Tripping While Walking, Picking Up a Broken Axe

After an ordeal that felt like a doomsday-level natural disaster, the way the Houtu Tribe's Witch Clan members looked at Li Wuyang completely changed.

Before, it was reverence mixed with curiosity. Now, it was reverence mixed with... a tiny bit of terror and immense relief.

Relief that this Dao Child was in their tribe and not in an enemy tribe. This constitution of "sudden windfalls (or calamities)" wherever he went was truly terrifying to the witches.

No one dared to take the God-Slaying Spear (fragment) from Demon Ancestor Luohu. Li Wuyang himself was a bit apprehensive and tried to throw it into his Void-Concealing Pouch. This time, the pouch didn't resist and obediently took it in, but a faint black line appeared on its surface, looking rather strange.

Li Wuyang couldn't bother with that much and just wanted to quickly put away this hot potato.

Chieftain Hou Yuan's resolve to befriend this mysterious Dao Child became even stronger. His hospitality became even more attentive, practically granting every request.

Li Wuyang enjoyed the leisure and continued his tribal vacation. Occasionally, on a whim, he would "point out" a few mineral veins or spiritual item locations for the Witch Clan. Each time, his accuracy was unparalleled, bringing the Witch Clan great harvests, and they began to revere him as a deity.

However, he knew in his heart that he couldn't stay in the Witch Clan's territory forever. The Primordial World was vast, and he had to see it... mainly, he had to search for a safer, more comfortable place, or perhaps find a way back "home"... ah, a way back to the Primordial Chaos (though the hope felt slim).

This day, he informed Hou Yuan of his intention to leave.

Although Hou Yuan was reluctant, he knew he couldn't keep Li Wuyang. He prepared a sumptuous farewell feast and gifted Li Wuyang some of the Witch Clan's specialties – several large pieces of smoked beast jerky imbued with Bloodline Power, and a rough map marking nearby mountains, rivers, and dangerous areas (in the Witch Clan's abstract art style).

"If Dao Child Your Excellency ever needs anything in the future, feel free to come to my Houtu Tribe!" Hou Yuan vowed, patting his chest.

Li Wuyang thanked him, put away the gifts, mounted the well-fed Huaihuai, and under the farewell gazes of the tribe's elders and youths wishing him "auspicious journey," he left the tribal camp and embarked on his journey once more.

With the Witch Clan's map, though abstract, he finally had a general direction. Li Wuyang decided to head towards the area marked by the Witch Clan as "relatively safe." It was said to be near the radiation range of Buzhou Mountain, where life was stronger and conflicts were fewer.

Huaihuai rode the clouds, its speed not slow.

They traveled for several days, and it was peaceful. Perhaps after extreme misfortune comes good fortune, Li Wuyang's "Destined by Fate" constitution had been unusually quiet these past few days. Not to mention treasures, he hadn't even encountered a decent spiritual beast.

"Sigh, I'm used to sudden windfalls. It's a bit unsettling to have such peace," Li Wuyang muttered to himself, sitting on Huaihuai's back, idly waving the broken axe in his hand.

Just then, Huaihuai suddenly let out an alert neigh and stopped, pawing the ground restlessly.

"Hmm? What is it?" Li Wuyang snapped back to attention and looked ahead.

Ahead lay a vast, scorched ruin. Broken walls, shattered armor, enormous beast bones... It was vaguely discernible that this had once been a sizable Demon Race stronghold. However, it seemed to have just suffered a brutal massacre. A faint scent of blood and lingering demonic energy and malevolent aura filled the air.

"The front line of the Witch-Demon conflict?" Li Wuyang's heart tightened, and he became vigilant. "Go around, go around! Absolutely don't get involved in any karma!"

He quickly urged Huaihuai to take a detour.

As they skirted the edge of the ruins, Li Wuyang's sharp eyes spotted a faint golden light flickering beneath a broken wall.

"Huh?" Curiosity piqued, he had Huaihuai move closer.

Beneath the broken wall, half-buried, was a palm-sized, ancient bronze mirror. The edges were carved with mysterious bird-seal script. The mirror surface seemed cracked, but it still emitted faint spatial fluctuations and golden light.

