Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, scattering onto the rocks and fallen leaves.
Speckles of light flickered, and insects hummed softly.
It created a vibrant, lively scene.
At one moment, a tiny insect seemed to sense danger.
It hopped away.
Not long after, a large, pointed, red-striped Scarlet Snake crawled over.
A small figure and a Squirrel were seated on its body.
"Hey, why do I have to come this time? The Spirit Wheat at home is almost ripe; what will happen if no one watches it?"
Little Squirrel gnawed on a Spirit Stone, making crunching sounds, showing its displeasure.
Li Zhuo, using the Puppet Soldier, persuaded him, "Am I not at home? Besides, we might encounter many dangers along the way, so we need a great expert like you~"
Little Squirrel's face flushed, and he stammered, "I, that, what great expert? I, I don't understand what you're saying."
Heh, a tsundere!
Having dealt with this agitated, tsundere Squirrel, Li Zhuo stopped talking to conserve the Puppet Soldier's magical power.
Since entering the second layer of the Qi Refining Realm, his magical power had become increasingly solid.
The Puppet Soldier could now last for a greater distance.
At this point, it was enough to reach the Fire Luan's territory.
Li Zhuo naturally no longer hesitated and set off immediately.
He began to establish the first Safe Zone.
To guard against dangers on the road, Li Zhuo forcibly dragged Little Squirrel along.
With this Squirrel and Scarlet Snake, even if they encountered a hegemon in Wanshou Mountain, they would be able to save their lives.
They traveled for three days without encountering any danger on the way.
In fact, after sensing Little Red's presence, most creatures would choose to retreat voluntarily.
They dared not provoke this one-star Spirit Beast.
After traveling for another day, the little Scarlet Snake's crawling speed slowed down, and even its head was pressed to the ground, crawling cautiously.
"What's wrong?" Li Zhuo asked, a little curious.
Little Red's voice was extremely low: "Master, we've reached Bear Mountain Lord's territory."
"What?!"
Li Zhuo remembered this was his way down the mountain.
Didn't he say there was no danger?
How did Bear Mountain Lord appear?
Even Little Squirrel was a bit puzzled: "That's not right; that blind bear's territory is very far from here."
"I heard it's because there's a treasure appearing here; Bear Mountain Lord wants to find the treasure, so he sent his bear cubs and grandchildren to occupy this mountain hollow."
"It's the only way down the mountain."
Li Zhuo frowned slightly but wasn't too worried.
Although he didn't know Bear Mountain Lord's strength, he understood the Squirrel and Little Red very well.
Since obtaining the Spirit Stones, they had been continuously Cultivating.
With the pure Bloodline and abundant Spiritual Qi, their progress was rapid.
In this Wanshou Mountain, they could even be considered a hegemon.
Moreover, Little Red was well-versed in Li Zhuo's Dao of caution, crawling extremely carefully.
They shouldn't be discovered.
After crawling for a while longer, Little Red suddenly felt some movement not far away.
It decisively stopped and lay quietly on the ground.
Li Zhuo and Little Squirrel also pricked up their ears, listening intently.
"The Great King said there's a treasure here; what could it be?"
"Since it's a treasure, it must have some Spiritual Qi, right?"
"Can treasures be eaten? Are they delicious?"
"So, Boss, can you give us a hint? Otherwise, searching for a needle in a haystack isn't going to work."
After a period of silence, a deep, resonant voice finally spoke.
"The Great King's Cultivation has reached a critical moment; what does he lack most right now?"
"Uh, meat?"
"Honey?"
"Female bears?"
"A bunch of idiots! He needs Spiritual Qi, a large amount of Spiritual Qi!" After a burst of angry curses, this bear 'Boss' finally revealed the matter of the treasure.
Then, there was a puzzled voice.
"Uh... what's a Spirit Stone vein?"
"Can it be eaten?"
"Is it delicious?"
The voices gradually faded into the distance.
Little Red finally continued to crawl.
The Squirrel poked Li Zhuo's Puppet Soldier and asked, "Are you running low on Spirit Stones? We really need this Spirit Stone vein now; should we snatch it?"
"Of course not!"
Li Zhuo decisively refused, "For a treasure like a Spirit Stone vein, whoever occupies it becomes the target of all, completely unavoidable."
Little Squirrel seemed very interested in the Spirit Stone vein and continued to persuade him:
"So, are you just going to give up like that? If you let Bear Mountain Lord occupy the Spirit Stone vein, once he achieves Cultivation, won't you still be in danger? Don't worry, you don't need to act; I can take care of that blind bear for you~"
This time, Li Zhuo didn't refute the Squirrel but said, "Let them search first; even if they really find the Spirit Stone vein, it won't be exhausted in a short time."
As the saying goes, how can one allow others to snore on their couch?
Since Li Zhuo wanted to turn the entire Wanshou Mountain into an absolute Safe Zone, he naturally wouldn't allow any creatures that could threaten his safety to exist.
Therefore, whether it was the so-called Chi She Clan Leader, Bear Mountain Lord, Pan Mountain Tiger, or the Old Flood Dragon, or even the powerful creatures hostile to the Fire Luan, they were all Li Zhuo's targets.
But as cautious as he was, he certainly wouldn't rush in now.
Otherwise, even if he really obtained the Spirit Stone vein, it would be difficult to defend it with just the Squirrel, Little Red, or Little Flower.
Of course, there weren't enough extra hands to mine it either.
It would only create enemies for nothing.
So, he still had to develop step by step according to the original plan.
Once he became powerful, both Bear Mountain Lord and the Spirit Stone vein would naturally fall into his hands.
And he wouldn't have to bear any risks.
Killing multiple birds with one stone.
So delightful~
Seeing the little Puppet Soldier's appearance, the Squirrel also stopped persuading him.
He just clenched his tiny paws and gesticulated wildly, showing his eagerness to try.
After all the blind bears left, Little Red finally continued on its way.
This time, there were no mishaps.
The group arrived at the Crimson Luan's territory very smoothly.
Looking at the huge bird's nest on the cliff face, Li Zhuo controlled the Puppet Soldier to jump off Little Red.
Then he softly blew a whistle.
The sound was very faint, seemingly dissipating in the wind.
Even the Squirrel and Little Red didn't hear it clearly.
But Li Zhuo was confident.
Sure enough, as soon as the whistle fell, a high-pitched cry emerged from the bird's nest.
The Fire Luan swiftly rushed out of its nest, looking in Li Zhuo's direction.
In the dense jungle, the Fire Luan immediately saw the red-striped, pointed-headed Scarlet Snake.
"A snake?"
Its eyes lit up, and it was deeply moved.
"My benefactor knows I'm injured and even sent me a nourishing snake~ I must repay my benefactor well in the future~"
It murmured to itself.
The Fire Luan swooped down, with light blooming from its mouth.
Seeing the large bird in such a posture, Little Red shivered in fright.
Whether it was racial suppression or Cultivation strength, it was no match for the Fire Luan.
Little Squirrel quickly jumped onto Little Red's head, waving his small paws and shouting, "Don't..."
Upon seeing Little Squirrel, the Fire Luan was both surprised and delighted.
It clearly remembered that it was this Squirrel who had severely dealt with the egg thief!
Since the Squirrel was here, that meant...
It quickly retracted its magical power and Divine Ability, looking around, "Has my benefactor also come?"
Little Squirrel extended his small paw and pointed to the tiny Puppet Soldier on the ground: "This is him!"