The Quest for Immortality

This made his plan from then on quite simple.

Just three words:

”Protect Dan Zhu.”

As long as Dan Zhu is protected from calamity, allowing him to grow and develop slowly, he himself can eliminate most of the enemies.

Indeed, when Dan Zhu becomes truly powerful, many things won’t require his own worry at all.

As the mastermind ”expert,” the most important thing is to observe people and utilize them.

Mo Hua nodded in agreement.

The battle continued in the field.

Dan Zhu was very strong, displaying extraordinary prowess and sweeping through all opposition, but the Danque Tribe was still at a disadvantage in manpower, and the Six Strange Shugu were by no means weak.

Ultimately, there was an advantage, but it couldn’t be transformed into ”victory momentum”, unable to breach the encampment.

Mo Hua estimated it would take some more time, and thus ordered the troops to retreat again.

After retreating, Mo Hua said little more, only instructing Dan Zhu to rest well.

Back in his room, he began divining to gauge fortune and misfortune.

He calculated whether Dan Zhu’s battle tomorrow would fall into an ambush, encounter surprise attacks and conspiracies, suffer injuries, or face other various dangers, even whether a death omen would be encountered.

Divining the entire battle involved timing, terrain, deployment, and changes of both sides’ forces.

The specifics were complex, consuming large amounts of divine sense and causality computational power, making the process slow and laborious, with the risk of divine sense depletion.

Mo Hua dared not divine every day.

But calculating for Dan Zhu alone significantly reduced the difficulty.

Ensuring that each of his battles presents a ”great fortune omen,” at least a ”minor fortune,” was sufficient.

This also helped expand the application of Causality Skill and deepen understanding of Heavenly secret and destiny.

Using his Heavenly Mechanism Skill, he secured Dan Zhu’s life and causality.

After completing the calculation and obtaining results, the following day, Mo Hua instructed Dan Zhu to attack the Shugubu again, and to fight freely without concern.

Dan Zhu nodded gladly.

Chi Feng, however, harbored concerns.

On the battlefield, one must not be careless, underestimate the enemy, or advance rashly. Even in a lion’s hunt for a rabbit, it uses its full strength. Allowing Young Master Dan Zhu to fight freely seemed a bit risky.

But after glancing at Mo Hua, he ultimately said nothing.

Mr. Witch’s actions are guided by divine prophecy, and what he says is generally correct.

Moreover, there was his oversight, which should ensure Young Master Dan Zhu’s safety.

Thus, the battle resumed.

This time, with Mo Hua’s permission, Dan Zhu fought more fiercely, charging alone among the barbarian soldiers of Shugubu as if entering an unpeopled realm.

The Six Strange Shugu grew increasingly enraged but were fundamentally unable to catch Dan Zhu.

The camp of Shugubu was in an upheaval because of Dan Zhu.

Ultimately, Dan Zhu led his team, repeatedly reaching the gates of Shugubu’s camp, almost breaking open its doors.

But ultimately, despite all efforts, they were stopped by the Six Strange Shugu using the sinister green bone-disintegration Evil Skills.

Dan Zhu withdrew, but the Danque Tribe’s morale soared.

However, the next day, Mo Hua didn’t allow Dan Zhu to attack.

Because he calculated that attacking Shugubu today would lead Dan Zhu into an ambush, facing the Six Strange Shugu’s siege, ultimately being injured even if not killed.

Thus, it would be a losing bargain.

Mo Hua couldn’t bear to let Dan Zhu fall to the Six Strange Shugu.

No matter if the Six Strange Shugu died eventually, it couldn’t make up for the loss of Dan Zhu getting hurt.

Mo Hua directly instructed Dan Zhu to halt the battle, ”Rest today, no fighting.”

Dan Zhu was surprised but obeyed readily, ”Okay, Gentleman.”

Shugubu’s prior display of weakness and subsequent careful preparation for an ambush were nullified.

The hot water in the pot was ready, but the duck didn’t show up.

The Six Strange Shugu were perplexed.

After that, Dan Zhu was ordered by Mo Hua to ”rest” for two days, and on the third day, Mo Hua nodded and said:

”You can continue, start fighting again.”

Dan Zhu rejoiced, leading the barbarian soldiers to commence the assault.

The Six Strange Shugu, upon Dan Zhu’s absence, grew complacent, even dismantling their prepared traps.

Hardly had the traps been removed when Dan Zhu suddenly appeared, catching them off guard once more.

The Six Strange Shugu were not just furious but also terrified.

In their hasty response, battling with Dan Zhu, they were burned by the Vermilion Bird Profound Fire, and after hundreds of rounds, nearly everyone was wounded and retreated to their camp.

