35: Spirit Spring

Their gazes fell, and a dozen figures darted out from within the dense forest.

The leader was a robust man, walking at the very front, with his arms spread open, his voice low: "Don't be nervous, we mean no harm."

Behind him, there were men and women, and even a woman nursing a baby, all looking gaunt.

Xia Yanh Tiger's gaze focused on the leader.

He appeared travel-worn and quite fatigued, with injuries on his body, and fiery red patterns on his exposed right arm.

Those were the marks of an awakened Treasure Technique.

His vigilance unwavering, Xia Yanh Tiger narrowed his eyes: "State your origins, and why you are approaching at this time."

"We are from Spring Stream Tribe."

The robust man's tone was sincere: "Our tribe was attacked by a giant beast that appeared from deep within the Great Wilderness. Our Sacrificial Spirit abandoned us, and we had no choice but to flee."

"We originally intended to seek refuge with other tribes, but along the way, many tribes had already fallen."

"We discovered some marks left by others and followed them here. We heard the commotion you made while hunting this big fellow, which is why we approached."

He pointed to the giant wolf on one side, his voice slightly trembling.

In the Great Wilderness, it was true that humans could hunt fierce beasts, but usually, it was by relying on numerical superiority.

However, after he approached, the number of people he saw was far fewer than he had anticipated.

What this represented was self-evident.

"Spring Stream Tribe?"

Xia Yanh Tiger's brows furrowed slightly: "Is that the tribe located to the west, the one with a special spring within its clan?"

"You know?"

The robust man nodded repeatedly: "Precisely."

"Which tribe are you from?"

Xia Yanh Tiger glanced at Qi Ze beside him and said calmly: "We are from Si Huo Tribe."

"Si Huo Tribe? I've heard of it."

The robust man let out a long sigh of relief: "I once saw our clan trade with your tribe."

"Was Si Huo Tribe not attacked? Can we join you?"

His tone was somewhat anxious: "I know Si Huo Tribe is a large tribe. My name is Ding Yang, and I have awakened a Treasure Technique. I can hunt fierce beasts with you and be of help."

Behind him, each of the Spring Stream Tribe members looked expectant.

"Si Huo Tribe was also destroyed. Our Sacrificial Spirit, Stone Saint, died at the hands of that giant beast to protect the tribe."

As Xia Yanh Tiger spoke, the eyes of the Spring Stream Tribe members dimmed.

He noticed this and secretly nodded, saying calmly: "However, our tribesmen have encountered a new Sacrificial Spirit and have begun rebuilding Si Huo Tribe."

He swept his gaze around: "The Lord Sacrificial Spirit does not mind sheltering other tribes who have fled here. If you wish to join Si Huo Tribe, then come with us."

As he finished speaking, he looked at the other members of the hunting party, signaling with his eyes.

This small team had fought side by side for a long time and had excellent tacit agreement.

Immediately, they took out the special vines they carried with them and wrapped them around the giant wolf, preparing to drag it back to the tribe for processing.

"Come quickly and help."

Ding Yang turned around and called out to the men among his tribesmen to join in.

Above the sky, twin suns hung high.

The hunting party and the Spring Stream Tribe members dragged the giant wolf at the front, with Xia Yanh Tiger and Qi Ze, the strongest in their respective groups, following behind to guard the rear.

Looking at Ding Yang's back, Qi Ze lowered his voice and whispered: "Brother Yanhu, it looks like there's no problem."

"Better safe than sorry."

Xia Yanh Tiger's eyes were calm: "Our original tribesmen can rely on Elder Qi's sacrificial prayers to worship the Lord Sacrificial Spirit and forge a connection. But these people from other tribes haven't seen the Lord Sacrificial Spirit. Before they worship, they cannot be considered our kin."

"During this period, the tribe has accepted many such newcomers."

"Qi Ze, keep an eye on them when we return, so no trouble arises."

"Only when the Lord Sacrificial Spirit returns and receives their offerings can we truly rest assured."

"I understand."

Qi Ze responded solemnly.

The group turned back.

From afar, Si Huo Tribe was already visible.

At a glance, more buildings had been added to Si Huo Tribe. These people, born in the Great Wilderness, possessed extreme adaptability and were fully dedicated to building their new home.

Many new faces had appeared within the tribe.

Some were transplanting fruit-bearing plants, others were drying meat, and the little ones in the tribe, who couldn't yet practice the Breathing Method, were now gathered together, following the remaining hunting party members to practice their martial arts.

Their attitude was very serious, step by step, but their movements were inevitably wobbly and quite comical.

Upon seeing the hunting party return, dragging their prey once more, joyful cheers erupted within the tribe.

"Qi Ze, settle them in."

Xia Yanh Tiger directed Qi Ze to settle the Spring Stream Tribe members, while he himself walked towards the village entrance.

There, Qi Chuan's expression was solemn as he gazed into the distance.

"Elder Qi, has the Lord Sacrificial Spirit not returned yet?"

Qi Chuan shook his head.

He turned around and looked at Ding Yang and the others entering the village: "Did you encounter them outside?"

"Yes."

Xia Yanh Tiger nodded in response: "They are from Spring Stream Tribe and were also attacked by that Ancient Remnant Species."

"Elder Qi."

His eyes flashed with thought, and he said seriously: "During this period, we have also come into contact with many people from other tribes. It now appears that many villages and tribes in this large area have suffered due to that Ancient Remnant Species."

"The Lord Sacrificial Spirit said that Ancient Remnant Species is already dead."

"The places where these tribes were located might contain many treasures."

"Just like Spring Stream Tribe, I heard they developed because of a spiritual spring. That spiritual spring is said to have healing properties and is extremely special."

"Should we..."

"No rush."

Qi Chuan shook his head: "The Lord Sacrificial Spirit hasn't returned yet, and besides... the tribe currently lacks enough manpower to do these things."

"Moreover, we have something more important to do."

Xia Yanh Tiger looked at him: "What is it?"

Qi Chuan gazed at the settlement behind them, which had grown from flat ground to its current nascent scale: "If not for the Lord Sacrificial Spirit, where would we be today?"

"Now that the tribe is gradually stabilizing and outsiders are joining, it's time to start preparing to hold a grand sacrifice for the Lord Sacrificial Spirit upon his return."

...

Great Wilderness.

At the burial site of the strange python, blocks of ice containing python blood were stacked, and one of the Three-Headed Strange Python's heads had also been painstakingly removed from the ice sculpture and placed on the ice surface.

The Deep Driller stood beside it.

Qin Jin stood on the ice, his eyes slightly closed, in the process of engraving.

As the engraving progressed, the speed also gradually increased.

In his spiritual world, the condensed spiritual illusion of the Three-Headed Strange Python's might hung at the forefront, and at this very moment... opposite it, a fragmented giant python, flickering in and out of view, was gradually taking shape.

Martial Artists often encounter setbacks when performing Visualization Method engraving.

If the spiritual world is not stable enough, even a slight mishap can cause the progress to halt or even greatly decrease.

However, Qin Jin's spiritual talent was already outstanding, and with the assistance of the professional panel, the engraving progress was solidified. All he consumed was time.

As time passed, with spiritual power as his brush, like dotting the eyes on a dragon, Qin Jin made the final stroke!

[Visualization Method: Three-Headed Strange Python Lv1 (3%)]