I Steal the Ancestors' Sacrifices to Nourish Myself-Chapter 200 - 92: The Divine Tree and the Azure Bird (Part 2)

Inside the Ancestral Temple.

Shen Can took out a piece of carefully cut animal hide paper, with not a single hair on it, ready to transcribe the offerings journal.

Using the blood from the Blood Vase as ink, he started writing on the paper.

The main content was an alliance written in the name of the Blazing Flame Tribe, but this alliance was between the Blazing Flame and the Auspicious Beast.

Not sure if it would be needed, but preparing it in advance meant there'd be no need to write it later if required.

The next day, under the guidance of Huo Ma, Shen Can headed north along a rugged mountain path.

Of course, he also brought along over a hundred clan soldiers, thirty giant crossbows, and three hundred Black Iron Witch Talisman armor-piercing giant arrows.

They weren't carrying these to deal with the large bird tribe, but rather their enemies.

Last night, Shen Can speculated many reasons why the large bird tribe leader hadn't appeared.

If the large bird tribe leader was injured, then its absence made sense.

The Auspicious Beast differs from the Wild Beast; when a Wild Beast leader is wounded or aged, the new generation challenges and expels the old leader, sometimes even devouring them.

But Auspicious Beasts will only try to protect their leader.

No matter if the guess is right or not, it's better to bring everything just in case.

Besides giant crossbows, he also brought various Witch Medicines and Witch Artifacts.

Also, the Little Dragon Fish.

...

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

Above the Rift Valley Forest, the Cyan Birds cried out.

Huo Shan and his group were driven away once again, but this time he had gotten within less than four miles of the Spirit Wood Canopy's edge.

Before leaving, they threw down some Wild Beast meat.

This wasn't the first time Huo Shan had left Wild Beast meat for the Cyan Birds.

Unfortunately, these large birds are very cautious and don't pick up the meat, only angrily driving Huo Shan and the others away.

Apparently, those with Spiritual Wisdom have a sense of weighing pros and cons, unlike pure Wild Beasts that charge in headlong, either stabbing to death or being bitten to death.

When Shen Can arrived at the rift valley, he saw Huo Shan's group retreating.

Recently, Uncle Huo Shan seems to have become much smarter, understanding how to nibble away at the Cyan Bird's territory bit by bit.

The method is slow, but the effect is quite noticeable.

"Acan, what are you doing here?"

In the cave, Huo Shan was somewhat surprised by Shen Can's arrival and also noticed the flying Little Dragon Fish.

When the Little Dragon Fish advanced, Huo Shan had already taken the clan members out.

The Little Dragon Fish came over, looking at the several protruding lumps on Huo Shan's bald head.

"Why do you have dragon horns; teach me quick."

Huo Shan's expression was awkward, "These are from being pecked by big birds."

After speaking, he revealed an eager expression, "When we bring this big bird tribe back to the tribe, I must tame the bird that pecked me as a mount."

As he said this, Huo Shan touched one particularly large lump.

"This one, see? It hurts the most and looks the strongest."

...

Once everything settled, Shen Can observed the flying birds from afar and also thought it more fitting to call them Cyan Birds.

Their entire bodies sheen with a bluish tint, appearing majestic and divine.

"Did you identify any natural enemies of this Cyan Bird group?"

"No, we scoured the entire rift valley, finding only ordinary small Wild Beasts, with no enemies apparent for the Cyan Birds."

"I brought over a hundred more clan members to continue expanding the scope, to see if there are any strong Wild Beasts."

"Alright, I'll take people to search."

Plainly relieved by Acan's arrival, Huo Shan was excited, feeling that with Acan's guidance, they could tame the Cyan Bird group; he just needed to follow orders and work.

Huo Shan took people to patrol the mountains and fields while Shen Can was not idle either.

He attempted to observe the Spirit Trees and Cyan Birds by climbing surrounding cliffs.

The entire Spirit Tree was lush, with layers of overlapping canopies, covering an area of three miles in circumference and exceeding a hundred yards high.

The trunk protruding from the ground resembled a small hilly mountain.

Beneath the tree was a thick pile of bird droppings, from which some herbs grew, even the common wild grass emitted Spiritual Light.

If this were outside the mountains, such fortune wouldn't fall upon the Blazing Flame Tribe.

...

To the northwest of the rift valley, in another forest, Huo Shan and his men found a heap of bird bones half-covered in fallen leaves.

After some examination, they were confirmed to be Cyan Bird bones.

