Vol. 1 - Ch. 88 - Harvest

At noon, the dispatched clansmen finally returned to the clan, carrying a significant amount of spoils from their expedition. Inside the clan hall, Chen Tianjing and other key members were already present. “Clan leader, we have emptied the Liu clan's resources, leaving only the eaves. According to the clansmen’s estimates, we harvested one thousand five hundred catties of Blood Rice, four thousand catties of ordinary food, and more than ten Spirit-Tailed Chickens…” Upon hearing Chen Tianjing's report, Chen Xingzhen felt pleased. This was a complete victory; the most important aspect was that they had resolved the Liu clan's threat.  From now on, Chaotic Burial Mountain would be theirs alone, and the Natural Blood Spring had been preserved. This was the clan's greatest harvest. “Clan leader, in addition, we discovered a secret room in the Liu clan. These items were all retrieved from there.” As Chen Tianjing displayed various ancient books, Chen Xingzhen’s interest piqued. He immediately picked one up and began to read. “Bright Moon Like Frost.” Seeing the title lit up Chen Xingzhen’s eyes, and he eagerly flipped through the pages. After finishing, the joy on his face grew even more intense. This was the clan martial arts technique that Liu Zishan and others had used, an intermediate technique at the Innate level. However, this Innate-level martial arts technique had higher requirements for the practitioner’s realm. At the very least, a martial artist of the Blood Coagulation Realm could learn it. Mastery required reaching the Innate Realm, while achieving great success necessitated attaining the Inner Gang Realm. Despite its demanding requirements, its value was undeniable; it could serve as a martial arts technique passed down through generations. Unfortunately, the clan’s martial arts realm was currently insufficient, meaning not many could learn it, but Chen Xingzhen still carefully set it aside. Next, Chen Xingzhen examined the other two ancient books, which also contained martial arts techniques but were only at the Yellow level. In the past, these Yellow-level techniques would have greatly enhanced the clan. However, after the elders’ recovery, the demand for these two techniques had diminished. Nevertheless, different martial arts techniques carried different side effects, sometimes even causing strange reactions. Having two additional techniques provided clan members with more options when selecting martial arts, which was beneficial. As Chen Xingzhen flipped through the books, a yellowed piece of paper suddenly fell out. Startled, he quickly caught it before it hit the ground. The characters on the paper were not very standard, and the contents were handwritten. When Chen Xingzhen examined the paper closely, surprise crossed his face. Written on it was a method to solidify Blood Rice when the blood source was silent. This revelation made Chen Xingzhen doubtful. He had initially thought Liu Zishan’s secret method was merely a trick, but now he realized it was true. According to the instructions, one only needed to use the blood of a wild animal, dilute it with water, and water it near the Blood Rice plants daily for them to grow quickly. Chen Xingzhen was uncertain whether this method was valid.  However, considering the paper was found among ancient texts, it couldn’t be fake. Besides, even if it were false, the clan’s loss wouldn’t be significant; after all, given the current weather, this crop of Blood Rice was unlikely to yield any harvest anyway. “Tianyu, bring some clan members to try this method tomorrow.” Sёarᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “Okay.” Chen Tianyu took the paper, and after reading its contents, he, too, was surprised and nodded. After assessing the harvest, Chen Xingzhen's expression turned solemn.  He then looked at Chen Tianlu beside him and asked, “How many clansmen have we lost this time?” The others also grew serious at this question. They had been too busy in recent days to pay attention to losses, but the number of corpses they had seen after the battle suggested significant casualties. “Patriarch, we lost three clansmen this time: Chen Tianmo, Chen Qingjing…” “Ah, even though it was a great victory, I didn’t expect to lose so many clan members…” Upon hearing Chen Tianlu’s report, Chen Xingzhen felt a wave of sadness. But as he processed the information, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.  “How many? Just three?” “Yes, only three.” After confirming the outcome, Chen Xingzhen's sadness lifted. Losing only three was far beyond his expectations. In a clan war, casualties were inevitable, but to have lost just three was a testament to the power of the Divine Tree. Moreover, the three who had died could be reborn under the Divine Tree's influence and reunite with their ancestors. In essence, it felt as if no one had truly died in the clan. “Very good.” Reflecting on the Divine Tree, Chen Xingzhen felt a pang of regret. He had been so preoccupied after the battle that he had almost forgotten to pay his respects.  He hurriedly called out to those present, “Hurry, prepare some offerings! This time, we should hold a grand ceremony for seven days! Don’t forget to bring those few green bamboos!” Inside the Ancestral Hall, Ji Yang waited eagerly, but as time passed, he still did not see the clan members enter; he could only hear the bustle outside. As the one who contributed the most to this clan war, he felt neglected. Ji Yang sighed inwardly, lamenting that the world had changed, and people's hearts were no longer as they once were. Just as Ji Yang was lost in thought, many clansmen had prepared the offerings and were heading toward the Ancestral Hall. Some busy house slaves were stopped, leaving them confused. What were they preparing for such a grand event? They had never witnessed the aftermath of a great war and had no experience with the clan's Divine Tree, so they were naturally bewildered. However, seeing the serious expressions on the clansmen made them follow along, ready to watch. Chen Xingzhen didn’t stop them. The matter of the Divine Tree was no longer a secret within the clan; even if it became known to outsiders, it wouldn’t matter. After all, there was only one Chen clan in Chaotic Burial Mountain, and promoting the Divine Tree could strengthen the bonds among clansmen. As the clan's totem, it deserved to be worshipped by all. The grand ceremony was about to begin. As for the tedious details of the ceremony, Ji Yang didn’t mind; he was more concerned about the offerings. After examining them, he nodded slightly. They were impressive: two Blood Coagulation Realm beasts, five ghost chickens, and three Body Tempering Realm black gold beasts—most of which had been obtained from the Liu clan. However, when Ji Yang noticed a few green bamboos mixed in with the offerings, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He preferred meat over vegetables, and these bamboos were nearly lifeless. What was the point of offering such withered plants? Yet, as Ji Yang concentrated and observed closely, he quickly recognized something unusual about the green bamboo. They seemed particularly spiritual. Realizing this, Ji Yang’s mind brightened, and he thought of the Liu clan totem.