Eggstorm

Along the way, Little One fought countless bloody battles. If he couldn't win, he would flee. In less than ten days, he had become a little wildling, his body covered in the blood of fierce birds and beasts, with no time to wash it off.

Shi Lin did not help Little One much, as this was intended to temper him and prevent him from becoming dependent.

He only intervened when Little One was in mortal danger.

In truth, the gap in strength between Shi Lin and Little One was not vast, but Shi Lin possessed the heaven-defying Undying Art, which could boost his strength by a significant margin, making him invincible among those in the Cave Heaven Realm.

Little One was now galloping forward, eating as soon as he stopped to rest. The great mountains were too dangerous; there was not a moment to waste, and he had to conserve his energy.

Later, he suffered a severe injury. While searching for a water source, a Crocodile Dragon suddenly lunged from a cold pool. Its runes flared, suppressing the surroundings and nearly killing him on the spot.

At that moment, Shi Lin happened not to be by Little One's side. He was busy battling a Heavenly Star Ape.

Sensing that Little One was in danger, he rushed over at top speed.

This was the most grievous injury Little One had ever suffered in his life. His powerful flesh was shredded, his bones exposed, and under the secret power of the Crocodile Dragon's runes, he was nearly crushed to death.

In the end, the Crocodile Dragon sought to feast on him, but Little One seized an opportunity. With a single arm swing, he unleashed 108,000 jin of divine strength. As the beast drew near, he tore off one of its claws, the blood gushing out to stain the cold pool red.

Taking advantage of this, he leaped up and stomped on the Crocodile Dragon's head, nearly shattering its skull.

The Crocodile Dragon, in agony and struggling violently, plunged back into the cold pool, allowing Little One to escape and flee into the distance.

A Unicorn in the distance heard the commotion and galloped over, carrying him away from the scene and helping him avoid a lethal fate.

The Crocodile Dragon was extremely vicious. After the pain subsided, it surged out of the water and spat out a beam of light, instantly leveling a mountain peak.

At this moment, Shi Lin arrived. He unleashed the Undying Art and summoned a massive Suanni.

Before the giant crocodile could react, the Suanni descended with the Nine Heavens Lightning Tribulation, shattering it to pieces.

The lightning tribulation pulverized flesh and blood, causing a rain of gore and thunder.

When the rain ceased, only red stains and ashes remained on the ground.

"Hoo!" Shi Lin retracted the Indestructible Golden Light and caught up to Little One.

"Are you alright, Little One?" Shi Lin asked with concern.

Little One was extremely weak, with bones visible in some places.

"I-I'm fine." Little One squeezed out a smile.

"Let's find a safe place to treat your wounds." Shi Lin supported Little One, sat him on Little White, and rode away.

Over the next few days, Furball found various strange fruits and, in a rare display of generosity, bit its own skin to squeeze out three drops of golden blood for Little One to consume, which finally helped him recover.

Shi Lin spent these days killing many birds, providing roasted meat for Little One every day.

Little One's body recovered remarkably fast, and within a few days, he was full of life again.

It had to be said that the blood of the fist-sized golden Zhu Yan possessed miraculous effects; after Little One's wounds healed, not even a single scar remained.

Half a month later, the two were two hundred thousand li away from Stone Village. With the Unicorn's incredible speed, they were only about one hundred thousand li from the borders of the ancient kingdom.

"Squeak, squeak..."

Early in the morning, while Little One was still fast asleep, Furball came running from the depths of the primeval mountain range, clutching an egg as large as a stone millstone that radiated astonishing light.

Little Shi Hao heard the commotion and sat up, witnessing the scene. Furball was winking and looking smug, hugging an egg that was many times its own size, looking quite comical as it squeaked incessantly.

This crystalline egg was covered in five-colored patterns and was incredibly brilliant, emitting rays of light. It was clearly extraordinary; even as an egg, it already exuded a terrifying aura.

There was no need to guess—this was certainly no ordinary object. Little One even suspected it might be the bloodline of a divine bird; otherwise, how could it be so anomalous?

"Did you... steal this?"

"Squeak, squeak..." Furball protested, pulling a serious face and patting its small chest, as if to say, "Do I look like that kind of person?"

"Bad news, there's an ancient fierce beast! Run!" Shi Lin flew out from the forest and called out to Shi Hao.

Suddenly, a terrifying bird cry erupted from the depths of the mountains, shaking the surrounding peaks. An astonishing killing intent surged forth like a raging tide.

With a "plop," Furball tossed the egg to Little One and jumped onto the Unicorn's back, showing no loyalty as it prepared to flee first.

Seeing this, how could Little One not understand? He hugged the colorful egg, leaped up onto the Unicorn, and joined the frantic escape.

Shi Lin, riding on a white cloud, called out from behind.

"Furball, you've caused trouble again!"

"Furball, you really are something!" Little One scolded.

