They returned to the village, and the Fire Emperor saw that his precious daughter had transformed. She had grown up and become even more beautiful.
If Huo Ling'er had been a mischievous little girl before, she was now a mature, noble, breathtaking beauty.
The War Goddess and Xia Youyu had not changed much. After all, they were already mature beauties, though their bearing had changed slightly.
The Fire Emperor said excitedly, "Thank you for your help, Lord Willow Deity. It was thanks to you that Ling'er could awaken her ancestral bloodline."
The Willow Deity said, "There is no need for thanks. Ling'er is also blessed with great fortune. Your clan's bloodline feels somewhat familiar."
"We'll get to the bottom of that later." Jun Moxiao knew that the Fire Clan descended from the Vermilion Bird King, one of the Seven Border Kings.
Meanwhile, Shi Hao stared at the utterly transformed Huo Ling'er, unable to process the change for a moment.
Huo Ling'er said haughtily, "Well? You little brat! Stunned speechless, aren't you?"
Shi Hao exclaimed in surprise, "Junior Sister! Why do you look different? Have you gotten fatter?"
Huo Ling'er stamped her feet in fury. Everyone shook their heads. What kind of taste did this little fellow have?
"Hao Tian, what kind of taste is that? How is Senior Sister Ling'er fat? From now on, call her a beauty."
Jun Moxiao was speechless at the Bear Child's way of addressing beautiful women.
"Next, once you three senior sisters break through to the Cave Heaven Realm, you should reach nine Cave Heavens very quickly. After all, you're only completing your foundations, and you already have cultivation experience. Senior Sister and Sister Bai even reached the Inscription Realm before, so they should be faster still. I recommend a place that's perfect for tempering your bodies."
Jun Moxiao instructed Shi Hao to take the three women to the Taiyin River to continue tempering their bodies. Only then could they go further.
"Hao Tian, take the three senior sisters to cultivate in the Taiyin River. You need to work harder yourself, too. Didn't you say the Celestial Clan invited you to the Northern Sea Kunpeng Nest?"
"That's right! People from the Celestial Clan of the Primordial Divine Mountain came earlier. There was that purple-clad Fat Girl I met in the Hundred Broken Mountains, and an old man who told me there would be a tremendous opportunity—the Kun Peng Inheritance, one of the Primordial Ten Fiends. I felt like they wanted to use me, so I also got a treasure from him, the Divine Armguard."
As he spoke, Shi Hao waved the armguard on his arm and told everyone about the Celestial Clan's invitation.
With a mischievous grin, Jun Moxiao said, "You called her a female Fierce Beast back in the Hundred Broken Mountains!"
Hearing this, Huo Ling'er felt there was something between Shi Hao and that Celestial Clan Saintess. She pinched his waist hard and gave a "Hmph!" Her little lips pouted, and she looked jealous-the kind that no coaxing could soothe.
Watching this, the Fire Emperor shook his head and said, "The Northern Sea Kunpeng Nest. I've heard it holds the Kun Peng Inheritance and countless opportunities! When the time comes, Heavenly Prodigies will gather there for another fierce struggle."
"I've heard that opening the Kunpeng Nest requires a prodigy with Ten Cave Heavens. Hao Tian revealed his in the Hundred Broken Mountains, which is why the Celestial Clan approached him. There is indeed a tremendous opportunity there, but it also depends on luck."
Jun Moxiao knew about the Kun Peng Inheritance, so he asked the Willow Deity to explain the situation to everyone.
"Let's have the Willow Deity tell us about the Kun Peng Inheritance!"
The Willow Deity extended her branches into the air and sensed in the direction of the Northern Sea. With a sigh, she said, "Kun Peng was an unrivaled expert, a Quasi-Immortal King who fell ages ago. Her peerless precious technique was lost as well."
The Willow Deity continued explaining, "Kun Peng was one of the Primordial Ten Fiends. Since she left behind the Kun Peng Inheritance, there may be a chance to obtain the Kun Peng Precious Technique. It is worth competing for. Moreover, restrictions have been placed there. Everyone who enters will have their strength suppressed to the Spirit Transformation Realm."
The Willow Deity thought, That little fellow Moxiao has already passed the Kun Peng Precious Technique to me. Couldn't he just pass it to Shi Hao directly? Why make him compete for it?
Jun Moxiao instructed Shi Hao, "Hao Tian, there's still some time. Work hard to raise your cultivation in the Spirit Transformation Realm. There will be another struggle then, perhaps even fiercer than the one in the Hundred Broken Mountains."
Shi Hao took the three women to the Taiyin River to work hard on improving their strength. They would be staying in Stone Village for some time, while the Fire Emperor said he would return to the Fire Kingdom first. After all, he was the ruler of a kingdom.
The Vermilion Bird stayed behind to wait for Huo Ling'er. After all, Huo Ling'er was her disciple.
The Vermilion Bird grew increasingly curious about Jun Moxiao. He also looked somewhat familiar. The more she looked, the more he resembled the young expert who had fought for the Mountain Treasure before. Although that young expert looked almost exactly like the little fellow before her, he had been an adult.
How strange. The Vermilion Bird could not make heads or tails of it.
In the days that followed, Jun Moxiao entered Lazy Fish Mode. Apart from sleeping soundly every day, he did nothing but sleep. Sometimes he went to watch Shi Hao and the others cultivate, occasionally exchanging a few moves with them.
