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

Chapter 82 Sacrificial Vessels of the Sages, Accepting Them as Dogs

Day two.

Shen Can got up and swept the ancestral temple as usual. After eating, he went to the Witch Hall to check on his cattle and horse disciples.

Inside the temple of the sorcerer.

The disciples looked listless and yawned.

"Master."

When Shen Can came in, everyone greeted him and fell silent, having been talking quietly.

Several people looked at Huo Zhong.

Huo Chong came to Shen Can's side and said, "Master, my fellow disciples and I have been having dreams these past few days. We keep dreaming about a dark shadow that wants to help us become true witches."

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Shen Can immediately became unhappy.

No wonder the version is low; it turns out this wave was actually aimed at his apprentice.

"When did it start?"

“Master, it was five days ago.”

"It was four days ago."

Several apprentices spoke up, each saying they had different times when they were dreaming.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Faced with Shen Can's words, no one dared to look up.

At first, no one took it seriously; it was normal for aspiring wizards to dream of becoming real wizards.

After having a series of dreams, the group started getting together every day and naturally began chatting.

During the conversation, it was discovered that everyone was having the same dream.

Shen Can calculated that the day the first disciple had a dream happened exactly when he broke through to the Heavenly Meridian.

He didn't cultivate yesterday; he spent the whole day reading scriptures, hoping to find the whereabouts of the sacrificial artifacts in the scriptures in Xiaoyang Witch's bag.

Reading all day makes me feel relaxed.

Dreaming should also be related to a relaxed state of mind; otherwise, his powerful consciousness could not have been affected.

"Don't do anything today, everyone go home and rest."

After telling his disciples to go back and rest, Shen Can had already made up his mind about the matter.

Damn it, the Blood Witch's troubles have gotten him, Blazing Flame, into it.

The location was quite accurate; they were looking for a sorcerer.

Petty theft and thievery—that's what the Blood Witch excels at.

His disciples are actually quite ordinary in talent, and they will inevitably be dragged down by him under the subtle influence of others.

A tribe is truly blessed if it has a blood witch.

The Upper Lake area is a prime example; a thousand-mile-long dike was destroyed by an ant hole.

The key issue is that he came when he was advancing to the Heavenly Vein, which was incredibly disrespectful.

into the night.

Outside the residences of the disciples.

Shen Can sat on the stone chair with an air of nonchalance.

Let's see who's behind his new sorcery account.

Such a deceptive tactic is indeed difficult to detect; another tribe might have been caught off guard.

When the revered shaman in the tribe becomes a blood shaman, the consequences are predictable.

The night was deep.

In the middle of the great marsh.

The crocodile lord's head reappeared, and the Soul-Sacrificing Nightmare Pearl was spat out of its mouth.

As the incantation was chanted, wisps of black energy drifted with the wind towards the Blazing Flame Clan's territory.

Do you want to become a true sorcerer?

A gentle breeze stirred the vast swamp, waves rippled, and the crocodile's head merged with the water, its dark golden eyes fixed on the Blazing Flame Clan's territory.

Today is the sixth day.

Soon, soon.

Once your heart is moved, you'll fall for it.

It bets that this small tribe, under its enticements, won't last more than ten days.

How could a mere small tribe escape its grasp?

This is the wilderness of Yongyi; surely there won't be any more meddlesome busybodies here.

The crocodile king continuously spewed blood and qi into the bead, releasing black qi that blended with the night sky.

……

"So that's what it is!"

The clan's territory was in the water three miles away, where Shen Can saw a crocodile swallowing and spitting out black beads.

Shen Can, who had transformed into the shape of a Kui Niu, had his senses in the water doubled, and finally caught the guy who was pretending to be a ghost.

He thought the crocodile looked familiar; it seemed to be the one he had encountered outside the Upper Lake.

However, the one outside the Upper Lake is a crocodile man, a blood witch.

This one, however, seems more like a pure beast.

"Crash!"

In the blink of an eye, the surging water surface trembled, and a water dragon shot up several dozen feet high, crashing down towards the crocodile.

"Lingyu Waterbending Technique!"