This pattern repeated for several days thereafter.

Mo Hua performed divination and predicted fortune and misfortune.

If there was no danger, he let Dan Zhu enter the battlefield.

If there was danger, he instructed Dan Zhu to focus on defense, only holding ground to cultivate wartime vigilance.

If severe danger was foreseen, he advised no battle, not even leaving the camp.

Thus, all the sinister methods of the Six Strange Shugu were invisibly neutralized, their planned ambushes and conspiracies never saw light, effectively stillborn.

Dan Zhu’s timing in attack always precisely hit their ”pain points.”

The Six Strange Shugu were filled with inexplicable terror.

From their perspective, Dan Zhu seemed to be the formidable ”villainous leader,” young and arrogant, immensely gifted, with extremely strong combat capability, and not just his fighting prowess, but his ”luck” also defied the natural order.

All dangers avoided him, and he turned calamities into blessings.

This is someone blessed with ”great fortune.”

The Six Strange Shugu developed a deep fear, being slaughtered by Dan Zhu’s prowess. Ultimately, seven days later, in one battle, he was clad in Mystic Fire Feather Robes, as if endowed with ”fortune,” directly killing one of them.

The remaining ”Five Strange Shugu” turned pale and fled the camp without a hitch.

The remaining Shugu barbarian soldiers were no match for Dan Zhu.

Many knelt before Dan Zhu.

Others scattered like monkeys fleeing from a fallen tree.

This branch of Shugubu was officially conquered.

Dan Zhu asked Mo Hua, ”Mr. Witch, should we pursue those Shugu Golden Core members?”

Mo Hua calculated, finding the outcome uncertain, then shook his head, ”Don’t chase down defeated foes, it’s unnecessary.”

Dan Zhu nodded, ”Alright.”

Beside him, Chi Feng’s demeanor had grown more respectful.

Over these days, he had been observing ”Mr. Witch’s” decisions regarding the battle, filled with admiration.

This further reinforced his belief that ”Mr. Witch’s decisions cannot be wrong and are unshakeable.”

Afterward, Dan Zhu led the Danque Tribe to formally occupy this side of Shugubu.

However, the situation within this branch of Shugubu made Mo Hua frown.

Too poor, too miserable.

These people probably originally lived poorly, and the Six Strange Shugu’s takeover had exploited them further.

Not only were the barbarian slaves worse than pigs and dogs, even some low-ranking Shugu barbarian cultivators were tattered, less than cattle and horses.

Many of them bore traces of ”cannibalism.”

This type of consumption wasn’t a matter of intentional murder followed by consumption; it was extreme hunger, nibbling remnants of bones left from others’ cannibalism, savoring occasional bits of meat.

Both savage, and cruel, yet also pitiful.

Beyond this, the ”Barbarian God” here disappointed Mo Hua.

This Barbarian God had indeed ”decayed,” but not deeply so, and it was merely Second Grade.

Upon ”consuming” it, Mo Hua barely filled a gap between his teeth, enhancing his divine sense slightly but not considerably.

”Not all branches can offer a Third Grade Barbarian God...”

Mo Hua sighed internally.

But having conquered it, he couldn’t just ignore it.

After all, it involves ”human lives.”

Mo Hua could only devise some ways, striving to improve the situation for those Shugu cultivators and barbarian slaves possessing some conscience.

Such things, significant matters on the surface, naturally fell to Dan Zhu.

He entrusted specific minor details to Iron Skill Bone.

Initially, this Iron Skill Bone had been the head of the Wandering Tribe within Shugubu, and having him responsible for managing these lower-tier Shugu cultivators was fitting.

Subsequent orders issued by Mo Hua were fully executed by Iron Skill Bone, with no defiance, and his actions were highly appropriate.

Mo Hua was very satisfied.

Yet the more satisfied he felt, the stronger his sense of ”dissonance” grew.

He continuously felt there was something wrong with his attitude towards Iron Skill Bone.

This was an instinctive intuition, even if indescribable.

Iron Skill Bone bowed, standing below with respect.

Mo Hua contemplated the ”obedient and sensible” Iron Skill Bone, and after deep reflection, he suddenly realized the problem:

”Why haven’t I killed him?”

No, more accurately...

”Why haven’t I even thought of... killing him?”

”Throughout, I never even had the thought?”

Not killing was no issue, as Mo Hua indeed shouldn’t kill now, and Iron Skill Bone still had utility.

But never having ”thought” of it revealed a significant issue.

Mo Hua’s gaze gradually deepened.