Not long after, Little Red Bird, shimmering with a dazzling, crystal-like light, flew over to the riverbank where Xiao Shi had been standing. It looked at the rushing, turbulent river and rolled its eyes. "I wasn't even trying to take your life, you little brat, why run off like that!"
Spreading its divine sense, it carefully scanned the area. It found that there wasn't a single trace of human life within several miles. This reminded it of the Three-Colored Divine Light. It seemed that the little brat had used that falling curtain of light to evade its perception.
"What a weird little brat from head to toe!"
Little Red Bird muttered to itself, its body flashing as it followed the river downstream. Its family had been enjoying the offerings of a nation for generations, responsible for protecting the country's safety. As a benevolent spirit, it didn't want to see such a talented little kid lose their life because they panicked and ran in the wrong direction.
However, it didn't know that deep within the river, several hundred meters upstream, a small figure was shrouded in the Three-Colored Divine Light. It was lying obediently beside a large stone, unmoving, like a withered stone.
If one looked closely, they would see that the small figure's large eyes were darting around, watching the direction in which Little Red Bird had left.
"This little master is really suited to be a sneak attacker. Forget about other things, just based on this protective divine light that can even fool Little Red Bird, I can definitely make a fortune."
Xiao Shi stayed in that position for a while longer. Seeing that Little Red Bird hadn't returned, he started to head upstream along the river.
It had been over a month since he entered the Great Wilderness, and he no longer knew where he was.
But he hadn't forgotten his purpose. He had left the village to search for Spiritual Medicine and to cultivate.
Two days later, Little Red Bird reappeared above the riverbank. Gazing at the surging river, it felt like it wanted to grab a certain little brat and give him a good beating.
For two whole days, it had searched the entire downstream river channel, even turning the river upside down. Not only had it not seen the little brat, it hadn't even encountered a Fierce Beast, though this was related to its own aura of intimidation.
"Hmph, you little brat, you're on your own. This princess has been kind enough, don't blame me if you die!"
Little Red Bird looked arrogant and full of spirit. Running into such a little brat was its bad luck. After the battle, it had been healing its injuries. If it hadn't been strong enough, it might have been eaten by a human child. Now, it had wasted two more days. It really had done its best.
However, it didn't know that hundreds of miles upstream, a naked little brat, enveloped in a not-so-conspicuous Three-Colored Divine Light, was lying motionless against the cliff face of a mountain.
Above him, a cave more than two meters wide was situated a hundred meters up. Whiffs of medicinal fragrance occasionally wafted out from the entrance, causing the little bear child below to involuntarily swallow.
After leaving the river, he had been hiding in the depths of the Great Wilderness mountains. Relying on the Three-Colored Divine Light's ability to conceal his aura, he followed a Five-Colored Centipede, which was seven or eight meters long, to this place.
That centipede was extremely powerful, a variant of the Fierce Beast. He had seen it from afar, and just one puff of green mist from the centipede had corroded a Thundercloud Leopard until not even its bones remained. It was terrifying.
The Venomous Creature's lair often comes with rare Spiritual Herbs. Should I take a gamble? Xiao Shi asked himself internally. He wasn't afraid of the centipede, but he was worried about Little Red Bird. It had been two days, and he wasn't sure if Little Red Bird was still at the river.
"Spiritual Herbs are hard to find. I'll ignore it for now. If the worst comes to the worst, this young master will just run away again."
After making up his mind, Xiao Shi's hands and feet began to climb rapidly. The hundred-meter height posed no difficulty for him.
In just a moment, he was standing at the cave entrance, surveying the dark, hollow cave. This was the Venomous Centipede's home; he had witnessed the Venomous Centipede entering it.
"Why does it feel so cold?" Standing at the cave entrance, Xiao Shi's eyes shone with divine light, and two complex runes lit up within his pupils. The dark, hollow cave became as bright as day in his eyes, but even so, he still felt a chilling aura.
But a mischievous child is still a mischievous child; knowing there were tigers in the mountains, he still headed towards them. He lifted his foot and walked towards this unknown, and seemingly endless, cave.
Although the entrance was only two meters wide, it became more spacious as he went deeper. It also sloped downwards, as if leading directly into the mountain's interior.
After advancing for a full ten li or so, he still hadn't found the Five-Colored Centipede. However, the cave had begun to change. It became several meters high and eight or nine meters wide. Even the bottom became smooth and level, no longer rough and sloped.
Xiao Shi's large eyes flickered with confusion. He squatted down, placing his palm against the green ground beneath his feet. As soon as he made contact, he shivered violently.
Vaguely, he seemed to hear countless gods and demons whispering in his ear, or perhaps it was the sound of unwilling roars, causing his entire mind to buzz.
Xiao Shi felt as if he had been electrocuted, nearly jumping up. If he hadn't been able to smell a medicinal fragrance, he would have run away long ago.
The Great Wilderness possessed too many mysteries and dangers, but also many legends and opportunities. He had always known this, and never expected that following a centipede could lead him to such a wondrous place.
At this point, he had already walked over ten li and had been descending the entire time. Perhaps he was already underground.
"Something feels off," Xiao Shi muttered to himself. He continued along the wide path. He was naturally bold, or perhaps it was just ignorance.
After walking for another half hour, a change occurred. Two cave entrances appeared before him. The right one exuded the scent of Spiritual Medicine, while the other seemed eerie, causing him unease. The air also carried the lingering scent of the Five-Colored Centipede. It seemed the centipede had entered the left cave.
Xiao Shi hesitated, then headed towards the left cave. He wanted to see what the Five-Colored Centipede was up to. After all, Fierce Beasts at that level possessed a considerable amount of intelligence.
The cave was deep, dark, and cold, but it also held a strange quality, something subtle that was hard to detect without a keen sense.
He walked for a long time within the cave and noticed a problem. The cyan path on the ground was made up of immense, rock-like formations, each one about a mile in diameter. If he wasn't underground, unable to lift them, the little rascal would have tried to lift them.
(End of Chapter)