Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 292 - 289: The Five Divisions of Naiman, The Righteous Law of Heaven

Chapter 292: Chapter 289: The Five Divisions of Naiman, The Righteous Law of Heaven

Even though spring had arrived, the land beyond the pass was still engulfed in a world of swirling wind and snow.

Whoo whoo whoo...

As the sky gradually darkened, the cold wind swept up more and more fine snowflakes, blinding a caravan of horses.

This group contained old and young, men and women. Some bore stains of blood on their bodies, looking weary and like a band of refugees, as if they were fleeing from disaster and being pursued.

Just as the wind began to rise, the group happened to pass through a hollow on the mountain that provided shelter from the wind.

A Naiman Han, his face weathered by the winds, his head adorned with a felt hat and body draped in a sheepskin coat, raised his horsewhip high and halted the group.

"Let’s set up camp nearby," he said, "We’ll stay here for the night and continue on our way once the snow stops tomorrow."

"Yes, Leader!"

"All right, Saihan Shaman!"

Men and women, old and young, all sprang into action with practiced ease. In no time, they had erected a temporary camp in the sheltered part of the hollow and started a bonfire.

Soon, the water in the iron pot began to boil, just waiting for the meat to be added.

Even though it was already late February.

Winter receded more slowly beyond the pass than within, with chilling winds and snow pervasive on the grasslands. The further north one went, the more severe it became.

Countless cattle and sheep had frozen to death in the long winter, leaving many tribes on the grasslands with broken homes and scattered people, destitute and displaced.

Larger tribes had the means to move southward to forage, while smaller, more desperate ones could only fight amongst themselves nearby, vying for people and livestock.

This small tribe named "Helan" was one such loser in these tribal conflicts.

However, the one good thing about the prolonged winter was that these travelers did not lack water. They could simply scoop it up from the ground.

Once the tribe members were settled, Saihan took out a jar of strong liquor that had been bartered with southern people, pouring three respectful cups into the center of the campfire.

Taking advantage of the flames that flared up, he cut the neck of a rooster and scattered its fresh blood into the fire as well.

At the same time, he kept muttering, "Wotuobarukan! Wotuobarukan!..."

The others, no matter how famished, remained silent and watched their leader and shaman pay homage to the deities.

To be more precise, he was paying homage to a "Deceit God."

Clearly, unlike in Great Yan, where all heavenly officials and deceit gods were branded as illicit and strictly prohibited, "Deceit Gods" in the lands beyond the pass flourished.

There was no need for hunting, as people would feed them willingly.

In fact, among the nations surrounding Great Yan, not just the Naiman Five were influenced.

Aside from those who had established a tribute system with Great Yan and could maintain a basic order with the Human Dao as the core.

Many other nations may not know how deeply they’ve been covertly infiltrated by the powers of the "Heavenly Officials."

Even the ruling classes had converted to various sects.

"Corpse Dissection Immortals" were too occupied with their own affairs to spare any energy to concern themselves with others.

Take, for example, the Naiman Five that have been living in Desert North for generations.

They worship the Cang God, passed down through the "Heaven Righteous Dharma Dao" Taoist lineage, also known as the "Grey Deer Taoist Venerable," "Mahavira Buddha King," "Great Black Sky."

"Heaven Righteous Dharma Dao" has many branches, with shamanism that believes all things possess spirits as its main tradition, incorporating both Taoist and Buddhist teachings, all originating from the Cang God.

Of course, the objects of "all things possess spirits" are not any proper spirits of heaven and earth, but a group of demons and ghosts that have pledged allegiance to the Cang God!

From Deceit Gods who were granted divine positions, to natural spirits, ghosts, and demons corrupted by corresponding "Knowledge," they form a vast "Great Black Sky God System."

They are the true rulers of this land, while humans are merely sheep to be herded.

What Xue Jiexi and Zhou Xinglou sought to achieve in Great Yan had almost been realized here.

Even if the entire tribe was starving, they still had to offer the best to the Deceit Gods first.

In the ancestral myths of the Naiman, the fire god "Wotuobarukan" was depicted as a petty old woman.

Anyone who offended her would struggle to kindle a fire for the rest of their life.

Therefore, it was strictly taboo on the grasslands to stir the fire with an iron tool or a sharp stick, to spit, pour water, or dump filth into it.

Before eating, one must also offer sacrifices to the fire god with alcohol, meat, and a blood meal.

Finally, when the tribe members were allowed to start cooking,

The shaman Saihan, carrying a lamb that had just been slaughtered, walked to the edge of the hollow, in front of a large tree whose bark had been stripped away.

The tree’s exposed white core had been carved into a human face, with only the lips a disturbing blackish red.

Above the human face, it was shaped like a large drum, forming a tree drum.

This was another deity that they needed to worship, the Mountain God of the region spanning hundreds of miles—"Bai Naqia," also known as "Marquis of White Forehead," "Old Master."

Legend had it that this mountain god could transform into a tiger or a person of any age or gender, helping hunters in the mountains when they were in danger.

Since it often roamed various forests, it was forbidden to make noise while hunting in the mountains in order to avoid angering the mountain god. Anyone passing through old forests or steep cliffs also needed to pray to the mountain god for good fortune.

Travelers who encountered a tree drum were required to offer it alcohol and meat and smear the deity’s lips with blood and fatty meat.

Whether worshipping "Wotuobarukan" or "Bai Naqia," they were all Precepts Taboos that every Naiman Tribe had to strictly follow.

All tribes that did not abide by the precepts had completely disappeared from the grasslands.

