The Hunting Ritual

Next, the giants began to chat and frolic casually, completely at ease. Toynbee, who was easygoing, fat, and weak, did not suffer bullying or isolation from his own kind.

As Toynbee said, these giants were very gentle and easy-going towards their own kind, and life within the tribe was very free and easy.

However, they were not so kind to other material life forms. Bai Qiuran saw more than once that when these giant creatures got hungry during their conversations, they would pick up worlds that drifted by nearby to eat, and they preferred to eat those worlds with advanced civilizations and a large number of Intelligent Lifeforms forms.

The souls of Intelligent Lifeforms and the lamentations and chirping of civilizations before their demise are the most delicious seasonings for these creatures; they clearly have no compassion for food.

Fortunately, they mostly stay within the Void Sea.

Watching these creatures' behavior, Tang Ruowei, who was standing with Bai Qiuran at the Giant God Automaton's Spiritual Platform, couldn't help but say, "Otherwise, if these guys went anywhere, it would be a disaster. No wonder the Insect Race fear them like tigers, no wonder the ancient civilization that created the Consciousness Domain built a barrier and isolated itself. If these thirteen guys attacked together, even the current Immortal Realm would be destroyed in an instant."

Bai Qiuran, unusually, tacitly agreed with Tang Ruowei's words. Based on his observations, none of these behemoths could match him in a one-on-one fight; even the strongest Tribal King was slightly weaker. However, there were thirteen behemoths present.

If the Tribal King brings any one of the others, they can hold him back in place. If the other eleven colossal beings attack together, even if the Immortal Realm, the Heavenly Dao, and the Machine God attack together, they probably won't be able to withstand them.

As for the Eden Regime, forget about it. If these behemoths wanted to take action against the Eden regime, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to struggle or resist. Before they were killed, they could only kick their legs and show their presence.

"Ule."

Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei were pondering the seriousness of the matter when they suddenly heard someone calling out beside them.

He manipulated the Giant God Automaton to raise its head and found the female-like being Fein on the other side, waving at him.

Is there something you need?

The Giant God Automaton stepped forward, emitting waves of Consciousness, and asked.

"The Tribal King asked me to tell you about my clan."

Fein smiled at him and said, "Although it's a bit inappropriate at this time, and you should spend more time with the other members of your tribe, I still think it's more important for you to know about our tribe's affairs... You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind."

Bai Qiuran couldn't wait to learn more about these creatures so that the people of the Immortal Realm could be more prepared.

"Then come with me."

Fein glanced at her tribesmen who were chatting animatedly.

"It's too noisy here."

The Giant God Automaton followed it, and the two giant creatures arrived at a secluded beach on a corner of the island. There, Fein stopped and said, "Since you don't understand anything, I'll just start explaining. First, um... first, let me tell you the name of my race. My race is called [Shepherds]."

"[Shepherds]?"

"Yes, we herd the world, the world is scattered in the Void, growing freely, and then we feed on it; this is the origin of the term 'Shepherds.'"

Apart from her mouth, Fein's face had no obvious features, but her Consciousness was filled with a sense of pride.

"Our race feeds on worlds. Because our bodies are so enormous, we require a great deal of energy, which slows our feeding cycle compared to life within those worlds. Once our energy runs out, our strength will wane until we can no longer support our massive bodies, at which point we will die. Therefore, it's a miracle that you survived on the Void River where food is extremely scarce. You'd better not leave the Void Sea casually in the future. Although worlds exist everywhere in the Void, the density of worlds here is the highest. Even the Void River, we only cross during our Hunting Ritual."

"Hunting Ritual?"

Bai Qiuran asked, "I've been wanting to ask this before, what exactly is this [Hunting Ritual] that you keep mentioning? It seems quite important?"

"[The Hunting Ritual], this is a very important activity of our tribe, a custom left behind by the former Tribal King, [The Glutton]."

"Fein replied."

"Glutton?"

Bai Qiuran slightly taken aback.

"Isn't it Sinners within the tribe? Why do you still follow the customs it left behind?"

"Because it's a proper custom, Ule."

Fein laughed, "Although [Glutton] is the culprit behind the decline of our race, we shouldn't completely deny the existence of a being. [Glutton] was an ambitious man, but also a wise leader. Many of the orders he left behind seem to have been correct, and [The Hunting Ritual] is one of them."

"So what exactly is this [Hunting Ritual]?"

Bai Qiuran asked.

"[The Hunting Ritual]... This is a ritual for our race to ensure our safety. Every time an energy tide cycle occurs within the Void Sea, the Tribal King gathers our entire race. At that time, we travel upstream along one of the Void River, eliminating any civilizations we encounter that may pose a future threat. After reaching the Void Source, we will travel downstream along another Void River and return to this Void Sea."

Fein said, "With only thirteen members in our clan at present, I think this cautious approach is commendable. Last time, when our Tribal King led us on the [Hunting Ritual], we encountered a civilization entirely composed of Consciousness on the Void River. That civilization caused us some trouble, and in the end, they even used some means to build a barrier, sealing themselves inside. However, seeing that many monsters that shouldn't exist had appeared within their domain due to the fear we caused, our Tribal King deduced that the civilization would perish on its own if left unchecked. Therefore, we didn't try to attack the barrier and instead came down the Void River. I wonder if that civilization has been destroyed by the Consciousness monsters they themselves have spawned."

Fein was still talking, but Bai Qiuran was no longer listening to their race's "glorious history." He looked at Tang Ruowei, and Tang Ruowei looked at him as well.

"We must find a way to deal with this [Hunting Ritual] event."

Bai Qiuran said in a deep voice, "The Immortal Realm will definitely be seen as prey by these guys now. We must get back to them as soon as possible and let them prepare."