114: Beast Whisperer

Morning light faintly appeared, mist like gauze covering this land that had regained its vitality. The deathly silence of the past had been replaced by vigorous life.

In the mountains and forests, beast roars echoed one after another, reverberating in the empty valley. Unlike ordinary wild beasts, these roars were mixed with complex syllables, vaguely forming some kind of... language.

"Ao... wu... ka... da..."

A massive beast, a hybrid resembling both a bear and a chicken, stood upright. It gestured clumsily with its front claws, making garbled syllables in its throat. In front of it, several smaller beasts sat upright, their eyes filled with awe.

The Black Bear-Chicken was the leader of this tribe and also one of the first beasts to be "enlightened." It possessed wisdom far beyond its peers, as well as the ability to communicate with the "Envoys."

"The Envoys... say... God... is sleeping..." The Black Bear-Chicken struggled to express, "We... wait... for the powerful..."

Several beasts nodded, understanding only vaguely. Their concept of "God" was still very blurry, but their awe of the "Envoys" was deep-seated.

Those "Envoys" were the spokespersons for "God," possessing great power, as well as the ability to control their fates.

The Black Bear-Chicken looked at these ignorant companions and sighed inwardly. It knew that it would take a long time for these beasts to truly understand the greatness of "God."

"Ao... wu..." The bear roared again, and this time, there was a bit more majesty in its voice.

"Hunt... be strong... sacrifice..." It used short syllables to issue commands.

Several beasts immediately stood up and ran in different directions. They were going to find food and prepare for the upcoming "sacrifice."

"God..." The bear looked up at the sky, emitting a low roar from its throat. It did not know when "God" would awaken.

But it believed that one day, "God" would descend and lead them toward true power.

In a hidden cave, several black shadows quietly watched all of this.

"The development of the new civilization is faster than expected." One of the black shadows spoke, its voice hoarse.

"The Beast Speaker of this tribe... has appeared." Another black shadow responded, its tone filled with joy.

"Beast Speaker" was the title for those beasts capable of communicating with the "Envoys." Their appearance meant that the new civilization had taken a crucial step.

"Continue observing... guide..." The third black shadow spoke slowly, its voice carrying a command.

"Yes." The other black shadows responded in unison.

They were the Believers of Xiang Yan and also the "Guardians" of the new civilization. They faithfully executed Xiang Yan's orders, waiting for his awakening.

Time passed, and seasons changed.

Under the guidance of the "Envoys," the beast tribe gradually grew stronger. They learned to use tools, build houses, and even... create their own writing.

These characters did not appear out of thin air; they were created by the "Envoys" based on the "memories" that Xiang Yan had suddenly sent to them one day, combined with the characteristics of the beasts.

These characters were simple and crude, yet they contained power. Every character represented a concept, a rule, and a manifestation of... Xiang Yan's will.

In the tribe, the status of the "Beast Speaker" became increasingly revered. They became the bridge between "God" and the beasts, and also the rulers of the tribe.

"The oracle... descends..."

An aged "Beast Speaker" stood tremblingly on the altar, making a hoarse sound in its throat. Before it, hundreds of beasts prostrated on the ground, their eyes filled with fanaticism.

"God... needs... sacrifices..."

The words of the "Beast Speaker" caused a commotion among the beasts. But soon, the commotion subsided.

To them, the will of "God" was above everything else.

Several strong beasts were pushed out. They were the "misfits" of the tribe, the "unqualified" sacrifices.

The "Beast Speaker" slowly raised the bone staff in its hand and pointed it at those "sacrifices."

"Sacrifice..."

Following the "Beast Speaker's" command, several beasts were cruelly killed. Their blood stained the altar red and also dyed this land red.

In the distance, several black shadows watched all this coldly.

"My Lord does not need non-Believers..." One of the black shadows said in a low voice.

"Heretics must be eliminated..." Another black shadow responded, its tone cold.

They did not care about the life or death of these beasts. They only cared about whether the development of the new civilization met Xiang Yan's expectations and whether it was devout to Xiang Yan.

The black shadows slowly dissipated, merging into the night.

Beast roars sounded again, echoing endlessly on the silent planet. This sound seemed to herald the arrival of a new era.

An era of civilization forged by blood and slaughter, barbarism and extremism.

Time flowed by in the blink of an eye. The once barren land was now a different scene. The roars of beasts had evolved into garbled speech; rudimentary stone tools were gradually replaced by rougher tools.

The tribe became the Dominator of this land. However, the progress of this civilization carried an indescribable eeriness.

An altar built of giant stones stood in the center of the tribe. The altar was covered with dark red marks; those were the bloodstains of years and months, and also the "witness" of faith.

"Roar... ha... gurgle..." A Beast Speaker wearing animal skins and bone ornaments stood before the altar, chanting. Its voice was hoarse and low, carrying a strange deterrent power.

Below the altar, hundreds of beasts of various forms knelt densely. They were the "subjects" of this tribe and also the Believers of "God."

"God... oracle... descends..." The Beast Speaker raised the bone staff in its hand high, its voice suddenly rising, "Those who are disrespectful... die!"

Before the words fell, several weak beasts were shoved out. Their eyes were filled with fear and despair, but they dared not make a sound.

"Heretics... must be executed!" A trace of cruelty flashed in the Beast Speaker's eyes. It waved the bone staff and pointed it at those "sacrifices."

Several strong beasts immediately pounced on them, tearing and scratching...

The smell of blood permeated the air. The dark red on the altar became a little thicker.

The surrounding beasts had fanatical light in their eyes. They believed this was the will of "God," a necessary means to purify the tribe.

Not far away, several black shadows quietly watched all this.

"Faith... is established." One of the black shadows spoke slowly, its voice hoarse.

"But... it is not enough." Another black shadow responded, its tone filled with dissatisfaction.

"Civilization... is stagnant." The third black shadow added, its voice low.

Xiang Yan's Believers faithfully executed Xiang Yan's orders, but they were also confused by this stagnant civilization.

The black shadows slowly dissipated, merging into the night. Beast roars still echoed, but there was less savagery in this sound, and more... numbness.

Time continued to flow. The tribal civilization remained at a standstill. Faith became the only pursuit and also the greatest shackle.

Devotion to "God" was the standard for measuring everything. Any disrespect, any questioning, would be regarded as heresy and face cruel punishment.

"Expel... slaughter..." A young Beast Speaker stood on the altar, reading the "oracle." Its voice was cold and ruthless.

Several aged beasts were brought up. They had lost the ability to work and had become a "burden" to the tribe.

"The useless... must be abandoned!" The Beast Speaker waved the bone staff, pronouncing their fate.

The aged beasts revealed despair in their eyes but dared not resist. They had long been accustomed to this "cruel" order.

Several strong beasts pounced on them...

Bloodiness permeated again. The altar was stained red once more.

The surrounding beasts looked at all this numbly. They had long lost the ability to think, leaving only blind obedience to "God."

The black shadows appeared again and dissipated again.

They were still silent, still guarding. But, what exactly were they guarding?

Was this really what the Lord hoped for?