This forest, despite lacking the mystical Spirit Tree, was still very lush, with roots tangled and leaves a dark green.

Even under the scorching sun, the woods remained dark, filled with dense humidity.

"Be careful of your surroundings."

Huo Shan gave a command to the dozen or so clan members who followed him; they spread out, supporting each other, bows drawn, arrows ready, prepared for all directions.

There was a rustling sound in the forest, as if insects were crawling.

"Brother Shan, there are bone fragments here too."

"There's some here as well."

The group cautiously advanced; as they walked, a flash of dark light appeared suddenly in the distance.

"Go!"

Huo Shan, leading them, flicked his hand and threw his General Seal. With a surge of blood energy, the seal glowed darkly and shattered the approaching dark light with a boom.

Then, the seal didn't lose its momentum and crashed into the distant ground.

A miserable scream echoed, and foul-smelling mud churned rapidly, as a figure slithered away swiftly like a python.

Rustle, rustle!

The dark forest suddenly became lively, as rotten leaves and mud quickly formed rises, charging toward Huo Shan and the others.

"Retreat!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Whizz, whizz, whizz!"

The group swiftly retreated, armor-piercing arrows stabbing into the mud, occasionally spurting out a jet of blood.

Crack!

At that moment, a blob of mud exploded forward, leading with a huge mouth full of fangs a meter wide, lunging at one of the clan members.

"Watch out!"

Huo Shan's form suddenly collided with the serpent-like wild beast, knocking its fang-filled mouth in another direction.

Even so, the ambushed clan member's shoulder was bitten, and a large piece of flesh was ripped off by the fangs.

With a clan member severely injured and such a fierce wild beast appearing, Shen Can quickly arrived outside this part of the forest.

He had Little Dragon Fish carry him several meters high to get a look at this forest, which was about thirty to fifty miles in range.

The trees in this forest formed their own grove, different from other places.

"Acan, there are many Cyan Bird bones inside."

"The wild beast that ambushed us is shaped like a serpent, with legs under its belly, enabling it to move through the mud."

"The underground of this forest is dark and damp, likely home to many such wild beasts."

After coming down, Shen Can softly spoke, "The forest area isn't that large either."

"By the way, these guys' hides are quite tough. When I crashed into it, it was like hitting solid iron, and most armor-piercing arrows were useless."

Speaking of this, Huo Shan suddenly blurted, "With hides that tough, these beasts deserve to die even more."

Dealing with wild beasts in one area was too easy for the Blazing Flame Tribe now.

Shen Can immediately arranged for the clan members to return to the tribe, mobilizing people, beast oil, giant crossbows, and armor-piercing arrows.

The remaining people began to encircle the forest perimeter, digging large pits and filling them with deadwood.

A fire attack burned the forest, surrounding it on three sides with one side left open.

The open area was southward, with several east-west grooves dug out, and eighty giant crossbows arranged at various heights outside the grooves.

There were three hundred archers, all equipped with armor-piercing arrows.

"This is my first time spilling beast oil. I hope these guys don't grab me to chew on."

Little Dragon Fish swept up carrying Shen Can, and the rising mist covered more than half the forest, droplets of beast oil crackling onto the trees below.

The imagined scene of wild beasts leaping up did not occur; the thick smell of oil permeated the forest.

Under the mud, each wild beast, several meters large, emitted cries similar to a child's, becoming agitated.

"Release the arrows!"

Seeing Shen Can come down, Huo Shan waved his hand, and the bowmen fired lit arrows.

Simultaneously, clan members released fire arrows into the forest from all sides. In the oil's embrace, the entire dark forest went up in flames.

Clan members hurled jars of beast oil toward the forest from all directions, intensifying the flames.

In no time, trees, fallen leaves, and mud all ignited in roaring flames.

Rumble!

Wild beasts coated in mud burst out from the mud, fleeing in all directions in panic, but intense flames roared in three directions, unbearably hot.

Finally, some wild beasts noticed the smaller flames on the southern side and charged toward it.

"Fire!"

The giant crossbows leveled once more.

The first wild beast that emerged was pierced through the skull by a giant arrow on the spot, and clan members threw out grappling hooks, quickly dragging it away.

...

In the direction of the Spirit Tree.

At the highest point of the Spirit Tree, where leaves encircled, an azure-gold bird poked out its head.

Its body, curled up in the bird's nest, emitted a foul smell, with its wings in a filthy state.

On its head, it seemed to wear a crown, its dark gold eyes gazing toward the blazing flames.