A Gift For You

The Bone Shears felt heavy in hand, far surpassing any ordinary metal. They were composed of two bones—the upper and lower jaw—which were indistinguishable at a glance. After being polished and nurtured, they had become crystalline and lustrous, looking entirely different from their original state.

In fact, they were quite magnificent, as if forged by a master craftsman with their life's blood. Two Qiu Dragons were intertwined, lifelike and vivid, making it a masterpiece passed down through the ages.

The Bone Shears did not look sharp, and they even felt incredibly smooth to the touch, yet they were terrifyingly formidable in battle, capable of slicing through mountain peaks with ease.

There were some markings on the golden bone segments; they were faint and archaic, depicting the Qiu Dragons—fearsome ancient beasts—but these were not runes, merely beautiful decorative patterns.

"So, it really was this thing that caused the destruction of so many tribes." As Shi Lin channeled a bit of energy into it, he once again saw the scene of corpses strewn across the wilderness. The origin of these shears was truly shocking.

Without a doubt, this was a great weapon of slaughter; otherwise, how could it have caused such a massive catastrophe? If used against an enemy, once these shears were unleashed, there would be nothing they could not break.

He tried to test them once, but the Bone Shears showed no reaction.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Shi Lin tried a few more times, but the result was the same as the first.

"This thing... I actually can't use it!" Shi Lin felt disappointed.

"Forget it, I'll give it to Little One; he can use it."

"If I had fully mastered the Qilin Precious Technique, this battle should have gone much more smoothly!" Wang Quan reflected.

The mist dissipated, and the mountain terrain returned to a state of quiet peace. A bright moon hung in the sky, revealing the area to be pitted and scarred, with all the trees destroyed.

Groans of pain could be heard from afar. Shi Lin and the Sacrificial Spirit had fought for a long time, nearly leveling this stretch of mountains, which naturally affected the group of bandits.

The Pangolin, in particular, was so massive that every time it charged or unleashed a precious artifact, it sent rocks flying through the air, injuring many. At least twenty or thirty bandits had been accidentally killed.

When the clouds cleared and the situation on the battlefield became clear, the bandits stood up from behind the giant boulders in the distance to look over. They couldn't help but feel a chill run through their bodies; everyone was stunned.

The Sacrificial Spirit had been defeated and lay dead on the mountainside!

To them, this was like the shattering of a myth; the impact was too great. They had to remember that this Sacrificial Spirit was like a god in their hearts—invincible—yet now, it had been slain by a child.

"You... you killed the Sacrificial Spirit! You are a reincarnated human-shaped ancient beast!" the group shouted, their expressions filled with terror.

Their faces were ashen and their bodies trembled. Without the Sacrificial Spirit, how could they continue to traverse this Great Wilderness? They were surely doomed.

Everyone had believed the Sacrificial Spirit was invincible and had waited to see the child devoured, never expecting to witness this unbelievable outcome.

"What... what do you want? Are you going to kill us?" one bandit stammered. They thought nothing of killing others on a daily basis, but when it came to their own lives, they were just as afraid.

"The group of men we sent out... you killed them all, didn't you?" They were terrified. A mere child had slaughtered thirty or forty of their men, then tracked them here, killed the Sacrificial Spirit, and now intended to wipe them all out. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

At this moment, Shi Lin was equivalent to a demon in their eyes.

"I did not kill those people, nor do I intend to behead you one by one," Shi Lin said calmly.

"Ah..." the group gasped, followed by wild joy. As long as they could survive, nothing else mattered.

"So those thirty or forty men are still alive?" the leader asked with a strange expression.

"No, they have all been buried in the bellies of wild beasts," Shi Lin replied.

"You..." The crowd's expressions changed. They immediately understood: this was a child who could not bear to see so much gore and did not want to do the killing himself, but he would not let them go either.

"To be overly lenient toward evil men is to condone their continued harm; more people will die because of it," Shi Lin whispered, raising his wrist.

Runes flickered in Shi Lin's hand, and with a wave of his arm, countless runes transformed into forty-two beads of light.

Swoosh, swoosh...

The sound of air being pierced rang out as the forty-two points of light flew forth, white and lustrous like jade. They flew toward the crowd, and with a series of puffs, blood sprayed. Many of the bandits were crippled, their internal essence completely dissipated.

"Ah, no!"

"You..."

They were shocked, angry, and afraid. To be stripped of their combat power in this Great Wilderness was equivalent to being pushed into hell. What would they have left to fend off the wild beasts?

The leader tried to escape, but Shi Lin focused on him. A wisp of white light flew up, coiled around him, and tightened with force, grinding all the runes within his body into nothingness.

"Heavens, no!"

But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, dozens of men lay on the ground, gasping for air, their hearts filled with dread.

From the moment he entered the mountains until now, Shi Lin had struck down many, but he had not delivered the final blow. He left them alive, letting the Great Wilderness "purify" these wicked men.

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

The bandits replied, "Yes."

He did not kill the remaining bandits.