"Another treasure?" Li Wuyang's heart leaped with joy, but having learned his lesson, he didn't immediately pick it up. Instead, he cautiously looked around and had Huaihuai sense the surroundings.

After confirming there were no hidden enemies and no strange forces that would "whoosh" and snatch things away, he carefully jumped off Huaihuai and walked over.

He used his axe to carefully nudge the bronze mirror.

The mirror showed no reaction.

After waiting a while longer, there was still no movement.

"Looks like this one is ownerless?" Li Wuyang then bent down and reached out to pick it up.

The moment his fingers were about to touch the bronze mirror--

Disaster struck!

The bronze mirror suddenly erupted with blinding golden light! Although the mirror surface was cracked, it rippled like water, reflecting not the scene before him, but a terrifying, gloomy Netherworld Blood Sea! Countless ferocious demonic figures floated and roared in the blood sea!

A cold, evil, and intensely alluring mental wave surged out from the mirror, directly piercing Li Wuyang's brow!

"Hehehehe... Such a pure spirit! Such a special foundation! Boy, give me your physical body and soul, merge with this old ancestor, and let us both pursue the supreme demonic path!!"

A sharp, piercing voice, filled with greed and malevolence, directly echoed in Li Wuyang's sea of consciousness!

Possession! A standard Demon Lord possession scenario!

Li Wuyang was scared out of his wits! He wanted to resist, but the mental energy was extremely powerful and evil, instantly crushing his mental defenses and heading straight for his soul core!

At this critical juncture--

"Buzz!"

Deep within Li Wuyang's sea of consciousness, the Great Dao Imprint, which had always been as quiet as a chicken, seemed provoked by this filthy evil force and suddenly erupted with unprecedented, brilliant purple light!

Like a blazing sun, it illuminated and shattered all sorts of demons!

"Ah--!! What is this?! Primordial Chaos power?! No--!!!"

The invading demon let out an ear-splitting shriek of utter despair. Under the illumination of the Primordial purple light, its evil and powerful mental energy dissolved like ice and snow meeting a scorching sun, instantly vanishing without a trace!

Along with it, the cracked bronze mirror outside shattered with a "crack," turning into a pile of spiritless bronze fragments.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Li Wuyang suddenly came to his senses, his face pale, gasping for breath, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat.

Just now... he almost died!

If not for the imprint of Primordial Father protecting him...

"Scared me to death..." He patted his chest, still trembling with lingering fear.

This Primordial World is truly full of traps! I pick up junk and find an old demon lord!

It seems I need to be more careful when picking things up from now on! Not everything that glitters is a treasure; it could also be a trap!

He looked at the pile of bronze mirror fragments on the ground, feeling disgusted, and quickly told Huaihuai to stay away.

After this scare, Li Wuyang became even more cautious. He'd rather be slow than approach any suspicious area lightly.

After traveling for a few more days, while passing through a dense primeval forest, Huaihuai suddenly stopped again, letting out a low warning growl at an unusually bright, giant flower ahead.

The flower was seven-colored, incredibly alluring, and emitted a potent, dizzying fragrance.

"Man-eating flower?" Li Wuyang became vigilant, gripping his axe.

Just as he was preparing to take a detour, the center of the giant flower suddenly wriggled and, with a poof, spat something out.

It was a cocoon. A cocoon woven from white silken threads, emitting a gentle life aura and a faint Dao Rhyme.

The light cocoon landed on the ground, rolled a few times, and then, under Li Wuyang's dumbfounded gaze, cracked open with a snap.

A palm-sized creature, pure white like jade all over, with two pairs of transparent wings on its back and delicate features like a porcelain doll, sat up groggily from the cocoon. It rubbed its eyes and let out a tiny yawn.

It opened its azure eyes and the first thing it saw was Li Wuyang, looking utterly bewildered, riding on Huaihuai's back.

Their eyes met.

The sprite-like creature tilted its head, seemingly curious. Then, it flapped its wings, wobbled into the air, and flew to Li Wuyang's face. It circled him twice before finally landing on his... nose?

