Dark clouds loomed overhead, and black mist enveloped the area. Little Dot struggled with all his might to resist, but ultimately, he could not hold on. His form became increasingly blurred as he shouted in frustration.
Strangely, seeing this little troublemaker being expelled evoked little sympathy from the crowd; many people laughed until their mouths twitched.
"Heh heh."
"Haha."
"I’ll be back," Little Dot said with reluctance, regret, and anger, leaving behind a youthful voice.
"Wait for your return," Grandpa Jingbi squinted his eyes and responded loudly, stroking his graying beard.
"Leave early and return early. Don’t be so obsessed with wealth next time," Uncle Hammer said with a hearty laugh, waving a broken hammer as he bid farewell.
"Alas, poor child, expelled from the Void God Realm. That must be a record in itself; it seems unprecedented," said Old Bird with a sigh. This child was indeed astonishing, willing to go to any lengths to obtain the divine bones.
"Humph!" Little Dot was angry; being expelled was futile to struggle against. He was squeezed out of the Initial Land by the oppressive black mist.
Before him lay a vast wasteland, with shattered walls and ruins exuding an ancient, desolate air. Rubble was strewn everywhere, telling tales of past glory.
Moreover, ancient demonic mountains rose on the horizon, shrouded in chaotic mists, intimidating and reminiscent of the primordial creation.
This was still the Void God Realm, constructed by the gods' mental power. However, it transcended the Initial Land and many other blessed lands, not belonging to the same category.
In the distance, a towering willow tree rooted in the ruins swayed its five tender branches with the wind, absorbing the mist and refining the chaotic energy, casting green radiance.
"Willow God," Little Dot called out softly. He was quite upset, his face showing displeasure as he moved step by step towards it.
The Willow God emerged from a special meditative state, surprised. "Why are you back? With your talent, even if you stayed another half month, your physical body would not have been seriously affected."
"I was expelled," Little Dot said indignantly, grinding his shiny, crystalline little tiger teeth. "I’m very unwilling. Is there any way to fight my way back?"
"Who expelled you? Did you encounter an opponent you couldn’t defeat and were forced out?" the Willow God asked with a gentle, serene voice.
"I was expelled from the Void God Realm. It doesn’t want me inside anymore," Little Dot said dejectedly, lowering his head and kicking a piece of rubble.
"Mm," the Willow God was surprised. Its usually calm and serene demeanor seemed to show some emotional fluctuation. It asked, "What happened? Why did the Void God Realm expel you?"
"I shattered a stone, and then accidentally broke a stele. I extracted a few bones from inside, and then I was warned and had dark clouds pressing down on me," Little Dot explained.
"No, something special must have happened. Be more specific. If you were truly mistreated and received unfair treatment, you can return," the Willow God said.
"Oh. The stele was a record stele, and the stone was a passage of the Void God Realm," Little Dot briefly explained.
Willow God: "…”
For a long time, the willow tree remained silent. The charred tree body absorbed the chaotic mist, and the five fresh willow branches drew energy from the void, seemingly petrified in place.
"Willow God, please speak. Can’t I reason with them to return? I’m very unwilling," Little Dot said with a hopeful expression, asking softly.
"Not possible," the willow tree directly denied him.
"Why?" Little Dot asked nervously.
The Willow God sighed, "Can you really be more outrageous? If it were me, I would not have exiled you."
"I knew the Willow God was the best. Alas, it’s a pity you’re not that heartless Void God Realm."
"If it were me, I would have thrown you into the black beast prison directly," the Willow God said.
Little Dot was stunned and scratched his head. He protested softly, "The Void God Realm is so vast, with so many steles. It doesn’t matter if one more is broken. Besides, it didn’t say not to break them."
"Come back in two years," the Willow God concluded decisively, completely dispelling his thoughts.
"I will come back again," Little Dot ran to the end of the wasteland and shouted at a large blue stone, which was a passage leading to the Initial Land.
"Eh, I can hear that kid’s voice. Is it true? He’s been expelled. Could he still have such great powers?" People in the Initial Land were uncertain, looking at each other.
In the wasteland, the green radiance flowed like water, the Willow God’s body glowed, and then it erupted with a tremendous wave. The five tender branches surged, growing several miles long, and pierced through the sky.
"Rumble."
The void trembled as a portal appeared, thick with mist and auspicious air. It enveloped Little Dot and carried him through the portal.
In the stone village, the Willow God’s body emitted light, casting endless divine radiance over the entire village. Then a mighty will appeared, descending into the tree.
Under the tree, a beautiful child was sitting cross-legged. Her face was as white as jade, with long eyelashes. At this moment, her eyes suddenly opened wide, and she quickly stood up.
"Child, you’re awake. How do you feel?"
"Your body is still, and your spirit is gone. We thought something went wrong with you. You haven’t lost your soul, have you?"
