I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

Chapter 189: Ape Tribe

Zhang Chen cautiously reached out and stroked the bronze gate before him, a look of caution in his eyes, as if the bronze gate was a ferocious beast, ready to devour him if he was not careful.

"It can't be that we just dug to the entrance of the great tomb and got blocked outside without even entering the gate, right?" Zhang Chen stroked the gate, a thoughtful look on his face: "Since the Ape Tribe is a remnant from the 'Emperor' era, perhaps there are some clues within."

Thinking of this, Zhang Chen applied an invisibility talisman to himself and summoned the fox spirit Nannan to watch over Zhong Xiang for him before sitting down and entering a meditative state.

As Zhang Chen entered meditation, the Feng Shui formation of the Empress's tomb suddenly trembled slightly. In the next moment, Zhang Chen's soul returned to that mysterious world once again.

Everything was still the same as when he left. Zhang Chen was still standing under the big tree, and even the boy 'Di' who had crawled into the belly of the big rat had not yet emerged.

Zhang Chen raised his head and looked at the bright moon overhead. The bright moon still hung high, but the cold moonlight falling into Zhang Chen's eyes contained a sense of inexplicable terror, as if a deity was suspended high above on the bright moon, looking down at him.

"This world is really full of pitfalls and traps everywhere. I still need to be careful and cautious every step of the way," Zhang Chen's eyes revealed a hint of emotion.

Zhang Chen didn't dare to do anything more, and he didn't even dare to absorb the moonlight. Instead, he stood quietly under the big tree, waiting for the boy 'Di's' transformation.

Finally, at a certain moment, the aura of the Earth Rat disappeared. A boy covered in blood, with a face full of excitement, crawled out of the Earth Rat's mouth: "Big brother, I succeeded! I succeeded!"

The boy's eyes were filled with tears, and he choked with excitement.

Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this and used clear water to wash the blood off the boy's body: "How do you feel?"

"My Qi and blood are like a furnace, wonderful beyond words!" the boy 'Di' said.

Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this: "This time, that Rope is probably going to be dumbfounded."

"He actually dared to plot against me. I will definitely not spare him," a hint of killing intent appeared in the boy 'Di's' eyes.

"You want to kill him?" Zhang Chen asked.

"His father is the Great Elder of the tribe. It won't be easy to kill him. I still need to return to the tribe to discuss it in detail. Not only will I kill him, but I will also eliminate his father and son together!" A light of wisdom appeared in the boy's eyes: "Secretly killing people is the worst strategy. This world is full of mysterious power, and the Great Elder will eventually trace the clues. If it is revealed at that time, it will only make me appear insidious and cunning, losing my uprightness and being removed from the position of clan chief successor. Therefore, I need to make thorough preparations before taking action. When eliminating evil, one must eradicate it completely."

Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this. The boy's character was good, and he was also very resourceful. This kind of person will be a qualified chief in the future.

"Big brother, thank you for your kindness to me. I have no way to repay you. You are my reborn parents. Anyway, you don't have a place to stay for the time being. Why don't you return to the tribe with me and settle down for a while?" The boy 'Di' looked at Zhang Chen with anticipation.

Zhang Chen was secretly delighted upon hearing this. This was exactly what he wanted. He was still worried about how to approach the 'Ape' tribe.

"I heard people say that a god cannot enter the territory of another god…" Zhang Chen hesitated slightly: "Although I am not a god, I possess forbidden abilities. If I go with you, will it cause any trouble?"

"Don't worry. I am the young patriarch. With my invitation, you will definitely not be rejected by the gods in my tribe," the boy 'Di' patted his chest to assure him.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to trouble you," Zhang Chen followed the boy towards the tribe with peace of mind.

The Ape Tribe was indeed a small tribe, full of primitive atmosphere. The entire tribe consisted of simple thatched huts, looking like a slightly larger village in later generations.

The boy 'Di' led the way in front, and Zhang Chen followed behind him, tentatively asking: "How many years has your Ape Tribe been established?"

The boy counted on his fingers for a while before saying: "It should be three hundred years."

"Why only three hundred years?" Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing this. This didn't match the timeline at all. It didn't match the timeline of the material world, nor did it match the timeline of the mysterious world.

