"Outrageous! This is utterly infuriating!"
Li Wuyang sat atop Huaihuai, raging helplessly at the now-empty thicket.
He, the biological son of the Primordial Great Dao (self-proclaimed), wielding the Sky-Opening Axe (imitation), possessing Immunity to All Magic (pending verification), had actually been robbed by a palm-sized squirrel!
If word got out, where would he put the face of a Primordial Dao Child? Where would Primordial Father put his face?!
"Huaihuai! Chase it! Catch that damned bandit squirrel for me!" Li Wuyang furiously swung his axe.
Huaihuai obediently neighed, cloud qi surging beneath its four hooves as it turned into a white blur and charged into the bushes.
Yet that golden squirrel was incredibly fast and exceptionally nimble. It darted and leaped through the dense branches like a streak of flowing golden lightning, occasionally even looking back to shoot Li Wuyang a provocative little glance.
Though Huaihuai could tread on clouds, it could not make use of its speed advantage in such complex terrain. Instead, it was battered by jutting branches, while Li Wuyang was jolted so badly he could barely tell up from down.
After chasing for less than a quarter of an hour, they could not even see the golden squirrel's tail smoke.
"Stop! Stop, Huaihuai! Don't chase it anymore!" Li Wuyang covered his face, scratched raw by branches, and cried miserably.
What the hell kind of squirrel was that? It was clearly the prehistoric Bolt!
Huaihuai stopped, panting heavily. It, too, looked deeply aggrieved as it shook its mane, several leaves still tangled in it.
Li Wuyang drooped dejectedly. What an unlucky start. First, the Demon Ancestor had blocked his way. Then he had been frightened by a giant python. And now even his snack had been stolen.
This prehistoric world was way too unfriendly to beginners!
He rubbed his growling stomach and sighed. "Forget it. A grown man doesn't hold grudges against little creatures. I'll let that little guy go. Let's keep looking for food... sigh, hopefully we won't run into anything so bizarre again."
He guided Huaihuai onward, moving even more carefully through relatively safe areas.
Perhaps his luck had finally turned, or perhaps Destined by Fate had finally fixed its bug. Before long, they found a crystal-clear stream.
The stream water was sweet and refreshing, carrying a faint spiritual energy. Drinking it made his whole body feel comfortable and finally eased his hunger and thirst.
After Li Wuyang drank his fill and washed his face, he felt much more energetic. Huaihuai also happily drank and played by the stream.
After resting for a while, just as they were preparing to set off again, Li Wuyang's sharp eyes spotted several red spiritual plants resembling vermilion fruits growing from a crack in the rocks across the stream. They gave off an enticing fruity fragrance.
"Good stuff!" Li Wuyang's eyes lit up. He patted Huaihuai. "Come on, Huaihuai. Cross the river!"
Huaihuai neighed and stepped on clouds, easily clearing the not-so-wide stream.
Once they reached the other bank, Li Wuyang eagerly jumped down from Huaihuai and leaned toward the crack in the rocks. Sure enough, there were three small shrubs less than half a person tall, bearing seven or eight longan-sized fruits, bright red and glowing with spiritual energy.
"Now I can finally fill my stomach!" Li Wuyang chuckled and reached out to pick one.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the vermilion fruit—
"Buzz!"
A faint humming sound rang out!
The space before him rippled like the surface of water. Then, the three vermilion-fruit shrubs and the rocks beneath them vanished with a whoosh, as if erased by a giant rubber eraser!
Only a bare crack in the rocks remained.
Li Wuyang's hand froze in midair, and the smile on his face completely stiffened.
Again... again?!
This time, he had not even seen the shadow of a robber before the things were gone?!
"Who?! Who did that?! Come out!" Li Wuyang jumped in fury, holding up his axe and looking around. "In broad daylight, is there no law anymore?! You're even stealing fruit! If you've got the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one!"
The surroundings were silent, with only the rush of stream water and Huaihuai's uneasy snorts.
There was no response at all.
Li Wuyang felt like he was about to cough up blood. What was going on? Could there be an invisible person, or someone with spatial divine powers, deliberately messing with him?
With a belly full of anger, he gloomily climbed back onto Huaihuai and headed downstream along the stream.
Before they had gone far, he spotted another cluster of emerald bamboo brimming with spiritual energy.
The moment he approached, the bamboo grove vanished with a whoosh.
He saw an exposed, strange ore that gleamed with a metallic luster.
The moment he bent down, the ore vanished with a whoosh.
Even a plump-looking spirit-patterned turtle sunning itself by the river vanished with a whoosh—turtle and shell alike—just as he thought, Maybe I could make soup with it. Only a few bubbles burst on the water's surface.
Li Wuyang: "!!!"
He completely lost it!
"Who the hell is it?! You're playing with me, aren't you?! Are you done yet?!" he roared at the empty valley. "I'm telling you! My dad is the Primordial Great Dao! If you steal my things again, I'll have my dad deal with you!!"
His voice echoed through the valley, but no one answered.
Only Huaihuai nudged him with its head, as if trying to comfort him.
Li Wuyang panted heavily and dropped onto the riverbank, beginning to question his life.
There was definitely something wrong with Destined by Fate! Either it worked sometimes and failed other times, or it specifically attracted these strange and bizarre "fated encounters"!
Just as he was so frustrated he was about to pull all his hair out, his peripheral vision suddenly caught something glimmering among a pile of pebbles on the riverbank not far downstream.