Especially since the guardian ancestral spirit of the "Helan" tribe had been killed in conflict, they could not afford to offend any deity.

However, just after Saihan had sprinkled a bowl of wine under the tree and struck the tree drum once,

Ao——!

From the mountain forest, a terrifying tiger roar that could deafen the ears suddenly burst forth.

Immediately after, in the forest, the roars of countless wild beasts followed—the howls of wolves, the grunts of bears, the cries of foxes, the bellowing of deer... the snowflakes that had not yet melted on the trees all fell in a sudden, loud rustle.

In just a few breaths of time, the once white-capped mountains were no longer dotted with a single snowflake.

Just as Saihan was astonished.

That authoritative tiger’s roar turned into a pitiful wail, followed abruptly by silence.

As if someone had choked it, the roar was forcefully stifled back.

"Old... Old Master, protect us!"

Saihan, scared out of his wits, stole a glance at the pitch-black forest, hastily finished his offerings, and no longer daring to linger, scrambled back to the camp in utter disarray.

Inside the camp, it suddenly fell quiet, with no one daring to speak aloud anymore.

And in the midst of that dense forest.

The Mountain God that these Naiman people had just offered their worship to, could not only no longer protect them, but couldn’t even protect itself!

Crack——!

The Ghost General Lingxiao, having deployed "Fatian Xiangdi," was firmly seated atop a giant, piebald tiger with a solitary eye on its forehead. Clasping the tiger’s head with both hands, he exerted force and directly snapped its neck.

Lingxiao, covered in wounds, could no longer hold on and vanished as a dark light into the "Merit Golden Wheel" at the back of Wang Yuan’s mind.

Not just him, but Wang Yuan, who had unfolded his "Abyssal Dharma Body," and Huang Wu, whose delicate bell sounds still lingered, were also now supporting their knees and panting.

"Huff... puff... We’ve been running all day, and finally, we’ve managed to kill the pursuers!"

Clearly.

In a Dharma Domain that a Yellow Decree Earth Deity has operated for years, killing it in the shortest amount of time was indeed a formidable task, even for the three of them working together.

Today was the third day since Wang Yuan took office in the "Nine Soldiers," and also the evening of the first day after entering the territory beyond the pass.

Simply because beyond the pass, almost the entire northern frontier is under the control of the Cang God.

It’s also scattered with "All Spirit Beings" that coexist with their followers.

Trees, stones, mountains, rivers... The Sect’s watchers were everywhere, and as long as one was not a cultivator of "Heaven Righteous Dharma Dao," one would soon be discovered by all manner of Demons and Ghosts.

Like when Wang Yuan, just for not making an offering to a passing tree and casually slaying a weasel that came chasing and squealing, asking him whether "it looked more like a human or a god."

Unluckily stirred up a hornet’s nest and got chased by local deities including the Old Master and other divine beings till now.

Under the leadership of "Heaven Righteous Dharma Dao," the whole of Beimo seemed to be a quasi-military organization with a common core.

It was even more closely-knit than the Great Yan’s City God System.

"But something still feels off. Although related intelligence was mentioned in the Guanlan Pavilion, it shouldn’t be at this level all year round.

To the inherently chaotic Demons and Ghosts, it’s even more unbearable than killing them.

Something important must have happened in the steppe recently, and they must have absolute top-down orders.

Moreover, we’ll have to switch identities again for our actions beyond the pass this time, or else it will be almost impossible to move an inch, and we might be chased to the death if we’re not careful."

Having this thought, Wang Yuan reached out to the corpse of the tiger.

"Soul Capturing!"

"Eating Ghost!"

He opened his mouth and consumed the Yin God of the "Old Master," which had long been exhausted by the five agonies and seven destructions.

The memories of that Earth God began to surge in Wang Yuan’s heart.

Soon, he unraveled the first mystery that could not be found in any book.

—Why there is no longer any Human Dao Dragon Qi on the steppe, almost turned into a Demon nation, yet the "Naiman Five Tribes" show almost no sentiment of resistance?

Could it be that Great Yan’s resolute resistance was actually meaningless?

To his surprise, the "Killing Tree" and Cang God granted quite a bit of aid to the Naiman Five Tribes, and their exploitation wasn’t too heavy.

How should one describe it?

The most fitting analogy is probably that, before the downfall of that red nation, it was a time of great happiness for the workers of industry under the eagle’s banner.

So even though ruled by Demons and Ghosts, the days of the Naiman Five Tribes are still bearable.

It’s not because the Demons and Ghosts suddenly found conscience; it’s just because Great Yan has not fallen.

Once they finish gnawing on the tough bone that is Great Yan by using their force, the "Heavenly Official" will surely reveal its bloodthirsty nature, and turn the Naiman Five Tribes into real sheep and cattle.

Regrettably, how many of the multitude of beings can see this clearly? And even if they can see it, what can they do when swept away by the grand current?

Perhaps the "Killing Tree" didn’t even want the only "Heavenly Gate" to open in Red County Shenzhou.

And then to be embroiled in an endless struggle with the tough, unyielding "Nine Soldiers" for thousands of years.

Had it been any other civilization in the world, they would have self-destructed eight hundred times over without anyone else’s interference, so how could they stand for thousands of years?

But who asked that the other places in the world, at that time, were mostly just deserts of Knowledge?

Being stuck here, they could only figure out ways to slowly infiltrate.

Setting aside that problem, Wang Yuan quickly found the reason for the strict controls against visitors from Great Yan on the steppe from the Old Master’s memories, and his expression suddenly changed:

"Spring Festival? The temperature rising, a Plague attacking the cities, breaking through the White Cloud Pass?!"