I Steal the Ancestors' Sacrifices to Nourish Myself-Chapter 54 - 25: Blood Witch Revealed, the Art of Curses

Chapter 54: Chapter 25: Blood Witch Revealed, the Art of Curses

"Not only has Uncle Huo Shan improved greatly, but Uncle Huo Qii’s Qi Strength has also increased to the Power of Forty-Seven Desolations."

Upon hearing this, Huo Chang felt increasingly at ease.

Shen Can asked again, "How many Celestial Vein Martial Artists are in the Upper Huang Division? Has the Clan Leader found out clearly during this time?"

"There are three Celestial Veins on the surface in the Upper Huang Division, and I suspect there are at least this many hidden."

"That makes six Celestial Vein Martial Artists."

"Our tribe now has almost four as well."

"Clan Leader, if you think about it, once the Upper Huang Division finds Iron Wood, won’t that save us the trouble?"

Huo Chang looked at Shen Can, his eyes gradually widening.

"Acan, you dare to think big!"

Is he still worried about clashing with the Upper Huang Division?

Acan is thinking about bringing the resources home.

I’m really falling behind.

Shen Can then handed the Beast Hide Scroll to Huo Chang.

"Clan Leader, this is the status of our tribe’s development while you were away for several months."

"Seventeen in the Mountain Opening Realm, with two tribesmen increasing their Qi Strength to the Power of Thirty Desolations."

"Seven hundred and forty-seven in the Stone-Breaking Realm."

Huo Chang took the Beast Hide Scroll and started reading it himself.

"So many?"

Huo Chang showed a thoughtful expression. Even if he’s dull, he understands Shen Can’s intention of revealing the tribe’s wealth to him.

For a long time.

"The Upper Huang Division doesn’t even see us, the Blazing Flame Division, in their eyes. Acan, what do you think about us taking the initiative and finding an opportunity to eliminate one or two Celestial Veins from the Upper Huang Division first?"

Huo Chang decided to change his approach much faster than expected.

Actually, Shen Can thought the same.

Otherwise, why show off the tribe’s wealth to Huo Chang if not to put his mind at ease?

If we rush in without strategy, we won’t win. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have predicted our tribe’s defeat before.

The best plan is to cause some trouble for the Upper Huang Division, slowing down the repair of the Ironwood Ship.

The Upper Huang Division hasn’t taken off yet; this is the perfect time to act.

Otherwise, when they truly sail the Ironwood Ship into the Great Marsh, continuously hunting Tier Three Wild Beasts, the Blazing Flame Division might have to pack up and flee westward.

They have incomplete Martial Arts Techniques, and with enough beast blood, they might unlock one Celestial Vein.

That’s much more formidable than just adding a new Celestial Vein.

Knowing there’s a conflict ahead and not preparing is just foolish, right?

At this moment, Huo Shan, who was looking down, suddenly raised his head and said, "Brother Atang, what you said makes a lot of sense."

"Ashan, what did I say that makes sense?" Huo Chang asked.

"It just feels right."

Hearing this, Huo Chang sighed. How can I hand over the Clan Leader position to this guy in the future?

Then he glanced at Shen Can, feeling slightly relieved in his heart.

Thank goodness.

With his gaze flitting back and forth between Huo Shan and Shen Can, the previously anxious idea suddenly became firm.

"Acan, we’re in the dark, so there’s no rush to act."

"I’ll head to the Upper Huang Division’s mining area to gather intel; those young martial artists guarding the mines can leak a lot of information."

Saying this, Huo Chang got up, patted Huo Shan on the shoulder, and turned to say, "Acan, gather all the able-bodied in the tribe, start eating more meat now, and don’t get diarrhoea when the time comes."

Huo Chang, once decided, acts immediately. After resting for a day, he left the tribe again.

Once the Ancestral Temple Keeper and Clan Leader agreed, it became the will of the entire tribe.

The entire tribe began operating smoothly.

Shen Can wasn’t idle either, continuing to indulge himself.

Facing the threat of Upper Huang was done in two steps.

At present, the tribe lacks time, so the first was to create trouble for the Upper Huang Division.

After Huo Chang returns from his reconnaissance, Shen Can thinks he’ll be able to go to Upper Huang to cause more disturbances, slowing their Ironwood Ship repairs day by day.

If I can buy an extra year for Blazing Flame, I’m confident of doubling our chances of victory.

...

Upper Huang Division.

Black Mountain Ore.

Under the night sky, the black ore and the darkness merged into one.

