Chapter 31: Baptism

The black dragonwood, as hard and heavy as fine iron, resembles a coiling dragon with its twisted, robust form, and is as dark as pitch, even the leaves are like black jade.

This is a rare wood, both tough and dense, suitable for crafting weapons. Additionally, it has another unique property: once ignited, it burns with an intense flame, capable of cooking two pots of meat with just a piece the size of a palm. It is the best fuel for smelting ores and forging weapons.

"Hey, get it open!"

In an open area of the stone village, a group of strong men, including Shilin Hu, were vigorously chopping firewood with giant axes. This black dragonwood was beyond the capability of ordinary people to cut.

The sound of "crack" echoed frequently, occasionally accompanied by a metallic clang and a shower of sparks as the wood's extreme hardness made it difficult to split.

Preparations for Shi Hao's baptism were in full swing in the village. They had gathered various items: old medicines, poisonous insects, spring water, ancient cauldrons, and even the finest black dragonwood for smelting true blood.

On a large jade stone, the small figure was bathing while the villagers continuously poured sweet mountain spring water over him, aiming to seal the purest flesh in the cauldron.

Everyone was solemn, and the small figure was equally serious, preparing in silence without a word.

The suanni (a mythical beast) had already been brought over, its golden body shimmering brightly, its fur shining like golden satin, especially radiant under the morning glow, dazzling and brilliant.

Nearby, a pair of red bull horns, translucent like red agate, lay still, sparkling with the light of dawn, containing the precious spiritual blood of the ancient fire bull.

The arm of the demon ape was comparable in length to that of an adult human, not enormous but radiating an overwhelming ferocity. It contained ancient true blood, extremely rare and valuable.

A large black cauldron exuded an ancient aura, engraved with depictions of the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, birds, beasts, fish, insects, and scenes of ancient sacrificial rites. It looked mysterious and inscrutable. The cauldron was already filled with water, and the black dragonwood beneath was burning, causing the water to boil rapidly. This was to use the most intense fire to cook the most potent medicinal herbs.

The chief stood solemnly in front of the cauldron, personally throwing in ancient herbs, all precious and aged. The vast wilderness had an abundance of medicinal herbs.

Before long, the boiling water was filled with various medicinal fragrances, pleasing to the senses, and the water changed color.

Then Shi Yunfeng brought out dozens of clay jars, carefully opening each one. The first jar released a large purple centipede, over half a meter long, very frightening.

With a "crack," the chief’s finger flashed with symbols, and with a light tap of a small purple-gold hammer, the centipede’s head was shattered and thrown into the boiling water.

Next, the second jar, covered with thick iron skin, was opened, revealing a silver pangolin that was only a foot long, shining with a bright silver sheen. Its head was also smashed and thrown into the boiling water, struggling violently before eventually becoming silent, becoming one of the auxiliary medicines.

Dozens of clay jars were opened, revealing strange small beasts and poisonous insects, each unique, such as a golden snake the length of chopsticks and a flying silver spider.

The cauldron’s contents quickly became a swirl of colors, with various strange odors wafting out.

The faces of the children turned green, terrified by the sight of so many poisonous insects and ancient herbs mixed together, giving a sense of foreboding.

Fortunately, this cauldron was prepared for the small figure, not for them.

As the water continued to boil, it gradually reduced, almost drying out. The herbs and various strange insects were turned into a thick paste, the auxiliary medicine to alleviate the small figure's suffering and assist in refining the true blood.

“Dissect the suanni, and prepare to pour in the precious blood,” Shi Yunfeng commanded loudly.

The suanni was like a creation of gold, its brilliance dazzling, resembling flames even in death, emitting a powerful and majestic aura. Its fur was incredibly tough, impervious to ordinary iron axes, which only produced sparks and clanging sounds, like striking metal.

Fortunately, when the old suanni reached the end of its life, it fought its last battle and then attempted to self-destruct. Although it failed, its body was already cracked, with blood streaks visible in the golden divine light.

The villagers used clean giant axes to carefully chop it along these cracks.

Everyone was shocked; Shilin Hu and Shifei Jiao, with their arms capable of lifting five or six thousand pounds, were extremely strong and rare in the wilderness. Yet, they were panting and drenched in sweat, exhausted from just chopping along the cracked flesh.

This illustrated how incredibly tough the suanni’s body was, beyond anyone's imagination.

After completely chopping it open, a few elders took action to collect the precious blood, which contained some golden liquid, dazzling and blinding.

This was its precious aspect; the divine power of the ancient suanni, with a small amount of golden blood that was priceless and made the great tribe envious.

