Chapter 191 - The location of the Flame

Edited by Ilesyt

The sun set at the other side of the mountain, the light in the forest was lessening.

The surroundings became darker.

At the moment, Shao Xuan didn’t notice the passage of time. Nor did he even care about the existence of dangers around. He had some feeling that it was safe here, and there would be no sneak attacks from dangerous plants or ferocious beasts.

All his attention was focused on the earth under his palms.

Shao Xuan was perceiving the bit of warmth coming from underneath, which passed from his palms and arms upward to the totem in his mind, stimulating the flames on the totem, making them jump around vigorously.

A night breeze blew over, as if carrying some unusual things in the wind.

It started to become quiet all around. The bird chirps and insect buzzes, beast roars in the wood, sounds of flowing water and so on, all faded away.

Hoo~~

Hoo~~

It sounded like flames jumping with the wind.

Nevertheless, there was no fire in the surroundings. Even as the sun set and the night fell, this unrecognizable land of ruins had already been covered with darkness.

Shao Xuan fixed his eyes on his palms on the earth, completely motionless. He felt that it became warmer under his palms, as if something was spreading under the earth and was going to break out.

A small flame came out between his fingers, which was quite conspicuous in the dark night.

Soon, more flames showed up under Shao Xuan’s palms and became larger than the previous small flames, Shao Xuan was unable to cover them with his palms.

After the fire light under his palms became bigger, it was divided into six branches, spreading gradually in six directions, no rising flames, just like magma extending in different directions into the forest, all the way until it was out of sight.

Taking back his hands, Shao Xuan stood up and looked at those six branches extending from one point.

Is this, the “root” of the Flaming Horns tribe mentioned by old He’s ancestors? And is the center point of the six branches the original location of the Flame?

Whiling thinking, Shao Xuan suddenly felt that it was wrong, he then became entranced in that uncontrollable but special state again.

Looking at the place under his feet: it should have been a ground full of flowers, grass and dirt, but now all turned into stones. As to the size of these kind of stones and the way how they were placed, Shao Xuan was very familiar with them, just as if he was standing in the fire pit of the Flaming Horns tribe.

Fire pit?!

Shao Xuan looked up at the other places.

There were also some carved statues of humans and animals, some of which were statues of warriors striking down ferocious beasts.

In places close to the fire pit stood some people lined up in a similar way as during the tribe’s ritual ceremony, and some warriors doing the ritual dance. There were also some columns standing erect near the ritual. The difference was that near the firepit stood another six men. Shao Xuan couldn’t see what they looked like exactly, only blurry figures. Their costumes were more “gorgeous” than those of the dancing warriors, with more complicated decorative ornaments on their heads and bodies.

One figure stepped into the fire pit and headed towards Shao Xuan.

Shao Xuan knew that the man was not coming towards him. The objective should be the Flame located where Shao Xuan stood. This man should be the shaman of the Flaming Horns tribe at that time.

All these men could be those called “ancestors”. If those tribesmen at the other side of the river saw this scene, most people would probably go down on their knees again.

Shao Xuan stood there, quietly watching those figures around him.

The shaman walked to the side of the Flame, put down something and stepped back out of the fire pit. He stood next to the fire pit, raised his two arms, and started singing.

It seemed to be brighter in the surroundings.

Shao Xuan looked around. The fast-rising flames covered him, while the surroundings became brighter thanks to the suddenly rising flames. The crowd standing not far away was also lit up, but Shao Xuan still couldn’t see them clearly, only rough figures of men, women, the old, and the young; there was also a pack hunting dogs branded with a mark.

Everyone was facing the fire. No matter where Shao Xuan looked, even if he couldn’t see the expressions on their faces clearly, he could feel that they were all looking at the place where he stood.

Shao Xuan lifted his feet and walked out of the center, out of the area where the fire light covered.

Just like a bystander, Shao Xuan looked at the figures around: those men didn’t have any changes because of Shao Xuan’s movement, as both were in different time points. All of these were the past scenes reappearing, the same as when he saw the scene of the green thief sneaking at night when he followed the advance group to the green land.

