Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 327 [The Head of the Eighteen Tribes of the Ghost Clan!]

Chapter 321 [The Head of the Eighteen Tribes of the Ghost Clan!]

"That Zhanli is a disgusting thing."

The person who said this was Gu Tongbing.

As he said this, Gu Tongbing was lying on the soft couch, with a soft blanket under his body. He was holding a pot of wine in his hand, but he didn't use a wine cup; he just poured it into his mouth.

Although the fruit-infused spirit wine is not strong, its rich energy can still easily make people feel lightheaded after drinking it.

Chen Yan sat cross-legged at the coffee table next to Gu Tongbing, holding a green fruit about the size of a goose egg in his hand. He took a big bite, and the juice burst in his mouth, spreading a sweet and fragrant aroma on his taste buds. His mouth and nose were filled with a rich fragrance.

The fruits from this realm are just wonderful. They're juicy, crisp, sweet, and have a delicate texture.

Chen Yan chewed on the fruit whose name he didn't know, and then mumbled, "I seem to remember that at the auction, you and she exchanged compliments."

As he spoke, Chen Yan tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "I remember what you said back then... um, you said, 'I think you're pretty good.' Was that what you said?"

Gu Tongbing glared at Chen Yan and curled his lip: "Otherwise what? In public, I'm just saying a few polite words. What else can I say? Should I say directly: 'You piece of trash like you are not even worthy to be compared with my fourth sister. You're not even worthy to carry my fourth sister's shoes'?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Gu Tongbing woke up two hours ago.

After this guy woke up, Zhan Li received a report from his subordinates. Chen Yan, who was standing nearby, heard this and immediately asked to change cars. He wanted to go to Gu Tongbing's car, ostensibly to accompany his companion.

Zhanli… How could she dare to say no?
·
Chen Yan felt that Zhan Li was probably a woman with some kind of problem!
For some reason, this woman suddenly changed her attitude towards him. It turned out that this woman seemed to like putting on airs, especially when they were in the White Elephant herding caravan. Chen Yan had sensed that Zhan Li's attitude towards him was somewhat complicated.

She seemed a little guilty, but also a little unhappy.

Chen Yan could roughly guess at the reason for the guilty conscience. After all, the Shepherd Master Jushan had committed evil deeds, and he was the victim. This Zhanli was probably some kind of person in charge among the ghosts, and might have to bear some kind of joint responsibility, which was why he felt guilty when facing him.

Does she want to settle things peacefully?

But Chen Yan couldn't understand why she was unhappy with him.

It seemed this woman's displeasure with me was mixed with impatience, and there was a hint of disrespect. It was the kind of attitude that made her think I was a nuisance.

But then, she took the initiative to suggest that she take him with her on the journey back to the Blackwood tribe.

This attitude... how should I put it...

It's like this: your parents force you to go on a blind date. You don't want to go, but after being pressured and coerced by your parents, you have no choice but to deal with the blind date. You don't like the other person and find them troublesome, but you still have to make a good impression and be polite...

Therefore, Chen Yan thought that this woman was probably mentally ill!
But then he realized that the woman's mental problems might be more serious than he had anticipated.

She suddenly made a complete 180-degree turn in her attitude towards herself.

When Zhanli came back that time, he knelt down beside me, poured me wine, and even held up a plate of fruit with both hands...

She's serving me?!

Chen Yan was so startled that he almost dropped his wine glass!
Chen Yan immediately asked Zhan Li, "What are you trying to do?"
Zhan Li hesitated and lowered his head, vaguely giving a reason: because Chen Yan was the victim, he felt guilty and wanted to make amends.

Chen Yan thought that this woman might be crazy!
Laozi was injured by Jushan Feng three days ago, not three minutes ago!

Your attitude has been the same for the past three days, but just three minutes ago, you suddenly said you felt guilty and made amends?

Chen Yan had a vague feeling that it might be related to the fact that the team had stopped moving forward and Zhan Li had gone out.

However, no matter how he asked, Zhanli refused to say anything, but his attitude was unusually polite—it couldn't even be described as "polite" but rather as almost respectful.

To some extent, Chen Yan was frightened!

He even came up with the most absurd reason: Could this ghost woman have taken a fancy to me?
Sister, please refuse if you're ugly!

I don't like women with wide foreheads and high hairlines—unless, of course, that woman has a very thick forehead.

Next, sharing a room with Zhanli became a form of torture for Chen Yan.