The moment the water dragon rose, the crocodile king sensed the fluctuations. As an expert in water magic, it could not ignore the fluctuations in the water.

But the reaction was still too slow.

The water dragon plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the back of the alligator king with a thunderous roar, sending it tumbling out of the water, with waves surging all around.

"Oh dear... it's you again, Lingyubo tribe!"

The crocodile lord was furious, but there was also a sense of helplessness in his tone.

It still has several witch nails bestowed upon it by the Lingyu tribe.

It's just a Tier 3 alligator dragon. The only difference is that it's a Blood Witch Lord. Why haven't they let it go for so many years?

"Damn Lingyu, will this ever end?!"

As the crocodile lord cried out, a large foot covered in Kui-patterned scales appeared in the water and kicked the crocodile lord in one swift motion.

Boom!

A burst of golden light erupted from the crocodile lord's body. The water tide that had just gathered on his body was not only destroyed by this kick, but a deep footprint was also left on his back.

"It's not a Lingyu!"

After being kicked, the crocodile lord let out a howl and realized what was happening.

"Fellow travelers!"

They all have scales; this is clearly an attempt to steal the territory it has its eye on.

This made him even angrier.

You think you can bully anyone when you're stranded in the wilderness?

The crocodile suddenly swung its long snout, causing a large splash of water to rise up and transform into a gigantic crocodile ten feet in size, which pounced towards Shen Can.

"go with!"

A dark light appeared in the water, and the witch nail pierced the skull of the water crocodile, causing countless cracks to appear on the crocodile.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shen Can once again approached the Crocodile Lord.

His transformed form as a Kui Niu was naturally vastly different from that of a real Kui Niu, but in terms of physique alone, he possessed the essence of a Kui Niu.

The scales that grew from the blood energy had a dark purple hue. Although it was not a single-legged creature, the sound of thunder was generated as its legs stepped on the water.

Without hesitation, he kicked it again.

With this kick, the surrounding waters converged into a stream, and the immense force poured directly into the middle of the Crocodile Lord's body. The internal energy surged into his body, and the Crocodile Lord felt his energy dissipate.

Taking advantage of the collapse of the crocodile's energy, Shen Can grabbed its scales with both hands and pulled it back.

The fist, as large as a clay pot and covered with Kui thunder patterns, smashed towards the crocodile lord's head.

dong dong dong dong!

Each sound was like a thunderous roar.

The alligator, in pain, dragged Shen Can underwater, repeatedly rolling around in a deathly manner.

But Shen Can's hand was gripping between its scales, and his fists rained down like a storm.

Blood splattered underwater, and the crocodile lord screamed in agony.

“I, the alligator dragon, belong to the water element, and you are also a beast. If you want this fiefdom, I will give it to you. Why be so ruthless?”

"Beast? You're the beast!"

Blood light emanated from Shen Can's fist, and this time, thunderous sound arose from his fist, striking the Crocodile Lord with another booming sound.

The force of his punch suddenly increased several times over.

Thump! Thump!

Feeling an even more terrifying beating than before, the Crocodile Lord was stunned.

Are you out of your mind? You gave them all away!

It tried to resist, but every punch landed squarely, shattering its internal energy and rendering it unable to mobilize its own blood and qi.

The beast brother hammered at it like a war drum, each blow striking just as it was about to regroup its blood and energy.

Click!

A crisp sound.

Click!Click!
The sound of bones cracking rang out continuously, and blood kept gushing from the body of the alligator lord. The witch nails that it had previously been unable to remove from its body were all hammered out directly.

"You forced me!"

The crocodile lord roared, his blood energy surging, and the defeated aura resurfaced with a crimson glow.

"Call me your mother!"

Boom!

Shen Can got up from the crocodile master, raised one foot high and then stomped down.

The water from all directions converged beneath his feet, shattering the crimson light shield that had been billowing around the crocodile, and sending his entire body plunging into the mud below.

"Spare me, we're all in the same boat..."

Boom!

The crocodile lord felt the foot on his back lift up and then stomp down again.

No, it's not over yet!
Boom boom boom!
It was a stomp of the feet three times.

