My classmates chose martial arts and fantasy, but I chose the prehistoric world.

The beast carcass was icy cold to the touch, and its fur was unusually soft.

Meng Chuan found a sharp stone and began to process it.

Houtu sat on the bluestone, watching his clumsy movements, and occasionally offered some pointers.

"This is a Snow Spirit Deer, which lives in extremely cold places. It is fast but timid..."

"If the internal organs are buried deeper, the blood and qi will attract other ferocious beasts. Although they cannot enter the valley, they will still make a lot of noise."

Meng Chuan did as instructed.

This was my first time handling this kind of ingredient, so I was a bit clumsy. Luckily, I had some cultivation, so I was strong and skillful and could manage to be considered relatively efficient.

By the time he had cleaned the venison and placed it on the fire to roast, it was nearly dusk.

There is no real sunset in the valley, but as the light gradually dims, the bluish-gray sky turns into deep blue, and finally into a gloomy inky black.

The firelight was reflected in the pool, shimmering and dancing.

Houtu pulled out several fist-sized fruits from somewhere and tossed two to Meng Chuan.

The fruit is reddish-brown with a smooth skin. When you bite into it, it is juicy, sweet with a hint of astringency, and after entering your stomach, it transforms into a warm current that nourishes your meridians.

"This is the Crimson Fruit, which grows near the Fire Vein."

Houtu munched on a fruit, the firelight illuminating her profile and softening her features. "It can temper your physical body and is beneficial for your cultivation of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique."

Meng Chuan ate silently.

The roasted meat slowly cooked, the fat dripping into the fire crackling and filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

Houtu tore off a deer leg, not caring about the heat, and took a bite.

"The craftsmanship is so-so."

She commented, but she didn't eat very slowly.

Meng Chuan copied her, tearing off a piece of flesh.

The meat is extremely tender, melting in your mouth, and has an indescribable sweetness without any added seasoning.

Even more strangely, the flesh contained a gentle energy that permeated the limbs and bones, making one feel warm and exceptionally comfortable.

Neither of them spoke again.

Looking at the girl's profile, Meng Chuan once again recalled the legend about her—

May his body be reborn and forever guard the underworld!

Compassion borders on cruelty, mercy reaches the point of ruthlessness!

"What are you looking at?"

Houtu noticed his gaze and looked up to meet his eyes.

Meng Chuan guiltily looked away: "I just feel... you're not quite what I imagined."

"What do you imagine me to be like?"

Houtu seemed to have taken a liking to it.

"More... authoritative? Or more..."

Meng Chuan felt a little nervous and carefully chose his words, "More like an ancestral shaman?"

Houtu laughed.

In the firelight, her smile was faint, but her eyes held a genuine joy.

"The Ancestral Witches are also witches."

She said, "Witches are living beings too. They get hungry, thirsty, injured, and die."

She paused for a moment, then looked at the leaping flames.

"However, we live longer, are stronger, and have a special bloodline. Apart from that, we are no different from the deer in the forest and the birds in the sky."

Meng Chuan remained silent.

He wanted to say that they were different.

You are the Ancestral Witches, formed from the essence and blood of Pangu, and are among the oldest and most powerful beings in this primordial world.

The Wu tribe under your rule is about to become the new protagonist of the primordial world, and will contend with the other protagonist of the world, the Demon tribe, until both tribes perish, withdraw from the stage of history, and are replaced by the human tribe.

However, he swallowed the words back down.

"Do you think the primordial world is big?" Houtu suddenly asked.

Meng Chuan nodded.

"It is very big." Houtu tore off the last piece of meat and chewed slowly. "But it is also small. So small that... some things cannot be avoided, cannot be escaped."

She didn't say anything more.

After finishing her meal, she stood up and wiped the grease off her hands.

"I have to go now."

Meng Chuan quickly got up to see her off, watching her figure completely disappear into the night.

The fire gradually died down, the embers glowing with a dark red light.

He walked back to the edge of the pool, sat down cross-legged, and looked up at the inky sky.

