After a century of worship, I became the ancestor of the tribe.

Chapter 108 Tribute Martial Arts Festival
"The Qing Shi tribe is willing to respect Zhi Yan as its superior, pay tribute every year, and obey his commands."

"The Yai Shan tribe wishes to honor Zhi Yan as its superior!"

Seeing that the tribal chiefs present were speaking one after another, Canghe also hurriedly spoke up.

"The Azure Bird Clan wishes to honor the Blazing Flame..."

Unfortunately, his words were mixed in with those of the other tribal chiefs, which made Canghe extremely uncomfortable.

His gaze lingered on Lin Zhong for a long time without looking away. You're just a minor acting clan leader at the Mountain Opening Realm, and instead of thinking about how to handle the clan leader's funeral arrangements, all you have is a mouth, right?

He, Canghe, was the first to gather his troops and brought the most of his clan's soldiers. If he could be the first to speak, then...

Unfortunately, it was just a little too late, and all our efforts were in vain.

I really want to stab Lin Zhong to death a thousand times.

The moonlight shines on the desolate plains, and the riverbanks where the water flows.

Dozens of tribal chiefs from the northern human tribes stood before the Fire Tower and made an alliance, in which the Blazing Flame was revered as the superior, and the Blazing Flame would protect all the tribes and pass on their martial arts techniques.

That night, the crocodile dragons that had been killed on the battlefield were skinned and had their tendons removed. They were then washed clean with the Zhu River and placed on a roasting rack. The soldiers of all the tribes celebrated the victory together.

The next day, after the battlefield was cleaned up and the spoils were distributed to each unit according to their numbers, the units returned to the north bank of the Zhu River in an orderly manner.

The reason for awarding rewards based on the number of people was that there was no accurate record of who had contributed to the victory in this great battle.

When faced with the scorching heat for the first time, all the tribes came, and Huotang did not hesitate in this matter, giving them all the rewards they deserved.

The various tribes returned to their posts, and the campaign against the Xiaoyang tribe was no longer pursued.

The Blazing Flame Tribe has achieved its desired outcome. For the next few decades or even centuries, it will likely maintain a state of mutual conflict with the Owl Sun Tribe.

They didn't press their advantage, fearing it would attract too much attention from the Xiaoyang Clan.

The day that Zhiyan becomes a fourth-tier martial artist and achieves the status of a supreme leader, the Xiaoyang Clan of the North will have no reason to exist.

……

Huo Tang led his tribesmen back in victory, and the people and subjects of the Blazing Flame Tribe crowded outside the tribe's territory, a huge crowd watching the returning warriors.

Many women and children eagerly awaited the arrival of the soldiers. Some saw familiar figures among the soldiers, and their worries turned into smiles, while others covered their mouths in dismay.

In this battle, 337 members of the Blazing Flame tribe perished, and over a thousand were wounded, most of whom sustained minor injuries, with fewer than a hundred seriously wounded.

The Heavenly Vein warriors suffered no losses, mainly because after the giant crossbows were laid flat, the first wave of attacks wiped out most of the Heavenly Vein warriors of the Xiaoyang Clan.

Over the next two days, Huotang, who had returned, performed a fire sacrifice for the tribesmen who had died in battle, and selected a valley in the north of the tribe's territory as the site for the tribe's burial ground.

In the future, all clansmen and their subjects who died in the scorching battle will be buried here.

The deity was moved to the ancestral temple for worship.

Then came the rewards, which in the Zhushui Wasteland were rewards given to the vassal tribes, mostly weapons and armor.

The rewards within the Blazing Flame Sect are much more detailed, ranging from martial arts cultivation resources to the privilege of descendants of clan soldiers entering the Witch Hall and Martial Hall, and so on.

The Blazing Flame Tribe has risen from a small, remote mountain tribe to a powerful and respected tribe. However, many things are still in the early stages of development, such as the related reward system, which is still being explored and established.

Ancestral temple.

"Tang led 4,000 soldiers of his own tribe and nearly 10,000 soldiers from various tribes to defeat the combined forces of Xiaoyang on the wasteland by the Zhushui River, beheading and capturing more than 13,000 Xiaoyang tribesmen."

Over the next ten years, the various tribes of my northern people will enjoy a period of stable development.

