In the dead of night, the firelight flickered, and the old man had black blood in his hair, with an ancient sword embedded in his skull, creating an indescribable eerie scene.
Suddenly, he moved, grabbing the little guy and lifting him up, then began to slap him repeatedly with incredible force. Despite the little guy’s strong physique, the blows were so painful that he could barely endure them.
He almost cursed out loud. Having gone through the trouble of retrieving the broken sword, he didn’t receive any reward but ended up being beaten. What kind of nonsense was this?
The little guy struggled desperately, but the old man’s strength was far greater, swinging his hand like a millstone, landing blow after blow on his behind.
"You old bastard!" The little guy was truly furious. It was the first time he had ever been beaten, and by an old ghost who owed him a favor, no less.
Fuming with anger, the little guy's body glowed, with runes interweaving to form a golden light shield. He released a powerful aura, his arms and legs exerting enough force to potentially flatten a small mountain.
However, the old man remained as steady as a rock, holding him firmly on the ground, his feet unmoving. His blows became even fiercer, causing the little guy’s eyes to roll back in pain, nearly losing consciousness, mostly from sheer rage.
"Old ghost, I’m going to fight you!" He bared his teeth and unleashed all his treasures, but neither the golden lightning nor the silver moon could cut through. They merely clanged off the old man’s body, and the ancient clothes remained intact.
With a swoosh, he used the divine stone to strike the old man, trying to fight back, but ended up being beaten even more severely.
"Ouch!"
"It’s killing me!"
This time, both the divine stone and the little guy cried out in pain, unable to harm the old man. It felt like crashing into an immortal mountain. His bones seemed on the verge of shattering; it was almost unimaginable.
"What’s happening?" Qingfeng woke up, soon realizing the situation. Although he couldn’t see the old man, he had heard ancient legends about such eerie phenomena.
The silver-robed youth also woke up, initially stunned, but then burst into laughter. He was thrilled; this was truly poetic justice.
Er Tuzi was also startled awake, laughing so hard his mouth twisted. "You little brat, weren’t you fierce? Now you’re finally getting what’s coming to you, hahahaha."
Mao Qiu, ever alert, glowed with a golden sheen, showing a lack of loyalty. He didn’t come to the rescue but instead retreated with a swoosh, keeping his distance and watching the show from afar.
As the little guy suffered and was beaten, aside from Qingfeng being anxious, the silver-robed youth and Er Tuzi found it immensely gratifying. They thought it was one of life’s great pleasures.
This was the little guy’s first major defeat. Beaten severely, his entire body ached, and his bones felt like they might fall apart. In his fury, he summoned the Golden Cuttlefish Scissors, but a layer of light shield blocked him from harming the old man.
"Why are you hitting me, ungrateful old wolf?" He was furious, struggling endlessly.
After a long while, even the old man seemed tired from the beating and finally released him, setting him down on the ground. If it were anyone else, a single hit from the old man would turn them into a mist of blood. But the little brat was surprisingly resilient, still full of energy despite the beating. He jumped up, cursing, quickly putting some distance between them, and then removed the small tower, ready for a decisive battle.
"Old man, you’re heartless. I helped you out of kindness, and this is how you repay me?" His eyes blazed with anger.
For some reason, the more he saw the little guy stomping and fuming, the more amused Xiao Tian and Er Tuzi felt. It was incredibly satisfying to see this detestable child finally getting his comeuppance.
The little guy blinked his big eyes, seriously assessing the gap between them. He was extremely dejected. The old man was an ancient being, so powerful that it was impossible to gauge his strength. Even if he used all his might, he wouldn’t be a match.
Seeing the silver-robed youth and Er Tuzi laughing so heartily, his face darkened, and he threw the divine stone at them.
With a loud bang, Xiao Tian clutched his forehead in pain. His head, already covered in lumps, was hit again, and his forehead was so swollen it looked alarming.
Then, the little guy charged forward, sending the nearly laughing Er Tuzi flying. Unable to defeat the old man, he was determined to deal with these two.
"Why are you hitting me?" The little guy was unable to let go of his anger, glaring at the old man. After risking his life to retrieve the broken sword, he received no reward and was beaten instead. What kind of nonsense was this?
In reality, he had always been a headache for others since he started his journey, but this was the first time he had been so thoroughly beaten, which was deeply resented.
The old man looked somewhat dazed, finally coming back to his senses after a while. "It’s for your own good."
"Haha!" Er Tuzi couldn’t help it; his mouth twisted even more from laughing. After giving the fierce child a good beating, the old man actually said something like that. It was bound to drive him mad.
Xiao Tian didn’t dare to be so arrogant, but his mouth twitched with uncontrollable joy. He wondered when he would have such power to beat this little brat and then tease him like this.
Er Tuzi howled in pain, his face twisted as he was knocked away again by the little guy.
"You’ve been advancing too quickly in your cultivation, making some hidden dangers. It’s best to first temper your body and solidify your foundation before moving forward," the old man said.
The little guy had been sulking, but upon hearing this, his heart stirred. This was also his ongoing concern. He had entered the Hundred Broken Mountains not long ago and opened several small realms in quick succession, which was indeed astonishing speed.