The crowd went down on their knees and worshipped in the direction of the fire pit faithfully.

A layer of heat color covered the surroundings.

Turning his head, Shao Xuan looked at the direction of the fire pit: the rolling flames rose higher and more violently than those he saw while attending the ritual ceremony in the Flaming Horns tribe; the sky around seemed to be burning, all in the color of fire, looking extremely splendid.

There are three Flames of fire pit, and this was just the first Flame, and it rose so high. What about the third Flame?

In the Flaming Horns tribe, when Shao Xuan saw the flames of the Flame rising up, he thought that it was an unbelievable and grand sight at that time; but now seeing the scene in front, Shao Xuan really understood what the true flames of the Flame were like, just like the drawing once recorded on those animal skin volumes.

When Shao Xuan was standing at the side of the fire pit of the old haunt of the Flaming Horns tribe and looking at the images of almost a thousand years past, at the other side of the river, far away from the central area...

In the Flaming Horns tribe, few people would go out at this time. It was already in darkness for most areas near the mountain foot region. The night swallows were also actively flying around, watching every house and waiting to swarm and attack anyone who came out.

Up the mountain, where there was more fire light, in some houses, the warriors were burning fires, perhaps for cooking, or just burning the firewood and chatting around the fire.

On top of the mountain, the Shaman detected something, dashing out of the stone house like the wind and heading to the fire pit without taking the walking stick. Those warriors on guard around the fire pit intended to inform the Shaman and the chief of the changes on the fire pit, but they didn’t expect that the Shaman would come over by himself.

Looking at the images in the fire pit, the Shaman seemed to be stunned, standing there, his mind blanking out for a moment.

In the fire pit, the original Flame with the small flames was now burning and jumping violently, and then rose up suddenly, rolling and spreading to the entire fire pit.

It was not the time for the ritual right now, so there was no rite, even the Shaman didn’t do anything. However, the flames in the fire pit were burning as they were during the ritual ceremony after every winter.

Moreover, they all burned by themselves. The rolling flames were more brilliant than those during the ritual ceremony every year.

“This……This is……” Coming over in a hurry after receiving the report, the chief was left stunned likewise after seeing the images in the fire pit.

The word of Ao, the chief, brought the Shaman back from the daze just now. He was just too excited to move.

“He arrived! He found it! Ah-Xuan found the Flaming Horns old haunt!”

Shaman went down on his knees and worshipped in the direction of the fire pit.

To everyone in the tribe, the Shaman always appeared in a dignified manner all the time. But now this old man was down on his knees, crying in a complete mess. However, no one there would laugh at him. They went down on their knees together with the Shaman. Though they didn’t understand what this meant, in their mind they had subtle thoughts, which made them greatly excited.

Shao Xuan had left the tribe for some time since the end of the rainy seasons to now, when the winter was coming soon. No one could tell if Shao Xuan had crossed the river safely, or after crossing the river safely, what happened to him. After all, he was just a young warrior.

All held the fantasy and hope that Shao Xuan could manage to find something over there, but they felt anxious in their mind: after all there were too many dangers in the river and there must be more dangers and troubles at the other side of the river. Only Shao Xuan alone, was he able to handle all of them?

But now the changes to the Flame in the fire pit, together with the words of the Shaman just now, both told the people at the mountain top that Shao Xuan not only crossed the river safely, but also found the old haunt of the tribe!

Several old men who came over hurriedly were also too excited to say anything.

People at the foot of the mountain also realized the changes at the top of the mountain. The rising flames were too obvious. In the surroundings, those night swallows, which were flying here and there rampantly just now, were keeping a safe distance now, just like when they were scared during the ritual ceremony every year.

Old Ke walked out of the room, looked at the fire pit at the mountain top and said to Caesar by the side: “Is that caused by Ah-Xuan?”

Caesar watched the mountain top and looked at Old Ke, humming, as if replying to Old Ke.

