Raptors spread their wings and soared into the clouds, roaming the heavens and earth with Extreme Speed. But they were also far too conspicuous and could become prey for some aerial overlords, making the skies perhaps even more dangerous than traveling through the mountains and forests.
"Little One, are you really leaving?" A group of children finished their practice and gathered around.
"Mm!" Little Shi Hao nodded. He had made up his mind yesterday and had no intention of changing it now.
"Three hundred thousand li! That's so far. We're all still so little—why do you have to go somewhere so far away?" The children stared wide-eyed. A number that astronomical made their heads spin.
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow!" Little One glanced toward a group of Unicorns not far away. If he couldn't soar through the sky, it would be nice to catch a vicious beast with Extreme Speed to ride instead.
"Ah, you're going to catch a Unicorn?" The children all looked excited. They had wanted to do that for ages, but they weren't strong enough.
Even Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and the other adults had been plotting to do it, but hadn't dared act rashly. The Unicorns were powerful, their bodies pure white and their silver scales gleaming. They weren't beasts an ordinary person could tame.
Of course, their fame didn't come from their fighting prowess. Compared with their ability to travel ten thousand li in a day, that so-called "strength" was nothing much.
Little One got to his feet and picked out a tall, handsome male Unicorn. It looked as if a silver flame were burning all over its body. Its limbs were long and slender, its body strong, its eyes like crystal, and a single horn grew from its brow, wreathed in silver light.
"That's the one."
With a target in mind, Little Shi Hao circled around Stone Village and entered the brush, heading to the other side to cut off the Unicorn. The children all widened their eyes, held their breath, and watched intently.
"What are those kids up to?" A group of adults had also been alerted.
"What, they're going to catch a Unicorn?" In a flurry, men and women, young and old, streamed out of the village to watch by the lake.
Little One appeared, charging out of the brush nearby and rushing toward the lakeside to intercept the group of Unicorns. He fixed his eyes on the tall one among them.
The lakeside erupted in commotion. All kinds of rare birds and beasts that lived there began to cry out, hostile toward this uninvited guest, even though he was still so young.
The Unicorns in particular were clearly intelligent creatures. They remembered how Little One had single-handedly lifted the hundred-thousand-jin boulder by the lake not long ago. Uneasy, they began to glow.
"Little One, watch out!" his clansmen shouted.
The Unicorns stampeded, scraping the earth with their hooves. Runes interwove over their bodies as they united against the intruder and attacked all at once.
With a hum, silver light poured down like a rainstorm, blanketing the area. It was difficult to dodge; when it struck the ground, it punched right through several boulders.
Little One didn't slow down. Spreading his arms, he shifted sideways several dozen zhang in an instant, like an eagle striking through the sky. His movements were graceful and powerful, nothing a child should have been capable of.
"What a quick movement technique!" Even the old clan chief was amazed.
It was a movement technique Little One had comprehended from the War God Records while studying the Original True Interpretation. The secrets of the Golden-Winged Dapeng's trajectory as it fought a deity, and the way its runes flowed, had left a deep impression on him.
Now golden runes flickered around his arms, wind whistling as he swept across the sky like a little Golden-Winged Dapeng. His posture was graceful, yet carried a hint of fierceness.
"Shriek!" "Shriek!"...
The Unicorns gave long cries, their horns glowing as beams of light shot toward him. They were formed from runes, and at a glance, one might have mistaken them for lightning.
Little One dodged swiftly and landed behind a boulder weighing more than ten thousand jin. But the moment he crouched, the rock shattered with a pop, sending fragments flying.
He darted to one side, like a Golden-Winged Dapeng gliding across the sky. He traced a stunning arc as he circled around and charged into the herd.
"Whoa!" the children cried. Little One was in midair, yet he could still change direction like that. He was truly like a primordial divine bird spreading its wings, swift as lightning.
The Unicorns stampeded in disarray, their hooves pounding. They could no longer attack all at once. Their silver scales gleamed as they tossed their heads and charged forward.
