Chapter 1: Energetic Dawn

There is a prologue before this, so don’t miss it.

Shicun, located within the Cangmang Mountain Range, is surrounded by towering peaks and deep ravines, with an expanse of mountains stretching endlessly.

In the early morning, the dawn is brilliant, casting a golden light that warms the skin.

A group of children, ranging from four or five years old to teenagers, numbering in the dozens, are exercising vigorously on the open ground in front of the village, greeting the dawn. Their tender faces are filled with seriousness; the older children display impressive prowess, while the younger ones try their best to mimic the movements.

A middle-aged man with a robust physique, dressed in animal skin clothing, his bronze-colored skin contrasting with his flowing black hair, watches over each child with a keen gaze, offering careful guidance.

"The sun rises, and all things begin anew. The vitality of life is at its peak. Though we cannot feast on the morning mist as in legends, greeting the dawn and training your body still has great benefits, as it fills the body with vitality. The plan of the day lies in the morning. Rise early and work hard every day to strengthen your muscles and bones, invigorate your blood, and refine your tendons, so that you will have the means to survive in these vast mountains in the future." The man, standing at the front and guiding the children, speaks with a stern expression, then commands, "Do you understand?"

"Understood!" the group of children responds loudly with enthusiasm.

The mountains are teeming with prehistoric creatures. Giant wings sometimes obscure the sky, casting massive shadows on the ground, and wild beasts howl from the peaks, swallowing the moon in their cries. There are also numerous poisonous insects lurking, posing a great danger.

"Understood," a small child, clearly distracted and lagging behind, responds in a high-pitched voice.

This child is very small, looking about one or two years old, having just learned to walk a few months ago. He is following the exercise routine, but clearly, he is too young to be in this group.

"Hee hee ha ha," the little one makes sounds, his tiny arms flailing energetically, trying to imitate the older children. However, he is so young that his movements are clumsy, and his steps are unsteady. His face still has traces of milk, which makes him look adorable and draws smiles from those watching.

The older children watch him with amused expressions, easing the originally serious atmosphere of the morning practice.

The little one is fair and pretty, with large, sparkling eyes, resembling a porcelain doll. His innocent actions and babbling make him endearing. Even the elderly, who are seated on large stones in another part of the field, drawing in the morning essence, smile at the sight.

Even the tall, muscular adult men, who are the village’s strongest and the primary force for hunting and protecting the village, look over with smiles. They are also training, some wielding large bone clubs made from unknown beasts, and others swinging broad swords made of black metal, the sound of the wind like thunder.

The living conditions are harsh with many primordial beasts and poisonous insects. To survive, many men die prematurely in the wilderness before reaching adulthood. To stay alive, one must strengthen oneself. Morning exercises are a habit ingrained from a young age for everyone, whether adults, elders, or children.

"Focus!" the middle-aged man responsible for supervising and guiding the children shouts. The children quickly become serious again and continue their training in the gentle and brilliant dawn light.

"Ugh, tired," the little one lets out a sigh and sits down on the ground, watching the older children. But soon, he gets distracted, stands up unsteadily, and stumbles toward a nearby colorful bird hopping around. He falls a few times, but doesn’t cry, grumbling as he picks himself up and continues his chase.

"Alright, time to stop!"

With a loud shout, all the children cheer, rub their sore limbs, and then scatter to their homes to prepare for breakfast.

The elders smile and rise from their stones. The robust adults also laugh and scold their children, carrying bone clubs and broad swords as they hurry home.

Shicun is not very large, with a population of about three hundred, including men, women, and children. The houses are built from giant stones, simple and natural.

At the village head, there is a massive lightning-struck tree, over ten meters in diameter. The only willow branch on the main trunk has lost its luster in the dawn light, now appearing ordinary.

"Oh, there's dragon meat, give me a piece."

The children are lively and active, even during meals, and many of them come out of their homes with clay bowls, gathering together.

The surrounding area of Shicun is lush with vegetation and teeming with beasts, but the villagers’ food is not plentiful. They mostly have coarse wheat cakes, wild fruits, and a small amount of meat in the children’s bowls.

In fact, the scarcity of food has always been a serious issue for Shicun. The mountains are extremely dangerous, with powerful and terrifying beasts and birds. Each hunt risks lives.

If given a choice, the villagers would prefer not to venture into the mountains, as it means potential bloodshed and sacrifice.

Food is extremely precious to them, and waste is unacceptable. Every child learns this from a young age—hunger, food, hunting, life, and blood are all interconnected.

At the village head, the old patriarch Shi Yunfeng’s courtyard is built of giant stones, adjacent to the charred and massive willow tree. In the courtyard, on the stove, a pot of white liquid is boiling, emitting a milky aroma. He is preparing beast milk, occasionally adding herbs and stirring with a wooden ladle.

Soon, the elder calls out, "Little one, come eat."

The little one lost his parents when he was six months old and has been raised on beast milk. Now, at a year and a few months old, he should have been weaned by now, but he still enjoys his milk sweetly, often teased by the older children.

"Yiya, huff, can't run anymore." He has been tirelessly chasing the colorful bird and is now breathless, sitting down on the ground.

"Little one, milk time!" the older children cheer.

"You little rascals, weren’t you all this age once?" the old patriarch laughs and scolds.

"We certainly weren’t still drinking milk at a year and a half, hehe."

The little one grins at the teasing, his bright eyes turning into crescent moons, unconcerned. He sits by the pot, using a wooden ladle to scoop out milk, enjoying it sweetly.

After breakfast, several elderly villagers, all quite aged but still full of vitality, gather at the patriarch Shi Yunfeng’s courtyard.

"Things have been unusual lately. Large creatures have been passing by late at night, making quite a noise. Something must be happening deep in the mountains."

"Yes, I was awakened several times last night, feeling chilled. It must be some prehistoric beast or giant insect passing through."

The elders speak one after another, their brows furrowed or deep in thought, discussing recent ominous signs and feeling that something unusual is happening.

"I believe something extraordinary has emerged in the deep wilderness, attracting the attention of some ancient species in the surrounding areas, causing them to flock there," the patriarch Shi Yunfeng speculates.

"Could it be a mountain treasure?" one elder’s eyes widen in shock, his hair standing on end.

Others also show excited expressions, their eyes glowing with fervor, but soon the fire in their eyes dims. Such treasures are beyond their reach, located deep in the mountains, inaccessible to them.

For years, no one has ever managed to enter and exit alive. With the various powerful creatures inhabiting the mountains, even if all the villagers ventured together, they would make no impact.

"Patriarch, we haven’t ventured into the mountains for some time," at this moment, a robust adult man enters the courtyard. He is the leader of the hunting team and will be the next village patriarch.

"Things have been unsettled recently," the patriarch Shi Yunfeng frowns.

"But there really isn’t much food left," Shi Linhu says. He is exceptionally tall, over two meters, carrying a broad sword weighing over three hundred pounds, his muscular body resembling a human bear, with bronze-colored muscles rippling like serpents.

"The children need to grow, we can’t let them go hungry. We need to come up with some solutions," an elder says.

"Although it’s unsettled at night, there haven’t been any anomalies during the day. If I take some people out and we are careful, it should be fine," Shi Linhu proposes.

Finally, dozens of young and strong men gather at the village head and are led by the patriarch Shi Yunfeng to the nearby lightning-struck tree. They solemnly pray to the ancient willow tree.

"Great spirit, please bless our people. Let the children hunt fat prey and return safely. We will honor and offer sacrifices to you with sincerity for generations to come."