof; a token is required.”

Some people in the crowd turned pale and began to reconsider.

Just then, in the group ahead of Mo Hua, a young man quickly shouted, “I have a token! I do! I am the young master of the Gongtu tribe, I have a token!”

Seeing his loud shout and youthful demeanor, the oasis guard called his name, “You, come.”

The young man, claiming to be the “Gongtu tribe” young master, immediately stepped forward and presented a white jade token.

Tokens from other tribes were mostly made of demon beast bones, but his token was made of precious white jade, which was quite rare.

The oasis guard examined it for a long time.

The Gongtu young master, fearing he wouldn’t be allowed in, secretly slipped a small pouch over.

His movement was subtle, perhaps unnoticed by others, but it didn’t escape Mo Hua’s spiritual sense.

And Mo Hua could feel a wisp of spiritual energy emanating from the small pouch, clearly containing many spiritual stones.

In this land of Da Huang, spiritual stones were extremely scarce.

The few existing spiritual mines were concentrated in the hands of the Da Huang Royal Court and some large tribes.

The Royal Court controlled the lifeline of cultivation in Da Huang.

Ordinary *manxiu* cultivated using fragmented spiritual stones or some contaminated, inferior ones.

To circumvent the need for “spiritual energy,” many *manxiu* even pursued the path of “demonic cultivation.”

They relied on eating demon beasts to replenish *xueqi* (blood energy) and refining demonic power to extract a trace of cultivation energy, which they used to activate the cultivation methods and Dao techniques of Da Huang.

In the traditional system of the Dao Ting, spiritual energy and demonic energy were clearly distinct.

Spiritual energy was considered righteous, and demonic energy, naturally, evil.

But Mo Hua, after prolonged exposure to Da Huang, had a change in perspective, realizing that such a division was somewhat arbitrary and dogmatically rigid.

Spiritual energy was pure, uncontaminated cultivation energy from the natural world.

Demonic energy was actually “spiritual energy,” merely “spiritual energy” within a demon beast’s body, contaminated by demonic power.

Evil energy was the same.

The transformation of various energies of heaven and earth into cultivation power was the source of a cultivator’s strength.

Cultivators who cultivated spiritual energy naturally followed the purest and most harmless path, the righteous path.

Cultivating other demonic or evil energies would lead to faster cultivation and stronger Dao techniques, but it would almost certainly lead to losing one’s sanity and falling into the demonic path.

The distinction between righteous and demonic largely originated from this.

This distinction between righteous and demonic was not inherently wrong; if one couldn’t even discern basic righteous and demonic principles, one would sooner or later make mistakes and become possessed.

However, this “righteous and demonic” distinction was largely meaningless for Da Huang.

Because they were compelled by life and cultivation, they simply had no right to pursue such a pure “righteous path.”

The scarcity of spiritual stones meant that if they wanted to cultivate, they had to follow the “half-demon” path.

Throughout the cultivation world, the distribution of spiritual stones was unfair.

Some people lived lives devoid of spiritual stones from birth; how could one demand them to follow a purely righteous path?

However, here in Da Huang, not everyone was deprived of spiritual stones.

At least the young master of the “Gongtu tribe” was quite generous.

Mo Hua observed him thoughtfully.

The oasis guard, feeling the storage pouch filled with spiritual stones, also looked at the Gongtu young master.

The Gongtu young master smiled apologetically.

The oasis guard briefly glanced at the Gongtu young master’s token, then nodded, “Young Master Gongtu, correct. Please enter.”

A hint of politeness was in his words.

The Gongtu young master clearly enjoyed this, and, supporting a woman beside him, he led the way into the oasis.

The woman beside him was wrapped in thick robes and wore a veil, obscuring her face.

But the Gongtu young master was clearly very attentive to her, constantly supporting her as if guarding a beloved treasure.

After the Gongtu young master and the woman entered the oasis, his five or six guards, pushing some carts, followed them in.

