The Quest for Immortality

”Send a few Barbarian Soldiers to keep watch here in turns. As soon as the boundary where the plants wither crosses the flags I planted, report to me immediately.”

Ba Shan and Bachuan quickly said, ”Yes, Shaman Lord.”

Afterward, Mo Hua returned to the Shugu subset.

The spread of the famine temporarily stopped. Although it’s unknown when it will continue to spread, at least for now, there’s a little breathing room.

Otherwise, they would have to evacuate soon.

This Shugu subset would have to be completely abandoned.

As for the people within the Shugu tribe, no need to think, they definitely won’t leave with them. Thus, this subset of tens of thousands will surely perish in this famine.

And once enough people die in the famine...

Mo Hua couldn’t figure out what would happen afterward.

Signs of rise and fall always have a beginning.

Fortune and misfortune manifest in moral traits.

Mo Hua could only vaguely guess that this absolutely couldn’t be a good omen.

It’s even highly possible that it might be the source of a great catastrophe, a ”prelude” to a great disaster...

But no matter what happens afterward, what needs to be done still has to be done.

Back in the Shugu subset, Mo Hua fully implemented what he had researched and practiced in Wutu and the Wulu Mountain Realm, teaching Dan Zhu bit by bit.

Including how to worship deities, prohibit wanton killing, balance power, evenly distribute wealth, care for the elderly, treat the Barbarian slaves kindly, educate children, and so on.

This set may not be sophisticated but is very practical.

Practical measures are more beneficial than perfect ”theory.”

Sometimes, making an effort, even if somewhat clumsy, rough, or imperfect, is still better than most people.

And knowing and doing are unified, ”doing” to learn ”knowing.”

Through these actions, Mo Hua is also ”instilling” into Dan Zhu concepts that genuinely benefit the people, following the ”Great Dao.”

Teaching Dan Zhu how to ”transform” the Barbarian Tribes’ villages.

He hopes one day Dan Zhu won’t disappoint his ”expectations,” becoming a wise ruler of the Danque Tribe, even the Vermilion Bird Mountain Realm.

Even further, becoming a ”hero” who changes the entire Barbaric Wilderness.

This way, Mo Hua, as a gentleman, would have enough solace.

Dan Zhu also gladly accepts Mo Hua’s ”teachings.”

Even though he’s the Young Master, a Golden Core, a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Danque Tribe, he still deeply respects and trusts this Mr. Witch, Mo Hua.

Many doubts that previously puzzled him were clarified by Mr. Witch.

There were many matters he was willing but unable to start, and Mr. Witch also told him specifically what to do.

Even at many times, his heart would waver.

It was also Mr. Witch who firmed his belief, showing him the path under his feet.

Letting him know that the seemingly ”daydream-like” grand vision of ”revitalizing the tribe and benefiting the Barbaric Wilderness” starts from the smallest things, and he needs to practice and think on his own.

What he heard in his dream that day was indeed true.

Mr. Witch truly was the Divine Lord giving him guidance to show him the way.

He indeed is ”guiding” him.

Dan Zhu, like a ”student,” devoutly believes in and practices everything Mo Hua says. His perception is extremely high, and his nature very kind.

This made Mo Hua feel gratified.

Dan Zhu might really be a peerless genius with an ”innate Taoist Heart.”

Others often think that Dan Zhu’s innate ”Taoist Heart” is a heart seeking the Dao, a talent for Tao Cultivation, but it’s not entirely so.

Dan Zhu’s ”Taoist Heart” is more of a heart of great kindness, a heart to ”cultivate one’s path, benefiting all people.”

It’s just that from childhood to adulthood, without anyone to ”guide” him, he was constrained everywhere, and even thought to be ”naive and hypocritical,” so this ”Taoist Heart” gradually became a bit bewildered and ignorant.

If things were to continue like this, he would have no choice but to let down this innate ”Taoist Heart,” falling into ”selfishness” in the struggle for power and profit with his brother.

The Taoist Heart is subtle.

This feeble Taoist Heart, once extinguished, hardly has a chance to sprout again.

In the Great Wilderness, and even in the Nine State, this kind of great kindness ”Taoist Heart” is actually not widely recognized.

Anyone with transcendent talent who can accomplish great things, if their Taoist Heart is heavy, they become a hero; if their selfishness is heavy, they become a tyrant.

