Journey Through the Great Wilderness

Birds of prey that spread their wings to soar through the clouds possess extreme speed, yet they are also far too conspicuous. They risk becoming prey for apex aerial predators, potentially making them more dangerous than traveling through the mountain forests.

"Little One, are you really leaving?" A group of children finished their training and crowded around him.

"Mm!" Little Shi Hao nodded. He had made his decision yesterday, and now he would not change it.

"Three hundred thousand li—that's so far! We're still so young, why do you have to go to such a distant place?" The children widened their eyes; such an astronomical figure made them feel dizzy.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow!" Little One glanced at a group of Unicorns not far away. If he could not soar through the sky, then capturing a ferocious beast with extreme speed to serve as a mount would be a fine alternative.

"Ah, you want to catch a Unicorn?" The group of children looked excited; they had long wanted to do the same, but lacked the strength.

Even the adults, such as Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao, had been planning this for a long time, but they never dared to act rashly. The Unicorns, with their pure white bodies and shimmering silver scales, were incredibly powerful and not easily subdued by ordinary people.

Of course, they were not famous for their combat prowess. Compared to their extreme speed, which allowed them to travel ten thousand li in a single day, their so-called "power" was nothing worth mentioning.

Little One stood up and set his sights on a tall, magnificent male Unicorn. Its entire body burned like a mass of silver fire; it had slender limbs, a robust frame, crystal-like eyes, and a single horn on its forehead wreathed in silver light.

"That's the one."

Once Little Shi Hao had his target, he circled around Stone Village and entered the shrubbery to intercept the Unicorns from the other side. The group of children opened their eyes wide, holding their breath as they watched intently.

"What are those kids doing?" The adults were also stirred into action.

"What? They want to catch a Unicorn?" With a flurry of movement, the men, women, and children of the village emerged to watch from the lakeside.

Little One appeared, charging out from the nearby bushes toward the lake to corner the herd, his eyes locked on the tall target among them.

The lakeside erupted in agitation. Various rare birds and strange beasts dwelling there began to cry out, filled with hostility toward this uninvited guest, even though he was still just a child.

The Unicorns, in particular, were clearly intelligent creatures. They still remembered how Little One had lifted that hundred-thousand-jin boulder by the lake not long ago, and they grew restless, their bodies beginning to glow.

"Little One, watch out!" the clansmen shouted.

The herd of Unicorns rioted, their hooves pawing the ground as their bodies intertwined with runes. Acting in unison, they launched an attack.

With a hum, silver light poured down like a torrential rain. It was a vast, blinding white expanse that was difficult to dodge, piercing through rocks where it struck the ground.

Little One did not slow down. Instead, he spread his arms and rapidly shifted dozens of zhang to the side. Like an eagle striking the sky, his movements were graceful yet powerful—not at all like something a child could achieve.

"Such fast footwork!" even the old village chief exclaimed in wonder.

This was a movement technique Little One had realized from the War God Records while studying the Original True Interpretation. The way the Golden-Winged Dapeng dueled with gods, the mystery of its trajectory, and the operation of its runes had left a deep impression on him.

Now, golden runes flickered at his arms, whistling with wind as if he were a young Golden Dapeng gliding through the sky, his posture both elegant and sharp.

"Chi," "chi"...

The Unicorns neighed, their horns lighting up. They all fired beams of light forward, formed by a combination of runes; if one didn't look closely, they would mistake them for lightning.

Little One dodged rapidly, landing behind a ten-thousand-jin boulder. But no sooner had he crouched down than the boulder was shattered with a "pu" sound, sending rocks flying.

He rushed to the side, moving like a Golden Dapeng crossing the sky, carving an astonishing trajectory that spiraled into an arc as he charged into the herd.

"Wow!" the children shouted. Little One was in mid-air, yet he could change direction like that, truly like a primordial divine bird spreading its wings, as swift as lightning.

The Unicorn herd grew agitated, their hooves stomping. They could no longer launch a coordinated attack. With their silver scales shimmering, they all raised their heads and neighed, trampling forward.

