"Hmph, that's more like it. At least you know what's good for you!"
Any woman would be happy to receive a gift.
But this little Primordial Remnant Species apparently wasn't enough to soothe Huo Ling'er's anger completely.
The princess had indeed intended to deepen their relationship during this trip to the Hundred Broken Mountains.
But who could have expected her to witness that scene with the woman from the Primordial Divine Mountain...
That scene had lingered in Huo Ling'er's mind for a long time.
So she had deliberately avoided Shi Xiu along the way.
If she hadn't stepped in to save Shi Hao just now.
The two of them probably wouldn't have seen each other for some time yet.
"Big Brother, I came back in Sister-in-law's carriage!"
Shi Hao paid no attention whatsoever to the awkwardness between the engaged couple before him.
The brat was in an excellent mood now.
After all, he had finally avenged the grudge he'd carried for years!
"You little brat, did you win?"
"Of course! With the Supreme Bone you recovered for me, Big Brother, losing would've been harder than winning!"
The little brat really had no filter.
How could he blurt out a secret like that?
Sure enough, Huo Ling'er's ears pricked up when she heard him.
This was a juicy piece of gossip.
Once they got out, word of the Battle of the Two Stones that had just taken place would surely spread.
Soon, everyone would be curious.
How had this little brat recovered his Supreme Bone?
So it had been the work of the fellow right before her!
"Well, Ling'er, thank you for bringing this brat back. Earlier, with the Immortal Mountain..."
Taking advantage of the subject Shi Hao had brought up.
Shi Xiu wanted to have a proper talk with his fiancée.
And clear up the misunderstanding between them.
But to his surprise, she gave a cold snort.
Then tossed a brocade box straight at him.
"Hmph, could that woman's gift to you possibly be as precious as mine?"
Sure enough.
Huo Ling'er was still brooding over Yun Xi's gift to him.
She was finding every possible excuse to outdo that woman!
This gift definitely wasn't ordinary.
Just as Shi Xiu was about to open it.
He heard one of the guards opposite him murmur quietly.
"Princess, that belongs to Lord Vermilion Bird..."
"Say no more. My mind is made up!"
What commanding presence!
Hearing that exchange.
He could more or less guess what it was.
Whoosh!
A wave of scorching energy emerged.
It was a Vermilion Bird True Feather.
This was the protective talisman Vermilion Bird had given Huo Ling'er.
This girl...
Just as Shi Xiu was struck speechless.
The mechanical voice he hadn't heard in ages rang out in his mind.
[Ding! The system has detected that the host has connected to the energy of an exceptionally blessed ancestral land.]
What?
Even this works?
Isn't this just one of Vermilion Bird's feathers?
At the same time.
Vermilion Bird, in the Fire Kingdom Sacrificial Spirit Ancestral Land, suddenly widened his eyes.
He gazed toward a certain spot in the Fire Kingdom with disbelief.
Had the energy in that place been activated?
But no one seemed to have entered it!
The last time that place had opened was when the Fire Emperor cultivated there years ago...
What was going on today?
[Ding! The system has connected to the Fire Kingdom Forbidden Land. A new Check-In is available. Would you like to proceed?]
Of course I'll proceed!
"Check-In!"
Filled with excitement.
Shi Xiu waited eagerly for what came next.
He hadn't expected his heavenly Dao treasure body to become increasingly useful lately.
Not only could it attract girls.
It could also connect with the incredible fortune of heaven and earth.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Four Strikes of the Vermilion Bird. At the same time, your Grass Character Sword Art's maximum combat power has been unlocked to the fifth level.]
Two blessings had truly arrived at his door at once.
Even Shi Hao in the original story had only obtained this divine technique through a fortunate coincidence.
And after he mastered it, even if others entered the Fire Kingdom's cultivation grounds.
They could never encounter the same opportunity again.
It was one of a kind!
News might not reach this little world within the Hundred Broken Mountains.
But the Fire Kingdom outside had already been shaken from top to bottom.
"Lord Sacrificial Spirit, what just happened?"
Sensing that unusual fluctuation of energy.
The Fire Emperor had personally come to inquire.
