The little one stared with wide eyes, his mouth forming a "V" shape. It was astonishing that such a small tower, not even an inch tall, had such a significant background.
Then, he thought of a serious issue: What era was the Willow Deity from? Could it be that what it mentioned was witnessed firsthand?
If that were the case, then this Thunder Strike Tree would indeed be terrifying.
"Willow Deity, did you witness this yourself?" the little rascal asked indirectly, but how could his little scheme escape the Willow Deity's notice?
The darkened tree body remained silent, with a dozen green, glistening tender branches dancing in the wind. It spoke calmly and without fluctuation: "I heard about it."
The little rascal's eyes darted around. The response seemed a bit bland, as if unwilling to elaborate further, which made him feel suspicious.
"What was the origin of this small tower? What was its past like?" he asked, wanting to know more.
"The years are too distant to trace. Knowing too much is not beneficial for you and might even be dangerous. You only need to know that this object is extraordinary, a truly divine and unparalleled treasure," answered the Willow Deity.
Moreover, it was very serious, its tone carrying a hint of authority, sternly warning him that some things should not be investigated too deeply, or it might bring about dire consequences.
The little one scratched his head. He really didn’t think the small tower was dangerous. Could this translucent little ornament actually harm him?
"It is missing some parts; the tower's body is fewer layers than before," the Willow Deity said again. "It looks somewhat different now."
The little one was startled upon hearing this. He placed the small tower in his palm and looked down. It now had only four layers, beautiful and transparent, with no visible flaws. He didn’t expect it to be incomplete.
No wonder when he first returned to Stone Village with the small tower, even the Willow Deity didn’t recognize it; its appearance had actually changed.
Soon, the little one thought about what happened in Hundred Broken Mountains. The small tower had absorbed the Phoenix Fire to temper itself, which was clearly to repair the tower body and make it even more translucent and flawless.
The Second Baldy and the Big Red Bird stared greedily at the pristine little tower. If the little rascal weren’t so ruthless, they would have wanted to loot it.
The furball, sneaky and cunning, jumped onto the little one's shoulder, slid down his wrist, and hugged the small tower again. This time, it didn't dare to bite; its teeth still hurt from chewing on it earlier.
Clear Wind was very happy, feeling pleased for the little brother to have such a treasure in hand. If he could activate it in the future, it would surely conquer the world and be unstoppable.
Eventually, returning to the original issue, the little one asked the Willow Deity for help. He wanted the wings of the Sky Devouring Sparrow and the claws of Qiongqi, but they had all been absorbed by the small tower and wouldn’t be released, which made him very unwilling.
"It is mostly unlikely. It absorbs essence and refines itself; in the end, it may only drop a small portion," said the Willow Deity.
The little one, frustrated, grabbed the small tower and began to bite it, venting his anger. The essence and treasure of the pure-blooded beings were so valuable that any small piece could cause a huge stir outside.
The Second Baldy and the Big Red Bird were nervous, eager to taste the pure-blooded beings, but they knew the hope was slim.
A rustling sound came, and some snow-white powder fell like snowflakes. This made the little one cry out in pain; it seemed the small tower was digesting the essence of the bone and had now expelled some fragments.
"This is bone powder from a pure-blooded being; it can be used as a medicinal catalyst and is extremely valuable," the Second Baldy said. The large amount of powder made its eyes shine, and it quickly found a container to collect it.
A willow branch extended, wrapped around the small tower like a piece of jade, and gently shook it. The order runes were misty and emitted a mysterious sound.
With a "thud," two pieces of flesh fell, very large, weighing several thousand pounds, full of vital energy, like two divine bodies emerging from the earth.
The Second Baldy and the Big Red Bird's eyes turned red with desire; they wished they could pounce on it immediately. The little one was also stunned; such gigantic wings and claws, how could there be only this little bit left?
The flesh of the Sky Devouring Sparrow shimmered with a dark light, while Qiongqi's flesh burst with red radiance, both intimidating, with a powerful wave spreading that made people shiver.
"Get two jade bottles; I'll help you refine them," said the Willow Deity.
The little one snapped back to reality, quickly pulling out two jade jars, both transparent and made from the finest spiritual jade, suitable for storing precious medicines.
Two willow branches extended, piercing into the pieces of flesh, and began to shine with dazzling light, green and filled with a peaceful aura, emitting rhythmic Dao sounds.
The two tender branches were wrapped in runes, mysterious and extraordinary. In just an instant, they successfully refined the pure-blooded flesh into its most original essence.
The flesh lost its luster, like dried fossils. On one willow branch, a drop of ink-black liquid swirled, concentrated from the Sky Devouring Sparrow's blood. On the other willow branch, a drop of red liquid sparkled, like a blood diamond, extremely brilliant.
The several thousand pounds of flesh lost their luster; although there was still a lot of divine power, it was no longer valued by the Willow Deity, and no further refinement was done.
A rustling sound
A willow branch wrapped around the small tower and continued to shake. Then, two more pieces of flesh weighing several thousand pounds fell, belonging to the beings of the Southern Fallen God Mountain and the Yishan.
