Chapter 844 Leng Yun
When Ding Hao returned to the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect last time, he collected a lot of delicacies and stored them in his Storage Ring. Due to the inscription and formation inside, the food would not go bad even if it was stored for hundreds of years. When the food was taken out, it must be warm and fresh.
“It… You have given us too much food. How can we finish all!” Chu was a little startled.
Food had always been scarce in a desolate place like Ocean Forest. As a result, the population of the Heavenly Wasteland Tribe had always been limited to less than 1,000. At that time, without the support of top masters, the tribe’s range of activity was only within a hundred miles. After each expedition, the warriors of the tribe could only bring back a limited amount of food which could only feed a few people.
The young man named Hu was right. If it were other tribes, an idiot or a good-for-nothing like the white-robed young man would have died already. The reason why he could survive was that Nalan Chu had been living a frugal life and had left her own food to him.
The delicious meat in front of them had always been the food of leaders, elders, and powerful warriors of the tribe.
Nalan Chu couldn’t even remember when she had meat last time.
Occasionally, the warriors of the tribe went hunting and had a great harvest, they would distribute the meat to everyone in the tribe. However, Nalan Chu would change the beast meat she got for ordinary food like yams, potatoes, gra.s.s. For her, she could get a large number of vegetables with a little meat. Even though the vegetables didn’t taste delicious, they wouldn’t starve to death after all.
In the past few years, Nalan Chu had been learning how to make herbal medicine from Granny Medicine, who was respected for her talents in medicines. In this way, Chu could barely feed herself and her silly brother.
Nalan Chu could not believe it when she saw so much delicate food in front of her.
Ding Hao said with a smile, “If it weren’t for Miss Chu, I might have died in the wilderness. I don’t know how to express how thankful I am, so I bring the food and hope you can enjoy it.”
“Delicious! It’s delicious. You’re a good person. I like you.” The white-robed youth began to eat. He smiled foolishly at Ding Hao and expressed his favor to him.
Finally, Chu couldn’t any longer resist the temptation of the delicious food. She picked up a small piece of roasted meat and put it in her mouth. The wonderful taste made her tremble excitedly.
Was it what meat taste like?
Chu even sucked the grease on her fingers.
By then, Ding Hao had already known more or less about the situation of the Heavenly Wasteland Tribe.
It seemed that the people in this world did not live a good life. Some warriors of the Heavenly Wasteland Tribe had the physical strength in the Martial Grand Emperor Realm. However, it was difficult to get adequate food and clothing for their people. If it were on the Land of Infinity, a Martial Grand Emperor could almost be a dominator who could get whatever he wanted. How could he be so embarra.s.sed?
Ding Hao also ate something.
Ding Hao was still a little weak now, not only because of the suppression of the unique power of the rules in this world and the influence of traveling through the chessboard formation but also because of the aftereffects of activating the Devil Saber and the Rusted Sword at the same time in the battle of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect.
“Hmm? What’s that? It smells so good.”
A voice came from afar. The next moment, several figures flashed out appeared on the platform of the tree.
They were the armored warriors of the tribe.
“Hmm? Why is there meat in your home? How dare you! How dare you keep meat private? Tell me, where did you get those things?” The burly leader glanced at them and asked sternly.
Meat should be given to warriors who needed to replenish strength. As a result, hiding or stealing meat was an ultimate sin in all tribes.
Chu panicked. She immediately knelt on the ground, saying, “Lord Debiao, please don’t be angry. I don’t dare to hide meat in my home. The meat and dishes here are not mine. They are Brother Ding Hao’s belongings. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Hu.”
The muscular young man named Hu immediately told him what had happened.
“Oh? It’s you?” Debiao, the strong man, looked at Ding Hao from top to toe and said, “are you the stranger that Chu carried back from the wilderness? Have you recovered? If you do, please leave as soon as possible. Heavenly Wasteland Tribe doesn’t welcome outsiders.”
As Ding Hao’s eyes swept over those people, he found that this strong man named Debiao should be the leader of the warriors. Debiao’s cultivation of inner strength was in the Great Martial Mentor Realm, but his physical strength had entered the Three-apertured or Four-apertured Martial Grand Emperor Realm, which was quite extraordinary. The other six strong men behind him were warriors with the physical strength of Half-Step Martial Grand Emperor.
“Okay, I will leave as soon as possible,” Ding Hao said calmly.
He had intended to leave this tribe and figure out the world outside. He wanted to find out whether it was the so-called immortal land and where those who came to this world through the transmission formation had gone. Also, he had to follow Ding Honglei’s instructions and strive to find Central Region Supreme G.o.d of War and other experts in the Immortal Realm who had entered the immortal land through the Gate to the Immortal Land at Green Wood Cliff.
Because it was related to the situation of the two clans on the Land of Infinity.
