Afterward, the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony officially began.

At the most ancient altar on Zhuque Mountain, all the tribes from the entire mountain realm pledged their allegiance to the Lord of Gods and to Mohua, who served as the “Divine Priest.”

Lower and middle-tier barbarian cultivators only needed to worship and make sacrifices to maintain their faith.

However, it was different for the tribal high-ranking members.

Whether from large or small tribes, these high-ranking individuals had higher cultivation, stronger power, and greater influence.

More importantly, they held high positions, placing them closest to “power.”

Power is what breeds greed, desire, and brutality in the human heart.

A person, if without power or influence, might not harbor the desire to abuse power or indulge in excess.

But once they hold a high position and wield authority, they will naturally be corrupted by power, their inner being subtly twisted without even realizing it.

This is not about the specific person, but about power itself.

Those who can remain true to their original intentions and resist the allure of power, regardless of their cultivation, are rare even throughout the entire cultivation world.

Yet, precisely such people are often the least favored and find it difficult to climb to high positions.

Therefore, Mohua would not gamble on the hearts of these tribal high-ranking members, nor on whether they would abandon their faith or deviate from their original intentions.

Mohua also had no interest in gambling.

In the face of great disaster, what he needed was a unified, authoritarian power founded on faith.

Thus, one of the most important things Mohua did during the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony was to make these tribal high-ranking members swear a “blood oath” to the Lord of Gods upon the altar.

Upon the altar, a colossal stone monument now stood.

This was crafted by Tieshugu under Mohua’s instruction, and it was named the “Stele of the Divine Priest.”

All tribal high-ranking members had to kneel before the stele and pledge their unwavering loyalty to the Lord of Gods, ensuring their firm and steadfast faith.

They swore that for this life and all eternity, they would strive for the welfare of the people of Dah荒, dedicating themselves completely until their last breath.

They vowed not to seek personal gain, abuse power, or betray.

Afterward, they had to cut their fingers and use their own blood to write their names on the “Stele of the Divine Priest.”

When writing their names, they had to infuse it with their faith.

Under the powerful prestige of Mohua, the supreme “Divine Priest” who, in his flesh and blood, sat upon the divine throne, capable of making sacred beasts submit and king-level monsters bow,

the high-ranking members of large tribes such as Danque部, Shugu部, Yanyi部, Hongluan部, Huoying部, Bifang部, and others from Zhuque Mountain, along with some chiefs and elders of the Wujiu部 who had changed their faith, all complied.

They cut their fingers, leaving their blood and names on the Stele of the Divine Priest, along with a “mark” of their bloodline.

They contributed their faith, which was equivalent to entrusting a part of their “divine soul” to the stele.

And after the ceremony, all tribal high-ranking members felt a resonance with the Stele of the Divine Priest.

They could sense a subtle connection forming between themselves and the “Lord of Gods.”

The Lord of Gods was watching them, “blessing” them.

At that moment, all the great chiefs, great elders, and barbarian generals were profoundly shocked, and their reverence for the Lord of Gods deepened.

What they didn’t know was that the “Lord of Gods” not only blessed them but also grasped their “life souls,” controlling their life and death.

This was one of the powers of the Dah荒 Evil God, of the ancient altar:

to control the life souls of believers through the blood oath list on the altar.

And this was also a method Mohua learned in Qianxuez州界 while racking his brains to fight against the Dah荒 Evil God.

In Qianxuez州界, Mr. Tu secretly laid out his plans, nurtured his minions, organized sacrifices, and established a vast邪神 (evil god) force.

The core minions of the 邪神 had to swear a blood oath to pledge allegiance to the 邪神.

Their blood, along with a wisp of their life soul, was offered to the 邪神 and enshrined on the altar of the Yanshui River and the Dragon King Temple.

Their names were also engraved on a list.

Jiang Laoda was the holder of the list.

Huofo陀 was the leader of the 邪神’s sacrificial minions.

Shui Yanluo was the intermediary connecting the 邪神 with the powerful.

Mr. Tu was the mastermind behind the scenes, the creator of the 邪神’s forces, and the first巫祝 (wizard-priest) of the Dah荒 Evil God.

Mohua engaged in long confrontations with these various characters in Qianxuez州界.

And this entire “邪神” system was completely “learned” by him and applied to these high-ranking members of the barbarian tribes.

Now, Mohua was both the holder of the “邪神 Sacrifice” list, the leader of the 邪神’s minions, the intermediary connecting the 邪神 with the powerful, and also the creator of the 邪神’s forces, the mastermind, and the first巫祝 under the 邪神.

He was both “Jiang Laoda,” “Huofo陀,” and “Shui Yanluo,” and even more so, the “Mr. Tu” of the barbaric lands.

In fact, he himself was the “Dah荒 Evil God.”

Mohua held multiple roles, almost single-handedly building a complete divine system in the barbaric lands.

Through divine faith, he achieved tribal unification for the lower and middle strata of the barbaric lands.

Through divine sacrifices, he achieved control over the life souls of the high-ranking members of the barbaric lands.

The entire divine force also fell completely under Mohua’s control.

