637: Chapter 627 Senichi (2)

The unusual movement of the Sacrificial Mountain lasted only a short while, yet it left the entire Chishan Tribe on edge.

After the mountain quieted down, there was no sign of relaxation in the stockade; instead, the number of guards on patrol increased several times over within a single night.

At night, red fire lamps were lit along the stockade walls. The lights, one after another, illuminated the patterns on the stone walls, making them seem as if they had come to life.

Qin Yun stood before the Ancestral Wall, not having wandered far.

Many people looked toward the direction of the Sacrificial Mountain, their eyes heavy.

It was not as simple as fear; it was more like they were afraid that something would truly be disturbed.

"It moved again."

"That moment just now, it felt like something inside woke up for an instant."

"Don't talk nonsense. No one is allowed to go near the Nine Mountains tonight."

"Don't bring the children over there either."

Several men guarding the stockade exchanged low-voiced instructions, their voices kept very quiet.

Qin Yun listened, but did not interject.

The more he observed, the clearer it became to him that these people's understanding of the Sacrificial Mountain was very complex.

They regarded the Sacrificial Mountain as their root, but also as a Forbidden Ground.

They viewed it as a blessing, yet also as a source of calamity.

It looked like guardianship, but in reality, it was more like they were carrying some burden through the generations.

Sang He walked to his side, leaning on a black wooden staff.

Red gold threads were wrapped around the head of the staff, the ends of the threads already looking somewhat worn.

"Outsider, do not wander about tonight."

Qin Yun looked at him.

"What are you afraid of?"

Sang He was silent for a moment.

"There are many things to fear."

"We fear the Sacrificial Mountain trembling again, we fear the Life Pattern becoming chaotic again, and we fear that the one inside the mountain might truly wake up."

Qin Yun asked very directly.

"Who is that one inside the mountain?"

Sang He raised his eyes but did not answer.

The young man beside him, A-Lie, could not hold back and said coldly.

"Stop asking."

"This is forbidden speech."

Qin Yun said, "Even forbidden speech has a source."

A-Lie frowned.

"You are an outsider, why do you ask so much?"

"If Elder Sang hadn't stopped me, I would have driven you out when you approached the Ancestral Wall during the day."

A-Ye pulled him back from behind and whispered.

"Say less."

A-Lie ignored him and continued to stare at Qin Yun.

"You can identify A-Wu's wounds and suppress the sacrificial marks; I suppose you have some ability."

"But this is not a place where you can ask whatever you want."

Qin Yun glanced at him.

"Then didn't you bring me back because you wanted to see if I could save people?"

A-Lie was choked for words.

Sang He raised his hand, stopping what was to be said next.

"Enough."

He turned his head to look at Qin Yun.

"The things you want to know, we will discuss tomorrow."

"For tonight, just stay in the stockade."

"Once the Sacrificial Mountain moves, the ferocious creatures in the mountain forest will also become restless."

No sooner had these words fallen than a low roar suddenly came from outside the stockade.

It was far away, yet deep.

Following that was a second roar, then a third.

The vegetation in the mountain forest seemed to be pressed down by something, with vast swathes of leaves drooping simultaneously.

The children in the stockade were so frightened they huddled together.

Several elders immediately looked up.

"The tide of ferocious beasts is here."

"Seal the gates."

"Quickly, bring up the Life Pattern stones."

The stockade was in chaos for an instant, but it quickly steadied.

Qin Yun watched their actions and discovered that although this stockade was not large, it possessed a very mature method of response.

It was not their first time.

Sang He glanced at him.

"If you want to see, then follow me."

Qin Yun followed him onto the stockade wall.

In the distant mountain forest, pairs of eyes glowing with red gold and dark green were slowly lighting up.

Those things were not of a single kind.

There were those like wolves, those like snakes, and others that resembled twisted birds; when they spread their wings, they stirred up great gusts of black wind.

They did not charge directly at the stockade, but instead paced at the edge of the forest, as if waiting for something.

A-Lie cursed in a low voice.

"These beasts, they don't come during the day; they specifically wait until after the Sacrificial Mountain has moved."

Qin Yun did not reply.

He stared at those ferocious creatures and suddenly understood why the Chishan Tribe was so nervous.

These things were not simple wild beasts of the forest.

They had a sensitivity to the Life Pattern.

Once the Sacrificial Mountain trembled and the Life Pattern fluctuated, the ferocious creatures would become restless.

This showed that the Life Pattern was not just for protection; it was also like a lamp.

A lamp shining in the mountain forest.

Whoever shone, was easily targeted.

In front of the stockade wall, several guards raised their hands simultaneously.

Red gold patterns emerged from their arms, connecting into a thin web of light.

As soon as the light web appeared, the ferocious creatures swarmed up in unison.

"Loose arrows."

A-Lie gave a low shout.

A rain of arrows immediately flew out.

These arrows were not ordinary; the Life Pattern was carved onto the arrow shafts, and after flying out, they trailed streaks of red light in mid-air.

Many of the first wave of ferocious creatures were shot down; after falling to the ground and convulsing a few times, they were actually still able to struggle to their feet.

The second wave of ferocious creatures charged directly to the base of the stockade wall, their claws scraping against the black stone, emitting a dull, grinding sound.

Several young tribesmen turned pale, but they did not retreat.

Qin Yun had been watching from the side.

He did not rush to intervene.

The people of this world had grown accustomed to living in their own way.

Every person who utilized the Life Pattern would see the red gold patterns on their bodies glow faintly.