Furball looked at the sky, ignoring them. But eventually, it snuck a glance back at the mountain range. Seeing the overwhelming, murderous aura approaching, it lost its composure. With a "whoosh," it jumped to the ground, grabbed a hard stone, and scurried back, starting to chisel at the egg.

"Ah, such a miraculous egg, you're just going to chisel it open?" Little One hesitated.

Furball gestured, as if to say it was to nourish his body. In reality, its own drool was already flowing, dripping onto the Unicorn's back.

Dozens of li away, in another area, a group of people stood. The leader was a beautiful woman with an ethereal grace, a fair face, bright eyes, and a slender figure. Dressed in white, her clothes fluttered in the mountain breeze as if she were about to ride the wind. Beside her was an old woman and over a dozen powerful experts, each of them extraordinary.

"Listen, that fierce bird is shrieking!" The group stopped dozens of li away, on high alert and ready for battle. The woman in white, beautiful and refined with smooth, raven-black hair like satin, showed no tension on her fair, oval face. Her bright eyes looked toward the depths of the mountains. "We are so far away; it shouldn't have discovered us."

In the depths of the mountains, the bird's cries sounded like ten thousand swords clashing, or ten thousand horses galloping. The sound was thunderous, causing the mountains to tremble and massive boulders to roll down, as if an earthquake were occurring. One could see just how terrifying this fierce bird was.

Looking from afar, that direction radiated light that pierced the sky, with fluctuations like a sea, as if an eternal divine furnace were burning between heaven and earth, illuminating the surroundings like a god descending.

"This fierce bird is a descendant of an ancient divine bird. At first, we thought it had broken through and needed to replenish its blood energy, which is why it devoured a large tribe of millions. Only later did we realize it was about to lay an egg," a middle-aged man said.

"This is a powerful archaic descendant, flowing with the blood of the primordial divine bird, the Peacock King. The egg it has laid is no trivial matter; we must obtain it. If we nurture it carefully, we might even be able to reproduce a portion of the primordial God-King's might. Its precious technique was once renowned as peerless!" the old woman said with excitement. Though she was advanced in age, her spirit was vigorous, and silver runes flickered within her eyes.

Such archaic descendants are inherently rare and formidable creatures. Once one traces their origins and lineage, their eggs appear even more mysterious and precious.

To obtain a precious technique from an adult Five-Colored Peacock is simply impossible. Not to mention the terrifying price one would have to pay to capture it, the creature could shatter the runes within its own body with a single thought, leaving one with no recourse.

Cases like Stone Village, where they obtained the remains of a Suanni and discovered its original runes, are exceedingly rare; they are merely isolated, exceptional instances.

To trace the secrets of the primordial divine bird—the Peacock King—one cannot hope to start with an adult descendant. The only way is to target its egg, hatch it, and raise it by one's side; only then is it possible to catch a glimpse of the primordial divine bird's precious technique.

"There may be complications. Let us pursue quickly, and everyone must be cautious," the woman in white said. Her eyes rippled, her red lips parted slightly to reveal pearly teeth, and her voice was incredibly melodious, beautiful beyond compare.

"It has just laid the egg, so its body is in a period of weakness. This is the best opportunity," everyone nodded in agreement.

They did not know that their fears had come true: the descendant of the primordial God-King had lost its egg and was now in a frenzy, rampaging across the land, searching for and hunting down the egg thieves.

"Little White, run! It has appeared!" Little One looked back to see five-colored divine light piercing the sky. The surging life force was like waves crashing against the shore, truly astonishing.

A massive peacock soared from the depths of the mountain range, its body shrouded in a layer of light mist, radiating five-colored rays. With a single spread of its wings, it swept across everything, leveling the mountain forests and rocky peaks alike.

"Pfft."

Furball's little claws were quite mischievous; it grabbed a hard stone and swung it with force, trying to chisel through the five-colored divine egg. Instead, the stone shattered, while the eggshell remained completely unscathed, flowing with a crystalline luster.

Little One was startled and said, "Furball, don't mess around! That fierce bird will be here soon. I think we should just drop the bird egg and run for our lives."

The fist-sized golden Furball rolled its large eyes, hugged the five-colored bird egg, and turned its side to Little One, signaling that it was his and was not to be discarded.

Furthermore, at this moment, it performed a shocking action: since the stone couldn't break it, it began to gnaw on the shell with its tiny, crystalline teeth.

"Oh no, Furball, don't bite it!" Little One shouted. This was a mysterious and powerful precious egg; he had been contemplating that if it were truly hatched, he might gain another world-shaking precious technique.

Now that he possessed the Original True Interpretation, his cultivation was no longer a problem, but what he lacked most were precious techniques.

In this age, precious techniques were too rare. Even a large tribe with tens of millions of people would only possess one clan-protecting precious technique, supplemented by a few minor divine abilities; it was simply impossible to find more.

"Crack."

Before the astonished eyes of Little One and Shi Lin, Furball's snowy white teeth succeeded, biting through the eggshell. Five-colored divine light swirled, and the powerful fluctuations of essence were terrifyingly intense.

