No matter how they looked at it, this had been a tremendous haul, and every villager was overjoyed.
Stone Village rang with the laughter of children, brimming with happiness.
The old chief, Shi Yunfeng, led everyone to face the Willow Deity and placed the two enormous Earth Dragons on a stone platform-a large sacrificial altar.
Built from massive stones, the altar was broad and stood beside the broken old willow tree, like a small mountain.
Fresh beast blood stained the massive stone altar crimson, flowing along the images carved into its surface. Together with the beasts' long, coarse fur, coldly gleaming scales, and savage horns, the vivid red made a horrifying sight, and a brutal, primordial aura washed over them.
Whenever they returned from hunting fierce beasts, the old chief would lead the villagers in worship.
He said that all things possessed spirits, and they thanked the heavens for allowing the people of Stone Village to survive in the Great Wilderness, and the Willow Deity for protecting their village.
Everyone stood quietly among the crowd, chanting along with the old chief.
Shi Teng had used Earth Dragon treasure blood to dab a red dot between Shi Hao's brows, making him look just like an animated Third Prince Nezha. He was adorable.
Seeing how devout everyone was, Shi Teng felt it would be inappropriate to say anything.
Whether others believed or not, he certainly did not believe in such things.
I'll spill hot blood to forge bones of steel-my fate is mine, not heaven's!
Although fate shaped parts of a person's life, that did not mean it could not be changed.
Only after a long while did the old chief finish the ceremony, and everyone began busily butchering and carving up the Earth Dragons.
The children played happily nearby, filling Stone Village with a warm, harmonious atmosphere.
Little One rode back and forth across the village square on the Two-Headed Fire Rhinoceros's back, telling everyone he met that it was a gift from his older brother.
The other children were terribly envious.
By dusk, more than a dozen bonfires blazed in the center of Stone Village. Huge slabs of Earth Dragon meat hung over them, already roasted golden and giving off mouthwatering aromas.
Shi Tianba, Shi Hao, and several other children had long since begun drooling as they waited.
Inside a nearby stone house,
The old chief, Shi Yunfeng, let out a deep breath and said kindly, "Fei Jiao's injuries are no longer serious. He should wake up tomorrow morning!"
Shi Linhu nodded slightly, his rugged face full of guilt. "It's all because I wasn't capable enough that Brother Fei Jiao was hurt so badly!"
The old chief said in a low voice, "The Great Wilderness is fraught with danger, and primordial beasts roam unchecked. It's already remarkable that you returned safely. You needn't blame yourself.
"But there's something I don't understand. With your strength, even hunting a single Two-Headed Fire Rhinoceros would be difficult. How could you have killed two Earth Dragons? Did you get lucky again and find them lying there?"
Shi Linhu scratched the back of his head, an honest grin appearing on his face. "We weren't that lucky this time. We almost came back empty-handed. Fortunately, Shi Teng suddenly appeared!"
Shi Linhu recounted everything that had happened after Shi Teng's arrival.
Shock once again appeared on the old chief's gaunt face.
"I knew this child was extraordinary, but I never imagined he would already be so formidable at such a young age!"
"He truly is a heaven-blessed prodigy!"
Shi Linhu nodded vigorously. "Yes! When I first saw Little Teng, I was shocked too, and worried he might get hurt.
"I never expected the boy to be so fierce. As his uncle, I'm a little ashamed!"
The old chief spoke again. "There's no need to blame yourself. The Great Wilderness is vast and boundless. In the cities tens of thousands of miles away, there are great clans and sects from beyond our region.
"The disciples of those great clans and sects already possess exceptional gifts, and they also have exclusive cultivation methods and secret arts.
"I've heard that some prodigies can slaughter ancient beasts of remnant bloodlines with a single hand before they even reach adulthood!"
Shi Linhu said in astonishment, "Then Little Teng must be that sort of prodigy!"
The old chief agreed. "Neither Shi Teng nor Shi Hao is ordinary. One day, they will ride the wind and rise, their names resounding throughout the Great Wilderness!"
Shi Linhu said nothing more and merely nodded.
The old chief stroked his white beard and said kindly, "All right, let's go outside. The meat should be cooked by now!"
After dinner, Shi Teng gave the crop seeds to Grandpa Chief.