"Little One is incredibly fast. Over a short distance, he's definitely faster than the Unicorns. An ordinary person could never get close, but he charged straight into the herd!" Shi Feijiao exclaimed. They couldn't have done that even if their strength had increased by another great deal.
His speed was astonishing, surpassing even that of vicious beasts. But once Little One entered the herd, he was in even greater danger. A hoof came at him from one side, a gaping maw lunged from another, and a beam of light flew toward him from yet another direction. Dodging them all was difficult.
Like a divine bell ringing, Little One's whole body blazed with light. Divine Radiance turned into characters that lined up in the air and wrapped around his body, blocking the wave of attacks.
"Go!"
Little One shoved with all his might, sending seven or eight Unicorns flying and tumbling away. His strength was astonishing. Even without the secret power of Bone Text, the slightest swing of his arm alone held a divine force of a hundred and eight thousand jin. But he didn't strike to kill. These strange beasts were rare, and if he could tame them all someday, they would be an invaluable treasure for his clan.
"Whoosh!"
Little One sprang up and landed on the back of the tall Unicorn. Its body was densely covered in silver scales, but its neck bore a silver-white mane. He grabbed hold of it and refused to let go, no matter how it struggled.
The prized steed threw back its head and let out a long, ringing cry, like a great bell and stone chime sounding straight up to the heavens. It was robust and handsome, truly exceptional!
"Hey, horsey, stop making a fuss. Come with me and see the world beyond these mountains. It might do wonders for your cultivation," Little One whispered in its ear.
But the Unicorn flew into a rage. It was a vicious beast—how could it be compared with an ordinary horse? It was a rare breed, and its speed was among the best in the mountains.
Ordinarily, a Unicorn wasn't something just any Blood-Moving Realm expert could capture. They possessed boundless strength, ran with incredible speed, and inherited simple runes. They were extraordinary.
Like Scaled Horses and other such beasts, they were descendants of the Primordial Heavenly Horse, offspring of divine beasts. Though their bloodline had grown extremely thin, they could still wield a little of its power. Their runes existed only in their blood, however; they had never truly taken shape in their bones, horns, or coats, so their power was weak and their worth limited.
The tall Unicorn roared like thunder and struggled without pause. But compared with Little One's immense strength, its so-called divine power was far too weak. It couldn't break free.
Little Shi Hao pressed down hard, forcing its proud head to lower. In the end, Shi Hao even leaped to the ground, lifted it up, and barreled through the herd.
The Unicorns fell into chaos, crying out again and again, but they could do nothing. Little One was too strong, with seemingly endless power; he knocked more than a dozen vicious beasts flying one after another.
"Captured... alive? He just went and brought one back?" Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
Little One came sprinting back, carrying a tall Unicorn on his shoulders. Its hooves pointed skyward, and no matter how it struggled, it was useless.
Shi Feijiao and the others had spent many days plotting, yet they hadn't put their plans into action or caught a single one. Now Little One had gone out and succeeded so easily.
That was a prized steed, and he had captured it just like that!
"Little One, catch a few more!" A group of adults were practically drooling.
"Uncles, if I catch any more, they'll flee in fright. They might never come back. Once I tame this Unicorn and treat it well, it'll feel our goodwill. Maybe the others will come near us of their own accord when they see it."
"Good!"
The clansmen nodded. It was a good plan. A group of grown men were practically drooling; they dreamed of owning a prized steed.
That day, the Unicorn cried out incessantly beside the beautiful lake. Little One had caught it, but hadn't truly tamed it yet. He kept calling to it as it raced back and forth across the green grass.
"Little White, stop throwing a tantrum and come with me. I'll teach you profound Bone Text. In the future, true runes will form in your bones and on your horn. Then perhaps you'll be like Ziyun and Dapeng, forming your own Primitive Treasure Bone. Only then will you truly count as a powerful vicious beast." Little One tried to persuade it.
