Perfection: He is the Heavenly Emperor, I am the Eastern Emperor!

Chapter 22 Shi Hao's Medicinal Bath

Before long, after everyone had finished their preparations, the altar was piled high with ferocious beasts, like a small mountain.

In just a moment, the still-drying crimson beast blood stained the giant stone platform, and then flowed along the carvings on the stone surface, a dazzling red.

Add to that the coarse, long fur, gleaming scales, and ferocious horns of the giant beasts, and together they create a shocking scene, giving one the immediate sense of a tragic and ancient primordial aura that sends shivers down one's spine.

Then, led by Shi Yunfeng, the men, women, and children of Shi Village prayed together, asking for the protection of the lightning-struck wood!

This is a solemn sacrificial ceremony, and it is also a long-standing tradition in Shicun Village, which is performed by hunting teams every time they return from a hunt.

However, the charred tree remained as silent as ever, showing no reaction whatsoever, and as always, no offerings were taken. But everyone in Stone Village knew that it possessed a spirit!

After a long while, the sacrificial ceremony finally ended, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Joyful smiles returned to their faces as they began to move the carcasses of the beasts, preparing to bleed and cut them up.

"So many years have passed, and the High Priest hasn't touched the offerings even once. Is it really necessary to perform sacrifices every time?"

Just then, a burly young man couldn't help but mutter a few words under his breath, but his muttering was unusually loud, standing out starkly in the silence.

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

These words immediately caused his father, who was standing beside him, to widen his eyes and immediately raise his large hand to strike him.

However, at the crucial moment, Shi Yunfeng, the clan leader, stopped him. He then leaned down slightly and whispered to the boy, "The sacrificial spirits are the spiritual beings we devoutly worship and carefully nurture. What we value most is sincerity."

"Only if we treat it with sincerity will it protect our village and keep us safe."

Upon seeing this, the rescued boy immediately looked flustered and hurriedly explained, "Grandpa Clan Chief, it's not that I'm not sincere, it's just that I think the Sacrificial Spirit doesn't need these offerings, since it has never used a single one."

"The sentiment is enough."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yunfeng said nothing more, but simply raised his hand and gently patted the boy's shoulder before turning around and slowly leaving.

On the other side, the young and strong men of the tribe were already sharpening their knives and began to cut up the giant beasts. It must be said that the bones of the giant beasts were indeed incredibly hard. When they cut them, they actually made a clanging sound and sparks flew everywhere.

Nearby, several people were using large ceramic jars that had been prepared beforehand to collect the blood essence from special parts of the beast's body.

Although the village's food has improved a lot in the last two years thanks to Shi An, they now have the flesh and blood of ferocious beasts such as Kui beasts, fire tigers, silver spirit loaches, and flying dragons to nourish themselves from time to time.

But this harvest still brought great joy to the villagers.

"Hmm, the true blood preserved in the rhinoceros horn of this Xiqu is also astonishing, perhaps no less than that of the Pixiu!"

Suddenly, an old man who was cutting a rhinoceros horn canal exclaimed in surprise, drawing the attention of those around him.

From the flesh beneath the rhinoceros horn, hard as metal and stone, flowed a stream of crimson blood, as red as fire.

Furthermore, the blood transformed into a ball of red light, and a palm-sized phantom of a rhinoceros appeared, its entire body jet black, lifelike, and roaring angrily.

"This is excellent! The medicinal properties of this true blood are extremely potent, truly comparable to that of the Pixiu!"

Upon seeing this, the old man burst into laughter, then quickly used the earthenware jar to collect the rhinoceros blood, and then firmly sealed the jar opening.

At the same time, another young man suddenly spoke up: "Chieftain, the single claw bone of this Bifang bird is also a valuable item. If it hadn't been on the verge of death when we found it, we might not have been able to deal with it."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yunfeng nodded slightly: "It's truly rare. Its single claw has blue flame patterns. If you carefully chip it off, it will be a rare and precious material for tempering."

"The tailbone of the calamity beast Fei is incredibly tough; even an axe can't cut it."

"These are all good stuff. Be careful, brat, don't waste the precious blood from the serpent's wings!"

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In an instant, the entire Stone Village was filled with joy, and everyone's face was full of smiles.

However, the teenagers all unconsciously shrank their necks and then ran away in a flash.

Because they knew that most of these so-called blood and bone medicines would be used on them, ostensibly for their own good, but in reality just to make them suffer.

Half an hour later, all the "precious herbs" growing on the beast's body had been harvested. Shi Yunfeng and several elders of the clan nodded in satisfaction, then took away the pottery jars to dispose of them.

As for the remaining experienced elders, they began to direct everyone to process the already cut-up pieces of wild beast meat.

Under their direction, the women from each household began to step forward to distribute the meat, all with genuine smiles. They had been worried about their men who had gone out, but now not only had they all returned safely, but they had also reaped such a bountiful harvest. This was undoubtedly the best blessing from heaven.

Half an hour later, eight large bronze cauldrons appeared in an open space in the village. Flames roared beneath them, and the water inside was boiling. Several old men were throwing in medicinal herbs from the mountains, and every now and then they would put in centipedes, toads, scorpions, and the like.

This also turned the originally clear water into a dark, ink-like color, which was extremely frightening.

Upon witnessing this scene, the children's faces turned green instantly, and they wished they could run away immediately.

Unfortunately, they were too young to escape the adults' grasp and were held down tightly.

Soon, more clansmen brought dozens of pottery jars, and several elders took them, carefully opened them, and poured some of the crimson liquid into the large bronze cauldron.

"Gurgle!"

Instantly, the already dark water boiled even more.

It was a small amount of true blood extracted from the bodies of those hunted ferocious beasts. It was extremely precious and could help both adults and children strengthen their constitution.

Furthermore, the clan possesses several ancient prescriptions, and when combined with certain herbs, the effects of this true blood will be even better.

In addition to the true blood, bone powder, including the wing bones of the snake and the horn bones of the rhinoceros, was also thrown into the boiling water.

After an unknown amount of time, the fire died down, and the water in the cauldron gradually stopped boiling. After the water cooled down a bit, a series of splashes were heard, along with painful cries. It turned out that a group of children had been thrown in, two or three of them inside the cauldron.

"Dad, it hurts! This water's scalding me!"

"Mom, help! I feel like my body is being sliced ​​open with a knife, my skin is tearing open!"

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They grimaced, clawing and kicking, struggling to break free, only to be pushed back down, screaming in agony, hoping their parents would let them go.

Unfortunately, no matter how much they pleaded, the adults remained unmoved, because it was for their own good; only by going through these things could they survive in this vast wilderness.

And so, dozens of children were thrown in one after another, most of them screaming and struggling.

Only seven or eight children fared slightly better; although they were also in pain and sweating profusely, they endured it without uttering a sound.

Even the tiny one, as delicate as a porcelain doll, couldn't escape.

On the contrary, he was given special treatment. He was thrown into a black cauldron alone, which contained only a little water and the rest was the true blood and broken bones of ferocious beasts.

No one present felt that this was inappropriate or unfair, because their own children would not be able to handle such treatment.

After all, they were already crying and screaming in agony in ordinary medicine cauldrons; if it were this, I'm afraid...

Thinking of this, all the adults couldn't help but shudder.