A Woman Named Yun Xi

However, everything was in vain.

The Golden Lion, struck by the supreme technique, let out a heaven-shaking shriek as its physical body aged rapidly. Its vitality withered, its golden fur instantly dimmed, and deep wrinkles covered its face.

In a heartbeat, it had crossed from its prime into its twilight years!

The most terrifying part was not even that; the decrepit Golden Lion could no longer withstand the fearsome energy of the mysterious field. It could only watch helplessly as it was crushed inch by inch, transforming into a mist of blood that drifted away into the air.

"Has the divine servant walking the world fallen just like that?"

"And this was a Golden Lion comparable to a human prince!"

Inside the herb garden, the dozen or so archaic remnants who had been forcibly abducted to harvest herbs had long since stopped their work, staring blankly at the scene.

"The Golden Lion is dead. You lot should leave here quickly."

Shi Hao glanced around the herb garden and said with a frown.

"We cannot. The master served by the Golden Lion is a pure-blooded great fiend residing high atop the archaic divine mountains. If we leave now, we fear some inexplicable disaster will befall us, and we will encounter misfortune."

The few archaic remnants exchanged glances, all of them smiling bitterly and shaking their heads.

"Then suit yourselves."

Shi Hao smiled at these words and said nothing more.

If they didn't leave now, once the God-Striking Stone took control of the formation's core, they wouldn't be able to leave even if they wanted to. They would all be going back to Stone Village with him to serve as the village's guardian war beasts.

Deep within the herb garden, golden divine radiance soared into the sky.

It was a golden divine pool releasing its brilliance in a vast, surging tide. Several pure-blooded creatures were resisting the increasingly terrifying field, struggling to approach the pool.

There was the green-feathered divine bird Bi Fang, the human-faced, leopard-bodied Zhujian, and a mysterious young girl who had taken human form. Seven or eight pure-blooded divine beasts were wary of one another while simultaneously working together.

"The Ageless Divine Spring?"

The Golden Lion's nine ferocious heads laughed in unison, filled with immense surprise.

The Ageless Divine Spring possessed immortal divinity; a single drop could save a life. Its value far exceeded that of holy medicines of the same rank, making it a legendary sacred medicine.

"Human, you dare to kill my divine servant?"

Outside the divine pool, the mysterious girl with flowing purple hair turned around, her gaze icy cold.

The girl wore a form-fitting purple dress, her skin as white as snow, emitting a faint, luminous glow. She was graceful and elegant, her dress fluttering as if she were an ancient deity about to ascend to immortality.

Her slender body was shrouded in a soft divine radiance, allowing outsiders to see only her general silhouette, leaving them unable to discern what kind of pure-blooded creature she had transformed from.

"It was merely a servant; killing it is no matter."

Shi Hao waved his hand, completely unconcerned. "Are you a prodigy of the Celestial Clan? Little Celestial, tell me your name."

"You can actually see through my protective divine radiance? Whose descendant are you? Why have I never heard of you?"

The divine radiance outside the purple-clad girl's skin flickered, betraying her inner turmoil.

"It is just as well that you haven't heard of me; it is not too late to get to know me now. My name is Shi Hao."

Shi Hao scrutinized the purple-clad girl for a few moments and laughed. "Little Celestial, you should stay put on your Heavenly Deity Mountain instead of running around everywhere. Be careful, or someone might catch you and refine you into a flesh-and-blood medicine."

Yun Xi, the only heavenly maiden who had shared a marriage with the Desolate Heaven Emperor and borne him offspring, was his wife by the order of parents and the word of matchmakers, wed to him in a formal ceremony.

"I am a princess; I go where I please, and it is none of your business. As for you, you killed my Heavenly Deity Mountain's servant in public—what crime should you be charged with? Even if you are the descendant of a Human Emperor, if you do not give me an explanation, I shall slay you."

The purple-clad girl's red lips parted, her voice as clear and melodious as a lark.

