Using Weakness to Control Strength

"Little White, jump down!" Little One shouted. There was no time to hesitate; a pitch-black river blocked their path beneath the giant mountain, and entering the water was their only chance to escape this calamity.

The Unicorn hesitated. In its eyes, this river was no less terrifying than the Primordial Remnant; it felt a deep sense of dread, but in the end, it gritted its teeth and leaped.

Little One snatched the Five-Colored Egg from Furball, wrapped his arms around the Unicorn's neck, and poured the remaining liquid into its mouth before they plunged into the river with a splash.

The moment they entered the water, the Unicorn's blood nearly froze. It was bone-chillingly cold; although the water hadn't turned to ice, it possessed a mysterious power that felt as if it could shatter a person to pieces.

Little One also felt as if his entire body were being pricked by needles. The cold was piercing, seemingly seeping into his very soul; it was agonizing.

Even the golden Furball was baring its teeth and grimacing, waving its tiny paws and kicking its legs, clearly suffering.

High in the sky, the Primordial Remnant dove down. Shi Lin released his Indestructible Golden Light and summoned the Purple Emperor Immortal Eagle to strike the Five-Colored Divine Bird away.

The Five-Colored Divine Bird was enraged. A mere human had stolen its egg and then launched a sneak attack—it was absolutely unforgivable.

However, Shi Lin's attack filled the Five-Colored Divine Bird with a sense of dread—a fear rooted deep within its bloodline.

Upon seeing the Purple Emperor Immortal Eagle, the Five-Colored Divine Bird nearly knelt; the suppression of its bloodline was simply too overwhelming!

"Now, let us have a proper fight!" Shi Lin laughed.

Underwater, the Unicorn struggled. It was in agony, its blood nearly ceasing to flow. Fortunately, it had consumed the last of the liquid from the bird egg, which now transformed into a rosy glow, preventing it from freezing to death instantly. They did not surface, enduring the excruciating pain as they drifted downstream along the black river to evade the slaughter.

Being unable to breathe was of no consequence. Back when Little One had been sealed in a medicine cauldron and was breaking through using the blood of an Emperor Suanni, he had been cut off from the outside world, relying on the circulation of divine essence within his body to sustain him.

Above the river, the Primordial Remnant let out a long cry. Its feathers were vibrant and brilliant, as if set ablaze, and as it beat its wings, the nearby mountains were shaken until they cracked.

It had been completely provoked by Shi Lin.

It raised its head and shrieked, a fierce light flaring in its eyes. It flapped its wings and lunged at Shi Lin, leaving a trail of scorched earth in its wake.

Its beak struck Shi Lin, but was blocked entirely by the golden light. Still, the impact of the fierce bird was immense, especially since Shi Lin was in mid-air with no leverage.

Seeing this, the fierce bird flew off rapidly, seeking a new strategy.

Shi Lin's entire body erupted with golden light. Runes flashed behind him, and a massive Emperor Suanni appeared. The Emperor Suanni roared at the heavens, bringing with it the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, and gave chase to the Five-Colored Divine Bird.

The Five-Colored Divine Bird shrieked. Though intimidated by the aura radiating from the Emperor Suanni, it was unwilling to yield. A shimmering luster gathered at its curved, blade-like red beak, and the runes grew increasingly potent; it was preparing to attack.

A mysterious power was accumulating, converging on its beak. The area grew increasingly brilliant, terrifying the birds and beasts in the mountains, who fled in a panic.

The Emperor Suanni roared, and the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation poured down, a violent torrent of energy surging against the heavens.

The Five-Colored Divine Bird dodged the lightning repeatedly, but its body was too large, and its magnificent plumage was scorched black.

The Five-Colored Divine Bird cried out, its voice hoarse. Though furious, it was weakened, and its opponent was simply too troublesome; it was helpless.

A fierce light flared in the eyes of the Five-Colored Divine Bird. As the king of this territory, when had it ever been so humiliated? To be bullied like this by a human was unforgivable.

The Five-Colored Divine Bird prepared to risk everything. It ignited its entire body, the scorched blackness vanishing instantly as brilliant flames engulfed it.