As a result, he had never thought of continuing to stay in the Heavenly Wasteland Tribe.
Hearing Ding Hao’s words, the strong man Bebiao nodded. Then he pointed to the delicacies on the table and said, “According to the tribe’s rules, no matter where you come from, you should hand over the meat to us.”
“Lord Debiao, how can you do it?” Chu felt stunned and wanted to say something.
Ding Hao gently pulled her and took out more delicacies and wine from his Storage Ring. He smiled and said, “Of course. Thank you all for saving my life. Please take the food. It was just a little token of my appreciation.”
Seeing the piles of delicacies in front of them, the strong warriors all rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
The strong man Debiao glanced at Ding Hao’s Storage Ring greedily, but he did not ask him for it. He nodded and asked his soldiers to take all the food away, without thanking Ding Hao or refusing the food.
It was not until the soldiers had gone far that the young man named Hu snorted and said, “There is no such rule in the tribe. It’s obvious that Debiao and his men are greedy. He was making up excuses.” Speaking of this, he looked at Chu and thought of something. “By the way, Chu, I heard from the elders today that on the sacrificial ceremony three days later, the tribe will choose a spouse for the women in the tribe, and you are among them.”
Hearing his words, Chu’s face went pale.
In the Ocean Forest, women could get married after they were 12 years old.
“I am glad you know it now. I have to remind you that Granny Medicine has always been nice to you. If you have fallen in love with any warrior in the tribe, you can ask her to do you a favor. In this way, you can be with your loved one and you won’t be separated.”
Hu said something more, turned around and left.
Ding Hao noticed Chu’s expression. Obviously, she was panicked and afraid. She did not seem willing to join the ceremony, but he did not know how to comfort her.
“Good person, is there any more meat? I want meat.” The white-robed young man gently pulled Ding Hao’s sleeve and stared at him.
Ding Hao smiled and took out more roasted meat for him.
“Thank you, Brother Ding.” Nalan Chu gritted her teeth embarra.s.sedly and whispered.
After a while, the sun in the distance finally set and disappeared behind the mountains that resembled the giant black beasts. Darkness began to cover the ground. Demonic aura boiled like boiling water and many dormant horrible things were active now. Standing on the treetops, Ding Hao could see a huge G.o.d-like b.l.o.o.d.y eye looming in the distant darkness.
The terrifying dark night had finally come.
Nalan Chu and her brother had already returned to the cabin on top of another tree to rest.
Compared with the daytime, it was too cold at night, as if it had suddenly changed from midsummer to cold winter. The leaves as big as giant palms at his feet rolled up strangely and turned into green needles.
Looking into the distance, Ding Hao found that the Heavenly Wasteland Tribe was much quieter.
This tribe covered an area of about three or four miles. It was located on a mountain plateau where it was slightly higher than that of the surrounding area. Standing on the hilltop, he could clearly see everything. It was surrounded by stone walls and giant trees, and wonderful formations were set up here. There were also warriors of the tribe patrolling back and forth on the city wall.
On the Land of Infinity, the scale and population of this tribe were smaller than that of Qing River Town.
However, when Ding Hao released his Divine Senses, he could sense that there were dozens of experts at the peak of the Martial Grand Emperor Realm and two Absolute Superiors in the Sage Realm. Even experts of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect were inferior to them.
Now Ding Hao had already known everything about the tribe.
When he was about to return to the cabin behind him, he suddenly stopped and looked to the right, saying, “Who is it?”
As a figure flashed in the darkness, a one-armed old man with a physique of a lion or a tiger appeared ten meters away. He held a black cane, and the power inside his body was surging like an ocean, which was far beyond Zhang Fan the Mad Saber. He stared at Ding Hao as if a beast had found its prey. It took him a while before saying, “Young man, who are you? Why are you in the territory of the Heavenly Wasteland Tribe?”
His voice was coa.r.s.e as if two rough stones were rubbing against each other.
On the one-armed old man, Ding Hao felt the b.l.o.o.d.y aura that only belonged to the masters who had experienced countless life-and-death battles and killed countless creatures. The old man was like a warrior who had just walked out of the battlefield in h.e.l.l.
“Who are you?” Ding Hao asked.
“I am Leng Yun, Elder of the Altar in the Heavenly Wasteland Tribe.” The single-armed elder did not speak much.
Ding Hao nodded and said, “Elder Leng, don’t worry. I’m just a pa.s.ser-by and a dest.i.tute of the world. I mean no harm. Nalan Chu kindly brought me here for treatment because I was injured. I will leave tomorrow morning.”
“Judging from how Young Master Ding is dressed, you don’t seem to be a member of the Ocean Forest. Are you from another world?” The one-armed old man tried to drag some information out of him.
Ding Hao was surprised.
It seemed that the one-armed old man knew something of the world outside the Ocean Forest.