After a century of worship, I became the ancestor of the tribe.

Chapter 206 Daidi
Screams rang out outside the settlement, while inside the houses, a figure covered their mouth and trembled against the corner of the bed.

Some babies struggled, but their mouths were tightly covered, while others lay in their mothers' arms, their little bodies trembling.

No one dared to go out and look, for if they did, they would become food for the holy ape.

"Why? We have already prepared tribute, why are you still taking away our people?"

"Shut up, don't make a sound!"

……

A suppressed sound echoed inside the house.

Inside each house, figures were straining to hear the sounds outside; after the screams came a sparse murmur.

The oppressive atmosphere only gradually dissipated as the sky began to brighten.

Its daybreak.

People from all households came out and gathered outside the collapsed houses.

“Awu, Uncle and Aunt Yunshan.”

There were messy drag marks and bloodstains outside the house, which disappeared over the huge stone wall.

"Clean up the houses and distribute the contents to each family."

The elder didn't say much, and walked numbly into the distance. The other adults began to pack up their things, and only a few children cried.

Those who rebel against the Holy Ape will only face death and extermination of their clan. In this wilderness, the Holy Ape is the sole ruler.

In addition to preparing offerings every month, even better offerings must be prepared every three years and sent to the Sacred Ape Palace.

Deep in the valley.

Ancient palaces stand amidst the mountains, shrouded by ancient trees and vines, some of which even grow from within the palace grounds.

The buildings belonging to the human race have become one with the mountains and forests over the years, covered with thick, dark green moss.

High on the mountain ridge, a massive stone palace stands overlooking the surrounding area.

The vines on the stone platform had long since covered the ground with a thick layer, and there were scattered monkey droppings and broken bones everywhere.

A strong, pungent, and wild atmosphere permeated the air, both inside and out.

Roar!
A deep, muffled roar echoed from the depths, and a group of ape shadows roared and charged out from all over the mountains and plains. Most of them dragged a human figure with them and rushed into the stone hall at the top.

Inside the stone hall, there were six ape shadows, each about two zhang in size. One was lying cross-legged on a large stone bed, while the other five sat on either side, scratching their ears and cheeks.

This distribution pattern is similar to that of human tribes.

One by one, human beings were thrown into the main hall from outside; some of them were still alive.

The six giant apes bared their fangs and pounced.

When Shen Can arrived, the grand banquet in the main hall had ended, and blood filled the hall, with scattered bone fragments everywhere.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, the great ape lay down on the stone bed like a human, swinging its legs and making whimpering sounds.

From Snow Demon Mountain to Holy Ape, they traversed many dangerous places along the way and wandered through the Giant Mountain Range for more than two and a half years.

Shen Can explored the entire complex of buildings hidden in the mountains and forests, discovering the ancestral temple, the tombs, the library, and the Beast-Raising Valley.

The overall size is roughly the same as that of a bo tribe.

The ruins of the ancestral temple have long since blended into the vegetation and scattered rocks.

The grave has been dug up and leveled, and the broken bones have long since grown together with the weeds.

Inside the library, animal hide scrolls were broken, bamboo slips were rotten, and jade slips were reduced to dust.

The ancient trees in the Beast Taming Valley have gnarled roots and have been abandoned for who knows how many years.

“The clouds and mountains are magnificent.”

In the ruins of the ancestral temple, on a relatively intact shrine, a few characters can be vaguely discerned.

Inside the library, Shen Can tidied up the scattered, tattered animal hides.

"Yunshan Clan, Tulou, First Night, Cold Night Sacrifice..."

Scattered texts record the migration route of a tribe called Yunshanbo.

They migrated from the Huai River region of Dai to the Nanyue Mountains.

Shen Can also found a fragment of the cultivation method, which he combined with the Mighty Sacred Ape Technique from the witch's bag.

"Ancestors... save Yunshan, save Yunshan..."

On one of the tattered animal hide scrolls, there were messy writings that revealed sorrow and despair.

As for why there is despair, the current living environment of the humans in this valley explains everything.

……

"Roar!"

One of the six sacred apes inside the clan hall roared as Shen Can grabbed him.

After a thorough examination, Shen Can's suspicions were further confirmed.

Unable to continue their lineage in Daidi, the Yunshan clan moved with their vassal tribes into the Juyue Mountains and settled in this valley.

However, in the process of inheritance and reproduction, the Mighty Sacred Ape Technique transformed the people of Yunshan into beasts, and the beast bloodline was passed down.

Over generations, the Yunshan people transformed into sacred apes.

In the wild beast race, the ability to revert to one's ancestral form naturally represents an enhancement of bloodline power. However, when this reversion occurs in humans, it results in someone like Yunshan.