A group of villagers gathered around, looking very worried and anxious.
"I’m fine. With the Willow God’s protection, there’s no danger. I went to a place called the Void God Realm," Little Dot stood up and told them he had merely had a spiritual journey.
"Ah, I should have guessed it was the Void God Realm. I haven’t been there myself," the village chief exclaimed.
"Wow, a spiritual journey. What’s that like? What is the Void God Realm?" Qingfeng asked with curiosity, followed by a group of children who gathered around, chattering and eager for him to explain.
Little Dot described it truthfully, without concealment. The crowd was stunned, and after a while, they burst into laughter.
"I must say, kid, you really can cause trouble. It’s not unfair to expel you."
Everyone laughed heartily, while Little Dot remained with a black face, still indignantly upset.
"We also want to go there to train," a group of children shouted, very eager.
After leaving the Void God Realm, everything returned to normal. Little Dot resumed his training, entering deep mountains and wilderness every day to battle various fierce creatures.
But every night, when he was alone, immersed in his original true comprehension, he found it hard to calm down and would always think about his recent experiences.
This spiritual journey allowed him to see the outside world, filling him with yearning. There were so many strong figures fighting, endless sects, pure lands, and ancient kingdoms contending. He longed to be part of it.
Finally, he told these thoughts to the village chief, who was silent for a long time before nodding. "Child, you indeed need to spread your wings and soar. The stone village is too small; it is no longer suitable for you."
The villagers, understanding but reluctant, gathered around. Watching him learn to walk, babble, and now become so extraordinary, and now about to leave, all the aunts and grandmothers shed tears.
Even the adult men were silent, realizing that the child had grown up. The small stone village could no longer hold Shi Hao; he needed a broader sky to spread his wings.
"Little Dot, how about we go with you?" Er Meng, Pi Hou, and the others gathered around, also eager to see the outside world.
"No," Little Dot said firmly. "Your cultivation is not yet sufficient to venture out of this vast wilderness. You’re still far from ready. Stay here and continue your training."
"Indeed. Er Meng, Pi Hou, you’re both twelve or thirteen now. It’s time for you to get married and start a family before you leave," he added, making their parents and elders oppose the idea even more. The mention of marriage made the children blush with embarrassment.
"I’ll go with Big Brother," Qingfeng said.
No one objected to this, as Little Dot had planned to take Qingfeng to the Supplementing Heaven Pavilion.
"Alright, we’ll set off tomorrow. We’ll train along the way and make our way slowly," Little Dot nodded. Finally, he bid farewell to the Willow God and asked for its advice.
"Go ahead, but be careful on the road. However, you should return before you turn twelve," the Willow God suggested.
Little Dot looked puzzled and asked why.
"To return to Stone Village for the cleansing ritual," the Willow God explained.
In the large tribes, children, noble offspring, and disciples of pure lands undergo several cleansing rituals at the ages of five, ten, and fifteen, using fierce beast’s true blood and rare treasure medicines to refine their bodies and cleanse their organs, as it concerns their future achievements.
Before Little Dot turned five, he had been sealed in a cauldron and refined with the ancient beast’s blood of a mythical Suanni, laying a solid foundation.
"You have good root bones. It’s fine if you undergo the second cleansing a year or two earlier or later, but you must not miss it completely. Remember to come back," the Willow God instructed.
Little Dot nodded earnestly, feeling grateful. The Willow God seemed to place great importance on this, and he wondered what kind of cleansing it would entail.
The departure day finally arrived. The whole village came to see them off. The unicorn, Xiaobai, was glowing with a silvery brilliance, almost transforming into a fierce beast, now the leader of these treasured steeds.
The unicorns and the people of Stone Village had become quite familiar with each other, almost accepting one another.
"Xiaobai, you can’t accompany us this time. The journey is too long and dangerous," Little Dot said, patting its large head.
Bird calls rang out as Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiaoqing descended. Each of them was several meters long, even more mysterious and powerful, their bodies swirling with runes.
In another year or two, they would surely fully mature and dominate the nearby mountains. By then, not only would Stone Village be secure, but the villagers would also face no danger while hunting.
"You can’t come along either, Ziyun. The journey is too far, and it’s really dangerous," Little Dot comforted them, asking them to stay and protect Stone Village.
The three strange birds rubbed their heads against him, showing affection and displeasure, but there was nothing they could do.
In the end, only the golden furball hopped onto his shoulder. Being only the size of a fist, it was convenient to carry around no matter where they went.
Before setting off, the village chief took out a stone box, solemnly opened it, and took out a red feather. "Child, take this with you."
This was left by the little red bird from years ago. The willow tree had healed its injuries, and it left behind a divine feather as a token of gratitude. For some giant tribes, it might serve as a powerful deterrent.
Finally, Little Dot and Qingfeng set out, with the villagers seeing them off for several miles. Many people shed tears, fearing for the safety of the two children, as they were still so young.