"Little One is too fast. In close quarters, he is definitely much faster than the Unicorns. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even be able to get close, yet he has charged right into the herd!" Shi Feijiao praised. Even if their own strength were to increase significantly, they still couldn't achieve this.

His speed was shockingly fast, surpassing that of the ferocious beasts. Once inside the herd, however, Little One was in even greater danger. A hoof kicked out from one side, a gaping maw lunged from another, and a beam of light flew from yet another direction—it was difficult to avoid.

Resounding like a divine bell, Little One's entire body began to glow. Divine radiance transformed into characters that lined up in the air, wrapping around his body and blocking the barrage of attacks.

"Go!"

Little One pushed with all his might, and seven or eight Unicorns were sent flying instantly. His strength was immense; even without the secret power of bone runes, his physical body alone possessed a divine force of one hundred and eight thousand jin in a single arm. However, he did not kill them. These strange beasts were rare, and if they could be subdued in the future, they would be an invaluable treasure for his clansmen.

"Xiu."

Little One surged upward, leaping onto the back of the tall Unicorn. Although it was covered in silver scales, it had silver-white mane hair on its neck, which he grabbed and refused to let go of.

The precious steed stretched its neck and neighed, its voice resonant like a great bell or a stone chime, rising straight into the clouds. It was truly robust and magnificent, a standout among its kind!

"Don't fuss, little horse. Come with me to see the outside world; it might be of great benefit to your cultivation," Little One whispered into its ear.

However, the Unicorn was furious. It was a ferocious beast, not to be compared with an ordinary horse. Regardless, it was a rare species, and its speed was among the best in the great mountains.

Generally speaking, Unicorns could not be captured by ordinary experts in the Blood-Moving Realm. They possessed infinite strength, incredible speed, and inherited simple runes, making them quite extraordinary.

They, along with the Scaled Horse, were descendants of the Primordial Heavenly Horse. They were the offspring of divine beasts, and although their bloodline was extremely thin, they could still exert a bit of power. It was just that these runes existed only in their blood and had not truly condensed into form; they could not manifest on their bones, horns, or fur, so their power was not great and their value was limited.

The tall Unicorn roared like thunder, struggling incessantly. But under Little One's immense strength, its so-called divine power was far inferior, and it could not break free.

Little Shi Hao pressed down with force, and its high-held head dropped instantly. Finally, Shi Hao jumped to the ground and lifted the beast up, charging and crashing his way out of the herd.

The group of Unicorns fell into chaos, neighing incessantly, but there was nothing they could do. Little One was too strong, possessing infinite power, and he knocked aside more than a dozen ferocious beasts in his wake.

"Captured... alive? He just brought one back like that?" The crowd watched, dumbfounded.

Little One dashed back, carrying the tall Unicorn on his shoulder, its four hooves pointing toward the sky, struggling to no avail.

Shi Feijiao and the others had been planning for days without ever taking action, failing to catch a single one. Now, Little One had gone out and achieved success with such ease.

That was a precious steed, and it had been captured just like that!

"Little One, catch a few more!" a group of adults drooled.

"Uncle, if I catch any more, they'll be spooked and flee. They might never come back. Once I tame this Unicorn and treat it well, letting it feel our goodwill, perhaps other Unicorns will approach us on their own in the future."

"Good!"

The clansmen nodded. This was a sound plan. A group of grown men were practically salivating, dreaming of owning a precious steed.

That day, by the beautiful lake, the Unicorn neighed incessantly. Although Little One had caught one, he hadn't truly tamed it yet, constantly shouting as he galloped across the green grass.

"Little White, stop throwing a tantrum and come with me. I'll teach you profound Bone Text. Eventually, your bones and your horn will form true runes. Then, perhaps you can be like Ziyun and Dapeng, forming your own original precious bone. Only when you reach that stage can you be considered a truly powerful fierce beast," Little One coaxed.

It wasn't until sunset that this tall, spirited Unicorn finally yielded and stopped resisting. Little One didn't say much more, immediately manifesting a set of runes before it.

