The Rain Clan Holy Land.
For some unknown reason...
The once-flourishing Rain Clan had been slaughtered to the last in less than two hours.
Every disciple, whether of the main line or a branch family, had been wiped out.
All their secret realms, along with the so-called Rain God Decree, had been shattered.
Only a handful who were away training had escaped the disaster.
The rest had been erased from this continent.
The reason was simple.
They had provoked someone they should never have provoked.
"Ancestor, why did you wipe them all out?"
The speaker was a woman of a thousand charms.
Her figure and beauty were like those of a celestial maiden descended to earth.
Beside her seemed to stand a black-robed apparition.
It did not look like a real person.
It was merely a body of energy.
"Little girl, have you forgotten the rules you agreed to earlier? You must seize your opportunity in the lower realm!"
"Ancestor, I am the heir of the Heavenly Fox Clan. How could a mere human resist my charms?"
It seemed this woman was also an avatar.
Her true body was in the Upper Realm.
But so that she could become the Dao companion of someone with the Heavenly Dao Treasure Body...
The Heavenly Fox Clan had used some unknown secret technique to send their direct heir down in a false body.
All to get a step ahead.
To win that boy's favor.
So, upon hearing that the Rain Clan intended to harm Shi Xiu...
The Heavenly Fox Ancestor had taken action and exterminated the entire clan!
That was how overbearing the ancestor was!
But Shi Xiu knew nothing of this at the time.
After dealing with the trouble from the Rain Clan...
He had taken Shi Hao straight into the nearby dense forest to treat his injuries.
A little over an hour later...
The boy was finally bouncing around again.
Yet the battle just now had also made Shi Hao's weakness glaringly apparent.
He was immensely strong and agile enough.
But he lacked a precious technique he could rely on.
Should I teach him one?
Shi Xiu already possessed several precious techniques.
But just as he was hesitating...
A tremendous beast's roar came from the nearby woods.
It was actually Qiongqi's voice.
But it sounded rather agonized.
What was going on?
"Come on, let's take a look!"
Shi Xiu gestured for silence.
Then he led Shi Hao over on tiptoe.
The sight was utterly gruesome.
Perhaps it was also because of the struggle over the Mountain Treasure.
The enormous Qiongqi had actually been surrounded and attacked by a pack of native ferocious beasts.
Their leader was the Suanni the brothers had seen earlier.
But the creature was now covered in wounds.
Qiongqi had it pinned brutally beneath one foot.
Yet this Primordial Ferocious Beast was badly wounded as well.
And it was surrounded by a huge pack of ferocious beasts.
Clearly, these creatures had realized that Qiongqi was an arrow at the end of its flight.
They all wanted to seize this chance to kill it!
"Rooaaar..."
Five fierce beasts emerged from the pack one after another, each as large as a house, baring snow-white fangs.
At the same time, piercing cries rang out overhead, and fierce winds rose.
Several ferocious birds flew over, each five or six meters long, with wingspans reaching eleven or twelve meters.
Spurred on by them...
The beasts erupted into a frenzy. Some were dozens of meters long, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds had appeared.
They were all powerful species. Though they dared not charge, they surged forward like a flood, roaring madly at Qiongqi.
The sky was no different. Birds of every kind wheeled overhead, their iron beaks and sharp talons blotting out the heavens.
On the other side, two enormous creatures appeared together. Each was seven or eight meters long, covered in brown fur, with savage features and wings growing from its flanks.
The appearance of two winged tigers together was truly astonishing. Far more savage than ordinary beasts, their roars shook the heavens and made the mountain forest tremble.
"Roar!"
As though it felt its status as a divine beast had been challenged...
Though its body was already covered in wounds...
Qiongqi spat fire from its mouth.
Its eyes bulged as wide as bronze bells.
Abandoning the dying Suanni...
The enormous creature charged straight at the massive pack before it.
The opposing beasts immediately moved as well.
Like a black tide, they rushed toward the behemoth.
