The black cauldron glowed as a golden-winged roc took form within, its radiance surging like waves, floating amidst the mist before releasing a thunderous Dao resonance akin to the hymns of gods! The roc’s entire body shimmered brilliantly, cascading golden threads—sacred runes—that flooded the surroundings. A rich aroma burst forth; the meat within the cauldron gleamed like gold, exuding a treasure-like luster, while the fragrances of monkey-head mushrooms, crimson orchids, and snow-jade ginseng wafted through the air. The broth was thick, translucent, and luminous. This was no mere feast—it was a furnace of divine elixir, capable of making even the mightiest tremble with desire. Such a sight was rarely seen in ordinary times. Who could dare feast upon a golden-winged roc?
“It’s ready, perfectly cooked!” Little Rascal shouted, diving in first. He picked up a piece of roc meat with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. Instantly, it was as if he had swallowed a miniature sun—golden divine light erupted from his lips. “So delicious! It’s melting my tongue!” he exclaimed in rapture, savoring the translucent, radiant meat as divine mist swirled around him. Closing his eyes, he felt surges of spiritual essence rampaging through his body. The next moment, tiny golden dragons seemed to flicker in and out of his nostrils—emanations of the roc’s divine essence, pulsing with his every breath.
His chopsticks moved swiftly, shoveling glistening roc meat dripping with thick broth into his mouth. Each bite dissolved instantly, releasing radiant light, and soon, divine mist poured from all seven of his orifices. The others scrambled to join in, but thankfully, the black cauldron was a treasure artifact capable of expanding. It had stewed nearly half of the golden roc, ensuring there was plenty to go around. The rest, Little Rascal intended to bring back to Stone Village.
As everyone dug in, they were utterly enchanted, nearly swallowing their own tongues in delight. Their bodies brimmed with radiant light, and they couldn’t stop praising the meal—this was roc meat, renowned as one of the most exquisite delicacies in existence. The other roasted meats were also perfectly done—tender, gleaming, and glazed with wild honey gathered from the small world. Even Little Rascal and Huo Ling’er abandoned all decorum, their faces smeared with grease.
“This is better than being an immortal!” Little Rascal sighed blissfully, lifting a luminous jade cup filled with amber-hued liquor so fragrant it seemed to thicken the air. He took a deep swig, feeling the rich aroma cascade from his mouth down to his stomach, leaving an endless aftertaste. His entire body glowed in response. This was a peerless elixir—brewed by the Divine Monkey King from dozens of rare herbs, each drop worth a fortune, enough to make kings and nobles forsake their dignity for a taste.
Little Rascal had never been much of a drinker before, but now he was utterly smitten. Between bites of roc meat and roasted wings, he sipped the divine liquor, feeling lightheaded yet utterly relaxed, as if floating above all worldly grievances. “What fine wine!” he murmured. The others, unable to resist the legendary Monkey King’s brew—a rarity even in myths—raised their cups eagerly.
One of the Sealed Ones, too impatient, gulped down one cup and, before even savoring it, downed two more in quick succession. He promptly collapsed, snoring loudly, utterly drunk. Others, skeptical, followed suit—two more Sealed Ones slumped over, their bodies shimmering, wrapped in the liquor’s intoxicating aura, unable to awaken.
Everyone except Little Rascal could barely handle a few cups before succumbing. Clearly, it wasn’t just the alcohol—the potent medicinal essence within would send them into deep slumber, refining their bodies in the process.
“Good wine, truly good wine!” Little Rascal downed cup after cup, twelve in total, his cheeks flushed like ripe apples, his eyes finally growing hazy. Having devoured half the roc meat and a bowl of tiger-bone soup, his body already radiated divine mist. Now, with the Monkey King’s liquor in his system, he blazed like ignited gunpowder, his entire form incandescent.
By the eighteenth cup, he was engulfed in flames—not literal fire, but the condensed essence of his spirit bursting forth. “We can’t let him stay on the Void Beast Hide any longer,” warned a Sealed One. “His physical power is too immense—he might cause catastrophic damage.”
The others jolted awake, witnessing Little Rascal’s astonishing transformation—like a phoenix reborn in flames.
“Another cup!” he demanded, still drinking, his body exuding an intoxicating fragrance, flawless as a divine embryo. In the end, he consumed thirty-six cups, finished the remaining roc meat and tiger-bone soup, and even munched on a pile of spirit herbs like they were mere vegetables.
**BOOM!**
At last, he underwent a metamorphosis—his essence surged into the heavens, piercing the sky. Though drunk and dizzy, his consciousness remained intact. He knew he was about to break through. Leaping off the divine carpet, he landed with a thunderous crash, flattening an entire mountain and sending beasts and birds fleeing in terror.
Below, nine volcanic mounds formed, spewing multicolored light as magma bubbled. Boulders and ancient trees swayed like floating weeds before shattering. Amidst this spectacle, a young boy sat cross-legged—the nine “volcanoes” were his doing, resembling true divine caves merging with the heavens, seizing the very essence of creation.
**”Nine Heavenly Caves!”**
The Sealed Ones on the Void Beast Hide gasped in shock. This was a realm only recorded in ancient texts—yet this boy had achieved it! The Nine-Headed Lion and others, though impressed, were less stunned—they had long sensed that this child was no ordinary human, rivaling even legendary beasts like the True Hou, Taotie, and Taowu.
