"If Shi Hao grows up someday, could he really kill a True Hou with his bare hands in a one-on-one fight, or slay an adult, pure-blooded Suanni? Just one of those legendary Primordial ferocious beasts could easily wipe out a super clan!"
An elder doused the fire in his heart and said, "Having potential as a child doesn't mean you'll really become an astounding powerhouse. You have to know, many geniuses wither away in their youth."
Everyone fell silent, then nodded.
Shi Yunfeng furrowed his brow. "Come to think of it, Shi Hao was born in our village, so he started with some disadvantages. We can't provide him with the true blood of Primordial Remnants or legendary treasures like the Mountain Treasure and Saint Medicine, the way those great clans can."
Shi Linhu said, "He's still young, so it's all right for now. But if things go on like this, he really won't be able to compare with the children from those great clans."
Shi Yunfeng thought for a moment, then said, "Generally, when gifted children turn five, they undergo the first important ritual of their lives. They're sealed inside a copper furnace and tempered with all kinds of Saint Medicine, true blood from Primordial Remnants, and the like!"
The others all sighed softly. After all, this was only a village. How could they compare with those great clans? They couldn't possibly find Saint Medicine or the legendary true blood of Primordial Remnants.
"When Shi Lin underwent his five-year-old ritual, we only found Bian true blood by chance while hunting. Now, sigh... we won't be so lucky."
"We'll do our best. Let's try to kill some giant beasts and extract some precious blood, then slowly build up a reserve to prepare for Little One's five-year-old ritual." An elder sighed softly.
Shi Linhu frowned and raised another issue. "To stand shoulder to shoulder with those legendary, formidable children, a solid physical foundation isn't enough. The legacy of their cultivation is another important matter."
The clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, nodded. "I'll find a way."
Everyone was startled. They knew that, back then, the clan chief had left with some clansmen and visited many aristocratic clans. In the end, he'd brought back some bone scriptures at the cost of blood and lives. Could they really rival the legacies of those super clans?
Of the dozen or so brothers who'd shared life and death, only two had returned covered in blood. In the end, only the clan chief had survived, and he'd been left with hidden injuries all over his body. He'd never spoken in detail about what happened back then, and the villagers hadn't pressed him.
What had happened back then? Clearly, there was more to the story.
In the days that followed, Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng was busy every day. He often simmered herbs, and the cauldron in his courtyard never went cold; the fragrance of medicine filled the air. "Grandpa Clan Chief, don't work too hard. Remember to rest." Little Shi Hao had long eyelashes and was prettier than a little girl. He was sensible, and urged the old man to rest.
"It's nothing." Shi Yunfeng smiled and shook his head.
The elders and those in the know, such as Shi Linhu, didn't tell Shi Hao much. He had no idea that Shi Yunfeng was preparing for his five-year-old "ritual."
Beneath the slanting evening sun, the hunting party returned. Every person carried a beast on his shoulder. Some were injured, but they were all talking and laughing.
The clan chief's stone courtyard stood at the village entrance. Shi Hao was standing by its gate and saw the group return.
"Uncles, you're back!" He tipped up his little face, fair and tender, his eyes clear and bright. He greeted them politely.
"Here, these are your favorite berries. Uncle specially picked them for you." Shi Linhu handed him a hide bundle. When he opened it, a mass of bright red berries lay inside, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. Each round fruit was like a gleaming red jewel.
"Thank you, Uncle." Shi Hao's big eyes sparkled as he happily accepted them.
At dusk, the villagers offered the beasts' carcasses in a sacrifice before the Willow Tree. When the ceremony was over, they carried several spiritual prey animals into the clan chief's courtyard.
Before long, the smell of blood spread through the stone courtyard. Several ferocious beasts lay there, bleeding, their bodies growing gaunt as one rune after another flickered across them, mysterious and uncanny.
Those were bone texts, now weaving through the blood like fine streaks of lightning. Shi Yunfeng was performing a ritual, using mysterious power to refine the essence from the beasts' blood and extract "blood medicine." After repeated tempering, the blood dwindled until each beast yielded only a single drop. The drops fell into a jade jar, crystalline and translucent, glittering like blood diamonds.
"According to the Bone Scripture, if there's enough Saint Medicine, true blood, and other wondrous ingredients for the five-year-old ritual, the foundation laid will have a profound influence on one's future achievements," Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng murmured.
He didn't want to waste Shi Hao's talent. Although he already had Shi Lin, a genius, he didn't want Little One to fall behind the geniuses of the super clans either. He was constantly pondering how to gather the precious things needed for the child's "ritual."
