Chapter 81

In this vast land, there is a legend that a supreme ruler once left his legacy here, buried in an ancient cave, where his teachings were recorded.

Throughout history, countless people have come to search but returned empty-handed. However, one day, thunder descended from the nine heavens, shattering a mountain range and revealing a corner of the cave.

"We are fortunate, yet unfortunate," the patriarch Shi Yunfeng said, his eyes filled with sorrow and the weight of time. His good brothers had all died, leaving only him, with endless pain in his heart.

"We joined a sect and practiced bone script together. For a young man from a village, I was considered quite talented, reaching the Cave Heaven realm. When the thunder from the nine heavens descended, I was on a trial with a group of brothers and saw that cave."

And thus, disaster began. They unearthed many bone scripts but could not break through the true entrance of the cave, unable to enter the core area.

The news leaked, and they faced endless pursuit and slaughter from various forces, all vying to seize the bone scripts.

"They don't know that these bone scripts, though precious, are not the true legacy of the cave. We were pursued relentlessly, fleeing deep into the wilderness, with no way to escape."

Shi Yunfeng felt desolate as his good brothers died one by one. After enduring countless hardships, only he and one other person managed to escape and survive.

When they later returned to search for the ruins, they found that everything had changed, as if a thousand years had passed, and nothing remained.

"It must be the mysterious power of the bone scripts that caused the divine treasure to sink into the earth and drift away, no one knows where," the patriarch sighed.

Even so, they continued to face endless pursuit. A group of fierce bandits appeared, incredibly powerful, with spirit guardians in their ranks, forcing them into a long and arduous escape.

"Many things happened over the years, and it took us a long time to finally escape, returning to Stone Village with injuries."

In the end, only he survived, and the other person died shortly after returning to the village.

The patriarch did not elaborate on the past, but there were certainly many hidden stories. To have evaded pursuit for so many years, he was clearly no ordinary person.

Unfortunately, Shi Yunfeng, who was originally talented, had his cultivation interrupted and suffered severe injuries, preventing any further progress and causing his physical condition to deteriorate.

"We were attacked by a mist at the entrance to the cave, which injured our bodies. Later, the pursuit worsened our strange injuries, so for many years, we could not easily use the secret powers of the bone scripts."

Shi Yunfeng spoke simply, but one can imagine the many dangers they faced, which he glossed over in just a few words.

"The most powerful force at the time had dozens of fierce bandits searching for that supreme treasure. I feel they have reappeared and have never given up their search."

The crowd was surprised. This was the first time the patriarch had revealed his thoughts and the secrets of the past, though he did so briefly. One could sense the tension and the terrifying slaughter of those days.

Many major forces were involved, stirring up a storm of chaos.

"I believe that supreme place is still in this region. Even if it sank into the earth and drifted away, it shouldn't be too far."

The land within a ten-thousand-mile radius was once blood-soaked by four great beings, now barren and lifeless. To search there would be extremely difficult.

However, the bandits have reappeared, indicating they may have new discoveries, bringing unrest to the area.

"Prepare for the worst!" Shi Yunfeng ordered. The Willow God was in slumber, and if the bandits found them, they would have to rely on themselves.

"Unfortunately, Aunt Qinglin Eagle took Purple Cloud, Great Peng, Little Qing, and others to train and hone their skills. We don't know where they are, or they would be a powerful force," Little Point regretted.

The situation was more urgent than they had anticipated. A few days later, Pi Hou and Hu Zi returned with bad news. They rode unicorns to investigate and found another village that had been completely blood-soaked, six hundred miles away.

"We found one survivor, but he only lived for half an hour and then died."

"He said those people were only demanding primitive treasure bones and precious rare metals, and did not inquire about the mountains and the land," the children reported.

The patriarch frowned, muttering to himself, "Did I guess wrong? Perhaps it's not the same group of bandits from back then, but they did plunder black gold."

Half a month later, dust rose on the horizon, and a group of people riding fierce beasts galloped toward Stone Village.

"Be prepared for battle!"

The villagers were anxious. Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and others held dragon-horn bows, aiming at the distance, standing at the village entrance, ready to defend to the death.

These were a group of people with heavy murderous intent, responsible for countless deaths, their eyes filled with malice, clearly not good people, and they charged to the village entrance.

"You country bumpkins, do you dare to resist? One charge from us will send you to your graves," a man with a scar on his face said coldly from atop a fierce beast, completely disregarding the villagers, his murderous intent shocking.

The group was not large, about a hundred, but they were all experienced warriors, especially the leaders, who wielded powerful bone script secret powers.

"Boom," "Boom"...

At the same time, a terrifying sound came from behind them. The earth trembled, and a massive creature appeared.

It was a pangolin, its body a light golden color, incredibly large, stretching dozens of meters, like a golden mountain of flesh, with eyes like golden lanterns, staring at Stone Village, exuding a heavy aura of death.

Seeing this fierce beast, everyone's hearts turned cold. This was a spirit guardian, how could ordinary people possibly resist?

Spirit guardians usually protect human settlements, residing in villages or towns, accepting human sacrifices and not leaving easily. This one, however, was acting on its own.

Especially this spirit guardian, with its heavy murderous intent, its light golden scales faintly glowing with a blood-red light, had surely undergone countless slaughters and devoured other spirit guardians, making it particularly dangerous!

Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and others felt a sense of powerlessness. Just seeing it, they knew they could not possibly defeat this dozens-of-meters-long spirit guardian, and the entire village would be doomed.

The terrifying blood aura, the overwhelming waves, and the fearsome runes inspired awe. Just seeing it, they felt a sense of defeat.

"Do you feel your own weakness? A bunch of aphids, daring to challenge a true hound?!" a leader on a fierce beast sneered.

"Put down your ridiculous bows and arrows. They are useless. Follow our orders, and we will spare your lives!" another person said coldly.

"What do you want?" an elderly clan elder, trembling, stepped forward to ask.

"Old man, you only need to follow orders. Don't talk too much," a leader scolded, then raised his hand and whipped it, a rune flashing, sending the elder flying, blood splattering.

"Third Uncle!"

A group of villagers rushed forward, lifting the elder, tears welling in the children's eyes, and the adult men's eyes turning red, ready to fight to the death.

"Stop!" the patriarch lightly shouted, preventing them from acting immediately.

"Don't worry, the old man won't die. It's just a lesson for you," the person who acted laughed, saying, "We are not unreasonable and don't want to start a slaughter. As long as you meet our demands, we will leave you unharmed."

The villagers glared, looking forward, but said nothing.

"You have twenty days to pay five hundred pounds of black gold. If you have enough, you are lucky. If not, find a source quickly, or when the time comes, you will be killed without mercy!" the person said coldly.

"Did you hear that? If you fail, in twenty days, we will blood-soak your village, leaving no survivors!" another leader shouted loudly.

At the same time, the light golden spirit guardian raised its head and roared, shaking the mountains and valleys. Golden mist rose from its body, dazzling and misty, terrifying to behold.

The villagers did not move recklessly, their expressions grim. The gap was too great; they truly could not resist, far from being a match for these bandits.

The children's faces were tense, filled with shock, fear, and anger. They had never encountered such a situation, being bullied to their village entrance, yet unable to resist.

The Willow God was in slumber, like an ordinary withered tree, and the villagers, without protection, felt stifled and uncomfortable, wishing to fight back.

Some children's eyes were red, tears almost falling. The other side was so powerful, bullying them to their doorstep, yet they had no way to resist.

"A bunch of country bumpkins, daring to resist with bows and arrows, not knowing when to die. Do you know that in this region, we have destroyed at least eight or ten villages like yours?" a person sneered, scanning the village entrance.

Shi Feijiao and others were angry, but the patriarch Shi Yunfeng ordered them not to act recklessly. Everyone clenched their fists, feeling unbearable humiliation.

"Remember, you have only twenty days. Otherwise, you will face the destruction of your clan!" a leader shouted, then whipped his whip.

Runes flashed, and Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao's faces were slashed, blood splattering, the wounds deep.

The adult men's eyes were almost on fire, ready to fight to the death. A man's honor could be taken, but not his dignity. If left to their own devices, they would have fought immediately.

However, the patriarch held them back, preventing them from fighting, using a stern look to stop them.

"Ha ha..." the leaders laughed, then turned their fierce beasts and rode away.

The light golden spirit guardian turned, its golden eyes like lanterns, coldly scanning the villagers, then took a step, causing an earthquake, and left, extremely terrifying.

The fierce beasts roared, and the group disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Why didn't you let me fight back, Patriarch?" Shi Linhu's eyes were red, his face burning with pain, but his heart hurt even more. He had never experienced such humiliation.

"Patriarch, I can't accept this!" Shi Feijiao could not bear it, wiping the blood from his face, his hair almost standing on end, his eyes red.

"Yes, Patriarch, we can use the ancestral artifact, and at worst, we can fight to the death!" Er Meng's father also shouted.

Shi Yunfeng sighed, saying, "At best, we will die, and the net will not be broken."

"That's better than this humiliation!" many people felt stifled.

"If we fight, we will all die in the end, because no one truly masters the profound bone script, and we cannot fully unleash the power of the ancestral artifact." The old patriarch's eyes narrowed, raising his voice, "Do you think I fear death and am willing to endure? It's because our strength is truly inadequate!"

"Even if we endure, what will happen in twenty days?" someone was不服气 (unconvinced).

"In twenty days, I will be prepared. I will take the ancestral artifact and fight to the death with them," the patriarch said.

"Patriarch, your injuries are strange and severe. You cannot use the power of the bone script and cannot take the risk!" the group immediately panicked.

"That group and the spirit guardian are too powerful. No matter how many of you go, you will die. But after I prepare, I might have a chance to fight them," Shi Yunfeng said.

"Patriarch, no!" the adult men almost shed tears, knowing that the patriarch was trying to save them from death, while he himself was going to fight to the death.

"Patriarch Grandfather..." the children's tears flowed.

"Patriarch Grandfather, let me handle it. I will deal with them!" at this moment, Little Point spoke, his eyes filled with determination.

"No, the difference in levels at the Cave Heaven realm is immense. Even if you break through and enter that realm, you will not be able to fight them in a short time, especially with that spirit guardian!" the old patriarch sternly opposed.

"I was about to break through and fight them. But the bandits gave us twenty days, which I believe is enough to reach the ideal level. I can handle them!" Little Point said seriously, with unwavering determination.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends