Little One's baptism

Cries of anguish had been ringing out from the depths of the Great Wilderness lately. The experienced old patriarch, Shi Yunfeng, learned that an aged Suanni was nearing the end of its lifespan, so he entrusted several hunters from Stone Village with an important task.

"The Suanni, an overlord deep in the Great Wilderness, doesn't have much time left. If we can obtain its precious blood for the children's baptism, it will play a vital role in their future cultivation."

Shi Feijiao and Shi Linhu followed the old patriarch's instructions and went to scout the Suanni's territory.

Jun Moxiao recalled that he had a jar of flood dragon treasure blood in his system inventory. He probably wouldn't need it anyway, so he might as well give it to Little One and the others.

"Grandpa Patriarch, this is Venerable-level flood dragon treasure blood that the Willow Deity collected. Please take it."

Jun Moxiao handed the flood dragon treasure blood to the old patriarch, claiming outright that it came from the Willow Deity. He was attributing everything to her now anyway. She also knew that some mighty figure had sent him here, and this way, he wouldn't shock the others.

The old patriarch accepted the flood dragon treasure blood and said excitedly to the Willow Deity, "Willow Deity, thank you."

Ever since Jun Moxiao could speak, he had called the Sacrificial Spirit the Willow Deity. Little Shi Hao had followed his lead. Seeing that she didn't object, the villagers had also adopted Jun Moxiao's name for her, as had the old patriarch.

"Mm! Make the preparations for the Little Fellows as soon as possible. Their first baptism is very important."

The Willow Deity was also astonished by Jun Moxiao's actions. She didn't know where the little fellow had obtained the blood and guessed that the mighty figure who had sent him here might have left it for him. She now thought highly of him, so she played along without exposing him.

About half a month later, the old Suanni's anguished roars rang out through the Great Wilderness again, as though it refused to accept its fate. Its life had finally reached its end.

Shi Feijiao, Shi Linhu, and the others had already crept into the old Suanni's territory, waiting for their chance.

After the village hunters entered the depths of the Great Wilderness, Shi Hao and Jun Moxiao secretly followed on the Green-Scaled Eagle. Jun Moxiao remembered that the old Suanni seemed to have feigned death, then killed the Demon Ape and the Lihuo Demon Bull in its final resurgence. That was quite a spectacular scene, too.

Seeing the old Suanni lying on the ground, Shi Feijiao and the others were excitedly preparing to carry it back to the village when a voice came from overhead.

"Uncle Fei Jiao, everyone, wait! There might be danger."

Shi Feijiao and the others looked up and saw the two boys. He immediately shouted, "Little One, Xiaoxiao, why are you here? Go back right now! It's too dangerous here."

The Green-Scaled Eagle descended, and the two little fellows jumped down.

Jun Moxiao warned them, "Uncle Fei Jiao, I suspect the Suanni isn't dead. It's playing dead."

Shi Hao looked around and spotted many Fierce Beasts approaching. He immediately called out, "Uncle Fei Jiao, look! Fierce Beasts are coming. They might start fighting. Let's hide first."

Just then, a Lihuo Demon Bull and a Demon Ape appeared, along with a pack of vicious Heaven-Flying Leopards. The Lihuo Demon Bull and the Demon Ape began fighting, both seeking to claim the Suanni Beast Body. The scene was explosive.

"Two big fellows really did show up! Everyone, hide!"

Shi Feijiao instructed everyone to take cover. Shi Hao and Jun Moxiao jumped straight onto the Green-Scaled Eagle's back. Following Jun Moxiao's instructions, the eagle flew high overhead and waited patiently.

Sure enough, just as the two great Fierce Beasts were fighting fiercely, the old Suanni suddenly rose, laid down a killing array, and trapped all the Fierce Beasts within it to unleash its final killing strike.

This Suanni likely possessed the cultivation of an Array-King. The other Fierce Beasts couldn't withstand its killing strike at all. Amid a series of explosions, every Fierce Beast inside the array died. After unleashing its final blow, the Suanni exhausted its lifespan, closed its eyes in unwilling resignation, and collapsed.

"Hahaha! What a haul! Not only did we get the Suanni Beast Body, but we also got the precious bodies of a Demon Ape and a Lihuo Demon Bull. Now we won't have to worry about precious blood for the children's baptism."

Shi Feijiao, Shi Linhu, and the others joyfully lifted the two Fierce Beasts. The Green-Scaled Eagle grasped the Suanni Beast Body in its claws, and everyone hurried excitedly back toward Stone Village.

As they passed the entrance to Bei Village, its young genius, Bei Feng, led the villagers out to stop them. Seeing that Stone Village had obtained three precious Fierce Beast bodies from the depths of the Great Wilderness, the people of Bei Village began harboring crooked intentions.

