I Steal the Ancestors' Sacrifices to Nourish Myself-Chapter 19: Mountain Opening Realm

After sending Huo Shan back to rest, Huo Chang let out a long sigh, then shook his head.

He really felt too oppressed; with the ancestors’ blessings, the tribe’s strength had just improved a little, and he was anxious to expand.

But there weren’t so many opportunities to exploit.

Huo Shan observed several nearby tribes. Although they were all affected by plague insects, the strength of the martial artists wasn’t significantly damaged.

Even if he wanted to take action, he’d have to find a tribe on the verge of collapse.

He was still a bit too hopeful.

Since there were no opportunities to seize, the tribe still needed to develop.

Every natural disaster affects not only the Human Race but also the Wild Beasts in the mountains and wilderness.

This heavy rain had lasted for over 120 days, with flash floods spreading far and wide. As the floods receded, it was now time for the Wild Beasts fleeing disasters to emerge for hunting.

The beasts, starved for a long time and full of hostility, would engage in fierce battles over food, naturally resulting in many injured Wild Beasts.

After the plague, each tribe would seize this opportunity for hunting.

Huo Chang suddenly realized that he might have been planning incorrectly and shouldn’t have only focused on his fellow tribesmen, forgetting the Wild Beasts entirely.

The tribe had an improved Kui Ox Fist and Neutralizing Medicine Formula; as long as there was beast blood, it was a great time for growth.

With martial artists, the tribesmen wouldn’t have to fear not finding wives!

Moreover, this prolonged rain should have affected even the Tier Three Wild Beasts.

If they could find an injured Tier Three Wild Beast, then Huo Shan could potentially advance to the Celestial Vein, and he himself could attempt to break through to the Celestial Vein once more.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too late!

This month had been the peak of the plague, so ensuring the tribe’s safety was more important than hunting.

Even when going out, they would only dare to send a few tribesmen out sporadically to investigate.

"Call Huo Shan..."

Just as Huo Chang was about to speak, he thought better of it and strode out of the cave.

In one of the isolated mountain caves, in the ear cave, the fire in the hearth was flickering.

Huo Shan’s wife was brewing Witch Medicine while pouring the finished potion into a stone trough, drenching Huo Shan’s head.

The pungent scent of Witch Medicine filled the air.

"Clan Leader, why are you here?"

Huo Shan opened his eyes to see Huo Chang standing outside, while his wife had already walked out of the ear cave.

Huo Chang took over the task of maintaining the fire and brewing medicine, gesturing for Huo Shan to continue soaking in the stone trough.

"When you were scouting the nearby tribes, did you see any Wild Beasts in the wilderness?"

"Yes, but not many in number."

Huo Shan recalled; he had been in the wild for over a month and had seen many plague insects.

"Rest for two days; I’m planning to have you lead a hunting team. At the very least, bring back some beast blood."

Huo Chang stirred the fire in the hearth with a stick, "Hunting Wild Beasts is secondary; more important is seeing if we can find an injured Tier Three Wild Beast.

You’ve been a Mountain-Opening Realm Martial Artist for quite some time now, and you should seize this opportunity to attempt a breakthrough to the Celestial Vein.

Even if you don’t succeed this time, you’ll be building a foundation for future attempts."

"To find a Tier Three Wild Beast, you need to venture deep into the mountains, so be cautious."

"Since the Clan Chief has instructed, I’ll set out tomorrow. Who should accompany me?"

"Since you left, four more tribesmen have advanced to the Mountain-Opening Realm in the tribe, so you’ll have enough manpower."

...

At night.

After finishing the Inference Witchcraft, Shen Can lay down on the stone bed to rest.

The inference thoughts connected to the Sacrificial Tripod Cauldron took a great toll on his mind and spirit.

However, after every inference session and once he recovered, he felt his spirits were higher than before.

His mastery of the witchcraft he came to comprehend was becoming increasingly adept.

After comprehending the Water Manipulation Technique, his inference progress had hit a bottleneck these days.

Over the past few days, he found himself spending fifty to eighty years of lifespan on inference each day.

Even if nothing came of it, by the next day, his spirit wasn’t much affected, but rather, he could detect an increase in mental energy.

This feeling was akin to the strength boost he experienced after transforming energy through the daily practice of Kui Ox Fist; spending lifespan on inference seemed to elevate his spirit as well.

