The Pu Demon Tree was utterly vile. It simply would not die. It had probably left seeds elsewhere long ago to escape death.
After all, wherever it went, its seeds drifted and took root.
Unless someone refined the entire Small World of the Hundred Broken Mountains and killed every suspicious living creature.
To kill this thing, one needed a Treasure Art involving karma or fate, then strike along its karmic threads or threads of destiny and destroy every last clone and seed.
The departure of Seventh Brother's Clone let everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
This mysterious prodigy of the human race was too powerful. Even the Pu Demon Tree could do nothing to him.
However, some knew that without the boy sitting atop the Silver-Blood Giant intervening, it would not have been so easy to capture the Pu Demon Tree.
"A Silver-Blood Giant, a Fire Cloud Sparrow, a Nine-Headed Lion, and a Tree Person... that combination means the Heaven Mending Pavilion's Bear Child and that mysterious boy are here!"
Someone cried out in alarm.
The next instant, every member of the other races, every fierce bird and beast, felt their scalps prickle, their fur and feathers nearly standing on end. A man's name carried weight just as a tree cast a shadow. The two greatest scourges of the Hundred Broken Mountains Range had appeared. Rumor had it that they ate everything except humans and carried a pot expressly for that purpose.
Soon, someone noticed the black pot on Big Red Bird's back. Shi Hao and Xiao Tian had recently obtained some Jiao-Patterned Black Gold and refined it into a pot, which Big Red Bird used as a weapon.
Xiao Tian had marveled over it at the time. This was a divine-grade resource that could evolve into Dragon-Patterned Black Gold, an extreme dao divine gold from the Shrouding the Heavens World. They had actually found a pebble-sized piece in the Azure Sky Peng's nest.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
Just then, fierce winds howled, darkening heaven and earth. An enormous blue-green bird was diving toward them from afar. Its whole body looked as though it had been cast from Feathered Azure Gold, with scarlet markings flowing across it, glittering brilliantly.
Its beak was pure white, like divine mutton-fat jade, flawless and luminous. Most peculiar of all, this bird had only one leg.
Its overall appearance closely resembled a blue-green immortal crane standing on a single leg.
Standing upright, it reached twelve meters tall. Its leg alone was four meters long, and its neck three meters. Supremely haughty, it cast sidelong glances at every creature present with its keen eyes.
"Little Butterfly, tell me, if you ate this Bi Fang, could you break through your bloodline's limits and take another step forward?"
Xiao Tian addressed the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly.
The Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly stared fixedly at the Bi Fang. If a butterfly like her defied the laws of nature and ate the young of a pure-blooded fierce bird like the Bi Fang, there was no question that she could break through her race's shackles, advance further, and open ten heavenly grottoes.
"Hiss!"
Many of the primordial remnants and humans present could not help sucking in a breath of cold air. In such a quiet atmosphere, some fool had actually appeared and provoked the Bi Fang like this.
When they looked over, wasn't the speaker the human slave the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly had supposedly captured?
"Master, I'll do whatever you say."
The next instant, understanding dawned on the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly. Inspired by a sudden flash of insight, she looked at Xiao Tian and spoke in a sweet, obedient female voice.
"Abba, abba..."
The human geniuses, primordial remnants, and even the pure-blooded fierce beast cubs present collectively lost the power of speech. What had they just heard?
"If you two want to die, I'll grant your wish."
The Bi Fang immediately flew into a rage, a clear young male voice ringing from his beak.
The next instant, the ground beneath the Bi Fang's foot split apart as he soared into the sky. The might he unleashed revealed that he had already opened nine heavenly grottoes.
By now, every pure-blooded fierce beast that had entered the Hundred Broken Mountains Range had opened nine heavenly grottoes and was searching for an opportunity to reach ten. Once they achieved ten heavenly grottoes, they would immediately advance to the Spirit Transformation Realm, getting ahead of the other geniuses, increasing their combat strength, and striving to acquire more resources.