“Humans are strange,” mused the featherless oddity. “Some are pathetically weak, while others reach such heights.”
“You don’t understand the world of a savage child,” retorted the Crimson Bird. No one knew better than it just how terrifying Little Rascal’s potential was—he had even refined the Primordial True Water!
“How strong can he get?” the oddity asked.
“You’ll see,” the Crimson Bird said, smacking the back of its head. “Second Baldy, don’t embarrass me. You’re my underling—train harder. Being this weak is shameful.”
The featherless oddity trembled with rage. If not for its frail state, it would’ve throttled the Crimson Bird and taught it respect.
“You disagree, Second Baldy?” the bird taunted.
“I… endure!” the oddity growled, viciously gnawing on a golden lamb leg to vent.
Meanwhile, symbols flickered above the nine volcanoes, runes surging within the magma—a breathtaking sight.
“He succeeded. He’s comprehending runes,” Huo Ling’er observed.
The spectacle lasted for hours. Eventually, metallic clangs echoed from Little Rascal’s body as the nine caves trembled, spewing auspicious mist. The runes transformed into a swirling galaxy around him. The scene grew even more mystical—divine beasts like peacocks, Qiongqi, Bai Ze, Suanni, Chiwen, Bixi, and rocs emerged from the volcanic mouths, all formed from runes.
“What is he comprehending? This is astounding!” Even the oddity dropped its meal, staring transfixed.
“So strong! Next time he meets a pure-blooded creature, he might actually tame one to guard his village,” the Crimson Bird mused.
“What kind of runes are these? So ancient and powerful!” the oddity muttered.
Lost in enlightenment, Little Rascal forgot everything else. His mind held only the Primordial True Solution—not techniques, but primal bone inscriptions manifesting the most fundamental forces. He immersed himself, envisioning himself as a Kunpeng leaping from the sea, soaring ninety thousand miles to battle deities. Then, as a True Hou, revered as a celestial guardian. Next, a Taotie, devouring all in its path, fearless even against gods.
One by one, he embodied the ancient divine beasts—Vermilion Bird, Chi Dragon, Bixi, Pixiu—comprehending their runes as if he had become them.
Finally, visions of the War God’s Records flooded his mind—countless runes, their profound meanings converging. His mastery soared. Breaking through to the Ninth Heavenly Cave had shattered his limits, unveiling a new realm entirely.
Much later, the nine caves receded, the runes vanishing into his body. Little Rascal opened his eyes and let out a mighty roar, shaking the mountains.
“You’re here! Nowhere to run!” A voice boomed—Zhujian, the man-faced leopard, its body armored in black scales, charging like a shadow amidst flying sand and stones.
Unfazed, Little Rascal met it head-on, unleashing a torrent of silver lightning that sent Zhujian reeling, its fur singed black. Sensing danger, Zhujian realized the boy had broken through—his physical might now matched by his rune mastery.
Little Rascal pressed the attack, his palm releasing a storm of silver moons that sent Zhujian tumbling. The battle raged fiercely, but Zhujian, still wounded from the Divine Monkey King’s severed tail, struggled to keep up. Seeing defeat inevitable, it fled, vowing to return stronger.
“Not so fast!” Little Rascal gave chase, leaping onto its back in an attempt to tame it. Zhujian roared, activating an ancestral treasure that forced Little Rascal to cough blood. He barely blocked with his broken sword, the clash igniting like two suns colliding.
Onlookers gasped—the savage child was defying the heavens! He was truly trying to subjugate the offspring of an ancient beast!
With a slash, he carved off a chunk of Zhujian’s flesh, enraging the beast further. Its treasure blazed, runes surging like an ocean.
Then, a dragon’s cry echoed—the Chi Dragon arrived, casting a net to ensnare Little Rascal.
“You want to replace Zhujian as my mount? Guard my village?” Little Rascal sneered, slicing off another piece of flesh before stowing it in his spatial pouch. He lunged at the Chi Dragon, broken sword flashing.
Before their duel could escalate, the earth quaked—the Divine Monkey King, towering like a mountain, reached for them. Both beasts fled instantly using ancestral treasures.
Little Rascal, though powerful, knew better than to challenge the monkey king. Activating a Shrinking Earth Talisman, he bolted.
Back on the divine carpet, he meditated, his nine caves humming as he restored himself to peak condition.
“Delicious,” he sighed, reverting instantly from warrior to tipsy gourmand, cheeks rosy with contentment. While others collapsed after a few cups, he drank freely under the moon, savoring the blissful haze.
That night, the Crimson Bird, Nine-Headed Lion, and others underwent stunning transformations. Huo Ling’er, too, emerged reborn. Nearly all had broken through, the Void Beast Hide shimmering with radiant light.
**BOOM!**
The entire small world trembled violently, shattering the night’s calm.
“The exit is opening! At most two days, at least one—we can leave!” a Sealed One exclaimed joyfully.
“Leaving so soon? What a pity,” Little Rascal lamented. To him, this ancient realm had been pure delight.
The others exchanged glances. While they sighed in relief, this monstrous child treated it as an amusement park.
“Ah, I’m upset. I didn’t even catch a divine bird or pure-blooded beast,” he grumbled.
Speechless, they could only sigh. What else was there to say?
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