Although the suanni was dead, its blood was still liquid and easy to handle. They collected the true blood in silver vessels, filling the ground with gleaming, large silver jars, all eventually filled.

The chief personally took a jade knife covered in symbols, which radiated hundreds or thousands of rays of light, to extract the most precious heart. It was as large as a basin, with a pale golden hue, containing unmatched divine power, shedding golden light rain as it was moved.

The old chief wasted no time, immediately placing this priceless heart into the black cauldron, afraid of wasting the divine brilliance of the suanni. He then shouted, “Pour in the precious blood!”

Several strong men carried the huge silver vessels and poured the precious blood into the cauldron, replacing the spring water, mixing it with the medicinal paste.

The black dragonwood fire beneath the cauldron burned fiercely, causing the ancestral cauldron to roar. The images of ancient beasts on the cauldron seemed to come to life, emitting howls. Inside the cauldron, the pale golden liquid boiled, with the most precious heart emitting dazzling light, the golden light rain spraying out, making the entire cauldron glow and the liquid turn into golden light, exuding a particularly rich fragrance.

This was the ancient suanni, its body a treasure.

“Boil it and make it into a great medicine. Little one, prepare yourself; it’s almost time to enter the cauldron,” the chief Shi Yunfeng said solemnly.

“Understood,” Shi Hao responded loudly.

The fierce fire boiled the great medicine, with the intense heat and rich fragrance. The liquid inside the cauldron turned pale gold, occasionally accompanied by the terrifying roars of ancient beasts, striking fear into the heart.

Vaguely, a golden suanni seemed to appear, terrifying and majestic, swallowing the sun and moon, making the stars tremble.

Everyone was horrified, gasping, with many trembling uncontrollably.

“This is the imprint fragment left in the pale golden blood of the ancient suanni’s ancestor, becoming the source of the divine power of this ancient species,” an elder said after calming himself.

And it wasn’t over yet. The villagers also extracted a few tendons and placed them into the cauldron, along with some pale golden divine marrow from the precious bones, further enhancing the brilliance of the great medicine and its rich fragrance.

“Chief, this bone has symbols and flows with mysterious power,” Shi Fei Jiao exclaimed at this moment.

“What?” The chief and other elders rushed over, unable to remain calm.

After opening the suanni’s flesh, a symbol appeared on its forehead bone, intricate and radiant, constantly changing, resembling the endless stars moving in the sky.

“It actually survived,” Shi Yunfeng said, trembling with excitement, and then he threw his head back and laughed heartily, almost shedding tears.

Before its death, the suanni had self-destructed, causing its body to crack all over. According to the villagers, it had destroyed its original runes. Ancient species would always find ways to erase the inherited marks of their race before dying, to prevent them from falling into the hands of other tribes, as it was crucial.

This was also why primitive fierce bones were so rare and why treasure techniques were invaluable.

In reality, great tribes usually only possessed one extremely powerful treasure technique, supplemented by a few weaker divine powers. That was the extent of it.

The people of the Stone Village never expected this time to have an accident. The ancient species suanni, in its battle with the fire bull demon and the demon ape king, had failed to destroy the marked treasure bone.

“Hide it well; no one must leak the news,” Shi Yunfeng quickly realized, his face serious. “Heaven has blessed our tribe with a powerful treasure technique. This is a major matter, and we must keep it a secret.”

Then the chief turned and urged, “Little one, quickly enter the cauldron. The baptism can begin. Once you emerge, you will be able to comprehend the most powerful treasure technique of the ancient suanni.”

“Grandfather Chief, I’m ready,” the small figure responded.

After bathing, the small figure was shining and radiant, with runes flickering on his body, looking both beautiful and adorable. He leaped into the boiling cauldron, and the brilliant golden liquid immediately enveloped him.

“Seal the cauldron!” Shi Yunfeng commanded. The villagers brought the large, black lid, and several people worked together to seal it tightly.

The other children all looked faint and pale, wondering how they would endure such boiling water and how they would breathe with it sealed so tightly.

The old chief glanced at them and said, “Once you refine the bone runes into every inch of your flesh and transform into divine light, becoming the divine dawn, you won’t have to worry. You’ll be able to draw on the divine essence of heaven and earth to nourish yourself. At that point, you can endure water and fire, and it will be fine even if you don’t breathe for a long time.”

The red-golden treasure horn and the demon ape king's arm had not yet been refined because Shi Yunfeng was concerned that the small figure might not be able to withstand it, given his young age. They would need to assess the situation before making a decision.