A Gift For You

The Bone Shears felt heavy in his hand, far surpassing any kind of metal. They were made from two bones—the upper and lower jaws. Unless you looked closely, you couldn't tell what they were. After being polished and carefully nurtured, they had become crystal-clear and lustrous, utterly transformed.

In truth, they were breathtakingly beautiful, as if the finest master had forged them with a lifetime's worth of effort. Two Qiu Dragons intertwined, so lifelike they seemed real—a masterpiece fit to be handed down through the ages.

The Bone Shears didn't look sharp. They even felt smooth to the touch, yet they were terrifyingly powerful in battle, able to sever a mountain peak with ease.

The golden bones bore faint, archaic patterns. They depicted Qiu Dragons, terrifying ancient beasts, but they weren't runes—just beautiful decorative designs.

"So it really was this thing that wiped out all those tribes." Shi Lin activated it slightly and once again saw the scene of corpses strewn across the land. The Bone Shears had an astonishing origin.

There was no doubt that this was a deadly weapon. Otherwise, how could it have caused such a massacre? In battle, once these shears were unleashed, nothing could withstand them.

He tried them once, but the Bone Shears didn't react at all.

"Hm? What's going on?"

Shi Lin tried several more times, but it was just like the first.

"I can't use this thing at all!" Shi Lin said, disappointed.

"Forget it. I'll give it to Little One. He can use it."

"If I'd completely mastered the Qilin Precious Technique, this battle would've gone much more smoothly!" Wang Quan reflected.

The mist cleared, and the mountainside returned to calm. A full moon hung in the sky, while the land below was pitted and scarred, its trees all destroyed.

Groans came from the distance, sounding agonized. Shi Lin and the Sacrificial Spirit had fought for a long time, nearly flattening the mountainside. Naturally, a band of vicious bandits had been caught in the crossfire.

The Pangolin was especially enormous. Every time it charged or unleashed a treasure, rocks flew through the air, injuring many people. At least twenty or thirty bandits had been killed by accident.

When the clouds of mist lifted and the battlefield came into view, the bandits rose from behind the huge rocks in the distance and looked this way. A chill ran through them, and they all froze in shock.

The Sacrificial Spirit had lost. It lay dead on the mountainside!

To them, it was like watching a myth crumble. The shock was overwhelming. That Sacrificial Spirit had been like a god in their hearts, invincible—and now a child had slain it.

"You... killed the Sacrificial Spirit? Are you an ancient beast reborn in human form?" the bandits cried, their faces stricken with terror.

Their faces went ashen and their bodies trembled. Without their Sacrificial Spirit, how could they survive in this Great Wilderness? They were doomed!

Everyone had believed the Sacrificial Spirit was invincible and had waited for the child to be devoured. Never had they imagined they would witness such an unbelievable outcome.

"You... what are you going to do? Are you going to kill us?" one bandit stammered. They'd never thought twice about killing others, but now that death loomed over them, they were just as afraid.

"The men we sent out... you killed them all, didn't you?" Terror gripped them. He was only a child, yet he'd slain thirty or forty of their men, then tracked them here and killed the Sacrificial Spirit. Now he was going to wipe them all out. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

In that moment, Shi Lin seemed like a demon to them.

"I didn't kill those men, and I'm not going to behead you one by one," Shi Lin said calmly.

"Ah..." the bandits cried out, then rejoiced. Staying alive was all that mattered.

"Those thirty or forty men are still alive?" the bandit chief asked, his expression strange.

"No. They all ended up in the bellies of wild beasts," Shi Lin replied.

"You..." Their expressions changed as they understood. This was a child who couldn't bear to spill so much blood and didn't want to kill them himself, but he wasn't going to let them go, either.

"Being too lenient with evil only lets it keep wreaking havoc. More people will die." Shi Lin spoke softly and raised his wrist.

Runes shimmered in Shi Lin's hand. He swept his arm, and countless runes became forty-two beads of light.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Forty-two jade-white lights flew toward the bandits. Thuds sounded, blood splashed, and one bandit after another was crippled as the essence within their bodies drained away.

"Ah, no!"

"You..."

They were shocked, furious, and terrified. To lose their strength in the Great Wilderness was as good as being cast into hell. How could they fight off the ferocious beasts?

The bandit chief tried to flee, but Shi Lin gave him special attention. A streak of white light shot out and wrapped around him, tightening until every rune within his body was ground away.

"Heavens, no!"

But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, dozens of people lay on the ground, wheezing heavily, their hearts filled with terror.

Shi Lin had knocked down many people since entering the mountains, but he hadn't delivered the final blow. He'd spared their lives, leaving the Great Wilderness to "cleanse" these evildoers.

"You're from Little Western Heaven, aren't you?" Shi Lin asked.

The bandits answered, "Yes."

He didn't kill the surviving bandits.

With everything settled, Shi Lin called Little One out.

"Brother Lin, are you all right? That was quite a commotion just now." Little One blinked his big eyes.