And the moment they glowed, the connection between the Life Pattern and the distant Sacrificial Mountain tightened by a fraction.

It was like borrowing power, but also like a backflow.

They were using the Life Pattern to protect themselves, while simultaneously sending a portion of their own strength back to the Sacrificial Mountain.

This was not a simple enhancement. It was an exchange.

Qin Yun's gaze flickered.

He began to deduce further along this line of thought.

The Sacrificial Mountain bestows the pattern. The Life Pattern protects the body. The Life Pattern resonates with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Yet every time it is invoked, the binding deepens.

If it were merely a simple amplification, this binding should not be so tight.

Unless the Life Pattern itself was a kind of shackle.

Standing on the stockade wall, Qin Yun already had a preliminary judgment in his heart.

At this moment, a ferocious creature resembling both a wolf and a leopard suddenly leaped up, its claws swiping toward the top of the wall.

A-Lie slashed down with his blade; the blade light struck the beast's head but only drew a spark against that layer of red-black fur.

After the beast landed, it turned to bite at another tribesman.

Qin Yun raised his hand.

A wisp of extremely faint vitality descended.

The ferocious creature's movements faltered slightly.

Subsequently, the Heart Sword flashed out.

A thin line passed through the center of its brow.

The ferocious creature fell to the ground in response, the dark green light in its eyes fading away bit by bit.

A-Lie was stunned.

"What technique is this?"

Qin Yun did not answer, only looking at the corpse of the ferocious creature.

In his Heart Heavy Pupils, in that instant just now, he had seen something unusual.

Inside the ferocious creature's body, there was also a trace of an extremely faint red gold pattern.

It was not a Life Pattern. It was more like it had been stained by the aura of the Sacrificial Mountain.

Qin Yun's heart sank.

This indicated that the influence of the Life Pattern was not limited to the tribesmen.

The Sacrificial Mountain and the entire mountain forest might all be connected together.

The restlessness of the ferocious creatures was perhaps not because they were bloodthirsty, but because the Sacrificial Mountain had undergone a change.

Just as he was about to continue his deduction, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from deep within the stockade.

An elderly man leaning on a staff walked over quickly, followed by several older tribal elders.

As soon as they arrived, the guards on the wall stepped aside to both sides.

Clearly, the people who could truly make decisions had arrived.

The leading elder had white hair and beard, deep wrinkles on his face, yet a dim red gold pattern mark glowing on his forehead.

Seeing Qin Yun, he first swept a glance over him, then paused on the back of Qin Yun's hand.

"You do not have the sacrificial mark on your body."

Qin Yun did not deny it.

"I was never a person of this place to begin with."

The elder nodded.

"No wonder."

He turned his head to look in the direction of the Sacrificial Mountain, his voice low.

"The Sacrificial Mountain moved ahead of schedule."

"No, that's not right."

"It moved too early."

Qin Yun looked at him.

"How much too early?"

The elder was silent for a moment.

"Originally, it should have waited much longer."

"At least until the Life Pattern had stabilized through the generations."

"But it woke up for a moment today."

"It is as if the thing inside was touched by an external force."

After these words were spoken, the expressions of both Sang He and A-Lie changed.

A-Lie blurted out.

"Elder of Sacrifice, are you saying that something happened inside the mountain?"

The elder did not answer immediately.

He only looked at Qin Yun, as if judging something.

"When you approached the Ancestral Wall during the day, the figures on the Ancestral Wall glowed briefly."

"That was not an ordinary unusual movement."

"Did you touch something?"

Qin Yun's expression remained unchanged.

"I only took a look."

The elder swept a glance over everyone and said in a deep voice.

"Tonight, no one is allowed to go near the Nine Mountains."

"The Life Pattern has not yet stabilized; no one is allowed to move about recklessly."

"Whoever leaves the stockade without authorization will be dealt with according to tribal law."

After speaking, he looked at Qin Yun again.

"You, come with me."

Sang He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he did not stop him.

A-Lie frowned.

"Elder of Sacrifice."

The elder did not turn back.

"You come too."

The matters on the stockade wall were quickly handed over to others.

Qin Yun followed the elder as he walked deep into the stockade.

Passing by a cluster of low wooden houses, he saw several children peeking from the windows.

On the forehead of one of the children, the Life Pattern's brightness was very low, like a small fire about to go out.

Yet there was no sign of sickness on the child; on the contrary, the child was in high spirits.

Qin Yun paused his steps.

He looked at the child a couple more times, lost in thought.

The elder noticed but did not explain.

He simply led him all the way through the stone paths of the stockade, finally stopping in a secluded corner.

There was a small hut there. The hut was very dilapidated. The door plank was also old.

The courtyard was piled with waste stone and withered branches, looking as if no one had been there for a long time.

Before the elder pushed the door, his voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

"The people in the tribe do not like to talk about the person living here."

"If you can truly see the way of the Life Pattern, then take a look at him."

After speaking, he pushed open the door.

The room was very dark. A young man was sitting under the window, head lowered, wiping a broken short dagger.

Hearing the door sound, he raised his head. His face was thin, his features very faint, and there was a shallow old scar at the tail of his left eye.

What was most striking was not his face, but the Life Pattern on his forehead.

That Life Pattern was dimmer than anyone else's in the stockade. It was so dim it looked like it was about to extinguish.

Yet, Qin Yun only took one look, and his expression changed slightly.

This dark pattern looked damaged on the surface. But its roots were clearly deeper than anyone else's.

So deep that it almost reached directly into the innermost layer of the Sacrificial Mountain.