Mountain Opening Realm

After sending Huo Shan back to rest, Huo Tang let out a long sigh, then shook his head again.

He really had been too suppressed. With the ancestors' blessings, as soon as the tribe's strength improved, he was impatient to expand.

But where were there so many easy opportunities to pick up?

Huo Shan had observed several nearby tribes. Although they had all been infected by the plague insects, the strength of their warriors had not been significantly damaged.

Even if he wanted to make a move, he would have to find a tribe that was on the verge of collapse, about to be destroyed.

He had been a bit too ambitious.

Since there were no easy opportunities to be found, the tribe still needed to develop.

Every natural disaster not only affected humans but also the desolate beasts in the mountains and wilds.

This heavy rain had lasted for over a hundred and twenty days, and the mountain floods had spread far and wide. Now that the floodwaters had receded, it was time for the desolate beasts, who had been hiding from the disaster, to come out and hunt.

The desolate beasts, having been starved for a long time, were filled with ferocity and violence. They would engage in fierce competition for prey, naturally resulting in many injured desolate beasts.

All the tribes would also seize this opportunity to hunt after the plague.

Huo Tang suddenly realized that he seemed to have miscalculated. He shouldn't have focused only on his own people and forgotten about the desolate beasts.

The tribe had improved Kui Ox Fist and a neutralizing medicinal formula. As long as there was beast blood, it was a great time for development.

With warriors, would the tribesmen still worry about not finding wives!

Moreover, with this long period of heavy rain, even third-tier desolate beasts must have been affected.

If he could find an injured third-tier desolate beast, then Huo Shan might be able to advance to the Heavenly Meridian realm, and he himself could try to break through to the Heavenly Meridian realm again.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late yet!

This past month was when the plague was rampant. Compared to hunting, the most important thing for everyone was to maintain the safety of the tribe.

Even when they went out, they only dared to send a few tribesmen out to scout sporadically.

"Call Huo Shan..."

Just as Huo Tang was about to speak, he remembered something and left the cave directly.

In a cave on Isolation Mountain, inside an ear cave, a campfire flickered.

Huo Shan's wife was boiling witch medicine, and as she poured the brewed medicinal soup into a stone trough, the liquid poured down directly from the top of Huo Shan's head.

The strong scent of witch medicine filled the air.

"Tribe Leader, why are you here?"

Huo Shan opened his eyes and saw Huo Tang standing outside. His wife had already walked out of the ear cave.

Huo Tang took over tending the fire and boiling the medicine, signaling Huo Shan to continue soaking in the stone trough.

"When you were scouting nearby tribes, did you see any desolate beasts when you passed through the wilderness?"

"Yes, but there weren't many."

Huo Shan recalled. He had been in the wilderness for over a month and had seen quite a few plague insects.

"Rest for two days. I'm planning to have you lead a team to hunt. At the very least, you need to bring back beast blood."

Huo Tang poked the campfire with a wooden stick. "Hunting desolate beasts is secondary. The more important thing is to see if we can find any injured third-tier desolate beasts.

You've been a Mountain Opening Realm warrior for quite some time. You should try to break through to the Heavenly Meridian realm during this opportunity.

Even if you don't succeed this time, it will be considered accumulating foundation for the next breakthrough."

"To find third-tier desolate beasts, you need to go deep into the mountains. Be careful."

"Since the Tribe Leader has given the order, I'll set out tomorrow. Who will be going with me?"

"After you left, four more tribesmen advanced to the Mountain Opening Realm. I'll make sure you have enough manpower."

That night.

Shen Can, having finished his deductions, lay on the stone bed to rest.

Deducing witch arts, the mental strain involved with the Sacrificial Cauldron was a great drain on his mind.

However, after each deduction, when he recovered, he would feel his spirit becoming even stronger.

He also became more proficient in casting the witch arts he had comprehended.

After comprehending the Water Control Art, his deduction progress had hit a bottleneck in the past few days.

Over the past few days, he found that he spent eighty to ninety years of lifespan on deductions each day.

Even if he couldn't deduce anything, it didn't affect his spirit much the next day; instead, he could perceive an improvement in his mental momentum.

This feeling was similar to how his strength increased after eating well each day while practicing Kui Ox Fist. Spending lifespan on deductions daily also improved his spirit.

