The Patriarch Awakens

"Captain, we must pull up the weeds by the roots. Should we just wipe out Bei Village?"

Taking advantage of the lull, Shi Feijiao leaned toward Shi Linhu, his voice low.

"Striking at a group of women and children left behind in the village is not the act of a hero."

Shi Linhu shook his head, then explained, "Without their Sacrificial Spirit and their able-bodied men, Bei Village is finished. There is no need for us to dirty our own hands."

In the depths of the Great Wilderness, where exotic beasts run rampant, a village left without the protection of a Sacrificial Spirit and lacking the strong men to hunt for food would soon wither away on its own, leaving only the weak women and children to face their demise.

Shi Feijiao nodded in realization and said no more.

The hunting party moved with practiced efficiency, harvesting their spoils and gathering the various weapons left behind by the men of Bei Village.

In the Great Wilderness, where metal and the technology to refine it are extremely scarce, these bronze and iron weapons were the most sought-after hard currency.

Shi Hao picked up the fallen Beast Tooth Bracelet and dragged away the carcass of the Old Bei he had stomped to death; he intended to offer it to the Willow Deity.

A short while later, the hunting party returned home fully laden.

Hearing that the hunting party had returned in triumph, the villagers who had stayed behind called out to one another, rushing out to greet them in a lively scene.

"Willow Deity, this is the offering I have brought for you. I see that you seem to have suffered severe Dao injuries; I wonder if this Old Bei might be of some help to you?"

At the edge of the village, Shi Hao respectfully laid the corpse of the Old Bei beneath the willow tree.

"It is merely a fierce beast on the verge of Spirit Transformation; it is of no use to me."

The Willow Deity chuckled and declined.

Shi Hao realized his mistake. A high-level divine corpse was buried beneath Stone Village, and the Willow Deity was rooted upon it to absorb its nutrients and recover a portion of its power; naturally, it would have no interest in a Cave Heaven Realm Old Bei.

"However, while it is useless to me, that may not be the case for you."

As it spoke, the Willow Deity lashed out with a tender green willow branch, piercing the crown of the Old Bei's head. The massive beast carcass shriveled rapidly until it turned to dust and vanished.

The Old Bei was gone, and a single drop of Golden Divine Liquid appeared at the tip of the willow branch.

"Clan Chief, come forward."

Having done this, the Willow Deity spoke.

"Sacrificial Spirit..."

Shi Yunfeng walked over from nearby, trembling slightly; he had vaguely sensed something.

The Willow Deity said nothing more, merely flicking its tender green branch.

"BOOM!"

As the divine liquid entered his body, Shi Yunfeng's frame shuddered violently. A dense, surging blood energy erupted from within him, and five cave-like openings, each the size of a millstone, rumbled into existence above his head, spewing out the divine essence of heaven and earth like a volcanic eruption.

Massive amounts of primordial essence poured into his body, filling the voids left by the old injuries that had plagued Shi Yunfeng for years. Even his shock of white hair began to turn black.

With a thunderous roar, a brand-new cave opened, tearing through the void. Six caves stood side by side, grandly connecting with the power of heaven and earth.

"This... my injuries! My injuries have completely healed, and my cultivation has even advanced a step further!"

Shi Yunfeng was stunned by this transformation. He danced with joy for a moment before hurriedly kneeling to the ground, shouting the name of the "Willow Deity."

Decades ago, before the great upheaval, the young Shi Yunfeng had opened five caves, making him a late-stage Cave Heaven Realm cultivator; the next step would have been Spirit Transformation.

It could be said that Shi Yunfeng had the potential to grow into a human prince, with every chance to lead Stone Village to its first revival. Unfortunately, the disaster struck, casting him into the dust to linger on for decades.

The hope for the village's revival had been severed, leaving only a sigh of "what a pity."

The village elders were even more overjoyed. Suppressing their excitement, they watched from afar; they knew better than anyone the frustration the Clan Chief had endured all these years.

"In six months at most, you will be able to enter the Spirit Transformation realm. Very well, you may withdraw."

Having finished its instructions, the Willow Deity fell silent once more.

Shi Yunfeng, now composed, bowed deeply and led the villagers away as instructed.

As for Shi Hao, having eliminated the potential threat of Bei Village, he returned to the path of tempering his body and pushing toward the ultimate limit.

One day, the Azure Heaven Roc, which had been hunting deep in the Great Wilderness, brought news to the village: the Old Suanni that dominated the deep mountains was nearing the end of its lifespan and was about to fall.

This Inscription Realm ancient remnant could not yet speak human language, but it could already communicate with humans using its divine sense.

The elders were astonished by this news. After a brief discussion, they decided to seize the opportunity and bring the Suanni's precious body back to the village.

After all, an ancient remnant was a treasure trove; whether it was its true blood or its powerful primordial techniques, it would bring immense benefits to the village.

Led by Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng, over a hundred of Stone Village's strongest men set out with a roar.

Deep in the mountain range, a massive, ferocious beast carcass lay prone on the ground.

The beast resembled a lion, with a single golden horn on its head and fur that shone like molten gold. Even in death, it radiated a monstrous, baleful aura, filled with heaven-shaking majesty.

The Old Suanni, the terrifying creature that had ruled these mountains!

"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!"

Strange and varied beast roars erupted one after another, throwing the mountain forest into chaos.

Golden Crocodile, Striped Mountain Cat, Single-Horned Thunder Kui, Silver Pangolin, Purple Long Snake, Blood Sable, Purple Rat, Eagle Bear... exotic beasts of the Great Wilderness, rarely seen on ordinary days, surged out from the depths of the mountain range, clashing violently to claim the hideous beast corpse.

To these exotic beasts of the Great Wilderness, a primordial remnant with a pure bloodline was undoubtedly the most delicious food; devouring it would not only satisfy their hunger but could even provide an opportunity for their own bloodlines to further evolve.

In a mountain stream in the distance, the clansmen of Stone Village lay in ambush.

The exceptionally bloody scene before their eyes left every clansman pale, their throats bobbing as they swallowed hard, deeply shaken by the spectacle.

"Chief, why don't we strike now? These beasts may be fierce, but they cannot stop our clan's war beasts."

Shi Linhu was bold and skilled, remaining unaffected by the grim atmosphere.

"Skree!"

Before Shi Yunfeng could answer, the Azure Heaven Roc at his side let out a low cry.

"Auntie Azure Heaven Roc says that the Old Suanni was a late-stage Inscription Realm ferocious beast. It had two rivals deep in the mountains: a Devil Ape and a Separated Fire Bull Demon, both of whom are at the early stage of the Inscription Realm."

"When the Old Suanni was at its peak, they naturally dared not encroach, but now that the Old Suanni has fallen, these two equally powerful primordial remnants will surely come to fight over its precious body. We might as well wait and see; there is no need to rush into action."

Shi Hao whispered the translation to the clansmen.

The Azure Heaven Roc was also a primordial remnant at the early stage of the Inscription Realm; facing two opponents of the same rank would naturally be a struggle, so it was better to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

"What? A Devil Ape and a Separated Fire Bull Demon? I never expected those two old monsters to still be alive!"

A white-haired clan elder exclaimed in a low voice.

Back when he was still a child, and even when his father and grandfather were alive, the names of these two ferocious beasts had already shaken the surrounding mountains; he never imagined they would still be active to this day.