"Bei Feng, what are you trying to do, bringing people here to block us?"

"Leave your precious Fierce Beast bodies behind."

Bei Feng showed no fear at Shi Feijiao's challenge and went straight to robbery. He even shot an arrow at the Green-Scaled Eagle overhead, striking the feathers on its wing.

The two villages had long been at odds, frequently fighting and suffering casualties on both sides. Survival in the Great Wilderness was that brutal. More importantly, Bei Village had Old Bei as its Sacrificial Spirit, a vicious, evil creature. Its villagers were much the same: with an evil Sacrificial Spirit, the people were evil too.

Shi Hao said, "Bei Feng, what kind of daydream are you having?"

Jun Moxiao asked Shi Hao, "Will you handle him, or should I?"

"I'll do it. This is the perfect chance to try out the precious technique I just learned. Go help Uncle Fei Jiao and the others."

With that, Shi Hao charged straight at Bei Feng. With his current strength, he could easily pin Bei Feng to the ground and grind him into the dirt. A single strike of the Green-Scaled Eagle Precious Technique severely injured Bei Feng, and Shi Hao planted a foot on him.

"Sacrificial Spirit Old Bei, come save me!"

Bei Feng couldn't withstand Shi Hao's strength at all and could only call for help. Meanwhile, Jun Moxiao knocked the others down with one punch apiece, turning every last one into a whimpering mess.

In an instant, black mist billowed through the air, and a wolf-like creature appeared overhead. It looked like a cross between a wolf and a bei, baring its teeth with vicious eyes. As the saying went, the wolf and the bei colluded in wickedness; one glance was enough to tell it was no good.

"You've brought me so many tasty humans. It's been ages since I last ate a humanoid creature. Hehehehe...!"

Old Bei looked down upon the people of Stone Village, laughing wildly as it attacked them.

Old Bei was also at the Cave Heaven Realm, a little stronger than the Green-Scaled Eagle. Shi Feijiao and the others were no match for it and were soon knocked to the ground.

"We can't beat it! We have to ask the Willow Deity for help!"

Shi Hao shouted to Jun Moxiao while dodging attacks.

Jun Moxiao called straight into the sky, "Willow Deity, hurry and save everyone! There's an evil creature here!"

Before his words had faded, thunder rolled through the sky and a vortex appeared. An emerald willow branch shot forth like lightning, piercing Old Bei clean through the heart and leaving it no chance to resist.

When a mighty figure acted, the strike was swift, precise, and ruthless, without the slightest hesitation.

Shi Hao let out a long breath. "That was close! Thank goodness the Willow Deity stepped in, or everyone would've been in danger."

In fact, the Willow Deity had been watching Jun Moxiao all along. She had left a soul mark on him, so whenever his life was in danger, she could immediately save him. The little fellow now held quite an important place in her heart.

Once the Stone Village hunters were saved, they joyfully picked up the precious Fierce Beast bodies and headed home.

When the old patriarch, Shi Yunfeng, saw them bring back three precious Fierce Beast bodies-not only the Suanni, but also the terrifying Demon Ape and Lihuo Demon Bull-he grinned from ear to ear.

"Now we won't have to worry about the children's baptism."

Everyone in the village cheered excitedly. This was probably the greatest haul the village had ever brought back.

The children's baptism was the village's foremost priority, since it concerned their future cultivation. The old patriarch ordered everyone to prepare with the utmost care, and under his direction, the preparations proceeded in an orderly fashion.

In an open space in the village, various medicinal liquids had already been brewed in the Great Cauldron.

Collecting the Fierce Beasts' precious blood was also a crucial task. The old patriarch personally handled the Suanni's blood, his movements highly practiced. In his youth, he had often ventured into the Great Wilderness and slain countless Fierce Beasts.

While dissecting the Suanni's skull, the old patriarch discovered that its Suanni Precious Bone was completely intact. He was overjoyed.

"An intact Suanni Precious Bone! It contains the complete runes of the Suanni Precious Technique. Examine the Demon Ape and the Lihuo Demon Bull carefully and see whether they have any precious bones."

An intact Suanni Precious Bone meant a powerful precious technique for the village. The old patriarch thought that obtaining the techniques of the other two great Fierce Beasts as well would make everything perfect.

But their luck wasn't that good. Shi Feijiao and the others found no precious bones in the Demon Ape or the Lihuo Demon Bull. They had presumably been destroyed in the earlier battle.

Once everything was ready, the old patriarch said solemnly, "The precious medicine is ready. Begin the baptism."

Several men tossed Skinny Monkey, Dazhuang, and the other children straight into the large cauldron. The old patriarch poured in the precious blood of the Demon Ape and the Lihuo Demon Bull in turn.

