Time Ripples, Lights in the Forest

"Please have a seat."

Shao Jing led the group to the central main house.

Although it's called a house, it's not comparable to the outside world; however, it's slightly decorated, and there's even a fire pit in the ground.

However, this slightly decorated room stands out as unique in the Land of the Divine Remains.

Other tribes were busy fighting against nature and struggling on the edge of life and death, so they had no time to pay attention to the arrangement of their houses. This house was not Shao Jing's residence, but was built under the guidance of the tribal elders to show their majesty.

As soon Changshan and the others entered the house, they were filled with curiosity. They looked around and then, urged by Shao Jing, sat cross-legged on animal skins around the central fire pit.

After everyone was seated, Shao Jing didn't mince words and went straight to the point. "May I ask what brings you here today?"

Changshan replied, "Let Chief Shao Jing know that we have come to fulfill the Divine Oracle and make peace with the Lianxi Tribe. We will divide the land and each go our own way."

"Oh? To divide by water?" The major general frowned slightly, then chuckled and shook his head. "Our Lianxi warriors have already crossed the Great Water and conquered several tribes on the other side. Now you're proposing to divide by water? Do you expect our Lianxi Tribe to retreat again? Wouldn't that mean the blood of our warriors has been shed in vain?"

"That's not how it works." Changshan shook his head as well. "While the nobles are indeed powerful, having unified this shore and crossed the Great Water, attacking several tribes and achieving some success, our tribes are not as powerless as the tribes on this shore. Shao Jing must have already discovered this in the past few days of conquest."

As he spoke, the alliance leader gripped the pendant around his neck.

The pendant was quite simple, consisting of a few animal teeth strung together with a knot. The moment it was touched, it emitted a glimmer of light, causing the entire room to pause abruptly and ripple.

Time Ripples!

"Hmm?" Shao Jing's heart stirred, and he felt time flowing around him, as if he had fallen into the Historical River, and was rapidly aging and becoming weathered by the winds of time!

Boom!

Just then, the door shattered. Huo Zhu strode in, flames swirling around him, the earth beneath his feet cracking, like a mythical child!

"How dare you! Playing Divine Ability here, do you think my Lianxi Tribe is without anyone?"

Whew! Whew! Whew!

A surge of heat followed, rushing in and causing the air to swirl in the room, raising the temperature dramatically.

Snap!

Amidst the sound of breaking, the sense of time passing that filled the room vanished.

Who are you?!

Changshan and the others were taken aback when one of the burly men jumped out, shouting angrily. Lines and colors slowly appeared on his face.

The lines danced, the colors expanded, subtly forming a red, painted face on his features. If an outsider were present, they would immediately recognize that this was clearly an attempt to depict a theatrical mask!

Boom!

Before the mask was fully formed, Huo Zhu raised his hand and pointed, causing the ground to crack open. Dark Earthfire sparks surged out, gathered together, and charged towards the masked giant!

The scorching Earthfire is something even gods struggle to withstand, let alone a mere mortal.

Although the burly man possessed Divine Ability bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Gods, he was still a mortal. Feeling the scorching heat, he was immediately terrified. With a roar, veins bulged all over his body, and he used all his strength to blast the mask off his face.

As soon as the mask reached mid-air, it suddenly expanded and transformed into a barrier.

Crackling! Crackling! Crackling!

Sparks collided with the mask, making a crackling sound. Then the mask exploded, and several screams came from inside. The big man was sent flying through the air, spitting out blood!

Thump!

In the blink of an eye, the person landed, the sound muffled, raising a cloud of dust.

"What are you doing? You're going to attack!"

The next moment, the room erupted in chaos. The clan leaders who had come with the Changshan all stood up and glared angrily at Shao Jing and Huo Zhu!

"Why should I, Huo Zhu, be bound by the rules of outsiders when I'm acting within my own tribe?" Huo Zhu raised his head slightly, chin raised, and coldly stared at the crowd before him, meeting their gazes without fear. "I know perfectly well that the evil god behind you has bestowed upon you evil objects that allow you to perform minor spells. But these are just child's play. They might fool the weak on the other side, but they're far from enough to run rampant within my Lianxi Tribe!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Changshan's face. His eyes were sharp and revealed a hint of madness. In the depths of his eyes, one could vaguely see the phantom of a god!

Stared at like that by Huo Zhu, Changshan felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, an invisible pressure bearing down on him, and his heartstrings tightened instantly!

Sinking!

His feet slowly sank in, as if he were being propelled by a heavy weight, and his aura rose.

Changshan's hand was still tightly gripping the beast tooth pendant, but it no longer stirred up Time Ripples, and a sense of annoyance arose in his heart.

Actually, he just wanted to demonstrate his power and intimidate them so that negotiations could continue; he didn't really intend to fight here.

As the leader of an alliance of several tribes, to venture deep into enemy territory and launch an attack inside their stronghold—only someone with a sound mind would do such a thing.

