Chapter 5

The night fell over the Southern Wilderness.

The sky was filled with brilliant stars, and as far as the eye could see, the heavens were dotted with stars as large as fists, shimmering brightly. The multicolored starlight condensed into a mist visible to the naked eye, slowly descending from the sky, nourishing all living things.

On the top of the Golden Crow Ridge, hundreds of giant fire crows stood in a line at the edge of the cliff, silently swallowing the energy from the starlight with their open beaks. The Golden Crow Ridge was enveloped in a dense layer of red starlight. Above a dozen giant green mulberry trees, the fiery red starlight formed a massive vortex, with boundless star power continuously pouring into the trees.

Ji Hao sat on the roof of his house, quietly gazing at the magical night sky. His fingers covered his abdomen, constantly changing hand seals to draw star power into his body. His lean body emitted a faint glow, as if merging with the starlight in the sky.

The *Nine True Words Alchemy Classic* originated from the secret technique of the Nine True Words, capable of unlocking the deepest potential of the human body, connecting with the ultimate mysteries of the universe, and reaching the realm of harmony between heaven and man. Since birth, Ji Hao had been cultivating the Alchemy Classic, and after nearly ten years of hard practice, he had achieved some success.

In the vast spiritual space of his Third Eye, a mist-like purple palace core was slowly rotating.

"Hao, come back to sleep! Every night you just stare at the sky. Do you want to fly up there?" Ji Xia's warm voice echoed in the courtyard. "It's not hard to fly. Once you become a Witch King, you can fly and travel through the earth!"

At this, Ji Xia couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Everyone knew that the Fire Crow Tribe hadn't had a Witch King-level powerhouse for several thousand years. The Fire Crow Tribe, which could once stand on equal footing with the Bifang Tribe and the Vermilion Bird Tribe, had fallen to a subordinate tribe of the Bifang Tribe due to the lack of a Witch King-level strongman.

Even Ji Xia, though he knew Ji Hao was a genius, didn't think Ji Hao had much hope of becoming a high-ranking Witch King. Ji Hao was indeed talented, but he was still only a lowly third-level witch, far from reaching the Lesser Witch Realm. After breaking through to the Lesser Witch Realm, there was the more difficult Greater Witch Realm, and only after breaking through to the Greater Witch Realm could one become a Witch King capable of flying and controlling the elements.

"Oh~~~" He lazily responded, retracting the Alchemy Classic hand seal, and Ji Hao lightly landed from the roof.

A copper-skinned mad bear, over five zhang long and covered in red fur, was lazily lying at the entrance of the wooden house. Ji Hao landed right on the bear's soft belly. The bear, who was snoring contentedly, opened one eye and gently patted Ji Hao with its large paw.

Ji Hao took out a fruit, pried open the bear's mouth, and stuffed it in.

The bear, who was sleeping soundly, swallowed the fruit whole without even chewing.

"Fatso, sooner or later you'll be so fat you can't walk, and you won't be able to serve as Dad's mount anymore." Ji Hao kicked the bear's head, and the fat bear simply covered its face with both hands, adopting a posture of letting Ji Hao do whatever he wanted while it continued to snore.

Shaking his head, Ji Hao entered the wooden house.

Qing Fu, dressed in a hemp robe, sat in the corner of the wooden house, holding a jade pestle in her hands and carefully grinding a green medicinal paste in a mortar. Fine green mist spiraled down from her fingers along the pestle, continuously merging into the medicinal paste.

The small herb residues in the medicinal paste gradually dissolved in the green mist, and the paste became clearer and purer, becoming more viscous and potent. Under Qing Fu's continuous grinding, it slowly transformed into a medicinal ointment with the texture of fine jade.

"Mom!" Ji Hao sat in front of Qing Fu, quietly looking at his mother.

Qing Fu was not a member of the Fire Crow Tribe; she came from a small tribe called the Qingyi Tribe in the east, which was subordinate to the Fire Crow Tribe. The women of the Qingyi Tribe were all born as witch shamans, especially skilled in identifying and refining various medicines.

The women of the Fire Crow Tribe, like the men, were tall and robust, fierce creatures who could wield long spears and axes to fight various fierce beasts in the mountains and forests. However, the women of the Qingyi Tribe were all graceful and tall, with skin as white as snow and faces as beautiful as paintings.

