Young Master Golden Spider thrust his enormous spider leg forward, its sharp, spear-like tip carrying tremendous piercing power.
Shi Teng cleaved it in two with a single stroke of his axe.
"Roar!"
Young Master Golden Spider let out a roar. As he looked at the bloody radiance flooding the sky from the Xingtian Axe, terror appeared on his face.
This brat actually had a treasure like that!
Fear flashed in his eyes. He sprang into the air and darted into the forest.
A smug look appeared on Shi Teng's face. "Hey, brat! Don't run if you've got the guts!"
"Demon Spirit Lake will repay today's grudge a hundredfold!"
"Sure! Next time, I'll wipe out your Demon Spirit Lake and put together a whole feast of barbecued golden spiders!"
Young Master Golden Spider's voice echoed from the forest, but he had long since vanished.
Huo Ling'er walked over. "That axe of yours is amazing. It must be a divine artifact too!"
Shi Teng scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, it only counts as a damaged divine artifact!"
As he spoke, he picked up the spider leg from the ground. It was as thick as a small tree, and he took a deep sniff.
His face lit up with delight. "This is a genuine ancient remnant beast. It should taste great barbecued!"
Huo Ling'er gave a little snort. "Eat, eat, eat! That's all you ever think about!"
When she turned around, Shi Teng had already sat down beside the fire. He was grilling the spider leg over the remaining coals, sprinkling it with cumin as waves of fragrance rose.
"Wow, that smells so good!"
The two began eating again. It tasted much like crabmeat, but with an extra hint of spiritual essence.
Shi Teng took the Moutai he had previously received from signing in out of his inventory, intending to have a little drink.
Barbecue with booze-the more you drank, the more good things came your way.
Huo Ling'er sniffed it gently. Finding it quite fragrant, she took a small sip too.
After just one sip, she collapsed into Shi Teng's arms.
Shi Teng shook Huo Ling'er vigorously. "Hey, wake up! Wake up!"
There was no response whatsoever.
Shi Teng couldn't help sighing softly. "Why drink if you can't handle it? What a waste!"
Looking at Huo Ling'er's flushed little face, he couldn't help forming a mischievous grin.
"Little brother Hao, your big brother's bringing you a wife!"
With a bird's cry that pierced the skies, the Golden-Winged Roc soared through the air.
It took only half a day to reach Stone Village.
The Golden-Winged Roc also held two Blazing Fire Divine Bulls in its claws, enough to feed the village for quite a while.
At the sight of Shi Teng's return, the whole village bustled with excitement once more.
Countless clansmen and children gathered in the square.
The old chief looked at Shi Teng with warm concern on his kindly face. "You've grown taller and stronger!"
Shi Linhu's enormous palm clapped Shi Teng on the shoulder, his voice rough and booming. "Little Teng, it's only been half a month, and you've gotten sturdier again!"
Shi Feijiao grinned broadly. "This boy's future is boundless! He'll definitely become the pride of our Stone Village!"
Shi Teng scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, it's all thanks to Grandpa Chief and all you uncles for looking after us brothers!"
Little One hurried over and threw himself into Shi Teng's arms.
He sobbed, "Waaah, Big Brother, where did you go? I thought you didn't want Little One anymore!"
Shi Teng playfully brushed Shi Hao's nose. After half a month apart, the little fellow had grown quite a bit taller too.
"You'll be five in a few days, and you still do nothing but cry!"
Shi Hao had barely finished crying before he began feeling around on Shi Teng. "Big Brother, did you bring Little One any treasures this time?"
A wicked grin appeared on Shi Teng's lips. "Of course!"
Then he winked at the Golden-Winged Roc.
The Golden-Winged Roc tilted its body slightly, and Huo Ling'er rolled down its body onto the ground.
"Fatty?"
"This is the treasure your big brother brought back for you. She'll be your wife someday!"
Little One pursed his lips. "Hmph! I don't want a wife!"
Skinny Monkey grinned. "If Little One doesn't want her, leave her to me!"
Shi Teng glared at him. "Shoo, shoo! Go play somewhere else. Even if Little One doesn't want her, she's staying with me. If you want a wife, I'll catch you a female monkey in the forest some other day!"
