Golden Fat Ball

That's right, in the half-year Shi Hao spent cultivating outside, he had already successfully formed twelve Heavenly Passages.

Little Shi, growing increasingly panicked as he cultivated, even began to consciously slow his progress. If he were to keep opening Heavenly Passages without limit, wouldn't that mean he would never be able to reach the Spirit Transformation Realm?

Willow Deity above, that was truly terrifying!

Hmm, right, where was the Willow Deity?

Gazing at the twelve Heavenly Passages that stood out so prominently in the void, and at Little Shi, who was waiting for an answer with an eager expression, this supreme giant began to fall into an eerie silence.

Hello everyone, I am the Willow Deity, and I am currently panicking like crazy!

"You are indeed ill, and quite severely so."

After a brief silence, the Willow Deity said in a strained voice.

"What? Willow Deity, is there still hope for me?!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Hao was immediately struck with alarm.

"It is of no concern. Whether it is ten Heavenly Passages or twelve, it makes little difference to you. With your astonishing foundation, you can step into the Spirit Transformation Realm whenever you wish."

"As for how to deal with the twelve Heavenly Passages?"

"I have heard that in the primordial era, there was a young supreme who opened ten Heavenly Passages and intended to walk a different path, seeking to melt the ten into one to evolve a unique Heavenly Passage. Although he failed in the end, it is still a method worth drawing inspiration from."

Having straightened out these thoughts, the Willow Deity spoke with increasing fluency.

"Twelve Heavenly Passages merging into one to evolve a unique Heavenly Passage—that is certainly a good idea."

Seeing Little Shi nod thoughtfully, the Willow Deity felt an inexplicable sense of relief, though on the surface, it remained calm. "Go now, this is a moment for celebration."

The joy of the clansmen visiting from the outside world gradually faded, only for new disturbances to arrive.

Dust rose from the distant horizon as a group of fierce bandits riding savage beasts charged forward, surrounding the only village within a radius of ten thousand miles.

"You bunch of savage wildlings, why haven't you come out to kneel and welcome us yet?"

"Hand over five hundred catties of black gold and send out all your able-bodied men to follow us into the mountains to search for the whereabouts of the Supreme Divine Treasury."

Two knights wielding sharp blades stepped out from the crowd and shouted sternly.

The experts of Stone Village reacted with lightning speed, rushing to the village entrance from all directions, clutching various treasures overflowing with precious light, and coldly sizing up these uninvited guests.

The strange reaction of Stone Village made the bandit who had shouted feel a sudden jolt in his heart, fearing they had encountered a tough nut to crack, and he immediately cast his gaze toward the leader behind him.

"You bunch of lowly people, do you dare to resist? I call upon the Sacrificial Spirit to strike!"

The leader, riding a savage beast, gave a sinister laugh and recited an incantation.

"Rumble!"

At the same time, the ground trembled.

A golden pangolin, looking like a mountain of flesh, stepped out unhurriedly. Golden mist rose from its body, its divine radiance restrained; it was actually a very powerful Sacrificial Spirit with an imposing presence.

"The Supreme Divine Treasury? I didn't expect that mysterious force to still be fixated on the events of that year, to the point of finding this place."

The old village chief, who had arrived upon hearing the news, frowned, yet he did not feel much sorrow.

Back then, he and a dozen companions from the village had gone out to gain experience, only to suddenly encounter the legendary Supreme Divine Treasury appearing, which led to the tragic deaths of everyone except for him.

A powerful force that had been competing for the treasury had sent out hunting teams to capture and kill anyone who knew the truth, in order to find the location of the treasury.

He had not expected that after several decades, a hunting team would actually track them here.

"One Spirit Transformation Realm Sacrificial Spirit, two Heavenly Passage Realm leaders, plus a group of Blood Moving Realm small fry. Old village chief, wait here for a moment and let me finish them off."

Shi Jian'an, a prince of an ancient kingdom, glanced at the reckless bandits outside the village and sneered, a black war halberd surging with Killing Intent appearing quietly in his hand.

"I didn't expect the Little Western Heaven, located far away in the Hong Region, to have reached its hand here and crossed regions to strike. The Little Western Heaven is a lineage of the Western Sect from the Upper Realm; it seems the Western Sect has also not given up on searching for the true inheritance of the Supreme Hall."

