Self-Inflicted Calamity

The Land of the Divine Remains, a continuous mountain forest.

In the mountains and forests, there is a clearing that stands out conspicuously Lin Zhong.

This is the Lianxi Tribe's headquarters. Everyone is working hard, carrying timber and stones, helping each other to build houses.

In the hands of those who came and went, one could see simple polishing tools, which were sharper than before and helped to improve the efficiency of their work.

In the center of the camp stood a statue of Heavenly Gods being bathed in flames, its expression solemn.

Sudden.

Shashasha~~

Outside the camp, the sound of footsteps rustling through the grass could be heard.

Those nearby stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the sound. What they saw were several groups of well-built men.

Leading the way were thirteen men, each one vigorous, tall, and imposing.

Behind the thirteen men followed a number of young and strong men, all of them arrogant and beaming with joy. Among them were Huo Zhu and others, but he remained expressionless.

Behind the jubilant man followed a large, dark group of people, their heads bowed, their animal skins tattered, and most of them with ropes binding their hands.

Upon seeing this, many Lianxi Tribe who were working cheered.

"The clan leader is back!"

"They brought back quite a few slaves this time!"

"It looks like every family will get one. That's great, it'll save us a lot of trouble!"

Hearing the cheers, Shao Jing, who was walking in front, smiled.

After passing through the labor area, the strong young men behind him led the group of raggedly dressed people in another direction, towards the area where many slaves of the Lianxi Tribe lived.

Shao Jing, along with twelve others, walked straight toward the statue. Behind them followed nearly fifty people, their hands and feet bound with ropes, their clothes tattered, some bearing wounds, some with bloody cuts, and others charred and mangled.

Upon reaching the statue, Shao Jing waved his hand, and the twelve people behind him understood the meaning. They turned around and scolded, then began to physically assault the fifty men, kicking their ankles and knees and forcing them all to kneel.

Shao Jing nodded in satisfaction, then took a deep breath and said loudly, "Respectfully informing the Holy Ancestor of Heavenly Gods. In this attack, we have defeated five enemy tribes. The chieftain of the slaves is here, offering his sacrifice before the gods!" As he spoke, he slowly raised his arms and prayed devoutly. At the end, he even knelt down.

The other twelve people also knelt down.

Not long ago, Shao Jing knelt before the Heavenly Gods, praying for Divine Ability. He had not eaten a single grain of rice for half a month, and was so hungry that he was skin and bones and extremely weak. But not long after that, his physique had been completely restored, and even improved. His eyes were bright and piercing, and he led the other twelve people in chanting incantations, as if singing, praising and thanking the Heavenly Gods for his blessings.

The flames on the surface of the statue remained, but its eyes suddenly brightened, and a Divine Sense broke through the air, took hold within it, and observed everything before it. At the same time, it absorbed the information and incense stored in the statue and gradually understood what had recently happened.

"This Shao Jing is indeed quite ambitious. After mastering the Mind Idol, he immediately set about expanding his territory, improving the lives of his people, and promoting the use of polishing tools on a large scale. He also cultivated fertile land, making the entire tribe prosperous."

This Divine Sense quickly grasped the changes that had occurred in the Lianxi Tribe during this period.

Because of the distance, Qiu Yan's attention and consciousness could not be focused on the Land of the Divine Remains at all times. In addition, his main body was at a critical moment of refining, and his mind was concentrated there. Therefore, at this moment, his Divine Sense returned to the statue through the incense and he clearly understood what had happened in the Lianxi Tribe.

"Um?"

Suddenly, his Divine Sense trembled.

"Unexpectedly, besides these thirteen people, someone else has touched upon the mysteries of the Mind Idol and taken root in their heart. This is a good sign; it will help increase competition and change the situation..."

With this thought in mind, he connected his Divine Sense with the ground, then released waves of energy that radiated outwards, instantly extending beyond the Lianxi Tribe's territory to sense the situation on the ground.

Soon, he noticed that power was gathering three hundred feet away from the statue.

"This is it. The threat this time comes from here. It seems a cultivator is performing a blood sacrifice, gathering and mobilizing power, intending to rush over and annihilate the Lianxi Tribe in one fell swoop. However, he has made a mistake. But why does this matter arouse my interest and cause the Li Trigram to tremble? Is there some secret behind it? It seems I must be prepared."

As the Divine Sense thought process unfolded, another Heart Demon Fragment was transmitted from afar, following the connection.

Outside the statue, Shao Jing and the others sang louder and louder, while the power three hundred feet away gathered more and more.

On the other hand, in Lin Zhong on the edge of Xuankou Town.

The ground trembled slightly, then the soil churned, and a Metal Pangolin burst out of the ground, its entire body gleaming with a cold light. But the light vanished in an instant, and the pangolin disappeared without a trace. In its place were an old man and a young boy.

Snap!

The two landed on the ground. The old man first made a hand seal, then shook his head. "The two things placed on Qiu Sheng were indeed discovered by him."

After saying that, he frowned and turned to look at Tian Zhun, whose eyes were unfocused and who exuded fear and panic, as if he were absent-minded.

