The World that Tao Rules, Volume 16, page 16
Immediately after, figures appeared in front of him, the guards of the city gate were now standing before him.
The leader, a middle-aged man, pointed at Jiang Yun and said, "Bold one, as a person not from the Desolate World tribe, how dare you trespass in Desolate City, don't you know the rules?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun didn't reply immediately, but quickly thought in his mind.
He noticed that no one else entering the city gate was stopped, why was there a sudden force preventing him from entering the city?
If he didn't fit in with this time and space, or if there was something special about him, then why did no one react strangely when they saw him earlier?
Also, the middle-aged man in front of him wasn't from the Desolate World tribe, but claimed to be part of it!
What did he mean by the rules he mentioned?
These questions, Jiang Yun couldn't know the answers to right away.
However, his purpose coming here was to help the Desolate World tribe change their fate, not to be enemies with them.
Since the other party identified themselves as the Desolate World tribe, and this city also belongs to the Desolate World tribe, he could only assume that the person was from the Desolate World tribe.
Thinking about this, Jiang Yun politely clasped his hands and said, "I am indeed new here and unaware of the customs. I hope you can inform me."
After the middle-aged man looked Jiang Yun up and down for a while, he coldly smiled and said, "To enter the Desolate City, you either become a member of our Desolate World tribe, or you defeat us and forcefully enter with your strength!"
This made Jiang Yun furrow his brows involuntarily. What kind of rule was this?
In Jiang Yun's impression, the only way for outsiders to become a member of the Desolate World tribe was to become a Desolate World Lord Slave.
Thinking this, Jiang Yun suddenly had a realization, discreetly scanning the man in front of him and the onlookers around.
"Could it be that they are actually the Desolate World Lord Slaves?"
"But they don't have the Desolate Mark on them, instead, each of them exudes spirit qi from within, which is completely different from the Desolate World Lord Slaves in The Great Wilderness Realm!"
While Jiang Yun was pondering, the middle-aged man coldly snorted again, "Why are you silent? Could it be that you are a spy sent by the Hall of Deicide?"
"In that case, I will capture you first before anything else!"
As soon as he said that, the middle-aged man suddenly took a step forward and ruthlessly punched towards Jiang Yun!
Jiang Yun's pupils slightly contracted because he heard a strange term, Hall of Deicide, from the man's mouth!
Dao God Temple, Hall of Deicide!
Just a one-word difference, could they be the same organization?
Deicide!
God, that is a supreme title.
Only the nine silent clans who are the creators can endure this name.
Therefore, those who want to kill gods are naturally dissatisfied individuals from the nine clans, led by the Taoist Lord and other strong beings.
"It seems that in the era I am in now, the Dao God Temple is still known as the Hall of Deicide, and they have already begun openly opposing the nine silent clans."
"Bang!"
Just then, Jiang Yun raised his hand and grabbed the fist of the middle-aged man, smiling slightly, "I am not from the Hall of Deicide, but..."
After deducing that the Dao God Temple is indeed the Hall of Deicide, Jiang Yun was prepared to reveal his identity.
Although he was not from the Desolate World tribe, he had the Desolate Mark. By showing his Desolate Mark, he knew the other party would no longer trouble him.
But before Jiang Yun could finish speaking, the middle-aged man coldly interrupted, "I say you are, so you are!"
"Daring to resist, seeking death!"
As the man finished speaking, a Desolate Mark appeared above his forehead and quickly spread, covering the fist held by Jiang Yun.
Inside the Desolate Mark, a more violent force surged out and slammed into Jiang Yun's palm.
"Bang!"
With a dull sound, Jiang Yun was shocked to release his palm, even stepping back, staring fixedly at the Desolate Mark on the man's forehead.
This made the middle-aged man sneer again, "I thought you were capable, turns out you're nothing special. Men, capture him!"
Suddenly, a guard next to the man also had a Desolate Mark appear on his forehead, covering his arm and forming a Desolate Mark Chain, wrapping around Jiang Yun like a spirit snake.
At this moment, everyone thought Jiang Yun was simply scared by the man's power.
But in reality, the true reason Jiang Yun was "scared" was because he finally understood.
In this era, whether it was a member of the Desolate World tribe or a Desolate World Lord Slave, they could actually use both Desolate Mark and spirit qi at the same time!
"Crash!"
The Desolate Mark Chain instantly wrapped around Jiang Yun, making him finally snap out of it, with a fierce gleam flashing in his eyes.
Besides understanding that the Desolate World tribe could simultaneously use the Desolate Mark and spirit qi, Jiang Yun also realized something else.