After letting them in, the oasis guard turned and said, “Next.”

Next was Mo Hua.

But Mo Hua was merely an “attendant,” so Dan Zhu stepped forward.

Dan Zhu walked up and presented a token.

The identity displayed on the token was that of a young master from a branch of the Danque tribe.

The identity of a main tribe’s young master was too prominent, so Dan Zhu used the identity of a branch tribe’s young master. Even so, it still drew considerable attention from the guard.

After all, the Danque tribe was a major tribe.

Moreover, Dan Zhu’s appearance and demeanor were truly extraordinary.

Dan Zhu then presented a treasure from the Danque tribe as an “entrance ticket.”

The guard’s attitude became much more respectful, holding the token with both hands and returning it to Dan Zhu, saying, “Young Master, please.”

Dan Zhu nodded and led Mo Hua into the oasis.

Mo Hua looked back.

The people behind were still queuing, their faces filled with longing to enter the oasis.

If they had tokens and could afford the entrance fee, they could naturally enter.

But if they had nothing, they would either be refused entry or voluntarily become “slaves” in exchange for a “place to stay” in these desolate years.

In the face of life and death, whether one was a human or a slave, or had dignity, ceased to matter.

Mo Hua sighed softly.

Passing through the main gate and down a street guarded by *manbing* (barbarian soldiers), they entered the interior of the oasis.

Houses and palaces stood in rows, streets were orderly, markets were bustling, people streamed through, and the clamor was deafening.

On some upper floors, bare-bodied barbarian women smiled and waved to the crowd.

Amidst it all, even Mo Hua felt a moment of disorientation, as if he wasn’t in Da Huang, nor in a year of disaster, but within Jiu Zhou, in some “prosperous” den of luxury.

Dan Zhu and the others exchanged glances, all frowning.

With the situation unclear, Mo Hua decided to find a place to settle first.

There were inns in this oasis, quite a few, both expensive and cheap.

Prices were high during the famine.

Mo Hua, accustomed to frugality, wanted to find a cheap place for a temporary stay.

Dan Zhu said nothing, but Lu Gu disagreed.

As a general of the Shugu main tribe, he valued status wherever he went and naturally couldn’t accustomed to cheap accommodations.

Mo Hua also didn’t want his status as a *wuzhu* (shaman priest) to appear “petty,” so he said nothing, as Dan Zhu was paying anyway.

So the group stayed in the most expensive and luxurious inn in the oasis.

And in the inn, they met the young man again, the Gongtu tribe’s young master.

The Gongtu young master was not short on spiritual stones and, with his young master’s demeanor, was particular about everything, so staying in the most expensive inn was reasonable.

Mo Hua ignored the Gongtu young master.

But the Gongtu young master, instead, greeted Mo Hua and the others first.

They had met briefly while queuing outside the main gate.

While this didn’t constitute “friendship,” in these famine years, with so few living people, they could be considered “acquaintances.”

Outside the oasis, everyone was quite vigilant.

Inside the oasis, with the bustling crowd and the comfortable environment, the Gongtu young master relaxed and became inclined to make connections.

After all, Dan Zhu was a genuine Danque young master, carrying an inherent noble aura.

Dan Zhu then had a brief chat with the Gongtu young master.

Having spent a long time with Mo Hua, Dan Zhu’s mind had become much more active, and he had learned to extract information.

He briefly mentioned himself but spoke appropriate praises when discussing the Gongtu young master. The Gongtu young master, pleased, spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

Gongtu was a tribe outside the Zhuque Mountain Realm.

Not only Mo Hua, but even Dan Zhu and the others had never heard of it before.

This tribe was also a third-grade tribe, not large in power, but held a very special position, specializing in procurement and purchasing for the Da Huang Royal Court, serving as its comprador.

As for why they fled here, it was said to be because the famine had isolated the Royal Domain of Da Huang, forcing these tribes, which relied on the Royal Court, to migrate eastward.