Huo Chang once again wrapped himself into a black ball hidden in the pile of ore.

Unlike before, the pile of rubble was now dotted with dozens of upright logs.

Each log had a person tied to it, each battered beyond recognition, more than half of them already lifeless.

"I think Huang Ke is as good as vanished, and these miner slaves dare to make a move!"

Huang Chen spoke in a cold voice, "Continue capturing people for interrogation tomorrow. I don’t believe all of them aren’t afraid of death."

Before long, another voice sounded. "There’s no telling when the Ironwood Ship will be repaired by the tribe."

"Once it’s repaired, I won’t be here guarding the mines; I’ll ask the Elder to head on board the Ironwood Ship to catch fish and shrimp in the Great Marsh, and catch Water Beasts."

"Oh boy, you haven’t seen the giant crossbow at the stern. They say it takes several Mountain-Opening Martial Artists to draw it; how many Tier Three Wild Beasts can evade such a powerful arrow?"

...

Sunken Ship Hills.

Huo Tu and Huo Yangg hid inside a small cave in the hills.

One rested while the other kept watch for their safety.

The entrance of the cave was blocked by dirt, stones, and wild grass, only leaving a small hole open to the outside.

It was hard to tell from the outside that there was a cave here.

The two of them were the only two female Stone-Breaking Realm martial artists in the tribe’s scout team, and they were much more petite compared to other martial artists in the tribe.

Huo Hou assigned the two here to keep an eye on Sunken Ship Hills.

After all, Blazing Flame had been digging for over a month, and Upper Huang was sure to detect new traces if they came again.

By then, Upper Huang might search the four sides of the forest.

Through the small hole they reserved, they could monitor most of the area.

Of course, it required daylight for a clearer view.

In the dark, Huo Tu’s main task was to guard against any wild beasts that might pose a danger to them.

They couldn’t light a fire either, as it would be too conspicuous in the night, as the Soldier Captain Huo Hou instructed before coming.

The bored Huo Tu wove grass rope in the dark, chewing on jerky, while Huo Yangg slept beside her.

As night fell, a faint red light began to appear among the hills.

Huo Tu wove the grass rope for a while and closed her eyes to rest. At some point, she glanced through the small hole.

Immediately, her mouth dropped open, then she quickly covered it with her hand.

With her other hand, she quickly shook the sleeping Huo Yangg beside her.

Huo Yangg, feeling a hand moving around on her, was about to speak when she noticed her mouth was covered. Huo Tu’s whispered voice reached her ears.

"Ayang, don’t speak loudly, look outside."

Through the little hole, Huo Yangg saw a faint red light shadow appear. It was blurry, and soon torches flickered on.

The light kept shifting positions, occasionally lingering in some places with blood-like glimmers.

Her eyes widened, her breathing growing rapid.

The two had their heads huddled together, both covering their mouths.

Someone really is here.

...

Shen Can received the news two days later, instinctively thinking it was the Upper Huang Division detecting something.

But given the red light at night, with torches flickering, it didn’t seem like the work of Upper Huang.

Upon arriving at the Sunken Ship Hills, Shen Can crouched at the edge of the pit for a closer look.

The soil pits they dug before had started growing wild grass again. Yet, the grass here seemed like it had been corroded; the nearby soil was charred with a slight blood-red tinge.

It even had a faintly fishy smell.

"Witchcraft."

At first glance, Shen Can discerned it as witchcraft.

A wizard had come by; was it just a coincidence?

"Bring back two piles of intact soil."

...

"This is Blood Witchcraft."

Hidden in the mountain cave, Jifu looked at the soil Shen Can brought back, and awe turned into excitement.

"This small tribe of yours got entangled with such sinister practices?"

"What is Blood Witchcraft?"

Shen Can frowned.

"Some people fail in learning witchcraft and take an alternative path."

"In fact, they’re quite similar to me; they need Exotic Wild Beast blood to maintain their witchcraft power. They particularly love those beasts that spread plagues and natural disasters."

"But it’s not the right path; it comes with curses."

"I’m curious how you got involved with Blood Witches. When they’re mad, they aren’t very different from bloodthirsty wild beasts."

The excitement on Jifu’s face grew more intense.

"They can cast witch curses. Let me go, and maybe your tribe will have a way out; otherwise, just wait for your tribesmen to be cursed to death one by one."

"Their curses are hard to break."

"The way they look when they die is quite ugly."

"Smack!"

"Ow... Didn’t we agree not to hit the face!"