Willow Deity

Li Dao looked at the Five-Colored Pheasant over there, recounting his brilliance and might, and his expression grew rather awkward.

The way the pheasant put it made even him feel embarrassed.

"Really? So the Little Devil King could easily handle Cave Heaven Ferocious Beasts while he was still in the blood moving realm!"

"Tell us more! If our fellow disciples learned that we met the Little Devil King, just imagine how much glory we'd bask in!"

"Ahem, listen closely now. On the day the boss descended into this world, profound lightning thundered endlessly across the nine heavens, accompanied by visions of the four great divine beasts..."

Li Dao watched the Heaven Mending Pavilion disciples listen solemnly to the Five-Colored Pheasant's nonsense, their eyes brimming with curiosity.

He was rather speechless:

These are supposed to be outstanding disciples of the Heaven Mending Pavilion, and they believe this stuff?

Just as the Five-Colored Pheasant was getting into the swing of his tale, Xia Youyu approached Li Dao with graceful steps.

A gentle smile rested on her face. Seeing Li Dao's awkward expression put her in quite a good mood.

So even the decisive, ruthless Little Devil King has moments of embarrassment. He actually looks like a young boy now.

Though she thought this, she naturally did not say it aloud. Instead, she smiled faintly and said to Li Dao:

"Fellow Daoist Li, where are you headed on this journey?"

Li Dao had nothing to hide about such matters. He nodded to Xia Youyu and said:

"I've heard that the Stone Kingdom Imperial Capital is magnificent, with opportunities everywhere and cultivators gathering from all corners. That's why I wanted to take a look."

Hearing his words, Xia Youyu's expression immediately grew a little strange. Her lips parted, but she seemed hesitant to speak.

Li Dao found this odd and said directly:

"Fairy You Yu, if you have something to say, please speak freely."

Only then did Xia Youyu say softly:

"The direction you're traveling in leads to the Fire Kingdom, Daoist Brother."

Li Dao's heart gave a jolt. Judging by Xia Youyu's expression, she did not seem to be joking.

He could not help grumbling inwardly:

No wonder I still haven't left the Great Wilderness after all this time!

I've been going the wrong way.

He felt rather helpless. In a world like this, mighty beings could reshape the terrain with a mere lift of their hands.

A map might have been drawn just today, only for a single battle to turn forests into deserts and towering mountains into deep valleys.

Fortunately, he had met Xia Youyu and the others along the way. Otherwise, he would have ended up hopelessly lost.

"Thank you for the reminder, Fairy. Without you, I might have entered the Fire Kingdom without even realizing it."

Seeing that Li Dao showed no embarrassment and readily accepted the correction, Xia Youyu's opinion of him rose further.

"It's nothing. Meeting is a matter of fate. I'm glad I could help you, Daoist Brother."

Li Dao nodded. The distance between them had diminished considerably, and he said:

"Just call me Li Dao, Fairy. Calling me Daoist Brother all the time feels rather distant."

More importantly, it felt strange to have a beautiful woman with a face like flowers and the moon, who was also taller than him, address him that way.

He did not even reach her chin yet, which made it feel rather awkward.

Seeing his reaction, a glint of mischief flashed through Xia Youyu's eyes, and she thought:

So the supposedly decisive and ruthless Little Devil King has this side to him too.

She kept the same pleasant smile on her face as she said to Li Dao:

"All right, I'll call you Little Brother Li Dao. From now on, you can call me Senior Sister Xia or Sister You Yu."

Li Dao was speechless. They were only changing how they addressed each other, yet she still had to claim seniority over him.

But considering that he was not even seven years old, there was nothing he could do. He simply stopped dwelling on it.

Since Li Dao did not object, Xia Youyu did not belabor the matter. Instead, she said:

"Since you want to visit the Stone Kingdom and broaden your horizons, little brother, why not come to our Heaven Mending Pavilion?"

"The Heaven Mending Pavilion will soon open its gates to recruits. When the time comes, families throughout the Stone Kingdom, including those with ancient legacies, will send their younger members."

"It will be quite a grand occasion. Besides, the Heaven Mending Pavilion isn't very far from the Stone Kingdom, so it's convenient enough."

"What do you think, little brother?"

Hearing Xia Youyu's suggestion, Li Dao fell into thought.

After considering it for a while, he nodded to her. Having someone guide him out would spare him a great deal of trouble.

Besides, he was rather looking forward to the grand spectacle of the Heaven Mending Pavilion's recruitment.

Most importantly, he was currently wanted by both the Rain Clan and Demon Spirit Lake, and he needed to find a powerful backer.

He did not know whether any other major power would stand up for him and offend those two great forces.

However, he did know a little about the Heaven Mending Pavilion.

The old vine doesn't have long to live. Presumably, offending a few more people won't matter.

Besides, it's the last pure land in the Great Wilderness. Those fellows should restrain themselves a little there.

Seeing Li Dao ponder for so long had made Xia Youyu rather anxious. Fortunately, he agreed in the end.

The smile on her face grew a little more sincere.

"If you join the Heaven Mending Pavilion, little brother, you'll surely show your edge in no time."

"Who knows? Your big sister might even have to rely on you to look after her then."

Li Dao smiled without saying much. It was not as though he had never met women in his previous life. Such teasing words stirred no ripples in his heart.

When Xia Youyu told the other Heaven Mending Pavilion disciples about this, they were naturally delighted.

A figure renowned throughout the Great Wilderness would be joining their Heaven Mending Pavilion. As its disciples, they naturally shared in the honor.

Li Dao did not stand on ceremony either. He immediately called everyone over to prepare a barbecue of the red-horned rhinoceros.

Everyone thanked him again. The flesh of a spirit transformation realm Ferocious Beast was an exceedingly rare treasure.

Their admiration for Li Dao rose another notch.

He took the special seasonings Shi Hao had left him out of his robes, and before long, they began grilling with materials gathered nearby.

Even the fairy-like Xia Youyu ate several extra pieces of roasted meat.

While Li Dao and the others were busy with their barbecue, elsewhere...

Shi Hao had returned to Stone Village with Shi Qingfeng. After settling him in, he went beneath the charred willow at the village entrance.

The charred willow's pitch-black trunk was gnarled like a dragon, marked with streaks left by lightning strikes.

Four or five branches resembling emerald-green divine gold drifted gently in the wind.

Though they moved with the breeze, wherever those willow branches swept

, tiny ripples stirred through the void, carrying a profoundly mysterious resonance of the Dao.

As Shi Hao approached the willow, his expression gradually grew reverent. He bowed slightly to it and said:

"Willow Deity, I completed the hundred-thousand-li path of blood."

"And I successfully brought back that 'me' from the Second Ancestral Land."

As Shi Hao's words fell, the emerald branches on the charred willow stump swayed gently.

A voice that sounded both male and female, as though it came from the distant past yet also from the future, rang beside his ear.

"Well done."

"Even the young of Pure-Blooded Creatures might not be able to complete the hundred-thousand-li trial of blood."