Silence fell over the entire crowd!
Disbelief showed on every face.
A mere Cave Heaven Realm cultivator had actually severed an Inscription Realm expert's hand.
This was nothing short of legendary!
Huo Ling'er held Shi Teng in her arms, her face full of worry. "Little Teng, are you all right?"
The Willow Deity was also concerned about Shi Teng's safety, and even more concerned that his sudden increase in strength might affect his future cultivation.
An emerald branch rose into the air, and Shi Teng, Shi Hao, and the Fire Qilin vanished from the spot.
Huo Ling'er looked around, her expression growing increasingly anxious.
Shock appeared once more on Elder Xiao's and Elder Chu's faces.
They had never expected such a powerful being to exist in the Desolate Region.
Of course, how could someone with such extraordinary talent have no expert guiding him?
Stone Village, in the Great Wilderness!
Shi Teng had a dream. He dreamed that he was lying in Huo Ling'er's arms while Yun Xi peeled a grape and fed it to him.
Beside him, the War Goddess was massaging his legs.
As the dream went on, Shi Teng's lips spread into a grin.
Shi Hao looked deeply worried. "Grandpa Chief, what's wrong with my brother? Did he hurt his head and turn into an idiot?"
The Old Chief sighed softly. "He's fine. He must be dreaming of something wonderful!"
"Oh!"
Hearing Shi Hao and the Old Chief talking, Shi Teng groggily woke up.
He looked around, feeling rather confused.
Huh? Wasn't I supposed to be in Huo Ling'er's arms?
The Old Chief stroked his long beard and spoke in a low voice. "You're awake. Fortunately, the Willow Deity brought you back.
"What exactly happened? Little One said you defeated a very powerful opponent!"
Shi Teng's brows drew together slightly. If Sister Willow Deity had intervened, then there was nothing to worry about.
Shi Teng coughed softly and shifted a little. Excruciating pain shot through the meridians throughout his body-the aftereffect of boosting his strength in an instant.
The Old Chief continued, "I've already examined your whole body. There's nothing seriously wrong. Get some more rest, and you'll be as lively as a dragon and vigorous as a tiger again!"
Shi Teng nodded. "Mm, thank you, Grandpa Chief!"
Then the Old Chief left the stone house.
Little One climbed onto the bed, his eyes darting about before he asked worriedly, "Brother, does it still hurt?"
Shi Teng gently stroked Shi Hao's head. This little fellow was growing up day by day. Before long, he would be able to stand on his own.
"I'm fine. Didn't Grandpa Chief just say so? A few days of rest, and I'll be as lively as a dragon and vigorous as a tiger again!"
Little One nodded vigorously, then grinned. "Brother, you were amazing yesterday!"
Shi Teng grinned smugly, making no attempt at modesty. "Of course! Just look at who I am!"
"Mm, but you got beaten up really badly too. Every time that guy sent you flying, I was so worried about you!"
My little brother is still too young. He hasn't even learned how to compliment someone.
He just blurts out whatever is on his mind!
Sometimes being too straight isn't good either. You have to bend when the situation calls for it.
A true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall!
Shi Teng lay in bed for a day, circulating the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art to repair the meridians throughout his body.
In just one day, his damaged meridians had mostly recovered.
Deep into the quiet night, all of Stone Village fell silent. Everyone had long since gone to sleep.
Shi Teng reclined at the Willow Deity's feet and said warmly, "Thank you for saving me, Sister Willow Deity!"
The Willow Deity spoke gently. "Boy, there's something I still haven't figured out. Why did your cultivation suddenly rise to the Ten-Cave Heaven Realm?"
Shi Teng had already prepared an explanation.
He spoke with easy confidence. "When I was training in the Great Wilderness before, I came across an old man sitting on a stone bridge. His shoe had fallen beneath the bridge. Seeing how old he was, I jumped down and picked it up for him!"
"But then that old man threw his shoe down again and told me to fetch it!
"I wanted to beat him up. That old fellow must have been so stuffed with food that he had nothing better to do!