The Desolate World tribe was not as friendly as he had imagined!
In truth, Jiang Yun had no real understanding of the Desolate World tribe at all.
It was only because Dao Yuanzhi, who was both a member of the Desolate World tribe and the founder of the Branch Seeking-Tao Sect, had made Jiang Yun somewhat favorably disposed towards the tribe.
However, it was not until now, after witnessing the middle-aged man's rough and overbearing attitude towards him, that Jiang Yun finally realized his mistake!
As one of the Creators of the Desolate World tribe, they were high above and untouchable - almost like gods!
In their eyes, apart from their own people, they did not care about anyone else.
This shows clearly when they refer to their followers as "slaves".
To help the Desolate World tribe change their fate, the first thing to do is to gain recognition from the tribe, not to find the tribe members.
This recognition is based on strength.
Jiang Yun believes that the rule of "might makes right" should still apply, no matter how far apart his time is from the present era.
Seeing the tightening Desolate Mark Chain on his body, almost strangling him, Jiang Yun's smile faded. "Is this how the Desolate World tribe welcomes guests?"
With these words, Jiang Yun reached out and grabbed the Desolate Mark Chain, squeezing it tightly.
Without a sound, the Desolate Mark Chain broke directly.
The guard who released the chains let out a scream, and the other chains quickly loosened from Jiang Yun's body and retreated to his forehead.
This scene, seen by the middle-aged man, made his face darken. "He has some skills, but trying to act recklessly in my Desolate World tribe is not enough. Kill him!"
With his command this time, not only the guards around him, but even the onlookers around all showed a fierce look and walked towards Jiang Yun together.
And at that moment, different Desolate Marks finally appeared on their foreheads!
Obviously, in their eyes, Jiang Yun had become their common enemy!
They wanted to kill Jiang Yun!
Chapter 893: Unusual Times
Feeling the strong murderous aura emanating from these cultivators, Jiang Yun couldn't help feeling a hint of helplessness in his heart!
His task was to help change the fate of the Desolate World tribe, but he hadn't even entered the gates of Desolate City yet, and had already become an enemy of the Desolate World tribe!
Although this made it more difficult for him to complete his task, Jiang Yun didn't regret his actions.
He couldn't say he would earn the respect of the Desolate World tribe, but he was not their servant; at the very least, he wanted to maintain an equal status with them.
The Desolate World tribe doesn't give this kind of identity easily, you have to earn it with your strength!
What's more, despite being Desolate Mark and spirit qi cultivators who want to kill him, the strongest middle-aged man is only at a level similar to Tao Spiritual Realm.
For Jiang Yun, who can easily defeat someone from the Sky Blessed Realm, these people pose no threat at all.
"Attack!"
The middle-aged man shouted again, and all the cultivators around immediately launched their attacks.
In an instant, various Desolate Marks, different spells, and even some weapons were all thrown at Jiang Yun from all directions.
Facing these attacks, Jiang Yun didn't even try to defend himself with any spells, letting all the attacks hit him hard.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, there were intense explosive sounds, and colorful lights completely engulfed Jiang Yun.
Just when everyone thought Jiang Yun would either die or be seriously injured, the middle-aged man with a sneer suddenly felt his throat tighten.
Immediately after, his body felt light, and uncontrollably lifted off the ground.
Before him, Jiang Yun's figure appeared, and in his ears, he heard Jiang Yun's calm voice.
"Earlier you said that as long as we defeat you, we can enter the city. So if I kill you, it should be considered fair play, right!"
This sudden scene caught everyone off guard.
With so many pairs of eyes clearly seeing Jiang Yun being hit by countless spells, not only was Jiang Yun unharmed, but also easily caught the middle-aged man.
Especially the middle-aged man, although he stood in front of the gate of Desolate City, although he belonged to the Desolate World tribe, he had no doubt that Jiang Yun's hand gripping his throat could crush his windpipe at any moment!
"Regardless of whether you are from the Hall of Deicide, as long as you dare to kill one of us from the Desolate World tribe, you will become our eternal enemy, and we will never settle until one of us dies!"
Just then, a voice with a hint of laziness suddenly sounded in everyone's ears.
Following the sound, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties appeared on the plaque with the word "Desolate" written on it, but no one knew when he had arrived.
The young man was handsome, with a lazy look on his face. He leaned against the plaque with his feet dangling, swinging back and forth, looking very relaxed.
Upon seeing this man, everyone around the city gate immediately bowed to him and greeted, "Greetings, sir!"
Jiang Yun also noticed the man, but his gaze was fixed on the young man's forehead, where there was a vertical rune.