The world, like fish eyes, only knows to praise the ruthlessness of ”tyrants,” but does not know the preciousness of ”heroes.”

Even laud the selfishness of tyrants and belittle the selflessness of heroes.

Believing tyrants are resolute and powerful, while heroes are hypocritical and incompetent.

They don’t know that in this world, those who achieve great things through the Righteous Dao are truly ”strong.”

Because walking the Righteous path is actually a hundred times more difficult than the evil path.

And Dan Zhu possesses this heroic ”Taoist Heart.”

The preciousness of this Taoist Heart can only be seen by Mo Hua.

Only because Mo Hua, with extraordinary Divine Sense since birth, experienced extensive Formation tempering, and deeply cultivated Divine Thought, learns causality, and comprehends heavenly secrets, can he see through Skin, to see the Divine Soul and heart appearance of a person and know the truth and goodness, beauty and ugliness inside them.

Dan Zhu is like uncut jade.

What Mo Hua needs to do is prevent this ”uncut jade” from being polluted and polish it well.

This is what the ”gentleman” should do.

Although he, this gentleman, is only in Foundation Establishment.

Although he, this gentleman, is younger than Dan Zhu.

...

And when Dan Zhu matures step by step in managing the Shugu subset process, his Taoist Heart also gradually solidifies, Mo Hua was secretly doing another thing.

He plans to ”steal and eat” the Barbarian God of the Shugu subset.

Cultivators do not cultivate Divine Sense, and thus, the vast majority of cultivators know nothing about the ”Divine Thought World.”

The Shugu tribe is the same.

They have faith, very fervent, but have absolutely no idea what deity they worship.

They are even clueless if they are worshipping the same Barbarian God.

The more ignorant, the more superstitious.

Similarly, the more superstitious, the more ignorant.

This also facilitated Mo Hua’s actions.

As a ”Shaman,” whatever he does on the Divine Thought level, no one can possibly know.

This Shugu subset, with its large scale and population, naturally has a Divine Temple and a ”Barbarian God” they pay tribute to.

Mo Hua had long discovered their Divine Temple.

Mo Hua also subtly inquired or coerced some Shugu Clan people about their worship rituals.

Previously, the situation was chaotic, so Mo Hua didn’t have the chance to act.

Now that the situation has slightly stabilized, Mo Hua naturally set his sights on this Barbarian God.

In the vast Shugu Temple stands a statue of a bull-headed White Bone.

And in the entire temple, only Mo Hua and Iron Skill Bone are present.

Mo Hua set up the altar in the usual manner of the Shugu tribe, then ordered Iron Skill Bone, ”You, dance.”

Iron Skill Bone really didn’t know what to say.

Who asks people with broken arms and legs to dance daily?

But Mo Hua, the high-ranking ”Shaman Lord,” couldn’t be offended, so Iron Skill Bone resigned himself, bowed his head, and said softly:

”Yes...”

In the spacious temple, the candlelight was distinct, and the offerings were placed on the altar.

Iron Skill Bone, following the ”dance score” given by Mo Hua, began the dance to please the Barbarian God and welcome its arrival, a dance passed down within the Shugu subset.

Even within the same large tribe, different principal tribes, subsets, and even the Wandering Tribe have different ”worship dances” passed down.

In the eyes of the Shugu Clan, this is called a ”custom” difference.

But Mo Hua knew this was because they weren’t worshipping the same Barbarian God, so the worship dances naturally differed...

Iron Skill Bone’s limbs had been broken, it was Mo Hua who had them broken.

Now they were much better, also because Mo Hua had them reattached.

Now when Mo Hua asked him to dance, Iron Skill Bone could only drag his impaired body, with slightly rigid but sufficiently strange movements, to finish the worship dance.

After the dance, a fog of Divine Thought began to fill the temple.

The surrounding world started to warp.

An inexplicable suction pulled Iron Skill Bone’s Divine Sense out from the Sea of Consciousness, drawing it into a certain illusory dreamland.

This wasn’t Iron Skill Bone’s first time experiencing this feeling.

And it wasn’t Iron Skill Bone’s first time experiencing this terror.

He bowed his head to the ground, trembling, eyes tightly shut, not daring to look at anything, fearing committing any taboo and dying without a burial place.

In the next moment, a ”thump” sound was heard.

As if something’s head fell on the ground.

By the sound, this head seemed a little different from last time to Iron Skill Bone.

But fundamentally, it seems there’s nothing different...