Chapter 128 – Engraving and branding (2/2)

Caesar’s present state was not suitable to perform the profound craft of engraving and branding, so in order to make the possibility of success stronger, Shao Xuan was arousing his desire to survive.

The potential in the desperate situation was unpredictable. That’s why there were some sayings such as fighting back in a desperate situation, and being reborn from the ashes.

After talking to Caesar for a while, Shao Xuan no longer hesitated to take actions. He should start now while Caesar is still conscious.

He made a simple fence with rattan to prevent the interference of other small beasts.

Shao Xuan didn’t know what changes the profound craft of engraving and branding would bring in the end, but he was willing to take a risk to have a chance this time.

Shao Xuan put the stone knife in his left hand, and then squatted to raise the right hand in front of Caesar.

After carefully recalling the record in the ancient volumes, as well as his usual practice, Shao Xuan began to mobilize the power of inheritance in his body.

In his sea of consciousness, from the bottom of the totem flame to the two horns, the blue flame gradually increased. A trace of blue separated from it.

At the same time, under Shao Xuan’s right palm, the blue threads began to form two horns. The horns were not the two-dimensional pattern, but the three-dimensional totem shape. They were much smaller than that of the flame pit in the tribe, it was the size of a walnut.

The two horns gradually formed. When they were well depicted, some blue flame began to surround them, and over the blue flame, a red flame began to appear.

During this process, Shao Xuan did not dare to have the slightest carelessness and make a small mistake, which might cause failure in the engraving and branding, and the totem shape would scatter. When the red flame finally appeared and stabilized, Shao Xuan felt slightly relieved, which proved the formation of the totem shaped by the power of inheritance. But this was just the beginning.

After the engraving step was finished, Shao Xuan started the ‘branding’ step.

After successfully engraving the totem, Shao Xuan moved his palm to brand it on Caesar’s forehead.

The totem moved with Shao Xuan’s hand. When he touched Caesar, it was not immediately branded on Caesar. Though Shao Xuan felt the resistance in his hand, he did not worry, for it was recorded in the ancient volumes that there would be a lot of resistance in the step of branding. After all, Caesar was not a member of this tribe, and he was not a human either, so there would naturally be some resistance.

Without a pause, Shao Xuan continued slowly branding the totem. He could brand it neither too quickly nor too slowly. The speed must be controlled by him according to his intuition, because it was not recorded in the ancient volumes.

As Shao Xuan’s palm pressed down, the two horns totem was slowly branded into Caesar’s head.

With his palm attached to Caesar’s head, Shao Xuan finished branding, but did not immediately pull back his hand. He helped guide the flow of the totem power inside Caesar.

Caesar was still conscious, and began to follow Shao Xuan’s guidance

to mobilize this emerging power.

He knew what it was, he felt it during the tribe’s ritual at the end of every winter. He was fearfully avoided it twice before, but now he found it close and familiar.

When Caesar’s consciousness began to dominate, Shao Xuan drew back his hand.

He wiped away the sweat on his forehead, and glanced around. If some beasts or ferocious beasts had attacked them, they would have failed. It was fortunate that no beasts took actions.

Looking at Caesar lying on the bough, Shao Xuan knew that was all he could do for the whole process. The rest depended on Caesar himself. If he could master and accept this ability, he will succeed. Otherwise, he will die due to his serious injuries soon.

Shao Xuan soon found Caesar trembling more and more violently. His body began to twitch.

Puff!

Caesar spit out blood, and the blood spilled all over Shao Xuan.

Kaka!

Kaka!

With a burst of brittle bones, Caesar swelled up as he was supported by his bones. His fur looked as if it was attached to his bones so he looked skinny.

What happened?!

Shao Xuan looked at this change with great shock.

Such a change was not recorded in the ancient volumes, which only mentioned that after the fusion of the hound and the totem, the hound would grow into a stronger beast than others of its kind, and even become a ferocious beast in a short period of time. A short period of time didn’t refer to several minutes or hours, but dozens of days!

But now, only a few minutes after the craft was performed, Caesar began to change.

Shao Xuan did not know whether he would change like what the ancestors had said, for there were no detailed records.

Shao Xuan had been paying attention to Caesar’s state, whose fractured bones had reshaped and had become much bigger. His two severe wounds had stopped bleeding, you could see bones in one wound.

Although his changes went beyond Shao Xuan’s expectation, and differed from the records in the ancient volumes, Shao Xuan could feel Caesar’s vitality become stronger. The change of his vitality was not as obvious as that of his appearance, but such change was indeed a good sign.

Those birds above that stared at Shao Xuan and Caesar, and waited for the opportunity to attack them, retreated to their nests. They no longer looked below, and all of them became as timid as quails.