The crocodile king felt as if his spine, though not broken, had cracked.

This is not just about seizing the fiefdom; it looks like they're going to destroy it.

"Spare your life!"

Shen Can grabbed the crocodile by the neck and dragged the crocodile out of the mud, then plunged a witch nail straight into the reverse scale of its lower jaw.

He hadn't expected that this crocodile would also have a sore spot, and then he grabbed the fish's mouth and dragged it toward the shore.

Once ashore, he tossed it to the ground and stepped onto it.

"So you're the one trying to mess with me."

At this moment, the Crocodile Lord finally saw Shen Can's appearance clearly.

Like a person.

Yet the Kui script on its body flickered, and in a daze, it seemed as if a Kui ox was standing in the water.

It also resembles the Kui Niu (a mythical beast).

"No...no, it's a misunderstanding." Shen Can sneered as he watched the crocodile staring at him.

Do I look like a human or a Kui ox to you?

After the Kui Niu transformed, a hint of dark gold appeared in his eyes, making them extremely cold.

The thought of the torrential rain of fists raining down on him, and the stomping feet that seemed to want to crush him to death, made the Crocodile Lord tremble with fear.

The crocodile lord grinned, its long, broken beak throbbing with a dull ache from its sunken head.

"I was offended."

"I never imagined this mountain wilderness would be your territory."

Shen Can took out a fish-shaped stone and threw it in front of him.

"This is yours."

Upon seeing the fish-shaped stone, the alligator lord wanted to argue, but under Shen Can's icy gaze, he still nodded.

It couldn't be faked either; there was a jade-like scale on its left claw. Originally, it had more than one, but it was knocked off after being beaten.

“This witch has offended Your Excellency, and deserves to die.”

That being said, the crocodile lord harbored deep hatred for the dead witch slave. Had he not died, he would have made him suffer a fate worse than death.

I told you not to reveal the identity of the deity if you cause trouble, so why haven't you destroyed the tokens yet?

"You have quite a few witch slaves under your control?"

“No… There were many before, but they all died in Yongyi. These few were recruited after they came here. There are only two or three left, otherwise we wouldn’t be here tonight to lure sorcerers again.”

The crocodile lord spoke cautiously.

Upon hearing that it came from Yongyi, Shen Can eased the magical power he was channeling into the magic nail in his hand.

"How did you run into Lingyu, coming from Yongyi?"

Upon hearing this, the alligator king felt a pang of bitterness and realized that he was having a run of bad luck.

In Yongyi, they were hunted down like crocodiles with nowhere to go, and the witch slaves were almost all wiped out.

After finally escaping to the northern wilderness of Yongyi, he gathered a few witch slaves and hid in the swamp to heal his wounds, only to encounter the Lingyubo tribe's eastward hunt.

He was struck by several witch nails from Lingyubo's tribe and then hid for two years.

After finally managing to get out and recruit a few more witch slaves, he was given a sound beating by this guy who looked like a human but also resembled a Kui Niu.

This damn three-hit combo never healed properly; it was just new wounds piling on top of old ones.

"Are there many blood witches in Yongyi?"

"many."

The crocodile master nodded.

How could there not be many? When it gets injured, it not only has to be wary of humans, but other beast lords also have their eyes on it.

"Yongyi is in chaos, with frequent battles between humans and other races. Many people are pursuing higher levels of witchcraft, so many people are risking becoming blood witches."

"You think you can make sorcerers worship you with this bead?"

As he spoke, Shen Can took out the black pill from before.

The alligator king glanced at it, completely unaware of how Shen Can had taken the bead away.

"This bead can weave dreams and amplify people's desires little by little. I will give them a little sweetness first, and they will gradually serve me."

"Even if they die, they can still die?" Shen Can thought of the two blood witches he had encountered, both of whom died tragically.

"Yes, once they worship me as their master, even if they die, I will absorb a portion of their magical power."

"I obtained this bead by chance, and I will give it to you if you wish."

"Hey, what's with all this talk about giving things away? I'll take them myself if you die."

Shen Can didn't pay attention to the bead. He sensed a strong aura of filth and resentment from it, which was somewhat similar to the two 'ironwood' beads from before.