In the original storyline, Shi Hao had only managed to open nine heavenly grottoes by the end of his time in the Hundred Broken Mountains.
Meanwhile, the strongest young geniuses, such as Shi Yi and some pure-blooded primordial fierce beast cubs, had each broken through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. Advancing normally to that realm here would not provoke a backlash from the Hundred Broken Mountains' rules.
"Go!"
With a casual flick, Xiao Tian's Sixth Calabash Brother's Body hurled the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly toward the Bi Fang. She had not even mastered human speech, yet she wanted to imitate humans and play mind games. She was still far too green!
"Whoosh!"
The Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly swept her wings, sending ripples through the void to block the Bi Fang's approach. With another whoosh, the Bi Fang opened his beak and spat out a vast expanse of bright yellow flame. Crackling like firecrackers, those flames could ignite even the void. This was none other than the Bi Fang Divine Flame.
In Chinese mythology, the Bi Fang was a legendary divine bird whose cry resembled burning firecrackers. Its flames could drive away ghosts and ward off evil. Setting off firecrackers was meant to imitate the Bi Fang's cries and flames.
But the Bi Fang of this world was a fierce bird. Once enraged, it could burn tens of millions of miles. Wherever it passed, not a blade of grass survived, mountain rock melted into lava, and rivers ran dry.
The Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly danced gracefully, radiant and dazzlingly beautiful. Divine flames burned over the Bi Fang Divine Bird's body, crackling as they transformed into tiny Bi Fang birds that continually besieged her. However, each beat of her wings drew upon spatial power. The terrifying ripples of space annihilated the bright yellow flame birds one after another as they approached.
A pure-blooded Bi Fang... could his bloodline have reverted to its ancestral form? No wonder this bird acted so superior and overbearing when he appeared, looking down his nose at everyone. He even disregarded the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Suanni, Pixiu, and Chi Dragon. What arrogance.
In that case, the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly probably can't beat this Bi Fang Divine Bird. Sure enough, just as the thought rose in Xiao Tian's mind, the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly cried for help. "Master, help me!"
Seeing the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly suffer a blow from life's cruelty and voluntarily ask for help, Xiao Tian vanished from where he stood.
Boom!
Xiao Tian instantly appeared before the Bi Fang and lashed out with a kick head-on. His tiny body contained terrifying strength. Like a primordial demonic mountain smashing into the Bi Fang Divine Bird's face, the blow sent the Bi Fang crashing down with a miserable shriek. He struck the ground like a meteor, splitting the earth and sending sand and stones flying amid a violent tremor.
Slash!
The Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly seized the opportunity for a sneak attack. Spreading her wings, she created a tiny Dimensional Rift that slashed toward the Bi Fang's head.
Xiao Tian rushed over in an instant. Wrapping his right leg in Sixth Calabash Brother's void power, he stamped out the spatial rift and saved the Bi Fang's life.
The next instant, the Bi Fang Divine Bird summoned a bright yellow flame that emanated terrifying might. Even suppressed by this world's rules, its dreadful power was something Xiao Tian did not doubt in the slightest. "Human, you cannot hurt me. My grandfather is waiting outside. He's a Venerable."
"Who's afraid of you? I have a protective treasure too, and a Venerable elder.
"Master, hurry and kill him so we can eat his meat."
The Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly summoned her magical treasure, the Seven-Colored Begonia, as she spoke.
Thump!
Xiao Tian reached out and rapped the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly on the forehead, leaving her dizzy and seeing stars.
This demonic insect needed frequent knocking into line if she was to behave.
"Then lend me a leg so the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly and I can comprehend the Great Dao.
"Also, you must swear upon your Dao heart that you won't have anyone else take revenge on me in the future. If you're personally dissatisfied, you're welcome to come find me anytime.
"Otherwise, I'll certainly kill you today and use your flesh to help Little Butterfly and me comprehend the Great Dao."
Xiao Tian spoke without the slightest courtesy.
