Chapter 1178: Famine Calamity
You can't judge a person by appearances.
That saying perfectly fit the vicious pretty boy in front of him.
Iron Shugu had always considered himself strong-willed and resilient. He'd endured all sorts of torment in his life, but never before had any pain been as "seared into his bones" as this one. He didn't even know what method this vicious pretty boy had used on him.
How could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator make him—a Golden Core—writhe in agony until he fainted from the pain?
Iron Shugu couldn't understand. His lips began to tremble.
Mo Hua asked, "Behaving now?"
Iron Shugu lowered his head.
Pain could temper a man.
After experiencing the agony of the "Bone-Carving Array," Iron Shugu no longer felt his bones were so "hard."
Mo Hua glanced at the now far more compliant Iron Shugu and nodded. "I ask, you answer."
"Yes…" Iron Shugu muttered.
"The Shugu Tribe—why did you raid the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe?"
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "Was it just a sudden impulse to kill and plunder? Or did your… Barbarian God give you an 'oracle,' instructing you to seize people as sacrifices?"
Mo Hua wanted to draw out some clues about the "Evil God" from Iron Shugu's mouth, to plan his next move.
Unexpectedly, Iron Shugu shook his head. "Not exactly…"
Mo Hua frowned. "What do you mean?"
Iron Shugu said, "There's a famine. We were starving, nothing to eat, so we went to rob other tribes…"
The answer was unexpectedly plain and simple.
Mo Hua blinked. "Famine?"
"Mm," Iron Shugu nodded, his face pale. "A massive famine is spreading from the northwest. Plants wither, spirit beasts starve to death—many tribes can no longer survive. Large-scale uprisings have broken out. My Shugu Tribe has been greatly affected as well…"
Mo Hua frowned.
He didn't have a complete map of the Three Thousand Wilderness, only a rough idea of the geography.
Riding Big Tiger, he had been evading war, traveling from north to south, and accidentally stumbled into the Great Wilderness.
He had entered from the east, in the small mountain realms of Wutu and Wulu.
To the west was the Vermilion Bird Mountain Realm, where both the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe and Shugu Tribe resided—a vast peak-ranked third-grade mountain realm.
The Vermilion Bird Mountain Realm was large.
The Vermilion Sparrow Tribe was in the east, the Shugu Tribe in the west.
If Iron Shugu was telling the truth, and a massive famine was indeed spreading from west to east, then sooner or later the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe would also be affected. The only question was—how large was this famine, and how far would it spread?
Would it only impact nearby mountain realms, or would it slowly spread across… the entire Great Wilderness?
Mo Hua's expression turned serious.
After a moment's thought, he asked Iron Shugu, "Does your tribe have a custom of eating 'people'?"
Iron Shugu shook his head.
"Then why did you eat people?" Mo Hua pressed.
Iron Shugu muttered, "Starving, nothing to eat… so we ate 'people'…"
Mo Hua couldn't find a way to blame them…
If you're starving to death, you stop caring about such things.
Mo Hua frowned again. "Then why use such a ritual to please the Barbarian God? Who taught you that?"
"You should call him Barbarian God 'Lord'…" Iron Shugu tried to correct him, but upon seeing Mo Hua's cold eyes, he didn't dare insist.
Not everyone in the world had faith.
This youth of unknown origin in front of him dared even to impersonate the "Lord Shaman." Clearly, he was a lawless man without piety or belief. Trying to correct someone like that was like playing the zither to a cow—and might just anger him into another round of torture.
Iron Shugu muttered a few words under his breath, then continued:
"No one taught us…
"At first, the Barbarian Divine Lord didn't send any oracle.
"We only did this because the famine was getting worse, the tribe had many people, nothing to eat, stomachs twisting like knives from hunger—so we thought of killing cultivators from other tribes to fill our bellies.
"At first, it didn't sit right, made us feel sick inside.
"But after eating it a few times, we got used to it. Eventually, we even thought the world ought to be this way.
"And so, the practice spread.
"We wiped out all the small tribes nearby.
"One day, the whole tribe was gathered as usual, sitting around the bonfire, eating live rations. As we ate, we suddenly fell into a strange dream—half real, half illusory. Our divine sense was unusually excited, and it was as if we could hear the murmurs of the Barbarian Divine Lord in our ears.