That rune was the Desolate Mark, but it was not complete, similar to Jiang Yun's situation.
It seemed to be the initial stroke of a certain Desolate Mark.
Although Jiang Yun still didn't know the difference between the true members of the Desolate World tribe and the Desolate World Lord Slaves, he speculated that this young man, referred to as sir, was probably a true member of the Desolate World tribe.
As for the others, they were naturally Desolate World Lord Slaves.
"Perhaps, the true members of the Desolate World tribe will reveal a Desolate Mark on their forehead to distinguish themselves from the Desolate World Lord Slaves."
With this thought in his mind, Jiang Yun looked at the young man and calmly said, "Whether he lives or dies doesn't depend on me, but on the attitude of your Desolate World tribe!"
"Oh?" The young man raised his eyebrows and asked, "So, what kind of attitude do you want?"
Jiang Yun said gently, "I am new here, and though I may not know the customs, I should not be treated as a spy for the Hall of Deicide, let alone be captured or killed upon our first meeting, right?"
"Releasing him is not out of the question, but as an elder of the Desolate World tribe, will you explain today's events to me?"
Jiang Yun was aware that even if the man he captured was only a slave of the Desolate World Lord, killing him would make him an enemy of the tribe and jeopardize his mission.
The young man smiled slightly and said, "Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be like this. However, these guards are a bit more sensitive during these extraordinary times!"
Extraordinary times!
These four words stirred something in Jiang Yun's heart, confirming his belief that this era was the time for a great war between the Desolate World tribe and the Taoist Lord.
After a pause, the young man continued, "I must say, I admire your courage. If you release him, I will let you enter the city, and we can consider this matter settled. What do you say?"
After thinking for a while, Jiang Yun nodded and said, "Good!"
After speaking, Jiang Yun relaxed his grip, and the middle-aged man fell to the ground, quickly backing away a few steps to create distance with Jiang Yun.
However, his eyes still showed great hostility and fear when looking at Jiang Yun.
Jiang Yun completely ignored him, focusing his gaze on the young man.
Now Jiang Yun understood that the sudden force attacking him did not come from any person, but from this Desolate City.
The reason for stopping him was because he was not a member of the Desolate World tribe.
Therefore, if he wanted to enter the city, he needed the approval of the Desolate World tribe members.
The young man made no move, only saying, "You can go now!"
Without hesitation, Jiang Yun took a firm step and walked into the Desolate City.
Watching Jiang Yun gradually blend into the crowd, the young man's face showed a thoughtful expression, "It's strange, I can feel a sense of familiarity from this person, yet he is not one of my people!"
"This person is powerful, with unknown origins, we must be cautious."
"However, if he is truly not from the Hall of Deicide, maybe we can consider welcoming him into our clan, after all, we are in need of capable individuals now!"
With a wave to the people gathered below, the young man leaped into the air and entered Desolate City.
Instead of following Jiang Yun, the young man directly approached the five palace-like buildings within Desolate City. After a moment of hesitation, he entered the shortest one.
Although there were guards outside the palace, they all bowed and allowed the young man to enter without any obstruction.
The young man seemed familiar with the palace as he moved around inside confidently.
Upon reaching a side hall, he bowed respectfully towards the closed door and said, "Uncle of the clan!"
After a moment of silence following the young man's words, a hoarse voice came from within the door, "Huang Tu, do you need something?"
A young man named Huang Tu said, "Uncle, I want to find out about someone!"
"Who?"
"Someone who just entered Desolate City!"
"What's so special about this person?"
"This person is not from our tribe. They just had a dispute with the guards at the city gate, but I feel a strange connection with them."
As Huang Tu spoke, a mark on his forehead, the Desolate Mark, suddenly left him and began to grow and form the image of Jiang Yun in the air.
Chapter 894: The Strength of the Desolate World Tribe
Outside the side hall, the image of Jiang Yun floated in the air, formed by the Desolate Mark, appearing lifelike as if he were a real person.
After a moment of silence, the door of the side hall finally opened. Instead of a person coming out, a Desolate Mark flew out.
The strange symbol, shaped like an eye, landed directly on Jiang Yun's portrait and slowly merged into it.
...
Jiang Yun was wandering aimlessly in the Desolate City at this moment.
Although his face remained calm, his inner fear was growing.
He kept using his divine sense, senses, and even secretly activated the Demon Eye to carefully observe everything around him.
He wanted to determine whether the world he was in now was an illusion or real.
Despite not being skilled in illusions, Jiang Yun had a strong mind, sharp senses, and knowledge of formations. He had even successfully overcome inner demons, so he had some understanding of illusions.
