Savage Bones

"It's so cold."

The onlookers couldn't help but shiver. A layer of white mist wafted out of the box. When the mist dispersed, people finally saw clearly what lay in the wooden box: a thick, smooth bone.

The bone-chilling cold emanated from it!

"What is this?"

Everyone was stunned. They had never seen such a strange object. Although they had no idea what it was, their instincts told them it was likely an extraordinary treasure.

"This is Savage Bones!" Lian Chengyu looked at the massive bone, a satisfied expression on his face. "The light patterns you saw earlier were to seal the coldness of this Savage Bone."

"Savage Bones? This is Savage Bones?"

Most people in the crowd had never heard of Savage Bones, but Yi Yun had heard Jiang Xiaorou describe it in detail.

In the Great Wilderness of this world, there were powerful Savage Beasts, each capable of easily destroying a small tribe like the Lian Clan.

Savage Beasts were terrifying, but their bodies were filled with treasures.

Savage Beast Meat was an excellent tonic, but human appetites were limited. A giant Savage Beast could be as large as a small mountain. Even if a person ate to their heart's content, how much could they consume?

Fortunately, the essence of Savage Beasts was concentrated in their bones and could be extracted through secret methods, resulting in a very small piece.

Such Savage Beast bones were the most precious things on a Savage Beast!

The Savage Bones in the wooden box appeared to be a section of a Savage Beast's rib. Although it was only a small part of the entire beast, it was still incredibly valuable!

"The reason for the shortage of food today is that while we were trading for grain, more weapons were exchanged for this piece of Savage Bones! In fact, relying solely on your arrows and soft armor wasn't enough to trade for it. I managed to acquire it because when I was younger and out training, I found a decent incomplete cultivation manual. With all of that combined, we could barely afford to trade for it!"

As Lian Chengyu spoke, the elder beside him, who looked like a strategist, explained the function and preciousness of the Savage Bones to everyone.

The strategist spoke colorfully, but the crowd found it hard to accept.

No matter how powerful this Savage Bone was, what did it have to do with them?

Even the most foolish person knew that even if the Savage Bone's essence was extracted, it wouldn't be given to them to eat.

"I know what you're thinking. You worry about your future, about starving to death. I understand your hardships, but think about it, when will this kind of life ever end! There are countless small tribes in the Great Wilderness, as numerous as grains of sand in the desert. They lack the power to protect themselves and can be destroyed at any moment!"

"My Lian Clan is one of them!"

"Do you want to live a life of uncertainty forever? Worrying about your next meal, fearing you'll be bitten to death by wild beasts in your sleep at night!"

"Do you want this kind of life?"

Lian Chengyu's words were highly inflammatory. Many tribe members couldn't help but clench their fists, a fierce determination building within them! This kind of life made them feel like they were on the verge of collapse. What was hell? This was it!

"I've had enough!" someone in the crowd roared.

"Excellent! I don't want to live like this either! Now, there's an opportunity. In three months, a great human dynasty – the Tai'a Divine Kingdom – will be recruiting young powerhouses on a large scale across its vast territories! If you can pass the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's rigorous selection process, you will become a Warrior of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom!"

"This is supreme honor, and a tremendous opportunity!"

As Lian Chengyu spoke, his eyes seemed to ignite with burning flames!

Yi Yun understood that look. It was a look of extreme desire and burgeoning ambition!

Lian Chengyu was an ambitious man. He had no desire to be confined to a small tribe like the Lian Clan his entire life. He wanted to break out, to leave the Great Wilderness, and become someone of importance!

"No wonder he's willing to let many tribesmen starve to death this time, just to get this Savage Bone at all costs... So he wants to rush for the Divine Kingdom's assessment in three months!"

Yi Yun suddenly understood. According to Yi Yun's original plan, Lian Chengyu could have been more gradual, deducting a little grain from each trade to slowly accumulate enough to exchange for this Savage Bone.

His current approach, like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, likely meant that his strength would undergo a qualitative leap in the near future with the help of this Savage Bone!

And Lian Chengyu's words immediately confirmed Yi Yun's guess.