Having been robbed several times already, he was much more cautious this time. He did not rush over at once, but crept closer carefully, glancing all around while staying alert for any possible "whoosh."
The glowing object appeared to be a palm-sized... shell? Its whole body was jade-white, radiating a soft glow and faint spatial fluctuations.
It lay there quietly, not looking as though it had an owner.
Li Wuyang's heart began racing. This looked like a treasure! And no one was stealing it?
He took a deep breath, suddenly dashed forward, and snatched the glowing shell into his hand with lightning speed!
It felt warm and smooth in his hand, and the spatial fluctuations became even clearer.
Success! It had not been stolen!
Li Wuyang was overjoyed. He carefully examined the shell and saw that it was slightly open along one seam. Inside, there did not seem to be flesh, but rather... a small, twisted patch of void?
"Could this be... a storage treasure?" A thought flashed through his mind.
He tried sending a thread of divine sense inside.
Sure enough! There was a stable space several cubic meters in size inside the shell!
What delighted him even more was that the space was far from empty!
A whole pile of miscellaneous things was stacked inside—exactly the things that had been stolen from him earlier: bright red vermilion fruits, spiritual emerald bamboo, strange ores gleaming with metallic luster, and even... that spirit-patterned turtle, looking utterly confused as it paddled through the void!
There was also a pile of other spirit herbs, spirit stones, and sparkling objects he did not recognize, all of which looked quite valuable.
Li Wuyang: "!!!"
So this thing had been behind it all! A shell that could automatically steal things?!
Just as he was about to study it more carefully, the shell seemed to sense his divine sense. It suddenly tried to close, producing a powerful suction force that attempted to pull the axe from his hand inside as well!
"Hey! You dare resist?" Li Wuyang got angry. He gripped the shell tightly as the Great Dao Imprint in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly.
A faint, almost imperceptible violet radiance flowed down his arm and entered the shell.
The shell shuddered violently, as though it had encountered something incomparably terrifying. It instantly became utterly obedient, lying meekly in his palm. Even its seam opened a little wider, as if expressing submission.
Li Wuyang grinned. Sure enough, Primordial Father's name was what really worked!
Delighted, he counted the "spoils of war" inside the shell. He took out the bunches of vermilion fruits, ate a few himself, and fed several to Huaihuai. The sweet juice and abundant spiritual energy put him in an excellent mood.
"Not bad, not bad. The process was a bit roundabout, but the result turned out fine!" He patted the now-docile, thieving shell. "From now on, you'll follow me. You're so good at hiding things, so I'll call you the Void-Concealing Pouch!"
He was about to put his axe into the Void-Concealing Pouch for easier carrying, but discovered that it seemed unable to contain the axe. Whenever the axe came near, the shell shook violently, expressing refusal and fear.
"Fine, looks like this axe is too high-level. It doesn't dare take it in." Li Wuyang had no choice but to keep carrying the axe in his hand.
With his stomach full, his thirst quenched, and a treasure in hand, Li Wuyang's confidence soared. He mounted Huaihuai and continued wandering without any particular destination.
Before he realized it, evening had fallen.
Nights in the prehistoric world seemed especially dangerous. The beastly roars from the distance grew denser and more terrifying.
Li Wuyang no longer dared wander about aimlessly and wanted to find somewhere safe to spend the night.
He guided Huaihuai up a relatively tall hill and looked into the distance. Dusk had settled over the land, and the mountains resembled enormous dormant beasts, their shadows looming everywhere.
Then, in a valley far away, he seemed to see a faint... flicker of firelight?
People?!
Li Wuyang perked up! Had he finally encountered natives of the prehistoric world?
He immediately urged Huaihuai toward the firelight.
As they drew closer, he saw what appeared to be a crude village in the valley, with rough houses built from massive stones and wood. Around the bonfire, several... extremely tall, muscular figures clad in animal hides and exuding wild auras moved about.
Those figures were likely two or three meters tall on average. Their arms were thicker than his thighs, and their bodies radiated a primal, savage, powerful presence.
Li Wuyang slowed down, his heart thumping uneasily.
These... did not look like they would be easy to talk to, did they?
Huaihuai also seemed somewhat afraid and did not dare get too close.
Just as Li Wuyang hesitated between going forward to greet them or quietly circling around—
"Buzz!"
A deep horn blast, like a hammer striking massive stone, suddenly sounded from the village!
The tall figures by the bonfire instantly rose to their feet, their gazes sharp as lightning as they all turned toward the hillside where Li Wuyang stood!
They had been discovered!
Li Wuyang's heart tightened.
The next moment, two of the tallest figures suddenly let out thunderous roars that shook the forest:
"Halt! What spy dares to peer into our Witch Clan settlement?!"
Their voices rolled like thunder, carrying intense hostility and oppression!
Then, the two giants bent down, lifted enormous boulders that would have required several people to encircle, their muscles bulging, and hurled them at Li Wuyang and Huaihuai with a boom!
The boulders tore through the air with terrifying force, like meteors falling from the sky!
Li Wuyang's face instantly went pale.
The Witch Clan?! He had encountered Pangu's direct descendants, the Witch Clan with incomparably powerful bodies, right at the start?! And this was how they greeted people?!
"Wait! We're on the same side! My dad is the Primordial Great Dao!!"
In his panic, the only thing he could do was bring out his ultimate treasure once again—call for his dad!
At the same time, he subconsciously reached behind himself... and once more pulled out the message note wrapped in Primordial Violet Qi from his clothes, raising it before him like a shield!
(End of Chapter 4)
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