The sun was setting on the other side of the distant mountain, and the light in the forest was gradually fading.
The surroundings had become much darker.
At the moment, Shao Xuan did not pay attention to the passage of time, nor did he pay attention to whether there was any danger around.
He had a feeling that this place was safe. There would be no sneak attacks from those dangerous plants, nor would there be any ferocious predators.
All his attention was on the ground under his palms.
He felt a little warmth coming from below, along with his palms, along his arms, and all the way up to the totem in his mind. It stimulated the flames on the totem to roll unceasingly.
The evening wind blew, and there was something different in the wind than usual.
The surroundings began to quiet down. The original sounds of birds, insects, beasts in the forest, the sound of the stream, and so on all gradually faded away.
Whoosh —
Whoosh —
It was like the sound of flames jumping in the wind.
But there was not a single spark in the surroundings. Even because the sun had set and night had fallen, the unrecognizable ruins had been shrouded in darkness.
Shao Xuan kept staring at his palms on the ground, not moving at all. He felt that the ground under his palms was getting warmer and warmer, as if something was spreading underground and was about to break out of the earth.
A little flame seeped through the gaps between his fingers, especially conspicuous in the already dark night.
Soon, more flames appeared under Shao Xuan's palms, and from the small spark at the beginning, they grew bigger and bigger. Shao Xuan's palms could not cover them.
After the flames under his palms grew bigger, they divided into six branches and gradually spread in six directions. There were no rising flames, but like magma, they spread in each direction until they reached the forest, where Shao Xuan could not see.
Withdrawing his hands and standing up, Shao Xuan looked at the six branches extending from the same point.
Was this the "root" of the Yanjiao tribe that Old He's ancestors had mentioned? Was the center point where the six branches converged where the original fire seed was?
While thinking, Shao Xuan suddenly felt that something was wrong. He seemed to have fallen into an uncontrollable but special state again.
Looking at the ground under his feet, which should have been full of flowers and soil, it had turned into stones. The size and placement of these stones were very familiar, as if he was standing in the fire pit of the Yanjiao tribe.
Fire pit?!
Shao Xuan looked up at other places.
The original ruins were gone, replaced by vague images of people standing not far away. Behind the crowd were stone houses that were much taller than people. Just like the murals in the cave at the foot of the Yanjiao tribe. Compared with most tribal houses, these stone houses were much bigger, taller, and much more magnificent....
There were also some carved stone statues of people and beasts, some of which were warriors killing ferocious beasts.
Closer to the fire pit, there were some people standing in an arrangement similar to what Shao Xuan saw with his own eyes during the sacrificial ceremony in the tribe. There were also warriors performing the sacrificial dance, and there were also the erected pillars and offerings. The difference was that there were six people standing closer to the fire pit. Shao Xuan could not see their specific appearances, only vague figures. Their decorations were more "gorgeous" than the warriors performing the sacrificial dance, and the ornaments hanging from their heads and bodies were more complicated.
A figure stepped into the fire pit and walked towards Shao Xuan.
Shao Xuan knew that this person was not really for himself. This person's purpose should be the fire seed where he was. And this person should be one of the shamans of the Yanjiao tribe.
These people could be called "ancestors". If the people of the tribe on the other side of the river saw this scene, they would probably kneel down again.
Shao Xuan stood there, quietly looking at the figures around him.
The shaman walked to the fire seed and put down something, then stepped back, out of the fire pit. He stood by the fire pit and began to raise his arms, probably chanting.
The surroundings seemed to be brighter.
Shao Xuan looked around him. The flames quickly rose up and wrapped around him. Because of the sudden rise of the flames, the surroundings became brighter. The people standing not far away were also illuminated. However, Shao Xuan still couldn't see clearly. He could only make out a rough outline. Men and women, old and young. There were also some accompanying hunting dogs that had probably finished their engraving.
Everyone was looking in the direction of the fire seed. No matter where Shao Xuan looked, even if he could not see the expressions of those figures, he could feel that they were all looking in his direction.
He lifted his foot and walked out of the center, out of the range of the fire.
