The Strong

"Little Dot, we're leaving first. We'll come see you again another day." Under the night sky, a snow feather five or six meters long radiated a pure white glow, sacred beyond measure. Several figures stood upon it. The pair of little sisters, like elfin spirits, waved their slender hands. They looked exactly alike, with fair skin and lively big eyes, bidding farewell toward Stone Village.

The crystalline snow feather hovered three feet above the ground, carrying them swiftly away through the forest. They were the last group to leave, and the only group to emerge unscathed.

"Goodbye, big sisters! Don't forget to bring sweet beast milk next time, like Snow Qilin Leopard milk or Icefield Elephant milk..." Little Dot called out loudly.

Stone Village immediately erupted in laughter. A group of children joined in the teasing, shouting, "Still weaned at four, Little Hao who chases sparrows!"

With the great crisis past, everyone in Stone Village relaxed and burst into laughter. Little Dot's eyes were sharply black and white, his little face red as an apple. He explained softly, "I only wanted to see what Snow Qilin Leopard milk looks like. I heard it's very special. Don't laugh, I really didn't want to drink it."

"Hahaha..."

Shi Feijiao and the others stepped forward, tousling his hair and pinching his apple-red cheeks. They all found him amusing.

Stone Village gradually fell quiet. The villagers' expressions became solemn and serious as they brought out all kinds of offerings. The entire village stood before the willow tree and conducted the sacrifice with utmost care. Everyone prayed with profound sincerity. Faintly, it seemed as though they resonated with heaven and earth, producing a strange force.

Everyone was startled, especially the village elders. They had once heard that when the ancient forefathers performed sacrifices, all kinds of strange and mysterious powers would arise.

They had never expected that their devout worship today would produce such a scene and such secret power. Though it was very faint, everyone could sense it. Moreover, the black medicinal cauldron passed down through Stone Village trembled several times. The sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and ancient forefathers carved upon it became somewhat clearer, while a dim light flowed across its surface.

The only regret was that they did not know how to use this secret power.

"The power of sacrifice truly exists. It is far from ordinary. If an entire nation offered sacrifices to heaven together, what kind of power would that produce?" Several village elders felt their hearts tighten and did not dare dwell on it further.

The ritual lasted a long time before finally ending.

The night was deep and the sky pitch-black. Peak after peak rose high, lofty and majestic. All kinds of roars echoed through the primeval mountain range, rising and falling one after another, enough to chill the soul.

Amid the dark mountains, there was only one patch of peace. From afar, a tender green branch on a charred willow tree gave off a hazy halo, enveloping all of Stone Village and cutting it off from the outside world. Serene and tranquil, it had become the sole pure land within the Primeval Mountain Range.

The powerful figures from the Thunder Clan, Purple Mountain Family, Luofu Great Marsh, Golden Wolf Tribe, and other factions traveled through the night. Even when they passed Lone Mountain Town, they did not pause for an instant. They were truly terrified—the willow tree was too mysterious, filling their hearts with immense dread.

At this moment, they wanted only to return as quickly as possible and leave this primal mountain range steeped in demonic strangeness, fearing that another mishap might strike.

Scale horses ran at astonishing speed, especially the mutants among them—unicorns. Their bodies were covered in gleaming silver-white scales, each bore a single horn, and they could travel ten thousand li in a day.

The Golden Wolf Tribe was forty thousand li from the Primeval Mountain Range. Aside from necessary rests, the group raced onward at full speed. Those riding unicorns returned to the tribe's settlement on the fourth day.

At the end of the horizon stood clusters of buildings. At the center of the tribe rose a great golden tent embroidered with a golden wolf's head, imposing and ferocious.

Thud!

As soon as they reached the great tent, several people tumbled from their unicorns. One middle-aged man with a severed arm was deathly pale and had fainted.

"Batu, what happened to you?"

An imposing old man emerged from the great tent embroidered with the golden wolf head. When his eyes opened and closed, strands of golden light flashed within them, striking fear into the heart. He seized the one-armed middle-aged man, and a golden rune appeared in his palm. Rosy light shot forth and entered the man's body.

"Ah..." The crippled middle-aged man awoke as though from a nightmare and cried out, "Clan Chief, you must avenge me!"

"Speak. What happened?"

"We entered a strange village and discovered the remains of the Suanni's supreme treasure..."

"A willow tree that had been struck by lightning left you utterly unable to resist, severing or killing many of you?!" The old chief of the Golden Wolf Tribe could not help but be moved after hearing the account.

