What Shi Bantian did not know was that the seventh child, Purple Gourd, did not actually love sleeping. She was simply born weak!
But the other six Gourd Brothers knew.
The eldest, Red Gourd, said, "Seventh Sister hasn't been getting enough nutrition... Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, you two are close to Seventh Sister. Give way to her more."
The fifth and sixth children said, "Okay, Eldest Brother!"
The seventh child, Purple Gourd, sweetly said, "Thank you, brothers..."
Shi Bantian knew nothing of this. He simply cared for the little gourds day after day, hoping they would grow up quickly.
As time passed, the Gourd Vine grew thicker and sturdier, while the gourds grew larger and larger. The biggest, Red Gourd, was already as large as a palm.
At the same time, Shi Bantian's Soul Power was rapidly increasing... It was as though his Soul Power rose whenever the Gourd Vine grew larger. Shi Bantian guessed that raising the gourds well might be the fastest way to improve himself.
They seemed inseparably connected to him.
"Father... Father, we're hungry."
"Father... Father, we're thirsty."
Looking at the little ones crying for food, he hurriedly fertilized and watered them. From time to time, he even went into the forest to chop wood, preparing for when the remaining little gourds emerged.
Otherwise, these little wooden houses would not be enough for all of them to live in. He also made small toys now and then to amuse the little gourds.
The emptiness in his heart gradually filled because of them, and the lonely life he had once expected became fulfilling.
It was another ordinary day!
After finishing the day's work, Shi Bantian saw the sun setting and prepared to rest.
"Father's going to rest first... You little ones should get some proper rest too."
Shi Bantian wiped away his sweat and spoke to the gourds, but they were unwilling, all calling out at once.
"Father... Father, we want to hear a story."
"A story, a story!"
Shi Bantian scratched his head. That was right... For some reason, these gourds had not been sleeping properly these past few days. To coax them to sleep, Shi Bantian could only tell them stories. Fortunately, he had accumulated enough stories in his previous life on Blue Star, or else he truly would have run out.
"Ahem..." Feeling the gourds' anticipation, Shi Bantian cleared his throat and began.
"Last time, we spoke of flames of war rising across Cybertron, and Diao Chan capturing Megatron seven times."
"This time, we'll speak of Zhao Yun entering the Land of Light seven times, slaying Zoffy with his might and capturing Taro."
"Father of Ultra fled in defeat from the Land of Light, while Guan Yu beheaded Zero after warming his wine."
"How Lin Daiyu, chief instructor of the Eight Hundred Thousand Imperial Guards, bloodied all of Green Grassland!"
But before he could properly begin, the gourds cried out in dissatisfaction again.
Da Wa, Red Gourd, said,
"Father... I don't want to hear that. I want to hear whether that supreme human expert, Lazy Goat, used the Self-Transformation Technique to forcefully suppress Ultraman's Dark Turmoil, broke through into the Half-Step Author Realm in one stroke, and finally shattered Green Grassland's barrier to marry Red Wolf!"
Er Wa, Orange Gourd, said,
"I want to hear how that genius girl with double pupils and cataracts, after being rejected by her fiancée Nayanran, went through thirty years east of the river and thirty years west of the river... Did she finally defeat Bald Qiang and end up with that peerless female emperor, Hun Tiandi?"
"And me... I want to hear whether Gatanothor, incarnation of light, finally transformed into a Super Saiyan through the efforts of his companions, defeated that cuckolded Boiling Goat, and successfully ended up with Tiga."
The gourds all spoke over one another, making a lively commotion.
"Uh... I can't make that up."
Several dark lines crossed Shi Bantian's forehead. These gourds seemed rather improper. They did not like orthodox stories, so Shi Bantian had no choice but to make up his own versions and add some of his own elements.
But it seemed he had gone a little too far with the changes... Now he could not keep making it up.
Still, Shi Bantian gritted his teeth and began telling the gourds their story.
An hour later, Shi Bantian finally managed to coax the gourds to sleep with his stories. He looked at the scene with satisfaction.
Only then did he return to his own room in peace, where snores soon echoed.
In the pitch-black night, the silence was so deep it seemed one could hear a heartbeat.
Suddenly, several pairs of ghostly green eyes flashed from the distant stone wall in the darkness. Like mysterious emeralds, they gave off an eerie glow, their sharp and keen gazes piercing through the dark.
Soon, several enormous Spirit Beasts with savage auras slowly emerged from the night. Their figures flickered in and out beneath the moonlight, radiating a chilling presence.
The first to enter view was a massive white tiger, its body covered in gleaming white fur. Its sharp claws glinted coldly in the darkness. Its eyes were as sharp as swords, revealing majesty and dominance.
Then came a phoenix-like creature engulfed in flames. When it spread its wings, they resembled a brilliant sea of fire, and the scorching heat warped the surrounding air.
Behind it crawled a giant python dozens of meters long, a powerfully built giant wolf, a Giant Turtle as hard as solid rock... and more than a dozen other Spirit Beasts.
Every step these savage beasts took seemed capable of shaking the earth and mountains. Each of these powerful and ferocious Spirit Beasts possessed strength enough to destroy the heavens and earth, and their appearance filled the entire night with fear and oppression.
Any Spirit Master with slightly higher cultivation would have recognized them as a group of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts.
A group of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts gathering together was truly an extremely rare sight. After all, every Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast had its own territory... They rarely gathered in one place.
These Spirit Beasts began whispering among themselves in the language unique to Spirit Beasts, all staring toward the house where Shi Bantian slept.
"I can smell that aura... It's this place!"
"Same. I can smell it too... It's this aura."
"I feel like if I eat the owner of this aura, I'll definitely break through my bottleneck..."
The Spirit Beasts greedily licked their lips. They had all been drawn here by a certain aura, one that had suddenly appeared a few days ago!
These Spirit Beasts, each over ten thousand years old, had been drawn here almost instinctively. They felt that if they ate the owner of this aura, they could definitely break through the limits of their bloodlines.
But... there seemed to be only one human. That meant everyone else present was a competitor.
"There is only one of these miraculous humans. Then let's each rely on our own abilities."
"Of course!"
The leading white tiger-type Spirit Beast moved first. With a roar, he shot forward.
"I'm going first... This human is mine!"
The Spirit Beasts behind him cursed furiously.
"That damned tiger... No sense of honor. Damn it, I'm going too."
"Charge! Otherwise, it'll be too late!"
The Spirit Beasts behind them immediately sprang into motion, thinking that such a priceless treasure was not easy to find and could not be snatched away by the others.
More than a dozen Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts charged fiercely toward Shi Bantian's house!
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