Ferocious Ancestral Artifact (Seeking Recommendation Tickets, Collections)

"What's going on? Why is that Green-Scaled Eagle acting so crazy, coming all the way to our village's vicinity to stir up trouble?"

Someone in Stone Village noticed the anomaly and, looking suspicious, quickly sent someone to report it to the village elders. A group of people arrived at a high platform at the village entrance to gaze toward that area. "Chief, today I saw Er Meng, Da Zhuang, Shi Lin, and Little One skulking around together. Could it be that they left the village and got into trouble?" a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy said, informing them that over a dozen younger children were missing.

"Those little brats!" Shi Linhu slapped his thigh, suddenly remembering that when they were discussing the Green-Scaled Eagle, Pi Hou and several other children had been peeking and listening nearby.

Upon learning this, the village chief, Shi Yunfeng, realized the situation was critical and said decisively, "Quick, go fetch the two Ancestral Artifacts! We are going over there together!"

The strongest men of Stone Village all mobilized. For the sake of the children, their eyes were bloodshot; they didn't care if it was a descendant of a Primordial Remnant—they were ready to fight! Some carried hundreds-of-pounds-heavy spiked clubs, some carried super-sized bows taller than a man, and others held broad black-iron swords half a man's height, all of them radiating a murderous aura.

"Don't worry, the little ones will be fine. If that bald eagle dares to act fierce, we'll chop it into pieces and feed it to the Tree Pigs!" These men shouted loudly to comfort the women and children, then let out a roar and charged into the mountain forest.

This group of young, strong men moved like a stampeding herd of beasts, fierce and imposing. From a great distance, they began firing arrows. The thick arrow shafts were like javelins, and they were all iron-tipped, possessing astonishing power!

"Thud," "Thud"...

Massive volleys of arrows were fired, piercing through and snapping many trees. It was incredibly savage, like a group of tall wild men roaring as they charged, shouting curses at the fierce bird.

The Green-Scaled Eagle had already retreated from the cave entrance. Its eyes were cold as it stared at these warriors. It felt no fear, for it was the apex predator of this region; as long as it didn't enter the deepest parts of the mountain range, it could roam wherever it pleased.

It spread its wings, and a gale howled. Many of the heavy arrows and iron spears were deflected, clanging and sparking as they flew off. Then, it raised its head and let out a long cry, its eyes filled with fierce light. It flapped its wings and dove toward the crowd.

With a body seven or eight meters long and a wingspan of fifteen meters, this behemoth diving down created an astonishing momentum. It shattered broken branches and withered leaves; even before it arrived, the terrifying air currents were already making people's faces sting with pain.

"Everyone, gather together and defend! Linhu, invoke the Ancestral Artifact!" ordered the village chief, Shi Yunfeng.

To clash head-on with such a terrifying descendant of a demonic bird would surely result in heavy losses. Only by using the ancient treasure artifacts passed down through the village could they hope to intimidate and drive it away.

"Come here, you bald eagle, charge at me!" Shi Linhu yelled, standing at the very front. He looked up at the diving beast while simultaneously pulling a beast bone from his bosom—it appeared to be the arm bone of a ferocious beast.

The Green-Scaled Eagle's pupils constricted as if it sensed something. It stopped its dive, staring fixedly at the lusterless bone, showing signs of caution. Its black beak, over half a meter long, suddenly emitted a glow. A rune emerged, radiating a terrifying pressure.

"Good heavens, this Green-Scaled Eagle is truly extraordinary. It has the bloodline-inherited rune imprint within its body, representing a powerful strength," the old chief exclaimed in awe.

"Roar!" At the same time, Shi Linhu let out a great shout. Knowing the situation was urgent, he exerted all his strength to channel his power. His left arm lit up, and several Bone Texts appeared, shining brilliantly. He then slammed the beast arm bone onto his own arm.

"BOOM!"

