Chapter 68: The Unicorn

Early in the morning, mist shrouded the mountains and forests, creating a dreamlike haze. A sliver of red light appeared on the mountaintop as the sun emerged, casting warm rays that turned the morning fog into a pale golden hue, a flowing aurora of light.

The villagers of Stone Village were already awake. A group of children were exercising under the morning glow, their breaths visible as they exhaled with vigor, each as strong as a young Pixiu.

Little Shihou watched them from the side, feeling reluctant to part as he prepared for his journey. Zi Yun, the Great Peng, and Xiao Qing huddled close, unwilling to let him go and determined to follow, but he had refused their company.

The journey was too dangerous. Spanning three hundred thousand miles, this long trek would take him through countless mountain ranges, fraught with peril. Among the towering mountains, immense and terrifying creatures were not uncommon, including various unknown and fearsome avian beasts.

During his training, Little Shihou had witnessed a fifty-meter-long giant bird soaring through the sky, unleashing a fiery breath that turned a mountain peak into molten lava. On another occasion, he saw a raptor over a hundred meters long dive into the clouds, snatch a dragon, tear it in half, and devour it, with blood raining down on the mountains.

Although Zi Yun, the Great Peng, and Xiao Qing were extraordinary and could fly and traverse the land, they were still not fully grown. The journey would be far too perilous for them.

Who knew when a giant bird might suddenly emerge from some mountain range and tear them apart while they were still maturing?

Giant birds soared through the skies with incredible speed, but they were also highly conspicuous, making them potential targets for aerial predators, which might be even more dangerous than navigating through the forests and mountains.

"Little Shihou, are you really leaving?" A group of children finished their exercises and gathered around him.

"Yes," Little Shihou nodded. He had made his decision yesterday, and it would not change now.

"Three hundred thousand miles is so far. We're still so small. Why do you need to go such a long distance?" The children’s eyes widened at the thought of such an astronomical distance.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." Little Shihou glanced at a group of unicorns not far away. Since they couldn't fly, catching one of these swift beasts as a mount would be a good alternative.

"Ah, you're going to catch a unicorn?" The children’s faces lit up with excitement. They had long wanted to do so, but their abilities were insufficient.

Even adults like the Stone Forest Tiger and Stone Flying Dragon had been planning to do this but had not dared to act rashly. Unicorns, with their pure white and shimmering silver scales, were very powerful and not easily subdued.

Of course, their fame was not due to their combat abilities. Compared to their ability to travel ten thousand miles a day, their so-called "strength" was relatively minor.

Little Shihou stood up, identifying a majestic male unicorn among the herd. It was as if burning with silver flames, with long, slender limbs, a robust build, crystal-like eyes, and a single horn on its forehead emitting silver light.

"That's the one."

Once he had his target, Little Shihou bypassed Stone Village and entered the underbrush, approaching from another direction to corner the unicorn. The children watched with wide eyes, holding their breath in anticipation.

"What are these kids up to?" The adults were also alerted.

"What? They’re going to catch a unicorn?" With a rush, men, women, and children from the village gathered by the lake to watch.

Little Shihou emerged from the underbrush and charged toward the lake, closing in on the unicorns and focusing on the tall one in the middle.

The lake's edge stirred with agitation. The rare birds and beasts living there began to cry out in hostility towards this uninvited guest, despite his youth.

The unicorn herd, evidently a wise race, recalled that Little Shihou had once lifted a boulder weighing a hundred thousand jin with one hand. They became uneasy, their bodies glowing.

"Little Shihou, be careful!" The villagers cried out.

The unicorns erupted into action, their hooves pounding the ground, their bodies interwoven with symbols, all launching a coordinated attack.

A buzzing sound filled the air as silver light poured down like a torrential rain, creating a blinding white expanse that was hard to evade, piercing through some rocks upon impact.

Little Shihou maintained his speed but spread his arms wide, swiftly moving sideways for dozens of yards, like an eagle soaring through the sky. His movements were graceful and powerful, far beyond what one would expect from a child.

"What incredible agility!" Even the old clan leader was astonished.

This was a movement technique Little Shihou had learned from the "War God Chronicle" while studying the "Divine Beast Illustrations," inspired by the trajectories and symbols observed in the battles of the Golden-Winged Great Peng against deities.

Now, golden symbols flickered on his arms, generating a gust of wind as if he were a small golden peng, cutting through the sky with elegance and a hint of sharpness.

"Whoosh," "Whoosh."

The unicorns neighed loudly, their horns glowing brightly as they shot beams of light forward. The beams were formed by symbols and looked like lightning if not observed closely.

Little Shihou quickly dodged and took cover behind a boulder weighing over ten thousand jin. However, as soon as he crouched, the boulder was shattered with a "puff," and debris flew everywhere.

He dashed to one side, like a golden peng soaring through the sky, drawing an astonishing trajectory and spiraling into the herd of unicorns.

"Wow!" The children cried out. Little Shihou was in mid-air, changing direction with ease, as if he were an ancient divine bird, fast as lightning.

The unicorn herd became restless, their hooves stamping as they could no longer attack together. Their silver scales shone brightly as they raised their heads and neighed, advancing.

"Little Shihou is incredibly fast. In short distances, he’s definitely much quicker than the unicorns. Ordinary people could never approach them, yet he’s directly into the herd," praised Stone Flying Dragon. Even if their own strength increased dramatically, they couldn’t achieve that.

The speed was astonishing, surpassing even the fierce beasts. As Little Shihou entered the herd, the danger increased. A hoof came crashing down, and a massive maw opened nearby, while another beam of light flew in from another direction, making it hard to evade.

