Chapter 279: Seeing the Willow God (Requesting Monthly Votes

"Big Brother Hao! It's time to return to Stone Village!"

On the other side, after letting the Bu Tian Ge members go, Wu Xian suddenly spoke while teaching Shi Hao the Five-Colored Divine Light Art.

Upon hearing this, Shi Hao first froze, then stammered, "Are we going back now? I feel we haven't even gone far into the Great Wilderness."

"It's far enough. According to your account, this place is nearly three hundred thousand li from Stone Village—no pure-blooded ancient beast cub could walk so far."

"Besides, you've already broken through the Extreme Limit of Blood Mobilization, exceeding Liushen's requirements. Continuing to wander the Great Wilderness holds little meaning—better return to Stone Village and prepare for your next realm breakthrough."

Hearing this, Shi Hao recalled his battle with Xia Youyu, and images of the seven celestial caverns hovering around her flashed in his mind—he felt a surge of heat and nodded in agreement.

Thus, the two found the Stone Clan elder and his loyal servants, whom Wu Xian had placed in a safe location, and set off together toward Stone Village.

Compared to the original timeline, with Wu Xian's presence, their journey was remarkably smooth—even when encountering famous deadly zones, they crossed them openly and without hindrance.

Of course, bloodshed was still unavoidable; after all, Wu Xian's Blood Mobilization cultivation was deceptively low, and some ignorant ancient descendants foolishly charged at them, thinking they'd get an easy snack—only to be slaughtered by the nascent "Zhen" character and the Postnatal Five-Colored Divine Light, becoming their very meal.

Meanwhile, Wu Xian did not forget to hone Shi Hao, deliberately selecting fierce beasts and birds of the Celestial Cavern realm to fight alongside him—they walked nearly bathed in beast blood, looking more and more like a wild man.

Finally, after a month of arduous travel, the group neared Stone Village; Shi Hao's beast-skin clothing had turned into rags, his body caked in blood and grime, and even the furball on his shoulder and the unicorn beside him had changed—drenched in crimson, brimming with malevolent aura.

In contrast, Wu Xian remained spotless and immaculate, a stark contrast to Shi Hao.

"Huh! Outsiders? And one of them's a wild man!"

By the emerald lake, a group of children spotted unfamiliar figures and shouted in unison; several ran straight back to the village to summon the adults.

"No, that black-and-red horse is a unicorn—it's Little Dot returning!"

"Really! That wild man has a black furball on his shoulder—he must be Little Dot!"

As they neared the lake, the children finally recognized the unicorn and rushed over, surrounding the group.

Clearly, these children had deep affection for Shi Hao; having not seen him for nearly two months, they missed him terribly, and now, ignoring his blood-soaked state, they clapped him on the back, hugged his neck, as if they had endless words to say.

"Little Dot, who's he?"

The children had seen Wu Xian before, but since they didn't know him and found his aura too extraordinary, they dared not approach; now they turned to Shi Hao and couldn't help asking.

"His name is Wu Xian—he's my younger brother…"

Shi Hao introduced him, saying his younger brother was incredibly powerful and had a pleasant voice, and everyone would surely like him.

Wu Xian merely smiled silently; if his guess was right, these little brats would soon grow very "fond" of him.

Soon after, a group of adults clad in beast-skin garments ran over from afar, instantly recognizing Shi Hao in the crowd; upon learning he had completed his trial, their faces lit up with excitement.

A child, alone, crossing the Great Wilderness for hundreds of thousands of li and returning alive—this was nothing short of a miracle!

"Good, good, good! You're back—that's all that matters, you're alive—that's all that matters…"

The village chief also arrived, staring at the beast-bloodied grime coating Little Dot, his voice trembling—he had worried endlessly during the boy's absence.

He knew this was Liushen's trial for Little Dot, but it was too brutal—traversing hundreds of thousands of li alone through the Great Wilderness, even seasoned adults traveling together would face near-certain death; how could he not worry?

"Child, you've accomplished the most terrifying trial of legend—your future will soar beyond measure!"

A group of elder clan members sighed in awe, their faces filled with profound relief, some even with tears in their eyes.

Stone Village had declined for too long; though legend claimed their lineage once shone brightly, the ages were too distant, and few still believed it.

Now, witnessing Shi Hao's peerless talent, they saw hope for Stone Village's revival.

"Of course—he's got unparalleled potential; in the future, he'll sweep the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands without effort."

At this moment, Wu Xian, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, sincerely showering Shi Hao with praise.

Shi Hao's face flushed red; fortunately, his blood-caked face hid the change, but his tone turned shy: "Brother Xian, don't say that—compared to you, my abilities mean nothing."

Then Shi Hao introduced Wu Xian to the village elders and adults.

Aside from his origins, he emphasized Wu Xian's immense strength—how he had accompanied him through deadly zones of the Great Wilderness, slaying countless adult ancient descendants, far surpassing him.

The village chief was stunned, almost disbelieving.

There was no way—he simply couldn't accept it: a child under seven years old fighting and defeating adult ancient descendants? Even ancient legends didn't record anything so absurd.

But he knew Shi Hao—this child wouldn't lie about something like this, so his astonishment only deepened.

【You are special.】

At that moment, a soft voice, genderless and indistinct, echoed in everyone's minds.

Wu Xian raised an eyebrow, turned, and gazed toward a certain spot—his eyes flickered with golden flames, as if locking gazes with someone.

"It's Liushen!"

The village chief instantly realized and led the entire village to Liushen's location, bowing deeply.

Of course, two did not bow: Wu Xian and the Stone Clan elder who had come with him.

Wu Xian looked up at the altar, at the charred lightning-struck wood—plain and unremarkable, save for a single emerald willow branch swaying in the wind, radiating potent life energy, as if undergoing a cycle of death and rebirth, embodying a wondrous aura of resurrection from utter oblivion.

This was Liushen—the former Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit, one of the most powerful beings in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, even approaching the realm of a Pretender Immortal Emperor.

"Liushen! I've completed the trial and returned!"

Shi Hao excitedly stepped beneath the altar, swinging his fists and cracking the air with explosive sounds.

"My arm strength has broken beyond the Blood Mobilization Extreme Limit—it's reached one hundred fifty thousand jin, all thanks to Brother Xian's help."

【You did well. You've successfully completed the terrifying trial of the Ancient Era—even exceeding my expectations.】

The willow transmitted its voice, and the branch descended, alive as if, circling Shi Hao as if observing, then turning toward Wu Xian.

【You are special.】

Liushen repeated those words, then spoke the phrase that stunned Shi Hao and everyone around him.

【I sense boundless potential hidden within you—only a fraction has been unlocked, yet you've already surpassed many Venerables. This is illogical. Had I not sensed no familiar aura, I'd suspect you're a reincarnation of some old friend.】

————

Requesting monthly votes!

(End of Chapter)