Chapter 43: Chronicles of the Great Wilderness (Part 2)
Chapter 43: Chronicles of the Great Wilderness (Part 2)
Thirty thousand years ago.
The ancestors of the Great Wilderness Humans ignited the spark of civilization, beginning to free themselves from ignorance and darkness.
They mastered the skills to fashion all kinds of tools, creating the earliest form of writing.
They established village forts, gathering together by clan.
The ancestors, locked in constant battle with Wild Beasts and Monster Beasts, grew stronger and stronger.
And during this process, the magical bone patterns of the Monster Beasts enlightened the ancient wise people among humankind.
Thus, the Totemic Runes were born.
Humankind gained extraordinary power – Totem Warriors and Totem Witches!
However, just as the Great Wilderness Humans were growing truly powerful and prosperous, great changes rocked the entire world.
Mountains thrust upwards, forests expanded wildly, rivers overflowed their banks!
All living things, including plants and animals, began to evolve.
Their size became larger with each generation.
They were adapting to the new world.
This also meant the already savage Wild Beasts and Monster Beasts became an ever-increasing threat to the ancestors.
Countless people died because of them.
But Heaven seemed to have forgotten humankind, not granting them this gift of evolution!
The Great Wilderness Humans faced an unprecedented crisis.
The great danger of extinction loomed large.
Under these circumstances, part of humanity chose to hide away in the shadowy depths of the underground Abyss.
The underground Abyss was much safer than the surface of the Great Wilderness, as the unique environment greatly limited the evolution of living things.
Allowing the weaker ones there to recover their strength.
This group later became known as the “Ancient Descendants.”
But many ancestors also chose to remain upon the earth at that time, fighting for survival!
This included the Shamans.
Through countless sacrifices and spilled blood, the Shamans researched new Totems.
They succeeded in granting humankind the gift of evolution, ensuring they weren’t wiped out by natural selection.
The ancestors, reproducing generation after generation, ultimately became the Giants of today!
The resurgent Giant race built strong and majestic cities, founding kingdoms atop their Tribes.
And so it continued, up until today.
…
Gao Jing turned over the final page of the “Chronicles of the Great Wilderness.”
His heart beat faster.
This ancient record had limited length.
Although it recounted the thirty-thousand-year history of the Great Wilderness Humans in full, it offered very little detail in its main content.
So much was still unclear to him.
It had been five days since he had returned to the Great World.
Each day, Gao Jing had earnestly sought the Elder Shaman’s instruction, studying the “Chronicles of the Great Wilderness” anew.
He gained more knowledge of the Great Wilderness.
Gao Jing truly couldn’t imagine what convictions the early Great Wilderness Humans – before they became Giants – held, that drove them to fight desperate battles against Wild Beasts and Monster Beasts many times larger and stronger.
Wild Beasts was the collective name for all beasts in the Great Wilderness, including grass-eating cattle, sheep, and horses, as well as predatory tigers, leopards, and wolves.
The latter constantly posed a threat to humanity.
However, compared to Monster Beasts, even the fiercest Wild Beast paled in comparison.
Monster Beasts were still beasts, but they possessed high intelligence and innate abilities.
These abilities were called “divine powers.”
Some Monster Beasts could spout fire, some could summon wind and rain, some were nearly indestructible, and some were unstoppable killers.
In a certain sense, the Great Wilderness was a world ruled by Monster Beasts!
It’s just that Monster Beasts usually didn’t venture far from their territories, and many Monster Beasts were natural enemies locked in constant conflict.
They couldn’t form a unified whole.
Otherwise, the Great Wilderness Humans would have been wiped out by the Monster Beasts long ago.
Even so, the harm inflicted by Monster Beasts upon humanity was immense and devastating!
The book records incidents where a Monster Beast destroyed an entire city, killing and devouring tens of thousands of people.
They were the greatest enemies of the Great Wilderness Humans.
The “Chronicles of the Great Wilderness” laying before Gao Jing was, essentially, a history written in tears and blood for the Great Wilderness Humans.