It wasn't until sunset that the tall, handsome Unicorn finally yielded and stopped resisting. Little One didn't say much. He simply demonstrated a set of runes in front of it.
"Ah, the Unicorn stopped making a fuss?" The children all ran over, eager to climb onto its back.
Little White suddenly kicked out, nearly striking Snotty Kid on the nose. He was so startled that he fell plump onto his rear.
"My heavens, that nearly made me spit blood!" Snotty Kid said, fearfully patting his chest.
Though the Unicorn had been subdued, it wouldn't allow anyone else to come near.
Another morning arrived, and Little One said goodbye to the villagers, preparing to set out.
Strangely, a female Unicorn was standing beside Little White. She seemed to be his mate.
The female Unicorn was slightly smaller than Little White, with a tuft of red hair on her head and a white coat everywhere else.
Shi Lin sat on White Cloud.
All the clansmen had come to see them off, from the ten-year-old clan elder to the babes still nursing. The clan chief, uncles, older brothers and sisters, aunts—a great crowd had come.
"Child, don't push yourself. Once you've traveled some distance, if you run into danger, be sure to turn back."
"Little One, be careful on the road. Don't be reckless. Make sure you protect yourself!"
"Lin, take good care of Little One and yourself!"
Everyone gave them a thousand warnings and ten thousand instructions, reluctant to part. Some of the aunts and older women had tears in their eyes.
At last, Shi Lin and Little One set out, riding the Unicorns toward the horizon. They waved vigorously back at the village.
With a whoosh, a golden streak shot into the air and quickly caught up, clinging to the Unicorn's tail.
"Hey, Furball followed them!"
"It's fine. This little thing was nothing but a nuisance in the village. It ate half a Dragon-Horned Elephant every day. Without Little One, we couldn't afford to feed it."
"That's a Golden Zhu Yan, after all. Maybe it'll be a great help to Little One."
In the sky, Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiao Qing cried out and followed them for a hundred li, only returning reluctantly after Little Shi Hao repeatedly urged them to.
"Ancient kingdom, here I come!" Little One said to himself, clenching his fists. Then he rode the Unicorn, turning into a streak of silver light as he charged toward the endless mountains. He would cross the range and venture into the distant lands.
The Unicorn was truly fast, and its instincts were keen. It avoided many dangerous birds and beasts, covering three or four thousand li before noon.
The Unicorn was truly extraordinary. It crossed mountains and ridges as if traveling on level ground, moving incredibly fast.
White Cloud was no slower. Shi Lin rode her close behind.
"Chirp, chirp..." Suddenly, the fist-sized golden Furball shrieked. Its fur stood on end, its eyes opened as wide as they could, and it grew restless and uneasy.
At the same time, the willow tree in Stone Village blazed with green light from its tender branch, which shot straight into the sky. Even its charred trunk began to shake violently, and with a rustling sound, cracked, old bark fell to the ground!
The mountains here rose one after another, towering and vast, all gray-brown. For some unknown reason, they lacked vegetation and were completely barren. Huge boulders were scattered across the slopes along the way, weighing anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of jin.
At first, Little One was surprised to see Furball's golden fur bristling. But suddenly, a chill ran through him too, and he felt a shiver of dread. It was pure instinct; he hadn't actually seen anything.
The fine hairs on his body stood up. His big eyes darted around as he tried to spot something, but he couldn't see a thing.
Shi Lin's skin broke out in goosebumps, and he shivered.
"Could it be...?"
"Furball, what did you sense?" Little One asked.
The fist-sized golden Furball only shrieked, its big eyes round as saucers. It couldn't explain what it sensed. Something in its instincts told it that danger was near, leaving it restless and uneasy.
Finally, the two Unicorns began stamping their hooves, growing uneasy as well. They sensed a terrifying presence and didn't want to continue through this mountain range.
"Chirp, chirp..." Suddenly, Furball charged forward, turning into a streak of golden light as it leaped over mountains and ridges, heading toward the depths of the range.
"Furball, don't do anything reckless!" Little One shouted, chasing after it on horseback.
