Deities: Rulers of Nature

Nature Deism

[Deity: Ji Xuan, God of Nature]

[Pope: Blue-Green]

High Priest: Qingdao

Temple Guards: 30

[Totem: Natural Oak]

[Number of believers: 569]

[Follower Race: Xishan Serpent People]

Three years is a short time, but it can also be a long time.

In these three years, Seido successfully compiled the first edition of the sacred text, using various diagrams he himself had come up with.

In Ji Xuan's view, they were less like sacred texts and more like a series of simplified and beautified murals.

The snake-people race existed for a relatively short period of time and had not yet developed a written language.

As for the information that Ji Xuan had given him before, it was all directly transmitted into his mind and did not contain any specific text content.

Writing is the origin of civilization. Although Ji Xuan could directly bestow Chinese characters, it was tantamount to stifling the creativity of the Xishan Snake People to some extent.

After compiling the sacred texts and consulting with Ji Xuan, Qingdao established the Church of Nature and the first Temple of Nature, with Qinglv Nature becoming the first pope.

As long as Qinglv, who is already a saint, is not killed immediately, theoretically there is no upper limit to his life.

Even if they die, their souls will return to Ji Xuan and become Ji Xuan's apostles. If Ji Xuan becomes a formal deity in the future, they can even be promoted to subordinate gods.

Unlike believers below the saints, whose souls dissipate into energy and return to the divine realm after death.

Therefore, every saint is the most precious treasure of the gods. Qinglu will step down as the clan leader in the future and only serve as the Pope.

On this day, the eastern training ground of the Xishan tribe was exceptionally lively, with hundreds of snake people coming from all parts of the tribe.

There are twenty snake-men in the center of the trial grounds.

Little Red was prominently listed, though he can no longer be called Little Red.

At fourteen, he was already an adult. His snake tail stood upright, and he was over 1.8 meters tall. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long arms, and a long tail. Even the muscles on his body were streamlined and not stiff at all.

The red and black scales shimmered with a unique luster in the sunlight. The hair was not the dark red of the Red Chain Snake Man, but a golden red. There was a red snake scale pattern under the right eye, which added a touch of bewitching charm to the otherwise sunny face.

Chi Hong was fortunate to be born at a good time. When he was eight years old, Ji Xuan bestowed a blessing upon him, and the Xishan tribe no longer had to worry about food. The ample nutrition allowed him to grow faster. When he was eleven, Ji Xuan bestowed the Moon Reflection Pool upon him, and his spiritual growth also entered a normal track.

Training by the Moon Reflection Pool can slowly increase one's spirit; this effect was discovered by Crimson.

The entire tribe has high hopes for Crimson and hopes he can become the next Green.

Just three months ago, with his already remarkable talent and ample material resources, the fourteen-year-old Crimson successfully condensed the Seed of Extraordinary, breaking Green's record and becoming the youngest Black Iron-rank warrior in the history of the Xishan Tribe.

Today marks the start of the temple trials in the 527th year of the Divine Calendar. The twenty snake-man warriors here have all passed the tests to be able to stand here.

Becoming a temple guard is the dream of every snake-man warrior, as long as they pass the trials.

Red was full of anticipation. His idol since childhood was Green, and he hoped to grow into a powerful super warrior like Green, to protect the tribe and fight for the glory of the God of Nature.

"May God protect us, and may my son return safely. Old Jin, please bless our son as well," the Crimson Mother prayed softly in the crowd.

Don't be surprised that the father of the red-haired child has the surname Jin. Children of the Xishan tribe do not take their father's surname, but rather it is determined by the color of their scales.

"Time really flies," came a sigh from beside Crimson Mother.

"Yes, time really flies." In the blink of an eye, the child who used to tug at her clothes has grown taller than her and is now able to support a family.

Crimson's mother naturally supported her son's participation in the temple trials, as it was an honor for the snake people. However, she hoped even more that Crimson would be safe, since among the twenty snake people participating in the trials, only Crimson had just come of age.

Crimson's father was once a member of the hunting team, but unfortunately he was killed by wild beasts.

"Mom, don't worry, I will definitely succeed!" Chi Hong smiled and waved to her mother. "I told you, I will bring back lots and lots of food for you and the tribe in the future."

"Keep going, Mom believes in you," the crimson-haired mother replied with a smile, her worries fading.

At this moment, a commotion arose in the crowd, and everyone looked in one direction. It turned out that Qinglu and Qingdao were walking over.

"Greetings, Chieftain! Greetings, High Priest!" came the chorus of greetings.

Qinglu nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the twenty snake-men in the center of the training ground.

"Alright, everyone quiet down." Qingdao stepped forward. "The Temple Trial of the 527th year of the Divine Calendar is about to begin."

"To have come this far, you are all the elite among the tribe's warriors."

"I want you to remember that the trials test not only your strength, but also your wisdom, will, and loyalty to our Lord."

"I look forward to your good news."

After Qingdao finished speaking, Qinglu stepped forward and announced loudly, "The trial begins!"

In mid-air, Ji Xuan watched the scene below with great interest.

This is a hobby He has developed in the last two years: watching the trials in the temple.