Shi Hao watched all of this thoughtfully. Happening to hear the request for battle from the elder Shi Jian'an, he smiled and said, "Great-grandfather, since you have just arrived, how could I let you do the fighting?"

"Hey, little fatty, I'm talking to you. You've been shamelessly staying in our village for so long, it's time to do some work. Look at how fat you've become!"

As he spoke, he gave the Golden Furball at his feet a disdainful kick.

That's right, this mysterious creature that had grown into a ball of fat was the Zhu Yan.

Ever since it took root in Stone Village, the Zhu Yan's life had become increasingly comfortable.

If it wanted to cultivate, there were over twenty types of flawless pure-blooded creature precious techniques for it to choose from.

If it wanted to live, every day the children of Stone Village would bring all kinds of delicious savage beast meat to its mouth, and there were even people specifically responsible for bathing it, grooming its fur, and picking off bugs...

For over two years, the Zhu Yan, having grown fat and content, had seen its weight climb steadily without stopping. Even if the village tried to drive it away now, the Zhu Yan definitely wouldn't leave.

Look at it—was the life it lived before even a life for a beast?

Drinking morning dew at dawn and eating wild fruits at night—just thinking about it was despairing, wasn't it?

"You mind your own business? Not going, not going! Can't you see this master is absorbing the essence of heaven and earth? The solar divine essence is most active at this hour, and it's exceptionally sweet."

The golden fat ball, which had already grown a double chin, muttered a sentence and lazily rolled over under the warm, gentle sunlight, exposing its plump belly.

Mm, time to keep enjoying this sunbath.

"Absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, is it? Fine. Starting tomorrow, your post-meal fruits and vegetables will be halved—no, cut entirely."

Shi Hao crossed his arms and sneered.

"Hey, hey, Little Shi, that's not right. I am but a brick of Stone Village; I go wherever I am needed. Why must we speak as if we are two different families?"

The Golden Furball moved with an agility that defied its rotund physique, performing a kip-up to spring off the ground in an instant.

"Hurry up. I'm only giving you ten breaths."

Shi Hao urged impatiently, even giving it a nudge with his foot.

"This generation of humans is so hard to manage!"

The Golden Furball muttered a complaint under its breath before grumbling, "Got it, got it."

With that, it transformed into a streak of golden lightning and soared into the sky.

"This is..."

Shi Jian'an, unable to identify the true form of the furball, looked toward the old man beside him in confusion.

"The number one war beast of Stone Village, and the guardian divine beast of our village."

The old village chief, Shi Yunfeng, stood tall, his voice booming like a bell as he introduced it.

"But isn't the number one war beast of the ancestral lands that adult Archaic Remnant, the Azure Heaven Roc at the Formation King realm? That is an ancient beast even more powerful than the two of us."

Now, Shi Jian'an was even more bewildered.

"That was in the past. Brother Jian'an, just watch patiently; you will know soon enough."

The old village chief smiled mysteriously and said no more.

"Hey! You thieves, are you courting death? How dare you disturb my Stone Village!"

Outside the village, the impossibly fat Golden Furball stood with its hands on its hips, pointing a broken tree branch it had picked up from somewhere at the hundred-odd fierce bandits.

After a moment of silence, a burst of wild, raucous laughter erupted from the opposite side.

"And here I thought these peasants had some formidable trump card. It turns out to be nothing but a wild monkey so fat it's misshapen. Is it here to play the clown?"

The scarred leader suppressed his laughter, leaned forward, and asked, "Hey, you fat monkey, can you do a somersault? Why don't you show us one right now?"

"Damn it, I forgot to transform!"

The Golden Furball froze, looking down at its round belly, finally realizing why it had made a fool of itself. It then snarled viciously, "Law of Heaven and Earth!"

"ROAR!!!"

The next moment, a heaven-shaking roar resounded across the world.

Brilliant golden radiance illuminated the sky for ten thousand feet, accompanied by the booming of divine sounds.

As the boundless light faded, a towering golden phantom appeared in its place, reaching into the clouds, its feet planted on the earth, spanning the horizon like a mountain range.

"Who was it just now that asked me to do a somersault for them?"

The supreme golden creature held the Heaven-Piercing Iron Rod, opened its gaping maw to reveal a row of snow-white fangs, and spoke in an incredibly gentle tone.