Liu Shen had warned him before that cultivating too quickly could lead to significant issues and hidden dangers.
In that ancient small world, the spiritual energy was too dense, and with his deep understanding of rune mysteries and the consumption of various precious medicines, it was impossible not to break through.
He hadn’t sensed any abnormalities but felt his cultivation was indeed too fast, covering the path that would take other geniuses years in just over a month.
Although he hadn’t felt unwell, there was a subtle worry. The old man’s words naturally alerted him, and he hurriedly asked, "Is it very serious?"
The old man seemed to have come back to his senses, his gaze deep and genuinely admiring the little guy’s talent. "It’s not a big problem. You’re indeed very fierce, but only a few minor issues remain. If you sit in meditation at the Spirit Shrine every day, it will be resolved quickly."
"I knew it; I’m the strongest!" He made his fierce and confident declaration once more.
When he came to his senses, he felt like he had been beaten for nothing. Since there was no real harm, why did the old man still hit him? This made him even more resentful.
"You can’t hit me for nothing; you need to compensate."
"Go to the Scripture Pavilion and learn more. One day, everything here, including the mountains and rivers, will cease to exist, and it won’t be long. Just like the ancient times that have passed," the old man sighed deeply, then burst into glaring light that flooded the bamboo forest, blinding anyone who looked.
When the intense light disappeared, the old man’s figure had vanished, leaving only a broken sword that fell with a crisp clang onto the rocky ground.
"What’s going on?" The little guy was dissatisfied, staring with wide eyes, searching in all directions but no longer sensing the old man’s presence.
Mao Qiu scampered over from afar, turning into a golden light to pick up the broken sword and biting it hard. As a result, with a clink, it bared its teeth and threw it back on the ground.
The little guy picked up the broken sword and found that another piece of rust had fallen off, revealing something transparent, like some kind of gelatinous substance.
The broken sword was also assembled from two pieces, glued together with some divine material. Now, with a bit of rust falling off, this transparent gel-like substance was exposed.
Mao Qiu had just tried to gnaw on this substance.
Er Tuzi suddenly jumped up and quickly rushed over, saying, "Let me see it."
The little guy would not give it to him. This was a powerful weapon, and if the Featherless Monster turned around and gave him a sword, it would be a big trouble.
"Could this be divine ointment made from the beaks and horns of ancient mythical birds and beasts? It’s incredible that it’s attached to the broken sword. It can’t be real, can it?" Er Tuzi’s eyes widened as he stared intently at the transparent, gel-like substance.
The little guy was astonished. Was it possible that the sword was assembled from ointment made from the beaks and horns of ancient divine creatures? That would be astonishing.
"No, it shouldn’t be beaks and horns from ancient deities. It seems a bit lacking in divine quality," Er Tuzi shook his head and, seeing the small tower among the little guy’s hair, said, "What’s this? Show me."
"No," the little guy refused.
"This little tower is so perfect. Although it’s as transparent as jade, why do I feel like it’s made of divine bones?" Er Tuzi said, but then quickly shook his head, "You have so many fake items on you."
To cover up, the little guy gave him a good beating, not letting him gloat. The small tower’s origin was mysterious and he found it even more terrifying than the broken sword. He didn’t want others to take notice.
The unfortunate Er Tuzi had his mouth twisted again, but this time not from laughter, but from being pummeled.
In the morning, a ray of dawn light shone in. They opened their eyes, stretching lazily. Although Xiao Tian had been beaten again and his head was still bruised, he finally resolved his issue with the little guy.
This time, he had gained great benefits from eating the roc meat and drinking the monkey wine. After waking up early, he left quickly to continue solidifying his cultivation and prepare for a breakthrough to a higher realm.
The little guy wrapped up the roc meat from the copper cauldron and the roasted remnants from the fire for Qingfeng to take, as it would aid his swift cultivation and help him grow stronger sooner.
But he also cautioned him not to rush too much, as he himself almost encountered problems, serving as a lesson learned.
As the sun rose, the mist in the bamboo forest was dyed with colorful hues, creating a beautiful and dreamlike scene. The morning glow was brilliant, eventually dispersing the morning mist, and the sunlight felt warm on the skin.
The little guy walked confidently towards a forbidden area, a spiritual mountain with myriad rays of dawn light and auspicious colors, and waterfalls cascading down, creating a grand and beautiful sight.
The Scripture Pavilion was built in this beautiful and mysterious forbidden land, and no one could enter without permission. It was the highest sacred place of the Repairing Heaven Pavilion.
Entering this fairyland-like spiritual place, the little guy found it truly vast. The spiritual mountain had dozens of peaks, radiating auspicious light in the morning glow.
An imposing and ancient building stood ahead, with a primitive aura. It had existed since ancient times, bearing much history.
The foundation was laid, and the treasure bones were buried, and the ancient divine array was set up to construct this huge building. Thus, it was hard for time to erode it.
The walls were built with giant stones, magnificent and tall, with tiles sparkling with a faint golden sheen. The building resembled a temple, bathed in a layer of sacred light in the morning glow.
This was the Scripture Pavilion, the most important place in the ancient pure land. The little guy arrived.
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