The Sky-Gazing Roarer swallowed the jerky infused with the power of vital energy and blood, then received preliminary treatment from Yingying's glowing powder. Its aura finally stabilized somewhat. Though it was still weak, it could at least barely stand. It was enormous, standing far taller than even Huaihuai, covered in crimson scales with a flaming mane, looking immensely imposing.
The wariness in its gaze toward Li Wuyang had diminished, replaced by a complicated emotion. It let out a low growl, no longer filled with hostility but carrying a trace of goodwill. Then it gently rubbed its massive head against Li Wuyang's arm.
Its scales were rough and warm.
Li Wuyang was startled at first, then realized this was its way of expressing gratitude and affection. Delighted, he reached out and stroked the scales near its nose. (He did not dare touch anywhere else—they were too hot.)
"All right, big guy. Stick with me from now on, and I guarantee you'll eat and drink like a king!" Li Wuyang began making grand promises. "You're covered in fire, so from now on, how about I call you... Little Fire?"
The Sky-Gazing Roarer: "..." (It seemed somewhat dissatisfied with such a casual name and gave a low growl, but did not object.)
Yingying happily fluttered between them, chirping "yiyaya" as though delighted by the team's new member.
Huaihuai, meanwhile, eyed the new big fellow warily. The flames covering it made Huaihuai instinctively uncomfortable, and it snorted.
Li Wuyang laughed and patted Huaihuai's neck. "Don't be scared, don't be scared. We're all one big family now... uh, one big beast family."
And so, Li Wuyang's travel party expanded once again: Huaihuai the mount (directionally challenged), Yingying the pet (mascot), and Little Fire the newest member (seriously wounded patient and potential muscle).
With this peculiar group in tow, Li Wuyang continued through the gorge, intending to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.
Along the way, he tried communicating with Little Fire. The Sky-Gazing Roarer possessed considerable intelligence. Though it could not speak human language, it understood most meanings and could engage in simple communication through low growls, its eyes, and its movements.
Only then did Li Wuyang learn that Little Fire had originally lived in a volcanic region. A group of demon clans had set their sights on an important fire-element spiritual root in its territory, triggering a conflict. Though it had driven back several waves of enemies, it had also been severely wounded by an expert and chased all the way here.
"Those demon clans again... they really are overbearing." Li Wuyang muttered, his impression of them worsening further.
He took out the map Hou Yuan had given him and compared their direction. Once they passed through this gorge and crossed a dangerous region called the Ten Thousand Poisons Marsh (which he promptly crossed off), they would reach a relatively safe area. It was said to lie near Buzhou Mountain's sphere of influence, where spiritual energy was abundant and living creatures were plentiful.
With a clear destination, their pace quickened considerably.
Several days later, they finally emerged from the long gorge. Before them stretched a vast, boundless plain overflowing with life. In the distance, the faint outline of a colossal mountain could be seen—so magnificent it defied description, connecting heaven and earth and emanating an ancient, boundless aura.
Buzhou Mountain!
Even from so far away, they could still sense that supreme might which supported heaven and earth and gave rise to all things! It inspired awe in all who felt it.
"So that's Buzhou Mountain..." Li Wuyang sighed. For the first time, he felt so directly the vastness and wonder of the Primordial World.
The spiritual energy on the plain was unbelievably abundant, several times denser than anywhere they had passed before! With a single breath, every pore on his body seemed to open, and even his cultivation—though he had no proper cultivation to speak of—began growing on its own.
"What a great place!" Li Wuyang cried happily, urging the group onward.
However, as they ventured deeper into the plain, Li Wuyang gradually began to sense that something was wrong.
The surrounding spiritual energy grew denser and denser, even becoming... viscous?
At first, it felt like soaking in warm water, comfortable and pleasant. But slowly, that warm water became glue. Every breath felt like inhaling tangible spiritual liquid, incomparably heavy, making his chest feel stifled and even causing faint pain in his meridians!
He tried circulating the pitiful amount of Great Dao Power within him to adapt, only to discover that this power was too advanced. It had little effect in channeling away the pressure of such pure spiritual energy.
"Cough, cough... what's going on... can there be such a thing as too much spiritual energy?" Li Wuyang's face began to pale, and breathing became difficult.
Huaihuai and Little Fire seemed affected as well. Huaihuai staggered, while the flames around Little Fire dimmed considerably. Only Yingying seemed perfectly adapted, fluttering about even more cheerfully.
Li Wuyang finally realized the problem—his foundation was a Primordial Dao Body (fake?), and his essence was exceptionally high, but his current "container" was too weak! It was like trying to pour an entire ocean into a small wine cup. The result would be the cup bursting apart!
It was like someone falling into an environment with an excessively high oxygen concentration and getting oxygen poisoning instead!
He was suffering from a classic case of Spiritual Energy Poisoning!
"No... I need... need to find somewhere... to rest..." Li Wuyang said with difficulty, his vision beginning to blur.
Forcing himself onward, he spotted a small forest nearby that looked relatively ordinary, where the spiritual energy seemed slightly thinner. He directed Huaihuai to stumble toward it.
After charging into the forest, the pressure from the spiritual energy lessened somewhat, but it was still unbearable. Li Wuyang rolled off Huaihuai's back and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath as though his body were about to burst apart.
"Primordial Father... you never told me... the Primordial World had... traps like this..." He was on the verge of tears.
It was like being given an unlimited black card, only to find that it could be used in certain stores alone. Everywhere else, he could not even buy a bowl of instant noodles and had to go hungry!
Just as he felt he was about to be burst apart by spiritual energy, the Void-Concealing Pouch in his arms suddenly began to tremble slightly.
(End of Chapter Nine)
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