Tang has already sworn a blood oath with the forty-three tribal chiefs. Zhiyan will spread martial arts and witchcraft, leading the tribes to jointly resist the tyrannical strife and the natural and man-made disasters of the Great Wilderness.

Huotang, speaking in a powerful and rhythmic voice, recounted the results of the battle in the ancestral temple.

Huo Xian stood to one side, his hunched body now trying his best to straighten up, a smile on his face.

"After this battle, all tribes will respect my Zhiyan tribe as the superior tribe. I wish to choose a day to worship our ancestors and offer sacrifices to solidify the foundation of our superior tribe."

After he finished speaking, Huotang placed a piece of animal skin on the offering table.

This animal skin scroll bears the names of various tribes that swore a blood oath, as well as the blood seals of their tribal chiefs.

"Buzz!"

As soon as the animal skin scroll covenant was placed on the offering table, the nine tripods and eight sacrificial vessels in the ancestral temple emitted a humming sound.

Shen Can focused his divine sense on the sacrificial artifact and sensed the fluctuations within it.

The emergence of the tribal alliance brought about the revival of the sacrificial spirits within the ritual vessels.

……

Sensing the response from the sacrificial cauldron, Huotang was greatly encouraged. The sacrificial vessel possessed a spirit, signifying its approval of his actions.

Then, Huotang looked at Shen Can.

"Ah-Can, when do you think we should hold the grand ceremony?"

Shen Can withdrew his divine sense from the sacrificial cauldron.

"Clan leader, our Blazing Flame clan started from humble beginnings, and our previous sacrifices were all done according to our own ideas. Now that we are advancing to the upper level, we still need to learn from others."

"Yanran tribe." Huotang immediately realized.

Shen Can nodded and said, "Let Fire Monkey go to Jidi. The Yanran tribe has only recently been promoted to a superior tribe, and there are quite a few people in Jidi who have witnessed the Yanran tribe's advancement to a superior tribe."

Not long after, the Fire Monkey entered the ancestral temple.

"Ah Hou, the clan needs you to go to Ji Di."

If our Blazing Flame tribe is to be promoted to a superior tribe, and the Grand Ceremony is still the same as before, it will not only lose its prestige, but also cause the smaller tribes under its command to lose their awe.

Therefore, your journey to Ji is to inquire about the procedures and rules for the Yanran tribe's advancement to the position of High Priest.

"Yes!"

Fire Monkey agreed without hesitation.

Fire Monkey didn't go to Ji alone; Shen Can arranged for Tuozhu to guide him.

With the old beast Tuozhu around, it shouldn't be difficult to find out about Yanran's advancement to the upper level.

into the night.

After seeing off the Fire Monkey, Shen Can returned to the ancestral temple, his gaze falling on the Zhushui Alliance.

As a temple priest, communicating with the spirits became his daily routine after the spirits were introduced into the tribe.

However, in the past, most of the sacrificial spirits inside the sacrificial cauldron were in a 'dormant' state, but today, when the Zhushui Covenant was placed on the offering table, some of the 'dormant' sacrificial spirits awakened.

Shen Can approached the offering table and slowly opened the Zhushui Covenant.

The covenant stipulated several things: all tribes would respect the superior tribe, the blazing flames would protect all tribes, and martial arts training would be taught.

"Buzz!"

At this moment, the sacrificial cauldron rippled faintly once more.

Shen Can's consciousness then merged with the sacrificial cauldron.

The sacrificial spirits within the Nine Tripods and Eight Vessels were severely shattered, composed of the remnants of many human ancestors, though they had formed a dominant consciousness.

However, this dominant consciousness does not appear frequently.

"Sacrifice..."

In a daze, the chaotic fluctuations gathered into words in Shen Can's consciousness.

“Clan…advanced…to…Great…Spirit…”

The chaotic fluctuations continued to emanate, and after a long while, Shen Can finally pieced these scattered words together into a sentence.

"The clan has been promoted; the grand sacrifice is imbued with divine power..."

……

In the days that followed, news of the Zhiyan tribe leading a coalition of forty-three tribes to defeat the Xiaoyang tribe's coalition on the banks of the Zhushui River and killing over ten thousand Xiaoyang tribe soldiers gradually spread throughout the northern mountains and forests.

