Yu Zhou saw Qingze standing at their doorstep and was momentarily stunned. Then, she exclaimed, "Brother, it's Lord Mountain God!"
Her call alarmed the people inside, and Yu Su came out. At a glance, he saw Qingze at the doorway and couldn't hide his joy. "Lord Mountain God, you're back?"
This time, since Qingze left Deer God Mountain for quite a while, Yu Su had no idea where it went or when it would return, causing him continuous worry.
He hurried to Qingze, wanting to give the long-unseen Lord Mountain God a warm hug to welcome its return.
Qingze raised a deer hoof disdainfully, blocking him, and used its eyes to convey a message: No unruly behavior allowed.
Yu Su said, "Lord Mountain God, it's been so long. Can't we share a hug?"
Qingze refused; it was too undignified.
Seeing Qingze's determination, Yu Su could only regretfully give up.
Lord Mountain God was indeed reserved, thwarting Yu Su's long-standing wish to pat its deer antlers.
Qingze asked about the eerie cries and howls from the mountain, suspecting that Yu Su was up to some mischief again.
Yu Su explained, "It's not mischief; I'm tempering their bodies."
He briefly recounted the recent Barbarian tribe attack and shared his plans with Qingze.
"I just feel that the warriors of Yu Village are still too weak. If we don't improve, we'll keep getting oppressed. It's too frustrating."
Qingze never quite understood his desire for strength and competition.
Accustomed to its own pace, Qingze didn't like fighting and killing. After learning what Yu Su was doing, it lost interest, reminding him not to do anything bad.
Yu Su complained, "When did I ever do something bad? It's always someone else causing trouble for me."
After saying this, he asked Qingze, "Lord Mountain God, was your journey smooth this time?"
Qingze understood what he was asking and assured Yu Su that things were temporarily settled, so he need not worry.
Temporarily settled?
Yu Su didn't know how Qingze resolved things. Did it destroy everything in the dormant place of that witch doctor or deliberately visit the imprisonment place of that fallen god's soul?
Otherwise, how could it have taken so long?
While Yu Su's mind was working, Qingze was ready to leave.
Seeing it off, Yu Su accompanied it.
Just as Qingze wondered how Yu Su would send it back, it saw him standing on a flying sword, controlling it to take off.
Yu Su grinned, "Surprising, isn't it? I can fly too."
Qingze: "..."This little two-footed creature does have some skills. It quickly learned how to fly with a sword.
It didn't refuse when Yu Su offered to accompany it back. They ascended together towards the road.
Yu Su waved to Yu Zhou, telling him to go back and sleep.
Yu Zhou opened his mouth, watching them and Qingze flying far into the night sky before returning to his senses.
"When can I fly too?"
Jian Yunchuan came out, picked him up, and placed him on his shoulder.
"Want to fly?"
Yu Zhou nodded eagerly, "Yes, Dad, when can I cultivate?"
Jian Yunchuan rubbed his head, "Didn't your brother teach you? When you can sense spiritual energy and initiate it to impact your acupoints, you can cultivate."
Yu Zhou sighed lightly, "Oh."
Jian Yunchuan smiled, "What's wrong?"
Yu Zhou said, "I've been practicing for a long time and still haven't sensed it."
Jian Yunchuan said, "Take it slow. Your brother said you have the dual spiritual roots of gold and water. The gold root is especially robust. In the future, you can become a sword cultivator."
Yu Zhou looked at him expectantly, "Dad, can I open my acupoints with martial force like you?"
Jian Yunchuan solemnly replied, "No."
He could use martial force because he was an adult. Yu Zhou was still too young to withstand the force needed for forced acupoint opening.
Yu Zhou looked disappointed. Well, he would honestly sense spiritual energy then.
...
Barbarian Forest.
Leader Li and his Barbarian warriors had been away for four or five days and hadn't returned.
The messenger sent to find them returned in terror, reporting their defeat and deaths at the Gorge.
"How is that possible!"
"Leader Li is the mightiest warrior in our tribe. How could he die!"
The people of Leader Li's tribe refused to believe it, and the three tribes cooperating with them in the raid were also in disbelief. However, the reality was before them—Leader Li and his warriors were all dead.
Leader Li's tribe, the Barbarian Tiger Tribe, confirmed his death through their witch doctor after consulting the Beast God.
This joint operation of the four tribes was now met with fear and uncertainty.
Leader Li could tear a person apart with his bare hands. His Iron Hammer Technique could even smash a Barbarian Mammoth with a single blow. Such a powerful warrior couldn't be found easily in these lands, yet he had perished.
Not only that, but all the warriors he took with him were also annihilated.
How could this not be terrifying?
