Chapter 201. Piercing Mark Sorcery Art (1)

ROAAAR!!!

The roar of the Qinghua Allied Forces erupted like thunder; the flags of the Allied Forces fluttered in the wind here and there. The civil war of the Great Forest lasted about a week, and the Qinghua Allied Forces ultimately won the power struggle.

The Insect King and the Poison Insect Tribe jumping onto the Allied Forces' side was enough to decide the outcome.

Even though the Au Co Tribe—the Ones Who Can Combat a Hundred—were known as the strongest tribe in the Southern Jungles, the difference in military power was just too much.

To make matters worse, the Poison Insect Tribe hadn't just left the battle but had become their enemy as well. At this point, there was nothing the Au Co Tribe could do.

This was the downfall of the barbarians who had ruled the Great Forest solely by force after the fall of the Dai Viet at the hands of the Central Plains.

***

Four days later...

"We must keep our promises," Ye Li emphasized several times.

"Of course." The Insect King nodded. Four days ago, the Insect King had accepted Zhou Xuchuan's proposal.

In exchange for being taught the sutras of their tribe's divine art—the Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art—there was a promise not to invade. There was also a promise that they would not trespass on each other's territory.

The Poison Insect Tribe's territory was within the Land of Ten Thousand Poisons, so there was no reason for them to go outside. In other words, the promise did not really matter for the Poison Insect Tribe.

The Land of Ten Thousand Poisons was too dangerous, so the Allied Forces weren't really going to visit it more often than not, so they welcomed the agreement with open arms.

"Is it really okay to let them go?"

"Aren't they still one of the troublesome major tribes?"

"Three years ago, my brother was bitten by one of their bugs. He suffered for a week before passing away."

Not everyone welcomed the agreement. In fact, many were dissatisfied, and there were some who blatantly opposed the idea. There was a reason they were called barbarians. During their reign, they had plundered with force rather than diplomacy, and they had committed all sorts of atrocities.

They had committed fewer atrocities than the now-destroyed Cannibal Tribe or the Beast Tribe, but they were still part of the major tribes at one point. It would be strange for the people not to feel any resentment toward this agreement.

Ye Li frowned and stepped in to mediate. "Even if we were to add them all up, there are only five hundred of them. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Sure, but don't you think this is an opportunity for us?"

"He's right. They're still barbarians; who knows when they might show their fangs again?"

"Now is the time."

They were right; the Poison Insect Tribe members could communicate with them, but barbarians were still barbarians. They hadn't said anything and had only shown off their strength, so they were worried that the barbarians would change their minds at any moment.

They preferred not to leave even a single one of them alive, not to mention an entire clan. However, it wasn't a possible solution.

"Please, calm yourselves. It's not visible on the outside, but our army is extremely exhausted," Yuan Cai said, stepping forward to persuade the leaders. "They amount only to five hundred figures, but you all know their strength."

The Poison Insect Tribe had about four hundred people left, while the Au Co had roughly a hundred tribesmen remaining. Those numbers didn't seem like much, but they were formidable. If those tribesmen were to become desperate, who could say for sure what would happen?

"Most importantly, keep in mind that the Central Plains' search party and Zhou Xuchuan are no longer going to help us."

Even if they managed to win somehow, the Allied Forces would face the risk of destruction by overstretching themselves.

"

Hmph.

"

"If that's the case, then..."

When they heard that Zhou Xuchuan wouldn't be participating any further, groans came out from within the group. Everyone licked their lips in shame and gave up.

They wanted to take control over the Southern Jungles, so they tried to leverage whatever honeypot they could, but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful.

Moreover, Zhou Xuchuan and the others had already finished their preparations to return as if they were in a hurry. It was unfortunate, but Qinghua's higher-ups had no choice but to sign the peace treaty.

"Successor of the Poison God, thank you for returning the divine art to us. According to the agreement we've written with the Qinghua Toho, we can leave the Land of Ten Thousand Poisons at any time, so if you need our help, please don't worry and let us know at any time. We are brothers, after all."

The Insect King bore no hostility toward Zhou Xuchuan. Zhou Xuchuan had fulfilled his wish, so he only had nothing but goodwill toward the swordsman.

"I've never had a brother like you. Stop making such misunderstandable remarks."

By "Poison God," the Insect King meant the Poison Demon.