During the migration, he, the young master, became separated from his tribe and, after much hardship and wandering, somehow ended up here.

Dan Zhu was an excellent listener.

The Gongtu young master, having been stifled for so long, naturally spoke with great enthusiasm and candor when he met Dan Zhu, a noble of “equal status.”

As they spoke, a servant brought dishes.

These dishes, though simply cooked and not particularly good, were a rarity in these famine years.

The Gongtu young master stopped talking to Dan Zhu, turned, and, supporting the woman’s shoulder beside him, said with pity:

“You’ve suffered on this journey. Eat something.”

The woman nodded, lifted her veil, revealing a surprisingly fair and beautiful face, which appeared even more captivating in the desert.

The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and many eyes turned to them.

The woman’s beauty instantly captivated countless people.

But the Gongtu young master remained utterly unconcerned; instead, he looked rather smug and quite proud.

He personally fed the beautiful woman, and their intimate closeness suggested deep affection.

Mo Hua watched silently, saying nothing.

In the afternoon, Mo Hua instructed everyone to split up and gather information.

Over six thousand *manbing* were still waiting, and their purpose for this trip was to see if they could acquire some supplies from the oasis to prevent the *manbing* from starving and causing a mutiny.

Cultivators possessed “storage” abilities, and with the scale of this oasis, it was indeed possible that it held a large quantity of supplies, enough to feed six thousand *manbing*.

However, the oasis had a mysterious origin, and its power might not be small, so it was necessary to gather information in advance.

Mo Hua also instructed Lu Gu, “Only gather information; do not cause trouble, and do not engage in combat.”

Among the four, Lu Gu had the strongest cultivation, the highest status, and was the most “disobedient,” which was why Mo Hua gave this special instruction.

Lu Gu merely snorted, “Understood.”

The group dispersed, each investigating for the afternoon, then reconvened at the inn in the evening to exchange information.

There were indeed many merchant pavilions and storehouses in the oasis, clearly stockpiling supplies, especially meat, dried rations, and some *bigu dan* (grain-abstinence pills) from an unknown source.

The exact quantity was unclear, but it was enough to address the immediate crisis.

However, acquiring these supplies through “transaction” would undoubtedly come at a significant cost.

Lu Gu’s suggestion was to simply seize them.

As a general of Shugu, he only understood “trading” for supplies through force and wouldn’t actually spend spiritual stones to buy them.

Mo Hua felt this was inappropriate.

It was generally not good to just snatch things from others without reason.

Moreover, it wouldn’t be that easy to snatch.

Ultimately, the four decided to postpone their discussion until the next night.

As night fell, Lu Gu and Chi Feng shared one room, while Mo Hua and Dan Zhu shared another.

Dan Zhu sat cross-legged on the bed, cultivating.

Mo Hua lay on the bed, covered by a blanket, practicing array formations with his spiritual sense in his sea of consciousness.

As he practiced, his spiritual sense suddenly stirred, detecting a faint, unusual movement.

Mo Hua opened his eyes and saw Dan Zhu also with open eyes, looking at him, clearly having noticed something amiss as well.

Mo Hua gestured for Dan Zhu to remain silent, then pressed against the wall, extending his spiritual sense, and indeed perceived a commotion from the adjacent room.

The adjacent room was occupied by the young master of the Gongtu tribe.

At this moment, there seemed to be several uninvited guests in his room.

These uninvited guests had broken into the Gongtu young master’s room in the dead of night, tied up the Gongtu young master and his beautiful concubine, and then left.

Despite their furtive and intentionally concealed movements, they still caused some disturbance.

Not only Mo Hua, but also many cultivators in the surrounding guest rooms had noticed.

However, adhering to the principle of “less trouble is better,” no one made a move.

Dan Zhu looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then said, “Let’s go take a look.”

