Shi Hao hadn't expected the immortal herb to be this persistent—it was clinging to him like a puppy, completely unwilling to leave.
As if trying to prove its worth, the Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal Herb released a soft golden glow and merged into the little gourd atop Shi Hao's head.
The next moment, a surge of pure power flooded his body…
His soul power surged rapidly—Level 76… Level 77… Level 78!
A leap of three levels in an instant! It was terrifying beyond belief. Not only that, but Shi Hao could now clearly feel a new innate ability awakening—he was now immune to all poisons.
The Earth Cavern Demon Spider was dumbfounded. All eight of its eyes turned glassy and wet, on the verge of bursting into tears.
What the hell is this… That was my flower! My precious flower!
That Fragrant Silk Beauty was its chance to flip the script on life, its greatest opportunity to change its fate. But now, the immortal herb had chosen to follow Shi Hao on its own. It couldn't even argue—Shi Hao hadn't snatched it away. The flower made its own decision.
Besides… if it weren't for Shi Hao, the Earth Cavern Demon Spider would already be a corpse left behind by the Shrek Seven Devils.
"Sorry about that…" Shi Hao scratched his head, his chubby little face full of embarrassment. He had just said he wouldn't take the flower—and now look. Total face loss.
Even though it wasn't his fault, the Fragrant Silk Beauty really had ended up with him.
After thinking for a moment, Shi Hao reached into his robes and took something out, then held it up in his palm—something that looked utterly ordinary:
A gourd shard.
Yes. A simple shard from the gourd he was born with.
"This aura… it's so pure… Such vibrant life energy!"
"I can feel it! If I eat that thing, my bloodline might evolve!"
Both the Earth Cavern Demon Spider and the Rune-patterned White Tiger were wide-eyed with desire. The aura from the shard in Shi Hao's hand far surpassed that of the celestial herb from earlier.
"I'll give this piece to you as compensation…"
Shi Hao handed a shard over to the Earth Cavern Demon Spider with a bit of heartache. He only had five small pieces left, after all—the rest had already been eaten over time.
"Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss! From now on, wherever you go, I go! You want me to fight, I'll fight! No hesitation!"
The spider immediately declared its loyalty, all complaints gone from its heart. The White Tiger beside them stared at the gourd shard in Shi Hao's hand, practically drooling.
"Don't stare like that. You get one too… You've been carrying me around all this time. Dad said we should always repay kindness."
Shi Hao generously gave the white tiger a shard as well, and the big cat instantly lit up with glee.
The two soul beasts glanced at each other, then immediately stashed their gourd shards away—clearly planning to slowly refine them later.
With that, the incident finally came to an end.
Shi Hao parted ways with the Shrek group and resumed his journey deeper into Star Dou Forest, heading toward the Spirit Hall.
The Earth Cavern Demon Spider took the lead. Well… it only knew the general direction.
After many more days of travel, the group finally reached the opposite end of Star Dou Forest—leaving the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire. They had, essentially, crossed the entire forest.
This place marked the outskirts of the forest. Just beyond this point, they'd start encountering human civilization again.
The Earth Cavern Demon Spider didn't want to enter the human world, and its form made it impossible to blend in. So, it decided to part ways with Shi Hao and the tiger.
"Little Spider, you better behave. I'll come visit you again someday."
Shi Hao had built a solid friendship with the spider over the past few days—it had been one of the only two soul beasts he could actually talk to.
"I will, Boss! And don't worry, next time we meet, I promise I'll have a huge surprise for you!"
The Earth Cavern Demon Spider was brimming with excitement. It had already begun refining the gourd shard Shi Hao gave it, and once it was fully absorbed, it believed it would undergo a massive transformation!
Shi Hao didn't think much of it. He just grinned and waved:
"See ya!"
With that, he mounted the White Tiger and galloped into the distance.
Along the way, Shi Hao gradually forgot all about the unpleasantness with the Shrek group. His youthful energy returned, and his heart beat faster with anticipation.
He was close to Spirit City now.
He was close to saving his mother.
"Charge! Let's tear down Spirit Hall and save my beautiful mama!"
"My little brothers and sister are still waiting for me… so is Dad!"
Suddenly, a dazzling sea of flowers appeared before him, catching Shi Hao's eye and instantly lighting up his whole face with childlike wonder.
He leapt off the tiger's back like a wild colt and beamed with joy, his voice full of excitement:
"Wow! So many pretty flowers!"
"Can I eat them?"
"Big cat, this place is so cool! Look at all the flowers and plants!"
Shi Hao was once again mesmerized by something new and fun. The White Tiger just shook its head and silently prayed that this little boss wouldn't devour all the flowers here.
"You can't eat those."
Shi Hao pouted in disappointment. But the next second, he clasped his hands together and yanked up a whole patch of flowers, roots and all. Even the soil came loose beneath them.
Hehehe!
He started playing around, giggling like a maniac.
"…Damn, this kid's really freakishly strong."
The white tiger couldn't help sucking in a breath of cold air.
Gurgle~ Gurgle~
Two stomachs growled in unison—Shi Hao's and the tiger's. Clearly, they were both starving.
Crunch, crunch…
Shi Hao pulled out a gourd shard and nibbled on it in small bites. It was the fastest way to fill his stomach, though it didn't taste great. Bits of the shell stuck to the corners of his mouth.
"Big cat, got any more beast milk? Daddy says you have to drink beast milk after eating gourd shards. Otherwise, you'll choke!"
The white tiger: "???"
It immediately stumbled backward a few steps. After these past few days, it was practically drained dry. Not a drop left!
While it was still processing the horror of that request, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.
The tiger's ears perked up.
A pair of green eyes glinted in the shadows.
A wolf-type soul beast emerged—its aura suggested it had just broken through to the ten-thousand-year level.
The tiger's eyes lit up.
Aha! A meal for me… and maybe a source of beast milk for the little ancestor.
Speaking in beast-tongue, it quickly told Shi Hao:
"Little boss, just sit here in the grass and wait for me. I'll go fetch you some beast milk and grab myself a decent meal while I'm at it."
Shi Hao nodded like a chicken pecking rice, grinning ear to ear. "Go, go! Hurry back, Big Cat!"
And with that, the White Tiger chased after the Wind Wolf.
The Wind Wolf sensed the overwhelming threat behind it and immediately bolted, darting into the trees. The tiger roared and gave chase.
Shi Hao sat alone in the field, kicking his legs and waiting.
_
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