In this tribe, before a high-ranked member stepped into the position, they would have to swear an oath before the fire pond and the three bone ornaments. The year Zheng Luo took over as chief and Duo Kang as the head of the hunting party, they also went through this process. That was why it was no surprise when the shamaness took these out. Other than the people who stood closeby, most people could not see exactly what it was.
The day Shao Xuan the Zhui sparred, and his pendant was visible, not just Duo Kang recognised it.
Shao Xuan bowed towards the box, a gesture of respect towards his ancestors.
According to the plan, when the box was taken out, Shao Xuan would have to swear his oath. However, the people who stood closest to the fire pond, like Duo Kang and the older members, waited but Shao Xuan still did not speak.
What was going on? Did he forget what he was supposed to say? Was he too nervous?
Chief Zheng Luo looked at him in confusion, however, when he saw the shamaness doing her best to suppress her emotion, he sensed that something was happening even though they could not see it.
The shamaness had tears in her eyes as she stared at the box in her hands.
The dull ornaments had been in deep slumber in the box, yet when Shao Xuan approached, it was as if someone brushed off a thick layer of dust. They were glowing.
It was a very faint glow compared to the bead on the bone ornament Shao Xuan wore, yet enough to make the shamaness so emotional. The shamans and shamanesses knew what the beads symbolised. In the past, shamans who looked at the dull beads felt like their ancestors had forsaken them, like they had done something wrong. And yet, with this change, the shamaness saw hope.
The ancestors had not left. They had always been there, guarding the Flaming Horn Tribe.
The Flaming Horn people had stubbornly prayed to them, these were things left behind by the first shaman. It represented the most powerful shaman who had existed in the tribe. If it was not for the fact that she was still carrying the box, she would have knelt in prayer already.
Shao Xuan also saw the changes in the box. In the past, when he had received this ornament, the shaman had told him the first shaman left behind six beads to make six pendants. Shao Xuan had seen three, and finally, he saw the other three.
Thank goodness none were lost. This meant the six pendants would one day unite again.
According to the instructions the shamaness had previously given, he harnessed all his totemic power and pushed a portion of it out to connect to the pond. This was something he must do. Everyone else in the tribe also connected their beings to the fire pond. The flames in the fire pond rose.
However, what he didn’t expect was that the moment he connected his power to the pond, there was a major change. He was so mesmerized he did not speak the oath.
The totemic flames in his mind roared while the flames in the fire pond shot up.
The sudden rise in the flames attracted everyone’s attention. Just as they shot up, all the torches and burning fireplaces on the hill and at the bottom of the hill died in that instant!
There was only one source of fire left on the hill, which was the flames in the fire pond.
The older members of the tribe had participated in countless rituals and ceremonies in their lifetimes. They had also heard of many stories from their fathers and grandfathers, yet they had never heard such a thing. It was as if this was the only source of fire in the world. Like the king of fires, it stood tall on the peak, overseeing its empire.
An image of two horns surfaced within the roaring flames, slowly becoming clearer. Every tribe member was familiar with this. They had seen this during ceremonies but never this large, or clear.
They could feel their blood flowing through their veins, like water boiling, surging, celebrating. With vibrations in their bones, their totemic patterns became brighter than they had ever been.
“This… This is…” The shamaness was stunned into silence, mesmerized by the tall flames.
However, this was not the end. The shamaness sensed another surge of energy that threw her mind into chaos. She looked down at the box she was holding to see that the beads were shining. They were no longer just glowing, reflecting light. They were shining from within themselves as if they were fireballs!
The beads grew brighter and brighter until there were literal balls of flame curling out of the beads.
The three bone ornaments with three beads burst into flames in the same moment. The people who could not see the ornaments could see light from within the box.
The air was hot but no one was burnt. In fact, they felt a sense of comfort and warmth that they had never felt before as if they were assured and protected. Everyone from the Flaming Horn tribe was astonished. Their minds went blank as their eyes were glued to the fire.
The flames on the bead hanging from Shao Xuan’s neck extended, the same happened for the beads in the shamaness’ box.
The shamaness and Shao Xuan standing next to the fire pond were now surrounded by the extended flames. However, they were unscathed, with no signs of being burnt. The rest of the people were alarmed by this escalation.
The shamaness stood stiff, clutching the box carefully, deeply afraid that she might disrupt this process with a movement. Although she did not know what would happen, she was sure it was to the benefit of the tribe!
Compared to the shocked people, and the stiff shamaness, Shao Xuanw as a lot calmer. He was able to guess what happened next. This had happened once before.
Shao Xuan lifted his head to look at the flames extending upwards.
The shamaness followed suit.
Everyone else did not understand why but did the same thing.
Some of them wondered if it was a new ritual but soon realised they were wrong.
The flames extended upwards, then merged together mid-air to form the outline of a large human. The outline was becoming clearer.
The fire grew brighter, stronger.
A flame giant appeared at the peak of the hill, everyone was shaken by its appearance. When everyone else snapped back to reality, they realised they had already knelt to the ground.
The giant opened its arms wide and flew upwards from the pond as if it wanted to break the skies.
The hills and the clouds covering the moon were dyed a fiery red. Its aura of power blanketed over the entire hill, creeping into every corner.
The animal pens at the bottom of the hill still contained captured beasts. At this moment, both the fierce and tamed once were shivering, wishing they were a rock instead. The dinosaur beast tied up in vines struggled furiously, clawing the ground with its hooves to dig a hole for itself to hide in.
There were hungry beasts on the other side of the manmade river circling the hill, yet in this instance, they ran far away, as if they were beaten by a club.
The Taihe tribe nearby had already gone to bed. However, they were suddenly wide away as they felt chills up their spines. They were terrified.
They all leapt off their beds, rushing out of their houses to look towards the Flaming Horn tribe.
However, both tribes were too far apart for them to see what was going on. All they saw was the red sky and forest.
There was a bright, fiery patch of red in the middle of the dark forest. It was a chilling sight.
What were the Flaming Horn people up to now?!