"Furball, you little spendthrift!" Little One was both angry and regretful, grabbing it by the tail and holding it upside down. Even so, Furball did not let go, biting the eggshell with all its might, dangling there while grinding its teeth desperately.

It was all too late. The five-colored precious egg had been breached, and Little One couldn't be bothered to say more. After all, this was an egg Furball had brought back from the depths of the mountains; it had the right to dispose of it.

"Slurp," "slurp"...

Furball began to suck vigorously, feeling blissful, completely ignoring the heaven-shaking five-colored divine light behind it. Its little belly grew round as it drank the egg fluid with all its might.

A delicate fragrance wafted out. The liquid inside the five-colored precious egg was crystalline and brilliant, its aroma intoxicating. Furball ate with gusto, forgetting itself, squeaking happily.

"Boom!"

Vast divine light covered the sky and earth, sending rocks flying. It nearly sent the Unicorn tumbling; had it not been fast and quick to change direction, it would have been struck by a boulder weighing tens of thousands of catties launched from a collapsing mountain in the distance. "It's catching up!" Little One's scalp tingled. This was an archaic descendant, far too powerful, and certainly not something they could currently contend with.

The Five-Colored Peacock had not yet seen them, but it knew the egg thieves were in this direction and pursued them relentlessly, its rage reaching its peak.

The only stroke of luck was that the Unicorn ran too fast. If it had been any other creature, it would have been caught in the blink of an eye. Even so, being overtaken was only a matter of time.

The speed of the archaic descendant far exceeded that of the Unicorn; if not for the mountain forest obstructing its vision, it would have been upon them with a single beat of its wings.

The golden Furball finally grew a bit nervous and shoved the five-colored precious egg to Little One. It scratched its ears and cheeks, wanting to unleash a precious technique, but after struggling for a long time, it couldn't manifest anything extraordinary, squeaking in anxiety.

Seeing this, Little One could no longer care about anything else. He hugged the crystalline bird egg and began to pour it into his mouth, gulping it down endlessly. In just a short while, colorful light began to radiate from his body, dazzling and eye-catching.

With a "hum," his entire body turned crystalline, covered in dense runes; he was actually on the verge of breaking through to the next realm.

"Oh, no. Willow Deity told me to suppress it for a month for a reason. Breaking into that level now is not good," Little One was startled.

He thought of the Original True Interpretation, which recorded the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, a primordial demonic bird that could swallow hundreds of millions of creatures in one gulp, refining their essence and blood to store within itself, only to be released when needed.

Little One had contemplated that engraving for a long time. Although he lacked the unique rune-operating methods of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, he had grasped some principles, allowing him to store his essence, energy, and spirit within his own body.

With a hum, his entire body glowed. One rune after another lit up, transforming into concrete, miniature divine furnaces that drew this divine essence inside.

His body glowed everywhere. One by one, very real but extremely tiny divine furnaces took shape, glowing within every inch of his flesh and blood, swallowing the divine essence and storing it within.

"Willow Deity said that the thicker the foundation when entering the next realm, the more abundant the essence, energy, and spirit, and the greater the achievement. I suppose I am preparing in advance," Little One gulped down the fluid from the five-colored bird egg continuously. Crystalline luster flowed, and he completely forgot the danger, having become too absorbed in the process.

"Squeak, squeak..." Furball squeaked incessantly. This glutton, despite sensing the danger behind them, hadn't forgotten to eat, trying to take the crystalline precious egg back from Little One to continue consuming it.

The entire egg was as large as a stone mill, brilliant and translucent, radiating rays of light. More than half of the liquid inside had entered Little One's stomach, yet his little belly showed no signs of bloating.

His body glowed, and one rune after another lit up, absorbing the divine essence and refining the liquid into light, storing it within these brilliant symbols.

Little One let out a burp, truly unable to eat any more. The descendant of the five-colored God-King—the archaic descendant—contained far too much divine essence in its egg.

Furball snatched it away, hugged it, and continued to gulp it down. Its large eyes rolled around, glancing toward the rear. The Five-Colored Peacock had finally discovered them and, in an instant of fury, swooped down at high speed.

"A Five-Colored Divine Bird, an archaic fierce beast in the Spirit Transformation Realm? So weak."

"Perhaps, I shall use you to practice!" Shi Lin let Bai Yun hide itself, then leaped from its back and flew toward the rear.

"Little One, hurry and go! Don't worry about me!" Shi Lin shouted loudly.

"But!" Little One put down the bird egg.

"Trust me!" Shi Lin said.

Little One paused. He trusted Shi Lin.

"Alright!"

"Little White, charge forward!" Little One yelled.

They charged onto a towering mountain. Below, a great river surged, its surface spanning over ten miles wide, magnificent and vast. The sound of the water was like thunder, truly astonishing.

Moreover, the great river was terrifyingly pitch-black. One could feel the chill from far away, and there wasn't a single living creature in the vicinity.