Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

Having collected the Golden-Winged Roc's precious blood, Lin Xuan did not linger in that ancient battlefield valley. The fierce battle with the young roc had caused quite a stir, likely attracting the attention of many more powerful beings. Although his divine sense had grown stronger, he still needed to be cautious in this realm.

He concealed his presence and fled in the opposite direction to the other several emanations that followed. His divine sense, like an invisible breeze, swept across the vast mountains and rivers, the rushing torrents, and the primeval jungles filled with dangerous energy.

For several days, he wandered aimlessly, during which he also devoured several foolish beasts that stumbled upon him, making his divine sense increasingly refined. But his main purpose was to gain a deeper understanding of this world called "Ancient Wasteland," especially to find clues about other possible innate divine runes.

On this day, after he traversed a swamp filled with poisonous miasma and teeming with countless strange insects, the scene before him suddenly opened up, causing him to become slightly uneasy.

Ahead lay a relatively open hilly area, the land barren and sparsely vegetated. Unlike the wild landscape seen before, this place clearly bore the marks of human activity—simple, low huts built from boulders and animal hides were scattered haphazardly in the leeward side of the hills, forming a small settlement.

However, the settlement lacked any sense of vitality; instead, it was permeated with an atmosphere of despair, death, and fear.

Most of the shacks were dilapidated, many already collapsed, bearing the marks of violent destruction. Scattered on the ground were broken pottery jars, fractured bone spears, and traces of blackened, dried blood. In the air, besides a faint smell of blood, there was also a lingering, mournful echo of desperate souls.

What caught Lin Xuan's attention even more was that in the center of the settlement stood several tall wooden stakes. Bound to the stakes were the skeletons of several long-dead bodies, their flesh gnawed away, leaving only stark white bones and some tattered burlap hanging from them. Beneath the stakes lay piles of wild animal skulls, as if from some cruel sacrificial ritual.

On the edge of this ruined settlement, some surviving figures huddled in the darkest corners like frightened quails.

They were dressed in tattered clothes, barely able to cover their bodies, their exposed skin covered in filth, scars, and some kind of bizarre totem tattoos. Men, women, and children alike were all emaciated, with sunken eyes and numb, empty gazes, as if they had lost all hope for life, leaving only the instinct for survival to keep them breathing mechanically.

Their bodies are weak and their qi and blood are depleted. There is only a trace of weak and almost negligible crude witch power or qi and blood circulating in their bodies. The highest level of cultivation is only equivalent to the third or fourth level of the Qi Refining stage.

human race.

A human tribe that is at the very bottom of the ancient world and is struggling on the verge of extinction.

Lin Xuan's divine sense silently swept across the entire tribe, reading the remaining fragments of information in the air, as well as the fearful memories that had escaped from those numb souls.

Fragmented images pieced together before his eyes: a terrifying shadow descended, blotting out the sky, winged, demonic servants like yakshas; the tribe's strongest warrior roared and charged forward, only to be easily torn apart; piercing cries and desperate wails; the periodic "harvest," like selecting livestock; tribesmen bound to stakes as food...

This is a captive tribe. Their value seems to lie solely in providing regular "tribute"—fresh human flesh and souls—to one or more powerful gods or demons and their vassals.

The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is vividly displayed here.

Lin Xuan's state of mind was as calm as a still well. He had witnessed far too much slaughter and destruction; similar tragedies were constantly unfolding throughout the myriad realms. He was not a savior, nor did he have any grand ambition to save all living beings.

However, when he saw those children huddled in the corner with numb eyes, and saw their emaciated bodies still clutching half a piece of blackened animal bone, his unbreakable Dao heart was still stirred by an extremely subtle ripple.

It wasn't pity, but a kind of... a distant resonance stemming from shared blood ties. And a displeasure at seeing "resources" being wasted in this way.

These humans, though weak, possess souls and beliefs that can generate the power of faith. Moreover, in such an extremely desperate environment, if they can be given hope and strength, the resulting faith may be exceptionally pure.

More importantly, they have lived here for generations and must have some understanding of this area and those so-called gods and demons. They themselves are a living "book" of information about this world.

Just as Lin Xuan was weighing his options—

"Whoosh—Buzz—"

A low, eerie horn sound came from the distant horizon!

The sound of the horn carried a magical power that pierced the soul, instantly shattering the tribe's deathly silence!

"They're here again!" "Quick, hide! Hide!" "Mom... I'm scared..."

The people, who had been numb and huddled together, were suddenly gripped by extreme fear, like shrimp thrown into boiling water! They screamed in panic, scrambling around like headless flies, trying to find a place to hide, only to find there was nowhere to go. Desperate cries echoed across the hills once more.

Lin Xuan sensed with his divine sense that several black dots had appeared on the horizon and were approaching at an extremely fast speed. They were three creatures resembling bat-winged demon wolves, covered in black scales, and exuding a cold, bloodthirsty aura. On their backs rode humanoid creatures clad in rough bone armor, wielding bone spears, and with ferocious faces, their eyes filled with contempt and greed for the humans below.

They are servants of gods and demons, hunters! Here for their routine "harvest"!

One of the riders, seemingly a minor leader, looked down at the chaotic human swarm below, letting out a sinister laugh. He casually pointed his bone spear at a emaciated old man who was slowing down due to fear, intending to pin him to the ground as an appetizer for the hunt.

The spear pierced the air with a piercing shriek!

The old man closed his eyes in despair.

The other members of the tribe seemed to foresee the old man being pierced through the body the next second, and they let out even more mournful cries.

However, the expected sound of a spear piercing flesh did not come.

The bone spear, which contained terrifying power, seemed to hit an invisible wall when it was still a foot away from the old man's back. It stopped abruptly, and then with a "bang," it broke into pieces and turned into dust!

"?!"

Not only the spear-throwing rider, but also the other two hunters and their wolves were stunned, a hint of surprise flashing in their scarlet eyes.

The humans fleeing in chaos below paused for a moment due to this sudden turn of events, gazing blankly into the sky.

Just then, a calm, indifferent voice, yet seemingly imbued with supreme majesty, resounded deep within the soul of every living being, like a divine decree from the heavens:

"I have protected this tribe."

The moment the voice fell, an invisible, vast pressure, as boundless as a sea of ​​stars, suddenly descended!

The three-headed bat-winged demon wolf seemed to have been struck by an invisible mountain, letting out a mournful howl. Along with its rider, it fell heavily from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot, crashing to the ground with several loud thuds. Its tendons and bones were broken, blood gushed from its mouth, and its eyes were filled with boundless fear and disbelief!

They struggled to get up, only to find that the space around them was like solidified amber, imprisoning them so tightly that they couldn't even move a finger!

The entire tribe fell into a deathly silence.

All the surviving humans stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded, at the three demonic servants who were usually as arrogant as death itself, now lying on the ground like lambs to the slaughter. Then, their gazes, involuntarily filled with immense awe and a faint, rekindled flame of hope, turned to the void.

Although the place was empty, they could sense that an unimaginable being was watching them.

Lin Xuan's divine sense phantom did not manifest. He remained hidden, but the supreme power that had saved them from danger and suppressed the hunters with a flick of his finger had been branded into the hearts of every surviving human.

He looked down at his people, whose expressions shifted from despair and numbness to shock and bewilderment, eventually coalescing into an almost devout gaze of adoration. His deep black eyes remained utterly calm.

The time for sowing has come.