A powerful aura surged into the sky like a violent hurricane. It felt as if a King of Ten Thousand Beasts had been resurrected, shocking the fierce bird in the sky into quickly pulling up and gaining distance.

Shi Linhu's left arm glowed brilliantly. The beast arm bone had actually fused with his own arm, becoming a part of his body—flesh and bone merged, inseparable and mysterious.

Furthermore, the light on his left arm grew increasingly intense, eventually condensing into an ancient symbol, as if a ferocious beast were about to leap out from the rune!

This was a precious relic bone from an ancient, powerful beast that had condensed its own runes. The Bone Texts mastered by the human race were developed from these rare treasure bones; they were the source of mysterious power. The beast arm bone and Shi Linhu's arm bone had become one, shining with dazzling light!

Because of this, his strength surged. His body, originally two meters tall, grew to an incredible three meters, becoming much more robust. Lightning-like beams of light coiled around him, and his blood energy was astonishing.

The Green-Scaled Eagle cried out. Although intimidated by the aura emitted by the beast bone, it was unwilling to give up. A shimmering luster gathered at its curved, black, blade-like beak, and the rune grew increasingly powerful. It was preparing to attack.

A mysterious power was accumulating, gathering toward its beak. The area became increasingly brilliant, terrifying the birds and beasts in the mountains until they all trembled and fled for their lives.

"Feijiao, you go too!" Chief Shi Yunfeng ordered another powerful man in the village to invoke the second Ancestral Artifact.

Shi Feijiao was sturdy and powerful. He dropped his spiked club, channeled his mysterious power, and Bone Texts immediately lit up on his chest like twinkling stars. He quickly pulled a tattered, blood-stained piece of ancient beast skin from his bosom and slammed it against his chest.

"BOOM!"

A savage aura spread in all directions, terrifying the various creatures in the forest. It was as if a Primordial Remnant had appeared on the spot, causing the Green-Scaled Eagle in the sky to shudder once more. It halted its dive again, its eagle eyes cold and tense.

Shi Feijiao's chest glowed, and the tattered ancient beast skin fused with his torso, becoming his own flesh. It emitted a powerful vitality, began to bloom with brilliant radiance, and finally condensed into a mysterious symbol.

A beast's head appeared faintly, as if trying to break free from the rune.

Shi Feijiao seemed to have grown a second face on his chest. The rune, formed by the fusion of the ancient beast skin and his flesh, shone with intense light and gradually took shape, revealing the blurred, terrifying figure of a ferocious beast.

A massive, overwhelming pressure swept through the forest, shaking everyone to their core!

This was the other Ancestral Artifact of Stone Village: an ancient beast skin. No one knew from which era it had been passed down, but it was clearly shed from an ancient ferocious beast and had also condensed a rare and precious, powerful rune.

Most of the Bone Texts mastered by the human race were copied from the treasure bones of ferocious beasts, but that did not mean all beasts condensed their mysterious power in their bones; some manifested it in their skin, flesh, or even their hearts.

Shi Feijiao's entire body glowed with increasing intensity, flickering like flames. He was radiant, and at his chest, the roar of a beast sounded like thunder, shaking the forest and causing rocks to tumble.

This was not some ordinary Bone Text copied and developed by the human race; this was the most primitive source of power—the bones and treasure skins—which were extremely powerful.

Ordinary villages and tribes certainly wouldn't have them, let alone possess two Ancestral Artifacts at once. Clearly, Stone Village had experienced an extraordinary past many years ago.

Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao stood side by side, looking up at the fierce bird in the sky, releasing the power of the Ancestral Artifacts. The violent aura surged toward the heavens like a torrent.

One could clearly see the nearby thorns, vines, and large trees all shattering into pieces.

The Green-Scaled Eagle's cold, sharp eyes showed suspicion. It didn't dare to approach, as if it had been completely intimidated. The two sides stood in a standoff, entering a brief period of silence.