Thus, a colossal, unified divine force, built in imitation of the “Dah荒 Evil God system,” was now fully formed.

At the end of the ceremony, Mohua had Danzhu write his name at the very top of the Stele of the Divine Priest.

On the towering Stele of the Divine Priest, among a host of great chiefs and great elders in the late Golden Core stage, “Danzhu”‘s name was ranked first.

This clearly demonstrated the Lord of Gods’ favor for this young master of the Danque部, and also the Divine Priest’s expectations and regard for this “disciple.”

Danzhu was also devout at heart, with a respectful expression.

He left his name and his blood on the Stele of the Divine Priest.

His heart was as ardent and sincere as the blood of a Zhuque. His faith was also the cleanest and purest among all.

And he was the only one whose life soul Mohua did not restrain.

Among all the tribal high-ranking members, Danzhu was the only cultivator who maintained the integrity of his divine soul, possessed independent faith, and had not been subjected to “control” by Mohua.

In the ebb and flow of all things, the human heart is the most unreliable.

But sometimes, the human heart is precisely the most trustworthy.

Some hearts are like duckweed, swaying with the wind, changing with the current.

While others are like gold and stone, firm as ever despite wind, rain, sun, and frost; refined by fierce fires and burdened by a hundred hardships, they become even more brilliant and resilient.

Mohua could see Danzhu’s heart, and thus he trusted Danzhu.

But now, Mohua found it somewhat difficult to discern his own heart.

He was unsure what his “heart” would become once he embarked on the path of a deity, wielding supreme divine power and control over all life and death.

He had a faint fear of the transformation of his own divinity.

He feared that one day, his divine nature would truly extinguish his human nature.

He feared his divine path losing control, and even feared becoming like the Lord of Dah荒, degenerating into an evil god.

At that point, his very existence would probably be a disaster for Dah荒.

Ignorance breeds fearlessness.

Many things Mohua didn’t know before, and thus had no fear.

But now, having experienced so much, Mohua knew some great terrors, and thus could not help but fear them.

Therefore, he had to leave a contingency.

Within this divine system, he left an autonomous “humanity” that could perform repairs and “corrections,” and this humanity was Danzhu.

This way, if his own divine nature truly went awry,

or if something unexpected happened to him and he was no longer in Dah荒, Danzhu could, with his Dao heart and his faith, maintain the stability of the divine system and lead the people of Dah荒 to continue living well…

This was Mohua’s true expectation for Danzhu.

Time flowed on, the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony was still underway, with countless people paying homage.

Mohua sat alone on the high divine throne, looking down upon the myriad beings bowing before him.

He couldn’t describe the emotions in his heart.

There was the grandeur of becoming a god, yet also a hint of the desolation of human apathy.

And so it continued until the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony concluded, and everyone left the altar.

After Danzhu, with a look of reverence and some complexity, bowed to Mohua and bid farewell,

Mohua still sat alone on the divine throne, like a “solitary ruler” in power and faith.

The large tiger, which had been lying on the ground for most of the day, seemed to sense the solitude emanating from Mohua’s very being. It slowly got up, walked to Mohua, and nudged him with its furry head.

Only then did Mohua snap back to reality.

A complex emotion flickered in his indifferent eyes.

He gently stroked the large tiger’s head, muttering softly, as if confirming to himself:

“I am the Divine Priest of Dah荒… but I am also…”

“…Mohua.”

Although he spoke the two words “Mohua,” his tone was very light, as if he himself wasn’t quite sure.

After the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony, Mohua became the supreme “Divine Priest.”

The entire Zhuque Mountain Realm also truly achieved complete “theocratic” unity, from inside to out, from top to bottom.

And this unified, powerful “divine machine” began to operate at full capacity.

The first task was to fully accelerate the construction of the Hou Tu Grand Formation.

The Hou Tu Grand Formation planned by Mohua expanded unimpeded across the entire Zhuque Mountain Realm.

Aside from the barbarian soldiers responsible for warfare, almost all tribal resources and active barbarian cultivators were invested in the formation’s construction.

The construction of the formation’s array anchors began in every corner of Zhuque Mountain.

The shamanic cultivators, adhering to Mohua’s teaching of “Man follows Earth,” drew arrays imbued with the aura of the earth throughout the entire Zhuque Mountain Realm.

The famine was isolated outside the mountain realm by the Hou Tu Formation.

And the entire Zhuque Mountain Realm, under the “transformation” of the formation, underwent tremendous changes from within.

Through the accumulation of a large number of Hou Tu Jue Formations, the Dao essence of the earth was stirred, coupled with the vast number of earth- and Gen-element formations, a quantitative change in laws led to a qualitative change.

Throughout the Zhuque Mountain Realm, the vitality of the earth continuously permeated outwards, and even the soil of the barbaric lands changed.

The once barren land gradually became moist and fertile. It even became possible to plant specific varieties of beans and grains.

These crops, serving as food during the famine years, were planted in the barbaric lands, their aura connected to the Hou Tu Grand Formation. Nourished by the land, they in turn brought vitality to the land.

