Treasure Gourd

"First, let me see whether you qualify to become my follower."

The youth from the Spiritual Silver Race had already lost patience. With a roar, he threw a punch. Silver light surged like towering waves, savage and fierce, reaching Xiao Tian in an instant and sweeping up enormous boulders weighing tens of thousands of pounds along with the surrounding vegetation.

A purple divine pattern appeared between Xiao Tian's brows, and purple divine light blasted out. With a hiss, it flashed past like an indestructible purple flying sword. One of the Spiritual Silver Race youth's arms instantly melted away without a trace, and a bowl-sized hole opened in the right side of his chest.

Then Xiao Tian formed a hand seal, and a purple gourd appeared in his hand. He uncorked it, pointed it at the Spiritual Silver Race youth, and said, "Absorb."

"Ah-no!"

The Spiritual Silver Race youth struggled and screamed in terror, but he could not resist. Terrifying runes streamed from the purple Treasure Gourd like chains of purple light, binding him and dragging him inside.

"Damn it-attack together!"

The Golden Horn Race youth shouted. The next instant, his followers all attacked Xiao Tian, filling the sky with runes and precious artifacts that bombarded him from every direction.

The Golden Horn Race youth himself, however, turned and fled without looking back. This time, he had kicked an iron plate. He had fought the Spiritual Silver Race youth before and knew full well how powerful he was. That fellow was certainly no silver spearhead made of wax.

"Absorb!"

Xiao Tian shouted, sucking in every last incoming rune and precious artifact in one go, along with the Human Race servants who had attacked him.

As for the Golden Horn youth who had called him ugly and fled for his life, could he really escape?

If Xiao Tian's senses were correct, his Da Wa body and Shi Hao were right in that direction.

Sure enough, when Shi Hao spotted the purple-haired, single-horned youth of another race in the distance, he remembered how this fellow and a lion with nine heads had fought over taking him as a servant.

"Brother, wait for me. Let me go slaughter that Purple Hair."

Shi Hao shouted, and Five-Colored Luan Bird wings appeared on his back. He stamped down, shattering the ground beneath his feet, then flew and leaped forward as though teleporting. He appeared in front of the Golden Horn youth. "On your knees! You wanted to make me your follower? Now I'm making you my slave!"

"You can't attack me! A powerful expert from the Three-Eyed Race is chasing me. If we fight, he'll reap the benefits!"

The single-horned youth threw a punch, golden runes densely covering his palm and fingers and swiftly interweaving. He met Shi Hao head-on, only to feel his entire arm go numb. Startled, he cried out.

"Three eyes aren't worth a damn! I wouldn't be afraid of four eyes either!"

Shi Hao roared. Despite his young age, he was ferocious beyond measure, his black hair flying as he circled the Golden Horn youth and attacked rapidly. A thunderous shout imbued with the Pulao Treasure Art left the Golden Horn youth seeing stars.

Hearing Shi Hao's words, Xiao Tian's Da Wa body stumbled, his face turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

Meanwhile, Xiao Tian's Seventh Brother's Clone had already left.

"Don't kill him. Force him to terminate the master-servant contracts on those sixteen members of the Human Race."

Xiao Tian's Da Wa body called out to Shi Hao.

Anyone who became that fellow's servant would surely be under his control, bound by a master-servant contract. Only then could he hold his followers' lives in his hands and trust them completely.

Although Shi Hao had opened only seven Heavenly Grottos while the Golden Horn youth had opened eight, what did that matter? Before long, he had shattered all four of the youth's limbs and pinned him beneath his foot.

"Terminate the contracts, and we'll let you leave. Otherwise, you die."

Xiao Tian spoke.

Faced with death, the Golden Horn youth chose to follow his heart and surrender.

He handed over the contract soul seals formed when they had acknowledged him as their master. Once he released them, the seals dissipated into the world one by one, restoring the sixteen servants' freedom.

"All right, you can go!