Like a fire god descending, the Five-Colored Divine Bird lunged at Shi Lin.

"It ends here!" Shi Lin shouted.

He raised both hands, runes swirling around them. An Emperor Suanni appeared behind him, and an immortal eagle wreathed in celestial energy hovered above his head.

Shi Lin's Indestructible Golden Light flared brilliantly, and he formed a seal with his hands, shouting aloud.

"Gather!"

The Emperor Suanni roared and charged forward with the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, while the Purple Emperor Immortal Eagle whistled through the air. Enveloped by the Indestructible Golden Light, the two spun continuously, gradually merging into a beam of light interwoven with purple and blue.

The light streaked toward the Primordial Remnant, accompanied by the shrill cry of the Five-Colored Divine Bird and a blinding, magnificent radiance.

The Five-Colored Divine Bird plummeted from the sky, slamming into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Finished," Shi Lin said, clapping his hands.

"That bird was truly difficult to deal with. If I hadn't had a sudden epiphany, the outcome would have been hard to say!"

"Right, I need to rendezvous with Little One and the others!" Shi Lin flew toward the Taiyin River.

This battle between Shi Lin and the Five-Colored Divine Bird had been earth-shattering, lasting for the better part of a day.

Half a day later, water splashed as Little One poked his head out. He was purple all over, and as he opened his mouth, he spat out a spray of ice shards.

Furball shrieked, leaping from the water onto his head. It hugged its tiny arms, jumping and twitching incessantly; it, too, had been frozen stiff.

Little One swam to the shore, dragging the rigid Unicorn. Finally, he hauled it onto the grass. The moment he set it down, the nearby rocks and vegetation were instantly coated in a layer of ice.

Strangely enough, there had been no ice in the water, but the moment they reached the shore, the cold was shocking.

The Unicorn had suffered heavy injuries and was nearly frozen to the point of shattering. Had Little One not exhausted his divine essence to nourish its flesh, it would surely have died in the river; it could never have survived.

Even so, its injuries were severe; without precious medicine, it might not pull through.

"Furball, you spendthrift, you troublemaker! Hurry up and squeeze out a drop of blood to save it!" Little One said, fuming.

Furball shook the water droplets from its golden fur, shivered, and rolled its eyes hard.

After a moment, Little One finally recovered. He had nearly been frozen solid himself; one had to realize that his physical body was stronger than that of a Primordial Beast's cub, yet even he had nearly succumbed in that river.

In the end, the spendthrift and troublemaker—Furball—reluctantly squeezed out a drop of golden blood, saving the Unicorn.

Just then, Shi Lin caught up to them.

"Are you all alright? You look like you've been frozen pretty badly!" Shi Lin looked at the disheveled state of Little One and the others and couldn't help but laugh.

"Fortunately, he's not dead yet," Little One said.

"Brother Shi Lin, did you defeat that fierce bird?"

"Yes!" Shi Lin nodded.

"Brother Shi Lin is truly amazing! When will I be able to be that strong?"

"It won't be long before you can, too!" Shi Lin arrived at Little One's side and comforted him.

He dared not underestimate the future leader of their trio.

"Alright, let's go quickly. I just saw a group of human-horse hybrids rushing over; they might be trouble for us!"

"Okay, let's go!"

Shi Lin signaled to White Cloud, who was hiding not far away, and the group sped off.

Beside the black river, a group of people paused, staring at the mountain peak destroyed by the ancient relic. They were lost in thought. In the old woman's hand was a small piece of eggshell—a fragment that Furball had gnawed off and discarded along the way.

"What kind of creature is this? To actually eat the egg of an ancient divine bird's descendant... this is just too wasteful! I could kill it!" a young man said indignantly.

They never expected that after chasing it all this way, they would find such a result. It was shocking.

"The creature that stole the egg jumped into the Taiyin River. I don't know if it could survive," a middle-aged man sighed.

This river was infamous. Legend had it that there were once ten Taiyin stars in the sky, but during an ancient war, nine were struck down. One of them was refined and fell into this great river, turning it into a place of extinction for all living things.

Afterward, the group followed the traces of the battle and discovered the corpse of the Five-Colored Divine Bird, their eyes filled with nothing but shock.