After these Yunshan people transformed into beasts, they developed a unique community system in the relatively isolated river valleys due to their human bloodline.

For example, the tribute from vassal tribes has been passed down and has become the tribute from small settlements to the sacred ape.

The six leading holy apes were all very powerful, roughly comparable to the Owl Sun Divine Seed that he had killed, and stronger than ordinary ninth-level Heavenly Vein warriors.

"Roar!"

With a wave of his hand, Shen Can released the sacred ape that had been restrained.

After landing, the holy ape bared its teeth at Shen Can, but when it saw Shen Can's eyes, it immediately curled up and lay on the ground, whimpering.

Shen Can didn't kill the sacred ape; compared to killing it, the research value of these sacred apes was greater.

……

After finding Yunshan Valley, we were not far from Daidi.

After many years, I finally arrived at the hometown of my predecessor.

Among the remaining ancient texts in Yunshan, Shen Can pieced together the route to Daidi and also found some information related to the First Night and the Cold Night Festival.

The first night of the month is also preserved in the valley, which is where the sacrifice is held at the beginning of the month, and preparations are made for three consecutive days in the valley.

The Cold Night Festival is not fixed.

Neither of them are sacrifices to the ancestors of the human race.

On the first day of the lunar month, people offer sacrifices to earthworms; on cold nights, they offer sacrifices to other things.

Unfortunately, too many records of Yunshan are missing, and we can only find out what exactly is being worshipped by entering the Dai region.

……

Dai Di.

Ciluhuan.

This tongue-twisting name comes from the earthworm.

Thousands of years ago, this area was called the Saltwater Basin.

After the Jiangyangbo tribe, established by the Jiangyan clan of Dai, was destroyed by the Tulou, and the other tribes of the human race were successively conquered by the Tulou, the entire Dai region was plunged into a state of stench and bloodshed.

The place names of the human race were gradually replaced by the local dialect of the earthworms.

The skull of the last patriarch of the most powerful Bobu Jiangyan clan was forcibly crafted into a wine vessel by human artisans under the coercion of Tulou. The remains have been hanging on Jiangyang Mountain for thousands of years.

For thousands of years, the scattered human race has repeatedly rebelled, but all its resistance has been suppressed by the Tulou.

In the Dai region, the Tu Lou and the Mao (telepathic spirit) are the rulers, and the Lou Nu tribe is the Tu Lou's henchman.

Lou Nu were the human race who submitted to the Tu Lou tribe. They recognized the Tu Lou as their masters, oppressed the human race below, and fawned upon the Tu Lou above.

Over thousands of years, the humans of Daidi have become food for the earthworms.

...Gagaga!
A piercing bird cry rang out, and a flock of black crows took flight from the forest, forming a dark cloud that soared across the sky.

At the foot of Que Mountain, the small settlement has only a few hundred people, and every household is busy preparing offerings.

Meat, fruit, animal fat, and some wood chips soaked in grease, covered with strange runes.

The wood chips, each about the size of a palm and roughly the same size, were placed in a large stone basin.

"To build a mountain, come and pay for the timber."

A middle-aged martial artist with a wrinkled face and a slightly hunched back beckoned to a young man wiping a crossbow in the room.

"I won't order!"

He didn't even raise his head while building the mountain, saying, "I have no animal ancestors!"

"shut up!"

The father who built the mountain immediately rebuked him, "I forbid you to say such things again, not to anyone, keep them to yourself."

Zaoshan stubbornly looked up at his father, but after seeing his father's sharp eyes, he nodded. "I understand. I haven't told anyone outside."

"Come here, order!"

Under his father's watchful eye, Zaoshan grabbed the flint and lit the wooden coins in the basin.

The wooden coins soaked in oil easily caught fire, and the runes formed from beast blood on them suddenly danced with the flames, forming a blurry beast shadow.

At this moment, every household in the settlement lit wooden coins one after another.

Instead of looking at the firelight, the father who built the mountain stood facing the main hall of the room.

In the main hall, there was an empty stone table.

"May our ancestors protect Ah Shan and prevent the earthworms from noticing."

After silently praying, he looked again at the burning stone basin by the door.

"do not speak."

Although he didn't look back, he seemed to know that Zaoshan was standing behind him and wanted to speak.

"After the Cold Night Festival tonight, I will go hunting in the mountains to the east. I will ask the elders for permission to get some iron-tipped arrows."

Hearing his father say this, Zaoshan was overjoyed.

Iron arrows are far more powerful than bone arrows. Those damned earthworms restrict the human race from forging weapons, limiting the size of human settlements, and restricting the inheritance of martial arts.

Even more hateful are those traitors who betrayed their ancestors and flaunt their power at all times.

"Father, then you..."

"Hunting always results in injuries, deaths, and disappearances."

