Chapter 980: Regaining Strength
Huang Xiaolong sighed in relief, focusing a thread of godforce to pull the fish to the riverside.
‘What in the hell is this fish?!’
Whether it was its speed, power, or body toughness, all of them were comparable to the general peak late-Tenth Order Highgod Realm cultivator!
Moreover, from its bloodline, Huang Xiaolong sensed a trace of primordial divine beast aura.
There was a long thorn protruding from the fish back, as sharp as a blade.
What bemused Huang Xiaolong was the fact that this powerful fish had no godhead inside its body and no trace of godforce.
After catching his breath, Huang Xiaolong killed another fish with the same method, then built a bonfire far away from the riverside, letting the two fish cook.
Since his godforce had yet to fully recover, rendering him unable to use his internal divine flame, Huang Xiaolong resorted to the most primitive way of starting a fire.
Soon, the tantalizing aroma of roast fish wafted in the air.
Huang Xiaolong grabbed one of the skewers of fish and bit into it. The fish meat was surprisingly smooth and soft, with a natural sweetness, while the fish oil turned the skin crispy. One bite filled Huang Xiaolong’s mouth with a savory aroma.
After he swallowed, Huang Xiaolong discovered that the fish turned into warm streams of energy when it reached his stomach, spreading out to every part of his body, filling him with a comfortable feeling. His three supreme godheads swallowed these warm streams of energy, converting them into godforce, which delighted Huang Xiaolong. His godforce had actually increased by a tiny bit.
The fish actually had such an effect? Huang Xiaolong’s eyes glimmered with a plan as he began scarfing down the skewer of fish. A few minutes later, he was done with the two fish he caught.
The two fish were only about the size of two palms put together, but Huang Xiaolong’s stomach bulged with satisfaction. Rubbing his rounded stomach, Huang Xiaolong got to his feet. At the bottom of the hill from before, he found a natural cave and went inside.
This cave’s mouth could accommodate three people passing at the same time, while the cave was about five to six square feet, dry and comfortable. It was an ideal spot for Huang Xiaolong to cultivate, away from sight.
At the cost of depleting his pitiful amount of godforce and three hours of time, Huang Xiaolong succeeded in laying out a simple defensive barrier around the cave mouth.
He then cleaned up the cave somewhat and sat down in a meditative pose, continuing to absorb spiritual energy to regain his strength.
The days passed in a monotonous pattern. Every time he felt hungry, he would exit the cave and kill two fish to fill his rumbling stomach, then went back to cultivate inside the cave.
Initially, it would have taken more than a month’s time for him to fully regain his strength, but the time required was shortened significantly ever since he started consuming the blade-fin fish.
As Huang Xiaolong continued to absorb spiritual energy, the suppression of laws lowered.
By the end of the twelfth day, Huang Xiaolong had returned to his peak condition, and the suppression he previously felt had completely disappeared.
His existence was now completely accepted by the Divine World.
Now that his strength had returned, Huang Xiaolong decided to leave. Firstly, he needed to get out of this primeval forest. Before leaving, he killed over a hundred blade-fin fish, keeping them in the Godly Mt. Xumi space.
Although things from the lower realm couldn't be brought to the Divine World, the Godly Mt. Xumi was originally from the upper realm, hence, Huang Xiaolong was able to have it with him still. Other than the Godly Mt. Xumi, there were also the Linglong Treasure Pagoda, the Absolute Soul Pearl, as well as the God Binding Ring.
Naturally, he also had on him the token that allowed him to join any prominent sect in the Divine World, a reward from winning the first place in the Highgod Advancement Tournament.
There was also that lightning beast egg that made it to the Divine World with Huang Xiaolong.
That lightning beast egg, under his efforts for over a hundred years in the lower realm, was now close to hatching.
Determining his direction, Huang Xiaolong began moving toward the edge of the primeval forest. Even though his strength had returned, he still couldn’t fly; however, in a single leap, he was able to cross several li, so it wasn't so excruciatingly slow anymore.
Just as Huang Xiaolong made his way towards the edge of the primeval forest, he heard a miserable scream coming from the direction he was going in.
There were probably some disciples being attacked by demonic beasts.
Huang Xiaolong hesitated slightly before making his way toward the source of the scream. Judging from the energy fluctuations, the rampaging beast didn't seem to be very powerful, roughly a late-Tenth Order Highgod Realm strength.
A few moments later, Huang Xiaolong arrived at the scene.
On the open space a little further ahead, a tiger-like demonic beast was attacking a green-robed, bloodstained black-haired elder. Clearly, the elder was enduring heavy injuries. Not far from him were a deathly pale young man and young woman, their wide eyes filled with terror.
Over twenty corpses were strewn on the ground in their proximity. These were undoubtedly the guards who had met their deaths under the beast’s claws.
“Young Master, Young Miss, run quickly, I will block this Giant Tiger Beast!” The black-haired elder shouted to the pair of siblings.
The young woman adamantly shook her head despite the tears flowing down her face, “No, Uncle Yan, I won’t leave you.”
Although the young man’s eyes were filled with grief, he pulled his younger sister’s hand, saying, “Sister, we must hurry and run. Uncle Yan is right. If we stay here, not only are we unable to help Uncle Yan, we will become a distraction. If we don’t go now, none of us will be able to leave.”
At this point of time, the tiger-like demonic beast’s paw hit the elder, sending him flying. Crashing on the ground, the elder’s rolled over, coincidentally stopping in front of the young man and woman.
“Uncle Yan!” Both of them exclaimed grimly, quickly pulling the elder up.
The tiger-like demonic beast let out a complacent roar, pouncing forward with its jaw wide open, aiming at the pair of siblings. Watching this, the young man and woman despaired.
The tiger-like demonic beast was so close to enjoying its prey when a fist whistled through the air, slamming into its chest and brutally sending it flying backward.
The demonic beast knocked into several great trees before falling to the ground.
The three people who thought they were dead for sure watched this scene dazedly, then joy crept up their faces. A moment later, they saw a strangely dressed black-haired young man walking over.
Huang Xiaolong went toward the tiger-like demonic beast that was struggling to get up from the ground, then circulated his godforce to form a palm blade, slicing horizontally. A tiger head fell to the ground a beat later.
Following this, the Absolute Soul Finger pierced through the tiger head, completely destroying its soul.
Looking at the tiger head, a thought crossed through Huang Xiaolong’s mind. His palm blade had cut through the tiger head, finding a godhead within.
It slightly resembled a beast core from the lower realm, containing a considerable amount of godforce.
Huang Xiaolong approached the three people after putting away that godhead.
The three people were flabbergasted watching Huang Xiaolong easily killing the Giant Tiger Beast. The Giant Tiger Beasts had a sturdy hide, the average divine artifact could hardly make a scratch on its body. The palm blade this black-haired young man formed cut off the beast’s head like it was soft tofu.
Only when Huang Xiaolong was standing right in front of them did the three recover their senses.
The black-haired elder quickly took a step forward, cupping his fists at Huang Xiaolong, “Many thanks for this young hero’s rescue!”
The young man and woman followed suit, courteously thanking him.
Huang Xiaolong exchanged some perfunctory words with the other party, subtly inquiring about the primeval forest and its surroundings.
“Young hero doesn't know about this Blood Phoenix Forest?” Hearing Huang Xiaolong’s inquiries, the elder exclaimed, then an expression of realization appeared on his face. “Young hero hails from another island?”