After a century of worship, I became the ancestor of the tribe.

Chapter 101 Heavenly Vein Fourth Level, Is a Great Drought Coming? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The Xiaoyang tribe, who lived in the northern mountains and forests, suddenly withdrew.

The scouts of the Blazing Flame Tribe headed south along the direction of the Copper Shell Market, crossed the Zhu River, and entered the Qu River Basin.

Along the way, they only encountered a few scattered members of the Xiaoyang tribe and also saw the submerged ruins of the Quyang Market.

The news brought back by the scouts made Huotang somewhat suspicious, so he sent scouts south several more times.

The fact was finally confirmed: Xiao Yang had indeed retreated.

The remaining members of the Xiaoyang clan gathered along the Qushui River, seemingly preparing to set up camp.

The Quyang market town has been transformed into a large lake, and the lake shore bears traces of a terrifying energy eruption that melted the soil, rocks, and gravel into crystals.

Some of these black and colorful crystals were sent to the clan.

Huo Tang played with these crystalline stones, at least his blood energy was not yet capable of melting the earth and stone in this way.

"Could it be that a powerful figure intervened and brutally killed Xiao Yang?"

Unfortunately, guessing alone is useless.

Two more months passed, and scouts along the Qushui River within the tribe reported that members of the Xiaoyang tribe were traveling north along the Qushui River and were beginning to settle in areas where humans had once lived.

The previous speculation that Xiaoyang would gradually encroach on the northern lands has become a reality.

However, this group of Xiaoyang tribesmen did not travel too far north, but instead chose to settle along the Zhushui River.

Each tribe has anywhere from three to five thousand to over ten thousand people.

Judging from the armor, clothing, and supplies carried by these Xiaoyang tribes during their migration, it is clear that some Xiaoyang tribes were stronger than others.

When the Xiaoyang tribe migrated north, human settlements sprang up like mushrooms after rain in the mountains and remote corners along the Zhushui River.

Previously, Xiao Yang claimed to have swept through the north and south, leaving no trace of humans, but now, once again, humans have appeared in the area.

The newly migrated Xiaoyang tribe were no longer the purely elite tribal soldiers of the past. With families to support, their actions became more cautious.

For a time, the vast mountains and forests north and south of the Zhushui River were filled with a complex and intertwined situation between the human race and the Xiaoyang race.

……

half year later.

"Feast!"

The land of the Blazing Flame Clan.

The newly renovated clan territory, stretching from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain, along the Great Swamp, is a long line of human settlements where people gather like a dragon.

Inside and outside the clan's territory, warriors clad in black armor, carrying powerful bows on their shoulders, quivers at their waists, and wielding ring-pommel swords and maces as secondary weapons, stood solemnly, exuding a strong aura of killing intent.

Woo!
As the horn sounded, the clansmen and their followers, extending down from the ancestral temple, all turned towards the temple to pay their respects.

"We're back!"

Inside the ancestral temple.

The altar was returned to its original position, and the sacrificial vessels were put back into place.

Shen Can presided over the ceremony, and Huotang stood in the center of the ancestral temple, personally returning the nine tripods and eight sacrificial vessels to their proper places.

An invisible wave swept out from the ancestral temple.

A strong wind swept around the tribe's territory, and thick moisture rose up.

At this moment, the power of the water element surged several times over.

It was as if the clansmen had been away for a while, and the source energy absorbed by the Yuan Meridian was suddenly released.

"The Blazing Flame Tribe currently has twelve Heavenly Vein Warriors, and thirteen subordinate Heavenly Vein Warriors, all at the Mountain Opening Realm..."

The fire-lighting torch reverently addressed the ancestral temple, each word distinct and deliberate.

Shen Can's divine sense then captured the free-floating water elemental power.

"We have brought in more than a hundred large and small villages from the mountains..."

Huo Tang's words are absolutely true; it's just that these small tribes exist in name only, with many tribes having only a few hundred members, and the ratio of warriors and men to women is already unbalanced.

It would be a stroke of luck if they escaped from Xiao Yang's mouth.

The Blazing Flame Tribe plans to reorganize these people and rebuild the tribe, scattering them among the mountains north of Copper Shell Market.

Of course, these tribes will no longer be able to live independently as before, but will be brought under the control of the Blazing Flame Tribe, similar to subjects.

During its development, it will also absorb people from other tribes outside the mountains, and it is inevitable that it will clash with the Xiaoyang tribe again.

After the clan ceremony, the arrangements for the guides from various tribes began in earnest.

The vast majority of these 100,000-plus people were following Zhiyan's orders, while a very small number were still thinking of leaving the mountains and returning to their original clan territory.