He wanted to taste Bi Fang meat, but if he ate the bird, all these people and primordial remnants would spread the news, and then he would be in serious trouble.
What he hated most in life was beating the young only to have the old come after him.
"Fine."
The Bi Fang Divine Bird was decisive and agreed immediately.
The next instant, before Xiao Tian could act, he used the power of his runes to sever his only leg and handed it to Xiao Tian.
After doing all this, the Bi Fang took out a jade cauldron containing a sealed wisp of unusual purple flame and swallowed it. The next instant, he bathed in bright yellow firelight, rapidly growing another leg.
Bi Fang loved eating fire, feeding wherever flames arose. In ancient Chinese mythology, it had been a symbol of fire disasters.
That purple flame belonged to a fire-type primordial remnant, the Purple Qilin.
Xiao Tian suddenly felt that the Bi Fang was actually somewhat similar to the Fire Calabash Brother's Innate Origin Panel he would fuse with in the future.
The Bi Fang Treasure Art might suit him quite well.
Xiao Tian casually put away the three-meter-long Bi Fang leg.
"Little Bi Fang, this has been a very pleasant collaboration. Would you like to taste some Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly meat too? Eating the flesh of such a powerful fierce insect would surely be of great benefit to your cultivation!"
Xiao Tian said.
Hearing Xiao Tian's words, the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly stared at this shameless fellow with her bright compound eyes and nearly turned to flee. But she knew she could not escape. She had tried running many times before, only to be caught each time. That fellow had even cut off two of her legs to sample Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly meat.
"Giving him a few legs to eat is no big deal. They'll grow back with a little cultivation.
"This bird looks pretty stupid. Let's find a way to get his Bi Fang Treasure Art. You'll sacrifice a few legs, but gain the Bi Fang Treasure Art in return. That's the true path of evolution."
Xiao Tian transmitted his voice to counsel the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly, afraid she might take things too hard.
At the same time, he transmitted his voice to the Bi Fang and continued coaxing him. "Not only can you eat Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly meat, you could also obtain her innate bone text. What's sacrificing one leg compared to that? You'll gain the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly race's Treasure Art. That's the true path of evolution."
"There's no hurry. Let's work together first to seize divine weapons and treasures. Afterward, we can take our time exploring ways to grow stronger."
Xiao Tian continued advising each of them separately.
Although fierce beasts valued their innate treasure bones as dearly as their lives, Xiao Tian knew that he was not actually asking them to die. He understood the law of "smells good after all" all too well, otherwise known as "you'll have to pay more."
Just look at the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly and the Bi Fang Divine Bird. Weren't they already a little tempted?
Everyone knew that if either of these two powerful natural-enemy races ate the other, their strength would surely rise another level and undergo some profound transformation. This information was imprinted within both their bloodlines.
In truth, the temptation was greater for the Heaven-Splitting Demon Butterfly, because she was the weaker party, the one destined to be eaten. Obtaining the Bi Fang's Innate Treasure Art and consuming his Flesh-and-Blood Treasure Medicine would certainly bring her tremendous benefits.
The key was having someone as powerful as Xiao Tian to suppress them, persuade them with reason, and move them with his fists.
Meanwhile, Shi Hao stared at Xiao Tian from the Deer-Chasing Academy and could not help rubbing his eyes, feeling that he must have seen wrong. There... there were two Big Brother Xiao Tians.
What's going on?
He was certain that the person beside him was Xiao Tian. No wonder he had used the alias Li Xiaoyao. Was this some kind of secret cloning technique?
"Nine-Headed King, what's going on with you? I heard you were subdued and became that human Bear Child's mount."
The Nine-Headed Lion ran over to join his good brothers. The Five-Colored Luan Bird approached and addressed him.
"Brother Five, you don't understand. That Bear Child is too powerful. I'm no match for him. Besides, I feel that my opportunity to attain the Dao lies with him, so I willingly became his mount."
The Nine-Headed Lion spoke with shameless candor.
(End of chapter)
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