Shao Xuan was like a bystander, walking in the crowd and looking at the figures around him.
They did not change because of Shao Xuan's walk, because the two of them existed at different points in time. These were all reenactments of the past, just like when Shao Xuan followed the advance group into the green land and saw the Green Thief at night.
The people standing around knelt down in the direction of the fire pit devoutly.
The surroundings were covered with a layer of fire.
Looking back, Shao Xuan looked in the direction of the fire pit. The rolling flames were higher and fiercer than the ones he had seen in the Yanjiao tribe when he participated in the sacrificial ceremony. The surrounding sky seemed to be burning, dyed in the color of fire. It was incomparably magnificent.
This was only the first of the three Flames of the fire pit, but it was already so powerful. What would happen when he reached the third Flame?
When he first saw the flame of the fire seed in the Yanjiao tribe, he thought it was incredible and magnificent. But now, seeing the scene in front of him, he knew what the real flame of the fire seed was. It was like a picture once drawn on a roll of animal skin. This was the scene of the glorious era.
Just as Shao Xuan stood by the fire pit in the old land of the Yanjiao tribe, looking at the images that had passed away for nearly a thousand years, on the other side of the river far away from the central region.
At this time, there were not many people in the Flaming Horns tribe who would go out. The mountain foot area was already dark. The night swallows were also flying around actively, staring at the houses, waiting for someone to come out. Then they would rush up and attack.
The higher up the mountain, the more flames there were. Some warriors were burning fires in their houses. They were either cooking food or just sitting around the fire and talking. But these flames were nothing in the dark.
At the top of the mountain, the Shaman sensed something unusual. He rushed out of the stone house like a gust of wind and headed for the fire pit.
The warriors who were guarding around the fire pit wanted to inform the Shaman and the Chief, but they didn't expect that the Shaman had already come.
Looking at the scene in the fire pit, the Shaman seemed to be stunned. He stood there, his mind blank for a moment.
In the fire pit, the bean-sized flame was now jumping violently. Then it suddenly rose, rolled up, and expanded to the whole fire pit.
It was not the time for sacrifice, and no ceremony was held. The Shaman didn't even do anything. But the flame in the fire pit was burning just like the annual sacrifice after winter.
And it was burning by itself! Furthermore, the rolling flames were even more intense than the flames that were ignited during the annual sacrificial ceremony!
"This … this is …" The Chief who came after receiving the report was also stunned after seeing the scene in the fire pit.
Chief Ao's words woke the Shaman up from his blank state. He was just too excited to react.
"He's here! He found it! Xuan found the old land of the Yanjiao! "
The Shaman knelt on the ground and kowtowed in the direction of the fire pit.
In the hearts of the tribesmen, the Shaman had always been a master. But now he was kneeling on the ground and crying. But no one on the scene would laugh at him. They knelt on the ground together with the Shaman.
Although they didn't quite understand what it meant, they had a vague idea in their hearts that made them very excited.
Shao Xuan had left the tribe for a long time. Since the end of the rainy season, now the winter was coming. No one knew whether Shao Xuan could cross the river safely, or what he would encounter after crossing the river safely. After all, he was just a young warrior.
Although they all hoped that Shao Xuan could find something on the other side, they all felt uneasy. After all, there were too many dangers on the other side of the river. Could Shao Xuan solve them alone?
But now, the change in the fire pit and the Shaman's words told them that Shao Xuan not only crossed the river safely, but also found the old land of the tribe!
Several old people who rushed over were so excited that they didn't know what to say.
The people at the foot of the mountain had also noticed the changes on the mountain. The rising flames were too obvious, and the night swallows that had been flying around arrogantly just a moment ago had now retreated far away. Just like during the annual sacrifice, they were afraid.
Old Ke walked out of the door and looked at the fire pit at the top of the mountain. He said to Caesar next to him, "Is that caused by Xuan?"
Caesar stared at the top of the mountain and looked at Old Ke. He made some noises from his nose, as if he was responding to Old Ke's words.
Not only did the Yanjiao tribe have obvious changes, even on the other side of the river, no matter if it was in the central area or the border area, many people had changed.
