Chapter 4

Under the prayers of the clan leader and some elders, all the young and strong men showed a solemn expression and began to worship. Many women and children also rushed over, silently praying for the safe return of their loved ones who had gone hunting.

The mountains were too dangerous. Leaving the village protected by the willow trees, the outside world would be a completely different place, filled with terrifying birds of prey and giant beasts.

Thus, the strongest group of people in the village set out with huge bows and broad swords, entering the mountains and rivers. Immediately, a wild atmosphere greeted them.

As they watched the hunting party leave, the old clan leader, Shi Yunfeng, led a group of children to the grassland at the village entrance, sat down, and said, "Alright, you mischievous monkeys, it's time to study hard."

The children immediately looked gloomy, listless, and unwillingly gathered around, like wilted leaves in the sun.

"Grandpa Clan Leader, those bird scripts and turtle characters are as complicated as ghostly symbols, really hard to learn. Why should we bother to memorize them?"

"Exactly, they're not as useful as the archery skills my father taught me!"

All the children had bitter faces, very resistant.

"You kids really don't understand. The bone scripts are symbols that naturally manifest on the bones of powerful ancient species, containing mysterious and unpredictable power. Many people want to learn but have no way to do so. Once you master them, you will be many times stronger than your fathers." The old clan leader, frustrated by their lack of effort, scolded them.

"Grandpa Clan Leader, can you demonstrate the power of the bone scripts for us?" one of the older children asked.

"Little Dot, come here." The clan leader called out to the distance.

Little Dot, who had been pulling a big yellow dog's tail after chasing a colorful sparrow, turned his head in confusion, let go, and ran over, blinking his bright big eyes. "Hey, hey, what is it, Grandpa Clan Leader?"

"Use the bone script I taught you." Shi Yunfeng said.

"Okay." Little Dot was very obedient, stretching out his little hands, closing his mouth, and using all his strength, his little face turning red.

With a "buzz," a bright light appeared in his palm, revealing a strange character, as if cast in metal, with a metallic luster and texture. Soon, the same appeared in his other hand.

Little Dot took two steps forward and picked up a green stone taller than himself.

"Amazing!" The children exclaimed in surprise. How could such a small child lift such a large stone?

"Little Dot, did you use all your strength?" The older children teased him.

"Hey, yes, I used all my strength." Little Dot dropped the green stone, sat down on the ground, and laughed innocently, the symbols on his palms quickly fading and disappearing.

"Grandpa Clan Leader, is this the mysterious power of the bone scripts you've been researching for over a decade?" The children's eyes sparkled, a stark contrast to their earlier lack of interest.

"Don't get too excited. This is just to guide you on the path. It's far from the heavenly bone scripts of ancient legends." The old man nodded and then shook his head.

"Grandpa Clan Leader, tell us about the outside world." The children looked hopeful.

Everyone in the village knew that the old clan leader had once gone to the far reaches of the earth with a dozen powerful clan members, venturing into the outside world.

But over a decade ago, only two people returned, covered in blood. One died soon after, leaving only Shi Yunfeng alive.

In recent years, he has been researching the mysterious bone scripts, often experimenting with the physically strong people in the village. The children knew that their fathers, strong like tigers and dragons, would always let out heart-wrenching howls in that stone courtyard when called, instilling a sense of resistance and reverence in the children.

Only in recent years has the old clan leader's research become less intense, making the villagers less afraid. Moreover, he adopted Little Dot, who grew up on the milk of a hundred beasts and the food of a hundred families, making him the best candidate for research.

"The outside world..." The old man looked nostalgic, lost in thought for a moment before continuing, "The world is vast, boundless. From one region to another, it can be millions of miles, and no one knows how truly vast it is. A person could walk for a lifetime and not leave one region. The vast wilderness is endless. Communication between different regions of the human race is very difficult because it is extremely dangerous. There are many powerful species on the earth, terrifying and mysterious. Even a tribe of hundreds of thousands or a grand city could be destroyed by a few ancient species in a single night. Of course, there are also humans with unimaginable power, comparable to the peak combat strength of other species, with divine might, known as the pride of the human race."

The children felt a mix of awe and curiosity, asking, "Are there treasures and elixirs in the mountains and rivers that can transform a person overnight? How powerful are the most formidable human prides?"

The old man smiled, "If you want to know, you must first become strong."

"If we master the mysterious power of the bone scripts, can we venture into all regions of the world?" Some children looked hopeful.

Shi Yunfeng patted a child's head, "Don't talk about other regions. Even in our region, if someone can cross half the territory, it would be remarkable!"

All the children were stunned.

"I can only guide you on the path. How far you go depends on you. The things I teach you should not be inferior to what children of the same age learn in the outside world." The old man's eyes glowed as he touched a strange jade bone in his chest.

The children gathered around the old clan leader, finally focusing, and began to listen attentively until noon.

"It's too difficult. The clan leader said it would take years for a few people to incorporate a small amount of bone script into their bodies, and most people might never succeed."

"But Little Dot, who is just a little kid, managed to do it."

Little Dot blinked innocently and then went back to pulling the big yellow dog's tail, which barked innocently.

The red sun set, and in the twilight, the entire village was bathed in a pale golden light. In the distance, apes and tigers roared, while the large stone houses here resembled ancient temples, sacred and peaceful.

Dozens of people appeared on the horizon, their long shadows stretched by the setting sun, and their silhouettes outlined in gold by the evening glow, appearing incredibly tall and robust. Almost everyone was dragging a huge beast, returning with a full load.

"They're back!" A group of women and children, who had been waiting at the village entrance for a long time, cheered, their anxiety and fear instantly disappearing, shouting loudly.

"Dad is back!"

"Heavens, there are so many prey, a rare bountiful harvest!"

This hunting trip was very successful. Dozens of adult men had all made a catch, including the massive dragon-horned elephants, the one-legged ku beasts resembling oxen, and the flying pythons as thick as water buckets with wings...

The elders in the village were surprised. These creatures were usually hard to deal with, some even considered ferocious beasts. Today, so many were hunted, covered in blood, which was truly unexpected.

For example, the dragon-horned elephants had bodies as hard as iron, impervious to iron spears, and their dragon horns were as sharp as drills, capable of easily crushing boulders. The ku beasts roared like thunder, capable of killing a person with the shockwave. The flying pythons with giant wings were forest killers, capable of suddenly swooping down from a mountain, extremely terrifying.

Among the prey were even more formidable creatures, such as the red double-headed fire rhinoceros and the impure-blooded pixiu... These were truly ferocious beasts. Upon encountering them, one should usually avoid them, but today they were hunted, which was highly unusual!

"This time we were really lucky. We returned with a full load, and no one was injured." The leader of the hunting party, Shi Linhu, laughed heartily, explaining to the clan leader and the villagers. For several nights, a super giant beast had passed through the mountains, causing the earth to shake, trampling and injuring many mountain beasts. During the day, they followed the trail and killed many severely injured ferocious beasts, which were usually avoided by the villagers.

"There were some large footprints in the mountains, similar to human feet, but really huge, nearly a hundred meters long!"

"So big?!" The villagers exclaimed in shock, a truly alarming piece of news.

Even the elders of the village couldn't help but draw a sharp breath, increasingly convinced that something extraordinary was happening deep in the mountains, attracting some ancient species from the vast wilderness.

Regardless, this was a great harvest, and the clan was overjoyed. The village was filled with the laughter of children, a joyful atmosphere.

The clan leader, Shi Yunfeng, led everyone to the willow tree, carrying dozens of beast corpses to the nearby area, placing all the bloodied ferocious beasts on a stone platform, clearly a large altar.