"Have you encountered any other priests or blood sorcerers since you came to this mountainous region?"

"For example, Xiaoyang."

"No, the beasts of different priests and their subordinate blood witches will not easily fight each other unless they are fighting over fiefdoms."

In Yongyi, we all have designated areas, and the sorcerers under our command may have encountered each other.

“I haven’t been back to Yongyi for a long time. Tell me about the situation in Yongyi before you came.”

Boom!
As he spoke, Shen Can stomped his foot on the crocodile again, his blood energy flowing through its body and dispersing the blood energy that had been quietly gathering there.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."

"I'll talk, I'll talk!"

The chieftain was terrified. "In the Ji region north of Yongyi, the Xiaoyang tribe, which has risen again, has been defeated time and again, and many tribes have been wiped out."

"If I hadn't been seriously injured, I would have stayed behind to get a share of the spoils during the chaos."

Through the words of the Alligator Lord, Shen Can began to learn about his region.

To be precise, the vast area south of the Juyue Mountains is called Yongyi.

The Zhiyan region is known as the 'wilderness' by many tribes and humans in Yongyi.

Wilderness, wilderness.

City, outer city, pasture, and wilderness—this is the broad regional division of Yongyi.

Any tribe can call its own territory a 'city' and divide these four regions based on its own territory.

The word "city" means the core or core, similar to the territory of a tribe.

Guo refers to the mountainous and forested land near the tribe, which is arable.

A pasture is a place where livestock can graze and hunt.

Wilderness is the outermost region, neglected, the home of savages, and other foreign tribes.

Eight thousand years ago, this area south of the Juyue Mountains was the territory of the Xiaoyang tribe. It was the Yongshanbo tribe that united the feudal lords and defeated the Xiaoyang tribe.

However, the Xiaoyang were not completely wiped out. Eight thousand years later, the Xiaoyang descendants who had once escaped have multiplied and grown strong again, and have begun to wage war against the human race.

But now, the Yongshan tribe of the human race no longer exists.

The area where the Blazing Flame, Azure Bird, and Ape Mountain tribes are located can only be considered a part of the northern part of Yongyi.

Even if you travel all the way west, the Lingyubo tribe is actually part of the Yongyi region.

"During the conquests of the various tribes and Xiaoyang, were any destroyed tribes left behind sacrificial artifacts?"

Upon hearing this, the Crocodile Lord paused for a moment, wanting to look at Shen Can.

Shen Can had been paying close attention to the entire time, and he was fully aware of the changes in the crocodile under his feet. He immediately realized that what he had said was wrong.

Then, the foot moved slightly on the crocodile's body.

"The tribe was destroyed, the ritual objects were broken, but I've never heard of any tribe losing any ritual objects."

Sacrificial vessels are the last line of defense for a tribe; conversely, if the sacrificial vessels are broken, the tribe is not far from destruction.

When the beast lords select their shaman slaves, they avoid tribes with sacrificial implements.

At this moment, Shen Can also understood why the shaman Xiao Yang, whom he had killed, did not have any sacrificial artifacts in his bag.

Similarly, the crocodile lord, his mind racing, also sensed something was amiss.

It's okay if Shen Can said something wrong, but it's a problem if it heard it.

After all, Shen Can had just said that he was also from Yongyi, and the people of Yongyi couldn't possibly not know about this.

So, this strange 'person' in front of us might not be from Yongyi, but rather a local.

It glanced at the Blazing Flame Clan in the distance, a tribe in a remote wilderness, and realized that it was indeed possible for such an opportunity to arise before one's vision could catch up.

“But then again.”

The crocodile lord immediately spoke up, "I am just a crocodile who has been fortunate enough to possess a bit of alien blood. My vision is not broad, unlike yours, which is more knowledgeable."

The world is so vast, it's likely that such things as sacrificial artifacts falling from the sky have happened before, though they are quite rare.

In the area north of Yongyi, human tribes and Xiaoyang tribes have clashed repeatedly. Every ten or twenty years, a superior tribe is destroyed, and a superior tribe is reborn.