According to the inscription on the epitaph, the Empress followed the Emperor to conquer the Great Wilderness for a total of three hundred and sixty years, and then the Empress died on the battlefield. But what about after that?

The Emperor should still be fighting in all directions!

Even if he stopped fighting, he should have maintained such a vast empire for hundreds of years, right?

The most crucial thing was that, according to the epitaph, the Empress had swept across the world and killed countless gods in three hundred and sixty years. Wouldn't that mean that the Empress lived longer than the tribe?

At this time, the Ape Tribe, even if it didn't sweep across Nanshan, should have become a famous and powerful tribe, right? How could it still be an inconspicuous small tribe?

A look of disbelief appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes. He felt that the boy was too young, and a ten-year-old child might have made a mistake. Or perhaps there was a break in the Ape Tribe's inheritance. After the Ape Tribe disintegrated, because they had offended too many people when they conquered the world in the past, they had to hide their identities and change their appearances?

Zhang Chen had too many doubts in his heart, and he analyzed several possible scenarios, but he didn't know which one was true.

"Three hundred years ago, because the power of a god erupted in this place, countless people who had been expelled by the original tribe and were wandering outside gathered together and barely survived. Among the descendants of those wanderers, someone activated their Qi and blood, and then the entire tribe began to stabilize. My ancestor was the first person to discover the god, and he contributed his sincere faith to the god, so he naturally became the patriarch," the boy 'Di's' voice was full of pride.

Zhang Chen was even more puzzled upon hearing this: "Could it be that with the disintegration of the 'Emperor's' kingdom recorded in the epitaph, their descendants hid their identities and went into hiding?"

Zhang Chen was very puzzled in his heart.

Only with this explanation could it fit the timeline.

"If they are hiding their identities and lurking here, they must be doing so to avoid enemies. They must have hidden the clues of the Ape Tribe extremely deeply. It won't be easy for me to find them out," Zhang Chen pondered to himself.

As the two were talking, they had already arrived in front of the village. Zhang Chen's eyes scanned the outline of the village, and the golden light in his eyes flowed out automatically. His Dharma Eye suddenly opened, and the village in front of him changed for a while. A khaki-colored light sphere actually appeared in the void, enveloping the entire village.

"It's the power of that mysterious god," Zhang Chen looked at the khaki-colored light sphere, a look of contemplation in his eyes. The power of the god that he saw in the material world was different from the power of the god that he saw now.

Do you know why?

The gods of the material world are like inanimate objects. Although they possess incredible abilities, they lack any spirituality and are entirely controlled by humans.

The gods of the spiritual world, however, possess an indescribable spirituality. They are inherently living entities, guarding the entire village.

However, when Zhang Chen looked at the earthy-yellow light罩, he noticed something amiss, as he detected a faint, inexplicable aura of age and decay emanating from it.

"Strange, ever since the Light of the True God upgraded and spawned runes, my Divine Eye has become increasingly mystical. I can even vaguely perceive the aura of decay," Zhang Chen thought with some surprise. This was the first time he had seen an aura beyond the mystical.

The young man 'Di' arrived at the edge of the village, clasped his hands together, and prayed to the void for a moment. Then, he turned to Zhang Chen and said, "Brother Zhang, please follow me. I have already prayed and reported to the gods."

Zhang Chen nodded in response and followed the young man into the light罩, but he didn't feel anything at all. It was as if he had passed through air.

The two walked through the village. The passing tribespeople, both men and women, were all clad in animal skins, carrying objects as they moved about. Upon seeing the young man 'Di,' they shouted, "Di, didn't you go to participate in the ceremony? Why are you back so early?"

"I successfully ignited my Qi and Blood, so I came back," the young man 'Di' said, his voice filled with pride.

"Ah, as expected of the village chief's son. You're very good," the passerby praised the young man.

Halfway through, they encountered a burly man in his thirties. The man was full of vigor, his body covered in bulging muscles. His face was quite handsome, and his thick fingers held a bronze dagger as he sat in front of his door, repairing arrows. When he saw the young man 'Di' walking in from outside the village, his expression changed, but he quickly concealed it, revealing a hearty smile on his face:

"Isn't this Di? Didn't you participate in the Qi and Blood Ignition Ceremony? Why are you back so soon?"

