With a single arm, he could wield forty to fifty thousand jin of force, and with both arms, eighty to ninety thousand jin of divine strength—this was merely their speculation, far from truly grasping Little Rascal’s full potential. Yet even so, it was enough to leave them utterly astonished, eliciting gasps and endless admiration from the crowd.
“Hmm…” The elderly woman frowned, as if sensing something amiss. Silver glyphs flickered in her eyes like a galaxy in flux. Suddenly, she raised her head, two beams of startling light shooting from her gaze. “We’ve misjudged him!”
“How so?” a young man beside her asked.
The old woman retrieved a piece of eggshell from her robe—smooth as jade, lustrous and shimmering, adorned with five-colored patterns and radiant specks of light. It was a fragment from the shattered egg of an ancient divine beast.
“I was careless earlier, but now I realize it. That child and the small mountain beast on his shoulder carry a familiar aura. At first, I thought it was the scent of blood from numerous beasts, the stench of fierce predators. But upon closer reflection, it’s the aura of an egg laid by a descendant of an ancient divine bird.”
The crowd gasped in shock.
“Impossible! That child actually consumed the egg of an ancient divine king’s descendant? That’s unbelievable!” one young man exclaimed, his mouth agape wide enough to swallow half a fist.
“A harmless little kid, bold enough to steal eggs from the nest of an ancient divine beast?” The group could hardly believe it, their tongues wagging in disbelief at the revelation.
Such a tale, if spread, would be met with skepticism—how could a mere child dare to infiltrate the lair of an ancient divine beast and accomplish such a feat? Alongside their shock, they felt a deep regret. That egg, had it hatched and been nurtured, could have revealed fragments of the ancient divine king’s secret techniques. Yet, it was devoured by that child and his beast!
“What a waste! What kind of family could produce a child capable of such recklessness?”
“Wait, that small mountain beast also consumed the five-colored bird’s egg. Could it be extraordinary as well?” a middle-aged man in the group questioned.
The others froze. How could an ordinary mountain beast withstand the essence of an ancient divine beast? It should have been obliterated by the impact.
“That fist-sized beast… I vaguely recall its footpads being crimson,” another remarked.
The old woman’s expression shifted as if recalling something. “Could it be… the legendary Zhu Yan?”
Legends spoke of this ferocious beast—its birth heralded chaos, war, and calamity across the land, an omen of great misfortune.
The group was stunned. They had encountered such a bizarre little creature, and all of them had misjudged him.
The leading woman in white chuckled softly, her raven-black hair fluttering in the wind, her luminous skin glowing with an enchanting radiance. Her eyes shimmered as she said, “This child is no ordinary one. Consider it a fortuitous encounter.”
“Let’s hope he enters the Sky Mending Pavilion and isn’t snatched away by others!”
Far in the distant mountains, Little Rascal galloped atop his unicorn, the beast transforming into a streak of silver light as it traversed peaks and valleys at breakneck speed. The forests on either side blurred past as they covered hundreds of miles in no time.
The fist-sized furball on his shoulder had fully revived, its gray-white fur now gleaming gold once more. Its once-dull eyes now sparkled with mischief as it leaped and bounded on Shi Hao’s shoulder.
Little Rascal grabbed its tail and dangled it upside down. “No more running off, no more trouble! Stay right here with me!”
Twenty-one days had passed since leaving Stone Village. The long journey was nearing its end, with less than a hundred thousand li remaining to the second ancestral land of the Shi Clan. In just a few more days, they would arrive.
Over the following days, Little Rascal hacked through thorns and brambles, traversing the wilderness. He encountered wave after wave of ferocious beasts, enduring dozens of bloody battles before finally nearing the borders of the Stone Nation.
A child, crossing endless mountains in a single month, battling countless beasts and traversing three hundred thousand li—this was nothing short of a miraculous feat. If word spread, it would send shockwaves through even the most ancient and powerful clans.
Even the most formidable ancient beasts like the Bixie and Pixiu trained their young in such perilous trials. But while the concept was simple, the execution was a matter of life and death.
An ordinary child wouldn’t survive thirty li alone, let alone three hundred or three thousand. The western frontier was teeming with savage beasts, dense forests devoid of human presence, and monstrous predators lurking at every turn—a truly terrifying primordial land.
Even a group of seasoned warriors would struggle to traverse it unscathed, always at risk of being devoured by ancient beasts, leaving not even bones behind.
Little Rascal’s sharp instincts allowed him to evade many dangers, though he still faced numerous life-or-death trials. He suffered severe injuries along the way, yet he persevered.
At just over seven years old, he had accomplished this incredible feat! If word got out, it would be explosive news, shaking the land and spreading far and wide.