"The Barbarian Divine Lord seemed especially pleased with our actions.
"We could feel his joy. We could feel his praise.
"That's how we knew—the Barbarian Divine Lord liked us doing this.
"When we danced the fire dance around the bonfire, feasting on living sacrifices, it could please the Barbarian Divine Lord, and he would bless us.
"We could even sense that, because of our 'pleasing' him, the Barbarian Divine Lord's divine power was growing bit by bit.
"And the whispers we hear are becoming clearer and clearer…"
Iron Shugu recounted all of this in detail.
Mo Hua was a little speechless.
If it had been earlier, he might not have been certain about the divine cause and effect here, but now that Iron Shugu had spelled it out, how could he not understand?
This was a textbook case of believers leading a god into ruin.
The Barbarian God of the Shugu Tribe might not have been a good entity to begin with, but likely didn't have such depraved preferences at first.
However, because of the famine, the Shugu Tribe had no choice but to feed on human flesh.
The believers fell into sin and evil thoughts, and the power of their faith became "tainted."
That tainted faith fed the Barbarian God, causing the god to also be affected, and step by step, to degenerate.
The corrupted god, in turn, twisted the minds of the believers.
The believers' minds sank further into depravity, creating more slaughter and sin to feed the god.
The god then "fed back" into the believers…
Thus, god and believers "nourished" each other, walking together down an irreversible path of corruption.
Over time, they both became nothing more than an "Evil God" and its minions.
This was one of the ways Evil Gods came into being.
Mo Hua fell silent.
He had previously suspected that this so-called "Evil God" of the Shugu Tribe might be connected to the Lord of the Great Wilderness.
But now, it seemed his guess was somewhat off.
An Evil God could be "hatched" purely from the hearts and sins of its believers.
The Shugu Tribe's Barbarian God was likely exactly such a case — a deity that had degenerated through the evil deeds of its followers.
Mo Hua then asked Iron Shugu, "The rest of the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe's people — you took them to offer to your Barbarian God too?"
Iron Shugu nodded. "They are 'sacrifices,' but also food — living 'rations.'
Now, with famine everywhere, no one has anything to eat. So some of the best 'rations' must be stored away. Every time there's a grand sacrifice to worship the Barbarian God, we feast to our fill.
The Great Barbarian God dines with us, sharing in these… living rations."
They ate the living sacrifices, while the Barbarian God fed on the sins of the believers, as well as the pain, fear, and despair of the victims before death.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
This might be the true face of the Great Wilderness —
Extreme famine creating a world of cannibalism, which in turn breeds all kinds of degenerate deities.
Throughout the history of the Great Wilderness, famine, drought, wars, and disasters had been common.
Perhaps only such a land, endlessly bearing the sins of humanity and hatching them generation after generation, could give birth to a high-ranked, high-seated "Great Evil God" like the Lord of the Great Wilderness.
And if the Great Wilderness could birth the Lord of the Great Wilderness, it was hardly surprising it could hatch other Evil Gods too.
Mo Hua glanced at Iron Shugu again and asked,
"Where are you keeping the Vermilion Sparrow people… and the other 'rations'?"
Iron Shugu hesitated. "In… in the Shugu Tribe's Secret Settlement."
The so-called "Secret Settlement" referred to a hidden outpost built in secret by some barbarian forces — extremely well concealed and never revealed to outsiders.
"Take me there," Mo Hua said.
Iron Shugu wavered.
A "Secret Settlement" naturally could not be shown to outsiders. Otherwise, he would be breaking tribal rules and would surely face the wrath of the Barbarian God. But this youth before him was vicious beyond belief.
After much inner struggle, Iron Shugu gritted his teeth and said:
"I… I dare not. Otherwise, the Great Barbarian God will punish me."
Mo Hua's eyes grew cold. "The Great Barbarian God might punish you, but He may not kill you — after all, you're His devout believer. But me? If I punish you, you're dead for sure.
Think about it — if you die, you can no longer serve your Barbarian God. Isn't that an act of 'disrespect' toward Him?"
"So if you follow my orders and take me to the Shugu Secret Settlement, you'll preserve your life, keep your body useful, and continue serving your Barbarian God. In fact, this will prove your devotion to Him.
