Chapter 164: Fire Crow Tribe

This Storage Bag has such a small space; even with Ao meat blocking it, where could the Tai Sui escape to!

Chen Shicheng showed a sinister smile, tilted the gourd slightly, and a drop of Ao Blood appeared at the gourd's mouth, trembling so that it instantly whetted the appetite.

In no time, a thin tentacle emerged from behind the massive Ao meat.

Chen Shicheng gave no reaction, merely gently shaking the gourd so that the drop of blood at its mouth kept bobbing, and a faint exotic fragrance began to fill the entire Storage Bag.

The Tai Sui lacks solid visual organs; even a single tentacle can serve as an eye, so the Tai Sui saw Chen Shicheng's actions crystal‑clear.

Not to mention that the drop of Ao Blood also emitted an enticing scent.

The Tai Sui, while rubbing against the unconsumable Ao meat beside it, cautiously stared at the gourd in Chen Shicheng's hand, racked its limited brain for a while, and then slowly moved toward this side.

Reaching the lakeside path, it carefully extended a tentacle, probing toward the Ao Blood; once it touched the Ao Blood, it quickly sucked it in at top speed, then collapsed into a lump on the spot.

Chen Shicheng couldn't help a twitch at the corner of his eye; this little thing was willing to risk everything for food—earlier it hid in fear, now it lies here so brazenly.

And it can even show a sense of contented satisfaction on the Tai Sui's body that lacks any senses, which is absurd.

Chen Shicheng laughed and shook his head, then turned to the fresh wound and began collecting the dripping blood drop by drop.

Needless to say, this little Tai Sui is truly a renewable resource; the blood it releases hasn't even been regenerated yet, and the wound gushes blood like an open faucet, impossible to stop.

He collected for a full five or six minutes before the blood's flow finally slowed, and that was only because the Tai Sui had become more alert, instinctively beginning to heal the wound.

Just as Chen Shicheng was about to enlarge the wound further, the Tai Sui suddenly jolted, lifted its head, stared warily at the Storage Bag's entrance, then vanished by burrowing straight into the ground.

Only then did Chen Shicheng feel a fuzzy touch on his arm; looking down, he saw La Tiao, whose nose is keener than a dog's, having poked its head in at some unknown moment.

The moment its head entered, it sniffed the scent of Ao Blood and Tai Sui Blood permeating the Storage Bag, as if a starving ghost reborn, drooling as it burrowed in, twitching its little nose while scouring the ground for the Tai Sui.

La Tiao isn't unintelligent; it clearly knows which foods will make its own bloodline grow.

After such a long gap, finally catching the scent of Tai Sui Blood again, it could never let it slip by.

Thus, even if it can't locate the burrowed Tai Sui for a while, it tirelessly patrols back and forth; whenever the Tai Sui's burrowing time ends and it peeks out, it rushes to pounce.

Even if each pounce ends empty, it persists unremittingly.

Chen Shicheng watched the chaotic scene without intending to intervene; the Tai Sui Blood he collected those minutes should be enough, so he tipped the gourd in his hand and wore a satisfied smile.

【High‑quality Tai Sui Blood: possesses wound‑healing and plant‑growth benefits; long‑term consumption can also extend Lifespan.】

Seeing the prompt identified by the Eye of Bai Ze, Chen Shicheng nodded; no wonder the Tai Sui he's fed for so long now produces blood with a premium label.

Compared to this quality of blood, even if it can't match high‑tier demonic beasts, it can barely meet the Huoyao Bu's standards.

The journey was somewhat dull and tasteless, but fortunately it didn't last long.

Seventeen hours later, drenched in sweat, Chen Shicheng finally reached the spot marked on the map: Huoyao Bu! According to the map's brief description, this tribe's worship of crows is ingrained in their bones. Besides the divine fire crows they raise, even ordinary crows cannot be harmed in this realm, or one will face the Huoyao Bu's endless wrath.

Respecting local customs and traditions is a virtue every Chinese person must possess.

Chen Shicheng was no exception; watching flocks of crows cawing wildly overhead, he shrugged and walked nonchalantly toward the village gate.

Unlike the small settlement he first encountered, this tribe, famed across the Hundred‑Thousand Great Mountains, occupies an absurdly vast area, spanning the mountain's mid‑slopes and foothills.

At the summit stands an absurdly massive giant tree, uniquely shaped; its crown splits into ten branches, red leaves clustered together, resembling a naturally formed bird's nest.

And on those ten branches, flocks of crows entwined with flames continuously take flight.

If nothing unexpected occurs, this must be the Fusang offshoot mentioned in the Task.

Staring at the towering giant tree hundreds of meters tall, Chen Shicheng, dumbfounded, patted the Sea‑Swallow gourd hanging at his waist, doubting whether he could complete the Task.

But since he's already here, he'll try both heights; at worst he'll waste a few drops of Ao Blood, and extracting blood can also help the Tai Sui grow a bit.

With that in mind, Chen Shicheng set his expression, and stepped toward the village gate.

"All entrants halt! This is Fire Crow Division Territory; strangers, state your purpose!"

Just as he approached the gate, two guards stopped him.

Chen Shicheng patted the gourd at his waist, looked up toward the Fusang offshoot atop the mountain, and said, "I've taken the Task; I'm carrying demonic beast blood and wish to meet your person in charge."

The two guards glanced at the gourd at Chen Shicheng's waist, their eyes skeptical—how much blood could such a small gourd hold, could it remedy the Fusang sacred tree's affliction? Yet recalling the clan chief's prior instructions, they said little and led Chen Shicheng forward, one after the other, into the village.

Their person in charge seemed to reside at the very top of the village, near the mid‑mountain slope close to the Fusang offshoot.

Chen Shicheng followed the two, crossing the village horizontally and climbing upward for over ten minutes before arriving at the largest wooden stilt house in the settlement.

"Please wait here a moment; I'll go inform the clan chief."

The guard leading the way reported a shout, then entered the clan chief's dwelling.

Soon, hurried footsteps echoed from the stilt house, and a blue‑band‑wrapped elder hurried out, a divine steed Fire Crow perched on his shoulder.

"You're the one who took the Task; where's the demonic beast blood? What level of demonic beast? How much?"

The moment he saw Chen Shicheng, the elder rattled off several questions.

Chen Shicheng, unsure which to answer first, could only take off the gourd from his waist and show it to the elder.

(End of Chapter)