Mo Hua then took out two invisibility cloaks made of demon beast hide, donned one himself, and gave one to Dan Zhu.

Dan Zhu looked at the Daoist robe, then at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua, fearing he might overthink, said, “These were acquired from other tribes not long ago.”

Dan Zhu nodded, though it was unclear if he truly believed it or was simply accustomed to it.

The two, cloaked in invisibility, left the room and encountered Lu Gu and Chi Feng.

Mo Hua felt these two were somewhat of a hindrance and initially didn’t want to bring them, but upon reflection, considering the unknown background of the oasis, having these two strong fighters along might be beneficial.

Mo Hua could only retrieve two more invisibility cloaks from his storage pouch and handed them over.

The four, invisible, first checked the Gongtu young master’s room.

The room was empty, with only some broken tables and chairs, nothing interesting to see.

But Mo Hua remembered that this Gongtu young master had Golden Core guards.

Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled. He detoured to check the Gongtu young master’s guards’ room and found that the young master’s Golden Core guards were lying on the table, vomiting green liquid.

On the table was a wine pot, and the wine inside was laced with potent poison.

Mo Hua frowned.

Without further delay, he immediately set off, pursuing in the direction the Gongtu young master had been abducted.

After pursuing for about an *zhuxiang* (time it takes for an incense stick to burn), they faintly saw several figures in black ahead, carrying two cloth sacks, with people inside.

Mo Hua did not rashly alert them but followed from a distance.

After following for a while, these black-clad figures entered an inconspicuous house, opened a hidden door in the innermost corner of the house, and descended into a basement.

After the black-clad figures entered, they closed the hidden door.

A moment later, Dan Zhu approached the hidden door, pushed it, and found it wouldn’t budge. Clearly, there was a lock behind the hidden door.

Dan Zhu looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua looked at the hidden door, extended a finger, and touched the lock. Array patterns snaked across it, and after a short while, the door opened automatically.

Dan Zhu and the others were secretly amazed.

Breaking a door was easy, but “opening a door” without leaving a trace was truly wondrous.

With the hidden door open, Lu Gu went first, Chi Feng followed, and Dan Zhu and Mo Hua walked last.

The four walked along the dark stone passage, deep inside, for a good half an hour before reaching the end.

At the end was a large dungeon.

Within the dungeon were many secret rooms, seemingly used for confinement and interrogation, complete with all sorts of torture instruments.

The Gongtu young master and his beautiful concubine had been taken to an unknown location.

Mo Hua was about to release his spiritual sense for a thorough search when he suddenly heard a woman’s sobbing and pleading.

The dungeon was dark and silent, making the sound particularly clear.

Following the sound, they reached the innermost secret room at the end of the corridor, on the far right.

Other secret rooms were mere cells.

However, this secret room was arranged like a “boudoir,” with candlelight and red curtains, and the floor was covered with demon beast fur, looking somewhat luxurious.

A fragrant aroma filled the room.

Mo Hua sniffed and realized that this incense contained “aphrodisiac” components.

Though he had never used it, the lustful Elder Ji, who had died in Canglang City, particularly enjoyed burning such things.

At this moment, there were three people in the secret room.

The Gongtu tribe’s young master was gagged and tied to the side, his eyes wide open with grief and indignation.

His fair and beautiful concubine was also bound and pressed onto the bed, her clothes being torn off one by one.

The one tearing her clothes was a burly barbarian man, a Golden Core stage cultivator, bare-chested and with a look of pleasure.

Mo Hua could easily guess that this barbarian man had seen the concubine’s beauty during the day, inciting his lust, and thus ordered her to be stolen that night.

However, why was the Gongtu young master also abducted along with the woman?

At this moment, most of the woman’s clothes had been torn off, revealing large expanses of pale skin.

The barbarian man grew even more excited and suddenly turned to look at the Gongtu young master.

