Chapter 276 Ancient Race, Cannibal Tribe
Chapter 276 Ancient Race, Cannibal Tribe
About 20 kilometers west of Hukou County in Jiangbei State, there lies a beautiful little mountain known as Dragon Girl Mountain.@@@@
Legend has it that more than two thousand years ago, during that dark age, this very area was terrorized by two powerful demons, Shan Jun and the sin-dragon, who wrought havoc.
The local people led miserable lives and could barely sustain themselves.
A female cultivator passing by could not stand the injustice, first beheaded Shan Jun, and her blood dyed the mountains red. She then subdued the sin-dragon, adjusted the local feng shui, and for hundreds of years since, the area enjoyed favorable weather and good harvests every year.
More than two thousand years have passed since that time.
Countries have changed, dynasties have fallen and risen, but the myth and belief in the Dragon Girl have continued unbroken.
Now, at Dragon Girl Mountain.
At dusk, the land was bathed in red light.
On a cobblestone path halfway up the slope, two silhouettes, one tall and one short, were climbing up. The setting sun's red light cast long shadows behind them. Occasionally, a breeze would blow through the mountain, rustling the trees on both sides and creating a rustling sound.
The two individuals were Su Heng and Ke Yulan, who had traveled over mountains and rivers in search of sacred statues.
Ke Yulan shared with Su Heng some of the local beliefs and then added, "Even today, Dragon Girl Temple still receives offerings of incense."
"That is indeed remarkable," Su Heng nodded slightly, but couldn't help thinking. More than two thousand years ago, there was no unified dynasty yet. During that dark age, humans were corralled, and it's likely that there wasn't an established cultivation system like today's.
Under such adverse conditions, to have reached this point and stepped into the realm of eternal life.
The person must have been extraordinarily talented.
Thinking this.
Su Heng continued forward, rounding a bend in the slope.
Further up, they came upon a flat area on the mid-slope, where the Dragon Girl Temple appeared before Su Heng and Ke Yulan.
Inside was a stone statue carved from ordinary mountain rock. Weathered by wind and sun, the features of the statue had become blurred and mottled. One could still vaguely discern its graceful charm and slender figure, and among its lush hair, there were two dragon horns twisting upwards.
Beside the Dragon Girl Temple, a lush locust tree cast a shadow. Many wooden tablets hung from its branches, tied with red cords and gently swaying in the evening breeze.
The scenery here was beautiful, with a clear view.
From here, one could see the lights of the village below being lit, as well as the smoke rising from the dusk-lit hearths. Su Heng's eyesight was excellent; he could even see children running back and forth along the ridges and farmers, with hoes on their shoulders and smiles on their faces, chatting as they slowly headed home.
In less than a year, so many events had occurred in Jiangbei State: the arrival of monsters, the invasion from Skull Plain, and now the out-of-control demon tide... Yet this place seemed utterly unaffected, a veritable paradise, quite rare indeed.
Could it really be the protection of the Dragon Girl?
Su Heng shifted his gaze back to the Dragon Girl statue inside the temple.
Releasing his senses, Su Heng sighed softly and then shook his head slightly. Normally, if the deity of a statue was still present, one would feel a certain connection within the Spiritual Field. It was like a thread linking the two, serving as an "anchor point."
However, on the Dragon Girl statue before him, while the spiritual power from over two thousand years had not dissipated,
The "thread" was no longer there.
This meant that the ancestor worshipped in the Dragon Girl Temple had long perished in the realm of immortality.
The realm of immortality, eternal life... Although surpassing Heavenly Deceit and reaching the Earth Immortal Realm could touch the domain of immortality to some extent, the actual situation was far from simple. The conditions in the realm of immortality were much more perilous than what Meng Huan and he had described.
In the past few days.
Under normal circumstances, the meeting between the immortal sects and the noble families should occur during this period.
The three great immortal sects and the four great families were never unified in agreement, especially when faced with a real challenge like the arrival of the Mythical Battlefield. The chances that this meeting would peacefully lead to a strategy were slim. Most likely, the meeting would be fraught with tension and conflicts might even erupt.
...
Leaving Dragon Girl Mountain and heading west,
Su Heng and Ke Yulan soon arrived at a mountain range known as Black Wind Mountain.
This mountain range was enveloped in a light miasma, with fog swirling everywhere, obscuring the moonlight above. Darkness surrounded them, and it was so dark that they could barely see their own hands. The dense jungle occasionally transmitted the howls of wolves, and the leaves rustled, though it was unclear whether it was the wind or beasts stirring within.
If an ordinary caravan were to travel here by night, they would likely be terrified on the spot, extremely anxious.
But Su Heng had no such concerns.
He simply released a bit of his aura.
The wild beasts in the surrounding forests, as if facing a natural disaster, fled with their tails between their legs.
Especially deeper within the dense forest, branches rustled, and flocks of birds, stirring in panic, flew towards the deep, overlapping hills.
Under Ke Yulan's guidance, the two continued forward.
"Hmm!?" Su Heng suddenly stopped, as if he had noticed something unusual.
Ke Yulan turned around but didn't ask anything.
"Someone has been here before," Su Heng touched his chin, furrowed his brow, and wore a thoughtful expression.
This remote, wild place, along with the statue's presence, was sealed by the authorities. Normally, no one should have set foot here. With his keen perception, Su Heng could tell from the lingering auras that the person was not a cultivator.
So, it must have been a mistake.
Your next chapter awaits on empire
"It might be because of the demonic tide," Ke Yulan speculated, "Some people fled here for refuge."
"That's possible," Su Heng faintly felt that things weren't so simple, but he was gradually getting excited, "Let's go have a look."
Su Heng promptly said.
His figure flickered instantly, employing Divine Skills.
He dashed past Ke Yulan, and by the time she regained her senses, Su Heng had already reached a spot more than ten meters in front of her. The bushes and thorns on either side were flattened, clearing a path. Ke Yulan quickly collected herself and followed Su Heng.
After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up.
At the foot of the mountain, there was an open space with a bonfire lit. Around it were makeshift buildings constructed crudely, decorated with animal fur and teeth. At first glance, it looked like a scene from the era of early humans millions of years ago.
In this small, primitively burning village, a raw, primitive charm hit them full force.
"Ah!!!!"
Just as Su Heng pushed down the bushes in front, a scream sounded.
Looking ahead, next to the bonfire, a scrawny middle-aged man was tied to a frame, and several dark figures chopped off his head. Large hands reached out, and accompanied by a chilling sound, the man's body was torn into pieces and carelessly thrown into a boiling large pot.
"What's going on!?" Su Heng was shocked, not expecting to see a scene of cannibalism here.
Yet in this forest, there were plenty of wild animals; food should not have been so scarce that they resorted to this.
NABC