Gonggong Arrives, Battle Begins

Would someone tell me what was going on? Why was Gungun's inner voice so different from the way he acted?

In the void, Houtu was utterly bewildered.

Then she thought back. Yes, much of what that fatso had just said was a lie.

What nonsense about being bullied by all sorts of great demons in the Iron-Eating Forest when he was still a baby Iron-Eating Beast! He had clearly been the one bullying those great demons everywhere, robbing them of their spirit fruits and stealing their milk!

Even as a Golden Immortal, he could beat Taiyi Golden Immortals black and blue. He had once shattered an ice phoenix with his fist and trampled a fire qilin underfoot. He seemed to have relied on some magical treasure, but that was beside the point.

And that claim about her bringing him back to the Witch Race on a rainy night...

Houtu vaguely remembered that the sun had been shining brightly that day. He had been lounging beneath a large tree, his head resting against its trunk and an ice pop in his mouth, snoring away. Several lesser demons he had beaten into submission had even been fanning him. How... was any of that miserable?

As for raising him into a Great Immortal, heaven and earth could bear witness. Houtu's stance was: I sincerely wanted to nurture him, but he never listened!

She gave him the Witch God Scripture, but he refused to practice it.

She gave him a Great Shaman's blood essence, but he turned up his nose at it.

She told him to comprehend the Dao, and he simply went to sleep.

She told him to fight, temper his character, and gain combat experience, but he kept feigning illness and slacking off.

Alas, truth be told, Houtu had no idea how this fellow had become a Great Immortal. Had he relied solely on those spirit fruits, sleeping after eating his fill, eating after sleeping his fill, and sometimes even eating in his sleep? Surely that was impossible?

Becoming a Great Immortal, especially one like him who had mastered laws, was not something one could achieve merely by eating and accumulating magical power. One had to comprehend the Dao and advance in spiritual attainment before one could break through.

Without meeting that requirement, even ten million or a hundred million years' worth of magical power would not allow one to break through to become a Great Immortal.

This question had always lingered in Houtu's heart. Until she found an answer, she could only put it down to her Gungun's exceptional talent.

And indeed, his origins were extraordinary. He was the first Iron-Eating Beast between heaven and earth. Though lazy, he possessed great comprehension. Otherwise, she would never have taken him as a battle pet back then. At most, he would have been an adorable pet.

Returning to the matter at hand, Houtu gradually came to her senses. Everything he had just said had been an act to deceive Ao Yue. So what did that make the emotion she had felt just now?

At that thought, Houtu clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and snarled, "Gungun..."

"Achoo!" Gungun was eating a spirit fruit when his nose suddenly twitched. He turned his head and sneezed.

White light flashed over his left paw, conjuring a handkerchief. He wiped his nose and muttered, "What's going on? Can Great Immortals catch colds too? Or is something wrong with this fruit? Have I been poisoned?"

"..." Ao Yue, who had been pondering something with his eyes closed, heard Gungun's muttering, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Then he opened his eyes, glanced at the unfinished spirit fruit in Gungun's paw, and said helplessly, "That is an Ice Crystal Dragon Fruit from the polar reaches of the North Sea. It possesses an extremely cold nature. It's best to eat only one a day, or you may catch a chill. Only Quasi-Saints can disregard that cold and enjoy them freely. Fellow Daoist, had you already eaten one of these spirit fruits today?"

"No."

"What?"

"This is my third," Gungun said.

Ao Yue: "..."

"Ah, I can't help it. On such a hot day, these fruits are cool and thirst-quenching. They taste even better than Mandala Fruits." As he spoke, Gungun opened his mouth wide and stuffed the rest of the Ice Crystal Dragon Fruit into it. He chewed with relish, then used the Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Divine Ability to refine it. And just like that, he was fine~

Only Quasi-Saints can eat them freely, but surely there's nothing wrong with the great god Gungun, a Great Immortal, eating three in one day?

Seeing Gungun finish the remaining half of the Ice Crystal Dragon Fruit, Ao Yue shook his head without saying anything. After all, it was only a minor issue,

and would not harm his body. He raised his head and glanced at the Solar Star in the sky, feeling rather helpless. Your Majesty, it seems your subject cannot complete the task you entrusted to him.

Then Ao Yue lowered his head, stood, and bowed to Gungun with his hands clasped. "I understand your feelings now, Fellow Daoist. And because I understand, I will no longer try to persuade you to join the Demon Race. Moreover, you have shown me kindness, and Ancestral Witch Houtu also came to my aid when Kunpeng tried to kill me. Therefore, until the decisive battle comes, I will not strike against the Witch Race. You may rest assured of that."

"Yes, yes. You're a truly honorable dragon, far better than Great Shaman Xingtian of our Witch Race." Hearing Ao Yue's words, Gungun smiled, put the fruit basket into his small world, and heaved his plump body to his feet. He returned Ao Yue's clasped-hands bow and praised him.

"Great Shaman Xingtian?" Ao Yue was rather puzzled. Was Xingtian dishonorable? He had never heard anything of the sort.

But that hardly mattered. He had no interest in Xingtian's personal conduct. With a sweep of his sleeve, Ao Yue put away the Jade Radiance Twofold-Unity Lamp, then continued, "Fellow Daoist Gungun, His Majesty the Eastern Emperor is still waiting at the Heavenly Court for my report. I shall take my leave. If fate permits, we will meet again."

"All right. Until fate brings us together again." Gungun beamed at Ao Yue.

With that, Ao Yue was about to leave. However...

Boom! Just then, a towering flood suddenly swept in from the north.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Immediately afterward, the distant earth began to crack, the ruptures spreading toward them at astonishing speed. This was...

They're here! At that familiar sight, Gungun's pupils contracted, and surprise surged through his heart.

"Hmm?" Standing beside Gungun and just about to depart, Ao Yue frowned at the sight. He turned to glance at Gungun. Seeing the utterly genuine astonishment on his face, his suspicions cleared. He spun, and a dragon's roar rang out as he transformed into a divine dragon a million zhang long and soared straight into the clouds.

"Demon dragon, where do you think you're going!" Atop the towering flood stood a burly, middle-aged man clad in black scales and wielding a trident. He shouted at Ao Yue, then swept his great hand. The flood beneath his feet instantly split into countless columns of water that shot toward Ao Yue.

"Using water against me? Does Ancestral Witch Gonggong think being the Ancestral Witch of Water gives him the right to look down on the Dragon Race?" Ao Yue turned to look at the countless ten-thousand-zhang columns of water hurtling toward him. As he finished speaking, red light shone from his eyes. The next instant, every column froze in place, unable to move.

Bang! A mountain rose from the ground, transforming into an enormous stone giant that swung a mighty slap at Ao Yue.

At the sight, Ao Yue opened his mouth and fired a beam of light toward the giant. Then...

Boom! A tremendous explosion reverberated across millions of li. Gungun's vision became so blindingly bright that he had to hastily shut his eyes. Then an irresistible blast of wind struck, instantly sending his plump body flying.

"Aaaah!" Gungun screamed.