The primordial night had no moon, but the stars shone exceptionally bright.

Countless stars dot the deep blue sky, coldly overlooking this vast land.

He closed his eyes and silently circulated his profound inner energy.

The golden vortex slowly rotated in the dantian, growing stronger with each rotation.

……

Time stands still in the valley.

When Meng Chuan opened his eyes again, the leaves of the crooked tree by the pool had turned yellow and green three times.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, which solidified into a white ribbon and struck the surface of the pool, creating ripples.

Within his dantian, the golden lake had overflowed to its edge, its waves surging, just a hair's breadth away from breaking through the dam and flowing into a wider river.

He had already cultivated the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to the first perfect stage, and his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Earth Immortal realm.

The next step is to activate one's Qi, blood, spirit, and soul, both internally and externally, to step into the second stage and achieve the flawless celestial body.

One revolution leads to a higher realm, three revolutions to a Mysterious Immortal, four revolutions to a Golden Immortal... until the eighth revolution to a Quasi-Saint, and the ninth revolution to a Saint!

The path is already beneath your feet; all you need to do is climb it step by step.

He looked down into the pool.

The broken, jet-black spear remained embedded in the sand, but the original three-inch charred area around it seemed to have expanded.

Over the past three years, he has observed and cautiously tested the waters every day, and gradually, his understanding of that wisp of the Dao of Slaughter has deepened.

When the magic power at the fingertips is activated, it can draw out dark red evil energy that is thinner than a hair, but its power is several times stronger than pure magic power!

But that's not enough.

The valley is safe, but it's also like a greenhouse.

He could sense that breaking through that barrier required some external pressure, or... a trigger!

"Having become restless after being too still?"

When the voice rang out again, Meng Chuan was not surprised.

In these three years, Houtu has come four times, each time appearing silently.

Sometimes he would bring some rare spiritual fruits, and sometimes he would just sit for a while, watching him cultivate, and occasionally give him some pointers on the key points of spiritual energy circulation.

He once asked the other person why they were taking such good care of him...

Houtu frankly stated that she felt as if a voice in the dark was reminding her that forming a great karmic bond with him would be of immense benefit to her and the Wu tribe.

Upon hearing this, he smiled and from then on accepted all her kindness without hesitation.

In fact, he had already made up his mind when the other party gave him the God-Slaying Spear:

Even if Houtu cannot escape the cycle of reincarnation, he will no longer allow her and the Earthly Path to become pawns in the Great Dao to complete the Heavenly Dao.

He would remind her to do his best to help her save her life and achieve the title of "Sage of the Earthly Way" under the Great Dao, so that she could sit on equal footing with Hongjun, who was in harmony with the Heavenly Dao!

He turned his head to look.

She was still barefoot and dressed in hemp clothing, standing under the crooked tree, holding a green gourd in her hand.

Her presence seemed to blend seamlessly with the valley and the earth; one could almost ignore her existence without careful observation.

"Senior." Meng Chuan stood up.

"Have you hit a bottleneck?" Houtu came over and handed him the gourd.

Meng Chuan took it; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.

Upon uncorking, a rich yet mellow aroma of wine wafts out. Unlike the previous fruit wines, this one has a deeper, more earthy, and mineral-rich scent.

"Peak of Earth Immortal. He has touched the threshold of the second stage of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, but is still one step short."

He spoke truthfully, then tilted his head back and took a sip of wine.

The wine entered my throat and turned into a surging hot current, unlike the previous wine which was gentle and nourishing. It even carried a scorching heat that impacted and crashed into my limbs and bones!

The overflowing golden lake churned instantly, and the barrier between realms seemed to loosen slightly!

"The Wu tribe's 'Earth Fire Essence' is brewed from a hundred kinds of earth vein essences and is extremely potent."

Houtu also took out her gourd and drank a mouthful, her cheeks slightly flushed. "If you just sit and practice, even if you become a celestial being, you'll still be a victim... You lack real combat experience, you lack that sliver of inspiration between life and death."