Only after clearing out all the natives did Chu Mo emerge from the mist. Without so much as a glance at his captured fellow disciples, he went straight to cleaning up the battlefield.
His goals were clear, his movements orderly: he picked up the dropped orbs of light, stowed away the natives' corpses, and stripped the Storage Bags from the cultivators' bodies...
Once everything was done, he approached the two bound disciples. Cold light flashed from the bone blade in his hand as he sliced through their ropes.
Fear still lingered on their faces as they struggled to thank him. "Th-thank you for saving us, senior brother..."
"No need for thanks. Just pay me."
Chu Mo cut them off bluntly and held out his palm. "Everything on you-Storage Bags, pills, talismans... and all the Spine Bones you've collected. Hand it all over."
The two froze on the spot, their gratitude turning to bewilderment.
"Senior brother, you... what do you mean by this?" one of them stammered.
"Isn't it perfectly normal to trade a few worldly possessions for your lives?" Chu Mo countered, extending his palm a little farther. "Hurry up. Don't make me take them myself."
Under his implicitly threatening gaze, the two exchanged a look, seeing the same helplessness in each other's eyes.
Circumstances left them no choice. In the end, with trembling hands, they placed the Storage Bags from their waists into Chu Mo's hand.
Chu Mo checked the contents. There were only a dozen or so Spine Bones, and the other items were even more pitiful. He raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you were captured alive. So you two came to the exam empty-handed."
Their faces flushed crimson with shame. Just as they were about to offer an explanation, a sharp pain struck the backs of their heads. Their vision went black, and they fell to the ground with a thud.
Chu Mo put away his Corpse Puppet and treated each of them to a Mind-Cleansing Mantra. Then his figure flickered, vanishing into the dense mist once more as though he had never appeared.
Meanwhile, in the very heart of Hidden Mist Valley.
An altar carved against the mountainside stood in the center, its surface covered in blood-colored totem patterns that flickered scarlet.
Dozens of Duo'e Sect disciples were bound atop the altar. Most were gravely wounded and barely breathing, tightly entwined in some kind of Crimson Vines, unable to break free.
An old man draped in feathers stood quietly before the altar, exuding a pressure far beyond that of a Totem Warrior.
He extended his withered fingers and gently stroked the totem's cold surface, obsession gleaming in his eyes.
"Not enough... nowhere near enough," the feather-clad elder murmured. "The Blood Ancestor's slumber is too deep. More 'nourishment' is needed to awaken him."
He turned to the few remaining tribal chiefs beside him. Their tribes' totems had long since been seized during the immortal sect's conquest.
"Dedicate your people's faith to the Blood Ancestor!" The feather-clad elder spread his arms and growled fervently. "Only when the Blood Ancestor awakens can his supreme might scour away the cultivators and reclaim everything we have lost!"
His withered finger pointed straight at the altar. "When the Blood Ancestor descends, his glory will blanket the entire wilderness... and even reach into Fuli Heaven!"
The tribal chiefs gazed at the blood-colored altar, fear mingling with a trace of hope on their faces. Gradually, their fear gave way to a deranged longing.
The feather-clad elder watched in satisfaction, his voice laced with beguilement:
"Go! Send out every warrior in your tribes who can still move and hunt down those cultivators who have trespassed into the Forbidden Land. The great Spirit of Heaven has told me that their blood is the finest nourishment!"
The tribal chiefs dropped to one knee, nothing but fanaticism remaining in their eyes. "We obey your command, revered priest!"
Similar sacrificial rites were also being conducted in secret at several other hidden locations throughout Hidden Mist Valley.
On a relatively open slope, a fierce battle raged.
A group of more than a dozen cultivators clashed fiercely with roughly thirty natives. By the time Chu Mo arrived, the battle had reached fever pitch.
The cultivators' spell light and talisman radiance flashed in succession. Fireballs, wind blades, and ice spikes rained down on the natives' position, giving the cultivators a firm upper hand.
The natives had gathered several intermediate- and high-ranking warriors, who charged fearlessly under the blessings of various totem phantoms. Hidden sentries lurking in the mist also sprang out, attempting to harass the group's flanks.
The Duo'e disciples, however, worked together with exceptional coordination. Those who primarily cultivated the Myriad Forms Treasure Body Art held the front line; those skilled in spells restrained and disrupted the enemy; those capable of ranged attacks poured out a steady barrage.
"They're really going at it," Chu Mo remarked, clicking his tongue. This could more or less count as a "grand spectacle."
As his gaze swept across the battlefield, he actually spotted a "familiar face"-Ying Le.
Their eyes briefly met. Surprise flashed across Ying Le's face, then turned to delight. He immediately shouted, "Brother Chu! Come help me!"
Fuck! Chu Mo cursed inwardly. That shout had instantly exposed his position.
Sure enough, thanks to Ying Le's "reminder," several natives at the edge of the battlefield spotted him. Roaring, they changed direction and lunged at him.
Chu Mo reacted swiftly. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and unleashed two Golden Baleful Bone-Piercing Arts.
[You killed a Level 3 · Blood Spirit Clan Remnant (red name)]
There was no time to collect the drops. Seeing more natives notice him and stir in anticipation, Chu Mo made an immediate decision. His figure flashed as he joined the cultivators' battle formation.
The battle was fierce but brief. The cultivators already held the advantage in strength, and with Chu Mo joining them, the balance tipped swiftly. Within the time it took an incense stick to burn, the natives had suffered heavy casualties.
After the cultivators concentrated their attacks on the two Level 7 warriors, killing one and gravely wounding the other, the surviving natives finally broke and fled into the dense mist.
"Quick! Clear the battlefield, collect the Spine Bones, and keep watch!"
With the battle over, the cultivators divided their duties clearly, clearing the battlefield, distributing the spoils, and administering basic treatment to their wounded companions.
Wearing his trademark warm smile, Ying Le threaded through the busy crowd toward Chu Mo and called out, "Brother Chu, I owe you another thanks this time."
"Heh, happy to help." Chu Mo forced a smile. They exchanged a glance, tacitly leaving the events in the valley that day unmentioned.
Chu Mo pointed at the group of cultivators and asked, "Brother Ying, what's going on here?"
"You may not know this, Brother Chu," Ying Le said, stepping closer with a slightly grave expression, "but the farther we push into the central area, the more the natives gather in groups.
"They regularly move in bands of twenty or thirty, led by high-ranking warriors, and their coordination is far trickier than it is on the outskirts. Anyone traveling alone, or in a group of two or three, can easily get pinned down and swallowed whole."
He pointed at the dozen or so fellow disciples resting nearby. "After we met up and discussed it, we decided we might as well huddle together for warmth. There's strength in numbers, and we can advance more safely.
"As for contribution, we divide it according to how much each person does." He paused and looked eagerly at Chu Mo. "You're highly skilled, Brother Chu. Why not join us so we can watch each other's backs?"
Chu Mo swept his gaze across everyone present. Most looked weary, but their eyes remained sharp, and all the names above their heads were yellow.
After a moment's consideration, he cupped his hands. "Then I'll impose on you all." Ying Le was right. With the natives growing ever more numerous, advancing together was indeed safer.
Delighted, Ying Le immediately called to a cultivator in white robes, "Brother Li Yi, bring over Brother Chu's share of the spoils!"