But things took an unexpected turn. A ripple appeared, and the Huo Zhu suddenly appeared, injuring one of their own men, immediately complicating matters.

Just as he was considering his options, the situation changed again.

A warm current suddenly filled the room, spreading everywhere and extinguishing the fierce sparks of the Earthfire, even mending many of the cracks in the ground.

At the same time, Shao Jing's voice came. "Please calm down, everyone. This is a misunderstanding. However, my Lianxi Tribe is not like those small tribes. You should not try to show off your power here."

As he spoke, Shao Jing's eyes shone brightly, revealing the outline of a deity. He emanated a warm aura that soothed the tense atmosphere and calmed the panic in everyone's hearts.

This turn of events, while restoring the atmosphere in the room, also made the Changshan and others more vigilant.

After such a conflict, negotiations naturally could not continue. The news that the Changshan "taken action" in the central hall would spread quickly. If Shao Jing insisted on keeping the group there, not to mention whether his prestige would be affected, the mere fact that the Changshan and others would become suspicious would cause unnecessary trouble.

"Huo Zhu, you shouldn't have been so reckless." Shao Jing looked at Huo Zhu, his words tinged with reproach, but he also realized that Huo Zhu's actions had actually saved him a lot of trouble.

"You're doing a terrible job as clan leader," Huo Zhu sneered, then turned and left.

Watching the man's departing figure, Shao Jing shook his head slightly, a knowing look on his face.

After a few hurried words, Changshan and the others helped the injured man up and left the house. Just as they were about to leave, they looked back and were shocked to find that the intense heat and sparks had not damaged the house in the slightest!

"Was that the extraordinary technique of the Lianxi Tribe? The two people used it separately, leaving different traces, containing a hint of Spirit-Strike Method, yet distinct from them. And this tribe is even more extraordinary..."

Beside Changshan was a gaunt man, so unremarkable that he would go unnoticed anywhere. He looked at the large house in front of him, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"The Ancient God Talisman transformed into the sun, absorbing the incense and Votive Thoughts of the entire Spirit Land. Under such circumstances, even we would find it difficult to gain anything and could only rely on elixirs to replenish ourselves. However, the god behind this tribe was able to gather incense, bestow divine power, and extend his Domain of Law without being affected. In that case, the Tenth Sun that was plucked by someone may very well have fallen into the hands of this god."

With this in mind, the gaunt man and the others from Changshan left the Lianxi camp and came to the Great Water's edge, where they boarded a raft and set off.

"Now that we know the other party's background, the next step is to start formulating a plan. Should we win this god over, or suppress and destroy him? No matter which method we use, we must obtain traces of the Tenth Sun. With this sun, Jia Shen can drive the Twelve-Hour Sundial, and perhaps we can truly change the world and accelerate the ripening of this Spirit Land! Hmm?"

As the man was thinking, he was suddenly startled. His muscles tensed, and he jumped up on the flat bamboo raft with a loud shout!

"Not good!"

Before the words were even finished, the Changshan and the others were still confused, but black mist billowed out from their bodies, condensed in mid-air, and formed a pitch-black head that lunged at the emaciated man.

The man then landed again, and ink marks appeared on his face, intertwining and quickly forming a mask. The mask then separated, flew independently into the air, and sped towards the opposite bank.

"When I first met Luo He and learned about the strangeness of the Lianxi Tribe, I encountered Heart Demon. I kept it in mind and was on guard. But I didn't expect that in such a short time, that Heart Demon would undergo such a dramatic change. It was lurking in people's hearts and was almost invisible. In addition, I was attached to Divine Sense and was caught off guard. He stole a bit of my thoughts. I just don't know how much he knows."

Before the thought had even formed, black mist suddenly billowed out in front of them, and the head flew towards them.

"What a Demon Head! Could he truly be a spirit raised by the gods?" The swiftly flying figure suddenly changed direction, about to dodge, but unexpectedly, a wisp of thought emanated from the Demon Head—

"Have you fled here from the Heavenly Court? What year is it now, and which Star Lord governs this Continent?"

"Hmm? How do you know we're here? Judging from your words, could it be that we also escaped?" The masked man was taken aback by his words.

"These deities arrived at the Land of the Divine Remains in a hurry and panic, mentioning their escape, and their actions were even more elusive. Since we've encountered them again, we might as well test them with words."

In the Mortal Realm, the bright moon hangs high. On a mountain path, Qiu Yan's Fleshly Body walks slowly forward, lost in thought, with Hu Qi and Dai Guo following behind.

The three looked travel-worn, having traveled for a long time in the wilderness without seeing a single trace of human presence. This was deep in the dense forest, with no villages or inns in sight.

"This godforsaken place, when will we ever find an inn? I, Old Dai, haven't even had a bath today, and I feel terrible all over!"

Dai Guo grumbled, but then stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed ahead.

Deep in the dense forest, a brightly lit inn suddenly appeared before them.