Zhan Li knelt quietly beside Chen Yan, remaining silent as long as Chen Yan didn't speak.

Chen Yan coughed lightly, and she immediately brought him a glass of wine with both hands to moisten his throat.

As soon as Chen Yan turned over slightly, Zhan Li wanted nothing more than to come over and massage his shoulders!

Chen Yan looked at this woman as if she were a ghost.

Fortunately, at this moment, a ghost servant came to report: Gu Tongbing has woken up.

Chen Yan jumped out of the car almost as if he were fleeing and ran frantically into Gu Tongbing's carriage.

·
"I had actually heard of the name Zhan Li before."

She is a disciple of the Ghost Clan Chief, and I've heard she's very famous within the Ghost Clan; among the younger generation, she's the most prominent. I've heard this name for over ten years.

I've always heard that a girl with amazing talent, known as the Cave Maiden, emerged from the Blackwood Tribe among the Ghost Clan and was taken in as a disciple by the chief of the eighteen tribes.

The demons always liked to hype her up, praising her extraordinary talent and intelligence. Every now and then, news would spread of some outstanding achievement she had accomplished: such as conquering a wild tribe, hunting a rare beast, or using her cleverness to inflict a minor loss on the demons…

In short, it seems that among the younger generation of the Oni clan, her name is always being mentioned.

However, before, this name only circulated in southern Xinjiang; once it left southern Xinjiang, it didn't attract much attention.

But I don't know when it started, after my fourth sister Gu Qingyi's reputation rose in Zhenyutai, someone started spreading the word that people always liked to compare the name Zhanli with my fourth sister Gu Qingyi.

Whenever I mention my fourth sister, Gu Qingyi, I always have to bring up this woman named Zhanli.

Whenever Zhanli mentions any legendary deeds or achievements, even the smallest ones, he always brings up my fourth sister's exploits in killing enemies at Zhenyutai.

They keep talking about the 'Twin Beauties of the Realm,' and some busybodies even spread rumors that the four daughters of the Gu family in the north and the Blackwood Cave girl in the south are the most outstanding young female talents in the Realm.

Gu Tongbing sneered: "Pah! Anyone with eyes can see who's behind this. My fourth sister, Gu Qingyi, has fought countless battles on the Zhenyutai platform for five years, killing countless enemies. How could this little girl from the Blackwood Cave in the Southern Frontier be worthy of comparison?"
If you think about it for a second, you'll know who's behind this.

This woman is quite ambitious and has a somewhat despicable scheming nature. She knows how to create momentum for herself. I heard that she is also in charge of some of the Ghost Clan's foreign trade affairs. She always likes to appear at the gatherings of various merchant guilds and aristocratic families to socialize and win people's hearts.

When she's having a long, engaging conversation with people, she always likes to mention my fourth sister..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan's eyes darted around, and he suddenly chuckled, "Let me guess, when she's talking at length, she always likes to mention Miss Gu... um, Miss Gu the Fourth, is it always with words of praise?"

Gu Tongbing's eyes lit up: "Yes, yes, yes!"

"However, there are subtle differences in the words of praise," Chen Yan said with a sneer. "Different ways of saying it will give people different feelings."

Gu Tongbing pondered deeply: "What do you mean?"

Chen Yan smiled and said, "If you deliberately use a tone of being on the same level as someone of the same generation, it will give people the illusion that the speaker and the person being mentioned are of the same caliber."

Gu Tongbing, not understanding his meaning, looked at Chen Yan with a puzzled expression.

Chen Yan smiled and said slowly, "It's very simple. For example, after Gu Qingyi made a great contribution on the prison platform, I'll give you two versions of the story, and you'll understand."

The first interpretation, expressed with reverence and admiration: Wow! That's amazing! General Gu is simply a god descended from heaven!
The second version is to deliberately smile slightly and say casually: "I have heard that General Gu has made new contributions, and I admire him very much."

The former statement is standard praise and admiration, but it gives the impression that the speaker is inferior to Miss Gu.

The latter... gives people the illusion that: "I admire what she did, but I'm not bad either; we're on the same level."

Gu Tongbing's eyes lit up immediately: "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean!"

"That's not all," Chen Yan sneered. "People who say things like that on purpose are disgusting."

Because of the way she spoke, it seemed like something was off. But on the surface, she was clearly saying nice things, not belittling Gu Qingyi at all, and it sounded like positive praise.

But actually, that subtle, implied self-aggrandizement is disgusting, yet there's nothing you can say about it. "Absolutely right!"