Today, Yan Shuo had gone out to the mountains to hunt a beast that wasn't too big. After his strength had increased, although the totem patterns were still faint, it was much better than before. Sometimes, he could even hunt some beasts back for his wife and children.
At this moment, Yan Shuo and his family were sitting around the bonfire, eating barbecued meat and chatting. Yan Shuo noticed something and looked at his arm. The faint totem pattern had actually appeared again. Moreover, the pattern was darker and clearer than before.
He didn't say anything. He just clenched his fist tightly and smiled at his wife and children. His eyes reflected the bright light of the fire, "I feel that the thing we have been waiting for is coming soon."
On the grassland.
Old He was lighting the fire at home and processing some of the herbs he had dug up today. He was busy when he suddenly felt that something was wrong. He didn't wake his wife who was already asleep. He added some firewood to the fire and hurriedly got up to get a basin of water. With the help of the fire, he looked at the reflection in the basin.
He saw that there were some patterns on his face. The color was not deep, and because the light was too dim, he couldn't see clearly. But he knew what it was. It was exactly the same as the patterns on his father's face that year!
That kind of power was real, and not the illusory and unpredictable feeling from before.
It existed in his body, in every piece of flesh. Flowing.
By a wide river.
Wooden boats that were several meters high and even more than ten meters high were docked on the shore. Compared to the boats of other tribes, these boats were already considered luxurious.
Not far from these large ships, some small, tattered boats were densely docked on another shore. Compared to the large ships, these small boats looked pitiful.
Gathering on the shore next to the boat belt, some wanderers gathered there. Every day they had to work until very late before coming back. Then they all gathered here to make a big fire and get some food to eat.
It was the same now. They laughed and talked. Compared to those who had nowhere to go and had to endure hunger every day, they were better off. Even if their days were not very comfortable.
While they were talking, the people around the fire seemed to have seen something incredible and were all stunned.
There was no more chatter and laughter. A few people who were slightly taller than the others who were topless and eating felt the strange situation around them. Just as they were about to ask, they saw that everyone was pointing at them as if they were being strangled. They couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.
However, when they looked at where the crowd was pointing and saw their naked upper bodies, they were also shocked. Their hands trembled, and even their precious stone rice bowls fell to the ground. Half a bowl of meat soup spilled on the ground. If it was any other time, they would probably feel sorry for it. They would even lie on the ground and lick it, picking up the bits of meat that fell to the ground and eating it.
But now, no one paid attention to the meat scraps.
"Totem … totem patterns …"
No one knew who spoke first, but it was like a torch that ignited a barrel of oil.
Totem patterns!
Although these totem patterns didn't last long, this night was destined to make some people lose sleep, and it also made some people have a drastic change in their mentality.
And Shao Xuan, who caused all this but didn't know it, stood by the fire pit in the old land of the Yanjiao tribe, watching the scene disappear. Everything returned to the original ruins. There were no tall stone houses, no stone statues, no dense crowds, no shamans. Everyone was gone. The fire pit was not what it used to be, and the six extended branches had disappeared.
Shao Xuan let out a long sigh.
"The glory of the past is gone!"
The scene was illusory, and only he could see it. However, when Shao Xuan saw the situation on the surrounding grassland, his pupils shrank.
Where the six branches extended from the fire seed like pulses, the flowers and plants that grew on them had all disappeared, leaving only the bare ground.
It seemed that it wasn't all illusory. Just now, the six branches of the fire seed had really appeared.
At this time, in the Wan Shi tribe, which was not too far away from the Ferocious Beast Mountain Forest.
"There's something strange in the forest. Although it's not clear, I have a feeling that the biggest threat of the Wan Shi tribe lies there!" The shaman of the Wan Shi tribe, with a bone ornament on his face, was facing the direction of the forest, as if he wanted to devour people.
The chief of the Wan Shi tribe, who was standing beside the shaman, looked at the direction of the forest and ordered the people he called over.
"Go get ready. Tomorrow, we'll take the Wan Shi beasts into the forest!"
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