Chapter 3 (1/2)
– Guardian Spirit
The sacrificial platform was made from layers of huge rocks. It was quite wide, and its establishment neighbored the old and broken willow tree. Upon it lied a small mountain of fierce beasts.
Sanguine beast blood dyed the large stone platform scarlet as it trickled along the engravings on the face of the stone. A brilliant red shone on the tough and long beasts’ fur, and cold light flickering on their scales malevolent horns as well. It was a horrifying scene that shook one’s heart, and there was a bitter desolate air assaulting everyone’s nostrils.
Under the guidance of the old Chief, Stone Village’s residents all gathered to pray and request for the Willow Tree’s protection. This was a solemn event of offering sacrifices, as well as a type of usual practice. This was carried out each time a hunt ended.
The scorched black tree’s body stayed just as quiet as before, as if it didn’t react in the slightest. It never used the offerings as always, but some of the village residents knew that it actually had a spirit!
Finally, the sacrificial procedures were finished. The villagers all released a large breath of air and once again happily smiled. They began to move the bodies of those fierce beasts in preparation of draining their blood and cutting them up.
“Many years have passed already, yet the guardian spirit hasn’t moved once after our offerings. Do we still need to offer sacrifices every time?” A youngster murmured in a low voice.
“You stinky brat, what kind of garbage are you spouting!” His father’s bronze eyes opened wide, and lifted his huge palm-leaf hands to beat him.
The old Chief gestured with his hands and stopped him from doing so. In a soft voice, he said, “We have offered sacrifices towards this guardian spirit, and it has provided for us. Only by remembering it sincerely within our hearts and treating it piously would it guard, bless and protect our village.”
The youngster’s face was completely red, and in hurriedly replied, “Chief, it’s not that my heart is not sincere. It’s just that I think that the guardian spirit does not really need all of these offerings, as it has never moved or utilized them.”
“As long as your intent is good then that’s enough.” Shi Yunfeng patted his shoulders, and carefully explained.
The guardian spirit was also called the ‘Spirit of Sacrifice’. It was an abbreviation for the tribe’s ‘Spirit of Sacrifice and Support’. It protected the village, and it intimidated the great desolate area’s vicious beasts, keeping them away.
The village’s Elder still remembered that this same guardian spirit was not quite the same ten years ago. There was instead a rather strange rock, and each time, the offerings would quickly lose more than half its blood essence from its absorption.
One day deep into the night, however, the old willow came, and that block of stone decided to go far away, and everything completely changed after that.
Thinking back to that rainy night, the old chief felt slightly distracted. That was when he was still a young youth, and at that time saw for himself that shocking and frightening scene.
During that late night, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the heavy rainstorm was majestic. The rainstorm was violent till its utmost limits, and the mountains were heavily battered by the thunder and lightning. The mountain torrent seemed like an ocean, and vicious beasts were running away frantically like the tides; the scene was terrifying.
And right at that time, a large willow tree broke through the boundary of the heavens and appeared within the clouds. It bathed in the sea of thunder, and allowed the lighting from the mountains to course through itself. Tens of thousands of willow branches formed strips of burning divine chains and pierced into the heavens as if it was battling something
Finally, the large willow tree snapped, and its entire body was charred black. It was reduced to its current size before it fell down and took root within Stone Village. At that time, the lightning disappeared, and the downpour of torrential rain retreated. That night, the stone that the villagers sacrificed to and received supply from left.
Every time he recalled this scene, the old chief would always feel his heart tremble. The old willow tree was not created from a random root within the mountains, but rather descended from the heavens. The reason it was damaged was due to the endless seas of thunder, and within the village, not many people knew about this.
In its first ten years, its entire body was scorched black and didn’t have a single hint of life force. It appeared as if it was completely dead, and only ten years ago did it finally show a single tender green branch. Since then, it has yet to undergo another change.
‘Stinky brats, you all should be careful. We rarely reap such good harvests of vicious beasts. Their blood essence, muscles, vessels as well as parts of their bones are all extraordinarily precious, so don’t waste their precious properties.” The old chief warned.
The villagers in their prime chopped with silver knives. While they were disassembling the giant creatures, there were sonorous sounds as sparks flew everywhere from hitting the giant creatures’ shockingly hard skeletons.