"Hyah! Be careful, you two!" Shi Lin called as he pursued them from behind.
The Unicorn was unwilling, but it had no way to resist Little One. Its entire horn shimmered with silver light and crackled; runes were gathering.
After they had traveled dozens of li, Furball suddenly stopped. Suspicion flickered in its eyes. It had lost the feeling and was no longer restless.
Ahead, the mountains were lush and verdant, with ancient trees reaching the sky—a striking contrast to the barren ones they had just passed. This place teemed with life, with abundant plants, birds, and vicious beasts.
Looking back, the gray-brown mountains were lifeless and barren, not a blade of grass growing. They seemed even more desolate, and strange mists surged out, as if a Demon Cave sealed away for endless ages were about to open.
"Ah, did we make it through?" Little One cried in surprise. He had thought the danger lay ahead, never guessing it was in that grassless wasteland.
"We're all right now!"
"Wait!"
"Crack!"
A strange sound suddenly came from the mountains behind them, like the earth cracking deep below and boulders shifting. Then came the rattling of iron chains.
In that lifeless place, the sound was like a ghostly note from hell. The mists churned, and a wave of dreadful energy surged up from there.
With a boom, several mountains suddenly collapsed without warning, sending up a cloud of gray-brown mist. The sight was horrifying.
"That's..." Little One's eyes widened. The Unicorn beneath him trembled violently, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Furball shrieked and leaped onto Little One's shoulder. It bared its teeth and claws toward something dozens of li away, restless and uneasy.
Several mountains collapsed, and the earth split open in a terrifying fissure, wide enough to swallow entire peaks. It was an endless black chasm—and just then, an enormous blue claw reached out, bound in red-gold chains.
"Heavens, what kind of creature is that?" Little One exclaimed in shock.
"It's that!" Shi Lin cried in alarm.
"Who?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it's the giant tortoise carrying the Supreme Hall!"
"The Supreme Hall? A giant tortoise? What is that?" Little One asked, puzzled.
"The Supreme Hall is a mysterious inheritance. Little One, you must never tell anyone about this!" Shi Lin warned him.
"Okay," Little One replied.
The mist spread like a sea, and smoke and dust soared into the sky. The enormous claw thrust upward, struggling with all its might, as if trying to break free from the earth.
A layer of rock encased its thick, padded sole and not-so-sharp claws, sealing them over. One could only imagine how long it had been imprisoned.
The huge claw struggled violently. The scraping of stone slabs grew louder, echoing through heaven and earth. The red-gold chains stretched taut as it strained against them, rattling like a chilling melody from hell.
"Boom."
At last, the huge blue claw fell limply back down. Dust billowed, and it disappeared beneath the earth. Then the sounds stopped as well. The mist gradually receded, leaving behind only a terrible ruin.
A long time passed without a sound. It was as if nothing had ever happened.
"It's all right now. Let's go," Shi Lin said.
Shi Lin wanted to explore, but his strength was limited, so he gave up the idea.
The golden Zhu Yan was furious, gesturing and baring its teeth at the wreckage as if to say, "I'm not afraid! Come fight me!" Little One grabbed its golden tail and held it upside down. Ignoring its struggles, he rode off at a gallop and didn't stop.
Several days later, one morning, Shi Lin opened his eyes and woke Little One. After washing beside a mountain spring, they ate some dried meat, drank some spring water, and set out again.
"Onward, toward the rising sun! I'm coming, borders of the ancient kingdom!" Little One clenched his small fist, cheering himself on.
They had traveled tens of thousands of li over the past several days. With creatures like the Unicorns around, they made excellent time. They crossed mountains and streams and avoided quite a few vicious beasts along the way.
Of course, they couldn't avoid every fight. They had fought several battles, and even now, they hadn't completely shaken off their pursuer. A five-colored, dappled tiger had been chasing them for two days.
The strange beast was relentlessly tenacious. Whenever Little One and the others stopped, it would track them down by scent and harass them without end.