"Hmph!"

'Di' glanced at the man, a cold glint in his eyes, and pulled Zhang Chen past the doorway. After passing the doorway, the young man 'Di' lowered his voice and said to Zhang Chen, "He is Sheng's father, known as the tribe's second-strongest warrior: Chong."

"So it's him," Zhang Chen said, understanding dawning in his heart. Then, he asked, "If he's the second-strongest warrior, who's the strongest?"

"Of course, it's my father," the young man said, his voice full of pride and admiration.

As the two walked away, the action of 'Sheng's' father sharpening his arrows stopped, a look of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes. "Could it be that Sheng failed? I went to great lengths to reach that Kui Bull ahead of time. How could he have failed?"

"Was it a failure, or did he not have time to act? If he didn't have time to act, then it's still salvageable. If he acted and failed, I'm afraid the chieftain will retaliate," Chong thought with a worried expression. "Then, my family will have no place in the entire tribe."

Just as he was pondering, coincidentally, Sheng led a group of fifteen or sixteen-year-old youths into the village and cheerfully bid them farewell.

With the ceremony completed, he could, of course, be with his companions. Earlier, when Zhang Chen saw them together in the jungle, it was actually Sheng's companions celebrating after he completed the trial.

As the son of the tribe's Great Elder, Sheng's status was extraordinary, so he could naturally gather a large group of young people to support him.

"Dad, I successfully ignited my Qi and Blood, and... our plan worked. That kid is ruined!" Sheng greeted his father.

However, Chong's face was not smiling at this time, but rather filled with gloom. "Come inside and tell me in detail."

Sheng followed Chong into the courtyard. After closing the gate, he lowered his voice and recounted the events, finally saying with a happy face, "As long as Di is crippled, the chieftain's line will have no successors, and the entire tribe will inevitably fall into our hands."

Soon, Sheng noticed something was wrong. Not only was his father's face not filled with joy, but it was also covered with gloom. "Are you saying that you crippled that kid? But I clearly saw that he had already ignited his Qi and Blood, and he didn't even have the slightest injury."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I personally watched him get trampled by the Kui Bull, his ribs broken. He no longer has the ability to ignite his Qi and Blood by hunting Fanged Beasts. Could there be a mistake somewhere? Did you see it wrong?" Sheng's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"That kid was hiding his strength. He was clearly deliberately pretending to be injured to deceive you. And you provoked him so blatantly. He's probably already aware of our plan. No wonder when that kid passed by earlier, he looked at me with such disdain..." A serious look appeared in Chong's eyes.

"If that kid ignites his Qi and Blood and inherits the position of chieftain in the future, how could he tolerate our father and son? And even before he takes over, I'm afraid the chieftain will settle accounts with us. If 'Di' fails to ignite his Qi and Blood, the chieftain's line will have no successors, and we can take the opportunity to win over a large number of tribesmen to oppose the chieftain. But now that 'Di' has successfully ignited his Qi and Blood, those tribesmen will not defect to us." Sheng also realized the seriousness of the matter at this time. If his father and son were not careful, they would end up in a crushing defeat.

"People from the 'Lou' tribe secretly contacted me before. Now, perhaps we can try to contact them. We have to leave a way out for ourselves. That kid's scheming is too deep. Once he gains power in the future, we'll all be doomed." Chong took a deep breath. "You stay at home and don't go anywhere. I'm going out for a walk."

Meanwhile, Zhang Chen and the young man 'Di' walked through the village and arrived at a large house built of bluestone in the center of the village. The house was so large that it could be compared to a courtyard house in the twenty-first century.

"This is my home. Besides the temple, this is the center," the young man 'Di' said to Zhang Chen, introducing him. Then, he shouted into the courtyard, "Father, come out and greet the distinguished guest."

"What are you shouting for, kid? Did you succeed in the trial? If you didn't succeed and embarrassed me, don't you dare come back," a reprimanding voice came from the house, echoing in the courtyard like muffled thunder.