If there were even a hint of a rumor that he—a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect and a hero of the Righteous Faction—was a descendant of the Poison Demon, his position would surely become awkward.

Given the nature of the Ten Thousand Convergence Art, he could truly deny that he had succeeded the Poison Demon, as he would only ever master half of the Poison Art.

"Martial artists of the Central Plains, do not forget the agreement with our Au Co Tribe. If you try to do something foolish like the previous bastard, we will never forgive you. He was threatened, but it was still irritating that he had tried to deceive me, so I hope you'll leave his head behind."

Qinghua had entered negotiations with the Au Co Tribe as well. Of course, the contents of their negotiation were markedly different from that of the Poison Insect Tribe.

"Stop acting like a perverted man who can't forget and keeps chasing after a girl upon getting dumped by the said girl. Just let it go.

"In return, the Poison Insect Tribe promises to help you refine the Divine Pill again. You don't have to worry about that anymore. Matriarch of the Au Co. I, the Insect King, always keep my word, so don't worry; you can trust me."

The Poison Insect Tribe's long-cherished desire was the Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art, while the Au Co Tribe's long-cherished desire was the refinement of the Divine Pill, which they hadn't been able to refine for a long time.

There was a reason they were called the "Mysterious Tribe," and there was also a reason behind their long absence. The entire tribe had put its heart and soul into refining the Divine Pill.

"By the way, why didn't you go easy on me? And why did you make such a fuss in the river? If you hadn't done that, you wouldn't have lost the Divine Pill," Au Yeu muttered with a look of reproach.

Zhou Xuchuan wanted to search the surroundings thoroughly, but the current was so strong that it was possible to retrieve it as soon as he lost it. Upon hearing the news, Au Yeu couldn't hold back her anger and went to find the Head Archivist's corpse. She trampled it, burned it, and threw it away.

In any case, they still had some form of "feelings" for Zhou Xuchuan and Qinghua, but the Au Co Tribe thought about it logically and ultimately decided to sign the peace treaty.

The Insect King and Au Yeu each led their tribes into the dense forest of the Land of Ten Thousand Poisons.

"I really appreciate it." Ye Li bowed, holding Zhou Xuchuan's hand. A while ago, he had been half grateful and half afraid, but now it was different. His eyes were filled with gratitude and awe as he stared at Zhou Xuchuan.

"I'll never forget the grace you've shown me. You saved me from the Cannibal Tribe's prison, where I awaited a horrible fate while trembling from the fear of not knowing when I would enter the stomach of a cannibal.

"You also helped me lead the way in subduing the major tribes, a feat that I thought was impossible. You helped us achieve victory. I, the Qinghua Toho, Ye Li, sincerely thank you, Hero of the Great Forest," said Ye Li with eyes wide and full of emotions.

"Thank you," said Advisor Yuan Cai. He put aside his pretense of refusing to speak with deference and expressed his gratitude toward Zhou Xuchuan with respect. This time, his respect was sincere.

It doesn't feel bad, but...

Zhou Xuchuan felt strange and laughed awkwardly.

The Hero of the Great Forest. Hadn't he just become the Hero of the Southern Jungles? Strictly speaking, he was from an enemy state. He found it strange that he was being treated as their hero.

"If you need help, just let us know. If it's the Great Hero's request, we'll run to you in a single stride."

"No, thank you. Please, I'm begging you. Please don't come," Zhou Xuchuan said with a solemn face.

The major tribes were one thing, but if the Qinghua Allied Forces—the true descendants of the Dai Viet ended up crossing the border to assist him, the situation would escalate instead of the opposite.

In the worst-case scenario, Zhou Xuchuan could get accused of helping the Southern Jungles raise an army. In other words, he could be accused of treason and be executed as a result.

Just in case, Zhou Xuchuan explained the situation to Ye Li and Yuan Cai. He emphasized it several times so that they would keep it in mind.

"Then, I'll take my leave now."

"Oh, dear. Why don't you stay for a few more days? We might end up getting criticized for treating you poorly, Great Hero."

"As the Toho, you must be busy with the cleanup. If I were to stay here and intrude any further, wouldn't things become difficult for you?"

Winning the war wasn't the end of things. There was the cleanup afterward, and it was always a headache.

