The Astonishing Divine Art

Xiao Chen was tossed up and down, thrown east and west, treated like a toy by the little creature he had picked up.

"Ya-ya..." The snow-white puffball let out a laugh like a child's, its bright eyes blinking rapidly.

Xiao Chen felt like spitting blood. What kind of absurdity was this? He had never seen such a bizarre spirit beast. His cultivation was already outstanding—even the young barbarian powerhouse Kailo had struggled against him. Yet before this tiny creature, he was utterly helpless.

The little thing knew a strange binding technique. It seemed not to be a killing move, but it was more than enough for self-defense and torment. Xiao Chen was trapped in a sphere of white light, unable to break free, flung back and forth in midair by the little beast.

It was maddening!

"Yi-ya ya-ya..."

Xiao Chen looked down and saw the snow-white beast, clutching a roasted goat leg he had cooked, eating with relish. Its big black eyes kept glancing at him as it reinforced the binding, refusing to let him down. Xiao Chen was about to lose it.

Nearby, the three skeletons carefully picked up their scattered bones and reattached them one by one. They glanced at Xiao Chen bobbing in the air, then, completely lacking loyalty, scurried away like thieves.

"Yi-ya ya-ya..." The snow-white beast called out, and the three skeletons returned dejectedly, trudging back.

Perhaps having never tasted properly salted cooked food, the little beast devoured more than half of the golden, roasted goat leg. Its belly swelled round and round, and it lay on the ground, barely able to move, yet utterly content. It blinked its big eyes and released Xiao Chen from midair.

Xiao Chen had been tormented for half an hour and felt utterly exhausted. In the end, he could not break the white light sphere on his own—only the little beast had set him free. The binding art was indeed formidable.

Before Xiao Chen could recover, the snow-white beast hugged the Little Sacred Tree and fell fast asleep.

Seeing Xiao Chen approach, the three skeletons gestured frantically with their bony claws, their jaws clacking open and shut as if trying to explain something—that they hadn't meant to be disloyal.

"What is this little beast all about?"

"Clack-clack..."

"Is it connected to the Little Sacred Tree?"

"Clack-clack..."

"You mean it's the tree's original owner?"

"Clack-clack..." The three skeletons nodded vigorously.

That single fact explained everything. The rightful owner had come calling. But this snow-white beast was terrifying—harmless in appearance yet wielding a fearsome binding art. Who knew what other divine powers it possessed?

That night, firelight flickered among the trees. The snow-white beast hugged the Little Sacred Tree, which was rooted in an ancient trunk. Even in its sleep, it smacked its lips from time to time, like a cute baby.

What kind of spirit beast was this, possessing such extraordinary divine abilities? If not for its fluffy fur, Xiao Chen would have mistaken it for a Companion Dragon King.

Thinking back to the day he had dug up the sacred sapling, he recalled the Radiant Sacred Dragon howling in agitation. Though he hadn't seen what had caused the disturbance, he suspected it was this snow-white beast causing trouble. From that, he deduced its extraordinary nature—though he wondered how it compared to the Companion Dragon Kings.

Despite being tormented by the little beast, it had not tried to harm him. Besides, they had stolen its treasure tree first. Xiao Chen felt no grudge or murderous intent toward it.

He could strike down enemies with ruthless cruelty, but he could not raise his hand against this little beast that slept so peacefully, trusting him like an infant.

Xiao Chen was not naive—he was no gentleman unmoved by a beautiful woman. Power, women, treasures—all tempted him. But he had his own code of conduct, a line he would not cross. He was neither wholly good nor evil, but he kept to a bottom line he had drawn himself. He considered himself a decent man.

At dawn, the snow-white beast opened its big, bright eyes. When it smelled the roasted meat, its belly growled. It grabbed the treasure tree, scrambled up, and plopped down beside Xiao Chen, staring at the golden venison.

When Xiao Chen handed it the succulent meat, the beast sniffed eagerly, then took it with joy.

As the little beast ate, Xiao Chen noticed that the Little Sacred Tree's roots, exposed to the air for too long, had faded from their seven-colored radiance until they were as ordinary as any common sapling.

Whether the beast understood him or not, Xiao Chen tried to explain his thoughts. The beast regarded him curiously, then stomped and tore at the little tree before proudly holding it up for Xiao Chen to see.

Xiao Chen was startled—the little thing had no regard for the treasure tree! It was wantonly wasteful! But to his surprise, the tree was unharmed. Its trunk, leaves, and roots were incredibly tough, as if made of divine metal.

The beast seemed to understand Xiao Chen's concern. After "roughing up" the Little Sacred Tree, it placed it against the roots of an ancient tree, and soon the tree bloomed again with brilliant seven-colored light.

Xiao Chen understood: this was a truly miraculous tree, its vitality so tenacious that damage was hardly a concern. He tried to pull a root and found it as tough as refined gold, impossible to snap.

No wonder the beast wasn't protective of the sacred tree, using it and discarding it—the tree's vitality was simply beyond normal.

As morning light spread, Xiao Chen and the three skeletons set out. The little beast clutched its treasure tree and waved goodbye reluctantly—quite human-like—as if it had grown fond of the thieves.

Xiao Chen's injuries had nearly healed. He decided to head to Treefolk Valley and strike ruthlessly. The Treefolk were immensely strong, but they were transformed from ancient wood. If he set a great fire in the valley, he doubted they could withstand it.

When facing enemies, he had always been decisive and merciless, never foolishly kind.

Along the way, they passed many traces of cultivators. Dragon Island was becoming more chaotic by the day, a motley mix of all kinds.

Xiao Chen saw cultivators' corpses in several places, some still warm, blood staining the forest. Entering Dragon Island meant joining a game of death.

Half-god realm experts carried the word 'god' in their title. From the Fallen Angel's earlier behavior, she seemed deeply wary of Dragon Island, having driven the Radiant Sacred Dragon down before swiftly departing. The sealed island, with its sinister powers, seemed to affect even half-gods, making them hesitate to approach.

And what of Spirit-Treasury realm experts? Xiao Chen suspected he might encounter them before long.

He decided to avoid other cultivators on the island as much as possible to prevent unnecessary conflict and danger.

As he traveled, Xiao Chen felt someone following him. After startling a low-flying Spellmaster with his divine art, he still sensed pursuers. It was only on his ninth sudden charge into the thicket that he saw his stalker—the snow-white puffball.

The little beast looked amusing: it had placed the sacred tree on its head like a hat, roots twined around its ears. Without its luster, the tree seemed ordinary, revealing nothing divine.

It blinked its big eyes at Xiao Chen, full of intelligence.

Xiao Chen smiled and continued on his way. The little beast no longer hid, following openly. Finally, it hopped onto the Wheel King's head and crouched there, much to the skeleton's dismay.