"Ah, this Unicorn stopped acting up?" The children all ran over, wanting to climb onto its back.

As a result, Little White kicked out, nearly striking Snotty Kid and startling him so much he landed hard on his bottom.

"My mother, that nearly made this kid vomit blood!" Snotty Kid said, lingering in fear as he exaggeratedly patted his chest.

Although this Unicorn had been subdued, it refused to let anyone else approach.

Another morning arrived, and Little One bid farewell to the villagers, preparing to set out.

To everyone's surprise, there was a female Unicorn beside Little White; it must have been his mate.

The female Unicorn was slightly smaller than Little White, with a tuft of red hair on her head, while the rest of her coat was white.

Shi Lin sat atop White Cloud.

White Cloud was the female Unicorn.

All the clansmen had come, from the ten-year-old clan elders down to the babes still nursing, along with the chief, uncles, older brothers, sisters, and aunts—a massive crowd had come to see them off.

"Child, don't force yourself. Once you've traveled a distance, if there is any danger, you must turn back!"

"Little One, be careful on the road, don't be reckless, and protect yourself well!"

"Lin, take care of Little One and yourself!"

Everyone gave a thousand instructions and ten thousand warnings, all of them reluctant to part. Some of the aunts and older women had reddened eyes.

Finally, Shi Lin and the others set off, riding the Unicorns toward the distance, waving their hands vigorously toward those behind them.

With a "whoosh," a streak of golden light shot up, quickly catching up and hanging onto the Unicorn's tail.

"Oh my, Furball followed us."

"It's fine. That little thing is a pure disaster in the village. It eats half a Dragon-Horned Elephant a day; without Little One, we couldn't afford to feed it."

"That is a golden Zhu Yan, after all. Perhaps it can be of great help to Little One."

In the sky, Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiao Qing let out long cries, following them for over a hundred miles before finally turning back, albeit reluctantly, under Little Shi Hao's constant admonitions.

"Ancient Kingdom, I am coming!" Little One whispered to himself, clenching his fists tightly. Then, he urged his Unicorn forward, transforming into a streak of silver light as he charged toward the endless mountains, intending to cross the range and venture into the far distance.

The Unicorn's speed was truly immense, and its keen senses allowed it to avoid many dangerous fierce birds and beasts. By noon, they had already covered three or four thousand miles.

This Unicorn was truly extraordinary, traversing mountains and ridges as if they were flat ground; it was simply too fast.

White Cloud was no slouch either; Shi Lin rode her, following closely behind.

"Squeak, squeak..." Suddenly, the fist-sized golden Furball shrieked, its fur standing on end, eyes wide, restless and uneasy.

At the same time, the willow tree in Stone Village saw its tender green branch erupt with brilliant light, shooting straight into the sky. The charred trunk itself shook violently, and with a rustling sound, a layer of cracked, old bark fell to the ground!

The mountains here were one after another, towering and majestic. They were entirely grey-brown in color, and for some unknown reason, they lacked vegetation, appearing completely barren. Along the way, many massive rocks were scattered across the mountain terrain, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Little One saw Furball's golden fur bristling and was initially surprised, but suddenly, he felt a chill run through his entire body. A sense of dread washed over him—it was an instinctual reaction, not because he had actually seen anything.

The hair on his body stood on end, and he scanned his surroundings with wide eyes, trying hard to discover something, yet he saw nothing at all.

Shi Lin felt goosebumps rise on his skin and shivered.

"Could it be...?!"

"Furball, what did you discover?" Little One asked.

The fist-sized golden Furball only shrieked, its large eyes wide and round. It couldn't explain it either; it was just an instinct that made it feel immense danger and restlessness.

Finally, the two Unicorns also began to stomp their hooves, becoming uneasy as they sensed a terrifying aura and refused to continue running through this mountain range.

"Squeak, squeak..." Suddenly, Furball darted out, transforming into a streak of golden light, crossing mountains and ridges, heading deep into the mountain range.

"Furball, don't be reckless!" Little One shouted, spurring his mount to chase after it.

"Giddy-up! You two, be careful!" Shi Lin called out as he chased from behind.

