Chapter 88

The bonfire crackled and popped, creating a lively atmosphere as the clan members celebrated with abandon.

Shi Feijiao and a group of adults were eating meat in large bites and boasting about their children's strength, saying that they would surely become great heroes who could lift mountains and shake the vast wilderness, bringing glory to the clan.

Of course, everyone praised Xiaobudian the most. Shi Linhu even shouted, "Kid, you're not that young anymore. You'll be eight in a few months, and you're so strong. It's time for you to get engaged. What do you think of my daughter, Huniu?"

Xiaobudian was embarrassed and said, "Uncle, I'm still young."

Shi Linhu glared at him and said, "Young? I got married when I was twelve, and I wasn't nearly as strong as you. With your current abilities, you're more than ready."

The group of children all chuckled and winked at Xiaobudian.

Shi Linhu glared at them and said, "What are you laughing at? You're not that young either. It's time to start thinking about it. By the way, Dazhuang, Ermen, and Pihou have made rapid progress in the past two years and are very strong. They should get married too."

"That's right, they're all ready," an elder nodded.

"Ah!?" The children exclaimed, all blushing as the bonfire cast a rosy glow on their faces.

These words were not much to others, but Xiaobudian found them overwhelming. A few girls even started to pressure him.

"My grandfather and father said that I should get engaged to you. When will you agree?" Shi Feijiao's daughter asked loudly.

"I'm still young, I don't want to get married!" Xiaobudian scratched his head, his face turning red.

On the other side, Huniu, who was even younger, with her braids, put her hands on her hips and glared, "Xiaobudian, when are you going to marry me?"

"When did I say I would marry you?" Xiaobudian almost fled, feeling overwhelmed.

"Ha ha..." The adults all laughed heartily.

"Kid, what are your plans?" the clan leader asked Xiaobudian with a smile.

"I want to send Qingfeng to the Butian Pavilion. We'll cultivate on the way. As Grandfather said, reading ten thousand scrolls is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles," Xiaobudian replied.

"But you're still young, and the journey is very long. No one knows where the Butian Pavilion is," the old clan leader worried.

"Kid, don't make hasty decisions," the other elders advised, urging him to be cautious.

Xiaobudian nodded and said, "I know, I have to wait for the Willow Deity to wake up. He said he would take me to a mysterious world. Besides, I'm not at ease. What if those bandits come back?"

That night, the clan members were in high spirits, feasting until late into the night. They talked about many mysterious stories from the vast wilderness, captivating the children.

The only regret was that the pangolin self-destructed at the last moment, and its precious bones and scales were shattered, leaving no magical techniques behind.

In the middle of the night, the village was not peaceful. The children, who had greedily eaten a few more pieces of the sacrificial spirit meat, were glowing and feeling unbearably hot. They ran around the village and finally jumped into the lake to cool down.

The elders had clearly warned everyone to eat no more than two pieces and not to use it as a meal, but this still happened.

By dawn, the children and some young adults, with panda eyes, climbed out of the lake and slunk back to their homes.

"Ha ha..." Some clan members who woke up early laughed heartily at the sight.

Undoubtedly, this sacrificial spirit was extraordinary, containing a powerful essence that could greatly improve the clan members' physical condition.

Years ago, the clan had unexpectedly obtained the remains of a Suanni, and the entire village ate it. The villagers' physical conditions were greatly improved, which is why the children could all learn bone scripts.

After all, in a tribe of ten thousand people, it was rare to find even one Blood Moving Realm expert, but these children all had the potential to break through.

Clearly, the bodies of ancient relics played a significant role. They were extremely rare and invaluable. Top tribes would risk being wiped out if they tried to obtain one.

Because, Suanni was not just any ancient relic!

While this sacrificial spirit was not as powerful as Suanni, it was still extraordinary, originating from the mysterious Little Western Heaven, far surpassing the old sacrificial spirit of Beicun.

In fact, the pangolin should have been even stronger, but it had severely injured itself to nurture and revive the golden bone scissors, leading to its defeat.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed, and the massive sacrificial spirit was completely consumed by the villagers.

The children's strength soared, and their bone script skills were profound. This amazed the elders, who all smiled widely, almost pulling out their white beards.

Besides the children, a few adults also made significant breakthroughs, such as Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao. They had practiced bone scripts longer than the children, but they had missed the golden age of cultivation, so their achievements were not ideal.

In recent years, with the extraordinary physical treasure of the Suanni remains and this extraordinary sacrificial spirit, their blood and flesh contained too much divine essence, greatly improving their physical condition.

Thus, their years of cultivation and accumulation gradually burst forth. Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao advanced to the Blood Moving Realm, and their cultivation was deep.

People couldn't help but marvel that ancient relics and the mysterious sacrificial spirit from Little Western Heaven were indeed extraordinary, truly rare and invaluable, and no amount of treasure could replace them.

Several months passed, and it had been almost a year since the Willow Deity fell into a deep sleep. Xiaobudian was now eight and a half years old.

During this long period, Xiaobudian refined the sacrificial spirit's blood and flesh into a treasure medicine, which helped him open the fourth "volcano" on his back, with "lava" flowing and essence energy surging, deeply mysterious.

