Changing Faces

The word "god" could not be used lightly. To ordinary tribes, it represented omnipotence and supreme authority! In ancient times, the forebears had faith and were exceedingly particular about sacrifices. They believed gods truly existed, that they could be summoned at critical moments to protect them.

In truth, later generations had come to understand that the beings worshipped by those tribes were actually creatures of utmost power—such as True Hou, or Pixiu with the purest bloodlines. All were supreme-level lifeforms.

In that distant past, the ancient forebears had worshipped these supreme beings, offered them sacrifices and reverence, and had indeed received their protection.

Any being daring to call itself a god could surely battle ancient fiendish beasts. Their strength defied heaven itself; with a mere lift of a hand, they could annihilate several super tribes. Their divine might was unimaginable, utterly impossible to resist.

It was said that even now, those ancient kingdoms with boundless territories still worshipped the heavens and performed certain ancient rituals, offering sacrifices to gods. Though endless years had passed, there might still be traces of ancient gods behind those kingdoms—terrifying and mysterious.

The people of Stone Village called this willow tree a god. How could that not be shocking? Such a title could not be used carelessly!

"Are you sure it does not object to being honored as a god?" a teenage boy from the Purple Mountain Clan asked cautiously.

"It doesn't object. Willow God is very kind; it has always protected our clan," Er Meng said bluntly.

The moment this news emerged—that the sacrificial spirit did not object to being called a god—nearly all the experts changed expression and could not help backing away. They developed immense fear toward this utterly charred, nearly dead willow tree.

Many creatures that served as sacrificial spirits among humans were connected to gods; some were even descendants of ancient gods. They were especially wary of such a title. Unless they had ignited divine fire, they would never dare to arrogantly exalt themselves. The hierarchy was strict.

Yet this willow tree dared to accept such a title without objection. That showed its strength was terrifying. It had most likely long since defied heaven and no longer cared about such things.

Could it truly be an ancient god, now lingering on the verge of death in its twilight years? This was what many people thought, but none dared voice it aloud.

After this episode, reverence rose in everyone's hearts. They felt deeply uncomfortable and no longer dared act too casually, treading carefully even as they walked through the village.

Yet they still refused to give up. They wanted to get to the bottom of it: what exactly was the background of this reclusive clan, what divine marvels did this "Willow God" possess, and had it ever bestowed a sacred artifact?

One had to know that any artifact personally refined by a true ancient god for someone would surely be extraordinary, heaven-defying. Everyone felt a yearning. If they paid their respects here and offered the finest sacrifices, perhaps the willow tree might aid them.

They tactfully stated that they wished to stay for a while. Although Shi Linhu and the others were simple and honest, they were not fools. Sensing something amiss, they said there were few stone houses and not enough places for so many people to stay.

Though Shi Feijiao and the others hoped they would leave sooner, how could this group be willing? They all said they did not need to enter the village and could stay outside, so long as they could get a drink of water from the village.

The experts from major forces such as Purple Mountain, Luofu Great Marsh, the Thunder Clan, the Golden Wolf Tribe, and Cloud Heaven Palace all settled in. Originally, they had intended to enter the mountain range to investigate the mystery of the mountain treasure.

"Old brother, do you know about what happened in the mountains? I heard an incredible mountain treasure had appeared, driving even ancient descendants mad. Didn't you go looking for it?" The Golden Wolf Tribe's leader tied up his unicorn and tried to strike up a friendship with Shi Feijiao, who was about his age.

"I heard about it, but the chief would not let us go. Only people or fierce beasts blessed with great fortune can obtain something like that. Otherwise, it would be nothing but a trip to one's death."

Elsewhere, Lei Yun Kun took out a jar of spirit flowers and placed them in boiling water. Before long, a rich fragrance filled the air, with spiritual energy drifting out. He invited young people in the village close to his own age to drink with him, constantly trying to draw information from them.

Compared to adults, children were still more innocent.

Two little girls from Cloud Heaven Palace were chatting with Little Dot, giggling nonstop. From time to time, they pinched his soft little cheeks, finding the child especially adorable.

"We drank Snow Qilin Leopard milk. Its fragrance was rich and it was incomparably sweet. When we were little, we had to drink a huge cup every day," one of the girls said with a smile.

"Mhm, beast milk really is fragrant and delicious." Little Dot nodded earnestly. They actually began discussing beast milk.

"Little Dot, what kind of beast milk do you like best?" The two identical little girls were fair and exquisite, lovely as dolls. From time to time, they rubbed his glossy black hair.

"Fire tiger milk, Moon Rhinoceros milk, Dragon-Horned Elephant juice... Mixed together, they make the tastiest Hundred-Beast Milk."

Zi Shan Kun, Lei Mingyuan, and the others passed by and all rolled their eyes when they heard this. What kind of talk was this? They were actually discussing that?

Jiao Peng in particular grew angrier the more he thought about it. Being defeated by a milk-drinking toddler was truly humiliating. But now, Stone Village was suspected to be a reclusive clan and might even have a god protecting it, so he could only simmer with resentment and no longer dared act recklessly.

Two hours later, this group of experts became suspicious. Stone Village was somewhat strange. They investigated it again and again, only to find that many people had not mastered Bone Script at all. That was not something a reclusive clan should display.

"Something is off. It cannot be that every single one of them is hiding their abilities, can it? Why can't I sense the rune aura of any true expert?"

"Yes, there is a problem. Could it be that we frightened ourselves?"

These people were exceptionally sharp. So long as there was the slightest clue, they could uncover a trail and find flaws. Earlier, they had merely formed a preconceived notion and been misled by all manner of strange events.

Now that they had truly settled down and interacted with the people of Stone Village, they gradually discovered the anomalies. Thinking they might have been overly tense and made a colossal fool of themselves, many felt their faces burn.