The grand formation, the land, and the crops formed an endless cycle, revitalizing the entire mountain realm of the barbaric lands.

To some extent, it even changed the ecological civilization of the barbaric lands.

And the Hou Tu Grand Formation also became the first “livelihood” type grand formation in the history of the barbaric lands, a prototype capable of changing the fate of every barbarian cultivator and the entire barbarian civilization.

With the Hou Tu Grand Formation establishing the livelihood of the rear,

the “Divine Priest’s War” subsequently unfolded rapidly.

Through the Lord of Gods’ teachings and the Divine Priest’s blessings, various advanced, secret, and incredible Four Symbols Barbarian Armor array patterns, as well as methods for forging barbarian armor, were disseminated. These were then uniformly forged by the elders of each tribe.

Powerful barbarian armor also forged powerful barbarian soldiers.

Coupled with unified faith and fearless conviction, the “Divine Priest’s Army,” a fusion of the various tribes of Zhuque Mountain, achieved unprecedented combat power.

Mohua, after several millennia, again launched the largest, most glorious, and most far-reaching divine unification war in the history of Dah荒.

Later generations would refer to the long period of barbarian history from the start of the Divine Priest’s War to the end of the anomalous great disaster as the “Divine Priest Era.”

And at this time, the year the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony was held and the Divine Priest’s War began was also called the First Year of the Divine Priest.

Dao Calendar 20,042, Dah荒 New Calendar Year 9.

First Year of the Divine Priest, Autumn.

Under the instruction of Mohua, the Divine Priest, the Zhuque barbarian soldiers, bearing the name of the Lord of Gods, surged forth like an iron flood, advancing majestically into the entire barbaric land that had survived the famine.

The barbarian soldiers under the Divine Priest’s command split up, entering one mountain realm after another, annihilating enemy groups, conquering tribe after tribe, spreading the prestige of the Lord of Gods throughout the barbaric lands.

Among these, the most influential were the Shennu部.

They originated as barbarian slaves, humble in status, but after being liberated, they possessed the firmest faith, the most fearless courage, and the largest numbers and influence.

They wore uniform red barbarian armor.

The barbarian armor was as red as blood, and also like fire. Looking out, it was a fiery red expanse across mountains and fields.

This was the fire of war, and also the fire of faith.

This vibrant red fire of faith began in the east and spread westward, expanding further and further with the conquests of the Shennu部, eventually burning across the entire barbaric lands…

More and more tribes were ignited by this flame.

They either reborn in this fire or perished within it.

And as the “flame” burned, more and more tribes and mountain realms were incorporated into the “Lord of Gods'” territory…

This raging momentum lasted for over half a year. With the support of strong logistics and military power, nearly a small portion of the barbaric lands, encircled by famine, fell into the hands of Mohua, the Divine Priest.

But progress after that had to slow down.

Because despite the Divine Priest’s strong forces, some “hard nuts to crack” remained in the various third-rank mountain realms, which could not be taken down quickly.

These tribal forces were powerful, had strong combat capabilities, and complex internal conflicts, with deep ties to the Dao Court’s aristocratic families, especially the Hua family.

They also harbored extreme hostility towards Mohua, the Divine Priest. Their faith was unchangeable, leading to a life-and-death struggle between them.

Dao Calendar 20,043, Dah荒 New Calendar Year 10, Second Year of the Divine Priest.

Third-rank Lvyou Mountain Realm.

Mohua, leading the sacred tiger and personally campaigning in the name of the Divine Priest, encountered the greatest obstacle since the start of his expedition:

the Gaotu部.

The Gaotu部 was a third-rank major tribe, living off poisonous creatures and feeding on poisonous herbs, cultivating Gu poison techniques, and residing in the Gu Poison Marsh.

This boundless Gu Poison Marsh, teeming with poisonous creatures, blocked Mohua’s path of advance.

The barbarian cultivators of the Gaotu部 concealed themselves within the poisonous marsh, ambushing the Zhuque barbarian soldiers under Mohua’s command, causing heavy casualties among Mohua’s forces.

Even more troublesome was the general of the Gaotu部. He cultivated the Hundred Vipers Poison Art and hid within the poisonous marsh, making it almost impossible for anyone to deal with him.

And the Gu Poison Marsh was extremely virulent; ordinary living beings dared not easily touch it.

Let alone trying to kill the Gaotu部’s general within the poisonous marsh.

Mohua’s Divine Priest army was stuck before the poisonous marsh for several days, everyone at a loss.

At night, Mohua, as the Divine Priest, arrived at a strictly guarded military tent.

Inside the tent, a huge coffin was placed.

Mohua stood before the coffin. After a moment, he pointed a finger, undoing the array on the coffin, and the lid opened with a clang.

Mohua’s gaze narrowed slightly, a blue light shimmering in his eyes.

At the same time, inside the coffin, a massive and ferocious corpse also opened its eyes in the darkness.

A strange and deep blue light flickered in its black, empty eye sockets.

On its flesh, hideous blue patterns flashed, followed by a terrifying, heavy gasp.

It was as if a awakened Taotie was craving “food”…

(End of this chapter)