Chapter 139: The Strange Ball of Light

"You mean you barged into the lair of the Fengsheng beast and were blown all the way here by a single sneeze of its?"

Upon hearing Li You's account, the Mountain Spirit could not help but look astonished.

"Indeed. We never expected that monster to be so formidable, capable of blowing us such a great distance with just one sneeze."

"You two are exceptionally lucky. That Fengsheng beast is a guardian spirit beast; in all these years, I have never heard of anyone escaping from that cave alive."

"Oh, is it truly that powerful?" Li You chuckled upon hearing this. Being naturally optimistic, he felt no lingering fear. "It seems Yang Jian and I are quite fortunate after all."

"You really... how can you still manage to laugh at a time like this?" The Mountain Spirit rolled her eyes in helpless exasperation.

Li You smiled again. "Since you say the Fengsheng beast is a guardian spirit beast, what exactly is it guarding?"

"That I do not know for certain..."

The Mountain Spirit pondered for a moment before continuing, "Some say that long, long ago, an ancient deity originally lived here in Mount Wushan. After his death, his physical body transformed into a divine eye and remained behind... Others say that place is the convergence point of the spiritual veins of Mount Wushan, where the accumulation of ages gave birth to a peculiar entity... Still others claim there is a heavenly eye there that has existed since the primordial creation of heaven and earth, on the same level as a pre-celestial spiritual treasure... In short, there are too many tales, and I know not which are true and which are false."

Li You's curiosity was piqued by this, and he questioned her in detail. However, the Mountain Spirit's knowledge was incomplete, so naturally, she could offer no exhaustive explanation.

In the end, Li You had to temporarily set aside his curiosity.

Before long, Yang Jian also regained consciousness. After introductions, he and Li You temporarily took up residence in Mount Wushan. Every day, the two of them teased the Dragon-Bearded Tiger, laughing and playing, living a carefree life.

A few days later, Li You happened to mention the cave they had previously visited to Yang Jian. Intrigued, Yang Jian proposed returning to the cave to investigate further.

The two instantly reached a consensus.

Having encountered no danger during their previous visit, they subconsciously assumed that people had simply exaggerated the terror of the Fengsheng beast.

However, Mount Wushan was vast, and they could not recall the exact location of the cave. Since they could not ask the Mountain Spirit about such a matter, they consulted the Dragon-Bearded Tiger after deliberating.

Enticed by the two, the Dragon-Bearded Tiger could not resist his own curiosity and agreed.

Hitherto, he had only ever heard legends of that cave without ever having visited it, not even coming close, so he was exceedingly curious himself.

...

Soon, the two youths and the tiger appeared near the familiar mountain cave. Hearing the clear sounds of snoring echoing from within, both Yang Jian and Li You set their minds at ease, then cautiously led the Dragon-Bearded Tiger inside.

"Is this the Fengsheng beast? It looks so hideous."

The trio quickly arrived at the center of the cave where the giant beast lay. Seeing the creature—which he had previously imagined to be utterly terrifying—fast asleep, the Dragon-Bearded Tiger puffed out his chest and offered a critical commentary.

"Hush!"

Yang Jian and Li You hurriedly turned around and made gestures for silence.

Realizing his mistake, the Dragon-Bearded Tiger quickly covered his mouth with his two front paws, looking utterly adorable.

Bypassing the sleeping beast, the three pressed onward. Passing through a long passageway, they soon caught sight of a faint gleam of light in the distance.

Continuing a bit further, they emerged into a spacious chamber and finally identified the source of the illumination—an egg-sized ball of white light.

"What on earth is that?"

Li You muttered curiously, his voice echoing in the cavernous, empty cave.

Suddenly, the white light pulsed, as if sensing the arrival of visitors.

Then, under the astonished gazes of the three, the ball of white light slowly floated toward them, circling them once... When it finally drifted near Li You, it suddenly darted forward, hurtling directly toward his forehead!

"Ah!"

Startled, Li You instinctively raised his hands to cover his forehead, but he was a fraction too late.

"What on earth is this?"

The moment the light merged into his forehead, Li You felt a tearing pain that forced him to double over and collapse onto the ground. He pressed his hands tightly against his forehead, and faintly, blood began to seep between his fingers.

"Li You!"

The sudden turn of events frightened Yang Jian and the Dragon-Bearded Tiger immensely. Standing nearby, Yang Jian stared in deep anguish at Li You's agonizing state. He wanted to help him up, but having no idea how to intervene, he could only watch in desperate anxiety.

