Li Chang'an raised his hand, and the Pangu Axe, covered in crackling lightning patterns, was tossed into the air. In an instant, one axe became two, then two became four. Before him, four Pangu Axes hovered in a rotating circular formation, resembling a full moon.
"Go!"
At the center of the full-moon-shaped formation, thunderbolts surged as a blinding circular light about two meters in diameter burst forth. The glowing "moon" was wreathed in arcs of lightning, radiating a terrifying aura.
Bzzzzz...
The full moon shot out at an impossible speed, hurling itself directly toward Da Ming. A sizzling hum filled the air, and blue lightning illuminated the surroundings like the wrath of heaven.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Da Ming's eyes, but he didn't take it too seriously. He didn't even activate his power, clearly intending to take the hit head-on.
In the blink of an eye, the attack reached him. To the eye, it seemed as though Da Ming had been swallowed by thunder and lightning. The brilliance of the flashing arcs was so intense that even Xiao Wu, standing nearby, could hardly keep her eyes open.
She also noticed the grass and flowers around Da Ming blackening and withering under the residual lightning—completely drained of life.
"Haha, interesting! Very interesting!"
Da Ming's hearty laughter rang out from the core of the lightning storm. Suddenly, the lightning around him vanished without a trace, as though it had never existed.
Da Ming still wore his usual blue robes, though the edges were singed. A few strands of his hair now stood up, but other than that, he appeared completely unharmed.
After all, no matter how strong one was, protecting clothing and hair from elemental forces like lightning was difficult. If he had actually used his internal power, this kind of attack wouldn't have even made a dent. Still, Da Ming was visibly impressed by Li Chang'an's strength.
Flexing his slightly numb wrist, Da Ming commented, "What's terrifying about your spirit ability isn't the raw power, but the lightning attached to it. Its area of effect is huge and undeniably powerful. For a human spirit King, just the thunder alone would be enough to cause serious trouble."
[Da Ming, Points +28]
"You've got a good eye, senior," Li Chang'an said without a trace of humility. "My Full Moon Slash is indeed an area attack, and the attached lightning power packs quite a punch."
Inwardly, he thought, 'I need to find a way to upgrade my spirit ring to the ten-thousand-year level as soon as possible. Only then will I truly be able to fight a spirit King head-on.'
"All right, you guys have fun. I'll head back first," Da Ming said casually, bidding Xiao Wu a wave before disappearing into thin air—his departure as effortless as a drifting cloud.
Xiao Wu bounced cheerfully over to Li Chang'an and twirled her scorpion braid as she chirped, "Big Brother Li, you're amazing! You even messed up Da Ming's hair!"
Li Chang'an playfully pinched her cheek and said with a grin, "Of course I'm amazing. Do you even need to ask who I am?"
"Come on! I'll introduce you to some of my other friends!" Xiao Wu said eagerly, grabbing Li Chang'an's hand without waiting for a response. He couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of being pulled along by such a lively girl.
And so, Li Chang'an followed Xiao Wu around, meeting many intriguing spirit beasts.
There was a 90,000-year-old Golden Phantom, a ten-year-old bamboo spirit, a thousand-year-old squirrel, and even a powerful ten-thousand-year Brown Bear...
That evening, Li Chang'an cooked noodles for Xiao Wu before the two lay down on the grass to sleep. Xiao Wu, completely unbothered by appearances, curled up on Li Chang'an's thigh—and even drooled a little.
---
The next morning, when Li Chang'an woke up, he saw Xiao Wu sitting cross-legged on the grass with her hair down, brushing it with a wooden comb.
"Want me to brush it for you?" he offered gently as he walked over and ran his fingers through her silky hair.
"Sure, big brother Li," Xiao Wu said with a soft look in her eyes, handing him the simple wooden comb.
As he took it, Li Chang'an "accidentally" brushed his hand against hers before gently smoothing out her hair and beginning to comb it.
While his expression remained pure and innocent, his thoughts were anything but.
Just then, Xiao Wu asked softly, "Bro, will you brush my hair for the rest of your life?"
"Of course I will! I swear, I'll only ever brush your hair in this life!" Li Chang'an declared with dramatic flair. Worst case, he can give Bibi Dong a massage, mess around with Qian Renxue, or fool around with Hu Liena later on.
"Xiao Wu, if one day you find out I've kept something from you, please don't be mad, okay…" he added, trying to sneak in a little heartfelt moment.
"Okay, I trust you," Xiao Wu replied with innocent sincerity.
Just as Li Chang'an finished brushing her hair, a commotion rose from where Er Ming was. A glowing green Jade Swanlet was being lifted gently into the air by his spirit power and placed above the Lake of Life's divine surface.
In front of Mu Xi, a radiant yellow spirit ring hovered as she sat in deep concentration, brows furrowed, trying to absorb a five-hundred-year ring.
Xiao Wu sighed in relief as she watched the little jade swan being nurtured above the lake.
"Thank goodness... Little Cui finally left behind a descendant. It's fragile, yes, but at least it's a continuation."
Every death of a rare spirit beast was a loss to the Star Dou Forest. Protecting them, preventing their extinction—that was the duty of high-level beasts like Xiao Wu.
Li Chang'an nodded silently, saying nothing. But as he watched Xiao Wu's smiling face, he made a silent vow: 'I will solve the crisis of spirit beast extinction—no matter what it takes.'
Compared to Li Chang'an, Mu Xi's body constitution was far less robust. Even after half an hour had passed, she was still in the process of absorbing the ring. Her face was contorted with pain, but the determination in her eyes kept her going.
Even though she had been purified with a drop of the Lake of Life's divine water, the time had been too short…
After a while, Mu Xi finally opened her enchanting peach blossom eyes and looked up—seeing Li Chang'an standing before her—and was immediately filled with a sense of peace.
_____
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