"There must be something fishy about this!"
"Absolutely, Leader Li and the warriors he led were the bravest in our tribes. Even within our tribes, no other tribe could kill them all."
"We've never heard of such a powerful village to the north."
The leaders of the four tribes sat together, their faces unpleasant and uneasy.
"If the Great Shaman finds out about this..."
The leaders of the four tribes trembled; their actions were concealed from the Great Shaman.
The Great Shaman forbade them from raiding outside, especially to the north.
Even if they were to raid, they had to inform him; private actions were strictly prohibited.
But this time, they secretly went to plunder food. Except for the leaders of these four tribes, no one else knew.
Originally, it was a low-profile operation, but now it seemed impossible to keep it under wraps.
"We must report this to the Great Shaman. We can't hide it any longer."
"We need to figure out what happened to the village in the north as soon as possible!"
...
Barbarian Forest, Beast God Temple.
"Li is dead?" A slightly aged voice echoed in the Beast God Temple.
The grand Beast God Temple was filled with vivid paintings on the walls, all depicting legends of the Beast God.
The totem of the Beast God hung on the central wall of the Beast God Temple. The altar was laden with offerings from various tribes.
A senior man with the upper half of his body painted with totems sat on a straw mat beneath the altar, scrutinizing the leaders of the four united tribes who had come.
Hearing the news of Leader Li's death, he didn't display much surprise.
The leaders of the four tribes knelt in front of him, bowing their heads slightly.
"Great Shaman, this is our fault. Please punish us."
The Barbarian Great Shaman said, "You didn't listen to my advice and acted recklessly. The consequences you face are your punishment."
The four leaders dared not speak.
The Barbarian Great Shaman then said, "Tell me the specifics of what happened."
The leader of the Barbarian Tiger Tribe spoke, "Leader Li and his warriors went to the northern villages, especially the Bee Gorge and the Ah Barbarian Tribe, to plunder food. However, they failed to bring any back. Leader Li and his warriors all died there."
The Barbarian Great Shaman's expression changed this time. "I know about Bee Gorge and Ah Barbarian Tribe. They are just five or six poor villages. Even the relatively populous Ah Barbarian Tribe has only a few hundred people. Their people are no match for our warriors. How could Leader Li and his warriors be killed there?"
The leaders of the four tribes looked at each other, hesitant to speak.
The Barbarian Great Shaman frowned, "At this point, you still won't tell the truth?"
The leader of the Barbarian Tiger Tribe dared not conceal it and hurriedly recounted everything that had happened.
From discovering the significant changes in Bee Gorge and the other five villages, learning about the appearance of a village called Yu Village, to the vast amount of food they possessed, and finally, the terrifying sword strike, he emphasized the descriptions provided by those who managed to escape.
"We didn't believe it. We thought they were frightened and said those things to obtain the food. So, to be sure, Leader Li brought hundreds of warriors to raid again. Unexpectedly..."
Unexpectedly, they were all wiped out.
This was a considerable blow to their four tribes, especially the Barbarian Tiger Tribe.
The Barbarian Great Shaman wrinkled his brow, "Yu Village?"
He seemed to be recalling something, and after a while, he said, "I remember; that's the village protected by the Deer God."
His expression turned serious, "I warned you not to raid to the north, especially near the territory of the Lord Deer God."
The leaders of the four tribes exchanged glances. They didn't know much about Yu Village, but they were aware of the Deer God because it was a formidable divine beast.
But the Deer God was known for its gentle nature and aversion to conflict. How could it suddenly kill so many people?
The Barbarian Great Shaman also felt perplexed, but Yu Village was indeed protected by the Deer God. They had gone to plunder from it, which might have angered the Deer God...
The Barbarian Great Shaman had to get to the bottom of this. After the leaders left the Beast God Temple, he deeply furrowed his brow.
As the Barbarian Great Shaman, he knew more than many others. He knew that the Deer God residing on Deer God Mountain was a creature named Qingze, a spiritual beast that controlled wood and water, a devoted follower of the High God Bai Ze.
The Beast God Temple worshipped the Beast God, ruling over a hundred
beasts, but it did not include these High Gods and their followers.
Strictly speaking, the two sides did not interfere with each other.
He also strictly instructed that the tribe's people should not disturb the Deer God's territory to the north.
This time, the tribes ignored his words and faced consequences they deserved.
However, why did Qingze kill them all?
This did not align with its character.
Moreover, when did Yu Village become so powerful, possessing so much food that even impoverished villages like Bee Gorge suddenly became affluent?
Something was amiss. He had to understand this matter thoroughly.
After careful consideration, the Barbarian Great Shaman turned to the Beast God, performed a deep bow, and then began to divine.