Chapter 004: The First Encounter with the Dragon

Jingfeng walked along the winding path towards the valley, "Goo goo!" At that moment, Jingfeng's stomach suddenly let out an ungracious growl.

When Jingfeng placed the Heart of Wood into his mouth, the Heart of Wood slipped from Jingfeng's small hand. It intended to rush out of Jingfeng's mouth immediately, but unexpectedly, this rush resulted in it being accidentally swallowed by Jingfeng. The current situation of the Dragon-Subduing Wood truly evokes a feeling of wanting to cry but having no tears.

A gust of cool wind, carrying the chill from the pond, swept across the surface of the water. "So cold!" Jing Feng sat on the ground, shivering uncontrollably.

Wuwuwu! The transformed snake whispered.

Is there a light? Xiaohong, do you see a light? What is that?" Jingfeng said, patting the large head of the transformed snake.

When I was young, I often heard adults say that being an immortal is wonderful. At that time, I didn't understand, and I never expected that being an immortal could be so delightful, living in such a beautiful place, and running without getting tired. Unlike when I was a child, my health was poor, and I couldn't engage in vigorous activities. Now, all my ailments have been cured. Haha!" Jing Feng thought to himself while running, and as he pondered, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Well, I don't know how long this meditation lasted, but it seems that the spiritual energy within me has become more solidified. I can now easily control this spiritual energy as it flows within my body, indicating that I have reached the initial stage of integration that Senior Brother Ning Shizi mentioned.

With a "gulu" sound, the marble accidentally rolled onto Jingfeng's throat, causing him to swallow it inadvertently

What is your name?" Jing Feng asked kindly

Hmm! From now on, I will call you Little Black, since we met on this pitch-black night, let's call you Little Black. Haha, Little Black, Little Black." Jing Feng, regardless of the constantly shaking head of the transformed snake beside him, clapped his hands with great excitement.

At first, the Heart of Wood, held tightly in hand, intended to break free from Jingfeng's grasp immediately. However, to its surprise, the Heart of Wood could not exert even a trace of spiritual power while being held, and could only obediently lie in Jingfeng's small hand

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared at the center of the cold pool, and a sphere slowly floated in the air. A small clearing emerged right in the middle of the cold pool, and this bright point appeared above the clearing

Seeing the giant snake nod, Jing Feng was extremely pleased. Firstly, he did not have to risk his life, and secondly, having such a colossal creature crawling at his feet filled him with a sense of accomplishment, especially as a mere nine-year-old child.

Jing Feng slowly extended his trembling hand and gently touched the head of the transformed snake lying at his feet, noticing that the snake did not move but instead emitted a whimpering sound

At the moment Jingfeng placed the marble in his mouth, the marble began to bounce back and forth inside, as if it were trying to escape from Jingfeng's mouth

The millennium-old divine tree, reaching over one hundred meters and piercing through the clouds, the mountain vines soaring like a dragon through the clouds, the tantalizing mountain fruits, the bizarre giant stones, and the small animals that occasionally appear in the jungle. All of this is something Jingfeng has never imagined or seen before, and everything feels so fresh to him.

On this sparsely populated, pitch-black night, Jiang Longmu did not expect Jing Feng to appear by the pond, disregarding the protection of the spiritual light barrier, and stepping onto the open ground. By a stroke of luck, he inadvertently grasped the Heart of Wood in his hand. It seemed that, in the dark of fate, there was a divine intention at play.

In fact, Jing Feng was still unaware that his rapid attainment of the initial stage of the Connecting Realm was inextricably linked to the supreme celestial pill he had consumed, the Nine-Transformation Celestial Spirit Pill. The Nine-Transformation Celestial Spirit Pill is the finest elixir in the realm of cultivation. Had it not been for Jing Feng's severe injuries, most of the spiritual energy from the Nine-Transformation Celestial Spirit Pill would not have been used to heal his wounds; otherwise, a single Nine-Transformation Celestial Spirit Pill would have been sufficient to elevate him to the initial stage of the Golden Core.

Jingfeng is, after all, a nine-year-old child; panic comes quickly and departs just as swiftly. Upon realizing that the transformed snake harbors no malice, Jingfeng gradually becomes bolder.

"You won't bully me, and you won't bite me, right?" Jing Feng gently asked while stroking the head of the transformed snake

Jingfeng wandered helplessly in the forest, sobbing as he called out, "Master, Senior Brother, where are you? Please come and save me, I am so scared, boo hoo!" Jingfeng kept rubbing his eyes and crying.