"Better to have none than something inferior. Only high-quality true blood will be of use to Little One. It's a pity that exotic beasts are too rare, and far too powerful to deal with." He spoke softly to himself.
The primeval forest was dense, its depths heavy with gloom. Venomous insects roamed, and beasts roared with thunderous rumbles. The pungent stench left by Fierce Biao, Snake-Viper, and other creatures wafted through the air, chilling people to the bone. "Awooo..."
Thunderous roars came from deep in the mountains. Rocks tumbled, echoes boomed, trees swayed violently, and leaves flew wildly. Large ferocious beasts roamed in the distance.
A group of children turned pale. They'd already gone some distance from Stone Village, sneaking away without telling the adults and venturing into the old forest. Fortunately, they hadn't entered the true territory of the ferocious beasts.
"Brother Shi Lin, the mountains are too dangerous. We're still young; we can't go any farther," one child said in a trembling voice.
They'd grown up beside the primeval forest and naturally knew how dangerous it was. There were all kinds of vicious creatures inside. Even their fathers had to be cautious when entering the forest, or they could lose their lives.
The children were all young, a dozen or so in total. At their head was Stone Village's genius, Shi Lin. By now, he could startle the wilds with a single arrow. He looked at another boy and asked, "Pi Hou, how much farther?"
Pi Hou's real name was Shi Zhonghou. He was scrawny but immensely strong and very clever. "I heard Uncle Lin Hu and the others say that the cliff isn't far from the village. It's in this direction, so we should be almost there."
"Little One, what do you think?" Shi Lin asked.
In the past, Shi Hao had been nothing more than a tagalong trailing behind the older children. Ever since he'd lifted the copper cauldron, even the adults had come to regard him as a little monster. Needless to say, the children had quickly started treating him as one of their "core members."
"It'll be dangerous if we keep going," Little Shi Hao said. His clear black-and-white eyes rolled as he spoke honestly.
"But it really isn't far now," Shi Lin said.
More than half the children were tempted and wanted to continue.
"If you're going, I'll come too," Little Shi Hao said in his childish voice.
And so the group set off again. They walked for another mile or so. The trees grew sparse, the vegetation thinned, and more and more boulders appeared as a fierce aura spread through the area.
Jagged rocks stretched across the land. It was a vast stone forest, silent and still, with the bleached bones of giant beasts scattered across the ground.
Pi Hou looked around and spoke softly. "This is the place. I heard Uncle Lin Hu and the others say its nest is built on the cliff face deep in the stone forest."
Shi Lin lowered his voice and warned the children, "These beast bones might be leftovers from when it ate its prey. It shouldn't be in its nest at this time of day, but we still have to be careful. Don't let it spot us, or we could lose our lives!"
The dozen or so children had all grown up in the Great Wilderness and were highly alert. Like little mountain beasts, they swiftly and nimbly hid in the gaps between the rocks, concealing themselves. After watching for a moment, they faced the wind and sniffed the air. Then they nodded to one another and, like apes, dashed nimbly toward the deepest part of the stone forest.
Along the way, they saw many bones, huge and white: the bones of birds five or six meters long, and beast skulls as large as millstones. They were the remains of wild beasts and ferocious birds that had been torn apart and devoured. The place was deathly still. "It really is planning to stay here. If it settles in for long and has offspring, the people of Stone Village will face a deadly threat whenever they enter or leave the mountains!"
"Uncle Lin Hu and the others have been discussing it for days. They've already observed its habits."
The children whispered as they raced ahead, moving with incredible speed as they swept into the depths of the stone forest like a dozen little whirlwinds.
A stone cliff stretched across their path. It was even more silent here, with not a blade of grass in sight. At the very top of the cliff stood a huge nest built from one black Wu Tree branch after another. It had an oppressive air about it.
The children hid a long way off, watching cautiously from between the rocks. The black nest was ten meters across and enormous. There was no need to guess: it was the nest of an exotic, ferocious bird.
"It really is here!"
"That Green-Scaled Eagle has been hovering around here for a long time. Now it's built a huge nest. Could it really have laid eggs, just like Uncle Lin Hu said?"
The children's eyes all shone. This was the main reason they'd come!
It was a fierce and powerful exotic bird, with blood inherited from a Primordial Demonic Bird flowing through its veins. It was extremely difficult to deal with. Ordinary beasts and vicious creatures would die as soon as it set its sights on them, with no chance of escape.
