I have Taoism and can understand other worlds

Chapter 676 The Calamity of the Hundred Barbarians
The leaders were four women, each with a distinct temperament, yet all equally stunning.

The leader, with a human upper body, a beautiful and aloof face, and an inhuman holiness, had a long, slender snake tail covered with fine silver scales below her waist, which moved gracefully and elegantly. She was the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Serpent Clan.

The second person had a healthy, crimson complexion with faint, flame-like patterns flowing across it. Her appearance was no different from that of a human, yet she exuded a scorching and vibrant aura. She was the Holy Maiden of the Crimson Water Clan.

The woman behind her was extremely tall, about ten zhang tall, like a moving mountain, but her face was similar to a human's, only more rugged and majestic, and she exuded an aura as heavy as a mountain. This was the Holy Maiden of the Tuoyun Clan.

The fourth one, with a figure similar to that of a human, has a very pale, shimmering blue skin, a small and exquisite white horn on her forehead, and eyes as deep as the night, exuding a cool and mysterious aura. She is none other than the Holy Maiden of the Youyue Clan.

These four were the leaders of the Baiman tribe, one of the four major tribes alongside the Baixi tribe.

Upon seeing this, Elder Longren, the elder of the Baixi tribe in hemp clothing, led his people to greet them. It was clear that this was not the first time the two sides had met on the Ascension Path. They exchanged greetings, but the atmosphere was not warm, carrying the inherent distance and wariness between the four major tribes.

"Greetings, everyone from Baixi." The Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Serpent Clan spoke in an ethereal voice, her serpent tail swaying gently.

"Greetings, Holy Maidens." The Dragon Elder returned the greeting, his gaze sweeping over the Hundred Barbarian tribe's group, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. He keenly noticed that the number of Hundred Barbarian tribesmen who came this time seemed to be much smaller than in the past, and many of their members wore expressions of undisguised weariness and sorrow.

Jiang Wen stood in the group of Elder Baixi, calmly observing them. He could sense that the four saintesses were all powerful, especially the saintesses of the Serpent Clan and the Tuoyun Clan, who gave him the feeling that they were no less than the Dragon Clan elders.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Serpent Clan swept her gaze over the Bai Xi group. When her eyes fell upon Jiang Wen, sensing the aura that was distinct from the power of Bai Xi's bloodline yet unfathomable, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. However, she did not ask any further questions. Instead, she took a deep breath, and her holy and aloof expression was replaced by a profound sorrow and anxiety.

"Elders of the Dragon People, Elders of the Hundred Streams," her voice trembled slightly, "I, Bai Man... have encountered a great calamity and have come to ask for help from all tribes."

Upon hearing this, not only were the Bai Xi group stunned, but even the three Bai Man Saintesses behind her showed sorrow on their faces.

"What exactly happened?" the dragon elder asked in a deep voice.

The Holy Maiden of the Red Water Clan stepped forward, her scorching aura dimming slightly, her voice hoarse: "It's Black Water! Filthy black water, gushing forth from who knows where, has submerged nearly half of the habitats of my Hundred Barbarians! Rivers are poisoned, vegetation withers, and living beings... living beings that touch it perish instantly, turning into withered bones!"

The Holy Maiden of the Tuoyun Clan's voice boomed, filled with suppressed anger and grief: "The valley where my clan dwells has been swallowed by the black water by thirty percent! Countless clansmen did not have time to escape, and... That black water is not only filthy, but it can also corrode the mind. Those who are tainted by it, even if they are lucky enough to survive, will become corpses!"

The Holy Maiden of the Youyue Clan had tears in her eyes. Her clan was already relatively small, and this disaster had caused them even greater losses.

"We have tried everything—sacrifices, sealing, diversion… but none of it can stop the black water from spreading. It's like a living thing, constantly devouring all life. Now, the surviving members of my Baiman tribe are trapped in the last few patches of pure land, barely clinging to life… If no external force comes to our aid, the annihilation of our tribe is imminent!"

They spoke one after another, describing a scene that resembled hell on earth.

The once vibrant homeland of the Hundred Barbarians is now mostly covered by the desolate Black Water. Countless of their people have turned into corpses, roaming freely in the Protected Land.

The villages and towns where the clansmen once sang and laughed are now just ruins, soaked in filth.

