As soon as the Nine-Headed Lion finished speaking, many Human Race experts passing along the street paled. Such things really did happen: human geniuses followed primordial Fierce Beasts, eventually grew powerful enough to cast their might across the world, and sheltered millions of miles of human territory, earning reverence and worship.
The expressions of those few geniuses from other races also changed when they saw the Nine-Headed Lion. They grew solemn, unwilling to offend him lightly.
Although this Nine-Headed Lion was not pureblooded, he was still exceptionally powerful. His bloodline purity had reached forty percent. As long as he did not perish along the way, he would at least become a Venerable Realm expert with an Emperor-Sealing title.
Shi Hao's little face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. The other races wanted to take him as a slave, and now even a Fierce Beast remnant had set his sights on him.
"Keep a low profile. Once we enter the Hundred Broken Mountains Range, you can do whatever you like, but not now. Killing the little ones is a minor matter, but if we draw out some old monsters in the Array Formation Realm or Venerable Realm, we can't afford to provoke them yet.
"If you have that much time on your hands, we might as well go back, cultivate, and build up our strength."
Xiao Tian transmitted his voice.
Conflicts broke out in Broken Void City every moment, and bloodshed never ceased. Getting hurt was a small matter; the greatest fear was being eaten outright and becoming a Primordial Remnant's snack.
Xiao Tian had no desire to play the saint and rescue people everywhere, nor did he want to wander around. Once he saw something, he could not resist intervening. Rather than ruin his mood, he might as well return to cultivate. Out of sight, out of mind.
Everything could be settled once they entered the Hundred Broken Mountains Range.
Xiao Tian had never imagined that this wait would last a full half month. This time, the Hundred Broken Mountains Range took its sweet time, dragging things out over ten days longer than usual.
As a result, unruly geniuses of every race gathered in Broken Void City. Conflicts never stopped, and the bloodshed escalated constantly. Many unlucky souls became someone else's dung before they even had a chance to enter the Hundred Broken Mountains Range.
Half a month later!
Early that morning!
Outside Broken Void City, at the far end of the distant horizon, the sun had yet to rise, but a vast expanse of seven-colored mist rose into the air, hazy and ethereal.
Boom!
Immediately afterward, a tremendous crash shook heaven and earth around them. Where that earth-shaking sound rang out, ten thousand rays of radiant light shot forth.
It was as though two ancient lands had collided. Spatial power surged wildly, chaos energy spread, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth churned amid lightning and thunder. Without warning, torrential rain poured down-a rain of spiritual energy, as though the end of the world had arrived!
Many experts in the city watched, but none dared approach. A Venerable had once drawn near and tried to force his way inside, only to be pulverized by the raging lightning and spatial power, leaving not even a corpse behind.
An ancient mountain range slowly emerged like a mirage, growing clearer and clearer.
All the elders were giving instructions to their children and grandchildren.
All the young heroes and beast and bird cubs rubbed their hands in anticipation, eager to try their luck.
Shi Hao was also making preparations. From the backyard of a wealthy household, he took pots, bowls, ladles, basins, a kitchen knife, a chopping board, and seasonings. He even took down a small cooking pot and stuffed it into the enormous burlap sack he had prepared, leaving a piece of jade as compensation.
Xiao Tian stood a little farther away from Shi Hao. He had already prepared all these cooking utensils and tossed them into the Heavenly Grotto inside his body, located in the Zhongwan Acupoint in his upper abdomen.
By now, this Heavenly Grotto was a spherical space three meters in diameter and could serve as storage equipment.
To be honest, Xiao Tian felt that the main reason his growth had been so slow over the years was a lack of cultivation resources. The Heavenly Grotto inside his body could still keep growing.
"Little junior brother, what is that thing? Where did you get such a huge burlap sack? It's taller than you are, and it keeps clanking inside. Just what is in there?"
The four senior brothers and sisters from the Heaven Mending Pavilion looked over curiously, asking in somewhat speechless tones.
"Senior Brother Li, do you know?"
A senior sister with a flawless complexion and a lovely, poised appearance, prettier than many internet celebrities from his previous life, looked at Xiao Tian and asked.
She had originally entered the Heaven Mending Pavilion three years before him, but that no longer mattered. The accomplished took precedence. Once they entered the Hundred Broken Mountains Range, they would have to rely on Xiao Tian, and he would very likely become the Heaven Mending Pavilion's eldest senior brother in the future.
"Once we enter the Hundred Broken Mountains, you'll find out. Those are all treasures that will help us live better."
Xiao Tian spoke.
Meanwhile, every race was on the move, rushing onto Broken Void City's walls. There were flying Demon Apes, little jade figures that could fly, and golden giants over ten meters tall-and those were only youngsters. Dragon Elephants as white as jade charged along at full tilt...
At that moment, everyone's goal was clear: enter the Hundred Broken Mountains.
The spatial fluctuations at the end of the horizon had already subsided. Only a tide of spiritual energy remained, rolling like a tsunami. As the two worlds intersected, a little of the spiritual energy inside leaked out, forming a vast sea of white. From a distance, it heaved and surged, looking terrifying, but in reality, it no longer had much killing power. Even a Blood Moving Realm body cultivated to fifty thousand jin of strength could withstand it.
Some Fierce Beasts and other races were much more unrestrained. A golden divine ape ten meters tall, for instance, grabbed his grandson and hurled him toward the Hundred Broken Mountains. The little divine ape vanished the instant he approached the white mist, entering the Hundred Broken Mountains. Just like that, he had seized the initiative!
Next, those flying through the sky and those running across the ground all scrambled to rush toward the Hundred Broken Mountains Range.
