"Human Race, what are you planning to do?"
The Nine-Headed Lion was very confident in his own strength.
But the sight before him gave him an extremely bad feeling.
Pots, bowls, ladles, and pans, along with spices.
What was this fellow planning?
"Big Brother, wait for me to come back! Save me a braised lion head!"
Seemingly paying no attention whatsoever to the Nine-Headed Lion's feelings,
that little brat Shi Hao stuck his head straight out of the carriage window.
It was as though the enormous creature on the ground was already in their bowls.
At the sight of this,
the companions around the Nine-Headed Lion scattered like birds and beasts.
Although the Nine-Headed Lion was the fiercest among them, this man before them...
It was a feeling they could not put into words.
In any case, everyone felt that Shi Xiu was exceedingly dangerous.
A hundred times more dangerous than that little brat with the Supreme Bone.
If the Nine-Headed Lion faced him, he would almost certainly fall!
"Awooo! Human Race, you've angered me!"
At the sight before him,
especially the way his underlings fled in all directions,
the Nine-Headed Lion was immediately furious.
He had always been the boss among the Primordial Ferocious Beasts.
Now some unknown human had actually slapped him in the face.
Unless he proved himself in an earthshaking battle, he would lose all face!
After all, in the original story, Shi Hao had fought this lion for dozens of exchanges before subduing him.
But at this moment, a certain someone did not even spare him a glance.
He simply unleashed the [Four Strikes of the Vermilion Bird] he had just learned.
[Four Strikes of the Vermilion Bird], first strike: [Restraint].
Good grief.
Was this what it meant to put new knowledge straight into practice?
A fiery-red light flashed.
Some kind of energy seemed to hold the Nine-Headed Lion's body suspended in midair.
He could not move an inch.
Although Shi Xiu was not particularly proficient on his first attempt,
this move was extremely practical.
Superiority was decided in an instant.
"Haha! You have nine lion heads. How many are you planning to treat me to? My brother already reserved one!"
Looking at the lion shaking his heads nonstop in the air,
Shi Xiu was in an excellent mood.
He had just performed a Check-In and obtained the Four Strikes of the Vermilion Bird.
He had never expected to use them so soon.
And the effect was far better than he had imagined.
He could actually bring this Nine-Headed Lion under control with ease.
Neither Treasure Artifacts nor precious techniques had any chance to come into play.
Although this restraint had no real destructive power, its supporting effect was unquestionably among the best!
"Human Race, release me! Fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!"
The Nine-Headed Lion had never experienced anything so humiliating.
After entering the Hundred Broken Mountains, he had already taken in many underlings.
He had never expected to fall into the hands of the Human Race in such a pathetic fashion today.
And earlier, the Nine-Headed Lion had even declared that he would take Shi Xiu as his Battle Servant.
But now...
"Don't be scared, don't be scared. You have nine lion heads anyway. Giving us brothers two won't be a problem!"
"Y-you, don't come any closer! Ah!"
"Help! Someone's going to kill a lion!"
Gradually, the Nine-Headed Lion realized that the other party did not seem to be lying.
He really intended to eat braised lion heads.
But no matter how desperately he begged, he could not escape that menacing face!
Scrape!
"Ah! Roar!"
It was a beast's howl of utter agony!
About a dozen minutes later,
an irresistible aroma of braised lion heads spread through the Hundred Broken Mountains.
The Nine-Headed Lion lay nearby, staring at the large pot with a resentful gaze!
"Hmph! A wise man doesn't suffer a loss right before his eyes. Once my lion heads grow back, I'll settle the score with you!"
This fellow really knew how to console himself!
Fortunately, Shi Xiu had shown mercy and taken only two small lion heads.
Otherwise...
But even after the soup was ready, Shi Hao had still not emerged.
Earlier, Shi Xiu had clearly seen Huo Ling'er leading a group into the stone cavern nearby.
Why had they still not come out after so long?