At the same time, a wave of intense self-reproach washed over him, regretting that he had proposed coming here out of mere curiosity... otherwise, none of this would have happened.

As for the Dragon-Bearded Tiger, he was panicking so much he was jumping up and down.

After all, Li You and his companion were brought here by him; if anything went amiss, he had no idea how the Mountain Spirit might punish him...

"My head feels like it's splitting open!"

Veins bulged on Li You's face as he writhed in agony on the ground.

Immediately following the tearing pain, a massive influx of information poured into his mind.

This information recorded the origin of the luminous sphere.

Eons ago, it was merely the eyeball of an unknown divine beast. Later, during a fierce battle with another avian divine beast, it was plucked out and happened to fall into a miraculous spiritual spring, becoming imbued with extraordinary spiritual energy...

As time passed, spanning nearly a billion years, the eyeball absorbed the boundless essence of the sun and moon through countless vicissitudes, ultimately transforming into a Heavenly Eye.

This Heavenly Eye could pierce through all illusions in the world and see into the true essence of all things... It could also be utilized for offense, boasting a might comparable to a top-tier pre-celestial spiritual treasure.

"A Heavenly Eye?"

Having absorbed this knowledge, Li You felt the throbbing pain in his forehead subside considerably.

"Li You, your forehead..."

Seeing that Li You seemed to have recovered, Yang Jian and the Dragon-Bearded Tiger breathed sighs of relief while pointing in astonishment at his forehead.

"My forehead?"

Startled, Li You instinctively reached up to touch his forehead. Feeling a newly formed anomaly there, he froze slightly.

"Could this be... the Heavenly Eye?"

Recalling the method of operation from the memories in his mind, Li You tentatively activated the Heavenly Eye to gaze at Yang Jian and the Dragon-Bearded Tiger.

Under his vision, everything dissolved into distinct layers. With the aid of the Heavenly Eye, he could effortlessly perceive their flesh, skeletons, and even internal organs...

Everything seemed completely devoid of any concealment before his eyes.

Suddenly, a thought flickered in Li You's mind, and the Heavenly Eye on his forehead shot out a beam of light that struck the surrounding stone wall, triggering a deafening, earth-shattering rumble.

Feeling the immense destructive power contained within, Yang Jian was shocked by the might of this strange eye, while Li You was pleasantly surprised, never imagining it would be so powerful.

However, a sudden roar of a beast abruptly shattered the moment, causing their expressions to shift dramatically.

"Oh no!"

Accompanied by violent, rumbling vibrations, the massive form of the Fengsheng beast appeared before the three of them.

Facing the gigantic divine beast, Yang Jian and Li You both involuntarily took a step back, while the Dragon-Bearded Tiger trembled as he shrank into a corner of the cave.

After all, this was an ancient behemoth that could blow them away with a single sneeze!

Unexpectedly, however, upon its arrival, the Fengsheng beast showed no intention of attacking. Instead, it knelt submissively before Li You, its posture filled with a hint of awe.

"Is it... because of the Heavenly Eye?"

Li You and Yang Jian exchanged glances, feeling a mixture of shock and uncertainty. Peering out from behind the two, the Dragon-Bearded Tiger saw the Fengsheng beast kneeling on the ground. Reassured, he puffed out his chest and swaggered out from behind them with an air of inflated arrogance.

"Alright, Dragon-Bearded Tiger, let's go." Both Li You and Yang Jian were left half-smiling, half-crying.

...

The three of them returned safely to Mount Wushan. Upon meeting the Mountain Spirit, they recounted their entire adventure.

Hearing the story, the Mountain Spirit scolded Li You and Yang Jian for their rashness, yet simultaneously felt genuinely happy for Li You's extraordinary fortune.

Naturally, the guide, the Dragon-Bearded Tiger, did not escape a thorough scolding from her.

"Mistress, I was wrong," the Dragon-Bearded Tiger drooped his head, looking extremely aggrieved.

"Knowing your mistake is what matters," the Mountain Spirit nodded with a displeased expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Turning around, the Mountain Spirit noticed that Li You's gaze toward her was somewhat peculiar. Frowning slightly, she stepped closer to him and asked with a puzzled look.

This slight movement made Li You's eyes widen.

Growing even more perplexed, the Mountain Spirit stared curiously at Li You, only to discover two streams of bright red blood trickling from his nostrils, startling her.

"You're having a nosebleed! Quick, Dragon-Bearded Tiger!"