I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

"……I am here!"

Yu Su's thoughts were like a dose of scalding blood, flowing into the hearts of every member of the Xia clan.

The gloom that had hung over the tribe yesterday was completely dispelled by those two words, and it reformed into an almost fanatical, burning fighting spirit.

Hong's gaze swept across the faces of his clansmen—young people, old people, women, and even the children who were not yet grown up.

He was the chief of the tribe, an old hunter who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He knew perfectly well that in the face of that unknown, terrifying beast, recklessness would only kill everyone.

In addition to courage, wisdom is also needed.

So, animal hides with mission instructions written on them were distributed to the tribespeople.

Who is responsible for digging traps, who is responsible for collecting poisonous herbs, who is responsible for weaving vine nets, and who is responsible for piling up flammable materials at designated locations...

The entire Xia clan, regardless of age or gender, was involved in this hunt.

Or rather, this was more than just a hunt.

It was a battle for survival.

Hong was not idle either. He locked himself in a clearing under the shade of a tree and used charcoal to draw a topographical map of the northern mountains and forests on a huge animal hide, working tirelessly through the night to deduce the variables of the battle.

Three days later, at dawn, before daybreak, a thin mist still shrouded the valley.

Hong stood beside the roots of Yu Su's tree. He was over forty years old, which was enough to be called an "elder" in this barbaric era where the average lifespan was only thirty years.

But the moment he picked up the stone axe, everyone saw it—the leader who had led the entire tribe through thick and thin to carve out a homeland had never left.

His back remained straight, and his voice was still loud and clear.

"Follow me, let's go."

More than a hundred young men followed behind him, silently and resolutely stepping into the dense forest on the north side of the valley.

Yu Su watched their departing figures, her roots silently extending deep underground.

……

The path deep into the dense forest was extremely difficult.

Hong walked at the very front of the group, taking each step with great steadiness.

He didn't raise the stone axe in his hand, but just let it hang at his side, constantly scanning his surroundings with his sharp, eagle-like eyes as he walked.

Behind them, more than a hundred hunting team members dispersed into pre-assigned squads, maintaining a distance that allowed them to support each other without being too close together.

"stop!"

Hong suddenly raised his left hand, and the entire team stopped in unison.

His gaze fell on a fallen ancient tree in front of him. The trunk was so thick that it would take three people to hug it, and the broken ends were jagged, as if it had been snapped in the middle by something.

What kind of thing could break such an ancient tree?

Hong stood up and continued walking.

But the people behind him could sense something in his back—a heavy and tense atmosphere.

The further you go, the sparser the trees become.

The ground had been churned up by something, and huge, winding drag marks were exposed on the black soil, like the tracks left by some enormous creature crawling across the ground.

Hong stopped in his tracks.

He saw it.

It was a snake.

No, snakes don't look like that.

It perched on a clearing in front, its body unusually thick, its ten-foot-long body resembling a low wall stretching across the dense forest.

Its scales are jet black, each about the size of a palm, and have a cold, eerie sheen.

The most terrifying thing is its head, two heads that forked from the same neck, each the size of a millstone.

The two-headed python moved slightly, and a foul wind swept across the open space, carrying with it a strong stench of decay and an indescribable sweet and fishy smell.

Hong's face darkened, and he quickly instructed the hunting team to put on animal skin masks.

One of his hands was trembling, but with the other he drew the torch he had prepared beforehand from his waist and hurled it with all his might at the two-headed python.

The lit torch drew a bright arc in the air and struck the giant python precisely on the left side of its head.

"Bang—"

The resin exploded, and flames splattered everywhere.

Then, the whole world went silent for a moment.

The giant python slowly opened its two pairs of eyes, revealing vertical cyan pupils, and coldly looked down at the ignorant ants in front of it.

next moment.

The two massive mouths of the two heads simultaneously spewed out thick, dark purple poisonous mist, like two purple clouds surging from their throats and rolling towards Hong.

"retreat!"

Hong shouted and turned to run.

His footsteps darted left and right through the woods, each turn landing precisely on the obstacles he had previously set up using materials found on the spot.

Unfortunately—

The sharpened wooden stakes were crushed by the giant python's massive body; the net woven from vines was easily broken by it; bamboo tubes filled with poisonous plant juice shot out from all directions, hitting the python's scales without leaving a single scratch.

Hong didn't expect these traps to harm it; it only needed to slow it down.

"Stick together in groups of three! Don't break up!"

The sound of the swan echoed through the dense forest.

The tribesmen formed small groups of two or three and fought and retreated in a manner they had rehearsed beforehand.

They stopped attacking the python; it was pointless, their wooden spears couldn't even pierce its scales.

They did only one thing: use every means to constantly provoke the python, keep it angry, keep it chasing, and keep it from having time to think.

That beast is too strong.

So strong that it needs no schemes, so strong that it disdains any tactics.

It doesn't need to think; it only needs to chase, crush, and devour.

This is exactly what Hong wanted.

They led the giant python in a huge arc through the mountains and forests, with thick poisonous fog constantly following Hong's footsteps, turning everything along the way ashen.

Hong's legs were trembling, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. He gritted his teeth and kept running forward without stopping.

Finally, light appeared ahead.

Hong used his last bit of strength to break out of the dense forest.

As dusk approached and the last rays of sunlight pierced his eyes, he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He leaned on his stone axe, panting heavily, and looked back at the edge of the dense forest.

The giant python appeared at the edge of the forest.

Its two heads peeked out from among the branches and leaves, its vertical pupils slightly contracting in the sunlight, as if hesitating whether to continue the pursuit.

Just then, a wisp of smoke rose from the depths of the valley.

That was the direction of the Xia clan's territory; the wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys were almost transparent in the sunlight.

But its two pairs of cold, vertical pupils clearly saw those weak, vibrant two-legged creatures.

Its tongue flicked into the air, capturing a delicious aroma similar to the "food" from a few days ago...

The hesitation in the python's eyes vanished, replaced by a primal, pure, and undisguised greed.

Its two heads let out a hiss at the same time, and its huge body suddenly burst out from the edge of the forest, rushing towards the direction where the smoke was rising.

Hong led his hunting party on a frantic run, and soon they reunited with their tribesmen who were already prepared.

In the center of the Xia clan tribe, Yu Su stands tall like a mountain.

He sensed the movements of the two-headed python, and the roots underground surged and twisted.

Night has fallen; it's time to hunt.