After closing the door, Zaoshan's father sat quietly on a chair beside the stone table, as if he were asleep.

Whoohoo!
As night fell, even the moonlight was obscured, and a chill swept out from the deep mountains, accompanied by chirping and whispering sounds.

The cold wind quickly blew into the settlement, like a pack of wild beasts entering the village, rummaging through things everywhere.

These are ghostly spirits from the deep mountains, who, along with earthworms, wreak havoc on the vast land.

Whenever the moonlight is obscured, it flies out from the deep mountains and sweeps across the surrounding settlements.

If any settlement fails to prepare tribute, that settlement will be completely slaughtered.

Even if offerings are prepared, these ghosts and monsters will not leave after they have finished eating. If any settlement is unlucky, it will also become their prey.

There was a crackling sound outside, but the father who built the mountain sat quietly as if he were asleep.

Meanwhile, Zao Shan gripped his bow and crossbow, his excitement overshadowing the fear brought on by the whispers outside the house.

Tomorrow he will be able to go to Star Mountain, which is the true cultivation ground for humans, where powerful figures pass on their martial arts, and where they can kill earthworms and exterminate spirits.

……

That night, many places in the Yanshui River basin were disturbed by spirits and ghosts from the depths of the mountains and forests.

Screams and cries could be heard from some settlements.

……

hoohoo!

On a hill.

Shen Can stared at the grotesque and monstrous figure baring its fangs and claws in front of him; this was the first time he had ever seen such a state of life.

Like innate spiritual bodies, but composed of acquired energy, they contain chaotic soul power fluctuations and possess a bloodthirsty instinct.

hum!
As Shen Can released his scorching heat, the monsters that rushed at him were instantly evaporated like water droplets under the blazing sun.

The scorching heat under the night sky was as conspicuous as an erupting volcano.

More strange and monstrous figures rushed towards him from afar.

……

Just before dawn, Shen Can trampled a monster that was two zhang tall and looked like an earthworm under his feet.

"Human, you dare to defy the Holy Race! When the Holy Race's experts descend, they will surely tear you apart."

"The old human from Star Mountain won't last much longer. A young human like you, full of vigor and vitality, will sooner or later become food for our race. Our race's strongmen love humans full of vitality the most."

The earthworm spirit snarled, then immediately let out a miserable scream.

"Tell me everything you know."

Shen Can's divine sense transformed into a torrent, directly crashing into the earthworm spirit in front of him.

With a loud bang, it completely stunned him.

"puff!"

After asking all the questions, Shen Can completely extinguished his anger.

We also have a general understanding of the situation regarding the Daidi area.

Compared to Yongyi, the people of Dai have been reduced to being food for the earthworms.

The majority of the human race was scattered, forming small settlements scattered across the vast land.

The earthworms and spirits/ghosts cooperated to become the overlords of this area.

Shen Can didn't understand how spirits and monsters were formed, but earthworms could combine with spirits and monsters. He would catch them later and study them carefully.

After scattering the human tribes, the Tulou severed the lineage of the Dai people, forbidding them from worshipping their ancestors and raising war beasts by adopting a small-scale settlement system.

However, this still did not sever the human race's resistance. For example, Star Mountain was a place where the human race resisted.

The name "Starry Sky" doesn't mean the place is any good; on the contrary, it's a desolate and treacherous place shrouded in miasma.

That is why they were able to survive the encirclement and attack of the earthworms.

"Jiangyan clan, Jiangyangbo tribe."

This tribe held a similar status to Yongshan in Yongyi, but unfortunately, it was completely destroyed by time. The remains of its chieftain were hung outside by earthworms to intimidate the Dai people, who wanted to use this to sever the backbone of the Dai people.

Perhaps the predecessors of Daidi came from this Bo tribe.

Afterwards, Shen Can headed towards Star Mountain.

According to the earth spirit that was killed, the fourth-tier human god-treasure treasury guarding Star Mountain is old and it is unknown how much longer it can hold on.

He was going to take a look.

As early as when he first obtained the map of Dai, he thought about finding a way for the tribe to develop in Dai, so as to take into account both Dai and Yong and use the resources of both places to develop the tribe.

Now that we have finally arrived in Daidi, although the situation is different from what we imagined, if we plan properly, it can still be a boost to the development of the tribe.

He can make up for the lack of inheritance in the past.

Even the earthworms of Daidi can be killed by his scorching heat!

　The character 祙 (yào) is from the "Classic of Mountains and Seas, Northern Section". It has the appearance of a human body with a black head and upright eyes. It is regarded as a symbol of ghosts and monsters and is synonymous with "魅" (mèi).

　　The word "魅" is used for spirits, monsters, and ghosts in the mountains and fields.

　　The character 祙 is a discarded character and is rarely used anymore.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)