Over by the East Sea, Hou Yi had successfully captured the Kui Ox, while Gungun was flying toward Mount Buzhou in his sleep. Neither knew that something extraordinary was happening on Mount Kunlun, the Daoist Abode of the Three Pure Ones.
"Stop!" At the foot of the mountain, Nine Li shouted at Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal ahead of him, then leaped in front of him and turned to face him.
"Oh? Junior Brother Nine Li, what business do you have stopping me?" Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal halted and asked. Although Nine Li was the first disciple Yuanshi had accepted, Yuanshi had not designated him as the successor to the Expounding Teaching, so by the order in which the Three Pure Ones' disciples had joined, Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal addressed him as junior brother.
"Senior Brother Long-Eared, may I ask where you've just returned from?" Nine Li asked.
"Me? Heh, that's none of your business, is it, Junior Brother?" Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal chuckled.
"I have no interest whatsoever in your private affairs, Senior Brother. But you carry the scent of the Human Race!" Nine Li said gravely.
At the mention of the Human Race, Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal's brows involuntarily furrowed. Then they relaxed, and he continued smiling at Nine Li. "What Human Race? Oh, you mean the race Lady Nuwa created when she became a sage? Why would I carry their scent? I'm a Primordial World Beast, a Rebellious-Bone Rabbit. Humans, those lowly creatures-why would I have anything to do with them? You must have smelled wrong, Junior Brother."
With that, Long-Eared made to leap past Nine Li and leave.
"I didn't smell it. I sensed it, and there's no mistake! These past few days, many humans have prayed in the Witch God Temples, saying the women of their tribes were attacked, even... even