"Hahaha..."
The adults immediately burst out laughing at Shi Teng's words.
Skinny Monkey folded his arms indignantly and said nothing more.
Shi Hao paid no attention to Huo Ling'er. He dragged Shi Teng toward the backyard with all his might, and he was surprisingly strong!
As he walked, Shi Teng called out, "Grandpa Chief, please help look after her!"
Shi Yunfeng nodded and had the village women carry Huo Ling'er into a room to rest.
The Willow Deity's emerald branches stirred gently, followed by a slight shake of her head.
She murmured to herself, "That boy really is something. He even abducted the Fire Emperor's daughter!"
Little One pulled Shi Teng into the backyard.
It turned out that the Two-Headed Fire Rhinoceros had given birth to a calf, and the Green-Scaled Eagle egg had hatched too.
At that moment, the young rhinoceros and eagle were fighting.
They looked utterly comical.
Little One said excitedly, "Big Brother, I hatched this Green-Scaled Eagle! And Grandpa Chief and I helped deliver this Two-Headed Fire Rhinoceros!"
Shi Teng gently stroked Shi Hao's head, looking at his innocent, happy expression.
He truly hoped the boy could grow up happy forever.
He would handle all the bloody, painful things himself!
In the original story, Shi Hao's life was undoubtedly the most tragic. His Supreme Bone was taken three times, and his parents, family, Little Stone, the Willow Deity, Huo Ling'er, Shi Yi, and Qin Hao all left him.
Yet that was hardly possible. After all, he was the Desolate Heaven Emperor who would ascend the Nine Heavens, stand alone across eternity, and blot out the heavens single-handedly!
He had his own path to walk.
Shi Teng only hoped his presence could make up for those tragic regrets.
At dusk, all of Stone Village began celebrating wildly again. A bonfire was built in the center of the village, its light bathing the entire settlement.
The villagers sang ancient songs that Shi Teng couldn't understand.
Still, he could tell that every one of them was very happy.
It was not until late that night,
after Shi Teng had coaxed Little One to sleep, that he left the stone house and came to the foot of the Willow Deity.
He took out the remaining Moutai and poured it down the Willow Deity's withered trunk.
"Drink up, drink up! This is good stuff, even better than the treasure blood of those ancient ferocious beasts!
A cup of clear wine can dispel the worries of the world!"
The rich aroma of Moutai filled the village entrance.
The Willow Deity's emerald branches swayed gently.
"Little fellow, I never expected you to get your hands on such fragrant, mellow wine. Give me some more!"
Shi Teng shook the bottle. "Sorry, there's none left!"
The Willow Deity sighed softly. "What a pity. There was so little that I couldn't even taste what it was made from.
Thinking back, I once got gloriously drunk myself, but that was a very, very long time ago!"
Shi Teng's brows stirred slightly. "Someone as powerful as you likes this stuff too?"
The Willow Deity let out a string of hearty laughs. "This may be quite common in the Xuanhuang World, but in our Desolate Region, and even throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, it's exceedingly rare.
After all, very few people can disregard the rules and travel to other worlds.
Although this stuff doesn't aid cultivation like jade nectar and celestial ambrosia, the essence within the wine intoxicates countless powerful beings!"
A faint smile appeared on Shi Teng's lips. He hadn't expected this stuff to possess such allure.
But thinking about it, that made sense. This plane didn't even have grain, so where would wine come from?
Shi Teng was equally straightforward. "All right! Since Sister Willow Deity likes it, I'll keep you company for a good drink!"
Delight appeared on the Willow Deity's face. "You brat, you have more?"
Shi Teng took out another bottle of Moutai. Now there really was only one bottle left.
Before Shi Teng could open it, the Moutai gushed out on its own, pouring down the Willow Deity's trunk.
By the time he came to his senses, all that remained was an empty bottle.
"Th-this..."
"Th-this... You can't play like that! I didn't get a single sip!"
Shi Teng let out a string of laughs. "Hahaha, this feeling is simply too wonderful!
Sorry, I really couldn't hold back just now."
Shi Teng licked the bottle. "Sigh, forget it. I forgive you. You've been thirsting for thousands of years, so it's only natural that you couldn't resist!"
Before you continue