Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

"Which human tribe did Hou Yi belong to?"

"The largest one up ahead," Ao Qing pointed to the center of the valley, "that tribe is called 'Youqiong Clan,' with a population of about 100,000. The Great Shaman Houyi lives in a small courtyard on the edge of the tribe."

Huanglong concealed his aura, descended from the clouds with Ao Qing and the others, and walked towards the destination.

The Youqiong clan occupied a large area, with wooden fences as walls and a network of roads running through it.

As evening fell, the tribe was bustling with people. The men were mostly returning with their prey, while the women were either weaving or processing the game, circling around each prey with eyes full of longing for food!

Huang Long noticed that although these humans were not strong, with the strongest clan leader only at the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm, they were all full of energy, spirits, and hope in their eyes.

Arriving at the northwest corner of the village, nestled in a bamboo grove, there were indeed several simple wooden houses.

In front of the wooden house was an open space. A tall man threw a giant tiger on the ground, rested for a moment, and then began chopping wood again.

The man was shirtless, his muscles were bulging, and his bronze skin revealed his immense strength.

His movements with the axe were crisp and clean; with each strike, the firewood split open, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut.

Although it was just simple chopping wood, the power that his body unleashed in every movement was unmatched by humans.

And this man was none other than Hou Yi.

However, compared to the peerless great shaman in his memory who shot down nine golden crows with an arrow and fought the second war between the witch and demon races, the Hou Yi before him was completely different.

At this moment, Hou Yi's eyes were no longer as sharp as they used to be, and they were no longer full of murderous intent; instead, they had become more gentle.

Most importantly, the aura emanating from him was indeed only at the Golden Immortal level.

Huanglong could clearly sense that Hou Yi was not intentionally hiding his true level, but rather that his original Great Witch essence had long since been burned away.

The reason why Hou Yi was still able to maintain the Golden Immortal realm was that there was a drop of essence blood in Hou Yi's body, which provided Hou Yi with a continuous source of blood energy.

Otherwise, Hou Yi would have become the first great shaman to die from exhaustion of his lifespan!

"My lord, it's him!" Ao Qing whispered.

Huang Long nodded, and in a flash, he appeared beside Hou Yi.

Huang Long also slightly revealed his presence; otherwise, Hou Yi wouldn't have been able to detect his arrival at all.

Hou Yi seemed to sense someone approaching. He gripped his giant axe and turned around warily.

When he saw Huanglong, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by a trace of panic.

Clearly, while Hou Yi was pleasantly surprised by Huanglong's arrival, Huanglong also saw his own pathetic state.

"Brother Huanglong...!" Hou Yi said with a wry smile.

"The Great Wizard Hou Yi!"

Huanglong smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "It's been over ten thousand years since we last met. How have you been, Great Shaman?"

Hou Yi put down his axe, wiped his sweat, and said with a wry smile, "All right? Do I look like I'm all right?"

He invited Huanglong into the house: "Come in and sit down. My humble abode is simple, please don't be offended."

The furnishings inside the cabin were indeed simple: a wooden bed, a table made of stacked stones, a few stones used as chairs, and some animal hides and bows and arrows piled up in the corner.

The only unusual thing was a large bow hanging on the wall. The bow was dark red, as if it were covered with blood that had dried up for countless years, but it did not reveal a trace of ferocity...!

That was the Sun-Shooting Bow, which drank the blood of the Golden Crow upon its birth.

Huang Long's gaze lingered for a moment on the seemingly ordinary Sun-Shooting Bow, and he sighed inwardly.

The master is no longer the same as before, and the divine artifact has concealed itself, its brilliance dimmed.

"sit."

Hou Yi poured a bowl of water and handed it to Huanglong, saying, "I don't have any blood date wine, just spring water. Make do with this!"

Huanglong took the bowl of water and, without any ceremony, asked directly, "Great Shaman Houyi, what are you doing here? Didn't you return to Buzhou Mountain with the Ancestral Shaman?"

Hou Yi sat down opposite him, remained silent for a long time, and then slowly spoke: "This matter... is a long story."

"After slaying nine golden crows, I burned my last remaining essence to fire the tenth arrow, but alas, I still failed to avenge Kuafu!"

"To prevent me from being caught in the crossfire of the great war, the Ancestral Witch threw me into a spatial tunnel."

As Hou Yi spoke, a deep sadness appeared on his face, as if he were recalling the scene of ten suns soaring into the sky, where countless members of the Wu tribe were reduced to withered bones under the sun's true fire, and Kuafu also died from the scorching heat of the golden crows, his life essence drained away!

"After the great war ended, Houtu, the ancestral witch, found me and wanted to take me back to Buzhou Mountain to restore my original nature with the essence and blood of the ancestral witch."

Hou Yi paused slightly as he spoke, "However, I refused!"

"Why?" Huang Long asked, puzzled.

"At that time, my original essence was still constantly disintegrating, so I returned to Buzhou Mountain. The ancestral witch's essence blood that I consumed would definitely affect the cultivation of the ancestral witches."

"The Wu tribe can do without a Hou Yi, but it cannot do without a Zu Wu."

"Most importantly... I want to find the arrow that Taiyi knocked into the void."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Huanglong fell silent. In Houyi's heart, he was still thinking about shooting down the last golden crow.

"Did you find it, senior?" Huang Long asked softly, though he had already vaguely guessed the result.

Hou Yi shook his head. "I have searched this continent for thousands of years, but I have never found a trace of that arrow."

"Later I returned to the center of that battlefield and saw that the entire land had come back to life."

Hou Yi looked at Huang Long and smiled slightly, "I know that only you, Brother Huang Long, care about the primordial world."

"In this area, I found a fragment of Kuafu's peachwood staff. I searched every corner and collected all the soil containing Kuafu's essence, and buried it together with that fragment of the peachwood staff."

Hou Yi pointed to a large mountain not far away.

"I've been here ever since, the guardian of Kuafu!"

"Then why did your cultivation level drop to the Golden Immortal realm?" Huang Long asked again.

Hou Yi revealed a frank expression: "Young friend, as you know, the Wu Clan cultivates the physical body and refines the bloodline of Pangu. Back then, in order to shoot ten arrows, I burned my very essence, and my bloodline power was almost completely exhausted."

"I originally intended to go and keep Kuafu company, but the Ancestral Witch Houtu took pity on me and injected a drop of her essence blood into my body. This kept my body alive and even allowed me to use the power of a Golden Immortal."

He paused, then said self-deprecatingly, "But it's all for the best. Back then, I was a high-ranking shaman of the witch clan, shouldering heavy responsibilities, fighting against the demon clan every day, never having a moment of peace."

"Although my cultivation level has declined, I am now able to enjoy peace and quiet. After the human tribe migrated here and settled down, I chopped wood and hunted in the human tribe, which was quite comfortable."

Huang Long looked at him, unsure of what to say for a moment.

The once mighty shaman Hou Yi, who once dominated the primordial world, is now content to chop wood and make a living in a small human tribe. This contrast is enough to make anyone sigh.

"Have you never thought about going back to the Witch Clan?" Huang Long probed.

Hou Yi's eyes dimmed for a moment: "I've thought about it. But in my current state, not only can I not help the Wu tribe, but I'll also require the Ancestral Witch to spare time to protect me. I don't want to become a sinner of the Wu tribe. Besides..."

He looked out the window, his gaze softening: "There are people here I can't let go of either."