More than one hundred days have passed, and Jing Feng has awakened once again from his meditation.

Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed through the jungle. Jing Feng followed the sound and saw a pair of glowing green eyes, which was quite frightening

Suddenly, the Heart of Wood, swallowed by Jingfeng, was filled with inspiration, seeking to merge with Jingfeng in order to escape its predicament. At that moment, Jingfeng had no ability to resist the spiritual power of the Heart of Wood.

Hmm! I don't even know how many days it's been since I last ate. I'm a bit hungry now. I'll pick some wild fruits to fill my stomach first. Later, I'll gather more fruits that I've never seen before, the beautiful ones. I believe they must be tastier than those I've eaten before. " Jingfeng said to himself as he jumped up into the tree to pick wild fruits.

Hmm? What is this in my hand? How could there be a shining orb?" Jing Feng looked at the orb in his hand with confusion

The transformed snake seemed to lack even the slightest power of resistance to what Jing Feng had said. Left with no choice, it slowly swam towards the vicinity of the light with Jing Feng. When it was about three meters away from the light point, the transformed snake suddenly stopped moving.

Jingfeng is only 9 years old this year. A 9-year-old child, upon encountering new and exciting things, tends to forget about dangers, with their eyes filled with novelty. In his childhood, Jingfeng had poor health; although he loved to play, his physical condition limited him from engaging in vigorous activities. Therefore, after Jingfeng's health improved, when he saw fresh sights, he completely forgot the words of his senior brother Ning Shizi, who had told him, "You must not go to the back mountain at night; you must return to the Yunwu Cave at night"

What’s wrong, Xiao Hei? Why have you stopped? Can’t you swim across? Why are you trembling all over? Are you sick?" Upon seeing the pained expression of the transformed snake, Jing Feng gently touched the snake's large head and asked with concern.

"Xiao Hei, can you take me over to have a look?" Jing Feng did not wait for Hua She to agree and quickly mounted Hua She's back.

As they approached the cold pool, a sudden roar erupted from within, "Roar, roar, roar!" A creature with a serpent-like body, several hundred meters long, emerged from the water, appearing at the edge of the pool. This was a monster with a wolf's body and a serpent's face, sporting two wings on its back, moving like a snake, coiling and writhing. This creature was the ancient magical beast, the transformed serpent. The transformed serpent had a human face and a wolf's body, yet this particular serpent had evidently not evolved to the level of a magical beast; it was merely a high-level spiritual beast.

Jing Feng felt a tightness in his heart and turned to run wildly, using all his strength, quickly disappearing into the night.

Hmm? Let's go to the back mountain first and see if there are any more interesting places to explore

The faint sound of rippling water gradually reached Jingfeng's ears. After the intense running just now, Jingfeng felt parched and was looking for some water to quench his thirst. Thus, he followed the sound of the water and arrived beside the cold pool.

Hmm! Now both the master and senior brother are cultivating, so I won't disturb them for now. I have been at the Heavenly Dao Sect for a while, but I haven't had the chance to explore properly. I will first go outside to take a look at Master’s Cloud Mist Peak, have some fun, and then head to the back mountain to gather some wild fruits to eat.

Ah! Ah! It hurts so much, my head is killing me!" Jing Feng clutched his head and rolled on the ground incessantly.

Ah! Through these two sessions of cultivation, I have finally understood what Master meant by the concept of cultivation transcending time. Each time I enter a meditative state, it feels like only a moment has passed, yet my senior brother says a long time has gone by, and I have no sense of it at all. If this continues, I will lose track of what year and month it is now, " Jingfeng muttered to himself, scratching his head.

On the misty peak at night, a cool breeze brushes against one, accompanied by the howls of wild beasts; everything feels so eerie, sending chills down one's spine. Large spiritual beasts in the mountains generally are active at night, among which are fierce spiritual beasts. Unlike wild beasts, high-level spiritual beasts possess their own consciousness and can communicate with humans on a deeper level. The attack and defense capabilities of spiritual beasts are superior to those of wild beasts of the same level. Moreover, a select few high-level spiritual beasts, after undergoing the tribulation of nine times nine, ascend to the celestial realm and become celestial beasts

In fact, this is not a stone, but an ancient spiritual wood born of heaven and earth—Dragon Descending Wood. The orb is the heart of this Dragon Descending Wood, representing its soul. If the heart of the Dragon Descending Wood were to know that Jing Feng regarded it as a mere broken stone, it would likely be enraged enough to consume Jing Feng.

