The people of Stone Village looked at Old Bì leaning against the wolf's back and realized with a start that a powerful aura of primordial treasure techniques radiated from him.
Shi Yunfeng clenched his fists. "As expected of an Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit capable of sheltering an entire region. He does have some reserves and tricks up his sleeve. Everyone, be careful."
Old Bì was indeed powerful. Even with an Ancestral Artifact to defend themselves, the villagers were ultimately no match for him. With help from Auntie Azure-Scaled Eagle, who was still recovering from her injuries, Shi Hao had only managed to severely wound him in a surprise attack, not defeat him outright.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin had not revealed their true strength. After all, even the protagonist of this world—Shi Hao—was no match for Old Bì, so they felt it would be inappropriate to show too much of their own power.
"Willow God, we need your help. Please leave the village and protect your people."
Seeing the gravely wounded Old Bì prepare to stake his life on a desperate counterattack, Shi Yunfeng had no other choice but to pray for their Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit to intervene.
Luminous mist rose and swirled around the enormous willow tree in Stone Village. Amid a dazzling radiance, its glowing green branches lashed toward Old Bì in an instant like Order Divine Chains.
Old Bì let out a heart-rending scream as the willow branches struck him. His body shattered and tore apart in an instant, finally turning to dust that dispersed into the air.
Before Willow God, Old Bì had no power to fight back whatsoever. The strength Willow God displayed left everyone from Stone Village wide-eyed, tongue-tied, and utterly horrified.
Not long after they brought Suanni's precious body back to Stone Village, Shi Yunfeng prepared medicinal cauldrons and boiling water for Shi Hao, Huo Yuhao, and Tang Wulin's cleansing, adding precious medicinal ingredients such as Suanni's true blood and Demon Ape's arm.
While they waited for the three boys to finish their cleansing, a battle between Ferocious Beasts erupted deep in the Great Wilderness over the Mountain Treasure—the Primordial True Explanation—triggering violent volcanic eruptions throughout the wilderness.
Lava rapidly consumed the ground. The earth shook and the mountains trembled as the Great Wilderness plunged into a catastrophe that threatened to swallow everything. In the blink of an eye, the land became a devastated ruin, its living creatures reduced to misery and death.
Willow God activated a teleportation formation, waiting until the very last moment, when all three boys had successfully completed their cleansing, before transporting Stone Village away and saving it from the encroaching lava.
Through this cleansing, all three had largely grasped the true essence of the Suanni Treasure Technique, and their strength improved significantly.
"Grandpa Chief, I want to go back to the Great Wilderness and take another look at Stone Village. I want to leave a note to guide Mom and Dad, so they won't be unable to find me when they return."
Seeing how determined Shi Hao was, Shi Yunfeng reluctantly agreed and had Purple Cloud take him back for a look, to confirm whether the Great Wilderness had been completely destroyed. Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin naturally volunteered to accompany Shi Hao so they could look out for one another.
Shi Hao's eyes flickered as he gazed at Stone Village's old site, now reduced to ruins. He carefully placed a letter on a large rock.
Suddenly, the crash of a collapsing boulder rang out nearby. Hearing it, the three immediately ran over to investigate.
To their surprise, they found a furry little golden monkey curled up on a rock. Shi Hao gathered the monkey into his hands and gently stroked his silky golden fur.
Seeing the little monkey covered in wounds, Tang Wulin suggested, "Let's take him back and ask Willow God to heal him. His injuries look pretty serious."
Shi Hao nodded. "He's covered in golden fur, and when he curls up, he's as round and plump as a ball. Let's call him Furball. We'll take Furball back now."
"Wait. Someone's nearby."
Huo Yuhao suddenly warned them.
As though confirming Huo Yuhao's words, a girl in red, roughly the same height and age as the three of them, emerged from the shadows and walked up to them.
"Ignorance really is frightening. He's called Zhu Yan. He's Zhu Yan, one of the four supreme beings who destroyed the Great Wilderness fighting over the Mountain Treasure," the girl in red said, pointing at the little golden monkey in Shi Hao's hands.