With the sound of a divine bell, Little Shihou's body glowed. Divine light transformed into characters, arranging in the air and enveloping him, blocking the incoming attack.

"Go!"

Little Shihou pushed forcefully, sending seven or eight unicorns flying out. His strength was immense; even without the secret power of his bones, his single arm could wield a godly force of one hundred and eighty thousand jin. However, he did not kill them. These beasts were rare, and if they could all be subdued in the future, they would be an invaluable asset to the clan.

"Whoosh."

Little Shihou leaped onto the back of the tall unicorn. Despite its silver scales, its neck was adorned with silver-white mane, which he grabbed and held onto tightly.

The noble steed neighed loudly, its voice resonating like a massive stone bell, soaring into the clouds, truly a magnificent and powerful creature.

"Steed, calm down. Come with me to the outside world. It might be very beneficial for your training," Little Shihou whispered in its ear.

However, the unicorn was enraged. As a fierce beast, it was far from an ordinary horse. It was a rare species with unmatched speed in the mountains.

Generally speaking, unicorns were not creatures that ordinary Blood Transformation Realm experts could capture. They were incredibly strong, extremely fast, and possessed simple but extraordinary symbols.

They were descendants of the primordial celestial horses, akin to divine beasts. Though their bloodlines were significantly diluted, they still retained some of their power. However, these symbols only existed in their blood and had not fully formed in their bones, horns, or fur, rendering them less powerful and valuable.

The tall unicorn roared like thunder, struggling continuously, but under Little Shihou's immense strength, its so-called divine power was far from sufficient to escape.

Little Shihou pressed down hard, causing its head to bow. Finally, he jumped to the ground, lifted it up, and charged through the herd.

The unicorns were thrown into chaos, constantly neighing, but they were powerless. Little Shihou was too strong, knocking aside more than a dozen fierce beasts in the process.

“Captured alive, and brought back one just like that!” The onlookers were astonished.

Little Shihou ran swiftly, carrying the tall unicorn back, leaving it with its hooves in the air and unable to move despite its struggles.

Stone Flying Dragon and others had planned for many days but had not yet acted. Now, with Little Shihou’s intervention, capturing the unicorn had been surprisingly easy.

“It’s a prized steed, and it was captured so effortlessly.”

“Little Shihou, catch a few more!” The adults drooled with envy.

“Uncle, if we catch more, they’ll panic and may never return. Let me tame this unicorn first, treat it well, and show it our goodwill. Perhaps in the future, other unicorns might approach us voluntarily,” Little Shihou explained.

“Alright.”

The villagers nodded in agreement. The prospect of owning a prized steed was a dream for many, making them eagerly anticipate Little Shihou’s success.

That day, by the beautiful lake, the unicorn neighed non-stop. Although Little Shihou had captured it, it had not been fully tamed yet. The unicorn continued to resist, galloping wildly over the green meadow.

“Little White, stop being so temperamental. Come with me, and I’ll teach you advanced techniques. In time, symbols will form in your bones and horn, allowing you to become as powerful as Zi Yun and the Great Peng. Only then will you be a truly formidable beast,” Little Shihou persuaded.

By sunset, the tall, majestic unicorn finally submitted and stopped resisting. Little Shihou said nothing more and directly conjured a set of symbols in front of it.

“Ah, the unicorn has stopped resisting!” The children all ran over, eager to ride it.

However, Little White reared up suddenly, nearly kicking snot-nosed Kid in the face and startling him into falling to the ground.

“Oh my, that was close! Almost had the kid vomiting blood,” the snot-nosed Kid exclaimed, dramatically patting his chest.

Though the unicorn was subdued, it did not allow anyone else near it.

On another clear morning, Little Shihou bid farewell to the villagers and prepared to set out.

All the villagers came to see him off, from the ten-year-old elders to infants still breastfeeding, including the clan leader, uncles, brothers, sisters, and aunts—everyone gathered to say goodbye.

“Child, don’t push yourself too hard. If you encounter danger, make sure to retreat,” they advised.

“Little Shihou, be careful on the road. Don’t overestimate your strength, and protect yourself,” they warned.

Everyone gave countless instructions and was reluctant to part. Some aunts and older women had red eyes, already considering Little Shihou as one of their own.

Eventually, Little Shihou set off, riding the unicorn and heading into the distance, waving his hand energetically towards the village.

With a whoosh, a golden light shot up, quickly catching up and attaching itself to the unicorn’s tail.

“Oh, the hairball followed.”

“It’s fine. That little thing is a nuisance. It consumes half a dragon horn elephant a day. Without Little Shihou, we couldn’t afford to keep it.”

“That’s a golden Zhu Yan; it might help Little Shihou a lot.”

In the sky, Zi Yun, the Great Peng, and Xiao Qing let out long cries and followed him, escorting him for over a hundred miles. Reluctantly, they returned after Little Shihou’s constant reminders.

“Ancient country, here I come,” Little Shihou murmured, clenching his fists tightly, then guiding the unicorn into a silver streak that dashed towards the endless mountains, ready to cross the ranges and venture into the unknown.

The unicorn’s speed was truly remarkable, and its keen senses avoided many dangerous beasts and fierce birds. By noon, they had traveled three or four thousand miles.

The unicorn was indeed extraordinary, crossing mountains and valleys with ease.

Suddenly, a fist-sized golden hairball squealed loudly, its fur standing on end, eyes wide open with agitation.

At the same time, the willow tree in Stone Village, its tender branches glowing green, shot up into the sky, and the blackened tree trunk shook violently, shedding a shower of cracked old bark.