"Awoo! The Chief is here! Uncle Linhu and the others have come to save us!" At the cave entrance, several children peeked out, saw the group of burly men in the distance, and cheered.

"Let's go! The Chief and the uncles are here to take us home."

A swarm of children ran out of the cave, racing toward the adults. On the other side, Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and the others relied on the two Ancestral Artifacts to go and meet them, and the two groups quickly converged.

"Are you kids alright?" A group of burly men rushed over, picking up their own children and turning them over to check them, terrified that they might have been injured somewhere. "We're fine, we're all fine. Only a few of us have some scraped skin," the children replied.

"As long as you're fine." These burly men breathed a sigh of relief, then one by one, they raised their fan-sized palms and began swatting the children's bottoms with all their might.

"Ouch! That hurts! Why are you hitting us? Didn't you just care about us? How did you change your faces so quickly!" the children wailed.

One burly man said, "One thing at a time. Since you're fine, we have to settle the score. You haven't even grown your feathers yet, and you dare to provoke a demonic bird? If I don't swat your bottoms until they're sore, I'm not your father!"

High in the air, the Green-Scaled Eagle looked on with hostility, its eyes full of fierce light, but it never dove down. Instead, it remained in a cautious standoff, not taking immediate action.

The patriarch Shi Yunfeng shouted, "We must hurry back! The Bone Text mastery of Linhu and Feijiao is not profound enough to truly unleash the power of the Ancestral Artifact. Let us return to the village while we still can." He himself suffered from hidden injuries and was not fit for a prolonged battle.

All the children had been found, and no one had met with any accidents; this was the best possible news. The group held heavy clubs and giant bows, guarding carefully as they retreated toward Stone Village, keeping the children protected in their midst.

"Wow, Uncle Linhu, you guys are truly amazing! All these years, Grandpa Patriarch has been experimenting on you, and to think it yielded such great results. You are all prodigies!"

"Dad, you guys are so cool!" Shi Lin chimed in with flattery.

"That's right! And Uncle Feijiao, what kind of weapon were you using? We've never seen it before. Does it require knowledge of Bone Text to activate? Uncle, you all look so majestic and powerful!"

On the way back, the group of children ignored the fierce bird in the sky and laid the flattery on thick, terrified of being severely punished once they returned.

"Stop with the oily tongue, or I'll tan your hides later!" Shi Linhu, Shi Lin's father, glared at them.

The Green-Scaled Eagle followed them all the way, only shuddering when it neared the village and saw the Old Willow Tree. It dared not invade the village, instead circling in the sky and letting out angry, piercing cries.

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief. Being trailed by such a powerful descendant of a Primordial Remnant had kept their nerves taut; one wrong move could have cost many lives.

"We used the Ancestral Artifact this time. I hope it doesn't bring any trouble," the patriarch muttered to himself.

"Don't worry, Patriarch. Who would be passing through these desolate mountains? No one could have seen us," Shi Linhu said.

"I hope so. The things passed down by our ancestors have been gathering dust for too long; I just hope this doesn't trigger some unforeseen calamity," Shi Yunfeng whispered.

The bloody battle they had anticipated did not come to pass. They returned to the village safely, though the demonic bird descendant continued to shriek in the sky, its sound sharp enough to pierce metal and shatter stone.

Upon entering the village, chaos erupted. The women rushed over, clutching their children tightly—they had been terrified ever since hearing the news—while the men began searching for planks, preparing to discipline the "brats" who had caused such trouble.

"You little rascals, I told you not to cause trouble! Stand still!"

"Dad, don't hit me! I know I was wrong!"

The children scrambled away, eventually fleeing into the patriarch's courtyard, hoping he would intercede and stop their fathers from laying a hand on them.

Upon entering the stone courtyard, the children were filled with envy and resentment. Little One was not being punished; instead, he was holding a small porcelain bowl, scooping up milk with a tiny wooden spoon.