It reached out a tiny hand and curiously touched Li Wuyang's nose tip, emitting a crisp, melodious sound like a tiny wind chime: "Yiya?"

Li Wuyang: "!!!"

What is this situation now?! I can pick up... a Poké Ball just by walking?! No, a Pokémon?!

Huaihuai also curiously nudged its large head forward, sniffing the little sprite.

The little sprite didn't seem afraid of Huaihuai. Instead, it giggled and flew up to land on Huaihuai's horn, happily swinging like on a swing.

Li Wuyang looked at the harmonious scene and felt the sprite's pure life aura and faint natural Dao Rhyme. It seemed... not dangerous?

He tentatively extended a finger.

The little sprite flew over and stood on his fingertip, affectionately nuzzling him.

A very comfortable feeling spread from his fingertip.

Li Wuyang was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Alright, this "Destined by Fate"... is starting to ship random items again. This time it sent a... pet Pokémon?

He looked at the tiny creature playing on his finger and sighed, "Fine, it seems you're also 'fated'... You can follow me from now on. You're so small, I'll call you... Yingying?"

The sprite Yingying seemed to like the name very much, happily flying in a circle and scattering specks of light powder.

And so, Li Wuyang's journey gained another companion.

With a horse and a sprite, Li Wuyang continued to advance towards Buzhou Mountain.

According to the map, they needed to cross a huge canyon ahead.

The canyon was deep, with towering cliffs on both sides reaching into the clouds.

Not long after entering the canyon, suddenly, intense fighting sounds and roars came from ahead!

Spiritual light flashed, demonic energy surged, mixed with the aura of some scorching flame.

"Something's happening!" Li Wuyang's heart tightened. He immediately told Huaihuai to stop, cautiously leaned behind a large rock, and peeked out.

Ahead in the canyon, a chaotic battle was unfolding.

One side of the conflict consisted of several demon race cultivators wearing uniform attire, radiating strong stellar power. They were besieging a... strange beast?

The beast resembled a lion, was massive, covered in crimson scales, its four hooves treading on blazing flames, its mane like flickering fire. Its roars shook the heavens as it continuously spat out scorching fireballs with astonishing power, forcing the demon cultivators into a desperate state.

"Is that... a Kirin? No, aren't Kirins auspicious beasts? This thing looks so violent..." Li Wuyang muttered to himself.

Although the fiery beast was fierce, it seemed to be injured, its movements somewhat sluggish. Moreover, the demon cultivators cooperated skillfully, setting up a formation. Chains of starlight coiled around, continuously draining and suppressing the beast.

Seeing that the beast was about to collapse.

A leading demon cultivator laughed, "Hahaha! This injured Sky-Gazing Roarer deserves to be captured by us, its bloodline extracted, its fire core refined, and offered to the Demon Saint!"

Sky-Gazing Roarer? Li Wuyang noted the name. It sounded very powerful.

The Sky-Gazing Roarer let out an unwilling mournful cry, struggling even harder, its flames raging.

Li Wuyang felt a pang of sympathy. He didn't have a good impression of the Demon Race (mainly due to the influence of the Witch Clan and his mythological memories), and this was ganging up on one...

But he also didn't want to court trouble. These demon cultivators didn't look weak.

Just as he was hesitating, Yingying on his shoulder suddenly flew up. It flew towards the Sky-Gazing Roarer, emitting anxious "Yiya" sounds. It pointed with its small finger in that direction, then looked back at Li Wuyang, its large azure eyes filled with pleading.

"Hmm? Yingying, you... want to save it?" Li Wuyang was taken aback.

Yingying nodded vigorously, its small face full of urgency.

Li Wuyang frowned. How could he save it? Rush out and shout, "My father is the Primordial Great Dao"?

Just as the Sky-Gazing Roarer was about to be completely bound by the starlight chains.

At this moment, another change occurred!

The Sky-Gazing Roarer, seemingly pushed to its limit, suddenly let out a heaven-shattering roar towards the sky!