"Ancestor, why are you standing here?"
The man with stone hammer in hand walked over to the old woman, concern written on his face.
The old woman lifted her withered, branch-like hand and said, "I am waiting for him."
"Ancestor, what if he doesn't come?"
"He will. After what happened last night, he will certainly come. He has many questions, and only I can give him the answers."
The hammer-wielding man frowned. "Ancestor, we can still endure. There's no need to seek outsiders."
"He is no outsider. He is also a descendant of the Wu tribe. Only he can help us."
Her tone was firm and unquestionable.
"But…"
"No buts. Go check on Sen first."
The old woman cut him off, dismissing him with a wave.
She knew why Shi resisted asking for outside help. He still did not fully understand how dire their situation had become. As for her, she had little time left. Before she died, she had to carve out a path for her people's survival.
As her thoughts drifted, Yun Xi appeared before her.
The old woman's face softened with relief. She smiled and spoke warmly, "You have come."
Yun Xi nodded, saying nothing, and followed her back into the stone house.
Inside, two others were present: the hammer man and Qin. The two of them were carefully helping the gravely injured Sen sit upright, feeding him water.
When Yun Xi entered, her divine sense swept over the wounded man lying on the stone bed. She could tell his flesh had already knit itself back together. Recovery was just a matter of time. His self-healing ability was remarkable. Still, Yun Xi raised a hand and released a healing technique, her spiritual energy repairing the damage within his organs.
Sen paused mid-sip, his expression shifting. He pressed a hand against the rough cloth binding his wounds, and moments later, his face lit up. He excitedly spoke to Qin and Shi, then leapt straight off the stone bed.
Qin and Shi were startled at first, then overjoyed. Seeing Sen standing steadily on his own feet, they quickly turned their gaze toward the old woman and Yun Xi.
The old woman, who had seen Yun Xi's action, said a few words to them. The three bowed deeply to Yun Xi in gratitude before leaving the stone house.
Now only Yun Xi and the old woman remained. Yun Xi sat once more on the stone stool, her voice direct and steady:
"I can take the descendants of the Wu tribe out of this secret realm. I can pass down cultivation techniques so they may survive in the cultivation world. But once outside, the path they walk will depend on themselves."
Her words were plain and honest. She would help them as much as she could, but she would not make promises she could not keep.
The old woman exhaled deeply in relief. As long as her people could survive, all she had endured was worthwhile. She immediately said, "Thank you. That alone is already more than enough."
Seeing her far more agreeable than yesterday, Yun Xi continued, "I have some questions about this secret realm. I need you to answer them."
"You may ask."
"The dwindling number of Wu descendants—is it only due to difficulties in childbirth, or also because of attacks from those giant beasts?"
"Yes. From what I know, when our tribe first arrived here, thanks to what the Holy Maiden left behind, the beasts of the secret realm did not attack us.
But after a few generations, the beasts began to strike. At first, our people could handle them, but as the creatures grew larger and stronger, our casualties mounted.
Later, at certain intervals, outsiders like you would appear in the secret realm. They came seeking heavenly treasures, and they would find us, even threaten or kill our people.
After several such encounters, the previous Ancestor forbade contact with outsiders. We avoided them deliberately, only seeking out cultivators of similar strength for trade, exchanging what the secret realm offered for resources that kept us alive.
Although the Holy Maiden had prepared for us, time eroded everything. Our people steadily diminished, and the areas we could safely inhabit shrank. Any tribesman who crossed a certain invisible boundary would vanish without a trace."
Yun Xi's eyes grew increasingly grave as she listened.
Xiao Xian's voice rang in her mind, "Master, their movements are restricted because the realm spirit has already developed awareness. It saw that these people were consuming resources without aiding the realm's evolution, so it began removing them step by step."
"I see… boiling the frog in warm water."
"Exactly."
"In truth, the realm spirit doesn't want the Wu tribe to become masters of this secret realm."
"Of course. If it were me, I wouldn't want someone else ruling my own territory either."
Yun Xi could understand the realm spirit's caution. In this place, the realm spirit was as good as Heaven's will itself. Its desire to erase the resource-draining Wu tribe was only natural.
The old woman went on, "After such incidents repeated, the previous Ancestor redrew the boundaries of where our people could live. But with each passing cycle, the territory shrank further. By the time I became Ancestor, our tribe was confined to this forest alone. Beyond it, we could not tread.
Soon after, no outsiders ever came again. We lived as if stranded on an island. I could only watch as our people dwindled, no new births to replenish us. If not for the prophecy left by our forebears, I doubt I would have endured until now."
Yun Xi sighed inwardly. Since her arrival, she had been thrown directly into the Wu tribe's troubles. She had no idea where the other cultivators had been sent. Two days had passed, and apart from that red fox, she hadn't seen a single one. It felt like she had been deliberately dropped here to clean up a mess.
Her inner complaints stayed buried. Outwardly, she remained calm as she pressed on, "I noticed the giant beasts here are unusually powerful because of the strange inscriptions etched into their bones. I've also seen similar markings on your tribesmen. What kind of power is this?"
The old woman shook her head. "I don't know. But I did find the markings you speak of on the beasts we hunted. After long observation, I realized these mysterious glyphs granted the creatures extraordinary abilities—turning their bodies to stone, increasing their speed, letting them leap farther.
Once I discovered this, I ordered our people to bring back the carcasses of the slain beasts. I studied their bones, carving the markings onto stone or bone, attempting to forge weapons.
Unfortunately, neither stone nor ordinary bone could withstand the power of these markings. They always cracked or shattered. In the end, I tried it on myself."
She paused.
Yun Xi's eyes widened. She hadn't expected the Wu tribe's leader to be so daring as to experiment on her own body. Yet, seeing her alive and well proved the gamble had succeeded.
Indeed, the old woman continued, "I inscribed on myself one of the markings found on the bones of a giant gray elephant. That is why I am still alive. The inscription extended my lifespan. Though each day it grows harder to even open my eyes, I endure, waiting for your arrival."
Yun Xi brushed her sleeve lightly. "So, you mean these inscriptions only take effect when carved onto living beings?"
"Yes. And not all tribesmen can endure their power."