Change

The emotions Xiao Hua initially displayed made Shu Zi believe he had seen a glimmer of hope for her return.

However, Shu Zi now realized that when she spoke those words, she was entirely calm.

The decision to leave her family and enter the Great Temple was clearly not because of anyone else, nor was it born of emotion; it was a cold, calculated choice.

And so, Shu Zi finally fell into despair.

The gods had sent Xiao Hua back, and because of the gods, Xiao Hua had drifted away once more.

Perhaps he should never have prayed for the resurrection of the dead.

Miracles come with a price.

Shu Zi remained despondent for many days, but he could not neglect the affairs of the tribe. Eventually, pressured by circumstances, he had to pull himself together and return to his busy life.

Ying Zi continued to be left in the care of the tribe's matrons for his upbringing.

Time moved forward like an arrow that could never turn back.

The two, who had once been husband and wife, drifted further and further apart.

Armed with the God Bow, Shu Zi led his tribesmen to expand their territory and conquer the Ape-man Tribe, absorbing, slaughtering, or plundering them to incorporate one ape-man group after another into the human domain.

On the other hand, as a complement to this bloody conquest, Xiao Hua, in her capacity as the Chief Shaman of the Ancestral Deities, traveled to various regions with her shamans to establish new temples and altars, spreading a faith that was primitive yet highly efficacious.

The reproductive capacity of the human race was immense; a new generation could be born in just over a decade. Furthermore, with the constant integration of the Ape-man Tribe and intermarriage, new bloodlines were continuously added to the human race. Superior genes replaced inferior ones, and the human population and territory grew ever larger.

As the human territory expanded, it gradually encroached upon the domains of many ferocious beasts.

Consequently, Shu Zi also had to lead men to protect the tribe.

In this process, the incoming ape-men and the original humans eventually stood together against a common enemy, gradually developing bonds of affection.

As years passed, the former prisoners of war and the women taken as spoils of wealth gradually integrated into the human race.

Shu Zi had not taken any spouse for nearly ten years, yet as he grew older, he finally ceased his resistance.

At the age of 40, he accepted a beautiful young girl offered to him by his subordinates.

By the age of 46, he already had three wives in his dwelling, which was the quota befitting his status as chieftain. All the elders were satisfied.

Due to years of conquest and plunder, the number of women possessed by the human race now far exceeded that of men, while men held the advantage in combat.

Thus, a extreme imbalance emerged in marriage.

Many men had multiple wives, and among them, many were captured ape-man women.

By the year Shu Zi turned 67, the human territory had expanded into a rhombus tilted slightly to the right.

To the south of this rhombus lay the legendary land of human origin, the Abyss of Sin, to which one could never return.

Anyone who dared to approach the place known as the "Earth Realm" would vanish completely.

It was precisely because of the deterrent power of the "Earth Realm" that the humans lacked the courage to even bypass it and head further south.

To the west of the rhombus lay the most dangerous region—the Great Wilderness.

The Great Wilderness was a collective term for a vast area in the west with varied terrain and complex environments. Within the Great Wilderness lived countless ferocious beasts, and even intelligent demon beasts.

Ordinary humans dared not go near it.

To the east of the rhombus lay the boundless ocean, which the humans called the Green Sea because the water appeared green.

The humans only possessed the ability to build vessels for crossing small rivers; they were powerless against the vast and unpredictable sea.

Only to the north was there a mountain range acting as a barrier. Once they crossed the peaks known to the humans as the Sky Cloud Mountain Range, they could continue their expansion outward.

In fact, if viewed from a satellite map, this green planet in the Green World possessed three large continents. The continent inhabited by the humans was the largest, yet they had only set foot on one-fifth of its area. In many other places, there was lush vegetation, suitable living environments, and other groups of ape-men residing there.

All of this awaited human exploration.

At present, the humans, lacking the capability for long-distance navigation, did not even possess the concept of a "continent."

Their vision remained very narrow.

At 67, Shu Zi appeared very aged, yet he still held his power firmly in his grasp.