At this moment, a white streak flashed from the depths of the Hundred Herb Garden; the God-Striking Stone had returned.

"Slay me? I would like to see how you intend to slay me in public."

Shi Hao raised an eyebrow, leaped down from the Golden Lion, and walked with a steady, firm gait toward the Ageless Divine Spring, which was radiating golden light.

The mysterious field here was the most terrifying part of the entire sacred garden. Even pure-blooded creatures were trapped here, and the Golden Lion, being an archaic remnant, could not withstand it.

Once these words were spoken, the many divine birds and fierce beasts looked at the purple-clad girl with increasingly playful expressions, eager to see her make a fool of herself.

"Yun Xi, if you cannot deal with this human, why not hand him over to me? Come to think of it, I have never eaten the descendant of a Human Emperor; I wonder how he tastes."

The creature speaking was a one-eyed beast with a human face and a leopard's body, its entire frame covered in chilling scales, a dragon-like tail swaying gently behind it.

Zhujian: human face, leopard body, ox ears, one eye, and a long, powerful tail.

It had a booming voice, immense strength, and the ability to move mountains and fill seas.

During the archaic era, a Zhujian was once known as the Great Strength God King, shaking all directions with its might.

"Zhujian, I am talking to this young lady; what does it have to do with you?"

"I heard your clan is born with great strength and can carry archaic divine mountains. Stone Village just happens to be short of a beast to pull the village cart. Would you be willing to return to the village with me?"

Before the purple-clad girl could speak, Little Shi's rebuke came crashing down upon it.

"Human, are you courting death?"

The Zhujian, hailing from a renowned archaic divine mountain, was instantly enraged.

Its ancestor was once known as the Great Strength God King during the archaic era, yet this human wanted to capture it to pull a cart—this was a supreme insult!

"Die? Once you fall into my hands, even death will become a luxury."

Shi Hao reached behind his back and drew the Silver Holy Sword.

Though the holy sword was broken, its precious light soared to the heavens, losing nothing of its status as a Heavenly Deity Artifact.

"Fool, with this mysterious field shrouding us, how could you possibly activate a precious artifact? Go to hell!"

Zhujian sneered, a flash of black light erupting as its tail, resembling a steel whip, descended with the crushing force of Mount Tai. It shattered the air, arriving like a phantom.

"Unable to activate a precious artifact? That's not necessarily true~"

Shi Hao slashed back with his sword. With a crisp, metallic chime, a silver-colored Sword Qi surged into the sky like a pillar of light, shredding the clouds and sweeping downward.

Bolstered by a top-tier Heavenly Deity Artifact, the power of the Grass Sword Art was even more formidable!

"Pfft!"

Following a shrill, miserable scream, a mist of blood filled the air as a severed, pitch-black tail whip fell limply to the ground.

"Roar! Human, how can you activate a precious artifact? Why does the field have no effect on you!!"

Having had its tail severed by a single strike, Zhujian was drenched in cold sweat, its hideous fangs bared as it stared fixedly at Shi Hao.

The other pure-blooded creatures watched the latter with faces full of wariness.

The mysterious field was clearly still in effect, which meant Shi Hao must be carrying some mysterious treasure capable of nullifying the field's influence.

If they remained suppressed, wouldn't they be at his mercy?

"Take a guess~"

Shi Hao glanced at the various pure-blooded creatures, who were acting as if facing a formidable enemy, and said leisurely, "Anyone here can leave today, except for this Zhujian. I intend to take it back to the village to pull a cart."

"Brother Shi, we admit defeat this time."

The one speaking was a divine bird resembling a crane, possessing a single leg and a pair of azure wings adorned with two or three red markings, radiating a brilliant glow.

It was the heaven-tier demonic bird Bi Fang, whose clan once boasted a supreme being known as the Devil Lord, who had even devoured gods.

Having said that, the ancient divine bird flapped its wings and departed with great decisiveness.

With Bi Fang taking the lead, the remaining pure-blooded creatures abandoned the Ageless Divine Spring and retreated one after another.