Having resolved everything, Shi Lin called out to Little One.

"Brother Lin, are you alright? The commotion just now was quite loud," Little One asked, blinking his large eyes.

"I'm fine. I resolved everything smoothly. As I am now, dealing with them is more than enough!" Shi Lin replied with a smile.

"When will I be as strong as you?" Little One asked, feeling dejected.

"When we get back, I'll help you break through. You've accumulated enough; it's time."

"Okay!" At the mention of this, Little One's mood improved.

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

"So beautiful!"

"Try using it, see how it works!"

"Mhm!"

The Treasure Scissors flew out, and with a hum, they directly severed a low stone ridge in front of them. Shi Lin stared, dumbfounded; the power was truly immense.

However, there was one drawback: this single strike had depleted Little One's vital energy, spirit, and mind, leaving him weak and unsteady.

"The consumption is too great, I can't use it lightly," Little One muttered to himself.

No wonder the Sacrificial Spirit struggled so much when attacking with this treasure, trembling after a few strikes, and finally suffering a hidden injury that caused its body to completely rupture. Shi Lin mused.

"Little One, don't worry about how to revive the Golden Bone against all odds. Just treat it as a rare treasure, and it won't harm you."

"Okay!"

Little One's eyes sparkled, and he couldn't put the Treasure Scissors down. To him, the lustrous golden bone artifact posed no danger; on the contrary, it could protect him.

With a whoosh, the bone shears transformed into a golden light and disappeared into a "volcano." "Lava" surged, and it floated and sank within, nourished by the essence of heaven and earth. Thus, Little One put it away.

Looking around, many of the mounts had been smashed to death by the falling rocks. Thirty to forty remained, just enough to transport the Sacrificial Spirit's massive, shattered body. This was a treasure and couldn't be left behind.

"Furball, you handle these fierce bandits," Shi Lin commanded.

Furball let out a great roar towards the distant mountains and forests. Several giant beasts, which had been eyeing the prey for a long time and waiting, appeared and charged towards the broken mountain forest.

In the end, all the fierce bandits were annihilated, not a single one left.

After walking only a few miles, Shi Lin and the other encountered the old tribal chief. He was rushing towards them, his face filled with worry and anxiety.

Shi Lin felt a warmth in his heart. Grandpa Chief was worried. Seeing that he hadn't returned for so long, he was coming to risk his life.

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

"Child, you... you're alright, that's wonderful!" The old tribal chief was very emotional. When he saw dozens of fierce beasts carrying the shattered golden body of the Pangolin, he was even more dumbfounded.

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

"We did!" Shi Lin nodded.

"Hahaha..." The old tribal chief laughed heartily, tears almost streaming down his face, filled with immense joy and relief.

They hurried back together. After walking about ten miles, they encountered another large group of people. It was Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and a group of strong young men, their eyes red, looking as if they were ready to fight to the death.

"What, you chopped down that massive Sacrificial Spirit!?" The group of men stared blankly, then burst into laughter.

The tension and worry vanished. They returned to the village with their spoils. The Stone Village was quiet; apart from them, everyone else had been evacuated.

"Quick, go chase them tonight and tell them all to come back."

Such great news couldn't wait until dawn. They had to let all the villagers know, so they wouldn't be anxious and worried.

By the evening of the next day, all the villagers of Stone Village had returned.

At this time, the village was filled with the aroma of meat and joyous laughter. The villagers had all returned, and every face wore a brilliant smile.

The aunts and grandmothers were all beaming, busy preparing the Sacrificial Spirit's flesh and blood. The meat stewing in the pots emitted a faint rosy glow, its vitality almost frighteningly abundant.

A group of children ran around, shouting excitedly. This was the flesh and blood of a Sacrificial Spirit, something they had never even dared to dream of before, and today they would feast on it.

"Shi Lin, you're amazing, to actually be able to kill a Sacrificial Spirit." A group of children surrounded Shi Lin, all incredibly excited and thrilled.

As for the adult men, they moved with incredible speed, their faces flushed with excitement. The Sacrificial Spirit meat, infused with vital blood, had to be processed carefully. These were treasures of immeasurable value.

The cooked and roasted meat was only a small portion. More meat and bones would be refined together with old herbs for even better results. All the villagers would benefit greatly, and their physiques would undoubtedly improve by a large margin.

As for the elders, they had also been busy all day. The most precious blood and tendons were personally handled by them.

Hunting a golden Pangolin was equivalent to finding a treasure for Stone Village. If utilized properly, it could play a huge role.

That night, the villagers were filled with immense joy. Laughter echoed everywhere as they sat around the bonfire, eating the fragrant Sacrificial Spirit meat in a lively atmosphere.

The bonfire crackled and popped, making the place incredibly lively. The villagers celebrated to their hearts' content. Shi Feijiao and the group of adults ate large mouthfuls of meat while boasting, praising their children's strength and proclaiming they would be great heroes capable of lifting mountains in the future, their might shaking the Great Wilderness.