Of course, with his lifespan rapidly decreasing day by day, he had already deduced the thirteenth witch character within the Lingyu Water Control Art system.

At this moment, he suddenly heard movement within the cave.

Then he heard his master, Huo Xian, from the east ear cave, speak. The person who arrived exchanged a few low words with Huo Xian.

"Iron wood."

The sound was faint, but Shen Can still 'heard' it.

Not long after, movement also came from behind the divine altar.

The movement was slight, but he could sense it clearly.

This feeling was very mysterious; he could just hear it. Shen Can felt it might be a mental power, a sense.

He had already identified the person who arrived – it was the tribe leader, Huo Tang, rummaging in the hidden cave behind the divine altar.

He wondered what the tribe leader was secretly up to.

Though a little curious, Shen Can didn't get up to take a look. He rolled over and continued sleeping.

Huo Tang, who had entered the cave, approached the fragmented pieces of iron wood.

He was the only one in the entire tribe capable of cutting iron wood.

He planned to forge several iron wood spears to enhance the fighting strength of the tribesmen when they encountered third-tier desolate beasts.

After inspecting the iron wood fragments, Huo Tang got to work with a clang.

The next morning, as soon as Shen Can got up, Huo Xian reminded him not to reveal what Huo Tang had been doing in the Ancestral Temple, to prevent rumors from spreading among the tribesmen.

Shen Can nodded. After eating, he went to check on the tribesmen's physical condition.

As time passed, the plague's momentum began to slightly decline. The tribesmen started leaving the caves to clear the stone halls and houses buried by the floodwaters.

When there were no natural disasters, humans still preferred to live in houses.

The main reason was that the caves were deep, damp, and cold, and it was a bit troublesome to go up and down the mountain.

Among the tribal buildings at the foot of the mountain, the tallest stone hall was actually the Ancestral Temple.

However, with frequent natural and man-made disasters, the ancestors had to relocate from time to time.

Three days later.

As evening approached, Shen Can returned to the Ancestral Temple cave from the isolation cave.

After eating, he began practicing Kui Ox Fist in his ear cave.

The whistling of his fists made Huo Xian nod and shake his head.

A-Can's punches looked very powerful, but his physique didn't seem to increase. Huo Xian could only sigh and turn to his own business.

After a round of fist techniques, it felt as if a surge of energy had formed within him, circulating throughout his body. His strength surged forth at that moment, only to slowly subside.

"Hoo!"

He retracted his fists and calmed his breathing, Shen Can's thoughts flowed.

Sacrificial Host: Shen Can
Sacrificial Vessel: Sacrificial Cauldron
Martial Arts Realm: Mountain Opening Realm (Ten Desolates Power)
Witchcraft Realm: Untrained
Martial Divine Power: Myriad Transformations to One
Techniques: Kui Ox Fist (High Grade), Blazing Flame Tribe Witch Doctor Method (Medium), Lingyu Water Control Art (Low)
Cultivation Method: None
Martial Divine Power: Myriad Transformations to One
Lifespan: 29

Shen Can wasn't surprised that the data manifestation in his mind had changed from the initial state. Since the Sacrificial Cauldron could manifest his cultivation status, it was normal for it to change with his own progress.

Regarding the path of witchcraft, he felt like he was crossing the river by feeling the stones.

He wanted to compile some introductory cultivation methods but couldn't find a way forward.

His lifespan was still insufficient.

Under the night sky, within the Giant Peak Mountain Range, outside a marsh formed by the receding floodwaters.

At the foot of the stone mountain outside the marsh, inside a cave formed by a pile of rubble, several figures leaned against the rock wall, chewing on second-tier dried meat, resting quietly.

Huo Shan's figure approached from a distance and then crouched in a rock crevice, gazing out at the marsh.

The entire marsh was not large. As the water level dropped, a dorsal fin several feet high emerged in the middle of the marsh, with many beast bones scattered around it.

After watching for a long time, Huo Shan's body shrunk back into the rock crevice.

"I've checked every corner of the surrounding mountains. There are no other desolate beasts."

"Since everyone is full, let's get to work. We'll have an easier time taking action while this Overturning Mountain Scale is asleep."