"But seeing how old he was, I still jumped down and picked it up for him.
"I even put it on for him and told him it was getting late, so he should hurry home!"
The Willow Deity's brows drew together slightly. It felt as though Shi Teng was making up a story, yet he told it so convincingly.
"Just as I was about to leave, that old fellow threw his shoe down again and told me to fetch it!
"Damn it, fetch it my ass! I nearly jumped straight at him and beat him up.
"But I was worried he'd fake an injury and extort me, so I swallowed my anger, jumped down, and fetched his shoe again!
"I swore to myself that it would absolutely be the last time.
"That old man knew when to stop, too, and didn't give me any more trouble. Before leaving, he handed me a little bottle and said that if I took its contents when I was in danger, it could briefly raise me to the Ten-Cave Heaven Realm and make me a Young Supreme!
"I took the little bottle, but when I turned around, the old man was gone. It was very strange."
"Yesterday, at the brink of death, I only took it to give it a try. I never expected it to actually bring the Ten-Cave Heaven Realm into the world again!"
As the Willow Deity listened to Shi Teng, something seemed off, though it was hard to say exactly what.
But apart from this explanation, there seemed to be no other.
Besides, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were so vast that the appearance of a few mysterious experts was perfectly normal.
Especially those old fossils who had lived for ten thousand years-they always had peculiar tastes and liked doing all sorts of bizarre things.
Seeing that the Willow Deity said nothing, Shi Teng finally let his heart settle back into place. It seemed he had bluffed his way through.
He continued, "Whatever the case, I sincerely thank you for saving me, Sister Willow Deity!"
The Willow Deity continued, "I wasn't the one who saved you. You saved yourself. Even I never imagined you would possess such talent.
"When I brought you back, I examined your body. Although you forcibly raised your cultivation to the Ten-Cave Heaven Realm, it didn't have a disastrous impact on your body.
"I've already given you some initial treatment. Combined with the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art's astonishing restorative power, your body will recover in a short time."
Shi Teng nodded. "Mm!"
Shi Teng slept at the Willow Deity's feet for the night. Only when dawn broke the next day did the system notification wake him with a start.
Ding! Congratulations, host, on checking in at the Willow Deity's feet. Obtained Heaven-Flipping Seal ×1. [Heaven-Flipping Seal: middle-grade treasure. Can be casually thrown at an opponent, striking with the might of a small mountain. The stronger the host, the greater the power unleashed by the Heaven-Flipping Seal.]
The Heaven-Flipping Seal?
The Willow Deity's feet really are a good spot. Every time I come here, I get a nice treasure from checking in.
Shi Teng almost wanted to live at the Willow Deity's feet.
At dusk, Shi Linhu and the others returned to Stone Village empty-handed, their heads hanging in dejection.
Shi Shoushan, who was beside them, was even seriously injured.
The Old Chief asked, "Lin Hu, what exactly happened?"
Shi Linhu's face was full of anguish. "It was those bastards from Bei Village again. We finally managed to hunt down a few fierce beasts, but they stole them from us again. They even injured Shoushan's arm!"
There was a large hole in Shi Shoushan's arm, clearly left by a spear piercing through it.
The Old Chief examined it, then frowned. "This arm is ruined!"
Shi Linhu ground his teeth, his eyes blazing with savage fury. "Damn it! Those sons of bitches from Bei Village! I, Shi Linhu, cannot live under the same sky as them!"
Shi Teng spoke up. "Let me try!"
"Try? Can a hole that big even be healed?"
Everyone was curious, but even more worried, afraid that Shi Teng might fail to heal Shi Shoushan and instead make his wound worse.
Shi Teng immediately unleashed the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art, sending a stream of green spiritual energy into Shi Shoushan's body.
The flesh around the enormous hole actually began growing back at a miraculous speed.
Looks of disbelief appeared on everyone's faces.
"This..."
"This is the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art I cultivate. It can bring the dead back to life and grow flesh on bare bones, allowing wounds to heal rapidly in a short time!"
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