Ji Hao's mother, Qing Fu, was the most talented witch shaman of the Qingyi Tribe and was also known as the most beautiful woman of the Qingyi Tribe in the past century.

But her once exquisite beauty was now somewhat haggard. Qing Fu, who was not yet thirty, had already gray hair at her temples, and her beautifully shaped lips had no trace of color. Like Ji Xia, who was emaciated to the point of being skin and bones, Qing Fu was also severely withered.

Carefully grinding the medicinal ointment, Qing Fu looked up and chuckled, "Hao, you were quite impressive today, weren't you? You beat Ji Shu's son?"

Ji Hao scratched his head and smiled at Qing Fu, "I just took a small advantage. He wasn't really hurt. Well, in a fair and open fight, I can't beat him. But if we're in the forest, I could make him die a thousand times."

As he spoke, a terrifying chill flashed across Ji Hao's body.

Qing Fu looked at Ji Hao with satisfaction and said softly, "Mm, that makes Mom feel relieved. Don't be like your father, always thinking about maintaining the tribe's big picture, always trying to resolve conflicts... This is the Southern Wilderness. If you're not ruthless, how can you survive?"

A strange fragrance wafted over, and the medicinal ointment in the mortar had taken shape. Qing Fu picked up the ointment and slowly formed it into twelve green pills the size of thumbs, carefully placing them in a jade bottle.

"Hao, remember the stories I told you when you were little. Our Qingyi Tribe used to be a very powerful tribe far to the east. But because an old grandmother was too soft-hearted and fell for a trick, the entire Qingyi Tribe almost faced extinction. We barely managed to escape to the Southern Wilderness." Qing Fu's phoenix eyes flashed with a cold light as she said softly, "At the ancestral ceremony in half a month, if your father survives, that's good. But if he dies..."

Ji Hao lowered his head and listened quietly to Qing Fu's instructions, "If your father is killed by Ji Shu, I will die with him. You should leave the tribe, become stronger, and then come back to kill Ji Shu's entire family to avenge your father and mother."

Ji Xia walked into the wooden house with a large piece of meat, looked at Qing Fu, and smiled, "Why are you telling Hao these things? At the ancestral ceremony, I might not lose to that little Ji Shu. To become the leader of our Fire Crow Tribe's warriors, heh, it's not that easy."

Ji Hao didn't say anything, reached out to embrace Qing Fu, and then walked up the stairs to his room.

The ancestral ceremony, held once every ten years, was when all the leaders of the Fire Crow Tribe's sub-tribes would gather at the sacred site of the Golden Crow Ridge to worship their ancestors. It was also the only opportunity for a change in the power structure of the Fire Crow Tribe.

Ten years ago, at the peak of his power, Ji Xia was not an opponent for Ji Shu.

But now, with his witch acupoints damaged, Ji Xia's strength had greatly diminished, and he might have even fallen from the Greater Witch Realm to the Lesser Witch Realm, as Ji Shu and his group claimed. Faced with the aggressive Ji Shu and his allies, could Ji Xia hold on? Could Qing Fu endure? Without their protection, how long could his own life last?

"This place is no peaceful land... this land devours people." Over the years, Ji Hao had seen many children from tribes that had been destroyed by enemies suffer tragic fates. Ji Hao did not yet have the strength to resist the dangers from the outside world.

Strength, he must quickly gain greater strength.

Even if he couldn't help Ji Xia much, he must quickly strengthen himself to deal with any possible future changes.

Closing the door, he opened the tightly shut window, letting the starlight fill the room. Ji Hao lay on a large, thick lion skin and closed his eyes. His soul power, far stronger than that of ordinary people of the same age, surged into the mud pill palace, and Ji Hao entered his spiritual space.

"Hey, old man, I'm here. I agree to your deal. I'll trade my *Nine True Words Alchemy Classic* for your so-called *Heaven-Filling and Leak-Sealing Technique*. And don't forget the benefits you promised me."

As Ji Hao called out, a vast expanse of white mist surged out in the boundless spiritual space, condensing into a white disc in front of Ji Hao.

A towering figure sat on the jade disc, looking down at Ji Hao from above.

"Little one, you won't lose in this deal with me, and you won't regret it."

***

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