"I am deeply grateful to the Blazing Flame Tribe for saving my life. I will certainly not refuse any task they may assign me in the future."

The one who spoke was a young man with burning eyes, his gaze filled with fervor as he entered the Blazing Flame Tribe.

"If you encounter danger outside the mountains, you can come to Zhiyan for help."

The group of people bowed to the fire tower in the clan's territory to say goodbye, and then quickly walked out of the clan hall.

"This young man is ambitious; it seems he wants to take advantage of the chaos to build a career."

Elder Huoyun looked at the young man named Sangyang from beginning to end and saw ambition in his eyes at a glance.

Huotang had a piece of animal hide scroll beside him.

Over the past six months, Zhiyan has gathered so many tribesmen. As the chief logistics officer, he has done a lot, such as thoroughly investigating the tribes he has gathered.

From the moment he began to gather these people, he was preparing for the day when he would take control of them.

“Sangyang is from the Sangmu tribe. This tribe has several mulberry trees and raises a batch of silkworms.”

“The previous Sangmu clan chief was this man’s father. He died at the hands of the Xiaoyang clan while escorting his people into the mountains.”

“Young man, it’s good to have some ambition. That way you can cause more trouble for the Xiaoyang Clan outside the mountains.”

Huotang did not intend to stop this person. In the past six months, the tribe had learned the method of raising silkworms from the Sangmu tribe, and also learned silk reeling and weaving.

He wanted to let people observe this young martial artist closely to see if he was truly skilled or just full of ambition.

The Xiaoyang tribe outside the mountains wants to gradually encroach northward, and having more capable tribes outside the mountains is not a bad thing.

According to the intelligence gathered by the tribe's scouts, the number of humans emerging from outside the mountains is greater than the number who have fled into the mountains.

It is clear that the local rats are not a secret of the Blazing Flame Tribe alone.

They run away when there is danger, and then come out again to reproduce and thrive.

Humans are like wild grass in this wilderness; they will sprout again whenever the environment is right.

Soon, Huotang grabbed the animal skin scroll and hurriedly left the clan hall.

……

After the clan moved back and held a ceremony at the ancestral temple, Shen Can did not see the firebox for half a month.

The resettlement of over 100,000 people kept Huotang extremely busy.

This time, a small tribal system was adopted, similar to the previous settlement of subjects along the coast, with a population ranging from several hundred to a thousand.

The habitat was chosen to be close to a water source, in a relatively flat area suitable for farming, and also taking into account some hunting areas.

Near the mountains, beacon towers would be built, and roads or waterways would be constructed to provide direct access to the tribe's territory.

In short, the placement of these people is like a constellation of stars, surrounding the Blazing Flame Clan's territory from all sides.

This formed a tribal structure with the Blazing Flame Clan's territory as the core, surrounded by an initial group of over 30,000 subjects, followed by over 100,000 more.

The main reason they dared to do this was that they had more confidence and more martial artists at their disposal.

After such changes, it would be more appropriate to call the separated tribes settlements.

Each settlement should have at least ten warriors at the Stone Splitting Realm, and efforts should be made to extend the number of warriors at the Mountain Opening Realm to all settlements within a year.

On this day, Huotang returned, weary from his journey.

Shen Can poured him a large bowl of water, which he gulped down in no time.

"The clan leader looks to be in good spirits."

Shen Can spoke, and Huo Tang looked somewhat tired, but his energy was still high.

Clearly, the busy work didn't make him feel tired; in fact, he enjoyed it.

"It was a bit chaotic to be in charge of so many people all at once, and it took a lot of effort to sort things out."

Even if Huo Tang didn't say it, Shen Can could have guessed it.

It's impossible for so many people to obediently follow orders. Even if they are all willing to follow Zhiyan, it doesn't conflict with their efforts to secure sufficient benefits, such as a better clan territory.

Not to mention, among this group of subjects are more than a dozen Heavenly Vein martial artists. Although they are all Heavenly Vein martial artists without martial arts techniques, they have a strong influence in their original tribes.

"Let Uncle Volcano help you. With Uncle Volcano's temper, anyone who dares to cause trouble will be beaten to death."

Shen Can immediately pulled out the volcano.

With a larger population, some punishments need to be introduced; it's time to clearly define the penalties.

As he spoke, Shen Can took out a piece of animal skin paper and handed it to Huo Tang.

"These are the penal guidelines I wrote in my spare time." Huo Tang took a look and was somewhat surprised.

I thought it would be densely packed, but it turned out to be just three simple sentences.

Those who kill shall be executed, those who injure shall be punished, and those who steal shall be convicted.

“If we talk too much, people will find it troublesome and won’t understand. This is just the beginning of the system, so let’s start with these three rules and fill in the gaps later.”