Newly formed tribes often worship the remnants of human spirits, guiding them back to their tribe. They hold annual sacrifices, and these spirits become the tribe's guardians.

I remember before I came here, there was a tribe called Yinshan who used a piece of wood to guide the remnant spirit, turning it into a tribal sacrificial vessel.

……

By repeating what the crocodile master said and giving another example, he successfully saved his life.

Not only did he give examples, but he also told some legends.

Shen Can had been eagerly searching for materials to forge a sacrificial artifact, but it turned out that it wasn't that simple at all.

Mountains are not valued for their height, nor water for its depth; the important thing about sacrificial vessels is not the 'materials' but the 'spirit'.

The sacrificial vessels are used to carry the souls of the deceased tribesmen, preserving their power in life and transforming it into the tribe's guardian.

This raises a question: tribes like the Blazing Flame Clan, with their shallow lineage, wouldn't even have half a hide to spare for their tribal history. Where would they find a strong enough member who has just happened to be 'deceased'?

We can't just burn down the firebox right now.

But Huotang's strength isn't enough either.

How to deal with this situation?
It was only the wise ancestors of the human race who had a solution.

The ancient sages of the human race created martial arts to protect the human race's heritage. Even in death, they did not forget their aspirations and entered the tribe's sacrificial artifacts to protect the tribe.

Many human warriors have perished in the Great Wilderness over the years, and the remnants of their spirits that were not completely extinguished after their deaths are the key to the tribes' guidance.

Similar to a mentorship program, it involves using one's remaining experience to help younger colleagues.

This concept of 'descendants' transcends the narrow definition of bloodline and clan, and extends to the broader concept of descendants of a clan.

In fact, there are traces to these things. For example, the wordless shrine of the Blazing Flame Tribe is dedicated to the sages who pioneered martial arts.

Not only does the scorching heat exist, but it also exists in all human tribes.

However, according to the Tuozhu, there are almost no human remnants left from the distant past. The strength of some of the remnants of ancestors that were brought to the Yongyi tribe has been reduced to the second or third level.

Even the wise men of the past are passing away.

On the other hand, there are fewer successors who uphold the will of their predecessors.

Not everyone will have a will remaining after they pass away.

After all, the remaining remnant spirit, in a sense, is just an energy body, without a subjective consciousness, only instinct remains.

……

"Spare me! I can become a guardian beast of the tribe. I am willing to reform myself."

Seeing Shen Can deep in thought and silent, the Crocodile Lord tilted its head sharply, wanting Shen Can to see its miserable state.

As a spirit beast, the worst thing is having the thought of being afraid of death.

"To be the guardian beast of the clan?"

Shen Can laughed. This guy was supposed to be the guardian beast of the clan. He was afraid of letting wolves into the house. Shanghu was not weak, but it was still destroyed.

"I'll give you a chance to find out all the blood witches and your kind in the area north of Qujiang."

"I don't need to say anything more, do I?"

Sensing Shen Can's killing intent, the crocodile lord convulsed violently, and a crocodile-shaped mark flew out.

Upon seeing the crocodile mark, Shen Can curiously sensed it a few more times. Fu Fu had mentioned that this method was often used to subdue high-level intelligent wild beasts, although it had some limitations.

Taking this crocodile as a secret lackey was a thought that had just come to him.

The southward expansion of Zhiyan is a predetermined goal, and the Cangniao and Yuanshan factions will eventually be suppressed.

The tribes are relatively open, but these blood witches and beast priests are more secretive. It might be easier for blood witches to deal with blood witches and priests to deal with priests.

"Come with me!"

After taking the life soul of the Crocodile Lord, Shen Can headed off into the distance.

Despite the excruciating pain all over his body, the crocodile king crawled behind him.

After traveling for about a hundred miles east of the former site of the Shanghuang tribe, Shen Can opened a collapsed cave.

Two dark ironwood logs were revealed.

"Since you're from Yongyi, do you recognize this?"

The crocodile lord, who had followed, scrutinized 'Ironwood' with his dark golden eyes.

"This should be the sacrificial wood of the Xiaoyang Clan!"

"How did this thing get here?!"

(End of this chapter)