Venerable Golden Spider

Only after the two saw Li Dao leave did their hearts finally settle back into their chests.

"Let's go, hurry! What a strange fellow."

"Heh heh, a few pieces of Essence Jade for nothing. What a windfall!"

Li Dao took a step, and amid flickering lightning, he appeared a hundred meters away.

Before long, he spotted a crowd gathered together.

At the center of the crowd stood Lord Bird and Grandpa Jingbi.

Holding a small booklet, they were loudly hawking their wares:

"The untold story of the Little Devil King and the Rain Clan! Learn the whole truth for just a hundred pieces of Essence Jade!"

"Step right up! Don't miss out!"

"Buy a copy and get a piece of news about the Little Devil King for free!"

The people gathered around immediately began pointing at the pair and commenting.

"Heh, those two old fellows are out swindling people again!"

"Exactly! Last time, the Rain Clan spent so much Essence Jade here, only to get false information. The Rain Clan put a bounty on them, and now they're back again!"

"How could the Rain Clan have time to bother with something like this now?"

"First there was the Little Devil King, who looted their outpost, then Bear Child, who burned down the ancestral land. Tsk, tsk, the Rain Clan really has rotten luck!"

"But speaking of rotten luck, weren't those dozen or so factions even worse off?"

"That's true. Shi Yi treated them like strays by the roadside and used them to rack up a record!"

Li Dao drew closer and listened to their discussion. The corner of his mouth twitched, and an odd look entered his eyes as he turned toward the two old men.

"Do you really give away news about the Little Devil King with every booklet?"

Hearing the question, Lord Bird answered without a second thought:

"Of course! We know the Little Devil King personally. Our information is guaranteed to be true!"

"That's right. Want to buy a copy?"

But the moment they turned around and saw the Ghost-Face Mask and sensed that familiar aura, both their expressions changed.

"Heh heh, sorry, everyone. We're closing for the day."

"If you want a booklet, come back tomorrow!"

Li Dao was rather speechless at this. He followed them to a deserted spot, then said:

"Tsk, tsk, business is booming for you two, isn't it?"

Grandpa Jingbi showed not the slightest embarrassment and replied casually:

"Not bad, not bad. It's all thanks to you. Otherwise, we wouldn't have hooked so many people."

"Want to leave us some proof? It might help us sell even more!"

Li Dao gained a whole new understanding of how low they could sink. Rather than beat around the bush, he asked directly:

"Tell me, what interesting things have happened lately?"

Lord Bird was about to ask him for something in return, but at the unfriendly look in Li Dao's eyes, he swallowed his words and said:

"Ahem."

"As for recent events, quite a few things have happened."

"After matters in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range were settled, Shi Yi came out and wiped out more than a dozen clans. They were all minor clans, but he still broke your record."

"Next, the Stone Kingdom's Second Ancestral Land was burned down, and the Rain Clan was caught up in it."

"Lastly, the Heaven Mending Pavilion is recruiting disciples. Many young prodigies will be heading there."

"Well, kid? For all that news, how about giving me the bronze fragment as payment?"

Having finished, he rubbed his hands together, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

Li Dao pondered what he had heard, but that final remark left him staring speechlessly at the old man.

He simply took all the Essence Jade out of the Star Bag at his waist and pressed it into the old man's hands.

"That's everything I own. Thank you both for the information, seniors."

"I still have something to do, so I'll be leaving!"

Without waiting for either of them to react, he hurriedly vanished from the spot.

If I stay any longer, the people from Demon Spirit Lake will arrive!

The two waved in the direction Li Dao had disappeared. They had only made the suggestion casually, and getting so much Essence Jade already left them thoroughly satisfied.

After Li Dao left, in a great hall at Demon Spirit Lake, an elder heard a disciple report that all the disciples guarding the Starting Ground had perished.

The elder wore golden robes, his face stern and his body radiating the aura of a venerable. A vein throbbed at his temple.

"It must be that brat again! Damn him!"

His venerable aura surged outward, forcing the cultivator reporting below to bend his already bowed back even lower.

Venerable Golden Spider's expression turned exceedingly ugly upon hearing news of Li Dao.

Because of Li Dao, all of Demon Spirit Lake had suffered utter humiliation.

If he had not gone through his disciple Shi Ziteng to have Shi Yi suppress Li Dao's reputation,

who knew how the outside world would have viewed Demon Spirit Lake!

Now that he had news of Li Dao, how could he possibly sit still?

And the moment Li Dao returned, he had slaughtered Demon Spirit Lake's cultivators. It was simply unforgivable!

With that thought, he stormed straight into the Starting Ground. But by the time he arrived, Li Dao was long gone!

"Damn brat! You'd better pray I never run into you!"

Li Dao naturally knew nothing of Venerable Golden Spider's roars.

He slowly awakened atop the Sacrificial Altar, a golden gleam flashing in the depths of his eyes. This trip to the Void God Realm had not been wasted.

He had gathered plenty of news, though he did not particularly care about Shi Yi's exploits.

What interested him was the Heaven Mending Pavilion's recruitment of disciples.

Sitting cross-legged atop the Sacrificial Altar, he considered his next move.

But just as he was thinking through his plans, the earth began to shake with a thunderous rumble.

The violent trembling jolted Li Dao out of his thoughts. He rose and looked into the distance.

Earth and stones flew, dust billowed, and ancient trees toppled. Something enormous was charging toward him.

Li Dao's gaze sharpened, Lotus Dao Patterns shimmering in his eyes.

At the center of the dust cloud, a mountain-sized Red-Horned Rhino charged forward with bloodshot eyes.

Ahead of it, a Five-Colored Pheasant with bright but somewhat disheveled plumage sprinted at full speed, its golden claws pounding the earth.

An odd look flashed through Li Dao's eyes when he saw the Five-Colored Pheasant.

Isn't that the pheasant that took me to the Yin-Yang Flood Dragon's secret realm last time?

To think I'd run into

it here again. He could not help muttering inwardly.

We really are fated to meet.

And its way of making an entrance is as distinctive as ever!

While he was grumbling inwardly, the Five-Colored Pheasant, pursued until its heart nearly leaped from its chest, spotted Li Dao standing beneath an ancient tree.

Two streams of tears spilled from its eyes, and it immediately ran toward Li Dao.

"Help!!!"

The strange voice snapped Li Dao out of his thoughts, and he looked toward its source.

Seeing the Five-Colored Pheasant with tears already streaming down its face, he froze.

This pheasant can talk now?!

Ripples of surprise spread through his heart, but while he stood stunned, the Five-Colored Pheasant was already rushing toward him.