Living up to his reputation as the Bear Child, Shi Hao stubbornly retorted, "He's called whatever I say he's called. Furball, Furball, Furball! Bleh, bleh, bleh!"
The girl in red stamped her feet in anger. "Do you know who I am? How dare you ignore what I say!"
At that, Shi Hao actually began studying the girl before him seriously. With a perfectly straight face, he said, "I don't know who you are, but judging by your figure, you must have eaten plenty of good stuff. I'll just call you Fatty Girl."
Watching from the sidelines, Tang Wulin tilted his head. "Are kids this age all so innocent?"
"It certainly seems that way."
With an odd expression, Huo Yuhao watched the angry girl in red and Shi Hao launch into a clash of treasure techniques at the slightest disagreement, answering Tang Wulin's question.
"You backwoods bumpkin! You won't listen to a shred of reason!"
"You Fatty Girl! You're the one who won't listen to reason!"
To Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin, Shi Hao and the girl's little scuffle looked no different from a young couple's playful bickering, so neither intervened to help either side.
The outcome was predictable. Unable to match Shi Hao, the girl in red was bullied until she finally crouched on the ground and cried in grievance. Shi Hao had never encountered anything like this before and hurried over to comfort her.
"Don't cry! I won't call you Fatty Girl anymore, okay? But you should at least tell me your name first."
"Hmph! Why should I tell you?" The girl in red turned her head away, unwilling to even look directly at the Bear Child who had bullied her.
An idea struck Shi Hao, and he promptly placed the little golden monkey in her hands. "Just like you told me Furball's real name is Zhu Yan, I can honestly tell you my real name is Shi Hao. So now you can tell me who you really are, right?"
The girl in red quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and accepted the little golden monkey. How could she resist such an adorable, fluffy creature? She gently stroked his silky golden fur, unable to put him down.
Only after a moment did the girl in red reply, "Since you're being so sincere, I suppose I can tell you. Remember this: my name is Huo Ling'er."
"No wonder her temper's so fiery..." Shi Hao muttered without thinking.
"What did you say?" Huo Ling'er demanded.
"Nothing. I said your name sounds pretty nice, Ling'er." Shi Hao gave a light cough and hurriedly changed his tune.
"This kid's got a strong survival instinct." Watching from a short distance away, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin laughed in unison.
"Your Highness—"
A flying carriage suddenly descended from the distant sky. The elderly driver stepped out and immediately approached Huo Ling'er, whom Shi Hao was shielding behind him.
The old man bowed with his hands clasped. "Your Highness, your father is very worried about you. Please return with me at once."
Huo Ling'er said helplessly, "When will he stop meddling so much..."
The old man smiled. "Even if you hide at the ends of the earth, Your Highness, he will still find you."
"These are Essence Jades. You can use them to buy lots of things."
Huo Ling'er handed a pouch of Essence Jades and the little golden monkey to Shi Hao, looking somewhat reluctant to part with him. "Heal Zhu Yan and take good care of him. Otherwise, I'll make you sorry."
With that, Huo Ling'er boarded the carriage with the old man and said her final goodbyes to Shi Hao, Huo Yuhao, and Tang Wulin.
Shi Hao scratched his head. "Make me sorry? Isn't she clearly no match for me?"
Tang Wulin smiled helplessly. "You were still helpless against her when she cried, weren't you?"
Huo Yuhao said frankly, "Essence Jades are probably the common currency. Judging by how many there are, they should buy quite a lot. She was so generous to you, so don't let her kindness go to waste."
Shi Hao pursed his lips. "Why are you two turning your elbows outward and siding with someone else? Are you still my brothers or not?"
Tang Wulin smiled. "Of course we are. Brother Yuhao and I will always be on your side."
Huo Yuhao agreed. "But we were simply judging the matter on its merits and sticking to the facts. All we said was the truth—honest advice may grate on the ears. In short, it's all for your own good."
Still only half understanding, Shi Hao said, "So that's how it is. I'll believe you two this once."
In the end, the three climbed onto Purple Cloud's back and returned together to New Stone Village.
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