Therefore, obeying me is actually an act of loyalty to your Barbarian God…"
Iron Shugu's mind was twisted into knots.
His forehead throbbed, and he almost felt like his brain was growing in ways it shouldn't.
Such absurd words — he couldn't imagine how this cruel youth could even say them.
What was more absurd was that, after thinking it over, he realized the cruel youth actually… made sense.
If he died, he could no longer make sacrifices to the Barbarian God — wasn't that the greatest disrespect?
Only by clinging to life could he remain loyal to the god.
And truth be told, compared to dying, he feared far more the tortures this "devil" of a youth could inflict.
Having thought it through, Iron Shugu's expression became solemn. "Fine. I'll take you."
Mo Hua nodded.
Since Iron Shugu was cooperating, there was no need to "interrogate" him further.
As for the "Engraving to the Bone" method, he could study it later.
The immediate priority was resolving the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe's matter.
Mo Hua left the cave and joined Dan Zhu, Barbarian General Chi Feng, Elder Ba Chuan, and Elder Ba Shan — the latter now slightly more lucid after being whipped, bled, and allowed to rest — to discuss their next move.
Mo Hua first shared the information he had extracted from Iron Shugu, especially about the famine.
The others all looked grim.
Chi Feng frowned. "Iron Shugu's words may not be trustworthy… In my Vermilion Sparrow lands, hunting and harvesting are both normal. There are no signs of famine."
Dan Zhu shook her head. "If the famine is spreading from the northwest, it just hasn't reached our tribe yet. If it does, it's only a matter of time."
Mo Hua nodded slightly, his expression serious.
"If the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe truly faces famine, the consequences could be severe.
But if it isn't affected, the consequences might be… even worse."
Dan Zhu and Chi Feng were stunned.
Elder Ba Shan also didn't understand why not being affected could be more dangerous.
But after a moment's thought, they all realized — and a chill spread in their hearts.
If everyone else is starving and you are not…
Then in their eyes, you are a "fat piece of meat."
The Vermilion Sparrow Tribe would become the "target of all," surrounded by starving wolves. Every hungry tribe would come to destroy them, just to get a bite to eat.
Dan Zhu said, "I'll send word back to the main tribe at once, so my father can prepare early."
Mo Hua nodded.
"What about the other tribespeople captured by the Shugu Tribe?" Dan Zhu asked Mo Hua.
Mo Hua said, "Iron Shugu said they're hidden in a Shugu Secret Settlement, stored as rations.
I'll have him guide us there so we can rescue them."
Dan Zhu nodded. "That's best."
Chi Feng, however, said slowly, "But can we trust what Iron Shugu says?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment. "They should be."
After all, carving an array into one's bones is quite painful.
Iron Shugu probably doesn't want to experience it a second time.
Chi-Feng said, "Then after he leads the way, we kill him."
Mo Hua shook his head. "Not yet."
Chi-Feng's gaze tightened. "This man's hands are stained with the blood of my Vermilion Sparrow tribesmen. He must die."
Mo Hua didn't explain much, only saying, "I still have use for him."
Chi-Feng's expression grew serious. Not knowing what Mo Hua was plotting, he could only give a deep warning:
"This man may well harbor treachery."
Mo Hua nodded. "Mm, I know."
Seeing that Mo Hua seemed resolute, Chi-Feng's gaze turned cold, and he said no more.
After that, Mo Hua had Iron Shugu lead the way.
Iron Shugu's limbs were crippled, and his thigh had been broken twice. Mo Hua could only have someone lash together a raft to drag him.
With all four limbs shattered, surrounded by Vermilion Sparrow enemies, and with Mo Hua—the ghostlike "villain"—right there, Iron Shugu naturally didn't dare act out and could only lead the way obediently.
They trekked over mountains and through marshes, across countless hidden paths, and after about half a day arrived at the location of the Shugu secret outpost.
This outpost was hidden in a pass where dangerous mountains converged—a natural fortress.
Without a guide, it was almost impossible to find.
But the problem was, this "secret outpost" didn't seem all that "secret."
At least when Mo Hua and Dan-Zhu arrived, the Shugu outpost was already engulfed in battle, shouts of killing echoing everywhere.
It seemed several other tribes had joined forces to attack this Shugu outpost.
Clearly, the place had already been discovered by others.
