Chapter 270
At that time, it seemed she didn’t even entertain the childish and ridiculous thought; she was completely indifferent.
How things have changed now.
She found his stubborn silhouette to be somewhat childish, yet also... a bit handsome?
The two little figures on the shoulders of a certain ice lump had also changed their topic of debate.
The little figure in white laughed and said, “He’s definitely going to want to hear some praise later. How about we call him ‘brother’? No man can resist being called ‘brother, you’re amazing~’”
The little figure in black maintained a cold expression and calmly replied, “We’re clearly two months older than him. If we call him ‘brother,’ he’ll float up to the sky! What if he gets even more arrogant next time? We’ll have to call him ‘little brother’ and make sure he doesn’t act willfully again.”
“...”
Ying Bing rubbed the head of the big-headed doll, feeling that neither option was easy to say out loud.
While the two little figures were bickering...
Outside, Fei Yi had already shaken off the stench of black blood from his body.
Hmm?
Xiang Liu... is gone?
From the withered grass and trees on this mountain peak, it seemed that no vegetation had grown here for decades, so this was not an illusion.
Even if Li Mo didn’t know why he bore the bloodline of the True Dragon and had gained the recognition of the Celestial Jade, that was merely a glimpse of divine insight.
Yet he had effortlessly defeated Xiang Liu in the blink of an eye.
This was even more surreal than having a son with two heads!
“Just you wait!”
Fei Yi flapped his four wings, stirring up a dry whirlwind, and attempted to flee.
“Cough, cough...”
“Hmm?”
Not only had that kid put away his hammer, but he also seemed to have sustained serious internal injuries? Well, it made sense; after all, he had just defeated Xiang Liu with ease.
If he called the other two disaster beasts, the Celestial Jade would have to divide its power among three demons...
Fei Yi returned, deciding to test the waters first.
Little did he know, he had already fallen into the realm of the Fighting King’s essence!
The strongest method to trap an enemy isn’t a trap or a capture technique, but rather, “I can counterattack.”
Buzz—
Fei Yi snorted.
Immediately, a sandstorm swept across the mountaintop, and the air within a ten-mile radius rapidly dried up. The mountain, which had just seen rain, suddenly resembled a place that hadn’t been nourished by moisture for decades.
Even martial artists at the Inner Breath stage would likely find their moisture instantly drained.
Whoosh—
“This is remarkably similar to a sword technique I once saw, as that person was observing the divine intent of Fei Yi.”
Li Mo’s skin reflected a dark sheen, and seven mysterious pills in his dantian locked in his vital energy, like a stone standing firm in a drought.
Without using the power of the world.
What level could he reach against a sixth-grade disaster beast equivalent to an Inner Scene martial artist?
Suddenly, accompanied by a shrill cry, a wave of heat rushed toward Li Mo, dragging him into a parched wasteland, turning him into a withered grass.
Fei Yi looked down at the young man below, its vertical pupils greedy yet cautious. It noticed the dark sheen on the boy’s body flickering like a candle in the wind, seemingly on the verge of extinguishing.
He’s about to give out!
“Roar!”
Finally, it stopped hesitating. With a roar, it charged down with the force of the sandstorm.
Thus, the dry whirlwind transformed into a curtain, casting the monstrous shadow of a snake and the small figure of the young man, both engaged in a fierce struggle.
Li Mo’s aura fluctuated between strong and weak; just when he seemed to be running out of energy, he would suddenly explode with power.
As they fought, the balance shifted.
Fei Yi was no longer the ferocious beast it once was; in the midst of their struggle, it found itself increasingly overwhelmed. After all, every time the boy’s ‘return of light’ occurred, that hammer would strike it, sending shockwaves through its insides.
Snake blood gradually soaked the mountaintop.
Only the Mountain Lord Temple remained unscathed.
After a long while...
Fei Yi lay sprawled on the ground, its vertical pupils devoid of life:
“Aren’t you... about to give out?”
Bang—
A hammer struck down on its shattered-scaled head, the force penetrating the earth and causing a web of cracks to spread. Fei Yi, filled with questions, lost its vitality.
“This time, it’s for real.”
Li Mo, who had stowed away the forty, feeling sore and numb all over, finally let out a sigh of relief.
He plopped down on the battered ground, panting, his eyelids heavy.
Just now, he had killed a sixth-grade disaster beast head-on! This achievement was enough to place him in the top ten of the Potential Dragon Rankings.