The Unicorn was extremely reluctant, but it could not resist Little One. Its entire horn shimmered with silver light, emitting a crackling sound as runes gathered within it.

After running for dozens of miles, Furball suddenly stopped. Its eyes were filled with confusion; it had lost the sensation and was no longer restless.

The mountain terrain ahead was lush and green, with ancient trees reaching toward the sky, forming a stark contrast to the barren mountains from before. This place was full of vitality, with abundant vegetation, birds, and beasts appearing here and there.

Looking back, that stretch of grey-brown mountains was deathly still, devoid of even a blade of grass, appearing even more desolate. Mysterious mists surged forth, as if a demon's lair, sealed for endless ages, was about to be opened.

"Ah, did we cross through it?" Little One asked in surprise, thinking the crisis lay ahead, never imagining it was that very patch of barren land.

"It's gone!"

"Not right!"

"Crack."

From the mountains behind them came a strange sound, like the earth cracking and giant boulders shifting, followed by the clattering of iron chains.

In that deathly silent place, such a sound suddenly erupted like a ghostly wail from hell, and as the mist surged, a terrifying aura billowed upward.

With a "bang," several mountains suddenly collapsed without warning, sending up a cloud of grayish-brown mist in a horrifying display.

"That is..." Little One widened his eyes, while the Unicorn beneath him trembled, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Furball shrieked, leaping onto Little One's shoulder, baring its fangs and claws toward the distance, restless and agitated.

Several mountains had collapsed, the earth splitting into terrifyingly massive fissures capable of swallowing entire peaks, revealing a bottomless, pitch-black void. Just then, a colossal cyan claw reached up, bound by red-gold chains.

"Heavens, what kind of creature is this?" Little One was shocked.

"It's it!" Shi Lin exclaimed in alarm.

"Who?!" Little One asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, it is the Giant Turtle that carries the Supreme Hall!"

"Supreme Hall, Giant Turtle?! What are those!" Little One asked, puzzled.

"The Supreme Hall is a mysterious legacy. Little One, you must never tell anyone about this!" Shi Lin warned.

"Okay!" Little One replied.

Mist surged like the sea and dust billowed into the sky as the massive claw pierced the heavens, struggling violently as if trying to break free from beneath the earth.

Between its thick pads and somewhat blunt claws, a layer of rock had formed, even sealing the claws shut, suggesting it had been trapped for long, long ages.

The great claw struggled fiercely, the sound of stone grinding against stone growing louder, echoing across the world. Furthermore, the red-gold chains pulled taut, clattering like a dirge from hell as it exerted its strength.

"Thud."

Finally, the massive cyan claw fell limply, disappearing into the billowing dust on the ground. Then, the noise ceased, the mist gradually dissipated, and only a scene of terrifying devastation remained.

A long time passed without further movement, as if nothing had ever happened.

"It's over, let's go!" Shi Lin said.

Shi Lin had wanted to investigate, but his strength was limited, so he abandoned the thought.

The golden Zhu Yan was indignant, gesturing and baring its teeth at the chaotic ruins, as if to say it would fight if it weren't so frustrated. Little One grabbed its golden tail, hoisted it upside down, and ignoring its resistance, rode the Unicorn away at full speed without stopping.

One morning several days later, Shi Lin opened his eyes, woke Little One, and after washing by a mountain spring and eating some dried meat and drinking spring water, they set off again.

"Heading toward the direction of the rising sun, Ancient Kingdom border, here I come!" Little One clenched his small fists, cheering himself on.

Over the past few days, they had traveled tens of thousands of miles. With a creature like the Unicorn, their journey was truly swift, traversing mountains and streams while avoiding many fierce beasts.

Of course, several intense battles were unavoidable. Even now, they had not completely shaken off their pursuers; a Variegated Great Tiger had been chasing them for two days.

The exotic beast was relentless; whenever Little One and his companion stopped, it would track their scent and catch up, pestering them endlessly.

This was a Variegated Great Tiger over dozens of meters long, possessing terrifying strength and thick, tough skin. With one breath, it spat out a stream of viscous liquid that melted a stone mountain into a honeycomb of holes.