"So slow, it took nearly a year to open just one more," Xiaobudian muttered to himself, feeling that cultivation was becoming increasingly difficult.

When the old clan leader heard this, he was speechless for a moment, then wiped his cold sweat and told him that this was already a miracle. Many people made little progress throughout their lives, and even those with extremely high talent might not advance in several years.

"Really? Then I'm relieved," Xiaobudian smiled happily, no longer frowning.

The Void Opening Realm involves opening an immortal channel, a pure land, or a world inside or outside the body, connecting to the boundless void to harness the power of heaven and earth, making the body's rune power surge and maintaining peak condition.

According to the old clan leader, Xiaobudian was already a great expert in the Void Opening Realm, having opened four immortal channels.

"Some people spend their entire lives opening only one channel, using it to draw power from the great universe, but they can still enter a higher realm, though it's hard to reach the peak. Their achievements are almost at their limit," the old clan leader explained.

Generally, after opening four or five "voids," strong people start to accumulate, hoping for a future breakthrough, where boundless rune power will surge from the voids, pushing them to a higher realm.

The old clan leader further explained, "Those who can open six voids are already outstanding in this realm. Opening seven voids is rare and marks a genius. Opening eight voids is extremely rare, like a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn. Those with nine voids are usually only found in ancient texts, and if they truly exist, they are heaven-defying geniuses!"

Xiaobudian blinked his big eyes, listening attentively. He realized he could now consider breaking through to a higher realm, but he wouldn't make that choice.

According to the clan leader, each additional void opens more potential. If the potential of one void is one, then two voids would be two, and so on, reaching eight for eight voids, a significant difference!

Time passed, and after the bandits were eliminated, no other bandit groups appeared. Little Western Heaven showed no reaction, perhaps thinking the pangolin and other ancient relics had been devoured in the vast wilderness.

During this period, the villagers once went out and dug out the black gold hidden by the bandits. Although it was only a half-meter square, it weighed over ten thousand pounds. This was a precious material for forging weapons and a rare metal for restraining magical arrays, very rare. Collecting half a square meter indicated the many atrocities they had committed over the years, with countless lives on their hands.

Half a month later, a gentle breeze blew, and ripples appeared on the green lake. The willow tree, which had been dormant for a year, suddenly glowed, green light shooting into the sky, enveloping the entire mountain range in a misty glow.

"Ah, the Willow Deity has awakened!"

The villagers exclaimed in surprise and then rejoiced. With the sacrificial spirit revived, they no longer needed to worry, even if powerful creatures attacked. They believed the Willow Deity could protect them.

At this moment, everyone, regardless of age, ran over to perform a ceremony and worship the willow tree.

"Crack, crack"

The old bark peeled off, and where the protrusion had appeared earlier, green light shone brightly, and several new branches sprouted, dripping with green. Instantly, a misty light enveloped the area, with countless rays of light.

The willow tree was reborn, sprouting four new branches that grew rapidly, reaching several meters in length, identical to the earlier one.

The five willow branches were green and luminous, like divine chains, enveloping the entire earth in a mysterious and awe-inspiring aura.

The villagers rejoiced, as the Willow Deity was even stronger. The scorched tree trunk had partially recovered its green color, vibrant and full of life, spreading a rich aura of vitality throughout the land.

"Willow Deity... are you better?" an elder asked tremulously.

"I am well, my slumber has ended," the Willow Deity's voice echoed, the divine light receding like a tide, and the mountains returned to normal.

That day, the village celebrated, the atmosphere lively. With the Willow Deity, they no longer needed to worry about the bandits' revenge.

"You did well to kill a sacrificial spirit. It was not simple, surpassing the Void Opening Realm, but its foundation was shattered. Otherwise, you would have been in great danger," the Willow Deity deduced from the few bones left by the pangolin.

"Willow Deity, I have already opened four voids. According to Grandfather's 'potential theory,' I hope to open more," Xiaobudian's eyes shone with hope.

After a brief exchange, the willow tree understood. A few branches swayed, as if shaking its head, and said, "Eight voids is the limit? That's just the human standard. Nine voids are not just recorded in ancient texts; they truly exist."

"Ah?" Xiaobudian exclaimed, earnestly seeking guidance.

"According to the ancient times...," the willow tree began, and Xiaobudian immediately knew it would use the standards of the strongest ancient beasts, a terrifying benchmark.

Sure enough, the willow tree continued, "In ancient times, Taowu, Zhuque, and Taotie believed that in the Void Opening Realm, nine voids could make one a king, but ten voids were the true limit, the ultimate respect."

Xiaobudian was astonished; this standard was far beyond the current human standards.

"Living in the vast wilderness is too isolated. You rarely have the chance to meet true geniuses, let alone engage in life-and-death battles with young true beasts, which are crucial for your cultivation."

"Willow Deity, do you have a way?" Xiaobudian sensed the meaning in the sacrificial spirit's words.

"I once said that when I awaken, I can take you to a mysterious world. Are you willing? You might even encounter your 'big brother'—Shi Yi, though not in person."

"I am willing!" Xiaobudian nodded firmly.