Every page, every line, seemed soaked with the stains of blood.
You could almost see the countless corpses of their ancestors!
Even though Gao Jing was not one of the Great Wilderness Humans.
His very first experience stepping into the Great World made him feel their suffering keenly.
Gao Jing couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
He lifted his head and saw the Elder Shaman sitting at the table, puffing “pah-pah” on his pipe.
The leaf he used was the stuff Gao Jing brought from the Primary World.
The old man liked it and treasured it.
The aged Giant met Gao Jing’s gaze; a spark of wisdom gleamed in his eyes.
They seemed as if they could pierce right through to Gao Jing’s soul!
Taking a deep breath, Gao Jing bowed respectfully. “Shaman Chief, thank you for your guidance these past days.”
“You’re welcome.”
The Elder Shaman set down his pipe, his voice meaningful. “There’s more you wish to tell me, isn’t there?”
“Yes!”
Gao Jing answered without hesitation. “I want to know… can I become a Totem Witch?”
Becoming a Shaman was his most important, critical goal in coming back to the Great World this time.
Totem Warriors and Totem Witches were the core power of the Great Wilderness Humans, beings who wielded extraordinary abilities.
Gao Jing wanted to become a Totem Witch, not only because their abilities were the strongest.
A Shaman’s lifespan was also the longest!
Like the Elder Shaman before him, who had watched over the Shan Yue Tribe for over a hundred years!
And Shan Yan was clearly not the most powerful of Totem Witches.
Gao Jing yearned for power, but he also deeply desired long life.
He stared intently at the Elder Shaman, awaiting a verdict on his fate, feeling more nervous than ever before!
After all, Gao Jing was an “Abyssal Descendant,” not a Great Wilderness Giant.
He didn’t know if he possessed such qualifications.
The Elder Shaman was his only hope!
At Gao Jing’s question, Shan Yan fell into thought.
After a moment, the Elder Shaman spoke, “Abyssal Descendants can also become Totem Witches.”
“We and you share the same origin and blood. We are all humans.”
“However…”
Before Gao Jing could show excitement, the Elder Shaman waggled a finger at him.
He shouldn’t get too happy yet. “But you must possess the aptitude, or the Bloodline, to become a Shaman!”
Gao Jing couldn’t help but ask, “What is a Shaman’s aptitude?”
The Elder Shaman smiled faintly.
He raised his withered right hand, index and ring fingers pressed together, and instantly traced a mysterious, complex rune in the air.
“This is fire.”
Flames flickered into existence out of nowhere, like dancing dragons of fire, their blazing heat radiating outwards.
But they vanished after only a few seconds.
The Elder Shaman traced again. “This is wind.”
A breeze stirred, born from the void!
“This is water.”
“This is earth.”
“This is spirit!”
In less than half a minute, the Elder Shaman traced five different Totemic Runes.
“Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Spirit – these are the five Bloodline Essences.”
He explained, “To become a Shaman, you absolutely must possess the ‘Spirit’ Essence. Having any one of Fire, Wind, Water, or Earth Essences as well would be ideal.”
“If you lack the ‘Spirit’ Essence but have one of the other four – Fire, Wind, Water, or Earth – you can become a Totem Warrior.”
“If you possess none of the five Bloodline Essences…”
The Elder Shaman didn’t finish his sentence, but Gao Jing understood the implication completely.
Gao Jing asked eagerly, “Shaman Chief, then how can I discover if I possess any Essence?”
“I can help you take the test.”
The Elder Shaman pulled out a Talisman Placard from his waist pouch and placed it before Gao Jing.
This Talisman Placard was almost a meter long and half a meter wide, its dark brown surface carved with intricate rune patterns.
In the very center, there was a circular groove the size of a fist.
“Place a drop of your blood on it.”
The Elder Shaman gestured. “The results will appear very soon.”
Staring at the Talisman Placard before him, Gao Jing felt unprecedented tension!
His future fate hung in the balance!