"The various departments have just been arranged, and there will inevitably be disputes. We must establish rules from the beginning. If you have the ability, go and use it on the Xiaoyang tribe outside the mountains."

Although we are in the mountains, it doesn't mean the Xiaoyang tribe won't come."

“The clan chief previously said he wanted to reorganize the clan army, and I have no objection to that.”

Shen Can continued, "However, I suggest adding a new force called the Flame Warriors. Talented warriors will be selected from the entire tribe and its people to join as the tribe's strongest soldiers."

“Ah Can, if we select from the entire tribe and its people, our Blazing Flame Clan already has a small population. Now that we have so many more people, the clan's population ratio will become even thinner. This could easily lead to problems in the long run.”

Huotang expressed his concerns, which were also what he had been thinking about these past few days.

While pleased with the increased strength in controlling the tribe, they were also worried that the proportion of tribe members would decrease accordingly, and that if something happened to a tribe member one day, it could easily cause the Blazing Flame to split apart.

Even though we keep encouraging people to have children, a baby doesn't grow up in a day.

"I've already thought this out. On the surface, it will be open, but in private, the clan's resources will be tilted towards its own people."

Shen Can explained, "Does the clan leader remember that when you heard about the deeds of the Yanran tribe, you rushed into the ancestral temple with great excitement, and then strange phenomena appeared when you took out the sacrificial vessel?"

Subsequently, several of my disciples broke through to higher levels, and many martial artists within the clan also broke through to become martial artists. Even those who did not break through felt their qi increasing even faster.

"I suspect that it was a blessing from the sacrificial spirits, and the people of my Blazing Flame tribe received the greatest blessing."

You haven't seen the progress of your clansmen's cultivation over the past six months, have you? The speed at which our Blazing Flame clansmen advance and cultivate is already two to three times faster than the speed at which we gather our subjects.

The problems the clan leader is worried about will be resolved in the next three to five years, and the clan's warriors will experience an explosive period of advancement.

However, Shen Can didn't say one thing: the stronger one is, the bigger the problems one has to deal with, especially as the Xiaoyang Clan moves north and gradually encroaches on the mountains and forests.

The Blazing Flame Clan wants to rise up and emerge stronger like Yan Ran. The Blazing Flame Clan members will be the main warriors fighting against Xiao Yang.

"I really hope the next few years will be more peaceful," Huotang sighed.

"It's not a big problem. Since Xiaoyang has decided to gradually encroach on the northern lands, this is a long-term strategy. There are still some tribes outside that are fighting against Xiaoyang. We, Zhiyan, have lived in the mountains for a long time, so I think we have time to settle down and consolidate our strength."

Shen Can reassured Huo Tang, saying that his words were based on deduction and not just random speculation.

"It would be best if we could have a few years of peace. With so many people supporting us, once Ashan opens up a few more celestial veins, our Blazing Flame will also become the upper realm!" Huo Tang's eyes were filled with hope.

In addition to the Yanwu soldiers, all the civilian warriors who were integrated this time were uniformly reorganized into the Zhiyan Guard.

The reorganization of the various remnants, and the renaming of them 'Blazing Flame', was intended to strengthen the sense of belonging among martial artists.

After eliminating some of the elderly, weak, and injured from the Blazing Flame Guard, and assigning them to various subordinate settlements, seven thousand people remained.

Huo Qi, Huo Kui, Huo Mu, Huo Qing, Shan Bai, Luo Qi, and Shi Yunyang were appointed as commanders of a thousand men respectively. Shan Bai and the other two were warriors with the Heavenly Vein from the remnants of the people they had gathered, and they were also clan leaders in the past.

However, the tribe suffered a devastating defeat, with only a few hundred survivors fleeing into the mountains with them.

Although the number of men was not yet ten thousand, Volcano was still appointed as a commander of ten thousand.

Of the seven thousand people, four thousand would be part of the permanent resident tribe's outer camp, while the other three thousand would follow the old rules and form teams to enter the mountains north of Tongbei Market, both to guard against a large-scale attack by the Xiaoyang tribe and to hone their martial arts skills.

The rotation takes place every three months.

Besides the Flame Warriors and the Blazing Flame Guards, there are also the Blood Curse Guards and Blood Sea Guards that Shen Can previously established.

The Blood Curse Guard currently has 150 members. After more than half a year of cultivating by consuming the Blood Pills of the Owl Sun Clan, all of the Blood Curse Guards have advanced to the Mountain Opening Realm.

The leader, Shi Jun, reached the Heavenly Vein Realm.

As for the Blood Sea Guards, named after the deep-seated hatred of bloodshed, their leader is Tian Chuanshan, who is at the second level of the Heavenly Vein, and their total number reaches eight hundred.

