I Contracted All Ancient Divine Artifacts

Chapter 144: Chapter 43: The Mist Clears

Ka ka ka ka...

As the disc turned, the faint blood-colored grooves on it lit up again, forming symbols that Han Zhan could not understand.

The meaning of these symbols was unknown, but as they spun, Han Zhan noticed that the once all-encompassing white mist at the mountaintop began to dissipate little by little.

With the mist clearing, Han Zhan could see farther, as if unlocking a bird’s-eye view, overlooking everything.

To the east,

as the disc continued to turn, something massive seemed to happen there, as vast swaths of forest suddenly collapsed, filling in the black river.

The ground trembled, and the filled area turned back into flat land.

This incredible transformation made Han Zhan click his tongue in wonder.

Just as Han Zhan was observing the changes in the distance, a young girl beside him suddenly made a soft sound and woke up.

She looked around confusedly at first, then noticed the pool of blood beneath her.

Coupled with her aching body, Feng Ya seemed to suddenly realize something, and she shyly looked at Han Zhan.

Han Zhan: ”6”

It took a while, and with the dead giant Human-faced Owl as evidence, Feng Ya reluctantly accepted Han Zhan’s explanation.

Han Zhan sighed in relief. Looking at the long-dead Human-faced Owl, he thought, ”Let me say thank you.”

First, he helped Feng Ya with her gear, then Han Zhan took charge of picking up the Human-faced Owl, dragging it along and leaving a long trail on the ground.

Returning laden with spoils.

At the entrance to Fengbai Village, many people, including the village chief Feng Pingcheng, were watching the direction of the mountain foot, waiting expectantly.

They hoped to see Han Zhan and Feng Ya reappear, but as it got later, their hope waned.

Suddenly, Feng Hao, who was standing at the village entrance, spotted an outline emerging from the darkness with his sharp eyes, and he screamed in excitement.

Soon, the figures of Han Zhan and Feng Ya appeared not far away.

Accompanying them was an unusually large and terrifying Calamity Beast!

Suppressing his excitement, Feng Pingcheng replaced it with a more respectful and admiring look, and he humbly approached first.

”Hero Han Zhan...”

...

The bonfire once again illuminated the whole of Fengbai Village.

Young women danced around the bonfire, looking at the young man sitting at the front with even more fervent eyes.

Feng Ya, with an annoyed face, spread her arms to block most of the prying eyes directed at him.

”So that’s how it is.” After listening to Han Zhan’s account, Feng Pingcheng finally understood the original meaning behind the so-called ”ancestral call.”

”Thanks to you, Hero Han Zhan, you helped our village solve this problem that has plagued us for decades.”

”Moreover, our village’s meat supply now exceeds daily consumption, so I’ve decided to mobilize all the young people in the village tomorrow to dry these Calamity Beast meats to store them better.”

”Village chief, you don’t need to explain these things to me,” Han Zhan waved his hand.

”How could that be, the Calamity Beast was killed by you; in principle, this meat is yours, so whatever we do with it, you should be informed.”

Seeing Feng Pingcheng insist, Han Zhan said no more.

Sometimes, a higher reputation never hurts.

”By the way, village chief. When Fu Xi, the ancestor, manifested, he gave me a drawing; I wonder if you have any research on the descriptions in it.”

Han Zhan brought up the matter at hand.

He was keen on the clues that would follow.

So Han Zhan described to Feng Pingcheng what he had seen.

After hearing it, Feng Pingcheng slowly furrowed his brows. ”A golden bird, a towering tree? And withered woods, this...”

He wanted to say it was too abstract, like something drawn by a child, and that Feng Hao from Feng Linluan’s family might even draw it better.

Thinking about the fact that Han Zhan was the one asking, he held back his comment.

”I’ve never seen it, nor have I heard of it.” Feng Pingcheng said, paused, and then added, ”But perhaps you could ask some older elders.”

”You see, in the earliest times, our villages were all connected in some way; we could visit and trade with each other.”

”It’s just that later, for some unknown reason, each village was isolated and could only fend for itself.”

”If you want to find out about other villages, you’ll need to ask the older folks in the village; maybe from their memories, we can find some clues.”

Listening to Feng Pingcheng’s words, Han Zhan’s mind suddenly recalled what he saw at the mountaintop: the disappearing forest, the buried Black River, and the land transformed from soil.

He had a premonition.

Perhaps, those early days when villages interacted and connected would start again.

This premonition was strong.

Following the advice, Han Zhan asked around and discovered that the oldest living person in the village was Feng Linluan.

Alright, he had to ask him.

Upon hearing that Han Zhan had questions for him, Feng Linluan felt quite proud; his son’s great revenge was taken, and today was a day of pride.

”A golden bird? An ancient towering tree?” Feng Linluan squinted his already small eyes and thought for less than half a minute before slapping his thigh and saying, ”Isn’t it simple? A phoenix and the Phoenix Perch Wood!”

Phoenix? Phoenix Perch Wood?

Hearing these terms, they seemed accurate somehow.

”So where is the Phoenix Perch Wood? Feng Bo, do you know?” Han Zhan quickly asked.

”You don’t know? You not knowing is right because neither do I.”

The old charlatan Feng Linluan started again.

Han Zhan’s mouth twitched slightly, deciding not to argue with the elder.

Finding no answer, Han Zhan asked no more, concentrating instead on eating meat to restore his energy for the day.

Seeing Han Zhan and the others cease their conversation, Feng Ya obediently sat down beside them, quietly barbecuing meat for Han Zhan. Her virtuous demeanor was much like a pre-married wife.

Han Zhan glanced at her in surprise, puzzled by her sudden change in behavior.

”Anyway, you’ve already seen everything of mine. I’m yours in life and your ghost in death. You can’t possibly leave this world,” Feng Ya said.

Han Zhan opened his mouth, just about to say something to advise this love-obsessed person, telling her that another love-obsessed person was also waiting for him in this world.

Suddenly, a clamor was heard from afar.

A group of people, whose attire was distinct from Fengbai Village People, walked in from the village entrance.

They had fiery red hair, fiery red attire, and fiery red eyes, making them appear as if they were burning human-shaped flames.

Looking at their attire, village chief Feng Pingcheng finally managed to retrieve from the dusty records in his mind a memory related to them.

”Are you from Flame Village?”