"All right, enough with the sentimentality. Let's go!"
Ancestor Mu Yan simply could not stand the Pavilion Master's look of relief at sending a plague god away. With a sweep of his hand, his sleeve scooped up Shi Hou and Shi Hao.
A streak of lightning tore through the air, heading straight for the courtyard where the Sacrificial Spirit resided.
They landed.
The courtyard brimmed with life.
The once lifeless Old Vine was now green from end to end, like a solid piece of warm, lustrous jade. At the highest point of the vine, the flower bud induced last time had already grown into a small green gourd the size of a fist.
An ancient rune of staggering complexity was branded on the gourd's surface. Wisps of primordial chaos coiled around it, pressing down so heavily that the surrounding space warped.
The instant Shi Hao landed, his gaze was firmly caught by that green gourd.
He hurried forward, a faint golden light rising in his eyes. Standing motionless before Old Vine, he slipped into a state of ethereal clarity.
A vast, profound Dao rhythm spread from his tiny body.
Ancestor Mu Yan sucked in a breath, the fingers stroking his beard trembling slightly.
"Such comprehension... what a true monster!"
Shi Hou leaned against the wall with his arms folded and curled his lips.
No kidding. This was the Desolate Heaven Emperor. Did you think he was playing around?
Still, that little gourd looked awfully crisp. If he smashed up a cucumber and tossed them together in a cold salad...
Just as Shi Hou was frantically leafing through an entire vegetarian cookbook in his head, another streak of escape light descended from above.
Four young men and women landed steadily. They were the Core Disciples chosen by the Heaven Mending Pavilion,