There was nothing that could be done. Although all the tribes lived in the mountains and forests, the fact remained that the Xiaoyang tribe, which had previously occupied all the tribe's territory in the mountains and forests, had suddenly disappeared.

The area north of the Zhushui River, in particular, became a forbidden zone for the Xiaoyang tribe.

Some tribes south of the Zhushui River also witnessed the great defeat of the Xiaoyang tribe and retreated in panic to the banks of the Qushui River.

Seeing that the Blazing Flame Tribe had not pursued them, they breathed a sigh of relief. The various tribes, seeing the heavy losses, could only defend themselves, let alone resist.

News of this battle spread throughout the northern mountains and forests.

The news that the Blazing Flame Tribe and other tribes had sworn an oath of brotherhood and spread their martial arts traditions was also spread.

Some tribes that received the order from the Blazing Flame Clan but did not obey and gather their troops were so regretful that they almost broke their thighs.

To be given armor, to be taught martial arts, and to be protected by the scorching flames—such a good thing was missed out on.

Fortunately, news also spread that the Blazing Flame Tribe was about to be promoted to a superior tribe, and the tribal chiefs all had a plan in mind.

As the name of Blazing Flame spread, some tribes in the northern mountains and wilderness migrated north to seek refuge with the Blazing Flame tribe, hoping to be accepted by them.

The tribes that came to them for refuge were all incorporated into their subjects.

This is the third batch of subjects, who have been settled in the outer ring of the second batch of subjects' settlement.

The morale of the human race was greatly boosted, and the various tribes of Xiaoyang who had fled back also underwent major changes.

In particular, the Xiaoyang tribe, which lost its Heavenly Vein Warriors in this great war, became the target of annexation by the three major tribes of Muqiu, Muxun, and Qiuxiong.

Because the bear was seriously injured, it failed to regroup its defeated troops in time, which allowed the loach and the sturgeon to gain an advantage.

By annexing the remnants of the Xiaoyang tribe, the number of people in each of these two tribes not only did not decrease, but instead became more than 50,000.

The only downside is that the loss is of elite warriors, while the gathering of the remaining people from various tribes will take time to settle down and be transformed into real combat power.

The remaining Xiaoyang tribesmen, seeing Muqiu and his men baring their fangs, had no choice but to lead their people away from the three tribes' territory and find another place to establish their tribes.

While Zhiyan was preparing for its advancement to the upper ranks, the various divisions of Xiaoyang were silently licking their wounds, and for a time, the entire northern lands returned to peace.

……

Four months later.

The sun shines brightly, and fiery clouds float in the western sky.

In the southern part of the Blazing Flame Tribe, a group of over a hundred people were on their way. Ten of them carried bamboo cages on their backs, from which blue birds were chirping.

Some people were carrying animal skin bags, which looked quite heavy.

The one leading the way was the grey crane.

After obtaining the exact date of the Blazing Flame Sacrifice, he led his people on the journey to pay tribute ahead of time.

This time, we are determined to be the first to arrive.

These days, whenever he can't sleep at night, the thought of the blood oath sworn on the banks of the Zhushui River makes him want to tear Yanglinbu Lin Zhong's mouth apart.

On the land of the Blazing Flame Clan, black stone walls gleamed with a metallic sheen. Above the ancestral temple, a wide black stone plaza had been created, large enough to hold thousands of people without feeling crowded.

At the four corners of the site, stone buildings stand tall, with giant arrows flashing coldly on all four sides.

Outside the ancestral temple.

The number of temple guards increased from twelve to thirty-six. Each of them was as strong as a calf, dressed in black robes, wearing a uniform cloak with kui-patterned animal skin, and holding a golden melon-shaped hammer.

Thirty-six people stood in two rows, going up and down the stone steps outside the ancestral temple.

His expression was solemn, and his eyes held a menacing glint.

These thirty-six people were not the youngsters from the Martial Hall of Fire Turtle; they were all martial artists who had participated in the great battle against Xiao Yang.

They were selected from tens of thousands of soldiers in the entire tribe, including 29 members of the Zhiyan tribe and 7 members from the subordinate tribes.

Each of them is at the Mountain Opening Realm, and their Desolate Power is at least over forty.

Huo Zhang was among them; he already possessed the power of the Fifty-Three Desolations.

It can be said that Huo Zhang and his thirty-six men are the thirty-six most powerful Mountain Opening Realm warriors among the hundreds of thousands of people controlled by the Blazing Flame Tribe.