At this moment, Jing Feng was stunned by the scene before him, his legs trembling uncontrollably. Faced with a monster beyond his imagination, he had forgotten to escape. Just then, the monster let out a roar and suddenly lunged towards Jing Feng.

Today marks the first day of the year, January 1st, which is the period when the spiritual energy between heaven and earth is at its most abundant. At this time each year, the Dragonwood releases its heartwood to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for its own cultivation. That open space is a manifestation of the transformation of the Dragonwood.

Ah! Jingfeng suddenly woke up, "What have I eaten? Ah! It was that round ball. I swallowed such a large piece of stone, what am I going to do?" Jingfeng said with a mournful expression.

Suddenly, a "growl"! The transformed snake let out a low roar, rolled in the pool of water, and sank beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Jingfeng was helplessly propelled upward by the massive body of the transformed snake, flying towards the direction of the light.

In fact, the transformation of the snake is not due to fear of Jingfeng, but rather at the moment when the snake approaches Jingfeng, it suddenly senses a regal aura emanating from him, an aura that it cannot resist, compelling the snake to submit at Jingfeng's feet

Jing Feng stepped out of the Lingwu Cave, and a gentle ray of sunlight fell upon his face. A series of novel and magnificent sights entered Jing Feng's view. Observing the scenery outside, Jing Feng felt everything was so new, everything so exhilarating, as if he had plunged into an entirely new world

This spirit beast, the transformed serpent, was subdued by a master of the evil sect over three thousand years ago. After the battle between righteousness and evil, the master of the evil sect perished, and the transformed serpent, fearing the celestial beasts of the Heavenly Dao Sect, such as the Stone Beast and the Flowing Light Leopard, dared not venture out freely and had no choice but to retreat to the deep mountains of Cloud Mist Peak to cultivate. This transformed serpent inadvertently discovered that the wood attribute spiritual energy in this cold pool was abundant, and thus it lay in wait here for over a thousand years, hoping to become a demon beast as soon as possible, escape from the Heavenly Dao Sect, ascend to the demon realm, and live freely. The highlight is the reason for the abundance of wood attribute spiritual energy in this deep pool.

Ah! The frightened hands of Jingfeng grasp wildly in the air. At this place, where even high-level spirit beasts like the transformed snake cannot approach, Jingfeng, who has just reached the initial stage of penetration, moves through effortlessly, with no force to obstruct him

It is unclear how long he had been running, but Jing Feng gradually slowed his pace. Looking back, he saw nothing unusual, and only then did he feel at ease to sit down on a stone to rest.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Jingfeng cautiously opened his eyes and saw that the enormous creature had not come to eat him; instead, it was lying at his feet, trembling incessantly. Jingfeng felt quite puzzled.

Wuwu! The transformed serpent nodded. The transformed serpent is an ancient magical beast, possessing a strong spirit, and easily understood the meaning behind Jingfeng's words.

Hmm? This marble is quite warm. If I put it in my mouth, it might feel warmer. " Jingfeng, in a daze, placed the marble in his mouth

With a loud bang, Jing Feng's head struck hard against the ground in the middle of the cold pool. The impact left Jing Feng somewhat dazed and confused.

"Do you not have a name? Then let me give you one. What should it be?" Jing Feng, regardless of whether the snake was willing or not, propped her chin on her small hand and began to ponder deeply.

As Jingfeng played, he jumped up into the trees to pick wild fruits to eat, gradually making his way deeper into the back mountain. At this moment, the sky gradually darkened until Jingfeng could no longer see the path beneath his feet. It was then that he recalled the words of his senior brother Ning Shizi. By this time, Jingfeng had already lost his way deep within the misty peaks of the forest, and the small and slender Jingfeng began to feel a sense of fear.

Master, I am sorry. I can no longer repay your life-saving grace and teachings. Senior brother, although our time together has been short, I know you have treated me well. After I die, I will transform into a spirit and bless you and Master every day. Elder brother, please forgive me for not being able to save you. Father, Mother, Sister, and Younger Sister, I have come to find you. Our family will never be separated again. At the moment of death, images of Master, Senior Brother, the elder brother who was captured, and deceased relatives flashed through Jingfeng's mind. But a strange scene occurred; as the transformed snake lunged at Jingfeng, it suddenly stopped, as if struck by electricity, trembling uncontrollably, and emitting a fearful "woo woo" sound from its mouth.