Even an organization like the Zhulu Academy would immediately dispatch experts to recruit him.
Finally, villages came into view as Little Rascal rode out of the wilderness. He asked for directions, only to be stunned—while the general direction was correct, he had veered off by over twenty thousand li.
“Hmm, I followed the path the Willow Deity gave me, but I must have gone astray after falling into that black river,” he muttered, scratching his head before setting off again.
Emerging from the endless mountains, the number of beasts dwindled, making the journey safer. Two days later, he arrived near a fortified town at the edge of the Stone Nation.
The ancient kingdom was vast beyond measure, ruling over millions of miles of territory. Even a single powerful marquis’s domain housed hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people across boundless lands.
Managing such an expanse was no easy task. Only by establishing central cities in key regions could order be maintained. In times of rebellion, the experts stationed there would swiftly quell the unrest with thunderous force.
In truth, the Stone Nation was at its peak, far from needing suppression. Especially in recent centuries, the Human Emperor’s divine might had ensured prosperity, deterring any thoughts of betrayal.
Only the borderlands were less stable, as foreign tribes occasionally raided, plundering and devouring humans. But for a kingdom this vast, such skirmishes were insignificant.
Chongyun Town—or rather, Chongyun City—boasted a population of eighty thousand and held strategic importance as a western stronghold, a key outpost under the central metropolis of the region.
For nearly a century, invaders from other races had attempted to breach its defenses, yet none had succeeded.
Along the way, Little Rascal encountered merchants venturing into the wild to trade pelts and spirit herbs with distant tribes. Though perilous, the profits were immense.
“Best return soon. The Wood Clan from the wilderness has been mustering forces, and rumors say an ancient divine beast has settled deep in these mountains. It’s bound to assert dominance, likely by attacking Chongyun City.”
Little Rascal listened intently. His lone figure atop a unicorn drew attention, but none dared harass him. A bloodstained child traveling alone was clearly no ordinary boy.
These seasoned merchants recognized him as likely a scion of a great clan, sent to temper himself in the wild.
“Oh no! A small beast tide approaches. Could it be that ancient beast making its move early?”
“Probably just a regular beast king. The horde isn’t large enough. Let’s flee!”
As they approached Chongyun Town, its towering walls loomed ahead like a mountain range, constructed from dark “Diamond Rock” that gleamed like metal.
Before the gates, a mass of beasts gathered, roaring as if preparing to assault the city.
“Take cover! May the Guardian Spirit slay them all!”
The merchants fled, not daring to enter the city now, lest they draw the beasts’ wrath.
Near the city gates stood an earthen mound, atop which grew a plant—four to five zhang tall, its massive, fan-like leaves a deep emerald.
This was Chongyun Town’s Guardian Spirit, a plant whose true name even the locals didn’t know. They simply revered it as “Lord Chongyun” or “Guardian Spirit.”
Fragrance wafted from its leaves, between which bloomed three enormous flowers—each the size of a millstone. One glowed crimson, another pure white, and the third wreathed in violet mist.
Spotting the fleeing merchants, a group of beasts broke off to charge toward them.
“Guardian Spirit, save us!” they cried.
Little Rascal prepared to fight, but then—
A flash of crimson!
The red flower on the plant unfurled, releasing a terrifying pulse of energy.
“Whoosh!”
A streak of red light shot forth, swirling through the air before slashing down upon the beasts. Blood sprayed as the creatures fell, decapitated or cleaved in two.
Little Rascal’s eyes gleamed with amazement. The “red light” was actually a flying sword—crimson and translucent like fiery jade.
“A flower concealing a sword?”
In moments, the beasts lay dead.
“Far stronger than the Divine Wolf of Bai Village. Even Aunt Green-Scaled Eagle couldn’t compare before consuming the Suan Ni’s flesh,” Little Rascal murmured.
The sword—no, the stamen—retreated into the flower, which then closed once more.
The merchants kowtowed in gratitude toward the city.
“Lord Chongyun has guarded this place for centuries, transforming a village of fewer than a thousand into a city of eighty thousand. His merits are boundless.”
“With his power, he could protect a metropolis. Yet he chooses to remain here.”
Little Rascal marveled at the plant’s might.
“This Guardian Spirit is extraordinary,” mused a slightly plump, clean-shaven man in the city, his eyes sharp.
“Indeed. Such spirits are rare. Should we invite it to join our Rain Clan?” a youth beside him suggested.
The man shook his head. “No, it would raise suspicions. Our priority is the token. Has Lady Xia Youyu returned yet?”
(Note: The translation maintains the fantastical tone while ensuring clarity and flow. Names and terms are rendered consistently with the provided context.)
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage