Little Solitary Mountain Town was a small settlement, situated on the outer reaches of the Vast Mountain Range. With a population of around two thousand, it lay over a hundred miles from Stone Village.
This world was vast and boundless, with endless forests and many primordial beasts and poisonous insects. Human settlements were scattered across the primitive mountains, each isolated and difficult to connect with the outside world.
Although it was just a town, neither Stone Village nor the nearby Bie Village saw visitors for half a year or more. The mountain roads over a hundred miles were blocked by ancient forests, filled with fierce birds, venomous insects, and dangerous beasts, making travel extremely perilous.
Indeed, this was a common situation everywhere. Even between Stone Village and Bie Village, which were only a few dozen miles apart, the two clans rarely met, sometimes not for months.
However, today, outside Little Solitary Mountain Town, the sounds of horses and the clatter of armor were heard. A group of iron-clad cavalry appeared, charging through the endless mountain range and passing through various territories of fierce creatures, arriving here safely.
Among the dozens of riders were scaled horses, with a few central figures riding on mutated scaled horses adorned with single horns, their entire bodies shining with silver scales, exuding a formidable aura.
The leader was a middle-aged man with flowing black hair and eyes glowing with streaks of golden light. His pupils had nearly turned into pale gold. As he looked towards the town, beams of golden light shot out, exuding an intimidating presence.
Among the other horned-scaled horses, two young men, a young woman, a boy, and two little girls sat. They looked intelligent and agile, each possessing a beautiful and charming appearance.
The people of Little Solitary Mountain Town were stunned. It was rare for outsiders to visit, and recently, several large clans had arrived in waves, each one more powerful than the last.
Given the current trend, more people were expected. The town's vacant courtyards were fully occupied, and some people and horses had moved into the households.
As this group entered, another, even more impressive group arrived. This time, a dragon-like creature led the way, measuring over twenty meters long, with shimmering scales and a pair of massive wings. It flew overhead, casting a large shadow on the ground. On its back were a middle-aged man and three children: one around five or six years old, another younger, and one around eleven or twelve years old. They all had remarkable auras.
The three children leaped from ten meters in the air. The wind roared as the smallest child, with eyes shooting out beams of light like a golden-winged roc's cub, descended and landed with a powerful impact.
The townspeople were horrified. Despite being only five or six years old, the child exuded a fierce aura that suggested he could tear apart fierce birds and giant beasts with his bare hands.
"Is this town named Little Solitary Mountain because the ritual spirit is a mountain?" the eleven or twelve-year-old child muttered.
At the town's entrance stood a stone tablet inscribed with three large characters: Little Solitary Mountain.
"Look, it really is a spirit mountain. It must have been revered and offered numerous beast sacrifices by the townspeople, which likely nurtured rare and extraordinary true blood within it. Uncle San, if you kill this ritual spirit, I want to use its blood to refine my body. It will surely be very beneficial," said the youngest child, only five or six years old, with a commanding presence and a fierce gaze like a wild beast.
The townspeople were shocked. Killing their ritual spirit was akin to destroying the town itself.
Fortunately, the middle-aged man did not heed this suggestion. He scolded, "Jiaopeng, if you dare speak out of turn again, I'll send you back immediately."
"I’ve killed before. I once bathed in the blood of a ritual spirit, and it was remarkably effective," said the youngest child, Jiaopeng.
"Be quiet," the middle-aged man said, his eyes flashing like lightning. "Mountain and rock ritual spirits must not be disturbed, or you might provoke a mountain god."
"This is so boring. We can’t go into the deep mountains to find treasures, and we can’t capture ritual spirits. What’s the point of coming to this desolate land?" Jiaopeng grumbled.
"Child, you have quite the ambition," came a laugh from a distance.
Outside the town, in the ancient forest, a huge beast bone, six or seven meters long, unknown in origin, glowed with a white light, covered in dense, flashing runes, and was held a foot off the ground as it sped towards them.
Several figures stood on it, led by an elder wearing feathered clothing and a golden crown. His body exuded wisps of purple aura, shrouding him in an ethereal and formidable presence.
Beside him were a young man in his twenties, two teenage girls who looked like they stepped out of a painting, and two very young boys with bright, lively eyes.
As they approached, the group dismounted from the beast bone. With a flash of light, the six or seven-meter-long bone shrank rapidly to the size of a palm, smooth and gleaming, and fell into the elder's hand.
Clearly, this was an extremely valuable treasure capable of flying close to the ground and shrinking to a mere inch in size.
"So it’s the esteemed elder from the Purple Mountain Clan. Nice to meet you," said the middle-aged man who had arrived on the dragon-like beast.
The elder, who was the uncle of the Purple Mountain Marquis, smiled and said, "The Luo Fu Great Marsh has indeed produced an extraordinary little fellow. Not even six years old, yet so powerful. In ten years, he will surely make a name across this land."
"Flattery will make his tail stand up," the middle-aged man from Luo Fu Great Marsh shook his head.
"How about a duel with your grandson?" Jiaopeng, the five or six-year-old, asked, his eyes gleaming fiercely as he looked at the two children opposite with a challenging expression.
One of the children’s eyes glowed with purple light, growing strong like a hidden beast.
It was clear that the clans were not as harmonious as the adults made them seem. The children’s enmity and the immediate challenge indicated underlying tensions.
"An interesting little fellow. Do you really want to spar? Let me add a bit of flair. I have a jar of very rare beast true blood here. I’ll give it to whoever wins," the elder smiled and said, then looked at the middle-aged man.
"Well, in that case, I should also make a contribution. I have a jar of rare blood from a different kind of fierce bird," said the middle-aged man from Luo Fu Great Marsh.
"Hey, a duel? My Thunder Clan is very fond of these things. How could we be left out?" came a voice from afar, followed by the sound of thunder.
In the primitive forest, a large ancient beast skin with flashing runes, about three meters long, exuded a primitive and ancient aura. It seemed like a resurrected ancient relic, causing shivers.
The beast skin carried a group of people: a young man in his twenties, an old servant, and several children ranging from five or six years old to teenagers, both boys and girls.
They were covered in black lightning, and the rumbling sounds could be heard from a distance, shaking the mountains and valleys.
"I also have precious blood as a wager," the young man, robust and strong, said softly to a small boy with a tiger’s head and a cute girl, "Ming Yuan, and Ya Ya, you two should go up and subdue the Purple Mountain Marquis’ two favored children."
With a flash, the beast skin shrank to the size of a palm and fell into the young man’s hand as they stood on the ground.
"Everyone is a genius. Who is the strongest? Our generation has fought for many years. It’s good for the younger generation to have a chance to spar," said someone from the town who had arrived.
"Of course, there must be a wager. If it's not blood from ancient relics, don’t bring it out," someone else added, causing everyone to gasp. The stakes were indeed astonishing.
Little Solitary Mountain Town was unusually restless that day. The townspeople were on edge and anxious due to the arrival of so many powerful figures in recent days.
"Very well, let’s have the teenagers or even younger children compete and see who is the number one prodigy," someone proposed.
While Little Solitary Mountain Town was engulfed in such turmoil, Stone Village a hundred miles away remained peaceful and harmonious. The villagers were excited and joyous because a significant event was about to take place.
Little Shihou had completed his training in just half a month. He had integrated the bone scripts into his flesh and blood, making his entire body luminous and pure. When using his treasure techniques, he no longer consumed his own essence. Instead, he began to refine the world's essence, drawing divine energy into his body, making him lighter, healthier, and more invigorated.
The clan leader decided to use the treasure body of the Suanni, the precious horn of the Li Huo Bull Demon, and the arm of the Demon Ape for his baptism. These would be combined with the true blood and precious bones of ancient relics and refined in a cauldron.
Naturally, the other children would not be left out. The Suanni was enormous, with ample essence, and all the children would receive a rare and significant transformation.
With a serious expression, the clan leader asked, "Child, are you prepared? Normally, the baptism would be conducted at age five. You are too young now, and I worry you might not endure it."
"Grandpa Clan Leader, I’m not afraid. I will definitely hold out until the end," the little one said, blinking his big eyes with determination.
"Very well then. I will have people bring the golden Suanni, the Li Huo treasure horn, and the Demon Ape King’s arm. We shall proceed today," Stone Yunfeng made the decision solemnly.
"Grandpa Clan Leader, if the baptism is successful, will my strength improve?" the little one asked curiously.
"There will be surprises. You won’t be weaker than the prodigies of the great clans. Even if you are young, I believe you will show extraordinary results if you face them," the old clan leader replied seriously.
Although he had watched Little Shihou grow up, he was repeatedly astonished by the child’s performance. The little fellow’s achievements were so remarkable that it made one suspect he might be a humanoid offspring of an ancient fierce beast.
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