Gu Tongbing slapped his thigh!
A hint of anger flashed across his face, and he snorted: "This woman has said publicly several times before that she greatly admires my fourth sister. Although she has never met my fourth sister, she has actually been acquainted with her in spirit for a long time..."

I bother! !
We've known each other for a long time! How could my fourth sister's merits in resisting the Red Tide at Zhenyutai be compared to her mere hunting of a few wild beasts and capturing a few wild people?
"A spiritual connection? She's not worthy to befriend my fourth sister!"

Gu Tongbing sighed as he finished speaking: "After my fourth sister returned from Zhenyutai, I angrily told her about the words and actions of this woman named Zhanli. I want my fourth sister to go to the Southern Frontier and slap this woman in the face in person."

My fourth sister then asked: "Who is Zhan Li?"

Then I just couldn't be bothered to bother with it anymore.

Chen Yan chuckled inwardly, and the scene naturally came to mind: Gu Qingyi, with a cold and indifferent expression, coldly asked, "Who is Zhan Li?" before turning away, looking disdainful.

However, this is probably the difference between a true genius like Gu Qingyi and a self-promoting fraud like Zhan Li.

Whenever Zhanli engaged in eloquent discourse, he would always mention Gu Qingyi—as if afraid that people wouldn't know this.

Gu Qingyi's question is: Who is Zhan Li?
Gu Tongbing sighed: "Originally, I was furious that Zhan Li used my sister's reputation as a stepping stone, so I deliberately sent people to spread rumors that the fourth young lady of the Gu family had broken through to the Celestial Realm and was a genius. This Zhan Li, a woman in her fifties, is still stuck at the third realm. What qualifications does she have to be compared with the fourth young lady of the Gu family?"

What do you mean by "two beauties from different realms"? That's laughable.

I deliberately spent money to bribe many well-informed people in the chamber of commerce to spread this rumor.

It was only after that that troublesome matter calmed down for a while.

However, heaven is blind! This Zhanli actually broke through to the Celestial Realm last year! Now, the sayings about the two beauties of the realm, the four daughters of the Gu family in the north, and the Blackwood Cave girl in the south are rampant again! It disgusts me to no end.

"I don't know what's wrong with Heaven, allowing someone like this to comprehend the Heavenly Dao, overcome the Heavenly Tribulation, and break through to the Celestial Realm!"

Chen Yan glanced at Gu Tongbing: "Now that you're cured of the poison, have you recovered your strength? If you really can't stand it, then take action yourself, have a real fight with her in public, and slap her in the face in front of everyone."

Gu Tongbing sighed, his tone helpless: "There's no chance anymore."

If it were before, I would have planned to come to southern Xinjiang this time to find an opportunity to fight her, beat her up, and then say some nasty things, saying that her skills are so useless and she is far inferior to my fourth sister, making her lose face badly.

But now... that won't work!
This time in the White Elephant Tribe, she was the one who saved you after you fainted, and she also helped to cure my poison.

I've received her help in curing my poison; how could I possibly have the face to cause her any more trouble? Otherwise, wouldn't I become an ungrateful bastard?

Gu Tongbing was actually quite annoyed, and continued, "I don't actually need her to do anything about this poison. I can suppress it myself. After I go to the Blackwood Clan, I can also find other cultivators to help me get rid of it."

Besides, she didn't do this to me out of kindness; she just wanted to take the opportunity to do me a favor by helping my family and gain some personal credit.

But unfortunately, I have no choice but to accept this favor.

However, Gu Tongbing was reasonable after all. He sighed and said, "In any case, she did her part to help me detoxify. Whether I needed it or not, she did it anyway, so I have to accept this favor and repay it in the future."

·
The group traveled for several more days, during which Chen Yan stayed only in Gu Tongbing's car and never shared a room with Zhan Li.

During this period, Zhan Li did visit twice, but each time Chen Yan just pretended to be indifferent and didn't say much. Zhan Li wasn't annoyed, but was just polite and respectful.

Even if they didn't come to eat every day, they would send servants to deliver fresh fruits picked along the way.

Even the progress of their journey would be reported to Chen Yan.

After a few days, even Gu Tongbing was amazed and kept looking at Chen Yan with strange eyes.

"This Zhanli wouldn't actually have taken a liking to you, would he? Does he want to recruit you into the Blackwood tribe to be the husband of the cave maiden?"

"This attitude? Even my concubines serve me like this!"

and many more!

Chen Yan looked at Gu Tongbing in surprise: "You have concubines at home?"