"What a shame. He's humanoid. Eating him would feel wrong."

Shi Hao said indifferently.

The Golden Horn youth felt incredibly fortunate when he heard this. He had already noticed the Treefolk youth nearby. As for the big red bird, he had been sent out to lure and find prey.

Jin Jue kept feeling a chill run through his whole body. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he said, "I'm willing to follow you, just like him."

He could not shake the feeling that he would die if he left this place, and his hair stood on end.

Meanwhile!

Xiao Tian's Seventh Brother's Clone frowned. Of the sixteen Human Race youths he released from the gourd, four Human Race girls took their own lives as soon as they emerged.

When they had been captured, threats had forced them to acknowledge a master, and from then on, their lives and deaths had no longer been their own. Now, they no longer wished to drag out a wretched existence in this world.

Xiao Tian could roughly guess what they had endured. He looked at the other twelve youths, only to find that five handsome boys also killed themselves.

Alas!!!

"Get lost!"

Xiao Tian's Da Wa body kicked out. The Golden Horn youth's bones crackled like beans roasting in a pan, breaking inch by inch. He flew over a hundred miles and landed right in the middle of a convoy beyond the mountain ridge.

Xiao Tian had indeed let him leave. If someone else killed him, then neither he nor Shi Hao could be considered to have broken their promise.

A pack of over forty fawning admirers, all talented youths, guarded a carriage resplendent with crimson light.

Whoosh!

A streak of crimson radiance flashed past, transforming into a flying sword that looked as though it had been forged from phoenix blood red gold. The sword light flickered, instantly destroying the head of the figure whose limbs Shi Hao had broken and whom Xiao Tian had severely injured. Already half unconscious, he was powerless to resist.

Immediately afterward, a tall, graceful figure flew out of the jade carriage. A pair of blood-red wings spread behind her, their crimson radiance dazzling, vivid, and beautiful. She had snow-white skin, an oval face, and delicate features. Her slender, supple waist swayed like a snake, her curves tugging at the heartstrings.

"Someone from the Golden Horn Race-that young genius, Jin Jue!"

Someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"The bloodline of that race has wondrous properties that can help people cultivate fire-type Treasure Arts. Their golden horns can be used to refine pills, which can likewise advance the cultivation of fire-type Treasure Arts."

A black-robed person nearby waved a hand and collected the fallen corpse. Its wound had already been instantly scorched shut, without a single drop of blood splashing out.

Huo Ling'er was delighted. This was good news indeed. Among the people she had brought were those skilled in refining medicine. The Fire Emperor had specially arranged this group for her. She had entered the Hundred Broken Mountains Range to cultivate, accumulate a solid foundation, and grow stronger quickly using whatever resources were available.

That was reality. Some people were born in Rome. Even in a place like the Hundred Broken Mountains, where others entered with only a slim chance of survival, Huo Ling'er treated it as a hunting ground.

"Everyone, stealing our prey like that wasn't very decent of you."

Just then, Xiao Tian and Shi Hao arrived, and Shi Hao spoke indignantly.

Having run into a wealthy young lady like Huo Ling'er, they naturally could not let the opportunity slip away.

"My brother Hao Tian severely wounded that Purple Hair. In his condition, he certainly couldn't have gotten far."

Xiao Tian spoke calmly.

Huo Ling'er smiled sweetly. That was indeed the case. When she had attacked, Jin Jue had not even had the strength to resist.

"I won't take advantage of you, either.

"Someone, bring out that Purple Cloud Heart and give it to them."

Huo Ling'er's voice was clear and melodious, as sweet and lilting as a Vermilion Bird's song.

No one objected. The Golden Horn Race genius's blood essence and golden horn were more important to Huo Ling'er. The Purple Cloud Heart contained the bodily essence of a Purple Cloud Marten, a Primordial Remnant, and was similarly precious.

They could also tell that the newcomers belonged to the Heaven Mending Pavilion. Since their princess cultivated there, she naturally would not clash with them.

