About half an hour later, Yun Mengli slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Oh man...
Tang Dou wanted to cry, but had no tears.
What on earth was he supposed to do?!
He raised a hand to extinguish the lamp in the room and slowly lay down.
Tang Dou stared up at the ceiling.
He couldn't fall asleep at all, damn it!!
In the dead of night—
Tang Dou was half-asleep when he felt a warm body press up against him.
He opened his hazy eyes and saw Yun Mengli looking at him with a mischievous grin.
"Mengli, what are you..."
Before Tang Dou could finish, Yun Mengli reached out and pinched his cheek.
"Little brat, Senior Sister can't sleep. Get up quickly and keep me company for a bit of dual cultivation!"
"Yeah!"
Tang Dou nodded excitedly, and under Yun Mengli's guidance, the two of them entered a state of cultivation.
...
Early the next morning.
Tang Dou returned to his own Cave Abode and began secluded cultivation. By the third watch of the night, he suddenly felt a wave of hunger.
Remembering the Snow Velvet Sheep at the peak of Cuiwei Peak, which fed on spiritual herbs and possessed flesh brimming with rich spiritual Qi,
he dashed off to Cuiwei Peak in a flash. Reaching the enclosure where the spiritual sheep were kept, he pushed the wooden bars open with his hands.
Tang Dou squatted down, his gaze locking onto a Snow Velvet Sheep of moderate build.
When he was close enough, his hands shot out like lightning, and he grabbed the spiritual sheep by its hind legs.
Holy cow!!
This sheep had to weigh at least six hundred catties.
Tang Dou heaved the sheep onto his shoulder, turned around, and bolted straight back to his Cave Abode.
After a quick and simple preparation, he tossed the entire sheep into the Alchemy Furnace, adding water and medicinal herbs.
The furnace fires blazed fiercely, and soon a rich aroma filled the air.
By daybreak,
only sheep wool and bones were left scattered around the Alchemy Furnace.
Tang Dou woke up from a sound sleep to find that his cultivation had improved significantly. After tidying up his room, he took out the jade slip Yun Mengli had given him and swept his Divine Sense into it.
"The Purple Firmament Divine Thunder originates from the legacy of the ancient Thunder God."
"Quiet the mind and still the spirit, perceiving the subtle changes of heaven and earth's lightning."
"On a stormy night, stand upon a high place and guide the lightning into your body..."
For several days in a row, Tang Dou cultivated during the day and sneaked out in the middle of the night.
Until late in the night on the sixth day.
He arrived at the foot of Cuiwei Peak and saw that the mountain peak was brightly lit.
Tang Dou felt a trace of doubt in his heart and climbed upward, pressing close to the rock face.
As he drew near the peak,
he faintly heard the sound of a few disciples talking.
"Sheep have been going missing for several days in a row. Has some Gray Wolf found its way into the sect?"
A sturdy disciple muttered as he walked.
Another disciple shook his head, looking puzzled.
"That's hardly possible!"
"The moment a wolf appeared, the sect's mountain-protecting grand array would have sensed it."
"How could there be not a single sound?"
The sturdy disciple viciously kicked a pebble on the path.
"Damn it!"
"Which shameless scoundrel is making us stay on tenterhooks in the dead of night?"
"If I catch him!"
"I'll strip off his skin and pull out his tendons to vent my hatred!"
With that, he stopped in his tracks, swept his gaze across the surroundings, taking in every single corner.
Tang Dou was hiding behind a massive boulder, not daring to even draw a breath.
The sturdy disciple's fierce threat made him shiver all over. Not daring to delay any longer, he carefully picked his steps and turned back.
However—
he accidentally stepped on a twig, and that tiny sound was exceptionally grating in the stillness of the night.
The sturdy disciple abruptly turned his head and bellowed furiously.
"Quick, there's movement over here. Go have a look."
Startled, Tang Dou summoned all the strength he had left and bolted backward.
"Little thief, stop right there! Don't run!" the sturdy disciple's voice came from afar.
Oh please!
Only an idiot wouldn't run!!
Tang Dou exerted every ounce of energy and sprinted for all he was worth.
The sturdy disciple chased closely behind.
Seeing that Tang Dou was running faster and faster, he suddenly gritted his teeth, circulated the Dharmic power within his body, and kicked off the ground with explosive force. His body soared into the air like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Good lord!!
So ferocious!
Tang Dou's heart skipped a beat, and his mind raced.
Aha, I've got it!
He quickly dropped the Snow Velvet Sheep at a bend ahead,
bent down to grab a large boulder, twisted his waist with brute force, and hurled the boulder straight at the sturdy disciple's forehead.
"Bang!"
"Ow!"
"You sneaky bastard, you're driving me crazy! Today I'm going to skin you alive."
The sturdy disciple covered his head with both hands, shook it groggily, and cursed endlessly.
Tang Dou was shocked!
That still didn't knock him down?!
Quickly picking up another stone, he aimed at the exact same spot and hit him again.
"Bang!"
Then—
he delivered a swift kick straight to the man's crotch.
"Ow!"
"Damn it, my balls! You're dead, kid."
"Shit!"
The sturdy disciple collapsed onto the ground, one hand clutching his head and the other cupping his crotch, his entire body convulsing.
Ha!
Now you know how formidable your grandpa is!!
Tang Dou chuckled wickedly, clapped his hands, shouldered the Snow Velvet Sheep, and hurried away.
For the next five full days, he remained in his Cave Abode in secluded cultivation.
That night, dark clouds filled the sky and thunder rumbled.
Dressed in black, Tang Dou stood atop Lingxiao Peak with both hands raised high above his head.
