Zeng Mo felt a little bewildered.
Whenever he saw a fragment of the Gate of Divinity, he didn't dare approach it on his own. Why had Little White taken the initiative to get close to one now?
Could it be that the fragments of the Gate of Divinity didn't pose any danger?
Zeng Mo was puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it. Time would give him the answers he needed.
Little White walked into the Gate of Divinity. It circled the statue inside, then crouched beneath it, repeatedly sniffing around. It even barked a couple of times, as if it had discovered something.
Zeng Mo followed it in. The moment he closed the Gate of Divinity, he turned and walked toward the forest next door, then sat down in the chair at the center of the hall.
After feeling the gentle warmth the Gate of Divinity had bestowed on him, Zeng Mo walked back out and headed toward the neighboring forest.
"Woof!"
As soon as Little White saw him leave the Gate of Divinity, it immediately chased after him, following close behind.
"Haha, I thought you were going to squat by that statue for half a day."
Zeng Mo chuckled and scooped Little White up in his arms. Then he quickened his pace and headed for the forest next door.
Night and day in the divine realm passed at the same speed. It was dusk, and the sky was growing dark.
Of course, even though it was evening here...
Zeng Mo had often looked at the sky in his divine realm. It looked the same as it did during the day; there was nothing unusual about it.
The beasts frightened by Zeng Mo's last attack were all hiding near the forest next door. None dared venture deep into the woods or approach the nearby hills.
He soon reached the forest.
Thick grass and fallen leaves covered the ground. The familiar chirping of insects echoed through the trees.
A little black beast with glossy fur and a few small, leaf-covered branches caught in its coat darted out. It ran over and crouched beneath his legs.
The moment Little White, nestled in Zeng Mo's arms, saw the little black beast, it jumped down and began circling it, letting out a string of happy barks, as though it had just found an old friend it hadn't seen in ages.
Zeng Mo crouched and picked the branches off the little black beast. Then he listened to the little creatures, whose sizes varied as much as their calls.
Little White, which had been circling the little black beast, heard their calls.
Its fur bristled, and it suddenly sprang up, barking in the direction of the sounds. It glared at the five little creatures that had appeared beside a large tree, baring its teeth and barking fiercely, as if trying to scare them away.
Zeng Mo felt a twinge of sympathy for them.
Every time Little White saw these little creatures, it would bark at them. How were they supposed to fit in with the group?
Suddenly...
A huge shadow loomed overhead.
A piercing, angry roar rang out, and the wind seemed to rise with it.
A great black beast strode out from beside a huge tree. It moved with the fierce, powerful gait of a tiger descending a mountain. It shielded the little creatures behind it, glared at Little White, then strode toward Zeng Mo.
When Little White saw the enormous black beast, it bristled. It seemed a little frightened, but after glancing at its owner, it puffed itself up again and barked.
"Woof!"
"Grrr!"
The great black beast's golden eyes flashed as it radiated a dangerous aura. It stared straight at Little White and let out a sharp, piercing bark. There was a powerful warning in its voice.
Zeng Mo stepped between them.
"Little dog, try barking one more time."
"Woof..."
Little White's barks grew weaker, but it still wouldn't stop.
Only when the great black beast came right up to it...
Looking at the great black beast's towering body, its sharp eyes, and its enormous, bared fangs, Little White immediately froze. Its legs trembled, and it didn't dare take another step forward. It lowered its head, looking utterly subdued.
"Hahaha."
Zeng Mo watched, barely able to hold back his laughter. He'd thought Little White wouldn't be afraid of the great black beast and would put up a fight. In the end, it had been cowed before the fight even began.
But then again, dogs were naturally afraid of beasts. It was a trait deeply ingrained in their genes.
Even if Little White barked at all the other beasts, the moment it faced a great black beast ready to attack, the fear built into its genes would naturally rise up.
Of course, Zeng Mo couldn't help feeling a little uneasy, too.
With the great black beast watching, Little White kept barking. When the great black beast raised a paw as if to make a move, Zeng Mo hurriedly intervened. Little White was much smaller than most of the beasts.
But Little White had pushed its luck, and the great black beast had no intention of letting it off.
With a low growl, the great black beast raised a paw and, while Zeng Mo laughed, gave Little White a swift smack on the head.
Little White immediately yelped in pain.
"Yelp!"
"Grrr."
The great black beast let out another threatening bark, as if warning it to keep its mouth shut. At the same time, it raised its paw again, its claws glinting coldly.
Little White obediently shut its mouth, not daring to bark.
The instinctive fear rooted in its genes was clear.
Zeng Mo wanted to step forward and pull Little White away, but it was too scared to move. It was his mount, after all.
If it got another slap...
He wouldn't stand for it.
However...
Just as Zeng Mo was about to step forward, a small black shadow moved faster than he did and dashed in front of Little White.
It was the little black beast.
The little black beast stood in front of Little White and opened its mouth. It let out a soft, weak bark at the great black beast. Then it rubbed against the great black beast and made a series of babbling sounds, just like a little girl pleading with her mother.
As the little creature barked, the great black beast's sharp eyes slowly softened. Its erect, razor-sharp fur gradually smoothed down, and it even tucked its claws away.
In the end, it sat down right where it was, looking utterly harmless.
Little White knew the little black beast had stood up for it. It gave a few barks that sounded almost like an embarrassed apology.
Zeng Mo couldn't help smiling. He bent down, picked up Little White, stroked its fur, and comforted it. Then he carried it as he continued toward the forest on his left.
After carefully surveying the divine realm, Zeng Mo spotted a small stream on the left side of the forest.
Upstream, there was a waterfall and a pond. Water poured down from the mountainside and gathered in a pool at the bottom. From there, it flowed toward the forest, forming the small stream.
Zeng Mo planned to place the aquatic creatures in the stream and let them reproduce there for a few days. Once they had multiplied, he would introduce freshwater shrimp and freshwater eels in order.
It took him less than a hundred meters to reach the stream.
Zeng Mo looked at it.
The stream wasn't wide.
It was only about four or five meters across.
The water varied in depth. The deepest part seemed to be about half a meter, and the clear water revealed stones of different sizes scattered along the riverbed.
The banks were lined with shrubs. The winding stream flowed along as though someone had drawn a line through the forest.
A breeze drifted by, rustling the leaves and bringing a fresh scent. Zeng Mo's weariness vanished.
"What a wonderful place. I'll name this stream the River Creek. The pond above it will be River Creek Pond, and the waterfall will be River Creek Falls."
Having come up with the names, Zeng Mo took out an aquatic creature card and focused on it.
The white card in his hand instantly turned into specks of faint starlight and flew toward the River Creek.
[You placed 1 Aquatic Creature Card in the waters of your divine realm. You obtained ten groups of aquatic creatures. Divine power +1.]
Hearing the system notification, Zeng Mo's eyes lit up.
After all this time exploring...
He had been trying to figure out how to obtain divine power and increase his divine rank.
He hadn't expected that all he had to do was use a card in his divine realm to increase his divine rank.
Immediately, he took out several white Origin Cards. They turned into streaks of light and flew toward the sky above the divine realm...
Before you continue