But he found only Vermilion Bird, who was still recovering from his injuries, and the two stared blankly at each other.
"I thought you'd gone and opened the secret realm again. What's going on?"
Because of his injuries.
Lord Vermilion Bird had taken the form of a little red bird.
He simply stared at the Fire Emperor before him.
The latter made a calculation on his fingers, then gave a bitter laugh.
"To think this Prince Consort possesses such heaven-reaching, earth-piercing abilities. How did he do it?"
As one of the foremost experts in the lower realm.
The Fire Emperor apparently could perceive something through a mysterious power as well.
The power of the Four Strikes of the Vermilion Bird was now swirling around his son-in-law.
That counted as good news, he supposed.
At least an outsider hadn't snatched away this fortune.
After he shared what he had sensed with Vermilion Bird.
Even this Primordial Divine Beast looked incredulous.
But he quickly recovered.
"This heavenly Dao treasure body truly is extraordinary. Why not have your girl skip the wedding ceremony and just do it there in the Hundred Broken Mountains..."
"Lord Sacrificial Spirit, spare me. Surely you know my Ling'er's temper?"
"True. That little girl might disown us both!"
"Alas, I've received word that the Immortal Mountain seems to have used a beauty trap on that boy too..."
Huo Ling'er probably never would have dreamed.
That her father and master were discussing something like this behind her back.
Those two elders even wanted to dispense with the wedding.
And simply have the two marry right there in the mountains.
With the sky as their quilt and the earth as their bed!
Did they think Huo Ling'er would agree?
"Let's go. Business comes first!"
After seeing the satisfied smile on Shi Xiu's face.
Huo Ling'er thought her gift had outshone Yun Xi's.
A triumphant expression immediately appeared on her face.
However, the princess had entered this place with a purpose of her own.
It was time to get down to business.
What she didn't know was that the smile on a certain someone's face was because of his Check-In...
"Sister-in-law, why are you dragging me along? You two should take care of your business..."
To his surprise, Huo Ling'er actually wanted to drag Shi Hao along as free labor.
After all, the sealed experts around her couldn't unleash their full strength.
Otherwise, they might well be punished by the rules of the Hundred Broken Mountains!
At this point, Shi Xiu slowly came back to his senses as well.
He had finally finished assimilating the divine technique he had just mastered.
"My wife, let me accompany you instead!"
"No need. This brat will do. I can't have saved him for nothing!"
In truth, Huo Ling'er knew perfectly well.
She still didn't want to give herself to the man before her so soon.
Besides, he looked like such a philanderer.
He already had a wife as beautiful as Willow Deity.
And now he had the Fire Kingdom Princess too.
Yet he still wasn't satisfied.
He had even accepted a token of love from that woman of the Immortal Mountain.
In any case, the princess had a knot of anger lodged in her heart.
In her anger, she actually grabbed Shi Hao directly by the ear.
And forcibly hauled the brat into the carriage.
Was she using him as a substitute punching bag?
Faced with this situation, Shi Xiu could only shake his head.
And silently follow behind her flying carriage.
However, misfortunes never came alone.
Just as he followed Huo Ling'er to their destination.
They encountered a group of Primordial Remnant Species.
Leading them was none other than the Nine-Headed Lion!
"Aha, you're that Shi Xiu from the Void God Realm? Stay and become my Battle Servant!"
He truly had no idea what these vicious beasts were thinking.
Why did they always want humans as Battle Servants?
If they had their eyes on beautiful human women, that would at least make some sense.
But why were they all fixated on Shi Xiu?
Was it just because he had made a little name for himself in the Void God Realm?
Who would have thought these vicious beasts were such hypocrites!
But as he looked at the Nine-Headed Lion.
Shi Xiu suddenly felt hungry.
So he hurriedly shouted ahead.
"Shi Hao, leave the cookware behind! A packet of Sichuan pepper would be good too!"
"Sure thing, Brother!"
Then a whole string of pots, bowls, ladles, and basins came flying out of the carriage ahead.
What was this fellow planning to do?
The Nine-Headed Lion was a little dumbfounded...
Before you continue