Clearly, they were not truly humanoid, but with so little flesh left, their original forms could no longer be discerned.
The Willow Deity used the same method, extending two green branches into the two pieces of powerful flesh, beginning the refinement and extraction of divine liquid.
The little one hurriedly took out two more jade jars, full of anticipation.
The willow branches shone brightly, possessing boundless divine power, even capable of refining the flesh of pure-blooded beings. Almost in an instant, a drop of golden liquid appeared on one tender branch, swirling and dazzling. On the other tender branch, a drop of pure white liquid appeared, radiating like ripples, very sacred.
Both drops of liquid emitted intense light, with divine fluctuations so strong they seemed to pierce through the void, flying into the sky, extremely astonishing.
The liquid droplets fell into the jars, flowing with a faint, precious brilliance.
The little one was overjoyed, looking at the four small jade jars. He was incredibly happy; this was concentrated pure blood, with terrifying divine power, occasionally emitting thunder and lightning, truly astounding.
The Big Red Bird and the Second Baldy were completely stunned, and even the furball widened its eyes, staring intently.
Though just four small drops of liquid, they were worth countless times more than a pile of precious medicines. The refined divine liquid was concentrated essence.
Even dozens of ancient species could not compare to the value of these four small jars of divine liquid. If it were spread outside, it would certainly cause chaos.
The Second Baldy and the Big Red Bird looked eagerly but knew they had no part in it since the divine tree had mentioned that it was preparing a baptism for the little rascal.
The Second Baldy swallowed, looking at the several thousand pounds of meat on the ground that had lost their luster, and asked, "Do you still need this flesh?"
"Not anymore," said the Willow Deity.
Before the little one could say anything, the Big Red Bird and the Second Baldy quickly ran off, disappearing in a flash.
"Where are you going? Find Auntie Tiger and prepare a grand meal for everyone," the little one shouted from behind.
With a "whoosh," the furball also chased after them, jumping onto the meat mountain, waiting to eat roasted meat.
"Will the Willow Deity help Clear Wind with the baptism as well?" asked the little one.
"Let him temper his body first," the Willow Deity responded, not refusing.
In the following days, the little one practiced diligently, honing his physical body and studying runes. He aimed to adjust himself to the best possible condition. The Willow Deity had mentioned that he would be able to undergo the baptism soon.
"Rumble, rumble"
On a plain, the ground was shaking. The little one was carrying a giant rock weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds on his back, running across the land. The sight was quite terrifying, with the ground cracking open and fissures spreading.
Eventually, he sank directly into the ground.
"Unbelievable!"
The Big Red Bird and others were stunned. Was this still human strength? Just a child, yet carrying a mountain of stone while running—it was horrifying.
The little one crawled out of the dirt, moved countless giant rocks to the plain, replacing the soil, and then continued to carry the massive stones to build his strength, but the results were still unsatisfactory.
When he ran, the rocky ground was cracked under his feet, and it couldn’t bear his tremendous power.
He left this place and entered the primordial mountains for training, leaping from one mountain peak to another, with dust and smoke billowing into the sky. Each leap was like a giant in a rage, shaking the mountain peaks with his feet.
The hunting team from Stone Village witnessed this scene, all of them dumbfounded. How did this child become so terrifying? No wonder he could bring back so many extraordinary treasures.
Clear Wind was also continuously tempering himself, watching in astonishment. He then found the little one and said, "Little brother, you can actually enter the Illusory Realm. After two years, you can enter again."
The little one nodded upon hearing this, his heart burning with eagerness. He had always wanted to return.
"What, enter the Illusory Realm? We want to go too!" When the little one returned to Stone Village and asked the Willow Deity, a large group including Er Meng, Pi Hou, and Nose Picker all got excited, shouting eagerly.
They had never left the primordial mountains, and at most had seen a few villages in the big mountains. They were extremely eager to experience the outside world.
"I'll take a look first, and then we'll go together and stir up a storm," the little one said. He wanted to check the situation quietly first.
The Willow Deity did not object. It had always hoped the little one would continue to hone his skills there. Unfortunately, last time he was too extraordinary; he caused a lot of trouble within just one day, and even the Illusory Realm couldn’t handle him and eventually expelled him.
"Kid, carefully check the situation, and I'll go with you then," said the Stone Forest Tiger and other strong men, who were also somewhat eager.
The little one nodded quickly, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Now, the willow tree seemed to have grown significantly stronger. Several green, glistening branches suddenly surged and directly pierced through the sky, covered with runes, revealing a portal.
Beneath the darkened tree body where the little one was sitting, he felt that his spirit and body were not separated, as if he had completely disappeared from the spot, stepping into the shimmering, lightning-filled portal.
"Roar!" The little rascal immediately shouted with excitement.
In the midst of chaotic mist, the little one quickly ran forward, directly entering a vast wasteland, different from the place where the ancient country's people had entered.
He needed to traverse this ancient site filled with ruins and debris to truly enter the primordial land, and from there, access various blessed lands and cave heavens.
"I’m back in the Illusory Realm!" The little rascal roared, feeling both excited
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