“Yes, he has four concubines at home,” Gu Tongbing replied casually. “And two more mistresses outside.”

Chen Yan: "…………Scumbag!"

·
A few days later, they finally arrived at their destination, the Blackwood Tribe, one of the eighteen tribes of the Ghost Clan in the southwest of Southern Xinjiang!

When the waiter came in to report that they had entered the Blackwood region, Gu Tongbing had already gotten up from the blanket. He patted Chen Yan and said with a smile, "Go out and take a look. You've never been here before. It should be very impressive for you."

As he spoke, he pulled Chen Yan out of the carriage, opened the carriage door, and then led Chen Yan onto the back of the white elephant.

Chen Yan followed Gu Tongbing's raised hand and looked ahead and behind...

For a second, Chen Yan's breath caught in his throat!
He saw...a wonder of nature!
·
In the vast wilderness, looking into the distance, there is a towering mountain peak in the distance!
This mountain is much taller and more majestic than the surrounding hills! The peak seems to rise abruptly from the ground and almost pierce the clouds! Its imposing presence makes the surrounding mountains appear like a group of dwarfs standing next to a giant.

The towering peaks were jet black—unlike the surrounding mountains and fields, which were covered in green.

The dark black mountain peaks appeared to be devoid of any vegetation, resembling a layer of black rock covering the entire mountain!
That mountain peak that pierces the clouds is almost entirely barren land!

Such a magnificent sight made Chen Yan feel a strong sense of oppression after just one glance!
It was as if that black mountain possessed a kind of awe-inspiring power. After looking at it for a while, one's heart would feel heavy and one would not dare to stare at it too closely!

Chen Yan was engrossed in watching when he heard Gu Tongbing beside him sigh softly, "Although this isn't my first time here, every time I see this Black Mountain, it still takes my breath away!"

He paused, his tone becoming more serious, and slowly said in Chen Yan's ear, "This is the sacred land of the Blackwood Tribe, Blackwood Mountain!"

"Blackwood Mountain?"

"Well, to be precise, it might not be a mountain."

Gu Tongbing's voice seemed to carry a narrative quality: "Legend has it that in ancient times, the thing you see... was not a mountain, but... a tree!"

Tree?
Chen Yan's eyes widened immediately!
A tree?
Looking at the vast expanse of the mountain base, and the towering black peaks that seemed to pierce the clouds...

A tree?

"In ancient times, this was a tree that reached the heavens, a wondrous sight created by the great power of heaven and earth."

But later, for some unknown reason, this unique tree that reached the heavens defied the laws of nature. Legend has it that it was against the rules of heaven and earth, and was thus subjected to heavenly tribulation and punishment by the heavens!
Countless bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking the towering tree! They burned away its crown and branches, and charred its bark and trunk as well.

Finally, this towering tree was completely killed by the Heavenly Dao during the Heavenly Tribulation.

Its remains remained here, which became the black mountain we see today.

Because its existence defied the laws of heaven and earth, the great tree, after being burned by heavenly lightning and transformed into a mountain, was a scorched and barren wasteland, a punishment from the heavens.

The entire Blackwood Mountain was barren, covered only by a layer of black rock.

Chen Yan murmured, "Why must that towering tree be punished by Heaven? Why must it be struck down by heavenly lightning?"

"I don't know." Gu Tongbing shook his head, but said in a low voice, "Perhaps... its greatest sin was that it was too big, too tall! It wanted to be taller than the sky... That was its way of getting itself killed!"

Too big, too high, higher than the sky...

Chen Yan carefully pondered these words.

"However, the way of Heaven is fair. The sin of the Tongtian Tree was that it tried to break through the limits set by the way of Heaven and grow taller than the sky. But since it was killed by the punishment of Heaven, this sin was wiped away."

After the sins were absolved, the remains of the Towering Tree were also compensated by the Heavenly Dao. After receiving some punishment from the Heavenly Dao, it was left with remnants of the power of the rules.

The Heavenly Tree was struck by lightning, and the Heavenly Dao rules it left behind occupied three of the five elements: metal, wood, and fire.

The eighteen tribes of the Southern Frontier Ghost Clan each have their own cultivation of one of the five elements of the Heavenly Dao.

But only Kurokibe managed to obtain three of the five elements!

Therefore, among the eighteen tribes of the Southern Frontier Ghost Clan, from ancient times to the present, the Blackwood Tribe has always been the leader!

·
(End of this chapter)