"I'm fine. I took care of everything. I'm more than strong enough to deal with them now!" Shi Lin replied with a smile.

"When will I be as strong as you?" Little One said glumly.

"When we get back, I'll help you break through. You've been building up your strength for so long. It's time."

"Okay!" At that, Little One's spirits lifted again.

"By the way, this treasure is for you!" Shi Lin took out the Bone Shears and placed them in Little One's hands.

"They're so pretty!"

"Try using them. Let's see what they can do!"

"Mm-hmm!"

The Treasure Scissors flew out. With a hum, they sheared through a low stone ridge ahead, leaving Shi Lin stunned by their tremendous power.

But there was one drawback: that single strike had drained so much of Little One's essence that he went limp and staggered.

"They take too much out of me. I can't use them lightly," Little One murmured.

No wonder the Sacrificial Spirit had struggled so hard when wielding this treasure. After a few strikes, its body had started trembling, and in the end, the hidden injuries flared up and its body split apart completely, Shi Lin thought.

"Little One, don't think about how to bring the Golden Bone back to life against all odds. Just treat it as a rare treasure. That way, it won't hurt you."

"Okay!"

Little One's eyes shone, and he couldn't bear to part with the Bone Shears. To him, the lustrous golden bone weapon posed no danger at all. On the contrary, it could protect him.

With a whoosh, the Bone Shears turned into a streak of golden light and plunged into a "volcanic crater." "Magma" surged as they bobbed up and down inside, nourished by the essence of heaven and earth. Little One stored them away like that.

Looking around, he saw that many of their mounts had also been crushed to death by falling rocks. The thirty or forty that remained would be just enough to carry the Sacrificial Spirit's enormous, shattered body. It was a treasure and couldn't be left behind.

"Furball, take care of these bandits," Shi Lin ordered.

Furball gave a loud cry toward the distant forest. A few enormous beasts had been lying in wait for a long time. At last, they appeared and charged toward the shattered woods.

In the end, every bandit was killed. Not one survived.

After they'd gone a few miles, Shi Lin and Little One ran into the old clan chief. He came rushing toward them at Extreme Speed, his face full of worry and anxiety.

Shi Lin felt a warmth in his heart. Grandpa the clan chief had been worried. When Shi Lin hadn't returned for so long, the old man had been ready to risk his life and come looking for him.

"Grandpa, I'm over here!" Little One shouted.

"Children, you... you're all right! Thank heavens!" The old clan chief was overcome with emotion. When he saw dozens of fierce beasts carrying the shattered golden body of the Pangolin, his eyes widened even further.

"You killed... that Sacrificial Spirit?!"

"We did!" Shi Lin nodded.

"Hahaha..." The old clan chief laughed heartily, nearly brought to tears. He was overjoyed and relieved.

They hurried back together. After traveling more than ten miles, they ran into a large group of people. It was Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and the other grown men. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they looked ready to fight to the death.

"What? You cut down that enormous Sacrificial Spirit?!" The men stared blankly, then all burst into laughter.

Their tension and worry vanished. Carrying their spoils of war, they returned to the village. Stone Village was quiet. Everyone else had been moved away, leaving only their group.

"Hurry! Go fetch everyone tonight. Tell them to come back."

Such wonderful news couldn't wait until dawn. They had to let all the villagers know, so they wouldn't keep worrying.

By dusk the next day, all the villagers had returned.

The village was filled with the smell of meat and the sound of laughter. Everyone was home again, bright smiles on every face.

The aunties and grandmothers were grinning from ear to ear as they cleaned the Sacrificial Spirit's meat. The meat simmering in the pots gave off a faint glow, its essence so abundant it was almost frightening.

The children ran around, squealing. This was the Sacrificial Spirit's flesh—something they'd never even dared dream of eating, and now they could feast to their hearts' content.

"Shi Lin, you're incredible! You actually killed a Sacrificial Spirit!" A crowd of children clustered around Shi Lin, all of them thrilled and excited.

The grown men were practically walking on air, bustling about as they prepared the Sacrificial Spirit's blood-rich meat. These were treasures beyond measure and had to be handled properly.

The cooked and roasted meat was only a small portion. Most of the meat and bones would be refined together with precious medicines, which would produce even better results. Every villager would benefit greatly, and their bodies would surely grow much stronger.

As for the clan elders, they'd been busy all day too. They personally handled the most precious blood and sinews.

Slaying a golden Pangolin was like finding a treasure trove for Stone Village. If they made good use of it, it could serve them tremendously.

That night, the villagers were filled with joy. Laughter rang everywhere as they gathered around bonfires, celebrating and feasting on the fragrant meat of the Sacrificial Spirit.

The bonfires crackled and danced, and the whole place was lively as the villagers celebrated to their hearts' content. Shi Feijiao and the other grown men stuffed themselves with meat as they bragged, boasting that their children were strong and would grow up to be heroes who could lift tripods and uproot mountains, mighty enough to shake this entire Great Wilderness.