"From what Uncle Lin Hu and the others observed, the male Green-Scaled Eagle hasn't shown itself for days. It may have died in an accident deep in the mountains. The female goes out to hunt by herself every day at noon. If we want to get close, this is our chance," Pi Hou said.
The children clenched their fists, visibly nervous, but their eyes also shone with anticipation and excitement. Children raised in the mountains were all bold; otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to come to such a dangerous place on their own.
"Everyone, hide in the gaps between the rocks. I'll throw a rock and see what happens!" said a dark-skinned boy named Shi Dazhuang. During Stone Village's martial training, he'd once toppled a huge Reckless Bull with a single blow. He'd also lifted a thousand-jin bronze cauldron, making him second only to Shi Lin and Little One among the children.
With a whoosh, a large rock flew into the distance and landed with a thud on a pile of stones in front of the cliff, making a loud crash.
Everyone jumped in fright, but thankfully, nothing stirred on the cliff.
"Dazhuang, don't be so reckless. Be careful."
"I was checking if it's in the nest. Looks like it's fine, so let's hurry over!" Dazhuang said, preparing to rush forward.
"Brother Dazhuang, wait a moment." Little Shi Hao picked up a fairly large stone and hurled it with all his strength. The stone shot up the cliff and landed near the Wu Nest with a loud crash.
After a moment, the cliff remained quiet. The Green-Scaled Eagle didn't appear.
"Go!"
The children charged toward the cliff like a pack of beasts, yelling as they raced. Once they reached it, they quickly divided up the work. Some stood on the boulders, watching the sky and keeping guard in case the ferocious bird appeared without warning, while several others prepared to climb the cliff.
"Brother Lin, you all wait here. I'll climb up and have a look first," Shi Hao said. "You're still a little brat who hasn't even been weaned. Just watch from the side; we'll go up," Shi Lin said. The children all laughed. Little One was still drinking beast milk, and they often teased him about it.
"I've been eating meat for ages! I only drink it as water once in a while!" Little One huffed, scrunching his nose and defending himself with his big, black-jewel eyes wide open.
Of course, the little fellow was clever. He knew the older children weren't really making fun of him. They were looking after and protecting him, not wanting him to be the first to climb up and risk danger.
"I'm faster than all of you. If there's danger, I can escape faster, too." Before they could say anything, Little One shot up the cliff like a little monkey, nimble and agile.
"Don't let him take a risk. We're going up too!" Shi Lin, Dazhuang, and Pi Hou all followed right behind, scrambling upward like apes.
There were plenty of cracks in the cliff face, giving the children places to grip and push off as they climbed. Having grown up in the mountains beside primeval forests, they were naturally skilled at climbing and leaping. They were scarcely less nimble than the Demon Apes that lived in the mountains.
"Whew... we finally made it up!"
The cliff was about three hundred meters high. Once Little One reached the top, he waited for the other three. As soon as they emerged, all four headed for the huge nest.
"What a gigantic bird's nest!" Pi Hou exclaimed.
Seeing it up close was astonishing. The nest was ten meters across, built from black Wu Tree branches, and occupied most of the cliff top. It was even bigger than the houses in Stone Village.
Besides that, there were some bloodstained bones on the cliff. Each one was thicker and longer than an adult, making their hair stand on end.
In particular, the beast skull as large as a millstone had several terrifying claw holes in it, with traces of blood still clinging to it. It looked utterly savage.
"These are the remains of a Dragon-Horned Elephant. Terrifying! That ferocious bird eats giant elephants as if it were nothing!" Shi Dazhuang exclaimed in shock.
"Don't worry about that for now," Shi Lin said, climbing toward the black nest.
When they reached the nest, waves of chilling air washed over them, along with the smell of blood. The edge of the nest was dark red. Clearly, the Green-Scaled Eagle often ate there, and after years of soaking in the blood of all kinds of beasts, the place was thick with baleful energy.
"That ferocious bird isn't here!"
"Look, there are several eggs!"
The children cried out in surprise. They were incredibly bold. After overhearing the adults talking in the village, they'd come here on their own, specifically for the ferocious bird's eggs.
"Wonderful! Let's hurry and carry them away. We'll take them back to the village and hatch them. One day, we'll have powerful ferocious birds that can hunt wild beasts for us and bring back prey!" Pi Hou cried excitedly.
Soft Golden Silk Grass lined the Wu Nest, making it look comfortable. Three eggs, crystalline as green jade, rested there, their surfaces marked with patterns and spots that shimmered in the light.
Each egg laid by this ferocious bird was as large as a washbasin, translucent and gleaming, emerald green as agate. The markings on them sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.
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