Xiao Tian saw black butterflies with silver markings, Flood Dragons whose entire bodies shone with brilliant crimson radiance, Golden-Winged Great Pengs that spread their wings and instantly overtook the other creatures, and Jade Spiders as large as millstones, leaping along on their journey. It was quite a lively scene.
Of course, he also saw his Sixth Calabash Brother body, who had set off while protecting the people of the Deer-Chasing Academy. At that moment, the War Goddess looked a little like a waiting young wife, craning her neck expectantly. She probably would not leave until Xiao Tian came out.
As more and more people arrived, the dense spiritual mist was absorbed, revealing what lay behind it: an enormous Heavenly Gate reaching into the heavens.
It was a thousand zhang tall and over six hundred zhang wide, yet even such an enormous gateway was crowded. There were simply too many creatures. At a glance, there were over twenty or thirty thousand, with still more behind them, wave after wave pressing forward without hesitation.
Of course, with so many young geniuses from the Desolate Region entering, no one knew how many would come out alive. The survival rate was not high; sometimes, fewer than one in ten survived.
Clank, clank.
Shi Hao ran along behind Xiao Tian, the eating utensils in his burlap sack jingling against one another. Even knowing the original plot, Xiao Tian still did not want to walk beside him.
"Brother, what do you think we should eat first once we're inside? I don't think I could bring myself to eat the humanoid ones, and ones that have eaten people are out too."
Shi Hao transmitted his voice.
"Whatever you like. As long as you're happy."
Xiao Tian replied.
"Brother, lend me a treasure artifact so I can store some things. Carrying them around is really inconvenient."
Shi Hao spoke.
"This is childhood. Although I have spatial storage equipment and could even carry it for you, I can't. To leave you with an unforgettable childhood, all of this is worth it. When you grow up, you'll understand."
Xiao Tian replied.
"But Brother, I think I'll be embarrassed when I remember this after growing up."
Shi Hao spoke quietly.
"Don't worry. If you aren't embarrassed, everyone else will be. Look at Elder Tao Ye's old face, flushed red from holding it in. And look at your big brother here. Stay a little farther away from me, brat. If anyone asks, don't say we're together."
Xiao Tian spoke.
Shi Hao immediately became thoroughly depressed. He no longer wanted to deal with this wastrel Xiao Tian. He was deliberately making a joke out of him!
"Just wait. Once we get inside and you see the benefits of how thoroughly I've prepared, you won't think that way anymore."
These were cooking skills Shi Hao had learned from the aunties in Stone Village. With so many Primordial Remnants inside the Hundred Broken Mountains, they were bound to be delicious and nourishing. Whether he could open Ten Heavenly Grottoes depended entirely on them.
Along the way, many people gave Shi Hao strange looks. He puffed out his little chest and said proudly, "These are treasure artifacts bestowed on me by the elders of the Heaven Mending Pavilion."
Then Shi Hao saw that Elder Tao Ye, who followed behind to escort them, had an old face as red as a monkey's backside.
Sure enough, if he was not embarrassed, everyone else would be.
This made many people envious. Some pretty senior sisters came over, hoping to take a look. Of course, Shi Hao refused to show them. How could he let just anyone see?
Still, the little brat really had learned bad habits. Xiao Tian saw him smack several girls on the backside. Compared with Little One, he was much purer. At the very least, he only made a move on people he liked. With anyone else, he would never get handsy, much less use his mouth.
"Give me a kiss, and I'll let you see."
Shi Hao spoke with his chubby little face flushed pink.
"In your dreams."
The female cultivators gathered around him scattered at once.
"Fellow Daoist, your Heaven Mending Pavilion truly has profound reserves. How admirable."
A passing elder of the Three-Eyed Race stared at the burlap sack, glanced at Tao Ye, and spoke with a smile.
Tao Ye: "-"
He tipped his head back to look at the sky, unwilling to say a single word.
At last, their turn in line brought them to the entrance. With a swish, they passed straight through the gate. Dense spiritual mist filled everything with a haze, obscuring the path ahead.
Purple runes appeared between Xiao Tian's brows, forming a purple heavenly eye. He looked ahead and saw everything clearly. "Hold hands and follow me. Don't get separated. As long as you stay together and keep up with me, I guarantee you'll make it out alive."
Xiao Tian was quite willing to look after the disciples raised by the Heaven Mending Pavilion's elders. It was something he could do with little effort.
Besides, he was so powerful that after slaying formidable enemies, he needed a few cheerleaders at the side to shout and marvel!
Otherwise, would life not be as lonely as snow?
And so, Xiao Tian took the lead, guiding the senior sisters and brothers along a passage. After entering the gateway, many passages appeared, branching countless times. Entering different branches would transport them to different places in the Hundred Broken Mountains.
Shi Hao had been busy taking liberties and teasing the senior sisters of various races who came over wanting to see his treasures, so he had fallen to the very back. When he heard Xiao Tian's words, he hurried to catch up.
Once inside a passage, they naturally had to move quickly. Otherwise, they might sometimes encounter those who came after them. To avoid conflict, everyone traveled at full speed. After all, they were about to enter the Hundred Broken Mountains Range, and no one wanted to fight inside this sea of white mist.
They ran for an unknown length of time. Inside this sort of transportation space, the very concept of time became indistinct.
Just as light appeared ahead, their surroundings suddenly opened up. They left the transportation passage and entered the Hundred Broken Mountains.
In an instant, everyone sensed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here was denser than in the Heaven Mending Pavilion's core area, the Genius Camp, or even the elders' residences.
A single casual breath felt as though it would improve their cultivation a little.
The essence of heaven and earth was so dense it seemed ready to turn into water. This was simply a natural treasure land for cultivation. No wonder it produced tides of spiritual energy. Compared with the outside, the spiritual energy here was dozens of times denser.
(End of chapter)
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