The world is vast, and a wilderness of hundreds of thousands of miles makes separation very hard to bear. Many women in the village cried, and even some adult men had tearful eyes.
"Little Dot, make sure to come back soon. We’re waiting for you to take us on adventures," a group of children shouted. By the time they met again, they might have grown up and become parents themselves.
"Goodbye," Little Dot also shed tears. He glanced back one last time, then, with Qingfeng, dashed off into the distance.
Time passed quickly, and several months flew by.
Little Dot and Qingfeng had not yet left the mountains. If traveling on foot, thirty thousand miles would be an astronomical number, but they were adept at finding solutions. Along the way, they subdued many fierce beasts. Traveling by these beasts had a high death rate, so they frequently needed to change mounts.
Their main focus this time was self-improvement rather than rushing. They continued to explore, visiting many forbidden places and narrowly escaping several life-threatening situations.
This was also the reason Little Dot did not bring the unicorn. Having developed feelings for it, he did not want it to die on the road.
"Ah!"
Qingfeng shouted, extremely nervous as they were airborne with the wind howling around them.
Little Dot had captured a fierce bird. The two jumped onto its back and sped across the mountain ranges. The bird went wild, almost throwing them off several times.
But the two children clung to it like two adhesive plasters, controlling it to move in a certain direction.
It was only after several days, when the bird was exhausted and foaming at the mouth, that they let it go. In fact, they also needed to replenish their food and water.
"This is so thrilling," Qingfeng said excitedly. This journey was quite novel to him.
However, it was also dangerous. Sometimes fierce beasts would charge into forbidden areas, provoking incredibly terrifying creatures.
Indeed, the next day they encountered danger. They captured a fierce beast covered in purple scales, whose name they did not know, and it carried them into a swamp, attracting a giant centipede over ten meters long that spewed toxins, instantly destroying a forest.
The purple-scaled beast was killed on the spot, reduced to a pile of white bones. If Little Dot and Qingfeng hadn’t been quick-witted and jumped off to escape, they would surely have been left with nothing but blood and bones.
They did not rush their journey but focused on exploration and training, discovering more than a dozen spiritual herbs and hunting many fierce beasts’ blood, which greatly benefited their cultivation.
After over half a year, they finally emerged from the vast wilderness of thirty thousand miles and reached the frontier of Stone Country.
During this time, Little Dot opened his fifth cave dwelling, with a volcano erupting golden liquid, which flowed into his body.
By now, his head, sides, chest, and back were surrounded by volcanic openings, and he was still only nine years old.
"Big Brother is so strong. In just half a year, you’ve made another breakthrough. Grandpa Chief said it takes at least several years for others to open a cave dwelling," Qingfeng said in awe. In his young heart, this peer was almost invincible.
"It’s still not enough. I need to become even stronger," Little Dot whispered.
In these months, Qingfeng had also made rapid progress. With Little Dot’s help, he hunted many fierce beasts, underwent true blood cleansing, and consumed spiritual herbs. He had entered the Blood Transition Realm and was nearing the mid-stage.
His runes were deep, but his only weakness was his physical strength, which was not enough to rival pure-blooded divine birds and the descendants of fierce beasts like Little Dot.
Finally, they entered Stone Country, but not by the same route as last time. Instead, they passed through another city.
"Eh, I can sense the Void God Realm, but unfortunately, I can’t enter," Little Dot discovered when they arrived in a large city in Stone Country.
“小风，你去虚神界看看，找找名叫锤叔、鸟爷、精璧大爷的人，询问一下补天阁在哪里，该怎么走。”
上次他在虚神界的停留不到一天，根本来不及询问这些问题。
最终，清风盘坐下来，静心凝神，进入了虚神界，终于成功进去了。
整整过了半天，小清风才将精神收回，慢慢睁开了眼睛。
“怎么样？”小不点期待地问，实际上他非常怀念那个神秘的世界。
“小哥哥，我没想到你如此出名，那片世界因为你而沸腾了。”小清风激动地说道。
“怎么了？”
清风回答：“你做了那么多事，摧毁了虚神界的通道，打破了重瞳者的纪录，还毁掉了纪录碑。虽然大半年没有出现，但你已经成了传说中的人物。不过名声并不怎么好。”清风小心翼翼地补充道。
小不点脸色变得阴沉，摸了摸下巴，显然对这些事情耿耿于怀，心里还想着再杀进去一次。
“锤叔说漏嘴了，现在不少人可能知道你要去补天阁、逐鹿学院的事情。现在那片世界已经疯狂暴动，似乎很多人都想跟着去补天阁和逐鹿学院。”清风带来了这样的消息，略显忐忑。
事实上，此时的虚神界确实掀起了一场巨大的波澜，所有这一切都因为那个传说中的破坏孩子又要出现了，而且是在现实中。
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