0p0 Chapter 448 - 190: Geniuses of the Blazing Flame Division (Part 3)
Chapter 448 - 190: Geniuses of the Blazing Flame Division (Part 3)
In his current state, Shen Can’s mindset changed once again. He contemplated stepping down as the Clan Leader, allowing Huo Shan to take over and focus on nurturing the third generation. If he could witness a smooth transition of the clan leadership to the third generation, he would have no regrets.
Two months later.
At dawn, a clan ritual had just concluded, and numerous flying ships carried the clansmen undergoing trials towards the eastern forests.
Shen Can stood outside the Ancestral Temple, watching the disappearing flying ships at the horizon, before he slowly walked into the temple.
Once the trial was over, it would be time for a few years of stable development, leading up to the position in the Mingzheng Bo Division.
In contrast to Shen Can returning to the Ancestral Temple, Huo Chang escorted the clansmen undergoing the trial all the way to the forests where Xiaoyang resided in the Eastern Division.
He watched the trial participants split into different teams and disappear into the forest, yet he was reluctant to return.
He planned to stay a few more days, personally leading the patrols in the forest for the first few days.
As for clan duties, they were already arranged within the clan.
Since Huo Shan’s ascension to Divine Treasure, Huo Chang had selected individuals to handle clan duties: four Elders—Huo Qii, Huo Kui, Huo Ning, Huo Yui—along with five Commanders—Huo Zhan, Huo Tu, Tian Chuanshan, Shi Jun, and Jian Yun.
The Elders and Commanders formed the Elder Council for clan affairs and military matters, assisting Huo Shan in managing the Blazing Flame Tribe.
Naturally, Huo Chang himself was also a member of the Elder Council.
In the ten days leading up to the trial, there were constant injuries among the clansmen, and casualties began to occur.
This caused Huo Chang great distress.
Within the Ancestral Temple, Shen Can didn’t keep a constant watch on the trial. The current state of the Blazing Flame was still makeshift; it all depended on how much gold could be sifted from the sand later on.
Upon his avatar’s return, he immediately entered seclusion.
Seclusion felt more like slumber.
After gaining control over his avatar’s divine sense, Shen Can would find himself involuntarily slipping into sleep.
He attempted to control the avatar several times, feeling changes taking place within it.
However, whenever he tried to delve deeper into these sensations, the primary divine sense was assimilated by the drowsiness of the avatar’s secondary divine sense.
Additionally, the avatar transformed into a Giant Beast state, hiding within an underground cavern.
The only thing Shen Can could clearly sense was the avatar’s rejection of the Power of the Five Elements, as if it was truly developing a kind of Power of Stars.
Seeing this, Shen Can temporarily abandoned the idea of sensing changes in the avatar.
He headed towards the Giant Mountain Range, beginning to prepare rewards for the top performers in the trial.
Customized cultivation techniques, Witch Artifacts, and Companion Battle Beasts.
Though the selected clansmen were from the makeshift group, Shen Can still intended to heavily invest in them, as they represented the face of the Fire Hall.
...
In a dim gorge, over a thousand Xiaoyang resided, living in close quarters.
Each sunrise, these Xiaoyang would send out their young adults to hunt.
But today, as the sunlight illuminated the gorge, no Xiaoyang emerged.
The gorge remained eerily silent, with the scent of blood and unrest lingering in their caves.
Yan Ling pinched her nose, threading her way through the caves.
Beside her were a Cyan Simurgh, a Silver-Horned Wolf, and a Little Yellow-haired Monkey.
At that moment, the little monkey carried a bamboo basket, swiftly severing the left ear of a Xiaoyang corpse.
This group of Xiaoyang had all died in their sleep, from Stone-Breaker to Celestial Vein.
"Let’s go."
Yan Ling lightly tapped her foot, perched atop the back of the Silver-Horned Wolf, and beckoned the Little Yellow-haired Monkey to exit the gorge.
Before leaving, Yan Ling pulled a seed from her Witch Pouch, tossing it at the cave entrance.
Then she made a spell gesture, causing the seed to swiftly take root and germinate, covering the entire entrance and blooming into a pink flower.