Seeing his routine, the Vermilion Bird asked the Willow Deity directly, "Does this little fellow not need to cultivate? Can a monstrous genius really be this willful?"
The Willow Deity replied, "Moxiao has been like this since he was little. He also said that although he appears to be sleeping, he is actually cultivating in his dreams."
Watching Jun Moxiao snoring beneath the tree, the Vermilion Bird asked in bewilderment, "What kind of cultivation method is that? Others work themselves to the bone cultivating, yet they still can't compare to him sleeping every day. There's no justice in this! I find him a little familiar. A few years ago, when I fought Zhu Yan, the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, and Qiongqi, I was badly injured. A young man suddenly appeared who looked almost exactly like him. He instantly defeated the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi and seized the Mountain Treasure. Could that have been him?"
The Willow Deity was inwardly speechless. Did this little fellow not even disguise himself when he snatched the Mountain Treasure? How careless. But then she considered how many trump cards he now possessed-even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor Weapon-and no longer worried. Still, she had to warn the Vermilion Bird.
The Willow Deity told the Vermilion Bird, "Keep this secret buried in your heart. Otherwise, you will incur a great karmic burden that you cannot bear."
The Vermilion Bird hastily nodded. When such a mighty figure spoke, she had to obey, and she hurriedly swore an oath.
"Lord Willow Deity, I will keep this secret. But Zhu Yan saw it back then too."
The Willow Deity said, "Don't worry about that little monkey. He is with Shi Hao now and is still undergoing nirvana. Once he emerges from it, he may undergo some changes."
Jun Moxiao woke up just then and said from beside them, "Sister Willow Deity, before Furball shrank, he was over a hundred meters tall. I wonder why he likes being with Little One so much."
The Willow Deity curled her lip and said, "Shi Hao is a Bear Child, and Furball is a little monkey. They both love causing trouble, so naturally they ended up together."
Time flew like a white steed flashing past a crack, and the day the Kunpeng Nest would open arrived.
After nearly a year, Huo Ling'er and the other two women finally opened Ten Cave Heavens. All three felt as though they were dreaming. They had never expected to open the legendary Ten Cave Heavens themselves-the standard for First Generation Supremes in the Upper Realm.
After opening Ten Cave Heavens, the three women took some time to adjust and smoothly broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. Shi Hao had also cultivated to the middle stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm.
Shi Hao asked Jun Moxiao, "Moxiao, are you going to the Northern Sea? It's a shame the Celestial Clan is so stingy. They only gave me one spot."
Jun Moxiao said, "You go ahead! I don't need a spot. I can go whenever I want. Do you three senior sisters want to compete for it too? Still, I suggest you go home and ask your elders first. After all, the Kunpeng Nest is dangerous. Many Venerables will be sneaking inside with their spirit bodies."
The three women said, "We need to go back and discuss it with our elders. We can't decide something this important on our own."
Jun Moxiao offered a suggestion, feeling that the three women had no real need to go.
"Actually, there's not much to it! The most precious thing there is the Kun Peng Precious Technique. As for the other treasures, I think they're fairly ordinary. You senior sisters would be better off working hard to raise your cultivation realms. If Hao Tian obtains the Kun Peng Precious Technique, it'll be as good as ours anyway."
They chuckled, and Shi Hao thought this was a good idea too. After all, if Huo Ling'er went, he would have to spare some attention to protect her!
Shi Hao said, "Then I'll go seize the Kun Peng Precious Technique and bring it back. Once my senior and junior sisters are strong enough, they can learn it anytime. You senior sisters can cultivate without worry."
Jun Moxiao said, "It's settled, then. After all, the Celestial Clan's Flying Treasure Ship only has one spot for Hao Tian, and when it comes to snatching things and robbery, Hao Tian is absolutely the expert."
Everyone burst into laughter as they recalled Shi Hao's exploits in the Hundred Broken Mountains.
The three women returned to their respective families, while Shi Hao set off on his journey to temper himself in the Northern Sea. The Willow Deity opened a passage and sent him straight to the Celestial Clan.
The Willow Deity asked Jun Moxiao in puzzlement, "Moxiao! Don't you already have the Kun Peng Precious Technique? Why make Shi Hao fight for it?"
Jun Moxiao said, "Sister Willow Deity, Shi Hao must fight for his own opportunities. This is his trial. He needs enough trials to grow."
The Willow Deity said, "Mm! Very good. Opportunities are indeed best won through one's own efforts."
Jun Moxiao said, "Sister Willow Deity, send me straight to the Northern Sea! I'd also like to see what those Heavenly Prodigies are like."
The Willow Deity said, "Moxiao, if you go, will they still have anything left to compete for?"
Jun Moxiao said, "I won't snatch anything. I'm only going to look. I've heard the Northern Sea is very mysterious, so I'll go take a look and treat it as a little outing. Sister Willow Deity, would you like to come?"
"All right! I'll send you there, but don't reveal your trump cards. Be careful. I won't be going. With the Enlightenment Tea leaves you gave me earlier, I need to properly study the Original True Understanding: Transcendence Chapter!"
The Willow Deity tore open space and sent Jun Moxiao straight into the sky above the Northern Sea. With her current strength, she could accomplish it with a casual wave. Moreover, the spiritual imprint she had left inside the little fellow's body allowed her to sense his condition at any time. If he encountered danger, she could immediately act to save him.
Before you continue