Chapter 126 – Hatch if You Dare
"Why?" Huo Ling'er was visibly confused.
"Why do you think?" Yu Zimo shot her a glare that could kill.
"Enough arguing. The collapse of the Divine Caverns only buried some of the giant wolves. Most of them are still on our tail. If we don't want to die here, we need to get moving."
Hu Niu—true name, Shi Qingxuan—sat cross-legged atop the One World Painting, resting her chin in her hand, bored, while staring back at the wolves charging after them.
Following her gaze…
Silver-furred direwolves, green-fanged alpha beasts, black-blooded shadow wolves, crimson-horned warhounds—dozens of ancient wild breeds, their numbers blotting out the sky, an endless flood of primal killing intent closing in from all directions.
Their fangs gleamed like polished ivory. Their jade-green eyes flashed like lightning. They came on like a storm, relentless, coordinated, ruthless. To fall behind was to be torn apart, body and soul.
Luckily for them…
Yu Zimo's mastery of the One World Painting, while lacking in direct attack power, excelled in survival and evasion. It could even peer into brief glimpses of the future. Her escape skills were no joke.
No matter how the wolves intercepted and encircled, they could never quite close the distance. Slowly but steadily, the gap widened.
Eventually…
Night descended.
"These damn wolves are too stubborn. They can't catch us, but they just keep chasing," Huo Ling'er muttered.
"Why don't we just give back the egg?" Hu Niu dangled her pale feet off the edge of the painting, letting the wind brush past her. "Seriously, who's ever heard of wolves laying eggs?"
"Absolutely not! We risked everything in the Divine Caverns to get this egg—there's no way I'm giving it back!" Huo Ling'er clutched the golden giant egg tightly to her chest.
"What if I call my cousin?" Yu Zimo said casually, no hint of fatigue in her voice. She had long since fused with the One World Painting. With it supporting her, even carrying two people and a divine egg didn't drain her in the slightest. She could run for ten days and nights without slowing down.
"There's no danger yet," Hu Niu scoffed. "Why call him? Want to play the damsel card now?"
Truth was, Hu Niu had her own methods. If she really wanted, she could obliterate the entire wolf pack. But these wolves were just some Ancient Desolate Beasts—not worth wasting a true divine art on.
Her treasure technique, a monstrous art capable of devouring the heavens and swallowing the earth, wasn't something from this era. It came from her future self. After a terrifying evolution, it had fused into her bloodline, much like the Supreme Treasure Art born from a Supreme Bone.
In essence—it was a demonic derivation.
Techniques from future generations often didn't align with the laws of this ancient world. But for someone like the White-Clad Empress, this kind of deviation meant nothing. With her talent and cunning, she could rewrite the rules.
Eventually, dawn broke.
The horizon began to lighten with the pale glow of morning. A red sun slowly rose from the east. At long last, the wolf pack gave up the hunt, and the trio came to rest beside a crystal-clear lake surrounded by mist-shrouded peaks.
Worth noting: this world didn't have a true Sun Star.
That blood-colored orb in the sky wasn't a star—it was the corpse of a Primordial Golden Crow. A real divine beast from the Primeval Era. No one knew how it died or why it floated above the heavens.
Even in death, the Golden Crow still radiated unbearable heat and light. Some unseen force moved its corpse across the sky each day, rising and setting like a star, casting warmth and daylight across this strange little world.
Many cultivators had coveted the divine beast's remains over the years, but all who tried met mysterious ends. It was as though the world itself resisted tampering—a force correcting all "errors."
At the lakeside.
Huo Ling'er, Yu Zimo, and Hu Niu sat together, the golden egg placed between them. Its surface shimmered with faint divine radiance. They were discussing—again—what to do with it.
"A wolf egg just feels wrong," Hu Niu said flatly. "Let's stew it."
She didn't care about those Ancient Desolate Wolves, but this egg… It was different. Even sealed, it pulsed with the aura of a Pureblooded Divine Beast. If it hatched, the thing inside might be terrifying.
If they cooked it though… it'd probably be delicious.
"Absolutely not." Huo Ling'er hugged the egg tighter.
"So you do want to hatch it?" Yu Zimo gave her a look.
"Whatever. Hatch if it hatches."
Huo Ling'er pouted and curled up on the egg, humming to herself.
It was then that something strange happened.
A faint phantom of a Crimson Phoenix flared deep in Huo Ling'er's pupils, hazy and divine. In that moment, the long-dead essence inside the golden egg began to stir again—as though undergoing rebirth. A Phoenix, rising from its ashes.
—
Hundred-Fracture Mountains – Barren Grasslands
"Try me. Just move one of them." Shi Hao's voice was calm, but there was death in it.
A handful of opportunists—petty scavengers who had hoped to steal the Golden Lion Heads severed from the Nine-Headed Golden Lion—froze in place. His gaze alone made them abandon the idea and slink off.
Once they were gone, Shi Hao turned toward his companions from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, fire up the pot! Tonight we feast. Golden Lion Head stew."
Even he couldn't help licking his lips. Part of him had wanted to tame the Nine-Headed Lion and ride it around just for the prestige. But another part of him really wanted to see how it tasted.
"Got it!"
Three glowing Golden Lion Heads were hauled over by the Pavilion disciples. There wasn't a trace of blood—the meat exuded a rich, fragrant aura, pulsing with spiritual energy.
The heads were skinned and cleaned, tossed into a cauldron over roaring flame. Soon the water boiled, the golden flesh dancing inside.
An hour passed.
The stew began to glow, releasing mouthwatering aromas and flashes of multicolored light.
"Elder Sister, toss in those four spirit herbs," Shi Hao said, eyes shining. "This stew's gonna be outrageous."
"On it."
Xia Youyu, senior disciple of the Pavilion, threw in four rare herbs, each older than ten thousand years. They dissolved instantly, turning the water radiant.
Fragrance filled the air. The entire area was bathed in auspicious light. It was more than food—it was an elixir in stew form.
"Let it simmer a bit longer," Shi Hao said, satisfied. "Let the meat soak up the medicine."
As the stew bubbled…
A pair approached from the distance: Shi Yi and Yun Xi.
Strangely, Yun Xi had taken a liking to the Daoist Truth Verses Shi Yi recited. While others sought powerful techniques and divine treasures, she preferred the elegance of words that expressed the nature of existence.
Like a curious cat, she followed Shi Yi around, pestering him for more verses.
Shi Yi normally wouldn't bother. Most people found these verses too esoteric, too "empty." But Yun Xi listened like her soul depended on it.
He began to recite a passage from Zhang Sanfeng's Rootless Tree:
"Rootless Tree, blossoms bright,Moonlight cradles the sun's soul.
Golden Crow's marrow, Jade Rabbit's essence—Brew them both in Heaven's cauldron.
Rootless Tree, flowers fall,Pick the red ones—nothing remains.
Emptiness is form, and form is emptiness—See the truth within illusion.
Rootless Tree, flowers gone,Formless, shapeless, beyond imagining.
Nameless, yet answers the call—Cast into the furnace of creation."
He didn't notice.
As his voice wove through the morning mist, Yun Xi stood there, subtly transforming. Her aura, her soul, her very essence began to resonate with the verses.
She wasn't cut out for the brutal path of slaughter and survival, the cruel competition of the Heaven-Blessed Clans. She belonged to the Way of Pure Dao, the path of stillness, natural order, and return to truth.
For her…
This way was perfect.