Oath

Back when Yu Chen had fought the snake shaman of the Mist Serpent Lineage, the other's command over rolling clouds and spreading mist had been nothing short of perfection. It had led Yu Chen to assume from the outset that the opponent was more skilled in illusions and controlling fog.

Yet this one was not only proficient in the Mist Serpent Lineage's shamanic arts, but also deeply versed in curses—more troublesome even than the snake shamans of the Poison Snake Tribe, who specialized in controlling venomous snakes and wielding poison arts.

Thus, when he had fought the Mist Serpent Tribe's snake shaman, if Yu Chen had not been protected by the Golden Light Mantra, then even with the vast quantities of resources and materials he had prepared beforehand against unforeseen events, he would still have been wounded by the dying curse of the Mist Serpent shaman and lost part of his lifespan.

Come to think of it, in order to quickly master shamanic arts in the past, and later, on several occasions, for the sake of the tribe, when he had no choice but to sacrifice himself to cast large-scale, high-powered shamanic arts, Yu Chen had lost ten to fifteen years of his lifespan in total.

Though he had later studied Crow Script for water, grass, and the like in depth, he had still been unable to fully mend the damage. Even now, a chill, yin-cold energy remained tangled within his body, leaving him somewhat weaker than others his age in the tribe.

I wonder whether I can trade these purple flowers to the Crow Tribe for copies of some inherited Crow Script.

Having the system, he had long since tested it. Even if he only obtained copied Crow Script, he could restore part of its core content and fill in the gaps in his own system. And aside from the core Crow Script, the Crow Tribe was certain to possess other inheritances.

Compared to Crow Script, other types of Crow Script involving plants, wood, stones, and flowers were less important. There might well be room for an exchange.

With such thoughts rising in his mind, Yu Chen briefly considered opening the formation and letting the Crow Tribe's people find him.

By coincidence, before Yu Chen could make a decision, the Crow Tribe's people had already come knocking.

Looking at the several crows circling the outskirts of the spiritual ground he had constructed, Yu Chen raised a brow. The aura of these crows differed somewhat from that of the shaman he had encountered earlier, which meant the shaman who had found this place should be another person.

Yu Chen walked to the "entrance." Before long, he saw a young woman wearing bird feathers, arriving at the edge of the territory under the protection of seven or eight young warriors.

In Yu Chen's eyes, although the woman had fewer guards than the Crow Tribe shaman from before, both the spiritual presence of her accessories and the armament of the surrounding warriors surpassed the latter by far. She was clearly the second generation of some powerful family.

Yu Chen drew a deep breath, a glimmer of sharp light appearing in his eyes.

As a former snake shaman, Yu Chen knew the temperaments of such privileged heirs all too well.

This southern wilderness was not the Central Divine Province from Yu Chen's memories, and the families of such second-generation heirs were no ancient clans passed down for a thousand years. Usually, one or two people within a family had risen to the top of a tribe, while their descendants proved somewhat capable as well, gradually forming a small power. What proper upbringing could they possibly have?

When Yu Chen had studied under the old snake shaman, two or three of his fellow disciples had been exactly this sort—overbearing, arrogant, and self-righteous. With the slightest provocation, if one pretended to fear and submit to them, they would believe whatever one said and charge foolishly into Hundred Poisons Valley in search of materials for a breakthrough, never to return.

As for the families behind them, while the old snake shaman had been alive, they could do nothing to Yu Chen. After the old snake shaman died, there was even less to say.

Likewise, Yu Chen also knew very well how to obtain the greatest benefit from such privileged heirs.

He stepped forward, the Snake Shadow Banner appearing in his hand. Thin mist spread in all directions as layered snake shadows slithered everywhere, faintly closing over the woman and her companions.

"You actually dare to attack!" The woman's eyes widened. She had still been wondering how a wild shaman could be living here, yet she had not expected him to strike without a word. Her body shook, and feather after feather fell to the ground, giving rise to streams of black energy that transformed into crows and pounced upon the snake shadows from every direction.

Just as expected! Yu Chen smiled at her attack and gave the Snake Shadow Banner in his hand a light shake. The originally pale white mist immediately turned brilliantly mottled. The crows that flew into it were instantly corroded, turning into dull feathers that fell to the ground.

At the same time, the mist churned and covered the surroundings. Snake shadows rose upright, encircling the group.

"What do you want?" The woman had realized things were bad the instant her crows were corroded by the poisonous mist. Her eyes turned utterly black, without the slightest trace of white, while waves of deathly aura spread from her body.