The Flaming Horns tribe was not the only one with the obvious changes. No matter at this side of the river, in the central area or in outer regions, many people were changing.

Yan Shuo went out for hunting in the mountain today and brought back a small wild animal. After getting greater strength, though sometimes the totem pattern was still light, he felt better than before. He could also hunt some wild animals for his wife and kids at times.

At this moment, Yan Shuo and his family were cooking meat and chatting around the fire. Yan Shuo realized something and looked at his arms: the original light totem patterns should showed up by themselves and looked darker and clearer than they used to be.

Without saying any more, he just clenched his fists tight and smiled at his wife and kids, bright fire light reflecting from his eyes, “I feel that what we have been waiting for is coming soon.”

On the grasslands...

Old He was burning firewood at home and disposing of some newly-dug weeds today. While bustling about, he felt something strange all of a sudden. Not waking up his wife who was asleep, he added some firewood to the fire and got up to fetch a basin of water in a hurry. With the fire light, he looked at the inverted reflection in the basin.

What he saw were some patterns appearing on his face. The color was not dark. In view of the dark light, he couldn’t see the patterns clearly, but he knew what these were: they were the same patterns appearing on his father’s face at that time.

That power really exists; it was no longer that illusive and intangible feeling as before.

It exists in every muscle and every blood in their body, flowing.

At the side of a broad river...

Wooden boats of over ten meters high were docked at the bank. Compared with boats of other tribes, these boats could be considered to be luxurious.

Not far away from these boats were some broken-down small boats at the other side of the bank. In contrast with those large boats, these small boats looked quite pathetic.

On the bank beside the places where these small boats berthed, some wanderers converged there. Every day they would work till late and come back, getting together at this place and making a big bonfire to cook something to eat.

Right now they were also laughing and chatting. Compared with those people wandering aimlessly and starving, they were living a better life, even if not living in comfort.

While chatting, those people around the bonfire were all stunned as if seeing something unbelievable.

No more talks and laughs. Several men that were naked to the waist and of relatively larger size than the others, realized the abnormal situation all around and were about to ask, when they saw everyone pointing to them, as if being strangled and unable to say a whole word but just uttering “er” for quite a while.

But when seeing their own naked upper bodies along the direction where the others pointed, they were all shocked, with their hands quivering, and the stone bowls, which they usually treasured and fought for, fell down, half of the meat soup spilling on the ground. usually, everyone would probably feel sorry about the spilled meat soup, or would even lower their bodies to the ground, licking, picking up the fallen minced meat and eating it.

At the moment, however, no one paid attention to the minced meat.

“To…Totem patterns...”

No idea who spoke first, but it was like a fire igniting a barrel of oil.

Totem patterns!

Although these totem patterns didn’t last for long, some people were destined to lose sleep tonight and others had radical changes on their mental states.

Meanwhile, Shao Xuan, who caused all these changes without knowing it, was standing at the side of the fire pit of the old haunt of the Flaming Horns tribe and watching those images untill they disappeared. After everything returned to what the ruins used to be, there were no high and large stone houses, no stone statues, no dense crowds and no shaman. Every one at that time had already disappeared; the fire pit was no longer what it used to be; and the six extended branches also vanished.

Shao Xuan gave a long sigh.

“Past glory no longer lasts.”

The images were illusive and only he himself could see the scene. But when Shao Xuan saw the situation on the surrounding area, he constricted his pupil.

At the location where the Flame was and the flaming branches extended from, the flowers and grass originally growing on this place, all disappeared, only bare earth left.

It looks like not everything was just an illusion. Those six branches from the Flame really appeared up.

Meanwhile, inside the Wan Shi tribe not that far away from the Ferocious Beasts Mountain Forest...

“There are abnormal changes in the forest. Though it’s not clear, I have a feeling that it will be the greatest threat of the Wan Shi tribe.” The shaman of the Wan Shi tribe, wearing bone ornaments on his face, faced the forest with an expression as if intending to devour someone.

The leader of the Wan Shi tribe, standing beside the shaman looked at the forest and instructed those coming over.