I Steal the Ancestors' Sacrifices to Nourish Myself

"Everyone else has returned, many injured, so only I could come to meet you. I’ve been hiding here for five days."

Zhong Yue replied repeatedly to Zhong Shao’s question.

"Brother, did you find any trace of the Auspicious Beast?"

"Finding an Auspicious Beast isn’t that easy."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yue’s face showed disappointment, and her eyebrows knitted together.

"Without the Auspicious Beast, our Yunmu Tribe will have to conscript thirty thousand people, what are we going to do!"

Hearing Zhong Yue’s muttering, everyone else’s faces turned grave.

The Yunmu Tribe only numbers one hundred and ten thousand in total; if thirty thousand are taken away, how will they survive afterwards?

In the later half of the night, the group finally reached the makeshift camp within the Earth Cave.

Within the camp, there were already more than four hundred people inside, and in one of the caves, dozens of lifeless tribe members lay side by side.

Altogether, fewer than fifty people appeared unscathed.

"A Shao, how is it, have you discovered anything?"

An elder stood up, welcoming Zhong Shao and his group into the cave.

Seeing Zhong Shao shake his head, the elder sighed and immediately urged everyone to quickly enter the cave.

"Hurry and bandage everyone’s wounds."

The campfire crackled, and apart from the sound of wounds being bandaged, everyone else remained silent.

"Clan Leader, should I take the uninjured ones into the mountains again?"

After stirring the campfire, Zhong Shao seemed to have made a decision.

"There is still time. If we can find the Auspicious Beast, we can, we can exempt Yunmu Tribe from conscription."

"Right, Clan Leader, let’s try going into the mountains again!"

"Once thirty thousand are taken, who knows for how many years, and how many will return, the Pu Race is just using us as sacrifices!"

"Without those thirty thousand strong men, how are we going to survive, especially with the Long-armed Race always eyeing us with malice."

"Clan Leader, let’s go into the mountains one more time, maybe this time we can find the Auspicious Beast!"

"Can you tell me what you are looking for the Auspicious Beast for?"

"Who!"

The sudden voice startled everyone in the Earth Cave, and they all gripped their weapons tightly.

The injured also got up from the ground, showing a vigilant look.

"Someone’s outside!"

Clan Leader Yunmu reacted first.

The Earth Cave camp was specially constructed by their tribe for ease of mountain expeditions, opened within this solid underground rock.

The entrance was blocked by a boulder, capable of preventing Wild Beast disturbances.

Zhong Shao grabbed his Witch Weapon and walked to the cave entrance first. After opening the entrance, he saw a figure standing under the night sky, with a small round drum hanging at the waist, and a tiger-shaped Wild Beast beside him.

It seemed there was no strong aura at all.

Yet Zhong Shao dared not relax in the slightest; he sensed he encountered a powerful presence.

Fortunately, it was a fellow Human Race.

However, although it was the same race, the people inside the Earth Cave from the Yunmu Tribe still did not let down their guard.

"Our tribe is resting; if you are hungry, Senior, we have meat here for you."

Though Shen Can looked very young and no aura could be felt, Zhong Shao still addressed him as Senior.

Buzz!

Suddenly, Zhong Shao felt a flash in front of him, and an airflow swept past his side, rushing into the cave.

In a panic, he raised his weapon to strike at Shen Can.

Yet he found himself immobilized by an overwhelmingly powerful force.

The stream that flew into the cave burst open instantly, transforming into dense medicinal rain that fell over everyone.

Inside the cave, before they realized what was happening, the medicinal rain fell; the injured felt their pain easing, and the uninjured felt their weariness vanish.

"Clan Leader Yunmu greets the Senior."

Not long after, the Clan Leader Yunmu walked quickly out from the cave, bowing to Shen Can.

Clan Leader Yunmu was a Tier Four Martial Artist of the Celestial Vein Eighth Layer, a rank that in the Blazing Flame didn’t even pass muster.

However, Shen Can did not use his formidable strength to oppress the Human Race’s weaker members.

In his eyes, be it ordinary humans or Tier Four ones, they were all the same.

At this moment, Zhong Shao also realized that if Shen Can wanted to make a move, they would stand no chance of resistance.

Noticing the medicinal Qi permeating the Earth Cave, Zhong Shao bowed deeply to Shen Can.

"Senior, please."

Inside the Earth Cave, Zhong Yue roasted a piece of beast meat over the fire and used the water from his bamboo tube to carefully clean the Bone Blade, slicing the meat into small pieces and presenting them to Shen Can.

"Senior, please note, it’s the Pu Race’s rule; if one has an Auspicious Beast, they are exempt from conscription or offering."

"Not long ago, a Pu Race messenger arrived at our Yunmu Tribe and issued a Decree, demanding our tribe either present a Tier Three Auspicious Beast or conscript thirty thousand of our able men for the Pu Race’s warfare."

"The reason I led our tribe into the mountains was to find traces of the Auspicious Beast."

Clan Leader Yunmu explained the reason for seeking the Auspicious Beast to Shen Can.

Shen Can picked up the roasted meat and stuffed it into his mouth, listening as Clan Leader Yunmu continued discussing the Pu Race’s situation.

Compared to when Luwu first came, the situation in the Great Pu Ancient Kingdom had undergone earth-shattering changes.

The Jinyang Clan, a powerful group within the Pu Race’s war factions, had now dominantly occupied four of the Six Domains of the Ancient Kingdom, on the cusp of reviving the former glory of the Great Pu Ancient Kingdom.

Any tribes living in this area had to obey the Pu Race’s commands, conscripting tribe members into the Pu Race’s servant army, and offering grain and meat.

Those who defied faced the threat of tribe extermination.