Stone Village

When Stone Village's Sacrificial Spirit asked, the old patriarch voiced his concerns and sought its opinion, wanting to know whether Stone Village needed to make specific preparations.

After hearing him out, the strange stone told him that this was no great matter. Whatever happened in the mountains would be borne by the great creatures there; Stone Village would not be caught in the fallout.

Beyond that, the strange stone also hinted that something special within Stone Village guarded this place alongside it. If matters escalated, they could simply flee through the earth. There was no need to worry.

Having said this, the strange stone fell silent. After absorbing half the offerings' blood essence, it showed no further signs of activity.

"Is there something else in Stone Village?" The old patriarch let out a long breath. Since even the Sacrificial Spirit had said so, he supposed no particularly devastating calamity would occur.

Only the Sacrificial Spirit's final words left him scratching his head. Stone Village did indeed possess many things handed down by their ancestors, but he could see nothing extraordinary about them. He could not imagine what might be guarding Stone Village alongside the Sacrificial Spirit.

Compared with the old patriarch's brooding, most people in Stone Village had far fewer concerns. After all, safety mattered most to them. Now that everything had a solution, the oppressive atmosphere of the past days lifted.

Once the ritual ended, the villagers began carrying away the remaining beast carcasses whose blood essence had not been absorbed, preparing to bleed and butcher them. Smiles returned to their faces.

As for the beast carcasses the Sacrificial Spirit had already fed upon, the villagers carried those away as well, saving them for other uses.

After all, meat was extremely precious in this boundless Great Wilderness. It could serve not only as food but also as bait for traps. None of it could be wasted.

Of course, Stone Village's Sacrificial Spirit approved of this method of disposal. Otherwise, how could offerings be put to other uses? Would that not profane the Sacrificial Spirit? How could they receive its protection then?

"Father, will we really be all right? Those great creatures make quite a commotion even on ordinary days." After the crowd dispersed, a tall youth beside Shi Yunshan looked somewhat uneasy.

"Yunfeng, it'll be fine. The Sacrificial Spirit has already said so. Even if danger does arise, we can come through unharmed." Shi Yunshan patted the youth, who was almost as tall as he was, and told him not to overthink it. Stone Village had put down roots here for so many generations and encountered no shortage of major events, yet had it not survived peacefully to this day?

Hearing Shi Yunshan's words, the youth named Yunfeng could only bury his worries deep inside. But just as he was about to bid his father farewell and begin training, he suddenly caught sight of a figure approaching from afar.

Noticing Shi Yunfeng's strange reaction, Shi Yunshan instinctively followed his gaze. His eyes widened at once.

That was actually a... person?

He found it rather incredible. This was the boundless Great Wilderness, vast beyond measure. They rarely saw outsiders, and even villages within the same mountain range seldom had contact with one another.

After all, even the nearest village was dozens of li away, with countless savage beasts of the primeval wilderness along the route. Unless they had absolutely no choice, no one would venture far from the safety of home.

"Father, is that someone from a nearby village?" Shi Yunfeng asked his father. He had grown up in Stone Village, and the farthest he had ever gone was into the mountains. He had never had contact with people from other villages.

"Doesn't look like it. I can't see clearly, but those clothes definitely aren't from an ordinary household. They're not the sort we wear in the Great Wilderness." Shi Yunshan shook his head and grew wary.

He had a vague sense that this person was certainly not from the Great Wilderness, but had come from beyond it. Those clothes were far too refined, possessing a majestic grandeur. Even a single indistinct glance felt like facing a supreme deity.

That had to be a powerful expert!

"Someone from outside the Great Wilderness?" Shi Yunfeng's eyes lit up at those words. At his age, he had yet to develop much cunning and would not assume the worst of others.

He always listened to the adults in the village talk about the world outside. It was a beautiful, expansive realm: magnificent cities inhabited by hundreds of thousands, even more powerful and mysterious species, and mysterious pure lands with a new sight at every step, more than anyone could ever finish seeing.

Of course, most important of all were the experts beyond the Great Wilderness. Countless legends surrounded them. Their supreme combat prowess rivaled that of other species, their divine might was unmatched, and their strength defied imagination.

He wanted to become that strong too. He dreamed of being a hero.

Thus, his heart yearned for everything beyond the Great Wilderness. Now that someone from outside had actually arrived, how could he not rejoice?

"Those are... people like me?" The being walked slowly through the vast mountains, unknowingly reaching an open stretch of land, where he spotted neatly arranged buildings.

He had traveled without any destination, choosing his direction entirely at random. After an unknown number of sunrises and sunsets, he had arrived here.

Along the way, he had encountered many creatures: some with horns on their heads, some with wings on their backs, some covered in scales, and some furry all over. Yet none had been like him.

Just as he had begun to think that perhaps he was special-the only "human" in this place, as described in his memories of "common knowledge"-he saw creatures with the same form as himself.

Boom!

In his delight, the being put just a little more force into his step. In an instant, the earth beneath his foot shattered, flinging dust into the air until it blotted out the sky and sun.

At the sight, Shi Yunshan nearly stopped breathing. His heart pounded wildly.

Was that strength a human could possess? Even those great creatures deep in the mountains weren't this outrageous!

"F-Father, is that what a... a person from outside the Great Wilderness is like?" Shi Yunfeng's face went pale. He had never witnessed such a disturbance. Instinctive fear doused the excitement in his heart.

There was no helping it. The scene unfolding before them was simply too overwhelming. Was that truly a level human strength could reach?

Wasn't he more likely some super-powerful primordial remnant wearing human skin?

"Hello." The being radiated goodwill. These were the first of his own kind he had ever met, and he intended to give them a great big hug.

Yet when Shi Yunshan and Shi Yunfeng saw him assume that posture, they immediately backed away, waving their hands frantically, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.

Good grief, they hadn't dared forget that commotion just now. If he got his arms around them, wouldn't they turn into mashed flesh on the spot, their lives ending right there? What an unjust way to die!

"?" The being was puzzled. Why were they rejecting him? Had he not expressed his goodwill sincerely enough?

At that thought, he stepped forward again, making to give them another great big hug.

"Don't! Don't! Don't!" Shi Yunshan pulled Shi Yunfeng backward, shouting in fright and signaling that there was no need for the being to do this, that he should stop.

"What are you saying?" Judging by their behavior, the being felt they seemed somewhat reluctant to accept his embrace. He had wanted to understand their reasons from their words, only to discover that he apparently could not understand what they were saying.

"What?" Shi Yunshan did not react for a moment.

"Can't you understand what I'm saying?" The being's outstretched arms froze.

"No, no, no, I understand, I understand." Shi Yunshan wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "Um... um, please lower your arms. We're all rough folk. It wouldn't do to dirty your clothes."