"Wow, Little One, you're drinking milk again? You're three and a half years old now!" one child shouted.

"Eeya!" Little One was deeply embarrassed. He hugged the small bowl, shielding it with his fair, chubby hands so the older children couldn't see. His face turned bright red, his long eyelashes fluttered, and he defended himself weakly, "You saw wrong, I... actually... I'm drinking water."

"Hahaha..." the group of children laughed.

"We're all getting beaten, so how come you get to drink beast milk?" Pi Hou asked curiously. "Because I told Grandpa Patriarch a story. He thought it was good, so he isn't mad at me anymore," Little One said, his large, dark eyes rolling around.

"What story?"

"The story of Little Red."

"What is Little Red?"

"Little Red is that bird covered in crimson feathers! I told you all about it before," Little One, Shi Hao, said indignantly.

The children all rolled their eyes and hissed, "The patriarch would have to be a ghost to believe that! The Vermilion Bird is just a legend from the Primordial Era. How could it possibly exist now, let alone be chased by you!"

"Hmm, two years ago, some kind of Mountain Treasure appeared deep in the mountains, attracting many powerful Primordial Remnants and triggering an unimaginable war. A streak of crimson fire once burned the very heavens; even from our village, we could vaguely see the sky-fire burning there for dozens of days," the patriarch said as he walked over.

"Clearly, there is a fire beast deep in the mountains, but it shouldn't be the legendary divine bird, as that is too unrealistic," Shi Linhu and the others added.

"That battle two years ago was truly hair-raising. I don't know what kind of fierce birds and giant beasts came. One night, I saw a humanoid creature as tall as the clouds carrying a black iron rod, stepping over several mountain ridges in a single stride. I just couldn't see its true face clearly," Shi Feijiao sighed, still feeling a chill at the memory.

The adults arrived, and the children's faces immediately fell. They were here to discipline them, having chased them all the way to the patriarch's place.

"Patriarch, we raided the Green-Scaled Eagle's nest! We can hatch the descendants of a demonic bird; perhaps one day they will rival the Sacrificial Spirit and protect our village!"

"That's right! In the future, Stone Village will have war-birds that can fly! These are three eggs from a descendant of a Primordial demonic bird!"

The children boasted, hoping to earn forgiveness.

"Do you know how much meat it takes to feed such a fierce bird for a single day? Food has always been scarce for us; where would we find the extra to raise three such behemoths?"

"Ah!" The children looked crestfallen.

"Besides, do you think it's over? Look outside the village," a clan elder sighed.

The children climbed onto the high platform and looked out, immediately turning pale. The terrifying Green-Scaled Eagle was standing on a giant boulder, its eyes cold and sharp, its scales shimmering. It had remained outside, refusing to leave.

"This kind of fierce bird is the most vengeful. You stole its eggs; how could it let it go? It will be difficult to even leave the village to hunt from now on," Shi Feijiao worried.

The children's faces went white, realizing they had caused a massive disaster.

"Eeya, let's give the eggs back to it. The Green-Scaled Eagle must be very sad without its babies," Little One said, blinking his large eyes.

"This bald eagle is extremely terrifying. If we don't return the eggs, it might never stop harassing us, and the village will never know peace. Even with the Ancestral Artifact in hand, it is very difficult to deal with it; after all, no one here can unleash the true power of the treasure."

The villagers decided to try returning the eggs and see what happened; if that failed, they would think of another plan.

The three basin-sized jade eggs were crystal clear, speckled with patterns, and flowed with beautiful, lustrous light. The mysterious power of Bone Text permeated them, radiating divine brilliance.

Just as the group stepped out of the courtyard and had not gone more than a few steps, the charred Old Willow Tree standing beside the altar—the one that served as the village's Sacrificial Spirit—suddenly moved. Its only remaining willow branch, wreathed in green mist, descended like a brilliant divine chain and gently brushed against one of the eggs, causing it to glow with intense radiance!