Only the four senior disciples of the Heaven Mending Pavilion and the Tree Person remained silent. They had clearly heard the two agree to let Jin Jue leave. Yet in the blink of an eye, they had tricked him to his death, and now they had come to exchange him for benefits.

"Are you two a junior brother and a senior brother from the Heaven Mending Pavilion?

"How come I've never seen you before?"

Shi Hao happily accepted the Purple Cloud Heart, thinking that he could finally break through. Eating the three Primordial Remnants Xiao Tian had cooked, along with four spirit herbs, had already brought him to the brink of a breakthrough. With this Purple Cloud Heart, he could directly open his eighth Heavenly Grotto.

Xiao Tian had said on the way over that Shi Hao had captured Purple Hair, so he was Shi Hao's spoils of battle. Xiao Tian wanted none of the proceeds.

Besides, Xiao Tian still needed far more resources to break through. A single Purple Cloud Heart would not do much for him.

"We're both senior brothers."

When he heard Huo Ling'er call Xiao Tian her senior brother and him her junior brother, Shi Hao immediately muttered in displeasure.

"Little fatty, are you even ten? And you dare call yourself my senior brother?"

Huo Ling'er parted her red lips, the corners of her mouth lifting with a hint of teasing as she looked at Shi Hao.

"Whoever joins first is the senior brother. I joined before you, so naturally I'm your senior brother. Come over and pay your respects."

Shi Hao immediately spoke with the air of a pompous old man.

Xiao Tian did not stop him. He had originally wondered whether meeting Huo Ling'er would stir his heart and make him compete with Shi Hao for a wife. But when they actually met, he discovered that he felt nothing at all. When he had seen the War Goddess, possessiveness had risen in his heart unbidden, and he had felt that she ought to be his woman.

Yet seeing this fifteen-year-old girl, Huo Ling'er, left him quite unmoved. His gaze remained as still as an ancient well. Her long legs, serpentine waist, and exquisite face merely earned a few extra glances.

Since that was the case, he no longer needed to agonize over whether to pursue Huo Ling'er. He simply felt nothing for her.

Perfect World had no shortage of peerless beauties. He would surely meet someone who left him utterly satisfied.

As for loving only one woman, sorry, but he had not transmigrated into a Qiong Yao drama. No, even Qiong Yao dramas had plenty of romantic entanglements. For instance, he rather appreciated Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. These days, even novels aimed at women played all sorts of games.

He would set a small goal: he absolutely could not let Shi Hao surpass him.

"Huh? Wait, you were the one who crippled Jin Jue?"

Huo Ling'er suddenly thought of something and asked in surprise.

Jin Jue was as famous as the Nine-Headed Lion, the Feather King, and the Silver-Blood Giant. Even before entering the Hundred Broken Mountains Range, she had familiarized herself with many of the powerful young geniuses.

Besides, Jin Jue had not been alone. He had sixteen Human Race geniuses serving as his maids and guards.

"Of course, junior sister. Now you understand how powerful your senior brother is!"

Shi Hao immediately raised his chin and thumped his chest as he spoke.

Xiao Tian could tell now. Little Shi Hao was only eight, yet he was showing off so enthusiastically. He had clearly met a girl he liked. Such was a man's nature.

"Bear Child, I've found you."

Huo Ling'er's large eyes sparkled, rippling with light, and her beautiful, delicate face brimmed with triumph. It was a simple deduction. Jin Jue was no worthless fraud with an empty reputation, but a genuine genius. Yet he had lost, and lost miserably.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You're the Bear Child! Junior sister, I'm warning you, don't falsely accuse an innocent person."

Shi Hao immediately blinked his large eyes and spoke warily.

Xiao Tian could not help wanting to laugh. Baby Hao had been put in his place this time. A few words were all it had taken for someone to guess his identity. Fortunately, they were in the Hundred Broken Mountains. Outside, he would have been in danger.

(End of chapter)