Chapter 36: Haul
Cutting the weeds without removing the roots, they will grow again with the spring breeze.
“The Li Family has so many people, it’s impossible for them to disappear without a trace. Send a few sharp-witted clan members to keep an eye on the main roads around Disordered Burial Mountain. Report immediately if you find any trace of the Li Clan.”
“Yes!”
“Also, the Li Clan left in a hurry, so they definitely couldn’t take all their resources. Did we gain anything from this trip?”
Oliver Chen smiled and replied, “Not only did we gain something, but it was quite a haul. We confiscated five hundred pounds of Blood Rice, several acres of fertile land, seven Dark Gold Beasts, and ten Spirit-Tailed Chickens from the Li Clan…”
“Besides these, we also took over the Li Clan’s hunting grounds around Disordered Burial Mountain and some of their small marketplaces…”
Ethan Chen’s face lit up with joy upon hearing this.
Blood Rice is a specialty of the area around Disordered Burial Mountain. The rice grains are oval-shaped, about one-third the size of a pinky finger, and are named for their blood-red color.
Mature Blood Rice contains a small amount of blood energy, which is easily absorbed and often more suitable for Warriors than the flesh of Body Tempering Realm beasts.
Additionally, Blood Rice is commonly used as currency in the small marketplaces around Disordered Burial Mountain.The clan had planted quite a bit of Blood Rice before, but this year’s harvest was poor, and the fields were surrounded by the Li Clan, resulting in a total loss.
He had been worried about the clan’s food supply, but this haul alleviated much of that concern.
Aside from the Blood Rice, the spirit beasts raised by the Li Clan also delighted Ethan Chen, who immediately said, “Quickly, bring half of the spirit beasts to offer to the Sacred Tree!”
Oliver and the others had no objections. After all, everyone had witnessed the Sacred Tree’s contribution to their victory.
Without the Sacred Tree, the clan might not exist today.
Moreover, with the fall of the Li Clan, their hunting grounds and marketplaces naturally became the Chen Clan’s property.
Before the conflict, Disordered Burial Mountain had been divided among three clans, each with its own hunting grounds. If the Chen Clan had been destroyed, the Li Clan would have become even stronger by absorbing their resources.
Since the resources of Disordered Burial Mountain are limited, the fewer clans there are, the more resources each remaining clan can claim.
Fortunately, the Li Clan’s attempt to gain more backfired.
Besides the hunting grounds, the ownership of the marketplaces also shifted with the fall of the Li Clan.
Although Disordered Burial Mountain is remote, the surrounding area has many fertile fields suitable for growing Blood Rice, and several villages rely on this for their livelihood. Most of the villagers are ordinary people, not Warriors.
The Chen Clan originally settled here for this reason, hoping it would provide a foundation for future growth.
However, things didn’t go as planned. After twenty years, the Chen Clan had declined and nearly faced extinction.
“Elijah, what’s the situation with the Liu Family? Any reaction?”
Ethan Chen asked Elijah Chen, who had just returned.
Elijah shook his head, “The Liu Family seems to have no reaction. They haven’t sent many people to check on the situation.”
Ethan Chen’s expression relaxed slightly upon hearing this.
His biggest worry was that the Liu Family would take advantage of their weakened state after the battle and launch an attack.
But it seemed the Liu Family had no such intentions.
Among the three clans around Disordered Burial Mountain, the Liu Family was the only one that both the Chen and Li Clans feared.
The Liu Family had only been around for a few years, but after establishing themselves near Disordered Burial Mountain, they had made no other moves. Despite their considerable strength, they sought peaceful development.
Even with such a good opportunity, they hadn’t intervened in the conflict between the Chen and Li Clans. It was unclear whether they didn’t want to get involved or had other reasons.
But this was good news for the Chen Clan.
As long as they could maintain the current situation, the Chen Clan could develop for another couple of years. By then, even if the Liu Family had ill intentions, they would be able to handle it.
“We can’t let our guard down with the Liu Family. We still need to keep an eye on them.”
“Yes, Clan Chief.”
“By the way, starting tomorrow, the clan will hold a seven-day grand festival for the Sacred Tree.”
“This festival is extremely important for the clan’s prosperity. Make sure everyone is prepared.”
“Oliver, you’ll be in charge of the offerings for the festival. Tomorrow, take a few clan members to hunt in Disordered Burial Mountain. Remember, hunt only within the clan’s territory and don’t go too deep.”
“Understood.”
Oliver nodded, but Mason Chen spoke up, “Clan Chief, the Li Clan hasn’t been completely wiped out. Is it wise to hold the Sacred Tree festival now? What if they launch a sneak attack during the festival?”
After all, the Li Clan still had two Blood Condensation Realm Warriors.
Ethan Chen smiled, “If they really launch a sneak attack, that would be perfect. The Li Clan still has some remaining Warriors. Although their realms are low, they could rise again in the future. If we pursue them too aggressively now, we might corner them and provoke a desperate counterattack.
Our clan is currently weak. Any further losses would be too costly. It’s better to use the Sacred Tree festival to lure them out and make them reveal themselves.
If we spot them, we can gather our clan members and wipe them out in one fell swoop.”
Mason and the others were impressed by Ethan’s foresight. They hadn’t considered all these factors.
“Clan Chief, the Dark Gold Beasts and Spirit-Tailed Chickens for the offering have arrived.”
A clan member reported from outside the Ancestral Hall, and Ethan Chen was overjoyed. He quickly said, “Bring them in and offer them all to the Sacred Tree!”
Above, Noah Ji watched the spirit beasts below, feeling a surge of anticipation.
It was finally time for him to reap the rewards.
Although these Dark Gold Beasts were only at the Early Body Tempering Realm, their size and Qi and Blood were much smaller than the one Oliver had hunted before, but there were many of them.
Additionally, the five Spirit-Tailed Chickens should also be quite effective, much better than the two initially offered by the Chen Clan.
Soon, the offering began.
To better understand the contribution of each spirit beast to his Qi and Spiritual Power, Noah Ji opened his panel and observed the changes.
As the blood soaked into the soil, Noah Ji’s Qi and Blood began to increase rapidly.
2, 3, 4, 6…
When the offering was over, Noah Ji looked at his panel again.
[Qi and Blood: 37 (Convertible to Vitality)]
[Spiritual Power: 19]
[Deduction Points: 15]
[Deduction Available!]
His Qi and Blood had been at 0, and his Spiritual Power at 6.
After absorbing the Qi and Blood from three Dark Gold Beasts and five Spirit-Tailed Chickens, both his Qi and Spiritual Power had significantly increased.
Through observation, Noah Ji found that the five Spirit-Tailed Chickens contributed 25 points of Qi and 10 points of Spiritual Power.
The three Dark Gold Beasts contributed 12 points of Qi and 3 points of Spiritual Power.
The difference was clear.
Especially in terms of Spiritual Power.
Even though the Dark Gold Beasts were larger than the Spirit-Tailed Chickens, the latter were more cost-effective.