Deities: Rulers of Nature

Time slipped by unnoticed, and before we knew it, it was noon.

Qingdao and Jinyan had already led the snake people to complete the main structure of the altar, but Qinglu had not yet returned.

Although it was indeed quite strenuous for one person to mine four stone pillars, it shouldn't have taken this long. Qingdao felt a little uneasy.

Jin Yan knew Qinglu's strength, so he tried to comfort Qingdao by saying that Qinglu might already be on his way back.

But waiting around like this wasn't a solution, so Qingdao turned and instructed Jinyan to gather some members of the hunting team and head towards Qianyan Mountain together.

Just as they reached the halfway point of the mountain, they suddenly heard a loud shout. Although the voice was a little hoarse, it gave them a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"It's a greenish sound!"

Qingdao's heart tightened, and he immediately sped up his journey. All the snake people followed suit, their snake tails swaying rapidly on the snow, leaving behind winding trails.

As they rounded a bend, the sight before them caused the snake people to pause in their tracks.

A huge brown rock tiger lay sprawled on the open ground, its body over seven meters long, covered in blood and green.

Just as they were about to rush over, golden light fell from the sky and landed on Qinglu.

"My God, this is a miracle!"

"Is the Green Leader alright?"

"Look, the green wound is healing!"

"Praise be to you, great God of Nature."

The snake people gasped in astonishment, even more so than when Green had performed a mild healing spell on Greenwood.

Seido was the first to approach green.

"Are you alright, Qinglu?" Qingdao asked with concern as he looked at Qinglu who had stood up.

As Qinglu comforted her father, other members of the clan gathered around, each expressing their own feelings.

"That's amazing, Green Leader!"

"Well done, Green Chief!"

Everyone looked at the Brown Rock Wild Tiger on the ground with admiration, including Jin Yan, who was also a leader.

"Praise be to the great God of Nature!"

This is how all the snake people, after learning the whole story, spontaneously offered their reverence to the god of nature.

Afterwards, the snake people lifted the Brown Rock Tiger and the four Azure Tide Stone Pillars together and returned to the settlement.

-----------------

When the enormous bronze-tier brown rock tiger was brought into the settlement, the entire settlement erupted in excitement.

Whether they were working or not, the snake people put down what they were doing and gathered around.

"Is this the beast that injured Greenwood's collar?"

"He was actually defeated by the Green Leader all by himself! That's amazing!"

"Green Leader, do you still remember my Chixiang? You two used to play together when you were little."

"Well done, Green, you avenged me, haha."

Little Red finally squeezed through the crowd. His eyes shone like stars as he circled around the Brown Rock Tiger's body, occasionally reaching out to touch its fur and bone spurs, muttering things like "So big!", "So powerful!", and "I like it so much!"

After lunch, Qingdao and Jinyan walked around the two Qingxi stone pillars, leaving traces from time to time.

The main body of the altar has been built. It is paved with polished white stone and has nine steps, each of which is carved with various serpentine patterns.

At the center is a nine-meter-high square altar, carved from Qingxi stone and decorated with various gemstones.

Now all that's missing are two carved stone pillars.

As for the offering, that brown rock tiger is the best offering!

That night, after ruining two stone pillars and completing the initial sketches, Qingdao and Jinyan finally finished carving the other two stone pillars and placed them in suitable positions.

Perhaps it's because the Golden Ringed Serpent Man's talent lies in perception, but after activating his extraordinary seed, Jin Yan quickly mastered the delicate craft of carving. His carving lines were natural and smooth, and his finished products were better than Qing Dao's.

Jin Yan patted the stone chips off his hands and nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the altar.

Qingdao is organizing his people to prepare for the upcoming sacrificial ceremony.

The four leaders, Qinglu, Qingmu, Jinyan, and Chifeng, reverently carried the still-breathing Brown Rock Wild Tiger to the center of the altar, and then retreated behind Qingdao.

All the snake people fell silent, their faces showing piety.

Qingdao straightened his expression, bowed towards the altar, which was also the summit of Xishan Mountain, and then raised his head to say in a solemn voice:

"Praise be to you, great God of Nature!"

"Thank you for providing us with food, allowing us to survive the cold winter;"

"Thank you for your protection, which enabled us to defeat the wild beasts;"

"Thank you for bestowing upon us strength, enabling the Xishan Serpent People to establish themselves in the Qingling Mountains;"

"Today, we offer you a bronze-tier brown rock tiger as a sacrifice, a devout offering."

"Praise be to you, great God of Nature."

"May your glory forever shine upon the Xishan settlement, and may our people forever live under your protection."

All the snake people clenched their right fists and placed them over their hearts, saying in unison:

"Praise be to you, great God of Nature!"

"We beseech you to continue to protect our people!"

"..."

With each devout prayer, specks of light emerged from the hearts of the snake people, eventually converging on Ji Xuan along the invisible thread of faith.

[Information: The Snake-People of Xishan have completed a formal sacrificial ceremony]

[Information: Fanatic +7, Devout +57]

[Information: Faith Points +1270]

Ji Xuan nodded in satisfaction, and then appeared in mid-air.

As for why Qinglu, as the first saint, couldn't sense it beforehand, it was naturally because Ji Xuan had blocked it beforehand. As a deity, no one in His clan could sense it unless He wanted to.

As Ji Xuan appeared, the once pitch-black night instantly became as bright as day, and a fresh scent of grass and trees began to fill the air.

All the snake people froze on the spot, staring blankly at the golden light, then their faces lit up with wild joy:

"It is my lord!"

"It is the god of nature!"

"The god of nature has appeared!"

Seido reacted immediately, his expression turning solemn, but his voice, trembling with excitement, betrayed his turbulent inner state.

"Praise be to you, great God of Nature!"

"Your family welcomes your arrival!"

The other snake people also realized what was happening and exclaimed in unison, "Praise be to you, great God of Nature!"

"If you have sincere faith, I will protect the Snake People of Xishan."

To the snake people, Ji Xuan's voice was incredibly gentle yet carried the vicissitudes of time, like a clear spring flowing through the mountains, or like the wind blowing past their ears.

At the same time, Ji Xuan consumed a batch of faith points, and golden light spots appeared, merging into the bodies of every snake-man present.

The injured snake-man felt a warm current flowing through his body, making him feel much more relaxed. This was not only because the external wounds were healed, but also because the internal injuries were recovering.

The sick snake-men have recovered to their best condition. Even the old snake-men who were originally bent over have straightened up a lot, as if they have returned to their prime. Of course, this is just their illusion.

But all the snake people did indeed benefit; Ji Xuan was quite generous.

Then, Ji Xuan looked at the stone pillars on both sides of the altar, stretched out his hand again, and two golden lights flashed, enveloping the stone pillars.

As the golden light faded, the stone pillar began to emit a soft white light.

From then on, the two stone pillars not only became incredibly hard, but also emitted light at all times, illuminating the center of the entire settlement.

After doing all this, Ji Xuan glanced at the increasingly devout snake people and then vanished.