Grandpa Chief was so excited that he arranged for people to work by firelight that very night. Under Shi Teng's guidance, they planted all the crop seeds in the fields.
The Great Wilderness was rich in spiritual energy, and plants grew extremely quickly.
They watered the seeds that night, and seedlings sprouted the next day.
Shi Teng had grown rather tired of eating meat every day, and delight spread across his face as he looked at the vast cornfield.
After working all night, everyone rose rather late the next day.
After getting up, Shi Teng wandered around the entire village but never saw the children.
An ominous feeling began to stir in his heart.
He then went to the village entrance and asked the Willow Deity, only to learn that the children had slipped out of Stone Village long ago.
Shi Teng hurried to tell Grandpa Chief,
Everyone immediately split into four teams and went out to search for the children.
After all, they had all witnessed how dangerous the outside world was. Even an ordinary fierce beast could easily end the children's lives.
Shi Teng searched alone outside the village for a long time.
He also checked in at several random locations, obtaining a cultivation method and ten jars of Moutai.
At last, he found them at Green-Scaled Cliff.
The children were currently climbing hard toward the summit.
The Green-Scaled Eagle was an enormous, ferocious eagle with the bloodline of a Primordial Demonic Bird. It often fed on giant elephants and lived atop Green-Scaled Cliff.
While they had been eating meat the previous evening, Shi Linhu had told them that the Green-Scaled Eagle was incubating its young and was particularly irritable, so they should not venture outside!
These children had probably come for the Green-Scaled Eagle's chicks.
Although Shi Hao was the youngest among them, he was also the most agile, leaving the others far behind.
Shi Teng's brows furrowed slightly. They were climbing right now, and if he suddenly appeared, he might frighten them instead.
If they fell from the cliff, they would surely be smashed to pieces.
He might as well let them keep climbing and protect them from the shadows.
These children would have to stand on their own and protect Stone Village someday, too. He could not worry over every little thing.
Shi Hao reached the summit first. Standing tall atop the cliff, he called in his childish voice, "Shi Tianba, Skinny Monkey, why are you all so slow?"
Spurred on by Shi Hao, the children climbed even harder.
Before long, they reached the summit one after another and cautiously approached the Green-Scaled Eagle Nest.
Skinny Monkey said fearfully, "Brother Bear, are we really going in? I heard the Green-Scaled Eagle is really vicious!"
Shi Tianba's eyes were resolute. "What are you afraid of? I heard my dad say that the Green-Scaled Eagle would definitely be out hunting at this time.
"A Green-Scaled Eagle chick will recognize the first creature it sees as its master.
"If we have Green-Scaled Eagles, will we ever have to worry about food again?"
Shi Hao was the boldest of them all,
While the children were talking.
Shi Hao had already climbed onto the Green-Scaled Eagle's nest and picked up an eagle egg as large as a face with his two small hands.
When Shi Tianba saw this, he instantly grew displeased.
He immediately shouted, "Shi Hao, put that down! That Green-Scaled Eagle egg is mine!"
Holding the Green-Scaled Eagle egg, Shi Hao raised his voice. "Whoever grabs it first gets it! Come take it if you can!"
A fierce glint appeared on Shi Tianba's face, and he immediately lunged at Shi Hao.
Clutching the Green-Scaled Eagle egg, Shi Hao sprang up, dodged Shi Tianba, and raced out of the Green-Scaled Eagle Nest.
The children immediately chased after him.
Shi Teng leaped from a nearby cliff to a spot above the Green-Scaled Eagle's nest. The enormous nest was as large as a pond.
That alone showed how enormous the Green-Scaled Eagle was!
Ding! Congratulations, host, on checking in at the Green-Scaled Eagle Nest. Obtained Golden-Winged Roc Egg ×1 (can be hatched). Ding! Congratulations, host, on checking in at the Green-Scaled Eagle Nest. Obtained Dragon Saliva Pill ×1 (can accelerate a young beast's growth). [Golden-Winged Roc: The overlord of birds, possessing the Kunpeng bloodline. Feeds on dragons and soars ten thousand miles through the clouds.]
Badass!
As Shi Teng looked at the egg glowing faintly gold in his system inventory, delight spread across his face. This trip had not been in vain.
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