Chapter 368: Chapter 183: Desolate Warriors’ First Battle
The sound was a choked, grating cry, awful to hear.
A strange Divine Soul Power accompanied the music, drifting out.
Zhao Rui’s Divine Soul was resilient, leaving him unfazed. But the small Manghuang Barbarians began to sway as if drunk, collapsing one after another and falling into a deep slumber.
Seeing its chance, the giant bird darted its head down and snatched up a barbarian beside it. It didn’t even bother to chew, swallowing the man whole.
The barbarian became a meal for the giant bird while still lost in his dreams.
The sight made Zhao Rui’s skin crawl.
’This truly is the law of the jungle.’
Seeing the giant bird steal a meal, one of the tall barbarians looked annoyed and smacked it hard across the head.
The giant bird shook its dazed head and let out a pained cry, showing its submission.
As the group of barbarians fell one by one, mesmerized by the music, a small figure protected by three young barbarians charged in Zhao Rui’s direction.
Zhao Rui focused his gaze and saw it was a young barbarian boy with a messy, terribly butchered haircut.
Zhao Rui assessed the situation, circulated a sliver of his True Qi, and cast the Mirage Finger from afar, freezing the four of them in place.
Simultaneously, he manifested the Great Sumeru Buddha Hand, which snatched all four of them out of the air and held them in its palm.
With a single leap, he landed in a tall tree, hiding himself within the crown.
’In a strange place, I need a guide. The enemy of my enemy may not be a friend, but they can definitely be helpful.’
’Those tall barbarians are overwhelmingly powerful and bloodthirsty by nature. It’s best I don’t even try to make contact.’
The tall barbarians swept through the area, tying up all the suitable smaller ones. They were strung together like a catch of fish and unceremoniously tossed onto the bird’s back.
Hanging there in plain sight, they were carried away as the bird departed.
Once the giant bird was far away, Zhao Rui released the True Qi that had been concealing them, revealing the four small barbarians.
Their eyes were filled with terror. Once freed, they didn’t dare to move, instead chattering fearfully in their own tongue.
"I saved you!"
Zhao Rui pointed to the barbarian corpses still littering the ground below, then pointed back at the four of them.
The boy was remarkably bright; he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, expressing his submission.
The other three barbarians followed his example, immediately lying flat on the branches of the canopy, not daring to move a muscle.
Pleased with the boy’s intelligence, Zhao Rui led the four of them down from the giant tree.
After they landed, the sight of the widespread carnage and scattered bodies caused them to break down into anguished sobs.
Zhao Rui stood to one side in silence, patiently waiting for them to finish.
More than an hour later, the four approached Zhao Rui, carrying folded animal-skin tents and some tools on their backs.
The boy pointed off into the distance, signaling for Zhao Rui to come with them.
Zhao Rui nodded, rose to his feet, and followed them toward the Southeast.
Along the way, the three adult barbarians were responsible for hunting prey, navigating, and making tools.
They even caught five boar-like creatures and used a strange Technique to domesticate them into obedient mounts for the road.
While their Martial Arts weren’t impressive, their survival skills were superb. They guarded the boy closely, keeping him in the center and tending to his every need.
Clearly, the boy was no ordinary member of the Manghuang Race.
Thanks to the mounts, the group traveled for three days and three nights before reaching their destination.
It was a vast valley plain, hidden at the base of a cliff.
The valley was verdant and lush, with thriving trees.
Soldiers armed with longspears guarded the entrance to the valley. Seeing the party approach, they hurriedly blocked the way.
But once they got a clear look at the boy, they all fell to their knees, prostrating themselves on the ground.
Zhao Rui hadn’t been idle during the last three days; he’d been learning some of their simple language from the boy.
Once a Martial Artist reaches the Divine Void Realm, they gain Divine Soul Power—an indescribable force.
Communication between Divine Souls is similar to transmitting images or symbols, unrestricted by written words or spoken language.
Instead, it communicates meaning directly to the Divine Soul.
For instance, when you say the word "puppy," your words are only indirectly associated with the animal. Someone who doesn’t understand your language wouldn’t make the connection.
But if you project the image of a puppy from your mind, anyone who "sees" it will instantly realize you’re referring to a puppy.
Zhao Rui had been experimenting with this communication method over the past few days and had found some success. He could at least understand simple vocabulary, particularly words for objects and phrases with direct meanings.
What these people were shouting as they knelt was, "Young Venerable!"
In other words, the tribe’s Young Master.
The previous encampment Zhao Rui had seen wasn’t the boy’s tribe, but merely a scattered clan he had been passing through.
He was, in fact, the prince of a larger, nearby tribe, traveling for pleasure with a few of his men.
He had only been stopping to rest with that group.
And during that stop, he had unexpectedly encountered a powerful enemy.
"Adamo, please come with me!"
The boy respectfully invited Zhao Rui into the tribal encampment.
The boy’s father, the chieftain, led the tribe’s warriors in receiving Zhao Rui, offering him delicious food and chaste young women.
’Ahem, he’d pass on the young woman. After all, with eyes like a deer, a collapsed nose, rough skin, and ears that grew backward, she really wasn’t Zhao Rui’s "type."’
’The food, however, was excellent. He wondered if it was because of the abundant Spiritual Qi, but these unfamiliar birds and beasts were incredibly flavorful once roasted.’
Zhao Rui feasted heartily.
Having finally found a place to stay, Zhao Rui decided to remain there for the time being.
He would try to learn some of the Manghuang language and look for a way back.
"Adamo! Please come with me!"
One day, as Zhao Rui was sitting cross-legged in Cultivation, the Young Venerable rushed in.