Of course, spending lifespan every day was draining, and in terms of the Witch Rune Characters within the Lingyu Witchcraft System, he had inferred up to the thirteenth character.

At this time, he suddenly heard a noise within the cave.

Then he heard Master Huo Xian from the East Ear Cave speaking, with someone quietly conversing with Huo Xian.

"Iron Wood."

The voice was soft, but Shen Can still ’heard’ it.

Before long, there was also a movement from behind the Divine Platform.

The noise was faint, but he perceived it clearly.

This feeling was mysterious, but he could hear it regardless, which Shen Can believed was likely his spiritual power at play.

He had already identified the visitor as the Clan Chief Huo Chang, who was rummaging through the hidden cavern behind the Divine Platform.

He didn’t know what mischief the Clan Chief was up to in silence.

Although curious, Shen Can didn’t feel compelled to get up and take a look, so he turned over and continued sleeping.

Inside the cavern, Huo Chang approached the remnants of the Ironwood Ship.

In the entire tribe, only he had the capability to cut the Iron Wood.

He planned to craft a few Ironwood Spears as potential upgrades to the tribal martial artists’ combat power in the quest for a Tier Three Wild Beast.

After inspecting the Iron Wood remnants, Huo Chang got to work with a clatter.

...

Early the next morning, upon rising, Shen Can received a reminder from Huo Xian not to disclose Huo Chang’s activities in the Ancestral Temple, to avoid any idle gossip among the tribesmen.

Shen Can nodded, had breakfast, and went off to check the health of the tribesmen.

As time passed, the momentum of the plague began to decline slightly, with the tribe’s martial artists starting to come out of their caves to clean the stone halls and houses buried by the flood.

When there were no natural disasters, the Human Race still preferred living in houses.

The main reason was that the caves were deep, damp, and cold, and it was somewhat inconvenient to move up and down the mountain.

Among the tribal buildings below the mountain, the largest stone hall was actually the Ancestral Temple.

It was just that due to frequent natural and human disasters, ancestors occasionally had to relocate.

Three days later.

Near dusk, Shen Can returned to the Ancestral Temple Cave from the isolation cave.

After dinner, he began cultivating the Kui Ox Fist in the ear cave.

The sound of the fists cutting through the air made Huo Xian nod and shake his head simultaneously.

Acan’s punches looked very powerful, but there was no visible increase in physique, which made Huo Xian sigh before turning to his own tasks.

By the time he finished performing the fist techniques, it seemed as if a stream of Qi had generated, coursing through his body. His vigor surged suddenly before subsiding after a long while.

"Hoo!"

He finished his punches and regulated his breathing as thoughts flowed through his mind.

Sacrificial Master: Shen Can

Sacrificial Artifact: Sacrificial Tripod Cauldron

Martial Arts Realm: Mountain Opening Realm (Power of Ten Desolates)

Witchcraft Realm: Unranked

Martial Arts Divine Technique: All Transformations Return to One

Magic: Kui Ox Fist (Top-Grade) Blazing Flame Division Witch Doctor Technique (Medium), Lingyu Water Control Technique (Lower)

Cultivation Technique: None

Martial Arts Divine Technique: All Transformations Return to One

Lifespan: 29

As the data that surfaced in his thoughts differed from the initial data, Shen Can wasn’t surprised. The Sacrificial Tripod Cauldron was capable of manifesting his state of cultivation, and it’s normal for it to change with his cultivation.

Regarding the path of witchcraft, he now felt like he was groping in the dark.

He wanted to compile an introductory cultivation method but still couldn’t find a clear path.

Lifespan was still insufficient.

...

Under the night sky, outside a wetland formed by receding floodwaters in the Giant Mountain Range.

Under the rocky mountain at the edge of the wetland, inside a stone crevice formed by piled rocks, several figures leaned against the rock wall, quietly chewing on Tier Two jerky as they rested.

Huo Shan’s figure appeared from afar, then crouched in a stone crack to gaze at the wetland.

The entire wetland wasn’t large, and as the water level dropped, a dorsal fin several zhang high was exposed in the center of the wetland, surrounded by numerous beast bones.

After a long observation, Huo Shan retracted into the stone crevice.

"I’ve checked every corner of the surrounding mountains; there are no other Wild Beasts."

"Now that we’re all full, let’s get to work. It’s best to act while the Mountain-Covering Scale is asleep."