"What... what kind of powerful being is this!"

In the following days, Little One turned back into a wild man, forced to kill fierce birds and beasts as he trekked through the mountains. He was covered in blood, his animal-hide clothes tattered. He didn't travel fast because the Unicorn had not yet fully recovered, delaying their journey.

Two more days passed, and the Unicorn's wounds were finally nearly healed. Not only that, it had gained great benefits; by consuming some of the juices from the Five-Colored Bird egg and drinking a drop of the golden Zhu Yan's blood, it had become even more spirited. The runes within its body were gradually solidifying, showing signs of imprinting onto its bones.

"Squeak, squeak..." Furball gave a warning, sensing something instantly. Its golden fur had changed, turning a grayish-white and losing its luster, while its large eyes were no longer lively or sharp.

Little One was surprised; Furball was actually playing dumb, acting like this. At the same time, he also sensed that over a dozen people were surrounding them from all sides.

Shi Lin happened to be away at this moment.

The leader was a woman in white with hair draped over her shoulders. Her skin was as white and delicate as mutton-fat jade, possessing a crystalline luster. She had a heart-shaped face, long eyelashes, eyes as clear as crystal, bright red lips, and teeth as white as pearls.

Seeing such a group in the Great Wilderness, Little One was naturally startled and looked toward them.

As for this group, they were even more astonished. The human opposite them looked like nothing more than a child. How could someone so young appear alone in this Great Wilderness? It was simply unimaginable!

"Little brother, are you all alone?" The leading woman smiled brilliantly. Her large, watery eyes seemed to speak, and her moist red lips and flashing teeth made the men present tremble.

"Hello, big sister. I came here with my brother," Little One said with a shy smile. Although his face was stained with dirt and his tattered animal-hide clothes were covered in beast blood, his bright, large eyes still made people feel his innocence and simplicity.

The group nodded. They didn't believe for a second that a child could walk alone in such a terrifying Great Wilderness unless an adult was following nearby—that was the only logical explanation.

Little One's large eyes were bright, his animal-hide clothes were tattered, and his shy, simple demeanor made the whole group smile.

"Little brother is shy, how cute," the leading woman chuckled. Her eyes rippled, her eyelashes fluttered, and her fair, crystalline face shimmered with a moving luster.

Little One scratched his head and gave a silly, honest smile, saying nothing more. Beside him, Furball acted even more foolish, like a beast that hadn't yet gained wisdom, lying listlessly on his shoulder.

"Child, you are truly remarkable. Looking at the bloodstains on you, you must have killed quite a few fierce birds and beasts, right?" the old woman asked. Silver runes flickered in her eyes, emitting a chilling, unfathomable light.

"Yes, the mountains are very dangerous, and they are very fierce. I can only defend myself," Little One nodded earnestly.

"Little brother, have you been separated from your brother for many days? Otherwise, why would your animal-hide clothes be so tattered?" The leading woman smiled faintly. The light in her eyes was dreamlike and beautiful enough to make one's heart tremble; even the people beside her looked at her with strange expressions.

"Yes, my brother brought me here for training. He said this is a serious journey of tempering, and everything must depend on myself. Unless there is a life-threatening danger, he won't interfere," Little One said "very frankly," as if he couldn't keep a secret.

The group felt a chill in their hearts. To dare to set out alone like this, bringing a child to travel far into the Great Wilderness and undergo such cruel tempering—it was the style of a true expert.

The old woman's pupils were silver, and the runes within them rotated like the sun and moon rising and falling. Her aura was powerful, and she nodded. Some outstanding noble children were accompanied by terrifying experts for their trials. However, it was rare to see someone walk through the terrifying Great Wilderness like this, letting a child fight fierce birds and beasts all on his own.

A middle-aged man nodded and said, "In recent years, a few extraordinary children have emerged on this vast land. Without the company of elders, they have crossed hundreds of thousands of miles of the Great Wilderness, battling various fierce birds and beasts, and successfully returned to their clans alive."

Clearly, this group was not simple. Even though Little One appeared very simple, they did not fully believe him; each of them was very shrewd.