Suddenly—
a thick bolt of lightning tore through the night sky and struck straight at Tang Dou.
"Ah, ah!"
The pain made him bare his teeth and grimace. In an instant, his entire body went numb from the electricity, and every single hair on his head stood on end.
Yet he gritted his teeth and persisted, running his cultivation technique to guide the lightning's power straight into his Dantian.
Once the lightning was successfully drawn into his body,
Tang Dou dragged his exhausted frame back...
Halfway there, a sturdy youth suddenly popped out, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Tang Dou, I've finally caught you!"
"Hand over your life!!"
"Waaah!"
Chen Zihao roared, swinging the massive saber in his hands in a full circle.
A fierce gale howled!!
Tang Dou had only enough time for a fleeting glance before his heart contracted violently.
Good grief!!
That saber—what kind of monster was it...
It was a foot thick and thirteen zhang long!
Did you really enter the Artifact Forging Pavilion just to forge a forty-meter-long machete, Chen Zihao?!
Tang Dou had no time to think as the huge blade was already right before his eyes.
He stomped hard on the ground, leaped into the air, and shouted.
"Brother, there's no need for this! Seriously, no need!!"
Chen Zihao roared furiously.
"Who's your brother?!"
"I don't have a brother who stabs me in the back like you!"
"Tang Dou, let me ask you..."
"We entered the sect together and took a blood oath as sworn brothers!"
"Was what you did honorable at all?"
Tang Dou twisted his waist and executed a side flip, narrowly dodging two successive slashes from Chen Zihao.
"Brother, listen to me!!"
Chen Zihao cut him off directly.
"Listen to your ass!!"
"The thing I hate most in this life is people close to me stabbing me in the back!"
"If someone else had pulled me that day, would I have fallen blindly into the trap?"
"I trusted you, you know that?"
Tang Dou shouted anxiously.
"You big dummy, can't you let me finish?!"
Chen Zihao roared.
"What else is there to say? Let me ask you!"
"If your wife suddenly came at you with a knife while you were sleeping, could you guard against that?"
"How can a sworn brother stab someone in the back?"
"I'm telling you, this feud between us..."
"Is irreconcilable!"
"Die! Taste your grandpa's blade!"
With that, Chen Zihao swung his saber fiercely a few more times before his grip loosened, and the heavy weapon crashed to the ground.
After all...
that saber was simply too heavy!!
It weighed a whopping two thousand one hundred and eighty catties!
Seizing the opportunity, Tang Dou kicked Chen Zihao flat onto the ground, straddled him, pinned him down tight, and shouted.
"Alright, calm down first!"
"You possess a heavenly Fire Spiritual Root and divine strength from birth!"
"Instead of cultivating properly, all day long you..."
"Squat by the pool! Peeping at female disciples bathing!"
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!"
Chen Zihao's face instantly flushed crimson.
"I—none of your business! I've liked doing this since I was a kid, so what?!"
Tang Dou continued.
"Chen Zihao, let me tell you."
"It's precisely because I treat you as a brother that I can't bear to watch you keep making mistakes! If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even care!"
"What future do you have if you hide and peek every single day?"
"Listen to my advice. Start cultivating properly right now, and once your cultivation achieves success..."
"Your grandpa will take you to the Hehuan Sect in Zhongzhou!!"
"We'll snatch a hundred or eighty maidens back!"
Chen Zihao's eyes widened instantly.
"Tang Dou, do you mean that?!"
"Of course! Let's clap hands on it as an oath!"
"Haha! Awesome, I'll forgive you this time! Get up, I'm going back to secluded cultivation!!"
With that, Chen Zihao got up, dusted off his backside, and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
When Tang Dou returned to his Cave Abode, he felt an unbearable wave of hunger.
Quietly slipping into Cuiwei Peak, he discovered that the patrol disciples had already left.
Without a moment's hesitation, Tang Dou shouldered a Snow Velvet Sheep and quickly returned to his Cave Abode.
In the blink of an eye, half a year passed. During this period,
the Yunxuan Sect was plunged into an unprecedented uproar due to the frequent thefts of Snow Velvet Sheep.
Over these six months, thanks to consuming vast amounts of Snow Velvet Sheep, Tang Dou's cultivation had quietly climbed to the Foundation Establishment 4th Layer.
His Purple Firmament Divine Thunder had also reached the second layer.
The Thunder Condensation Realm—
he could now condense lightning in the palm of his hand to form Thunder Balls, enabling him to attack enemies from a distance.
However, along with the refinement of his cultivation, a subtle change had occurred in his body...
He was growing rounder by the day!!
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, where he looked like a complete sphere!
Tang Dou was burnt with anxiety.
"What on earth should I do? No, I must find a way to lose weight fast."
He began pacing inside his Cave Abode, his brows furrowed tightly.
"If all else fails, I'll just try running first."
With that, Tang Dou strode out of the Cave Abode and let out a sorrowful roar,
like a awakened lion,
and began to run wildly across Lingxiao Peak!
His speed grew faster and faster!
Perhaps fearing he might run into someone he knew, Tang Dou sprinted all the way, heading straight down Lingxiao Peak toward the village at the foot of the mountain.
Seen from afar, he looked just like a cyan sphere bouncing and rolling through the woods, kicking up a violent gust of wind
as he sped whistling into the distance...
In the fields, several farmers were bent over, gripping farming tools tightly as they toiled away diligently.
Suddenly—
a cyan sphere whistled past from the distant woods at an astonishing speed.
An old farmer cried out in astonishment.
"Good grief!"
"What on earth was that thing?"
Another young woman looked terrified and bewildered.
"This..."
"It looked like a ball?"