The radiance was too intense, the square pool shimmering like a golden sun, filling the heavens and earth with a blazing golden mist. The creatures—some humanoid, some avian, some bestial—were struggling forward, trying to approach the Fountain of Youth. The golden ripples in the pool surged skyward, so dazzling that only their silhouettes could be seen.
Little Rascal squinted his eyes, a delighted grin spreading across his face. He hadn’t arrived too late—those creatures hadn’t succeeded yet. The field around the divine pool was the most terrifying, and even beings as powerful as these couldn’t advance quickly, remaining several zhang away.
He hefted the stubborn stone in his hand, aiming at the figures, itching to hurl it and send them all flying.
“Help! Don’t do this! If I fall in there, I’ll shatter instantly!” the stone wailed, thoroughly terrified.
“Human, do you know who you’re speaking to? Hurry and gather herbs to atone for your offense, or you’ll face death!” the Golden Beast roared. Standing a full zhang tall, its golden fur blazed like flames, its pupils gleaming gold as it shot out two sharp beams of light.
Little Rascal gave it a sidelong glance, then studied the figures by the divine pool before plopping onto a large bluestone, resting his chin in his hands as if he were just an observer. Yet his large eyes sparkled mischievously, and he occasionally chuckled to himself. He had made up his mind—he was going to “collect taxes” here.
“Human boy, are you courting death? Did you not hear me?!” the Golden Beast bellowed, golden flames spewing from its pupils.
“Annoying!” Little Rascal suddenly exerted force, hurling the stubborn stone with all his might.
“Ah!”
“Roar—!”
A scream and a furious roar erupted simultaneously. The stone howled in pain, while the Golden Beast clutched its bleeding brow, its rage boiling over.
As a divine servant from the ancient Divine Mountain, it commanded respect wherever it went. Yet here it was, struck in the head by a human child’s rock—absurd!
And the worst part? The damn stone was so hard it left it bleeding profusely, one eye blinded.
Little Rascal was amazed. This stone was truly unusual—just as he suspected. It was unbelievably tough, strong enough to injure a Golden Beast.
“Owwww!” The stone rolled on the ground, wailing incessantly.
The Golden Beast was livid. Being hit by a human child was bad enough, but this stupid stone didn’t even crack! And now it was rolling around, mocking it?
It stomped down with a massive foot.
“Help!” The stone shrieked, rolling away at lightning speed, right back to Little Rascal’s side.
“You’re tougher than most treasure artifacts. Impressive.” Little Rascal’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Seeking death!” The Golden Beast lunged, its golden fur shimmering like a blazing inferno.
“Wham!”
Little Rascal swung his arm again, smashing the stone right into the Golden Beast’s jaw. Blood gushed, and an ear-splitting howl followed—though it was the stone screaming, not the beast.
“It hurts! It hurts!” The stone writhed on the ground.
“Damn it!” The Golden Beast nearly cursed aloud, clutching its jaw in agony. It hadn’t even cried out, yet this wretched stone was screeching like a slaughtered pig.
And the worst part? The stone was completely unharmed, not a single crack, while it bled profusely. The Golden Beast was so furious, steam practically shot from its ears.
Little Rascal scratched his head, smug. “My aim’s getting better. Bullseye every time!”
“Damnable stone!” The Golden Beast roared, its hatred for the rock now rivaling its hatred for the boy.
“Help!” The stone rolled away, trying to escape, but Little Rascal was faster, snatching it up and hurling it again—this time smashing the Golden Beast’s nose.
“Crack!”
The sound of breaking bone was unmistakable.
“I’m shattered! Broken! It hurts so bad!” The stone wailed as if it had split into eight pieces.
The Golden Beast clutched its nose, tears streaming. The pain was unbearable. It felt its nose—broken.
“Damnable stone!” It nearly fainted from rage. The stone was perfectly fine, not a scratch, while its own nose was wrecked.
Kicking the stone aside, it charged at Little Rascal. It had had enough—humiliated before the fight even began.