Oh, right, Ah Yu was among them.

Following the temple, the unassuming Ah Yu now possesses the power of fifty-five wildernesses.

However, Ah Yu also felt that her strength had reached its limit, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to increase her strength further.

In addition to the protection of the ancestral temple, the interior of the ancestral temple has also undergone changes.

The original cave was repaired and transformed into a grand hall carved with patterns of wild beasts.

Outside the main hall, several young men and women dressed in robes with Kui script stood solemnly on either side of the ancestral temple gate.

Inside the ancestral temple, Shen Can was wiping the sacrificial cauldron.

His robes were no longer made of hemp, but were woven from silk spun by silkworms raised within the tribe, and the Kui script embroidered on them was much clearer and more vivid.

On the offering table, the sacrificial rice, fruits, and meat are changed daily.

Not long after, Huotang entered the ancestral temple.

Huo Tang had also changed his robe, now a silk robe embroidered with kui patterns. Although it was not fancy, it gave him a more imposing air.

Over the past few months, Huotang has grown a beard, and his expression has become more composed and dignified.

"Chief, are you worried that the Xiaoyang Clan will cause trouble during the clan festival?"

The day of the clan festival is drawing ever closer. This is the day when Blazing Flame will officially advance to the upper level, and only when all the clans jointly acknowledge him as the upper level can he be recognized as such.

If the Xiaoyang Clan were to use underhanded tactics at this time, it would be difficult to defend against them.

"Half of the Blood Curse Guards and the Blood Sea Guards have gone south to ensure that the Xiaoyang Clan has had a fulfilling time these days."

"Disciples Huo Fu, Huo Long, and Huo Jiang also went along. Everything is prepared here in the clan. What is there to fear about a little chaos?"

Seeing Huotang staring blankly at the altar and the sacrificial cauldron, Shen Can sensed the tension in Huotang's heart.

It was my first time.

it's the same.

These are all things that Zhiyan has never experienced before. Even if all the ancestors of Zhiyan over the past three hundred years were dug up, they could not provide any experience to draw upon.

For the Zhiyan tribe, Huotang was creating a new chapter in their tribal history.

The upper part is scorched, starting from the firebox.

……

"Reporting to the clan chief, the Azure Bird Clan Chief Azure Crane has arrived, presenting five pairs of second-tier Azure Feather Bird descendants, a Azure Wutong Spirit-Enhancing Bird-Raising Technique, and a thousand jin of Crimson Fire Gilded Iron Ore."

Huoqi entered the ancestral temple and spoke to Huotang.

"A grey crane."

Huotang immediately realized who it was upon hearing who had arrived.

"This means they've even brought out the very foundation of the Azure Bird Clan."

"Either don't give it at all, or give it in a way that amazes everyone. Chief Canghe is quite shrewd."

Currently, the tribe still relies on the shamanistic puppetry techniques they acquired earlier to tame birds, so this bird taming method is indeed timely.

“I’ll go and meet the first tribe that arrives to pay tribute.”

Huo Tang thought for a moment and walked outside. Ever since the Zhī Yán gathered troops, the Cāng Nǚ tribe had been very sensible, and of course, they had to be given face.

In just a few short years, everything has changed.

Back then, the three tribes of the North were cursed and perished in Shanghu.

After Saruyama migrated, we don't know where he went.

The Azure Birds suffered a severe blow, their clan's strength was greatly diminished, and it was unknown when they would recover.

With the arrival of the Azure Bird tribe, in the days that followed, various tribes arrived at the Blazing Flame tribe one after another.

"The Yanglin tribe congratulates Zhiyan on his advancement to the upper level and presents him with a vast quantity of various minerals and seventeen ancient stone murals."

"The Burning Wood Division congratulates the Blazing Flame Upper Division on its promotion and presents its offering..."

……

At the time of the Zhushui Alliance, there were a total of forty-three tribes.

Before the Blazing Flame Grand Ceremony, the number of tribes that came to the Blazing Flame Tribe reached one hundred and three.

The offerings from the various tribes were nothing to the Blazing Flame Tribe at present, but their arrival made the Blazing Flame Tribe's grand ceremony more solemn.

Clan memorial day.

Shen Can was already standing outside the ancestral temple when it was still dark.