The corpses of countless tribesmen floated on the surface of the black water or sank to the bottom, becoming nourishment for this filth. The survivors huddled in ever-shrinking safe zones, watching helplessly as the land they depended on for survival was swallowed up bit by bit, the air thick with despair and fear.

Listening to the stories told by the Holy Maidens of the Hundred Barbarians, the elders of the Hundred Streams exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with shock and disbelief. They could not imagine that the Hundred Barbarians, one of the four great tribes, would suffer such a terrible calamity.

The Rakshasa tribesmen turned pale upon hearing this. They had just experienced the threat of the Black Water from the Holy Land and knew its terror all too well. But compared to the Black Water calamity that the Hundred Barbarians had described, which swept across the heavens and earth, the Black Water confined within the Immortal Cave of the Holy Land was utterly insignificant.

Elder Ma Yi remained silent for a long time. He exchanged glances with the other Elders of Baixi, and they all saw the shock in each other's eyes, as well as... a trace of indescribable relief.

Exhaling a long breath, the elders looked at Jiang Wen, who had been silent beside them, with complicated expressions. Their voices were filled with heartfelt emotion: "If it weren't for Elder Jiang, our Baixi Holy Land would probably have followed in the footsteps of the Baiman tribes, or even suffered a more tragic fate."

Upon hearing this, all the elders of Baixi focused their gazes on Jiang Wen, their eyes filled with lingering fear and gratitude.

They knew better than anyone that if Jiang Wen hadn't purified the heart of the sacred land and cut off the source of the black water, then Baixi Divine Capital would have been completely swallowed up by the black water overflowing from the Immortal Cave sooner or later. The thought of that scene sent chills down the spines of even these seasoned elders.

The four Holy Maidens of Baiman keenly noticed the expressions and words of the Elders of Baixi, and they looked at Jiang Wen with surprise and doubt. This elder, whose appearance was unfamiliar and whose aura was peculiar, had actually solved the Blackwater calamity that even they were helpless against?

A glimmer of hope ignited in the eyes of the Heavenly Serpent Clan's Holy Maiden. She bowed deeply to Jiang Wen, saying, "Elder, you..."

Jiang Wen shook his head slightly, interrupting her question: "Since the black water has already spread, I am helpless."

This is also true; he was powerless to stop the black water from eroding the land.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wen looked at the Dragon Elder and the other elders: "Gentlemen, the Bai Man and my Bai Xi are both of the four major tribes. We are interdependent. Now that they are suffering such a great calamity, how can we sit idly by?"

Upon hearing this, the elders whispered among themselves for a moment.

Some elders worried that the rescue would deplete Baixi's own strength and affect its exploration on the path to immortality; others believed that the Blackwater calamity was bizarre and might backfire. But in the end, considering the misfortune they had almost encountered and Jiang Wen's unfathomable methods, a consensus was quickly reached.

On behalf of all the elders, Elder Longren solemnly addressed the four Holy Maidens of Baiman: “Four Holy Maidens, although Baixi and Baiman may have occasional disputes, we share the same roots and origins, and are all beings of this realm. Now that Baiman is in calamity, I, Baixi, will never stand idly by! Once the matter of this Ascension Path has been settled, I, Baixi, will do my utmost to help and save the Baiman tribe.”

"Now that Baixi is stable, the Bai barbarians are welcome to come to our blessed land if they wish. We can discuss the affairs of the various regions later, shall we?"

Hearing the Dragon Elder's affirmative reply, the four Hundred Barbarian Saintesses finally relaxed. The Heavenly Serpent Clan Saintesse's eyes even reddened slightly, and she bowed deeply once again: "The noble righteousness of Bai Xi will never be forgotten by our Hundred Barbarian tribe."

The two holy maidens bowed gracefully, while the holy maiden of the Tuoyun tribe pounded her chest heavily, making a dull thud, to show her deepest gratitude.

The plan to save the Baiman tribes was initially decided in front of the Cloud Palace, the first level of the Path to Immortality.

The elder surnamed Jiang who spoke up for the Bai Man tribe now appeared incredibly tall and mysterious in the eyes of the Bai Man people.

Although the Bai Man tribe and Bai Xi had not seen each other for nearly eighty years, they knew the status of Elder Bai Xi. Perhaps the same elder had never been replaced for thousands of years, but now there were thirteen elders.

This young man was no ordinary person. The Heavenly Serpent Saintess gazed intently at Jiang Wen.

(End of this chapter)