"I, Lian Chengyu! Born in the Lian Clan, raised in the Lian Clan, I am a son of the Lian Clan, and I am willing to give everything for the Lian Clan! Fortunately, with this Savage Bone, I can break through to become a Purple Blood Warrior within three months! After becoming a Purple Blood Warrior, I will easily pass the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's assessment and become a Divine Kingdom Warrior!"

"And at that time, I alone can protect the Lian Clan, because once I become a Divine Kingdom Warrior, I can bring the Lian Clan to relocate to the cities under the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's jurisdiction. In the future, if I achieve great deeds, I can even establish my own city!! By then, everyone can come to my city to live and work in peace, enjoying everything. If I build a city, you will all be elders, and your status will naturally be extraordinary!"

"Three months! That's right, you only need to endure for three months. Once the assessment day passes, I guarantee you will have plenty to eat and wear! Today, what you, my fellow tribesmen, have given me by tightening your belts, I will repay a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

Lian Chengyu's words were extremely persuasive. How could the simple, suffering commoners see Lian Chengyu's ambition? They were all intoxicated by the beautiful future Lian Chengyu described, their hearts filled with longing.

Three months? They could live in a city if they just held on for three months?

Was this true?

"This kid could be a politician on Earth," Yi Yun thought to himself. At this point, he understood that no one would question the meager grain distribution anymore. The mirage Lian Chengyu had woven would silence everyone. If anyone continued to question it, they wouldn't need Lian Chengyu to act; the people around them would jump out to deal with them.

This was the helplessness of impoverished times. Here, human lives were as cheap as grass. A bag of grain could be worth several lives, and it was even more normal for more people to die for the beautiful hope Lian Chengyu had woven.

Because these people lived too hard and too oppressively, they needed hope, a spiritual sustenance to keep them alive. Even if this hope was illusory, they were willing to believe it was real. Anyone who stood up to say it was fake might even be beaten to death by those in despair.

Seeing that people were still somewhat hesitant, a discerning lackey suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Long live Young Master Lian Chengyu!"

The suffering people, who never had enough to eat, were easily swayed. In fact, for many of them, they would willingly die for the continuation of their race, for their descendants to have plenty to eat and wear.

"Long live Young Master Lian Chengyu..."

A few scattered individuals shouted along, feeling a bit underfed.

Once someone shouted, more and more people joined in. Even though many were still worried about tomorrow's food, they could only follow the trend.

This was the sorrow of the weak. They had no right to choose.

Seeing the people's reaction, Lian Chengyu was very satisfied.

This was exactly what he wanted. The Lian Clan would be his stepping stone, a rock he would step on to forge his own legend!

"Chengyu, well done."

The Yellow-robed Elder walked up behind Lian Chengyu and spoke.

"Grandpa, you don't need to praise me. This is nothing. If I can't stir up the emotions of these commoners, I won't be able to do anything later. Refining this bone will cost many lives."

"Mmm..." The Yellow-robed Elder sighed inwardly. He had known that bone refining would cost lives, but no matter how many died, this opportunity could not be abandoned.

"A general's success is built on the bones of countless others. Grandpa, why sigh? These people will die for the tribe, and the tribe will remember them. Moreover... with fewer people, there will be more surplus grain, making it completely possible to last for three months."

Lian Chengyu said dismissively, completely indifferent to these sacrifices. How many people died every day in the entire Great Wilderness?

If the death of a few ants could create a hero, then it was worth it, because a hero could save more ants.

What's more, this hero was himself!

Lian Chengyu's words were heard by no one but the Yellow-robed Elder.

"Yun'er, what's wrong?" Jiang Xiaorou noticed that Yi Yun beside her was distracted and couldn't help but tug at him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing..."

Yi Yun shook his head. He had been spacing out just now, not because of Lian Chengyu's speech, nor because he was lamenting the tragic fate of the commoners of the Lian Clan, but because a few faint points of light had suddenly flown over, like fireflies in the night sky.

These points of light flew into his chest and disappeared.

Immediately after, a cool sensation from the Purple Crystal spread, becoming clearer.

It was obvious that these points of light were absorbed by the Purple Crystal, just like that night when the Purple Crystal absorbed starlight!

And looking at the source of these points of light, it was actually...

Yi Yun's heart skipped a beat. No way!