The tribesmen were pouring a blood-red molten liquid into a large iron cauldron, a mixture of witchcraft, animal blood, owl yang blood, and animal oil.

There are nine large cauldrons in total, lined up outside the ancestral temple.

As a sliver of light appeared in the eastern sky, Shen Can took a deep breath and said, "Burning Blood Fire."

The thirty-six temple guards lined up outside the ancestral temple shouted in unison.

"Burning blood fire!"

Rumble!
Flames suddenly erupted from the nine large cauldrons, their crimson light illuminating the square outside the ancestral temple.

In the firelight, the figures of the tribesmen who had arrived long ago were revealed, along with the tribal chiefs who had come to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

Rumble!
Suddenly, the land began to shake. At first, the tremors were very slight, but later they grew stronger and stronger.

On the stone steps below the ancestral temple, a figure exuding a strong aura of blood and malevolence was climbing the steps.

These figures, clad in blood-stained armor and wielding blood-stained witch knives and hand hammers, exuded a murderous aura as they walked step by step from the clan's underground grounds toward the ancestral temple.

Upon arriving at the square outside the ancestral temple, they stood in formation, uttering howls that created a thunderous sound.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

The shamans, dressed in their robes, stood guard on both sides of the ancestral temple and blew their horns.

The powerful sound of the horn pierced through metal and split rocks.

"kill!"

As the horn sounded, the volcano, leading its tribal troops in formation, roared.

He and his tribesmen had already rehearsed many times for today's grand ceremony.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Nearly a thousand soldiers in formation roared to the sky in unison, their murderous aura merging together to form an invisible wave that swept across the surroundings.

Accompanied by shouts of battle, the sword strikes grew increasingly fierce, as if the alien race of Xiaoyang were still before them, their killing intent surging and their fighting spirit soaring to the heavens.

The tribesmen who had gathered around were all overwhelmed by the overwhelming fighting spirit and instinctively wanted to take two steps back.

Boom!
When the fighting spirit surged into the ancestral temple, the sacrificial vessels rang out like bells.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The crisp sound continued without end, like the sound of drums.

Shen Can, who was located in the center outside the ancestral temple, released his divine sense. His divine sense sensed the sound waves emanating from the sacrificial cauldron and merged with the fighting spirit of the clansmen who were practicing martial arts.

"kill!"

Nearly a thousand people once again roared to the sky, as if guided, their swords flashing in unison, causing the longswords to clang, the sound waves sweeping across the heavens and earth and surging into the mountains and forests.

Deep within the Juyue Mountains, in a secluded valley where the dawn sun has yet to reach, mist swirls and a blurry figure emerges from the mist, eyes closed and ears perked, as if listening intently.

After a long while, 'he' opened his eyes, his eyes filled with confusion, as if he were recalling something.

Then, "he" moved. With only his upper body, "he" drifted like a ghost through the mountains and valleys, heading towards the outside of the mountains.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the horizon.

……

Outside the Zhiyan Ancestral Temple.

The magnificent fighting spirit of a thousand people gathering for a martial arts demonstration swept through the tribe, and the tribal chiefs could not resist it and all bowed their heads.

These thousand people were all at the Mountain Opening Realm, their bodies radiating terrifying murderous aura, and all possessed the life of a fierce owl.

The blood-stained armor, the sorcerer's sword dried with Xiao Yang's blood, and the cracks and breaks on the blade were all remnants of slaying Xiao Yang.

With this army of a thousand, no other tribe in the northern lands dared to challenge the might of the scorching sun.

Even the Xiaoyang Clan, without seeking outside help from the main branch, can only obediently stay in the Qushui River Basin and cannot move north.

Boom boom boom!
At that moment, everyone heard the increasingly urgent drumbeats from inside the ancestral temple, and their hearts were on edge.

Shen Can resonates with the spirit of the temple and the sacrificial vessels.

As the sound waves from the sacrificial vessels were transmitted, his divine sense saw a middle-aged man with his upper body bare outside the ancestral temple.

The blurry figure, glowing with a bronze luster, hovered above the ancestral temple, silently overlooking the Blazing Flame Tribe, before finally landing on the thousands of tribal soldiers practicing martial arts.

He seemed to recall something, and his brows furrowed.

Before long, the illusory figure shattered like a bubble and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)