And normally, without an "inside man" to guide them, no secret tribe could be surrounded like this.
Mo Hua glanced at Iron Shugu and couldn't help saying, "Looks like your Shugu Tribe has quite a few 'iron-willed' men like you."
Iron Shugu's face went pale. Shocked, he muttered, "How… how could this be?"
Ba-Chuan looked to Dan-Zhu and asked, "Young Master, what should we do now?"
Dan-Zhu thought for a moment. "We'll go in first and focus on rescuing our tribesmen. Try not to clash with other tribes besides the Shugu, to avoid getting caught in the melee."
After saying this, Dan-Zhu glanced at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua nodded. "Alright."
So Dan-Zhu took the lead, Chi-Feng by his side.
Ba-Shan and Ba-Chuan guarded the flanks.
Mo Hua, the "frail" shaman, could only follow behind Dan-Zhu, walking within the group's protection.
Their party had four Golden Core experts and a hundred barbarian soldiers—an impressive force.
So as they moved toward the Shugu outpost, other tribes' cultivators nearby didn't dare provoke them lightly.
Mo Hua gave a cursory scan and found that those besieging the Shugu outpost were mostly from small to mid-sized tribes, wearing beast hides marked with mostly unfamiliar totems.
Only one large tribe had a totem similar to that of the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe—also a bird, but this one was a dark blue-black and looked fiercer: the Bi-Fang.
These were people from the Bi-Fang Tribe.
The Bi-Fang Tribe was also a major tribe, and in Mo Hua's memory, they seemed to have some connection with the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe.
However, the relationship between the two wasn't good—there had even been a period of bloody ancestral enmity.
Though many generations had passed, and that "blood feud" had faded, the two tribes still couldn't be considered friendly.
The Bi-Fang warriors, upon seeing the Vermilion Sparrow group, all showed wary, unfriendly expressions.
The party pressed on.
Though the Shugu outpost was hidden, its internal layout wasn't complex—past the gorge and through the gate were rows of tribal tents and a large open square.
Now, on the square, warriors from various tribes were locked in fierce combat with the Shugu, making for an extremely chaotic scene.
Just as Dan-Zhu stepped into the square, a defiant voice suddenly rang out:
"Vermilion Sparrow Tribe, here to scavenge the scraps as well?"
Before the words even faded, a tall youth in a black leather robe, with a fierce black bird embroidered on his chest, twisted the neck of a Shugu warrior in his grasp, killing him outright, then strode forward.
His aura was overwhelmingly strong, black qi curling around him.
Any cultivator who stood in his way was killed with a single wrench of his hand.
His cultivation was clearly at the mid-stage of Golden Core.
Dan-Zhu's expression darkened.
The black-clad youth from the Bi-Fang Tribe walked right up to the group before glancing at Dan-Zhu, a hint of surprise in his mocking smile.
"Well now… isn't this the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe's once-in-a-century—no, once-in-a-millennium genius?"
"What's this? Finally grown up enough to step out and do something? No longer hiding under your father's wing, living the pampered young master's life?"
Dan-Zhu gritted his teeth but said nothing.
He was kind-hearted and not one to quarrel, so he never traded insults.
The black-clad youth's gaze drifted past Dan-Zhu, sweeping over the people at his side—then suddenly landed on Mo Hua, who stood behind Dan-Zhu, looking entirely out of place among the Vermilion Sparrow warriors.
The youth smiled slightly and said to Dan-Zhu,
"Didn't think the Young Master of the Vermilion Sparrow Tribe would be keeping a pretty boy?"
Inwardly, Mo Hua quietly marked a very large, very black tally against this youth's name.
Dan-Zhu's face chilled. "Do not be rude to Sir."
(TN: The Word used here is 先生 (xiān shēng) meaning: {sir, mister, teacher, gentleman}. I'll use 'Sir' for now as Dan-Zhu hasn't acknowledged Mo Hua as his master/teacher but rather considers him as a mentor-friend. Should I change it to teacher?)
"Sir?" The black-clad youth gave Mo Hua a once-over, then looked back at Dan-Zhu and sneered,
"You, of all people—a Golden Core genius—calling a Foundation Establishment cultivator 'Sir'? Lowering yourself like that… have you cultivated yourself stupid?"
(End of this Chapter)