This was a dappled tiger several dozen meters long, terrifyingly powerful and thick-skinned. It opened its mouth and spat out a pool of mucus, melting a stone mountain until it was riddled with holes.
This tiger was far more powerful than the divine Bei from Bei Village. It wielded powerful runic secret arts, its whole body glowing, and possessed six Heavenly Caves. Their only consolation was that it couldn't catch up with the Unicorns.
"Let's go, or that tiger's going to come after us again." Shi Lin swung onto his mount. He believed that if the tiger kept chasing them like this for several days without sleep or rest, it would eventually grow tired and give up.
The Unicorn threw back its head and let out a long cry, its whole body gleaming with silver light.
Suddenly, Shi Lin was startled. "Quick, it's coming again!"
"Pfft!"
They had just charged away when a wave surged toward them, spreading in a hazy sheet and crashing down over the mountainside. All the ancient trees, rocks, and everything else dissolved, sizzling and turning into white smoke.
With a hum, runes flashed next, descending like a Heavenly Net to cover the area.
"Run!" Little One shouted.
With a boom, the mountainside split apart, dust billowing everywhere. By the narrowest margin, they raced away.
A five-colored tiger appeared, as thick around as a water vat, its whole body shining with brilliant runes. It wasn't a python, but it looked even more savage, roaring furiously. It had missed by just a little again. Twisting its enormous body, it flattened the mountain forest.
Suddenly, a bird cried out. A dark cloud seemed to fall from the sky as a gigantic bird, over a hundred meters long, dove down from above the clouds.
The tiger panicked and hastily looked up, spewing rays of light to counter the attack with runes.
"Pfft!"
The vicious bird blotted out the sky and, opening its mouth, unleashed a beam of light like a river of stars. It swept across the mountainside, leveling it. The tiger was blasted into several pieces.
The giant bird swooped down and began a bloody feast!
This was the Great Wilderness: danger lurked everywhere, and terrifying creatures were everywhere. One moment, a beast might be strutting proudly; the next, it might become another creature's meal.
This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak, a world steeped in blood. There was no justice to be found.
And Little One had to cross three hundred thousand li of this savage wilderness. The journey would be filled with endless hardships and dangers, and he could lose his life at any moment.
Shi Lin was looking after him, but even so, it was still dangerous.
After that, Little One and Shi Lin fought many bloody battles, meeting countless dangers and slaying numerous vicious beasts. They had no choice. If they showed the slightest mercy, they would become food for another creature.
In just a day, Little One was already dressed in rags. Several pieces of clothing had been soaked red with blood and torn to shreds, so in the end he could only change into freshly stripped beast hide to cover himself.
Shi Lin was faring better. His clothes were still intact, and each time he fought a bloody battle, the Indestructible Golden Light shielded him, keeping blood from splashing onto him.
To hone his mastery of precious arts, Shi Lin practiced the Undying Art in every bloody battle. He had grasped the general idea of the first chapter of the Indestructible Art.
The first chapter of the Indestructible Scripture had given Shi Lin the Indestructible Golden Light, which could defend against attacks from precious arts. It could also block physical attacks.
Whenever Little One asked Shi Lin about this ability, Shi Lin always said it was his innate talent.
It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Little One. This ability was simply too conspicuous and would hinder his growth. Besides, something won through one's own abilities was always sweeter.
Even so, there were simply too many vicious beasts, and Shi Lin had suffered some injuries as well.
This uninhabited region was often home to terrifying creatures beyond imagination. When they appeared, the only option was to keep well away. Fortunately, the most powerful beings had eyes only for the overlord creatures and paid them little attention.
The creatures that posed the greatest threat to them were beasts like the Variegated Great Tiger: extremely powerful, but not the strongest of their kind. Along the way, a Strange Ape had appeared. When its runes emerged, the earth and sky shook, and it brought down an entire Stone Mountain. It pursued them relentlessly for three days and three nights before finally giving up.
Before you continue