Stunned

A crowd of people stood petrified, unable to speak. This was far too astonishing. "Ah..."

Jiao Peng's arm trembled slightly. It felt as though he had struck a Hou, the pain like a broken bone. He had never imagined that a child with milk stains still lingering at the corner of his mouth would nearly swing him flat onto the ground.

Everyone was shocked. Was this truly just a wilderness village? More likely, it was a hidden clan passed down from ancient times!

Many people became wary. If that was true, it would be truly terrifying. Hidden clans lived alone in the deep mountains and Great Wilderness. Though their numbers were small, every one of them was a fearsome powerhouse.

The two elf-like little girls stepped forward, their eyes shimmering, their oval faces smiling. Their foreheads were lustrous white, seeming to possess a glow of wisdom. One of them asked, "Little brother, how old are you?"

"Almost four." Little Dot's big eyes were bright and clear as he answered seriously. At the same time, he quickly wiped the milk stain from the corner of his mouth, still trying to hide it.

What? A child just over three, not yet four? This was simply too astonishing. No one could remain calm, and sharp gasps rang out everywhere.

A beast-like gleam flashed in Jiao Peng's eyes. His expression turned incomparably hostile, and he wished he could immediately use his clan's supreme precious technique to slap Little Dot into the ground.

"Again!" He did not unleash the Flood Dragon Clan's precious technique, still relying on physical strength alone as he charged forward madly. His fist wind howled, making the nearby trees sway violently as every leaf came rustling down.

Like a great ferocious beast emerging from the Primeval Mountain Range, he stirred up a wild gale. Jiao Peng's momentum was terrifying as he pounced at Little Dot!

"Big brother, why are you bullying me?" Little Dot asked in confusion. His huge eyes, black and white distinct, were pure and innocent as he stared at Jiao Peng. He spread his arm and slapped forward.

Boom!

This time, everyone saw clearly. This adorable child truly used only pure physical strength, without a trace of the secret power of precious techniques. He simply pushed straight forward. Yet his force was so mighty and his power so savage that it left people tongue-tied. With a rumbling buzz, he sent Jiao Peng reeling back.

The genius from Luofu Great Marsh staggered backward again and again. Each step he took split the ground open with one huge crack after another. That arm of his spasmed, and the agonizing pain made him let out a muffled groan.

"So strong!" Jiao Peng gritted his teeth, disbelief in his eyes. This was truly humiliating. He had actually been suppressed by a child still drinking milk, and his face burned fiercely.

"Haha..." Lei Mingyuan, who was over six years old, took pleasure in Jiao Peng's misfortune and laughed so hard he doubled over.

But aside from him, no one else showed the slightest amusement. If Jiao Peng was a genius, then what was this child who had not even been weaned?

"This child has astonishing potential. If he entered the great battlefield where the major clans clash, perhaps he really could..." someone murmured.

The group of children all shuddered at those words, staring endlessly at Little Dot. Geniuses like them were destined to enter that terrifying battlefield. Sooner or later, they would have to face it.

"Ahem..." Purple Mountain Shou, Purple Mountain Marquis's clan uncle, coughed. He was of high seniority and wielded immense authority, yet now he looked kindly and benevolent as he asked, "Child, what is this village called?"

"Stone Village," Little Dot answered crisply.

"Could you let us enter and rest for a while? Have a drink of water?" Purple Mountain Shou asked pleasantly.

At this moment, Jiao Peng was being held back by the middle-aged man from Luofu Great Marsh, who would not let him act rashly. The powerful figures of the other clans also stepped forward, wishing to investigate this strange village thoroughly.

"So cute." The two elf-like little girls had already moved to Little Dot's side. They liked him enormously and kneaded his little cheeks.

"Big sisters, what are you doing?" Little Shi Hao dodged away.

"Can you take us into the village for a look?" the two little girls asked.

"What happened to Little Dot?" The adults from the village appeared and headed toward the mountain forest.

In the end, the powerful figures from great forces such as the Purple Mountain Clan and Luofu Great Marsh entered Stone Village and looked around, paying particular attention to the Old Willow Tree.

Yet the scorched black Willow Tree showed not the slightest reaction. Even when someone secretly sent it a mental message, it ignored them.

Once inside the village, these powerful figures were puzzled. The stone houses and bluestone streets looked entirely ordinary, with nothing exceptional about them. They were not much different from a typical wilderness village.

"Eh, these cauldrons are very old. They have most likely endured countless years and have quite some age to them." Purple Mountain Shou came from a marquis's territory. As the clan uncle of a marquis, his knowledge was naturally extensive.

Several cauldrons in the village carried an ancient air. Birds, beasts, fish, and insects were engraved upon them, simple and natural, drawing many people's attention.

"These cauldrons seem rather extraordinary. What do you usually use them for?" Jiao Cang, the middle-aged man from Luofu Great Marsh, asked.

"Oh, these are for training strength." Er Meng answered as he grabbed a bronze cauldron weighing a thousand jin and lifted it above his head.

Everyone's hearts jumped. An eight- or nine-year-old child had easily raised a thousand-jin bronze cauldron. While that might not amount to much in a great clan, it was extraordinary for a small mountain village.

Moreover, it appeared that none of these children were simple.

These powerful figures began to suspect again: could this truly be a hidden clan? It was deeply mysterious!

