"Emperor Desolate, huh? We finally meet..."
Zhu Chen raised an eyebrow, a sly smile gradually forming on his lips.
He had two purposes for coming to the Cangmang Mountains.
One was to obtain the inheritance of the Supreme Palace.
The other was to borrow the "Original True Explanation" from Shi Village.
While the villagers of Shi Village were simple and hospitable, he was going there to meet the Willow God.
The Willow God was the village's ancestral spirit, a noble figure. Surely, the villagers wouldn't let a stranger approach easily.
Therefore, he needed a guide.
And he had already chosen this guide: little Shi Hao, who had come here to post pictures in search of his relatives!
"Haha! It's really Zhu Yan's Nirvana! Zhu Chen, hurry over and take a look! This reborn Zhu Yan is so furry and adorable!"
Huo Ling'er's voice echoed from the distant, collapsed mountain.
Her exclamation instantly attracted Shi Hao, who was already rushing towards them.
Shi Hao spotted someone near the ruined Stone Village and immediately flew away at low altitude on his Green Scaled Eagle.
Zhu Chen also quickly rushed over.
They both arrived at Huo Ling'er's side almost at the same time.
"Which village are you from? Why are you here?"
Shi Hao eyed Zhu Chen and Huo Ling'er warily. The Green-Scaled Eagle crouched beside him, poised to attack at any moment.
"It's just a little brat! I thought it was some ancient beast!"
Huo Ling'er, seeing the newcomer was just a six or seven-year-old country kid, patted her chest with relief.
When the Green-Scaled Eagle flew over, she'd thought it was some formidable ancient beast coming to steal the mountain treasures.
Now it turned out to be a little kid's pet!
She was terrified.
"I don't think you two are much older than me,"
Shi Hao muttered, curling his lips.
He then turned to look at Zhu Chen, who stood beside Huo Ling'er. Seeing that neither seemed to harbor any ill intentions, he returned to the ruined ancestral land of Shi Village.
He had come out specifically to leave a message for his parents, and he couldn't miss his mission.
"Tsk~, you left without even explaining yourself. What a brat."
Huo Ling'er ignored Shi Hao after he left. Instead, she turned to look at Zhu Chen and asked, "Zhu Chen, the noise you just made fighting with Zhu Yan was too loud. This place might attract other ancient beasts soon. We should leave quickly."
The rare treasure, fought over by countless ancient beasts, was now theirs. They had also picked up a supreme being who had reached nirvana. Her gains from this trip had far exceeded her wildest dreams. She only wanted to return to her father as soon as possible to show off and earn his praise.
But Zhu Chen had other ideas.
He hadn't even visited his wife in Shi Village yet, so how could he possibly go back first?
"No rush. We need to open that bone box, and we might need the help of this little brat."
Zhu Chen walked over and scratched Huo Ling'er's nose, then turned and followed Shi Hao.
"What? That little brat's cultivation level might not even be as high as mine. How could he possibly open that bone box?"
Huo Ling'er glanced down at Zhu Yan, still sleeping in her arms. After muttering a few words, she immediately followed.
"Little one,"
Zhu Chen called out Shi Hao by his nickname after catching up.
Shi Hao froze, stopping in his tracks and looking over in surprise. "You know me?"
Only those in Shi Village knew the name "Little Bit." He was curious how this guy, roughly his own age, knew it.
"Well, not only do I know you, I also know where your parents, Shi Ziling and Qin Yining, are,"
Zhu Chen said bluntly.
He hated beating around the bush.
He would choose whichever method was most efficient.
And with someone like Shi Hao, sincerity was undoubtedly the best approach.
"Are you telling the truth? Do you really know where my parents are?"
Shi Hao's tone suddenly became excited, his eyes lighting up as he looked at Zhu Chen.
Zhu Chen didn't hold back.
He directly told Shi Hao about Shi Ziling and Qin Yining's house arrest at the Qin family home on Bulao Mountain.
However, he didn't mention the two trying to have a second child.
He feared Shi Hao couldn't handle the blow.
Speaking of which, this little guy was a pitiful creature. Having his bones dug out since childhood was one thing, but after abandoning him to Shi Village, his parents unexpectedly started raising a secondary account just a few years later. While
other cultivators were busy studying how to improve their cultivation and leveling up.
The latest novel is being released here!
His parents, on the other hand, were busy creating secondary accounts.
You know, the higher the level of a cultivator's cultivation, the lower their chances of conceiving.
Shi Ziling was a prodigy of the Stone Clan, and Qin Yining was a Saintess from the previous generation of the Undying God.
Their cultivation and talent were not weak in the lower realms, so the chances of them achieving a soul-striking feat were extremely slim. They must have gone through countless trials and tribulations to create this trumpet.
It was ridiculous, even then.
"If you don't believe me, go back and ask the Willow God. She'll tell you if what I say is true,"
Zhu Chen added.
Shi Hao had initially been skeptical, considering returning to the clan leader or the Willow God for confirmation. But when he heard Zhu Chen utter the words 'Willow God,' his expression froze.
"You, you actually know about the Willow God?"
"What else?"
Zhu Chen shrugged with a smile, then continued, "To be honest, we came to the Great Wilderness to meet the Willow God. I'd like to borrow your Stone Village's original true understanding. Of course, as a reward, I'll help you heal the Willow God's old injuries."
"You even know the Willow God is injured?"
Shi Hao was stunned.
He had only recently learned of the Willow God's injury from clan leader Shi Yunfeng.
Legend has it that the Willow God descended upon their Stone Village bathed in a sea of thunder.
Back then, the Willow God was nothing more than a lifeless, dead stump.
After years of nurturing, it gradually regained some vitality, but to this day, it has only grown a single willow branch.
Shi Hao was no fool; he knew the Willow God must have been seriously injured and was recovering. However, their Shi Village was limited in resources and could not provide more to nourish the Willow God, which was why the Willow God was recovering so slowly.
If this guy in front of me really has a way to heal Willow God's old injuries, perhaps I can take them back to the village and give it a try.
After all, this man and woman don't look like bad people.
"Okay, then I'll take you to see Willow God. I also need to go to see Willow God to verify what you just said."
Shi Hao was still relatively naive at this time. He only thought about it for a moment, then agreed to Zhu Chen's request without hesitation.
At Shi Hao's invitation, Zhu Chen and Huo Ling'er also sat on the back of the Green Scale Eagle. The three of them rode the Green Scale Eagle together to Xinshi Village.
...
At the same time.
In a tribal village 100,000 miles away.
A charred dead log seemed to sense something, and the willow branch hanging to the ground suddenly emitted a faint divine light.
...
(End of this chapter)