Then he said to Shi Hao, who stood nearby, "Little One, it's your turn for the baptism now. Are you afraid of pain?"

Shi Hao waved his fist. "Grandpa Patriarch, I'm not afraid of pain."

With that, he jumped straight into the cauldron. The old patriarch added the flood dragon treasure blood and gave Shi Feijiao and the others an order.

"Put the lid on!"

The instant the flood dragon treasure blood entered the cauldron, earth-shaking roars erupted, mingled with the howls of Skinny Monkey and the others.

A quarter of an hour later, Skinny Monkey, Dazhuang, and the other little brats could no longer bear the pain. They pushed off the lid and jumped out. Only Shi Hao kept enduring.

The old patriarch poured the Suanni's precious blood into the cauldron and covered it again. In an instant, the roars within grew even louder, and the cauldron itself began shaking. Those roars came from the imprints within the Fierce Beasts' precious blood.

Shi Hao began screaming in agony too, but he gritted his teeth and held on. Having lost his earlier match against Jun Moxiao, he wanted to become stronger. His refusal to admit defeat drove him to continue enduring the baptism.

The old patriarch kept encouraging him from beside the cauldron. "Little One, you must hold on."

Six hours later, the lid was lifted. Shi Hao had absorbed all the precious medicine inside, leaving only a pile of medicinal dregs.

Shi Hao let out a long cry and shot skyward, leaping a full hundred feet out of the cauldron. After landing, he threw a punch at a boulder weighing over a thousand jin near the village entrance.

Bang!

His immense strength shattered the boulder into pieces, drawing loud cries of astonishment from the villagers.

"Heavens! Little One's baptism succeeded. That strength is terrifying!"

The old patriarch was delighted, smiling like a child.

Then the Willow Deity's voice rang out. "Mm! To achieve so much from his first baptism-very good."

At that moment, a system notification sounded in Jun Moxiao's mind: "Witnessed the Heavenly Emperor of Desolation's first baptism. Rewards: the True Dragon Treasure Technique and five Ginseng Fruits from Journey to the West. Master's strength has advanced to the late stage of the Blood Moving Realm."

What an incredible haul! Awesome!

Jun Moxiao asked, Meng Die, will I still need a baptism when I'm five?

The system replied, "No. The Creation Green Lotus's power of creation has a better effect than a baptism."

That was good. Honestly, with the soul of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old, Jun Moxiao would have been too embarrassed to undergo a baptism in public like Shi Hao and the others.

Seeing Shi Hao still cheering, Jun Moxiao decided to make him embarrass himself a little.

"Hey! Little One, you're not wearing any pants."

Shi Hao suddenly came to his senses. His cheeks flushed scarlet, and he ran back into the house to dress, making everyone burst into laughter.

The old patriarch said to the Willow Deity, "Thank you for bestowing the flood dragon treasure blood. It's what allowed Little One to gain so much. When Xiaoxiao undergoes his baptism at five, he'll surely be even more impressive."

The Willow Deity said, "Xiaoxiao is different from Shi Hao and the others. He doesn't need a baptism."

The old patriarch was startled. "Xiaoxiao doesn't need a baptism? Willow Deity, will that really be all right?"

The Willow Deity said, "Don't worry. I've personally examined him. His body is stronger than Shi Hao's."

During his first baptism, Shi Hao had absorbed several types of precious blood. His physical strength had probably reached fifty thousand jin, making him countless times stronger than before.

The old patriarch took out the Suanni Precious Bone from earlier and gave it to Shi Hao, instructing him, "Little One, this is the precious bone the Suanni left behind. It contains the complete Suanni Precious Technique. Study it carefully."

Shi Hao was thrilled. Previously, he had only comprehended the Green-Scaled Eagle Precious Technique from Zi Yun. Now he had the even more powerful Suanni Precious Technique.

He planned to challenge Jun Moxiao again once he learned it.

A few days later, after gaining a little understanding of the Suanni Precious Technique, Shi Hao found Jun Moxiao lazing around and proposed another match.

"Xiaoxiao, let's spar again. I've learned a little of the Suanni Precious Technique!"

Jun Moxiao chuckled. "I think you'll still lose."

The two exchanged blows in an open area, pitting strength against strength and precious technique against precious technique. In the end, Shi Hao still lost to Jun Moxiao's Golden Roc Precious Technique.

Shi Hao asked in surprise, "What precious technique was that? It's really powerful!"

Jun Moxiao said, "The Golden Roc Precious Technique. The Willow Deity taught me. Once you've mastered the Suanni Precious Technique, go ask her to teach you."

Hearing that, Shi Hao immediately became fired up and threw himself into cultivation like a madman every day.