The Gongtu young master seemed unable to bear seeing his beautiful concubine defiled. He tightly closed his eyes, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

Seeing him close his eyes, the barbarian man looked displeased. He walked over, grabbed his throat, and cursed:

“Who told you to close your eyes? Open them and watch closely. If you don’t watch, what’s the point of me doing this?”

The burly man added, “Such a beautiful woman must be enjoyed in front of her man, to see her shyness and regret, to see her man’s rage and impotence. That’s the real meaning.”

“You open your eyes and watch how your beloved woman happily gives herself over.”

The Gongtu young master still kept his eyes closed, unwilling to watch.

The barbarian man sternly said, “If you don’t watch, I’ll gouge out your eyes and dismember your woman.”

The Gongtu young master could only open his eyes, his face filled with fury and pain.

The barbarian man smirked, finally satisfied.

Mo Hua frowned.

The perverts in Da Huang really took things to extremes.

Sometimes, once people lose their moral bottom line and indulge their desires, they truly play in the most depraved ways imaginable.

People often use “beast” to insult others.

But beasts have no intelligence and fewer complex thoughts than humans.

So, when humans become beastly, they are truly more beastly than beasts.

Dan Zhu also looked furious.

Lu Gu and Chi Feng, however, appeared indifferent.

They were generals, accustomed to life and death. On the battlefield, even the most beautiful skin, once cut open, was just bloody, decaying flesh.

They found the current scene simply boring.

The barbarian man, however, was lost in his pleasure, tearing at the woman’s clothes again, savoring the concubine’s beauty and pleas, as well as her man’s impotence and suffering.

The Gongtu young master’s eyes seemed on the verge of bleeding.

Dan Zhu looked at Mo Hua again. He was kind-hearted and clearly didn’t want to stand by and do nothing.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly. Acting now would undoubtedly cause a disturbance and unforeseen complications, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Mo Hua nodded.

Dan Zhu clenched his palm, manipulating *xuanhuo* (profound fire) into a chain of fire, which bound the barbarian man’s neck.

Chi Feng flashed forward, striking the burly man’s back of the head with a powerful punch.

The barbarian man felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and, once he reacted, immediately became enraged.

However, he was only at the early Golden Core stage and was no match for Dan Zhu and Chi Feng. Coupled with being severely injured by the initial attack, he fell heavily wounded after a few rounds.

Lu Gu merely watched coldly, disinclined to act.

After subduing the barbarian man, Dan Zhu took out a piece of clothing and draped it over the woman.

Rescued, the woman’s eyes welled with tears, on the verge of weeping. She looked up at Dan Zhu, momentarily captivated.

Mo Hua then pointed a finger, releasing the Gongtu young master’s chains.

Rescued, the Gongtu young master didn’t offer thanks but only rushed to his beautiful concubine, embracing her tightly, and tearfully said:

“Zhuer, are you alright? It’s my fault, I’m incompetent. I didn’t protect you well.”

The woman only pursed her lips, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Mo Hua’s heart was clear as a mirror, and he shook his head secretly.

The battle that broke out here was brief, but it involved Golden Core stage cultivators, so the fluctuations were intense.

It quickly drew the attention of others.

Before long, another burly barbarian man in brocade robes rushed in, his expression furious. He rebuked:

“You scoundrels, who are you, daring to cause trouble here?!”

Mo Hua hadn’t spoken yet.

Lu Gu, who had been watching coldly, paused, then his expression suddenly changed dramatically, saying, “It’s you?!”

The brocade-robed barbarian man saw Lu Gu, was stunned for a moment, then immediately revealed a look of terror:

“Lord Lu Gu?! You, how could you…”

Lu Gu’s gaze was icy, his tone chilling, and he spoke each word distinctly: “The Shigu tribe was annihilated. You were my brother’s subordinate. Why are you not dead?”

The Golden Core burly man’s expression instantly turned to panic, and he turned to flee desperately.