It went without saying that the power structure of the country called the Southern Jungles had changed, so there was a mountain of work to do.

Thanks to the major tribes, the land had become a mess, and the Toho would surely soon become busy managing their allied provinces while recovering from the damage at the same time.

If they wanted to allot funds and power to officials, Zhou Xuchuan's presence would be a problem. Thus, politicians with power never really welcomed heroes.

"Since you already said so, then there's nothing we can do about it. At the very least, please accept this as a token of our sincerity."

Ye Li gave Zhou Xuchuan a huge variety of items as a token of his gratitude.

Knowing that Zhou Xuchuan and the others had a long way to go, he chose to give them the most valuable items for their journey.

"Thank you for your consideration."

***

The search party of the Central Plains

murim

set off on their return home. Before leaving, they sent a notice to the Benevolence Clinic. The search party smiled and cheered upon hearing that they were finally leaving the irritating and big forest.

"Finally, we will not be experiencing humid and muggy weather anymore!"

"

Ugh,

I really feel like going crazy. Instead of the imprints of a woman's lips, I've been covered in bug bites all this time..."

"

Wheeew.

I want to hurry back, go to an inn, fill my stomach with noodles, and get a little tipsy on

zhuye qingjiu

."

"

Ugh...

"

The search party was also exhausted from the long mission, and every step of this mission had been dissatisfying. The food didn't suit their taste, there were bugs everywhere, and the climate was annoying.

There was a reason the Central Plains had left the Southern Jungles alone. While the precious tropical fruits were delicious, everything else was essentially worthless.

They had been feeling more and more depressed as the days went on, but the idea that they would soon be back home assuaged their homesickness, making their hearts feel a little lighter.

They smiled brightly and chatted at the thought of returning to their home.

"By the way, did you see Great Hero Zhou fight?"

"I broke out into goosebumps at the sight of him. I couldn't help but wonder whether he was born straight out of a myth or something."

Regardless of their affiliated faction, all the martial artists were talking excitedly about Zhou Xuchuan's techniques behind the latter—behind the main character's back.

"While I've heard a lot about how great the Plum Blossom Order Sword's martial arts were, I never could have expected him to be

this

incredible."

The High Priest of the Cannibal Tribe...

Black Buffalo of the Beast Tribe...

Au Yeu of the Au Co Tribe...

The Insect King of the Poison Insect Tribe...

They were all experts capable of becoming one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven. Among them, the High Priest's sorcery and abilities were particularly terrifying.

Everyone quivered at the mere thought of his flames capable of melting one's skin. They were truly in awe when Zhou Xuchuan had faced those terrifying flames head-on and had knocked down the High Priest as if those flames were nonexistent.

"It's a shame we couldn't see everything."

The fights were fierce, so they didn't have the luxury of watching leisurely. They only managed to catch glimpses of Zhou Xuchuan in action.

The only battle they managed to watch closely was the fight against Black Buffalo.

They couldn't afford to do the same during the other fights, so they only saw the results. Still, even that alone was incredible, and everyone was busy talking about Zhou Xuchuan in low voices.

"

Ahem. Ahem

." Zhou Xuchuan's ears perked up, and he smiled slightly, feeling good. As expected of a master, his ears were keen. In his previous lifetime, he had never received so much attention, not to mention anyone remembering his name, so he couldn't help but feel happy.

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?" the Divine Physician asked, interrupting Zhou Xuchuan's train of thought.

"Of course. Feel free to ask," replied Zhou Xuchuan.

"That medicine. When do you plan on taking it?"

Zhou Xuchuan flinched. "Medicine? What are you talking about?"

"It's no use pretending in front of this old man." The Divine Physician tapped the tip of his nose with a knowing expression. "Even though you unleashed all of those terrifying attacks, you ensured that a particular place remained unharmed.

"It really was amazing."

Zhou Xuchuan groaned. It seemed that it was impossible to fool the Divine Physician.

"So there's a reason they call you the 'Divine Physician.'"

The Divine Physician's sense of smell was simply extraordinary. Zhou Xuchuan had tried to hide it, but he was caught red-handed. Fortunately, they were quite far away from the others.

It seemed the Divine Physician also had no intentions of letting anyone else know about it, as he lowered his voice, asking, "The Divine Pill of the Au Co, do you have it?"