In fact, in the year he turned 59, to eliminate hidden threats within the tribe, he had launched a purge, leading his men to kill Gouwei, who had followed him for so long.

He did so simply because he felt Gouwei had ambition and was sufficiently clever.

Gouwei's death served as a warning to others who coveted the position of chieftain, and Shu Zi demonstrated his ruthlessness and martial prowess to the people.

After all, the God Bow was still in his hands.

For many years, Shu Zi had never let the God Bow leave his side; it was his reliance, and it could not be taken by anyone.

However, years of warfare had left him with many underlying ailments. Not to mention the pain in his shoulders and back during rainy days, he would sometimes suffer from palpitations and shortness of breath, needing to gasp for a while before he could recover.

Yet, he was the chieftain of the tribe. Even though the human race was becoming larger and harder to manage, he still held absolute power and struggled to maintain control.

Shu Zi now had five wives and over a dozen children, which could be considered a flourishing family.

He had long intended for his eldest son, Ying Zi, to succeed him, but Ying Zi seemed to have little interest.

As for his other children, they were younger and lacked prestige within the tribe.

One day, Shu Zi finished his daily affairs early and left the hall where the tribe held its councils.

He walked while leaning on a scepter; it looked like a symbol of his status, but in reality, it was to prop himself up.

Shu Zi tried his best not to let others notice that his health was not what it used to be, but he was indeed long past his prime.

Passing through a street, Shu Zi heard a burst of jubilant sounds from afar.

He looked toward that direction. Was it the Great Temple? Why was the Great Temple so lively?

Shu Zi walked toward the Great Temple involuntarily.

As he neared the Great Temple, he heard a young man say excitedly:

"This is the Great Shaman! No wonder people say she can truly be called a deity walking upon the earth."

"Indeed, she is so old, yet her spirit remains so vibrant. How could an ordinary person ever achieve that?"

"It's more than just her spirit; I don't think anyone in our tribe possesses her majesty!"

Shu Zi felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart. If there was no one, did that not include himself?

He pushed through the crowd blocking his path and moved forward.

The passersby were initially annoyed, but upon seeing Shu Zi's attire, they all retreated in silence to show their respect.

Then, Shu Zi saw the focal point surrounded by the crowd, standing on the steps of the Great Temple.

It was Xiao Hua.

Decades had passed; he had campaigned in all directions, winning a vast territory for the Human Race.

Meanwhile, she had traveled everywhere, praying to the gods for the people, performing witchcraft, and divining fortunes.

Through her efforts, altars and ancestral temples of all sizes were established across the lands of the Human Race.

She had earned the title of "Great Shaman," and she was worthy of that title.

Xiao Hua was often away and rarely returned to Fang Mountain. This time, it was her first return in four years to preside over the sacrificial rites.

He continued to walk forward, wanting to see her more clearly.

Xiao Hua has grown old, too, he thought.

The once slender figure had now become withered and gaunt, her face covered in wrinkles; even Xiao Hua had been unable to resist the marks of time.

Although Shu Zi looked much older than Xiao Hua now, the fact that Xiao Hua could not resist the erosion of aging still gave Shu Zi a sliver of satisfaction.

Shu Zi gradually approached Xiao Hua in the crowd. He looked closely at this woman.

The woman's back was slightly hunched, yet a momentum that no one else could match radiated from her.

Those beside her looked at her with eyes full of reverence.

Furthermore, to his disappointment, the look in this woman's eyes had not changed at all.

Everything seemed to return to the beginning, when she decided to leave her family and enter the Great Temple.

"I have found my path." The expression she wore when she said those words back then remained miraculously in Shu Zi's memory.

And now, it was the exact same expression, as devout and firm as it had always been.

Shu Zi stared blankly, and suddenly, Xiao Hua glanced in this direction.

She had spotted Shu Zi.

Xiao Hua was slightly stunned.

But Shu Zi turned and left without hesitation.

This woman's heart had not changed. And people who never change are terrifying.

The crowd jostled, and the two drifted further and further apart in the noisy throng.

They had become a great leader of the Human Race and a great shaman.

Yet, they walked in opposite directions, treading two completely different paths.