This tiger was far more formidable than the Divine Bei from Bei Village; it mastered powerful runic secret arts, its entire body glowing with the strength of six Heavenly Passages. The only consolation was that it could not outrun the Unicorn.

"Let's go, or that big tiger will be upon us again." Shi Lin mounted the beast, believing that after several days of sleepless pursuit, the tiger would eventually grow weary and give up.

The Unicorn raised its head and let out a long neigh, its body shimmering with silver light.

Suddenly, Shi Lin was startled and said, "Quick, it's here again."

"Pfft."

Just as they surged forward, a wave of liquid rushed toward them, a hazy mass that fell upon the mountain terrain, instantly dissolving all ancient trees and rocks with a hissing sound as they turned into white smoke.

With a hum, a layer of runes flickered, descending like a heavenly net to shroud them.

"Run!" Little One shouted.

With a "boom," the mountain terrain split apart, and dust billowed. By a hair's breadth, they charged into the distance.

The five-colored tiger appeared, as thick as a water vat, its body flashing with brilliant runes. It was not a python, yet it looked even more ferocious. It roared in anger, missing them by only a fraction, and twisted its massive body, leveling the surrounding forest to the ground.

Suddenly, a bird's cry rang out. A dark cloud seemed to fall from the sky as a giant bird, over a hundred meters in size, swooped down from above the clouds.

The tiger panicked, hurriedly raising its head to spray multicolored light, using its runes to resist.

"Pfft."

The fierce bird blotted out the sun, opening its beak to release a beam of light like a falling galaxy. The entire mountain range was leveled, rocks flew through the air, and the tiger was sliced into several pieces.

The giant bird dove down, beginning a bloody feast!

This was the Great Wilderness, filled with danger and terrifying creatures everywhere. One moment you might be majestic, and the next, you might become food for another creature.

This was a world of the law of the jungle, everything was bloody, and there was no reason to be found.

Little One had to traverse three hundred thousand miles through such a wilderness; it could be said that the journey ahead would be filled with endless hardships and dangers, and he could lose his life at any moment.

Although he had Shi Lin's care, it was still very dangerous.

In the days that followed, the two of them fought many bloody battles, encountering too many perils and slaying many fierce beasts. There was no other way; if they showed any mercy, they would become food for other creatures.

In just a single day, Little One was already in tatters, his few sets of clothes stained red with blood and torn to shreds, leaving him with no choice but to cover himself in freshly skinned animal hides.

Shi Lin fared better; his clothes remained intact. Every time he engaged in a bloody battle, the Indestructible Golden Light protected his body, preventing a single drop of blood from touching him.

To hone his mastery of Precious Techniques, Shi Lin practiced the Undying Art during every skirmish, and he had already grasped the general essence of the first volume of the Indestructible Art.

The first volume of the Indestructible Scripture granted Shi Lin the Indestructible Golden Light, which could be used to defend against Precious Technique attacks as well as physical strikes.

Whenever Little One asked Shi Lin about this ability, Shi Lin would always claim it was his innate talent.

It was not that he wanted to hide it from Little One, but this ability was far too conspicuous and would be detrimental to his growth; after all, power seized through one's own efforts tasted much sweeter.

Despite this, the sheer number of ferocious beasts meant that Shi Lin still sustained some injuries.

Such uninhabited zones were often home to unimaginable, terrifying creatures, and at those times, they could only steer clear from afar. Fortunately, these overly powerful existences only had eyes for the overlord-level beasts and paid little attention to them.

Such uninhabited zones were often home to unimaginable, terrifying creatures, and at those times, they could only steer clear from afar. Fortunately, these overly powerful existences only had eyes for the overlord-level beasts and paid little attention to them.

However, creatures like the Variegated Great Tiger—strong, yet not the strongest—posed the greatest threat to them. Along the way, there was a Strange Ape that, upon unleashing its runes, shook the heavens and earth, collapsing an entire stone mountain and pursuing them relentlessly for three days and three nights before finally giving up.