The Patriarch Revives

"Captain, if we want to uproot the weeds, we have to pull them out by the roots. Should we just wipe out Bei Village?"

While they had a moment, Shi Feijiao leaned close to Shi Linhu's ear and spoke in a hushed voice.

"It wouldn't be heroic to attack the women and children left behind in the village."

Shi Linhu shook his head, then explained, "Bei Village is finished now that it's lost its Sacrificial Spirit and so many able-bodied adults. There's no need for us to take action ourselves."

Deep in the Great Wilderness, where strange beasts roamed unchecked, Bei Village had lost the protection of its Sacrificial Spirit and had no grown men to hunt for food. With only women and children, too weak to fight, left behind, the village would soon meet its own end.

Shi Feijiao looked enlightened and said no more.

The hunting party swiftly gathered their spoils: the various weapons belonging to Bei Village's able-bodied warriors.

In the Great Wilderness, where metal and the skill to refine it were exceedingly scarce, bronze and iron implements were the most sought-after hard currency.

Shi Hao picked up the fallen Beast Tooth Bracelet, then dragged away Old Bei, whom he had killed with a single stomp. He planned to offer the body to Willow Deity.

A short while later, the hunting party returned with a full haul.

When word spread that the hunting party had returned in triumph, the villagers who had stayed behind called their friends and family and poured out to welcome them. The scene was lively.

"Willow Deity, this is my offering to you. It seems you've suffered a grave Dao wound. I wonder if this Old Bei might be of some help to you?"

At the village entrance, Shi Hao respectfully laid Old Bei's corpse beneath the willow tree.

"A ferocious beast on the verge of Spirit Transformation is of little use to me."

Willow Deity chuckled and declined outright.

Shi Hao understood. A high-level divine corpse lay buried beneath Stone Village, and Willow Deity had taken root atop it to draw nourishment and recover some of his power. Naturally, an old Grotto-Heaven Bei was no use to him.

"Still, even if it's no use to me, it might be useful to you."

As he spoke, Willow Deity swept out a Tender Green Willow Branch. It pierced Old Bei's crown, and the massive beast's body quickly withered until it crumbled to ash.

Old Bei vanished, leaving a drop of Golden Divine Liquid at the tip of the willow branch.

"Patriarch, come forward."

Willow Deity spoke after completing the task.

"Sacrificial Spirit..."

Shi Yunfeng approached unsteadily from nearby. He had a vague sense of what was about to happen.

Willow Deity said nothing more, merely flicking the Tender Green Willow Branch.

BOOM!

As the divine liquid entered Shi Yunfeng's body, he jolted violently. A dense aura of blood surged from him, and five grottoes, each as large as a millstone, rumbled into existence above his head. Like erupting volcanoes, they belched forth the divine essence of heaven and earth.

An immense amount of essence poured into him, replenishing the vitality he had lost over the years because of his old wounds. Even his snow-white hair quietly turned mostly black.

With a thunderous boom, a brand-new grotto tore through the void and appeared. The six grottoes stood shoulder to shoulder, connecting with the power of heaven and earth in a vast, surging tide.

"My wounds... My wounds have completely healed! And my cultivation has even advanced another step!"

Shi Yunfeng was stunned by the sudden transformation. He cheered, waving his hands in excitement, then hurriedly dropped to his knees and cried out Willow Deity's name.

Decades ago, before the upheaval, the young Shi Yunfeng had opened five grottoes, making him a late-stage Cave Heaven Realm cultivator. Spirit Transformation had been within his reach.

Shi Yunfeng had the potential to become a human king and could have led Stone Village through its first revival. But then disaster struck, knocking him from his lofty heights and leaving him to cling to life for decades.

Stone Village's hope of revival had been cut short. What a pity.

The village elders were even more overjoyed. Struggling to contain their excitement, they watched from afar. How could they not know how deeply the patriarch had suffered all these years?

"At most half a year, and you'll enter Spirit Transformation. All right, you may leave."

After saying this, Willow Deity fell silent once more.

Once he had calmed down, Shi Yunfeng bowed deeply, then led the villagers away as instructed.

As for Shi Hao, who had dealt with the potential threat of Bei Village, he once again set out on the path of tempering his body and breaking through his limits.

One day, Azure Heaven Roc returned from a hunt deep in the Great Wilderness with news for the village: the Old Suanni, which had ruled over the mountains, was nearing the end of its lifespan and was about to die.

This Ancient Relic of the Inscription Realm couldn't yet speak human words, but it could already communicate normally with people through divine sense.

The village elders were astonished by the news. After a brief discussion, they decided to go and fight for the corpse, bringing the Suanni's Treasure Body back to the village.

After all, an Ancient Relic was a treasure from head to tail. Its true blood and powerful innate treasures could both bring immense benefits to the village.

Under the leadership of Patriarch Shi Yunfeng, more than a hundred able-bodied villagers of Stone Village surged forth.

Deep in the mountains, a huge, fearsome beast lay sprawled on the ground.

The beast looked like a lion. A golden horn grew from its skull, and its golden fur gleamed as though it had been forged from gold. Though dead, it still radiated a terrifying aura of savagery and overwhelming majesty.

Old Suanni—the fearsome creature that had ruled these mountains!

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

A cacophony of beastly cries rang out, and the forest erupted into chaos.

Golden Crocodile, Striped Mountain Cat, Single-Horned Thunder Kui, Silver Pangolin, Purple Long Snake, Blood Sable, Purple Rat, Eagle Bear... One after another, the rarely seen beasts of the Great Wilderness darted out from deep in the mountains, fighting fiercely over the fearsome corpse.

To these beasts of the Great Wilderness, a pure-blooded Ancient Relic was surely the most delicious prey. Devouring it would satisfy their hunger and might even further evolve their bloodlines.

The people of Stone Village lay in ambush in a ravine nearby.

The bloody scene before them left the villagers pale, swallowing nervously as they watched in shock.

"Patriarch, why don't we attack now? These beasts may be strong, but they can't stop the battle beasts of our clan."

Shi Linhu was bold and skilled, and the gruesome atmosphere did not faze him.

SQUEE!

Before Shi Yunfeng could answer, Azure Heaven Roc gave a low cry beside them.

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

"When Old Suanni was at its peak, they didn't dare challenge it. Now that it's dead, those two equally powerful Ancient Relics will surely come to fight for its Treasure Body. We may as well wait and see. There's no need to rush into the fray."

Shi Hao quietly relayed this to the villagers.

Azure Heaven Roc was also an early-stage Inscription Realm Ancient Relic. It would struggle against two opponents of the same level, so they might as well sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

"What? The Devil Ape and the Separated Fire Bull Demon? I never thought those two old fiends were still alive!"

An elderly, white-haired clan elder cried out softly.

Those two beasts had been renowned throughout the surrounding mountains since he was a child—even when his father and grandfather were still alive. He could hardly believe they were still active to this day.