The braised fire monkey can't be overcooked, or it won't taste good!
I'm not sharing these two lion heads with that little brat. I'll finish them myself.
At worst, I'll make another batch next time!
These primordial ferocious beasts possessed truly formidable reserves.
Whether it was Big Red, who had previously lost a drumstick, or the fellow who had just supplied two lion heads,
as long as they were given a little time, those parts would soon grow back.
Before long, the delicacy entered a certain someone's belly.
A powerful surge of spiritual energy immediately coursed through his entire body.
These braised lion heads were not merely delicious; they also contained tremendous power.
That was the essence of a Primordial Ferocious Beast.
Absorbing this power would definitely help him break through in cultivation.
Feeling this steadily rising power,
Shi Xiu naturally did not waste it. He sat cross-legged and began cultivating at once.
At this point, he was already an expert with eight grotto-heavens.
Once ordinary experts reached this stage, they would strive toward the next major realm.
But Shi Xiu understood that now was the time to lay his foundation.
Only by opening ten grotto-heavens would his future path become ever more solid.
He absolutely could not cross over just for convenience.
Clang!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A golden beam shot into the sky.
It was more than five meters across.
Even from dozens of kilometers away, it could be seen clearly.
"Someone's about to break through! What realm is this?"
"It feels like the Grotto-Heaven Realm, but the power is completely different!"
Everyone who could enter the Hundred Broken Mountains was an elite from their respective sect.
Naturally, some recognized what this golden light represented.
But others still did not understand.
He had already surpassed eight grotto-heavens. Why keep stubbornly grinding away at this realm?
Wasn't that just looking for trouble?
Meanwhile, Yu Feng and Yun Xi of the Immortal Mountain also saw this light.
Both reached the same conclusion at once!
"It must be that person's breakthrough!"
The difference was that Yun Xi was delighted when she saw the pillar of light.
Ever since entering the Hundred Broken Mountains, these people from the Immortal Mountain had been searching everywhere for the Heavenly Dao Treasure Body.
This golden light effectively gave them a direction.
Yu Feng, however, trembled all over in fear at the sight of it.
He had originally hoped to rely on Shi Yi to avenge the Rain Clan.
But he had never expected Shi Yi to be nearly beaten into scrap.
If the Golden Spider Young Master had not stepped in, Shi Yi would probably have perished.
How could a fence-sitter like Yu Feng hang himself from just one tree?
So he had taken several companions with him to search for Taiyi True Water.
They wanted to see whether it could help their clan cling to its last breath.
Fewer than fifty people in the entire Rain Clan were still alive.
They could only survive in the cracks like rats.
They did not dare provoke anyone lightly.
"Keep your eyes open. Avoid the owner of that pillar of light as much as possible. Let's go!"
There was nothing else they could do.
At its height, the Rain Clan had numbered more than fifty thousand.
It had been one of the largest clans in the entire Stone Kingdom.
If not for that mysterious expert who had suddenly descended from the sky that day,
they would probably still be swaggering around and flaunting their power.
Now, however, even a tiny, insignificant clan outside could wipe out the Rain Clan!
Taiyi True Water was already their last hope.
Or rather, their final struggle!
Elsewhere,
when the golden light dispersed, Shi Xiu officially stepped into the realm of nine grotto-heavens.
He was only one step away from opening ten grotto-heavens.
Then he would truly become an existence capable of rivaling the Desolate Heaven Emperor!
It was precisely because his cultivation had risen
that he seemed to sense something amiss in the cavern ahead.
Wolf howls drifted faintly from the entrance, and there were even signs of freezing spells!
But Huo Ling'er and Shi Hao had been inside for a long time already.
Could they be in trouble?
At that thought, Shi Xiu did not delay.
His body turned into a streak of golden light, and he charged straight into the cavern.
Who would have thought that the first thing he saw would be a familiar figure!
"Human Race brat, have you come to save me?"
The Nine-Headed Lion?
Why are you here?
Before you continue