Considering he had also used the power of the world to slay Xiang Liu, it was even more terrifying. He wondered if the influence of the Yan Tian Sect extended to the southern border...
But Li Mo had no time to ponder those thoughts; every cell in his body was signaling exhaustion.
He took his hammer and returned to the only intact Mountain Lord Temple.
“Ice Lump, are you ready?”
“I’m still not sure.”
“Ah?”
Li Mo was taken aback. He was asking if Ice Lump was ready to take over; he genuinely wanted to rest for a bit.
What does ‘not sure’ mean?
Ice Lump’s gaze seemed a bit complex and conflicted.
“What do you mean ‘not sure’?”
“.....”
Ying Bing lowered her eyes, casually looking outside as if admiring the ‘wonderful’ scenery.
After a moment, she finally spoke:
“Li Mo, do you want to hear...”
“Zzz... Zzz...”
Little Li’s snoring at this moment could rival that of the beautiful teacher.
He was sleeping soundly, his handsome face showing signs of fatigue, illuminated by the dim twilight, blending light and shadow, shedding some of his childishness and gaining a touch of ruggedness.
Ying Bing was momentarily stunned, a soft smile appearing at the corner of her mouth, one she hadn’t even noticed.
She moved the cushion closer, kneeling on it.
Gently cradling his head, she placed it on her long, slender thighs.
Letting him rest well should be more important than praising him, right?
This time, the two little figures in black and white did not come out to bicker.
---
Chapter 292: Little Li’s Dream, the Potential Dragon and the Young Phoenix Stirring the Storm
Li Mo slowly regained consciousness, only to find he hadn’t truly awakened.
Before his eyes lay a sky filled with dark clouds, and a simple bamboo building that seemed to have sprouted from the black earth, alongside an exceptionally lavish altar.
Surrounding the altar were villagers with blank, bewildered expressions, the effects of the anesthetic still lingering as they wailed, along with the ugly catfish floating in the river, belly up.
Everything was reduced to shades of black and white, even the blood of the deceased ‘River God’ that had tainted a large area of the lake.
“Am I... dreaming?”
Li Mo had a vivid memory of the day’s events.
He had arrived at this riverside village just in time to witness a sacrificial ceremony.
Living off the land and water.
The entire village relied on the bounty of the river to fill their bellies and support their families. Unfortunately, the river’s temperament was even more unpredictable than the heavens.
It would stir up storms every few days, not only failing to yield fish but also often drowning people.
Occasionally, it would flood, submerging the village.
At such times, the villagers would know that the River God was angry.
The priest would then lead the villagers in a sacrificial ceremony. This year, the floods were particularly severe, necessitating a grand sacrifice.
In their culture, families chosen to offer a boy or girl were considered fortunate, as their child would go on to enjoy blessings with the River God.
Parents would feed their children ‘soul-separation medicine,’ dress them up carefully, and send them off on a lotus platform...
Li Mo watched closely.
The River God that swallowed the lotus platform was clearly an ugly catfish!
Without hesitation, he plunged into the water, beating the catfish disaster beast until it spat out the boys and girls, their bodies floating to the surface.
He killed the River God.
When he emerged from the water, all the villagers surrounded him, kneeling in unison on the ground, trembling like quails awaiting slaughter, chanting, “Our town has a new River God now.”
“Don’t kneel!”
“There’s no such thing as a River God; I’m not a god. I’m just a person like you!”
Li Mo shouted these words with conviction.
However, what awaited him was not the villagers’ sudden realization or gratitude.
Instead...
“You refuse our offerings; why did you kill the River God?”
“We all knew the floods were the River God’s anger. How will we know the cause if it floods again?”
“Yeah, if people drown, who will we worship then?”
Anger, confusion, fear.
It nearly drowned Li Mo...
At that moment, Little Li couldn’t help but ask himself.
“Did I... do something wrong?”
He wanted to turn back and ask her, but found no one behind him; the crowd surged, leaving him all alone.
Hmm?
“Why am I sweating so much?”
Ying Bing stared at the boy on her lap, her small hand brushing over his brow, but she couldn’t smooth out his furrowed brows.
Then she heard him mumbling, as if talking in his sleep:
“Ice Lump...”
Ying Bing’s long, shimmering eyelashes fluttered, her moonlit face momentarily stunned.
Was he dreaming of her?
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