Sacrificial Artifact System: From Bell-ringer to the Ancestral Patriarch

As soon as his master Zhou Buping returned from the inner gate, Li Qian hurriedly stepped forward to inquire about the situation.

"Coming next, there will definitely be a major conflict, and the Imperial Family has sent a Heavenly Person to supervise."

Zhou Buping briefly explained the situation, "You should just focus on cultivating diligently and strive to enhance your strength. There's no need to worry too much for now; your generation shouldn't be needed at this stage, but that might change later on."

Once the fighting starts, the situation will surely be extremely brutal.

Therefore, in the early stages, it will mainly be the seasoned Martial Artists of the Divine Sword Sect in action.

Young elite Martial Artists like Li Qian, being precious seeds, won't be easily expended in the war.

"Understood, master."

Li Qian nodded; naturally, he understood this rationale.

Inner gate missions are entirely different from war, with the level of danger being many times higher.

...

Situated at the Chen Bell Platform, Li Qian didn't feel much of the tension.

He resumed a peaceful life of bell-striking training.

However, at this moment, the Divine Sword Sect had already begun preparing for the all-out war.

Not to mention the seized Xuanzhou Iron City must be reclaimed, the Imperial Family also required the Divine Sword Sect to coordinate with the Night King Mansion to annihilate the rebellious Luo King Mansion.

The justification for the expedition was simple.

The Luo King Mansion was one of the instigators behind the Jade Capital's rebellion, and on top of that, they had annexed the Baihua Palace, recklessly expanding their power.

Time passed day by day.

Li Qian was not completely isolated from news.

Master Zhou Buping was deeply concerned about the situation, running to the inner gate every day... his own land was almost going to waste now.

With the imminent great battle of the Divine Sword Sect, it wouldn't make sense for him, a retired elder, to continue leisurely farming.

Moreover, as a retired elder who had regained some combat capabilities, if the war situation became desperate, he might very well be recalled to battle by the sect.

Just like that, another month passed by.

Master Zhou Buping brought back another piece of news.

"Just received word, the fighting has already started over by the Iron City."

The reason it took so long to start the war was mainly that it took time for the Night King Mansion's anti-rebellion Martial Arts Army to get to Xuanzhou, plus various strategic preparations.

In fact, the covert skirmishes between the Divine Sword Sect and the Luo King Mansion had never stopped.

Another month went by in this manner.

The conflict was stuck in a deadlock.

The Luo King Mansion had deployed heavy troops around Xuanzhou Iron City, with a very high number of high-rank Martial Artists.

It was said that even Heavenly Persons have clashed several times.

As for the large-scale battles of the Martial Arts Army, they never ceased.

Moreover, both parties would dispatch small groups of high-rank Martial Artists to infiltrate the other's territory and attack logistics and supplies.

...

A black shadow, flapping its broad wings, descended from the sky.

It's Xiao Hei.

Li Qian casually named the black eagle.

This black eagle often ate Feeding Pills, and coupled with the Beast Taming Technique from the Exotic Beast Breeding Farm, it was very intelligent and could understand many commands.

Swoosh!

The black eagle perched on a nearby stand.

Li Qian flicked a Feeding Pill toward it.

The black eagle immediately caught it and, after swallowing, contentedly squinted its eyes.

"It looks like Xiao Hei's size has probably maxed out."

Li Qian observed the black eagle which was much larger than ordinary eagles. However, it hadn't grown much in the past few months.

There was ultimately a limit to its species.

It wasn't an Abnormal Bird; it couldn't keep growing.

Of course, Li Qian couldn't possibly infuse it with the energy from the demon stone.

After all, animal mutations were uncontrollable...

"I wonder if those Demon Pills could be fed to Xiao Hei?"

A thought crossed Li Qian's mind, recalling the large amount of Demon Pills stored in the Black Iron Ring that he had yet to deal with.

An eagle's lifespan is only about twenty or thirty years.

Without becoming an Abnormal Bird, it's difficult to break through this limit.

He decided to do an experiment.

Of course, he wouldn't feed it directly to Xiao Hei.

So, he gave Xiao Hei a command to catch a mouse and bring it back.

The Beast Taming Technique from the breeding farm was a method combining sound, gesture, and mental commands into one, improving interaction between humans and eagles.

This technique could make the eagles smarter and more intelligent, understanding many commands.

Moreover, Xiao Hei was inherently clever and knew gratitude. When it first learned to hunt, it would often bring back mice, pheasants, hares, etc… for Li Qian.

Eventually, they turned into delicious dishes on the table.

Old rats in this world's wilderness were particularly large, some weighing two or three pounds each. With no pollution at all, their meat was exceptionally tasty.

Xiao Hei thought Li Qian wanted wild game and immediately let out a cry, spreading its wings and flying out.

In less than half an hour, Xiao Hei returned with a lively big rat.

"Senior Brother Li, shall we go for braised or spicy?"

Liu Ming, having just finished his cultivation, came over.

Normally, when Xiao Hei brought back wild game, he would handle it.

"This is not for eating."

Li Qian said with a smile.

He picked up the rat's tail, weighing about two and a half pounds, quite fat indeed.

The big rat remained motionless because a breath released by Li Qian was enough to make it stay put.

"Xiao Hei, go catch a few more."

Li Qian patted Xiao Hei's head and issued another command.

Xiao Hei wobbled on the ground, circled around, and then flew out.

Li Qian, holding onto the big rat, went into the house and took out a rusty cage from the storeroom. He then tossed the rat in.

The rat still didn't move, its small eyes looking pitiful.

"Don't worry, I won't eat you."

Li Qian smiled and felt around his body, producing a dark green elixir.