Chapter 88: Spoils

Until the afternoon, the dispatched clan members finally returned.

However, they all carried quite a few spoils from their trip.

In the clan hall, Elijah Chen and other key clan members were already present.

“Clan Chief, we’ve emptied out the Liu Family’s possessions, leaving only the rooftops.”

“According to the clan’s tally, we’ve gathered a total of 1,500 pounds of Blood Rice, 4,000 pounds of regular grains, and over a dozen Spirit-Tailed Chickens…”

Hearing Elijah’s report, Ethan Chen’s face lit up with joy.

This was a resounding victory. Most importantly, they had completely eradicated the Liu Family, securing their dominance over Disordered Burial Mountain and preserving the natural Blood Spring.

This was the clan’s greatest gain.

“Clan Chief, we also found a secret chamber in the Liu Family’s residence. These items were all retrieved from there.”

Looking at the several ancient books in Elijah’s hands, Ethan became interested and took one to examine.

“Bright Moon Like Frost.”

Seeing the title on the ancient book, Ethan’s eyes gleamed, and he immediately began to read.

After finishing, his face showed even more delight.

This was the family combat skill used by Liu Zishan and others, and it was a mid-tier Xuan-level combat skill.

However, Xuan-level combat skills have high requirements for a warrior’s realm. At the very least, one must be in the Blood Condensation Realm to learn it. To master it, one needs to be in the Innate Realm, and to achieve great success, one must reach the Inner Qi stage.

But its value was undeniable, enough to be passed down as a family combat skill for generations.

Though the current warriors in the clan might not be able to learn it, Ethan still carefully stored it away.

He then checked the other two ancient books, which were also combat skills but only of Normal-Grade.

Before, these Normal-Grade combat skills would have greatly boosted the clan’s strength. However, after the clan elders’ revival, the need for these skills wasn’t as pressing.

Different combat skills have different focuses, and sometimes it depends on the individual.

Having two more combat skills would provide more options for the clan members, which was excellent.

As Ethan was flipping through the books, a yellowed piece of paper suddenly fell out.

Ethan was surprised but quickly caught the paper before it hit the ground.

The writing on the paper was not very neat and was handwritten.

After carefully reading the content, Ethan’s face showed a hint of astonishment.

The paper recorded a method to make Blood Rice mature even when the natural Blood Spring was dormant.

This discovery made Ethan’s face show a mix of suspicion and surprise.

He had thought that the secret method Liu Zishan mentioned was just a trick, but it turned out to be real.

According to the paper, using the blood of fierce beasts, diluted with water, and watering the Blood Rice plants daily would accelerate their growth.

Ethan didn’t know if this method was genuine.

But since the paper was hidden among the ancient books, it was unlikely to be fake.

Even if it was false, the clan wouldn’t lose much. Given the current weather, this batch of Blood Rice wouldn’t mature anyway.

“Mason, take a few clan members tomorrow and try this method.”

“Alright.”

Mason Chen took the paper, and after reading its content, he was also surprised but nodded.

After checking the spoils, Ethan’s face turned serious as he looked at William Chen and asked:

“How many clan members did we lose this time?”

The others also looked serious. They had been too busy today to notice, but they had seen many bodies upon returning.

It seemed the clan had lost quite a few warriors.

“Clan Chief, we lost three clan members this time: Chen Tianmo, Chen Qingjing…”

“Sigh, although it was a great victory, I didn’t expect to lose so many clan members…”

Hearing William’s report, Ethan’s face showed sadness.

But upon hearing the exact number, he was surprised:

“How many? Just three?”

“Yes, just three.”

Confirming the result, Ethan’s sadness vanished. Only three? This was far better than he had expected.

In a clan battle, casualties were inevitable.

Losing only three was thanks to the power of the Sacred Tree.

Moreover, those three could still be honored under the Sacred Tree’s divine power, joining their ancestors.

In essence, it was as if the clan hadn’t lost anyone!

Excellent.

Thinking of the Sacred Tree, Ethan felt regretful. He had been so busy after the battle that he almost forgot to worship the Sacred Tree. He quickly called out to everyone present:

“Quick, prepare the offerings. We must hold a grand seven-day ceremony!”

“Don’t forget to bring those green bamboos as well!”

…

In the Ancestral Hall, Noah Ji was waiting eagerly, but no clan members came in. He could only hear the busy sounds outside.

As the one who contributed the most to this clan battle, he was now being neglected.

Noah sighed, lamenting the decline of morals and the fickleness of human nature.

Just as Noah was sighing, many clan members outside had prepared the offerings and were heading towards the Ancestral Hall.

Some busy house servants were also called to stop.

This made many house servants puzzled. What was such a grand preparation for?

They had never seen a battle scene or the Sacred Tree, so they were naturally confused.

But seeing the solemn faces of the clan members heading to the Ancestral Hall, they followed behind, ready to see what was happening.

Ethan did not stop them. The existence of the Sacred Tree in the clan no longer needed to be hidden. Even if outsiders knew, it didn’t matter.

After all, the Chen Clan was now the only one in Disordered Burial Mountain, and promoting the Sacred Tree could increase the clan’s cohesion.

As the clan totem, it deserved everyone’s worship.

The grand ceremony quickly began.

Noah had no interest in the tedious rituals and focused on the offerings.

After a quick look, Noah nodded slightly.

Not bad, including two fierce beasts in the Blood Condensation Realm, five Spirit-Tailed Chickens, and three Body Tempering Realm Dark Gold Beasts, most of which were obtained from the Liu Family.

When Noah saw a few green bamboos among the offerings, he was puzzled.

He ate meat, not vegetables, and these green bamboos weren’t even fresh. What was the point of offering nearly dead bamboo?

But as Noah concentrated his mind and observed closely, he soon noticed something different about the green bamboos.

These green bamboos seemed particularly spiritual?

With this realization, Noah’s eyes lit up, thinking of the Liu Family’s totem.