Er Meng had already been able to nearly lift a thousand-jin bronze cauldron. After being cleansed by Suanni true blood, his strength had increased by a large margin, so doing this was naturally much easier now.

But these powerful figures did not know that. They assumed every child was like this. One had to know that even in their clans, geniuses were limited in number. Not everyone could be like Jiao Peng or Zi Shan Kun.

Most children were far inferior to Er Meng. At eight or nine years old, possessing such strength was considered remarkably outstanding.

"Uncle, did you bring that flying flood dragon to eat, or to refine true blood from it?" Er Meng asked foolishly.

"What does a little melon-headed brat like you know? Don't talk nonsense!" Er Meng's father smacked him on the head and said, "A ferocious flood dragon like this is rarely seen. It must have just been tamed. They're definitely taking it back to pen it up and have it produce litter after litter of little flood dragons. Keeping them for food or refining true blood from them—that's the long-term plan."

The people of Luofu Great Marsh were left speechless. When they saw this rough, brawny man disciplining his child, they had thought he would say something sensible. Instead, he came out with such barbaric nonsense. Were the people of this village all abnormal?

This was not a Tree Pig, nor was it a mud ox. It was not food, but a truly super-powerful ferocious beast, terrifying beyond compare. Who would be willing to waste it like that?

Everyone's gazes blazed as they stared closely at Er Meng's father, trying to see through him. Yet they found no power of runes. Was he concealing his abilities and hiding his aura?

"The ferocious aura on these cauldrons is so intense. They were stained with the blood of an ancient remnant not long ago, weren't they?!"

Thunder Marquis's fourth son was a young man in his twenties named Lei Yunkun. He stood tall and imposing, powerfully built, black lightning flickering in his eyes. He walked inward and stopped before several medicinal cauldrons, revealing a startled expression.

The others all followed. They closed their eyes and sensed carefully, then all opened them in shock. A terrifying beast king had definitely bled here—and had actually died in this place!

"You didn't happen to stew an ancient remnant, did you?" Jiao Peng, who had suffered a setback earlier and was still full of resentment, could not help asking.

"Scared, aren't you?" Snot-nosed Kid was younger and deeply displeased with Jiao Peng. Hearing this, he got childish and said just that.

"What ferocious beast?" the genius Zi Shan Kun asked, a strange look appearing on his face.

"A Suanni. Super powerful," Snot-nosed Kid blurted out.

"You little melon-headed brat!" his father scolded softly, but it was already too late. He had said it.

Only then did Snot-nosed Kid remember the clan's warning that they could not speak carelessly about the ancient remnant, or great disaster might follow. He immediately became somewhat stunned and whispered, "I forgot. The Chief said we should keep a low profile."

Yet in the ears of the powerful figures, those words carried deep meaning. This was fucking absolutely a terrifying hidden clan. They were keeping a low profile because they did not want to show off.

Otherwise, who would casually eat a Suanni? Even one with slightly purer blood possessed a ferocious aura that soared to the heavens, let alone an ancient remnant. It was enough to place immense pressure on even a great clan and fill them with dread.

"Are you sure you ate a Suanni?" Jiao Peng asked with his eyes wide. For the moment, his arrogance vanished, revealing the shock and curiosity natural to a child.

One had to know that Luofu Great Marsh ordinarily did not dare provoke a powerful remnant such as a Suanni. Though he had bathed in similar blood before, that did not mean he could often eat such meat.

In great clans, the rarer an ancient remnant was, the more carefully it was processed. Every inch of flesh, blood, and even bone would be refined into medicine. Who would gulp it down in great mouthfuls like this?

The powerful figures were completely speechless. How deep did one's foundations have to be to dare act like this, directly eating the flesh of a priceless Suanni?

By this point, though these powerful figures came from great clans and possessed broad knowledge, they viewed every part of the village with suspicion. In their hearts, they had already decided that this was a terrifying hidden clan, not to be provoked lightly!

"Where is your Chief? This old man wishes to pay him a visit." Purple Mountain Shou wore feathered robes and a golden crown, strands of purple energy winding around his body. He possessed an immensely powerful bearing, but he kept it restrained, not daring to act too casually here.

"The Chief has entered seclusion. He will not emerge anytime soon," Er Meng answered honestly.

"You little melon-headed brat, you really do talk too much!" His father stretched out a large palm like a cattail fan and smacked him again.

Er Meng felt greatly wronged. Wasn't it the truth? No one had told him not to say it. After drinking Suanni precious blood, the Chief had felt the hidden injuries within his body ease somewhat, so he had devoted himself to cultivation.

Purple Mountain Shou, Jiao Cang, and the others exchanged glances, wearing expressions of understanding. They felt that this was surely an extraordinary Chief. The stronger one was, the longer one's seclusion would last.

At last, the group looked again toward the Old Willow Tree. The village was so mysterious—this willow tree rooted here must surely be extraordinary as well, right?

"Is this a sacrificial spirit? What do you call it?" Lei Yunkun asked carefully.

"Oh, we just call it the sacrificial spirit, or Willow God," Little Monkey answered. Children's words were the truest, so they were naturally easier to believe.

"What, Willow God?!" The powerful figures nearly jumped up. Even someone like Purple Mountain Shou, a powerful clan uncle of a marquis with immense authority, staggered in shock.

A mysterious village, a terrifying title for its sacrificial spirit... the whole group was left utterly stunned.