Chapter 574: Chapter 54 Ancestral Worship
In the fourth year of Tianyuan, it was the Jiashen year of the Barbarian Tribe, December the fifteenth.
Auspicious for praying for blessings, fasting and offering sacrifices, unfavorable for funerals.
The ancestral land of the Barbarian Tribe.
Lu Qingshan stood side by side with the Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe, facing Namucuo Lake, with the Great Rat King who had transformed into a giant silver-grey tiger by his side.
Namucuo was an extremely vast lake, its shores stretching out with nearly a hundred high platforms constructed of grey rocks arranged along them.
At the center of Namucuo Lake stood a colossally large statue.
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Only a small part of the statue protruded above the surface of the lake, the rest submerged within the waters.
Here was the site of the Barbarian Tribe’s ancestral sacrifice.
Out of the thousands of the Barbarian Tribe’s clans, this time, a full ninety percent had arrived, all now gathered around the shores of Namucuo Lake.
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In such a gathering, there were no troublemakers present, as those who came were influential cultivators from their respective clans, not about to act foolishly or seek out trouble.
Although there were many people, each clan simply occupied its own territory, whether meditating with eyes closed or chatting leisurely, waiting in ease for the official start of the ancestral sacrifice ceremony.
With so many clans, each clan brought at least one Sacrificial Spirit, so one can imagine the total number of these spirits present.
It was precisely because of the sheer number of Sacrificial Spirits that an air of wildness pervaded the entire shore of Namucuo Lake.
Each Sacrificial Spirit exuded a fierce aura, and even numerous bird spirits danced in the sky, their soaring figures startling to behold.
Namucuo was no ordinary lake.
It was the sacred lake of the Barbarian Tribe.
Deep within the center of the lake, there lay a vast cavern.
Every few years, this cavern would emit golden pool water.
This golden water was exceedingly strange; any demon beast that immersed itself in this pool and meditated could significantly enhance its Bloodline Power, even breaking the shackles of its own bloodline.
In the history of the Barbarian Tribe, many demon beasts had developed into Great Demons with the help of this golden pool water.
This cavern was consequently the most vital secret realm of the Barbarian Tribe and the reason why those demon beasts were willing to join the Barbarian Tribe and serve as Sacrificial Spirits—the Dragon Gate!
In the end, a Sacrificial Spirit was just a fancier version of a worker.
Lu Qingshan pondered in silence.
“Older brother, why do you keep looking towards the center of the lake?” the Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe asked tentatively, seeing Lu Qingshan constantly casting his gaze towards the middle of Namucuo Lake.
“I always feel there is a faintly familiar aura wandering above that statue,” Lu Qingshan replied thoughtfully.
“An aura? Why don’t I feel it?” The Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe was initially taken aback, then shook his head, “Besides, older brother, this is your first time attending our tribe’s ancestral sacrifice ceremony. How could you recognize a Barbaric Beast of our Barbarian Tribe?”
The Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe stressed the words “our Barbarian Tribe” with emphasis.
“Barbaric Beast?”
“That’s the name of the fierce beast depicted by this statue.
The Dragon Gate was discovered by the first generation Great Dream Shaman of our Barbarian Tribe.
When the Great Dream Shaman found the Dragon Gate, this statue already existed; no one knows who crafted it, nor does anyone know which fierce beast it represents.
Therefore, the Great Dream Shaman personally named it ‘Barbaric Beast’.”
The Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe explained, “Having controlled this land for so long, our tribe has never been able to figure out just which demon beast is depicted by this fierce beast statue. With this in mind, your vague sense of familiarity is even more inexplicable.”
Lu Qingshan fell silent.
In truth, since the aura was intermittent and elusive, he wasn’t sure about its existence. Upon reflection, what the Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe said made sense, so he chose not to say more and instead turned to observe the surrounding terrifying demon beasts.
That was his purpose for attending the Barbarian Tribe’s ancestral sacrifice ceremony.
These demon beasts, as clan Sacrificial Spirits, were mighty in strength. The weakest among them were at the peak of the Third Grade, while the strongest reached the Seventh Grade Realm, making them an indisputable choice for observation.
Lu Qingshan’s gaze wandered around, spotting winged pythons, giant armadillos dozens of zhang in size, scale-covered green oxen, and monkeys with nostrils as big as lanterns, a myriad of types akin to a Myriad Beast Garden.
This also indicated that the Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe had not misled him; indeed, the Barbarian Tribe appreciated robustness, and all clan Sacrificial Spirits were large and formidable beasts with none of the smaller kind to be seen.
These fierce beasts were ferocious and their auras tumultuous, but they seemed to hold a certain reverence, thus suppressing their own auras.
“Our You Xiong Tribe hasn’t managed to seize a spot for the Dragon Gate in over four hundred years,” the Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe communicated telepathically at that moment. “Older brother, the truth is, it doesn’t make much difference whether our You Xiong Tribe participates in this ancestral sacrifice ceremony or not.
With Niu’er’s strength, there’s absolutely no way he can snatch one of those precious twenty-five spots.”
The Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe also glanced out of the corner of his eye at a young barbarian standing behind the two of them.
He was Yoxiang Niu, representing the You Xiong Tribe in the ancestral sacrifice competition, with a mid-Foundation Establishment Cultivation.
Having such Cultivation at less than thirty years of age already ranked him among the finest of the You Xiong Tribe, yet when looking at the thousand-plus clans of the Barbarian Tribe, he seemed hardly worth mentioning.
Yoxiang Niu obviously did not know his clan leader’s assessment of him, as he gazed fervently at Lu Qingshan.
He had had the opportunity to follow Lu Qingshan on the campaign against the giant deer and, after witnessing Elder Hao’s invincible prowess, his young heart had become filled with admiration for Elder Hao.
Some sorrow crept into the heart of the Clan Leader of the You Xiong Tribe.
I’ve only been here for a few days; I have toiled for the sake of the You Xiong Tribe for so many years—how come you’ve never looked at your clan leader with those eyes before?