By instinct, he knew that the sacrificial spirit was extremely powerful. It was not something a mountain village ought to possess. Even compared with the sacrificial spirit of their tribe, which had nearly ten million people, it was no weaker.

"Clan Chief, there is a descendant of an ancient demonic bird there, as well as the Suanni's supreme rune. We cannot let this chance slip away!" The others also spoke up, urging the clan chief to take action and trying their utmost to persuade him.

After pondering for a long while, the tall and mighty old chief, whose pupils had nearly turned pale gold, nodded. Two golden bolts of lightning shot from his eyes as he said, "Such a powerful sacrificial spirit has appeared. No matter what, I should go take a look. To be safe, I will invite the Divine Wolf and have it accompany me."

Everyone's hearts trembled, then their faces lit with delight. The clan chief was going to invite that supremely powerful sacrificial spirit. With it, they would have even less to fear. That golden creature was simply too terrifying; every person in the tribe revered it deeply.

"Awooo..." Not long afterward, a golden whirlwind appeared on the plain and charged in at incredible speed.

The same thing also happened within the other great clans.

This was an enormous lake, blue as the sea and boundless beyond sight. Jiao Cang and the others returned and entered a sacred island, where they reported truthfully. At once, a furious roar rang out, as though an ancient savage flood dragon had emerged into the world. It shook the entire water region, and vast white waves crashed toward the heavens.

In another domain ruled by nobles and kings, the territory stretched beyond measure, its population numbering tens of millions. Great cities stood one after another, flourishing beyond compare.

The central ancient city was grand and solemn. Its black walls glinted with a metallic sheen, stretching without end like a majestic Great Wall of steel lying across the horizon, radiating overwhelming pressure.

"A powerful sacrificial spirit..." A majestic voice rang out from within the treasure hall at the heart of the capital.

A purple sun illuminated the entire hall in dazzling brilliance. A supreme expert sat above, his true face impossible to discern. Purple radiance blazed like flames, his aura as vast as the sea, pressing the powerful figures in the hall so hard that they could not lift their heads or dare glance upward.

That day, every great clan within fifty thousand li was shaken. They learned that an extraordinary sacrificial spirit had appeared in the Primeval Mountain Range—a willow tree struck by lightning, stirring up enormous waves.

The mountain treasure of the Great Wilderness, the Suanni treasure bone of Stone Village, and this mysterious sacrificial spirit all tugged at the hearts of the powerful. The supreme experts of every clan could no longer sit still.

"It has been many years since I last moved. Then I shall make the journey and see just what secrets lie there!"

Several days later, Lone Mountain Town was no longer peaceful. Some saw the chief of a great tribe personally descend upon this land, leaving the powerful figures who had come for the mountain treasure astonished.

Crack!

Lightning intertwined as the chief of the Thunder Clan stood atop a cliff face. Enormous arcs of electricity coiled around his entire body, blasting away half the mountain cliff in a terrifying sight.

"How strange. Ordinary people cannot see it, but the stronger one is, the more their heart quakes when they gaze in that direction. This willow tree is no simple thing." The chief of the Thunder Clan did not act rashly. His voice boomed like thunder, making the trees in every direction shudder wildly and sending all kinds of ancient beasts fleeing in terror.

Two hours later, beside a great river cutting through the primal forest, water vapor filled the air. A deep roar sounded, like a savage flood dragon emerging into the world. In an instant, clouds and mist billowed into the sky as a figure shot upward.

Within the mist, his form was blurry. Only his eyes shone brilliantly, like two lamps piercing the clouds and fog, striking fear into the heart. From a great distance away, he looked down upon Stone Village and said softly, "Was this the sacrificial spirit that killed so many experts of my clan?"

Two days later, a golden whirlwind burst through the primal forest, terrifying countless vicious birds and ferocious beasts into fleeing at top speed. The entire mountain region suddenly fell silent.

A tall and mighty old man stood on high ground, gazing toward Stone Village as he muttered, "Struck by lightning, reborn amid destruction... this willow tree is likely something extraordinary!"

Beside him stood a golden Divine Wolf. It was not large, only one and a half meters long, far smaller than some of the green wolves in the forest. Yet it exuded a terrifying aura. Golden light shimmered across its fur, and even its eyes were golden, with runes flickering in and out of sight. It was terrifying to the extreme.

None of them had come slowly. All were supreme experts of their respective clans, lingering outside Stone Village to inspect the place thoroughly, preparing to stir up a great storm!