A divine servant of its caliber, trained in the ancient Divine Mountain’s arts, should have been invincible. But here, it couldn’t use its divine techniques—only its half-blood divine beast strength.
“Something’s off. That stone… it hits with uncanny precision and is impossibly hard. Could it be… a God-Slaying Stone?” one of the creatures by the Fountain murmured.
“God-Slaying Stones are legendary. Only a few existed, all claimed by ancient powerhouses. How could one still be around?” another questioned.
The stone shrieked as the Golden Beast’s massive foot came down, rolling frantically toward a hole in the ground.
“Don’t worry, it can’t hurt you. I’ll avenge you!” Little Rascal grabbed it again, this time wielding it like a brick, charging at the Golden Beast in a flurry of strikes.
The battle was fierce, dust and debris flying, the medicinal fields cracking under the force. Yet the divine field’s power prevented true destruction.
The Golden Beast was strong, but its true terror lay in its divine techniques—useless here. Against Little Rascal, who rivaled the might of a juvenile Heaven-rank beast in raw strength, it was at a disadvantage.
“Ahhh!”
“Roar—!”
The battlefield was a cacophony of screams and roars. The stone’s exaggerated wails were almost comical—like a chicken being slaughtered—while the Golden Beast spat blood from its mouth and nose.
Honestly, the Golden Beast hated the stone more than the boy now. This was outright mockery! Its teeth had been knocked out, blood pooling, yet the damn stone kept howling as if it were the one suffering.
After dozens of exchanges, the Golden Beast collapsed, bones broken in multiple places—especially its nose, mouth, and forehead, all deformed by the stone’s strikes.
“I’m ruined! Ruined!” the stone wailed.
The Golden Beast, lying unconscious at Little Rascal’s feet, twitched at the sound before passing out completely.
“Stop yelling. You knocked it out,” Little Rascal said, shaking the stone.
“You did it! Ow, it hurts…” The stone quieted, eyeing the Golden Beast below.
Little Rascal marveled. This stone was truly bizarre—an oddly perfect weapon.
By the golden spring, most creatures remained indifferent to the Golden Beast’s defeat. Only one spoke, its voice icy:
“Are you challenging me?”
The Fountain of Youth’s golden light drowned out details, leaving only silhouettes. This one was humanoid, its purple hair swirling, its aura terrifying.
Undoubtedly, a pure-blooded beast.
“Challenge? I don’t do that. If I want to fight, I just fight,” Little Rascal said dismissively. “What’s your true form?”
Pure-blooded beasts could take human shapes even in youth.
“You’re unworthy of knowing.”
“Are you female?” Little Rascal tilted his head. The voice was cold but youthful—a girl’s.
The other creatures nearly choked. This human boy was fearless!
“Human, you’ve angered me. Once I obtain the Fountain’s waters, I’ll kill you,” the purple-haired girl said, her back still turned, her figure elegant and regal.
Little Rascal scratched his head. “I’ve been thinking of taming a divine beast. What do you look like? I don’t want something ugly. I like Flood Dragons, True Hou, Nine-Headed Lions—something majestic to ride.”
His tone was innocent, his eyes dreamy.
The other creatures were stunned. This boy was insane!
The purple-haired girl trembled slightly, restraining herself. She was close to the Fountain now—moving recklessly in this field was unwise.
The others remained focused on the golden pool, indifferent.
Little Rascal nudged the Golden Beast with his foot. “Wake up. Time to dig herbs.”
The beast stirred, fury rising—only to be met with another stone to the head, nearly knocking it out again.
Little Rascal stepped over it, picking up a beast-hide bag. Inside were twenty to thirty precious herbs, six or seven intact—likely gathered outside. The ones from the field were shattered.
“Perfect! What a haul!” His eyes curved into crescents as he sat back on the bluestone, watching the figures by the golden pool.
This little rascal had discovered the joy of effortless gain—especially when taken from enemies. His gaze lingered on the purple-haired girl.
Best to strike when she retrieved the Fountain’s waters.
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