...
A thousand miles away, a small figure lay atop an old tree, clad in coarse linen, beneath which was a modified breastplate with an embedded Heart-Protecting Mirror on the back.
The linen obscured the reflective glint of the armor, allowing the figure to remain hidden atop the tree.
Occasionally, his Blood Pupils would flash coldly as he held a black bow, drawing a wooden arrow from his quiver.
He bit his finger and began painting on the arrow, inscribing a blurred and sinister mark on its shaft.
"Here it comes!"
A Tier Three Xiaoyang Martial Artist appeared in the small figure’s line of sight, swiftly heading towards a concealed gorge.
Whoosh!
The young man raised his bow, the wooden arrow slicing through the air, aimed directly at the Xiaoyang Martial Artist at the Celestial Vein Second Layer.
The sound of the arrow tearing through the air naturally alerted the Xiaoyang, who immediately turned to throw a punch, only to hear the cries of his kin from the approaching arrow.
In that moment of hesitation, the wooden arrow pierced the Xiaoyang’s skull.
Yan Liu quickly leapt from the tree, approaching the Xiaoyang, severing its left ear, and pulling out the arrow to stab it into the Xiaoyang’s chest.
He mumbled to himself, and from the Xiaoyang’s open chest, a drop of Heart Blood emerged, which he collected into a bottle before quickly leaving.
His father hailed from a Blood Curse Guard background, and during a battle, he met and fell in love with a woman from the Blazing Flame Division, leading to Yan Liu’s birth.
Later, his father died due to the curse, compounded by difficulties in cultivation, bleeding from all orifices.
Yan Liu was expected to succumb to the same curse as his father, but with the help of the clan’s Wizards, he survived, and the curse within him was partially controlled, becoming a part of his battle strength.
...
"I’m exhausted."
From within a crevice in a mountainside, a chubby figure squeezed out, pulling out a fruit from his pouch and biting into it.
After finishing the fruit, he reached into the crevice behind him, pulling out a Xiaoyang skin, and quickly donned it.
After some adjustments, he looked and felt exactly like a Xiaoyang, even down to its aura.
Then, he swaggered towards the valley ahead.
Inside the valley, a remnant group of Xiaoyang was residing, and he intended to become their clan leader.
Killing Xiaoyang personally was nothing compared to having them fight amongst themselves.
Not long after.
A figure dashed out from the valley in panic, with the sound of countless arrows slicing through the air behind him.
A group of Xiaoyang pursued him, each shouting to kill the imposter human.
"Damn, you Xiaoyang are sick, even sniff your butts."
Clutching his rear, Lu Chen dashed into the cliffside.
Sliding down the cliff face, he quickly reached the other side of the mountain and pulled a pre-positioned rock to block the path.
Lu Chen removed the Xiaoyang skin and placed it in his basket, quickly heading towards the distance.
...
Thirty thousand miles to the west, in the Blazing Flame Race Territory.
Nightfall.
The moonlight was like water, and the starlight was brilliant.
Ancestral Temple.
In his meditation, Shen Can abruptly awoke, his divine sense sweeping in all directions, finding the clan territory silent.
Through the temple gates, he saw patrolling clansmen; everything seemed quiet and peaceful.
Even the clan soldiers in the camp had already settled in for the night.
"Elder Sacrificial Spirit, did you notice any commotion?"
Inside the Sacrificial Artifact, Jii Tianlong was the first to awaken.
"Nothing."
Several Sacrificial Spirits shook their heads. They were linked by wish power to the Blazing Flame Tribe’s people, their perception extending in all directions.
Shen Can hesitated for a moment, then said, "I must have been confused."
At that moment, a thousand miles away in the dark night sky, a Profound Bird hovered high, overlooking the Blazing Flame Race Territory lit by bonfires and torches.
The Profound Bird’s eyes were eerie, seemingly tinged with blood.
"Such vigilant humans."
PS: Offering two ten-thousand-word updates today as an addition for last month’s votes. I’ll strive to complete the additional updates over the next few days, given my limited capacity.