The ferocious scene was like thousands of troops and horses locked in battle.
The earth quaked and the mountains shook, while a bloody stench filled the air.
"Little One, riches and honor are won amid danger. Let's capture that Suanni. Do you dare?"
At the sight before him...
Shi Xiu suddenly had a good idea.
If they could obtain this Suanni's precious technique...
He could certainly equip Little One with it.
And Shi Xiu already possessed the Taotie Art, which was far more powerful than the Suanni's technique.
So there was no need to compete with Little One for it!
"Sure! I wonder if that big fellow's meat tastes good!"
"Eat, eat, eat! All you think about is eating!"
With those words...
The two brothers suddenly sprang out together.
"Awooo!"
Although the Suanni sensed that someone was launching a sneak attack...
By now, it was already beyond saving.
Unwilling to accept its fate, it was slain by a single strike of Shi Xiu's Taotie Art.
"Great! Let's light a fire and cook right now!"
Seeing his big brother succeed...
Shi Hao waved his arms and danced with delight.
But a moment later, Shi Xiu rewarded him with a sharp rap on the head.
"What are you thinking? Hurry and drag this fellow away. I'll help you refine the Suanni Precious Technique!"
Although Qiongqi and those savage creatures were moving farther and farther away...
Who could guarantee they would not double back?
Even if they were going to refine this ferocious beast...
They had to find a safe place.
Fortunately, the Suanni's corpse had not yet gone completely cold.
So their chances of extracting the Suanni Precious Technique were still very high.
And it had to be admitted...
Shi Hao was also a martial prodigy.
Who knew what good fortune this boy had stumbled into?
In less than two hours, he had actually gained some insight!
Although his efficiency could not compare to a certain someone's check-ins...
It felt as though this precious technique had been meant to belong to him all along.
He had gained it without the slightest effort.
"Big Brother, I think I've grasped a little of it, but I still need to go back and consolidate it!"
"Mm. If you have questions, you can ask the Willow Deity. I'll keep watching for a while! I'll get Golden Peng to pick you up!"
"Thank you for making this possible, Big Brother!"
Earlier, as a precaution against the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow...
Shi Xiu had told Golden Peng to stay out of sight.
Now, with a single summons from him, the great golden bird could return.
"Take Little Stone home safely. I'll stay a while longer and see if I can scoop up any spoils!"
After putting Shi Hao on Golden Peng and watching them fly away...
Shi Xiu slowly slipped back.
There were still four great ferocious beasts there, and Qiongqi was already gravely wounded.
The other three were probably not much better off.
If he could obtain one of those four great ferocious beasts...
His strength would surely advance by leaps and bounds.
As the saying went, riches and honor were won amid danger.
And this seemed to be the best opportunity.
Normally, even catching sight of these four great ferocious beasts was rare.
Yet today, he could encounter them after they had battered one another bloody.
This was an opportunity bestowed by heaven!
If he failed to seize this chance, where would he find another opportunity like it?
Although he knew there was tremendous risk involved...
Shi Xiu could not concern himself with all that.
At that moment, the wounded Qiongqi was what occupied his thoughts most.
Ideally, it would collapse with grievous wounds just like the Suanni earlier.
Then its whole body would be a trove of treasures!
Of course, that was only wishful thinking.
At the crucial moment, he would still have to act himself.
But just as the boy returned to his original spot...
The system's notification sounded in his mind again.
[Ding! Because the host selflessly gave the Suanni Precious Technique to his companion, the system will unlock your fourth check-in.]
This truly was an unexpected delight!
Sharing good things with his friends...
Could that trigger a system check-in too?
He had never imagined there would be such a wonderful opportunity!
"System, I'll check in again. What treasure will you give me this time?"
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on a successful fourth check-in. Searching for a system reward. Please wait patiently.]
Excellent.
He had not expected that the reward for this fourth check-in had not been decided in advance.
The system seemed to still be choosing a reward.
This mechanism was different from before.
But I like it!
Before you continue