"Qiu Sheng's methods are truly unexpected. I did my best to protect him, and although he couldn't harm Zhun'er's physical body, he left a mark on her spirit."

The old man shook his head and spoke.

"Wake up!"

This resounding sound, like the grandest of bells, served as a wake-up call for Tian Zhun!

Tian Zhun shuddered, his eyes regained their clarity, and he immediately felt his stomach churning. Ignoring everything else, he ran to the side and vomited violently.

Seeing this, the old man sighed and said, "Qiu Sheng seems to have come here to demand an explanation. Judging from the wound on his chest, it's quite serious. Could it be that you had the Mechanical Puppet use its full power from the very beginning?"

The Mechanical Puppet draped in black robes, though forged by the old man, lost its control after being given to Tian Zhun, and thus could not know the specific details of the battle.

This group of people always acted in secrecy, considering defeat before victory. Therefore, they always left behind contingency plans to prevent exposure, and this Mechanical Puppet was one of those plans, not specifically targeted at Qiu Yan.

Generally speaking, if the actions are discovered, the clues can be cut off at the stage of the Mechanical Puppet, preventing anyone from finding the mastermind behind it.

This is why, even after fighting Qiu Yan, the old man still believed he could recruit him. The reason was that he was convinced Qiu Yan couldn't find their whereabouts and didn't know it was them, but things didn't go as planned.

However, this encounter also made the old man realize the problem.

"I told you before. When fighting, you should proceed step by step. If you go all out from the start, what if Qiu Yan's cultivation level is not high? Wouldn't you be immediately put in danger? This time, we were the ones who went to spy first. If we cause someone's death because of this, wouldn't that be doing evil?"

The old man frowned as he spoke, his expression revealing his displeasure.

The old man knew perfectly well what kind of combat power the Mechanical Puppet he had forged was. Although he wanted to test Qiu Yan's abilities, he had no intention of harming him, otherwise how could they meet again in the future? Therefore, he had given Tian Zhun instructions beforehand.

However, when Tian Zhun controlling the machine, he directly told the old man that Qiu Yan and the Mechanical Puppet were fighting fiercely, which made the old man subconsciously think that the Mechanical Puppet was gradually increasing the intensity of the battle, making Qiu Yan adapt and finally fight fiercely. But now that he has come to his senses, he immediately found the problem.

Upon hearing this, Tian Zhun stopped vomiting, straightened up, and turned to look at him.

His face was pale, his eyes filled with hatred and resentment. He began, "I did this to ensure everything went smoothly! I can't show mercy just for a scholar. Uncle, you saw it yourself, that man came straight at us! How can we recruit someone like that? Besides, I don't think my talent is inferior to his, as long as..."

He had only spoken halfway when suddenly, his entire body trembled violently!

Boom!

Then, without warning, a sentence appeared in his mind—

"Without climbing high mountains, one cannot know the height of the sky; without standing by deep ravines, one cannot know the depth of the earth!"

These two sentences came suddenly, rising from the bottom of his heart, seemingly Tian Zhun's own memory and consciousness, but in an instant they surged out, occupying his entire heart, dispelling all his thoughts, and directly pulling his mind into an illusion!

The illusion is ever-changing, and a single thought echoes within it—

"Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you! I have no grudge against you, Qiu, yet you first monitored me and then set up a trap for a fierce battle. I already showed mercy, but you are ungrateful and still harbor ill intentions. There's nothing more to say!"

Once the thought takes hold, endless calamities and tribulations will follow!

Hundreds and thousands of Mechanical Puppet roared and gathered, breathing fire and wielding sharp blades!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In the blink of an eye, Tian Zhun in the illusion was submerged in a sea of Mechanical Puppet. His skin was torn open, blood spurted out, and he felt excruciating pain, as if he had been cut into a thousand pieces. He couldn't help but scream in agony!

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Hearing the scream, the old man was startled. He looked closely and saw that Tian Zhun was trembling all over, with bloodstains constantly appearing on his body, as if his flesh was being cut by invisible sharp blades. He was immediately horrified.

He raised his hand and grabbed Tian Zhun's wrist, channeling his True Essence and senses into the other's body to try and probe.

"Not good! We were careless! Qiu Sheng planted a thought in Zhun'er's heart! It contains the Sage Spirit! This thought is fine normally, like an ordinary thought, but it will erupt immediately once Zhun'er has any ill intentions towards him! Moreover, the thought is subtly connected to the soul, making it difficult to distinguish between illusion and reality. Therefore, the injuries in the illusion will appear on the real body!"

The old man discovered the reason and immediately began to suppress it. His True Essence surged, but he was helpless against that Sage Spirit!

"My acquired true energy is not as easily controlled as my own limbs; I am powerless to suppress this will!"

As he pondered, Tian Zhun's screams grew louder, his face contorted in agony, and his wounds and bloodstains multiplied, with blood blooming all over his body.

"Alas, this is what they brought upon themselves!"

Helpless, the old man could only wrap Tian Zhun's body with his true essence to stop the bleeding from increasing. Then he picked Tian Zhun up, channeled his True Essence into his feet, and with a push of his feet, he disappeared from the spot and quickly left.