Ling Tian Sword God

The Hundred Thousand Mountains were vast and boundless.

After several days of journeying, Ling Chen and his party finally arrived at the Barbarian Village.

This time, Ling Chen, being familiar with the route, aimed directly for Wutugu. After all, the Barbaric Temple was a prominent place in the Wildlands, and it would be difficult for Ling Chen alone to enter; he would need an introduction from Wutugu.

However, when Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan arrived at the Barbarian Village, the scene below made Ling Chen’s heart sink.

Huge gullies crisscrossed the Barbarian Village, as if it had been forcibly torn apart. What was once a lush area was now charred, a land of debris.

”This place... it seems like a great battle erupted here not long ago,” Xu Ruoyan said, her pretty face grave. The entire Barbarian Village was severely damaged, and the scene looked extremely brutal.

Ling Chen’s expression was grim. The Barbarian Village had been devastated, and he didn’t know what had happened to Wutugu and Nina. Most importantly, had the Barbaric Temple also been affected by the great war?

”Ling Chen, it seems there are still people living over there.” Xu Ruoyan’s gaze suddenly fell on the outskirts of the nearby village. A cluster of wooden shacks stood there, with faint signs of human activity.

Seeing this, Ling Chen immediately moved, darting towards the area with the wooden shacks and landing in their midst.

As far as he could see, everything was in ruins. Many of the members of the Barbarian Tribe Ling Chen saw were missing limbs and severely injured, their wails of pain echoing around. The scene was one of utter devastation.

Ling Chen scanned his surroundings and then approached an injured elderly man from the Barbarian Tribe. The elder before him had a bloody, mangled hole in his chest. The wound was turning yellow and emitting a foul odor, already beginning to rot. Fortunately, it had not reached his heart, so his life was not in immediate danger.

Seeing this, Ling Chen took a Jade Bottle from his robes and handed it to the man, ”Elder, take this. It can alleviate some of your pain.”

The elder raised his head and looked surprised when he saw Ling Chen. ”Are you... the outsider from half a year ago?”

”Oh? You recognize me?” Ling Chen was somewhat surprised. When he had initially arrived at the Barbarian Village, not many people knew him. He hadn’t expected this elder to recognize him.

”Mm,” the elder nodded. ”I was fortunate enough to meet you once. Afterwards, I often heard that girl Nina mentioning you. She was always boasting to everyone about how her Master was so skilled in martial arts and possessed vast Divine Power.”

That girl, she’s always been like that, Ling Chen thought. He opened the Jade Bottle and brought it to the elder’s mouth. ”Elder, quickly take this Healing Medicine.”

The elder merely sniffed it, then nodded and swallowed the medicinal liquid from the Jade Bottle.

At the same time, Xu Ruoyan had already come to Ling Chen’s side. She raised her palm, circulated a cold True Qi, and gently pressed it to a spot inches away from the elder’s wound.

HISSS!

The rotting wound was frozen by the True Qi, stopping it from spreading further.

”Thank you!” The elder felt the pain in his body lessen significantly. He immediately looked at Ling Chen with gratitude in his eyes and bowed to express his thanks.

”There’s no need for such politeness.” Ling Chen waved his hand, then a sharp light glinted in his eyes. ”Elder, what exactly happened here?”

For the Barbarian Village to have fallen into such ruin, it must have endured a catastrophe. As far as he knew, there was no shortage of Experts among the Barbarian Tribe. How could they suddenly encounter such a devastating disaster?

A glint flashed in the elder’s eyes. ”It was internal strife,” he said. ”Half a month ago, the Jiuli Tribe, one of the four major tribes of the Barbarian Tribe, suddenly launched an attack on the other three.”

”For some unknown reason, the Jiuli Tribe, which wasn’t considered particularly strong among the four major tribes, suddenly erupted with strength far surpassing the other three. They defeated all of them. Our Liel Mountain Tribe, after holding out for three days, was ultimately defeated and overrun by the Jiuli Tribe.”

The elder sighed.

”The Jiuli Tribe?”

A sharp glint flashed in Ling Chen’s eyes. Among the Barbarian Tribe, there were four major tribes: Liel Mountain, Shen Nong, Three Miao, and Jiuli. Among these four tribes of the Barbarian Tribe, Wutugu’s Liel Mountain Tribe had always been the strongest. He hadn’t expected the Jiuli Tribe to possess the ability to defeat the other three tribes; they had hidden their strength very well.

”Did this Jiuli Tribe show any unusual movements previously?” Ling Chen was somewhat surprised. If the Jiuli Tribe was so powerful, had the other three tribes not noticed anything at all?

”The strength of the Jiuli Tribe increased suddenly, without any warning. Just a few months ago, they were still being bullied by the other tribes. It was unimaginable that their sudden rise could be so terrifying.”

A look of lingering fear appeared in the elder’s eyes. ”Among the Jiuli Tribe’s forces, there were some formless, shadowy monsters. These monsters were very difficult to deal with, and they could easily control our strong warriors, seizing their souls.”

”Especially the Clan Leader of the Jiuli Tribe, Li Tong. He seemed to have become a different person. Not only did his strength increase drastically, but he also possessed a terrifying ability. He easily seized the souls of the Clan Leaders of the Shen Nong and Three Miao tribes, controlling both of them.”

”If the High Priest hadn’t saved Clan Leader Wutugu, he too might have already become a Puppet of that Lilitong.”

”Formless monsters that can seize souls?” A look of shock washed over Ling Chen’s eyes. Could it be...?

He suddenly recalled the Shade Ghost he had encountered in the Demon-Burying Cave, as well as the demon lurking deep within it. Could Li Tong, the Clan Leader of the Jiuli Tribe, have been possessed by that demon from the Demon-Burying Cave? If that’s the case, this is terrible. That demon from the Demon-Burying Cave was unfathomably powerful. Back then, I only managed to narrowly escape thanks to the power of the Human Emperor. If that ferocious demon has truly been released, it would be an absolute disaster.

”Where are Clan Leader Wutugu and the High Priest now?” Ling Chen asked quickly, his face grave.

The High Priest’s safety is directly related to whether Xia Yunxin can be saved. If anything happens to the High Priest, I’ll have no idea when I’ll be able to awaken Xia Yunxin.

”Clan Leader Wutugu and the High Priest should both be at the Barbaric Temple now,” the elder said, his voice filled with worry. ”It’s the last sanctuary in the entire Wildlands. If it falls, the whole Wildlands will be finished.”

”But I heard that Lilitong is leading the Jiuli Tribe’s forces in a fierce assault on the Barbaric Temple. The battle has apparently been raging for several days. Now, anyone in the Barbarian Tribe with any capability has gone to the Barbaric Temple, leaving only us—the old, weak, sick, and disabled—behind. We can only pray that the Temple can hold out and not be breached,” the elder muttered, more to himself than anyone.

”Thank you for the information.”

Ling Chen exchanged a glance with Xu Ruoyan. Time was of the essence; they had to act immediately. If the Barbaric Temple were to fall, the situation would become irreparable.

He then took out a dozen Jade Bottles from his Heavenly Mansion Ring and handed them to the elder. ”Elder, these are all top-quality Healing Medicines. Take them and use them to help your people. We must go to the Barbaric Temple, so we’ll take our leave now.”

After saying this, Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan leaped onto the Qingfeng Jue and flew rapidly in the direction of the Barbaric Temple.