Compared to the Blood Sea Guards, Shen Can valued the Blood Curse Guards more.

From the time the Xiaoyang tribe began its northward migration until its retreat, these two tribes have consistently sent out men to hunt down the Xiaoyang.

Their actions were even more secretive and unpredictable than those of the warriors within the clan.

Shen Can arranged for his disciple Huo Yun to check on them every few days, especially those who returned from hunting down Xiao Yang.

If anything unusual happens, report it to him immediately.

In Shen Can's view, once he had control of these tribes, it was a foregone conclusion that more than 100,000 people would be divided into settlements and settled down.

Every settlement has warriors within the Blazing Flame Guard, and their connection with the Blazing Flame Tribe has long been inseparable.

……

After drinking two large bowls of water at Shen Can's place, Huo Tang stood up and said, "I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I still need to go to various settlements to check on the reclamation and cultivation situation. There's still time this year, it's just a bit hotter than in previous years."

"I'm entrusting you with the arrangements for cultivation in each settlement, as well as the task of checking for any talent in witchcraft. With the inheritance of martial arts and witchcraft, let these settlements settle down as soon as possible and resume farming and hunting."

After seeing the fire statue off, Shen Can walked out of the ancestral temple.

They arrived at the mountain valley where the last breakthrough in the shamanic path had occurred.

According to my divine sense, the water vapor has indeed increased further, but with the increase in water vapor, the fire element source power has also increased significantly compared to before.

It should be noted that in areas near water, the source of fire elemental energy is inherently scarce.

Now, the crimson source energy is sparkling and colliding with the water source energy.

No wonder Huotang said it was hot.

……

After sitting down cross-legged, Shen Can began to circulate the Kui Lei Chang Qing Gong. The blood energy accumulated in his body had long been surging, and all that was needed was the final boost.

His divine sense enveloped the surroundings, and streams of source power were forcibly torn away and swallowed whole.

Each time the surrounding source energy was completely absorbed, new moisture would rush in from all directions.

After swallowing more than a dozen large mouthfuls, a booming sound came from Shen Can's body.

Blood and energy surged like a dragon, traversing the fourth celestial meridian.

Four Heavenly Veins!

As the fourth celestial meridian opened, blood and qi began to circulate within it, and in an instant, the Kui Niu pattern emerged beneath the body's surface.

Half a day later, Shen Can walked along the clan's territory toward the shore of the marsh.

“Temple”.

"Temple offering, you eat."

“Temple, where is the fish?”

Along the way, the clansmen greeted Shen Can one after another, and the children also approached him familiarly.

"Temple Master, touch me... can I practice witchcraft with you?"

A doll grabbed Shen Can's hand and pressed it onto its own head, then pulled it down.

Shen Can withdrew his hand and rubbed his head a few more times.

"We'll take you to the Witch Temple to get tested. Even if you can't cultivate witchcraft, you can still cultivate martial arts. Look at you, you're too short. Eat more so you can practice martial arts better."

We walked all the way to the water's edge.

The waterside location has receded more than thirty feet from its initial position.

However, it is quite normal for the water level in a marsh to drop.

However, it's not normal for the already scarce fire source energy in this area to be increasing.

Shen Can released his divine sense and sensed the specks of crimson fire energy appearing on the surface of the water. Fire energy was rarely seen on the surface of the water before.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, then he looked towards the fiery clouds on the southwest horizon.

The Fiery Clouds have been around for quite some time. Previously, due to the threat from the Xiaoyang tribe's soldiers, the tribe hid in the mountains and naturally had no time to observe the Fiery Clouds.

In the coming period, the Northern Humans and Xiaoyang will likely enter a stalemate of mutual attacks, and it's hard to say how long this will last.

I gazed at the fiery clouds for a long time, and they were no different from when they first appeared; I couldn't tell if they had moved.

It's possible that the distance is too great to make a judgment.

Is there going to be a severe drought?

The people have just been settled, and it's time to resume farming. If a severe drought really comes, then we'll be in for a rude awakening.

The severe drought not only affected humans, but also the wild animals of all sizes in the mountains and forests.

If there are many sources of ignition, it can cause wildfires. Once a wildfire starts in the mountains, it is not easy to extinguish.

In the following days, Shen Can began to patrol around the clan's territory, even venturing as far as the depths of a marshland a thousand miles away, where he still sensed the presence of the fire source.

In such cases, it is necessary to make preparations in advance.

　Dear clan leaders, we're planning to change the book title to something more serious. When we first started writing the book, we were thinking of creating a buzz, but now we're going to change it.

　　Please feel free to offer any suggestions. We will select the best ones and send the author a baguette as a gift.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)