Jiao Peng was so furious his lungs nearly exploded. Zi Shan Kun, Lei Mingyuan, and the other geniuses were also deeply indignant, while the youths from these major powers wore dark, ugly expressions, feeling that they had been toyed with.

If word of this got out, it would become a huge joke. Several powerful clans had nearly been bluffed by a mere Stone Village. It would surely become a bizarre tale.

"Uncle Cang, I found out that this lightning-struck willow tree only appeared several decades ago. It was not a guardian god that this line had possessed since ancient times. And over all these years, this willow tree has never spoken or communicated with the village. I suspect it has lost many of its abilities as a sacrificial spirit." Jiao Peng's face was grim as he spoke through clenched teeth.

Jiao Cang and the others could not keep their faces either. Their preconceived notions had led to such a massive blunder. Fortunately, they had not actually done anything embarrassing, such as offering sacrifices before the tree.

The people of the Purple Mountain line were also murmuring among themselves, sharing the same view. Purple energy billowed above Purple Mountain Shou's head, while clouds of mist coiled around his body. He was like a great purple furnace, his aura terrifying. However, he did not erupt and swiftly reined it in.

"Grandfather, they will not get angry, will they? What if they harm this village?" The two little girls from Cloud Heaven Palace were worried.

"Most of them would not go that far..." the old man holding a snow-white feather said softly.

By the time the sky darkened, this group had more or less figured it out. They knew they had been mistaken. This was not some reclusive clan at all, but it was highly likely that they had accidentally acquired the corpse of a Suanni.

The moment this speculation arose, not only did the people of Luofu Great Marsh tremble, even the Golden Wolf Tribe and the others felt their hearts quiver. That meant Stone Village might be hiding an incomparably powerful precious technique!

Without question, the Suanni's primordial runes were extraordinarily precious. Even great clans would be tempted and covet them. As one of the strongest among ancient descendants, its precious technique was no weaker than the clan-defending divine arts of those great powers.

No one would ever complain of having too many things like that. Besides, under ordinary circumstances, a clan possessed only one exceptionally powerful precious technique; the rest were merely lesser divine abilities used as support.

It was precisely because they were so scarce that they were so precious!

"Hey, you little wild brats, your boasting has gotten out of hand. You said you chased unicorns and killed sacrificial spirits—aren't you afraid the wind will be so strong it twists your tongue?" Jiao Peng said with a hostile expression, staring at Er Meng, Snotty, and the others.

The villagers were startled, especially the children. They felt waves of chilling cold. How had he turned hostile just like that?

As a genius with a wild nature and a habit of being arrogant and unruly, how could Jiao Peng swallow this humiliation? He had held it in until now, and he was about to make his move.

Jiao Cang did not stop him. Instead, he wanted to see how the people of Stone Village would react. The others also stood by with folded arms, quietly watching events unfold.

"Big brother, why are you being unreasonable?" Little Dot stepped forward, spreading his little arms to block the way. He had fought Jiao Peng before and knew how formidable he was. He feared Jiao Peng might hurt Er Meng, Snotty, and the others.

Jiao Peng was not very old, but his expression was dark as he said, "Reason? You truly live up to being a milk-drinking brat. You do not understand at all. In this world, reason only exists within the reach of one's fists!"

"Big brother, we have always kept to ourselves and lived peacefully. We do not wish to clash with you. Please do not be angry or lose your temper. If we have done anything wrong, we will apologize to you." Little Dot blinked his large eyes and spoke with utmost seriousness and sincerity.

Seeing a child with milk stains still at the corners of his mouth speak like this made some of the experts feel a little embarrassed.

The old man from Cloud Heaven Palace stepped forward. "Forget it. The customs here are simple and honest. Why make things difficult for them?" As he spoke, he looked toward Jiao Cang of Luofu Great Marsh. There was no need for him to be polite or say much to Jiao Peng.

Yet Stone Village had eaten a Suanni and obtained the sacred relic it left behind—precious bones. This made the gathered experts' eyes burn with envy. Many wanted to obtain them, and it was destined that this matter would not end peacefully.

"This village did toy with us. They truly were in the wrong," someone from the Golden Wolf Tribe said.

"Chirp chirp..."

Suddenly, several cries rang out. Roc, Little Green, and Purple Cloud, the three young birds, came flapping their wings from behind the village, brimming with spirituality as they rushed toward Little Dot.

Over the past few days, they had constantly been changing. Having consumed the Suanni's flesh and blood, they had gained unimaginable benefits—especially for fierce birds with such powerful bloodlines. Roc's eyes had turned golden, several brilliant patterns had appeared on Little Green's wings, and Purple Cloud now gleamed with gold amid its violet coloring, its scales even more dazzling.

No one needed to say anything. One look at these three young birds was enough to tell that they were rare exotic birds, surely inheriting the true blood of ancient fierce birds and having undergone mutation. Their value was beyond measure.

"They are my prey. None of you are allowed to compete with me!" Jiao Peng declared domineeringly. He took a precious bow from his back, drew it to the full, and was about to fire an iron arrow.

Jiao Cang of Luofu Great Marsh did not stop him, merely watching calmly.

"You say they are yours, and that makes them yours?" Zi Shan Kun and Lei Mingyuan also stepped forward, taking down their precious bows as well. They regarded the three young birds as prey and prepared to capture them.

The group of experts was astonished. These were three mutated young birds, each extraordinary. If raised to adulthood, they would surely be exceptional and become powerful guardian creatures.

"Do not hurt Purple Cloud and the others!" Little Dot became angry for the first time. His eyes widened as he glared at Jiao Peng and the others, spreading his snow-white little hands to stop them.