With a flip of her hand, she threw out several small jars. Streams of black energy rose as blood energy churned, mingling with the deathly aura on her body. Together with a falling feather, they transformed into a Three-Eyed Blood-Patterned Black Crow taller than a man. As it flapped its wings, a strange yet tyrannical power spread outward.

Many mist snakes that came even slightly close dissolved into fog. Yu Chen's expression turned solemn, and his pupils narrowed into vertical slits like those of a snake. Mist rose behind him, where the phantom of a figure wielding a great snake emerged as well. He struck at the air with his palm, and snake shadows shifted within the mist. One mist snake after another surged out, launching relentless attacks at the group.

"Watch out!" Faint markings surfaced across the body of one young warrior guarding the woman. Then his speed abruptly increased, and the bone curved blade in his hand moved after but arrived first, severing a mist snake that had lunged at the woman.

At the same time, the surrounding warriors also sprang into action. Though the markings on their bodies varied in shade, their shapes were largely identical, clearly inherited from the same line.

Most troublesome of all, their attacks were not isolated efforts but coordinated with one another. Streaks of pale blade light swept through the air, forming an impenetrable net that covered the area and cut off every path of entry.

Totem warriors? These people are second-generation heirs too? Yu Chen raised a brow.

Totem warriors and shamans were the two great extraordinary paths beneath the totems worshipped by tribes. Unlike shamans, who cultivated spells through totems, totem warriors needed greater self-training in the early stages. By consuming the blood of corresponding exotic beasts, they continuously stimulated their qi and blood. In the end, with the aid of a totem, they formed distinctive markings similar to that totem, branded upon their bodies. When necessary, they could stimulate those markings through their qi and blood to gain immense strength.

Such people found it easier than shamans to form family lineages. The older generation would stimulate their qi and blood by consuming corresponding exotic beasts, then the next generation would consume the blood of the same beasts. Over time, traces of the corresponding exotic beasts' qi and blood would emerge in that lineage.

After five or six generations, natural totem markings might even appear on their bodies. These youths were not very old, so it was clear they could not all have trained themselves to this level. A great many must have inherited the blessings of their forebears as second-generation heirs.

Yu Chen flicked a finger, and the faint spiritual radiance within the sanctuary behind him abruptly expanded outward. The pale glow directly crossed the totem warriors' blockade and enveloped the Three-Eyed Blood-Patterned Black Crow just as it was about to fully form. The Crow Tribe's totem power, which had been on the verge of descending, was immediately disrupted, and the Three-Eyed Blood-Patterned Black Crow swiftly collapsed as well.

"Great Shaman!" Seeing the totem disperse, the woman screamed and retreated again and again. But poisonous mist had long since shrouded the surroundings. Where could she possibly flee?

"Don't come any closer! I'm the Crow Shaman's daughter, you..."

Yu Chen paid no attention to the woman, who was on the verge of collapse, and directly stated his demand. "Tell me every piece of Crow Script you know! I can spare you, in Amarig's name!"

At these words, the woman froze. Amarig was the name of the mountain range, signifying a great sacred land. In the eyes of all southern wilderness shamans, it held a special meaning. For a long time in the past, the Snake Tribe had even regarded Amarig as the father god of all mountain folk, the source of totems.

Therefore, an oath sworn in Amarig's name was surely witnessed by the mountains. Among the many tribes of the southern wilderness, it was a high oath that could neither be broken nor deceived.

"Fine! As long as you promise to spare us, I'll tell you all the Crow Script I know!"

"You may. But you must also swear by Amarig that everything you say is true, without any concealment. Afterward, none of you may use any method to remind or guide others into coming to trouble me!" Yu Chen nodded without hesitation, but while she was both angry and secretly relieved, he pointed out the little tricks hidden in her words.

"Also, the oath you swear is not to tell me the Crow Script you know, but to teach me every piece of Crow Script you know and are capable of teaching others."

The woman gritted her teeth, her brows knitting tightly together. She was clearly hesitant.

Yu Chen smiled and beckoned. A mist snake crawled out from the spiritual ground, with more than a dozen purple flowers floating above its head. "As long as you agree, these will be yours as well!"

The woman lowered her head and fell silent for a while. Yu Chen said nothing more, merely controlling the surrounding mist as it churned. The increasingly mottled fog steadily pressed closer to the woman and the others.

The totem warriors guarding the woman also began to panic. From their brief exchange earlier, they knew full well how poisonous this mist was. Even as totem warriors, they did not dare come into contact with too much of it.

The pressure in the woman's heart grew ever greater. At last, she clenched her teeth and nodded. "Fine! I agree!"

"A wise choice!"