Of the twenty snake people this year, there is one He had been paying attention to for a long time: Crimson.

A glimmer of light flashed across my eyes, and a crimson message appeared before me:

【Name: Crimson】

[Race: Xishan Serpent People - Red Chain Serpent People]

[Talent: Snake Venom]

Age: 14

[Potential: Bronze]

[Rank: 11 (Black Iron)]

[Physical Fitness: 5]

【Strength: 5】

[Agility: 5]

【Spirit: 6】

[Skills: Paralyzing Snake Venom, Blood-Rending Snake Venom, Blood-Burning Snake Venom]

[Information: A Red-Chained Snakeman who has incorporated some of the talents of the Golden-Ringed Snakeman, possesses great potential.]

It's astonishing how sometimes the difference between a snake person and a snake-like person is greater than the difference between a snake person and a pig.

Ji Xuan did not bestow the Crimson Divine Art. Now, apart from Qinglv and Qingdao, only the temple guards who have passed the trial will have their extraordinary seeds activated and be granted divine arts by him.

It is foreseeable that as the Serpent People become more powerful, the threshold for bestowing divine magic will become increasingly higher.

Crimson's skills were developed by himself. Paralyzing snake venom was his talent, while blood-draining snake venom was synthesized in his body by studying the venom of snakes in the Qingling Mountains through methods including but not limited to food and personal experience.

The final Blood-Burning Serpent Venom was extracted from the bloodline of the Crimson Serpent after it condensed the extraordinary seed.

This is why Ji Xuan paid attention to Chi Hong; even without Ji Xuan helping him activate the extraordinary seed, Chi Hong was able to mobilize his spiritual power.

Even Qinglu couldn't achieve this back then.

Although Chifeng and Chishui, as leaders, are of a higher rank than Chihong, they can only use paralyzing snake venom at present.

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

After leaving the tribe, Crimson separated from the other nineteen snake people and went alone around Xishan, heading north of Xishan.

Chi Hong asked Chi Feng, and he learned that the hunting teams usually head towards the western foothills of Xishan and south of Xishan.

In the north, it's either necessary to go up Xishan or go around Xishan, which is too troublesome.

The minimum standard for the Temple Trial is to hunt down a Black Iron-tier wild beast on your own. If you are able to hunt down more Black Iron-tier wild beasts, your results will be even better.

Crimson had a different goal; he intended to deal with a bronze-tier wild beast, since his idol, Azure Green, had previously defeated a bronze-tier Brown Rock Wild Tiger single-handedly.

However, Crimson wasn't blindly rushing into targeting Bronze-tier beasts. He would first take down an Iron-tier beast to ensure he had at least one.

As the crimson figure circled around Xishan, the path became increasingly difficult.

The ground was covered with tangled old tree roots, some of which were covered with moss and were very slippery.

Low bushes, vines entwined among the trees, mosquitoes... ordinary snake people who come here don't even need to encounter wild beasts; the forest itself will take care of them.

The forest was far from tranquil; the calls of various birds, the roars of wild beasts, and the pitiful cries of prey created a scene reminiscent of a primeval forest.

The crimson snake lowered its body and slid its tail close to the ground, occasionally extending its claws to tear apart the vines that blocked its way.

Suddenly, the tail sensed a slight vibration, and Crimson tensed its scales almost immediately.

The next second, a palm-sized brown scorpion darted out from the crack in the rock, its stinger, gleaming with an unusual light, fiercely stabbing at the crimson tail.

Unfortunately, it didn't break through the defenses.

Before the scorpion could sting again, its crimson tail lashed out like a whip.

Crimson ignored the scorpion's fate and continued exploring.

After tearing the annoying vines off again, Crimson suddenly felt a sense of relief.

A path more than three meters wide with sparse grass appeared before him, and upon closer inspection, he could see traces of being scraped and trampled.

Crimson was overjoyed; it was the way of the beast.

As the saying goes, snakes have their paths and rats have their paths. Wild beasts and animals often move around near their own territories, so they naturally develop habitual routes. As they walk back and forth more often, animal trails appear.

However, Crimson didn't plan to follow the beast trail. He wanted to search for other beast trails in the vicinity to finally pinpoint the location of this wild beast.

In the following days, Crimson found four more animal trails, one of which led to a river where many plump blue-backed carp swam.

In the other trails, you can also see berry bushes, nut trees, and a herd of short-legged musk deer grazing with their heads down.

Seeing these, Crimson roughly guessed what kind of wild beast it was.

Finding the intersection of the five animal trails, a fishy smell gradually filled the air. Exploring further ahead, Crimson discovered a cave behind a dense thicket of bushes, where a thick-skinned brown bear was sleeping.

As expected, the crimson passage, with its omnivorous diet and large size, all pointed to the thick-skinned brown bear.

This is a thick-skinned brown bear that is over four meters long. Its thick, dark brown fur is very sturdy, and the white fur around its forehead is particularly eye-catching.

Judging from its size and aura, it is undoubtedly a Black Iron tier bear, which is perfect for the Crimson color.

Having noted the location, Crimson slowly left, needing to make some preparations.