Return to the Warcraft Mountains 02

"Shu'er... you are rushing too much..."

"You are already a genius..."

A slightly sorrowful call suddenly rang out, appearing abruptly in Ye Shu's mind.

Ye Shu snapped his eyes open.

"Is... is that you, Master?"

"Master?"

He stood up, looking around, his eyes fixed on the ring on his left ring finger as he called out anxiously, "Master? Are you speaking? Have you woken up?"

There was no one.

There was no response.

No sound came back.

Only the howling of the mountain wind sweeping across this narrow cliff could be heard, as if everything just now was nothing more than an auditory hallucination, a fantasy born from his desperate yearning.

"Was it an illusion?"

Ye Shu slowly sat back down.

He took off the ring from his left hand, placed it in his palm, and quietly stared at it, a myriad of thoughts churning in his heart.

Yes, he was rushing too much.

But he couldn't help it. Even though he was currently protected by his Eldest Senior Brother nearby in the Azure Profound Sect, and by Lin Heming from afar, a deep-seated worry always lingered in his heart.

Were the System's methods really just like this?

If it were that simple, it wouldn't have been able to invade so many universes.

Perhaps the other party was merely conserving its strength.

It just didn't want to waste too much effort on a nobody like him. If the other party were driven to desperation, he would very likely be crushed like a wild dog by the roadside, taking down everything around him with it.

Therefore, he was anxious, too anxious.

He wanted to grow into a towering tree and cast a wide canopy of shade before the System could react.

Reaching the Foundation Establishment realm at nineteen might be considered mediocre.

But looking at it from another angle.

From the beginning in the Magical Beast Mountain Range to this very moment, it had barely been four months in total.

And he was already attempting to break through to the Golden Core realm.

Taking four months to reach the Golden Core stage, even in the Central State, would make one an extraordinary figure.

But this was absolutely not because others couldn't do it.

It was because of one concept.

Realm.

This word not only represented one's cultivation level but also a psychological state. When one's state of mind did not match their strength, it could easily lead to a result like that of Feng Mengli and Mu Yunxi.

And Ye Shu's progress was simply too fast.

His power had already reached its limit.

But his state of mind was left far behind.

Upon realizing this, Ye Shu let go of the idea of continuing his cultivation.

He sat quietly cross-legged at the edge of the cliff.

Allowing the biting mountain wind to scrape across his face like a knife, he watched the rolling sea of clouds in the distance and gazed at the afterglow of the setting sun.

The sun and moon took turns, and the stars shifted in the sky.

Finally, on a certain day at sunset, as the last ray of the setting sun slipped away from his body.

Suddenly, a commotion came from behind him.

Ye Shu subconsciously turned his head to look.

He saw a dark shadow leap out from the grass not far away. Looking closely, it turned out to be a little lion with brownish-yellow fur, looking very adorable.

The Azure Profound Sect covered a vast territory, so there were also demonic beasts in the mountains, though most of them were of low realms and incapable of harming people.

Every year, the Spirit Beast Peak would also organize disciples to search for demonic beasts within the sect to see if there were any promising seedlings worth cultivating.

So, a lion popping out wasn't considered strange.

That little lion was about the size of two palms, round and a bit chubby. It was obvious that the adult lion had taken excellent care of it, perhaps even spoiling it, otherwise this little thing wouldn't have gotten lost and run all the way here.

Seeing Ye Shu looking over, the little lion immediately became alert.

It stood on all fours, its right paw scratching the ground uneasily. Baring two tiny pointed fangs, it snarled at Ye Shu, constantly letting out suppressed whimpers from its throat.

This lion was brownish-yellow.

But when Ye Shu saw it, he couldn't help but feel as if it were purple.

It was as if he saw a little purple lion on all fours, baring its little fangs and hissing at him.

"Woo..."

"Bujiu bujiu..."

Lions couldn't speak, but he heard a voice.

"As long as you stay, all these treasures can be given to you. Just stay..."

"Take another step, and don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Wuwu..."

"Jiujiu! I've got you covered!"

"A master for a day, a husband for life!"

"Farewells do not require a meeting..."

Ye Shu stared blankly at the little lion in front of him. Watching it cry out to him for a long time, he suddenly stood up, put the ring back on his hand, descended the cliff, left the Profound Heaven Sword Lineage, exited the Azure Profound Sect, and headed straight east.

He ran for three nights and emerged from the hundred-thousand-mile grand mountains.

He entered a mountain city, found a teleportation array, paid spirit stones to travel through, and went all the way to a remote wilderness. With no more teleportation arrays available, he left the city and continued walking eastward.

Entering a mountain forest, he traveled another hundred miles.

The scenery ahead became increasingly beautiful. After walking out of the jungle, the view suddenly opened up. He saw a shallow stream with swaying tree shadows around it and an open field of vision. Beside the stream was a dilapidated little wooden cabin. Ye Shu knew he had arrived at the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

This was where everything had begun.

Xiaobai's appearance, Dan Xia's betrayal, Lin Qingxue's transformation, Feng Mengli's pursuit, Little Beast's plea to stay, Lion King's respect...

All of this had started from this little wooden cabin.

Ye Shu stepped forward and pushed open the door.

It was covered in dust inside, and the air was filled with a rotting smell that was not pleasant. Spider webs had formed in some places. After brushing aside the cobwebs blocking his way, Ye Shu's gaze fell straight onto the wooden table.

Dust had settled on the wooden table, and there was half a plate of braised pork.

Rotting and moldy, it was almost impossible to see its original appearance, but a tiny footprint could still be faintly made out.

"How nostalgic..."

Xiaobai, sitting on his shoulder, suddenly spoke.

"That feeling of life and death in an instant."

Even though only four months had passed, it felt as if a very, very long time had gone by, giving a feeling of being a lifetime away.

"Yes."

Ye Shu nodded gently, his gaze sweeping over the layout of the room.

A bed, a wooden table.

Nothing else was left.

Back then, Lin Qingxue slept under the bed, and he slept on the bed.

The smell inside was truly foul. After standing there for only a short while, Ye Shu withdrew his gaze, closed the door, and turned to leave.

He followed the stream upwards.

Walking through countless weeds and following the location in his memory, Ye Shu walked towards the southwest. Before long, the vegetation gradually thinned out, and the air carried a faint stench of lions.

Ye Shu knew that the Lion King's cave had arrived.

Parting the bushes ahead, he would be able to see the entrance to the Lion King's cave, and he would be able to see Little Beast.

But when the moment actually came, he felt a bit of hesitation, like the timidity one feels when returning to their hometown.

After hesitating for a moment, Ye Shu still reached out and parted the bushes in front of him.

A stone grotto impressively appeared before his eyes.

But there was neither Little Beast nor Lion King.

"Did they move away?"

Ye Shu stepped into the grotto. It was completely empty and quite clean inside, but a piece of the ground was missing.

It was the floor tile where Little Beast had left words before.

Looking around and finding no information at all, Ye Shu felt a wave of bewilderment in his heart.

"So be it."

He sighed, walked out of the rock cave, turned his head, and took large strides towards the southwest.

Xiaobai was a bit confused: "Aren't you going to look for them? You traveled thousands of miles to get here just to see Little Beast again, and now you're leaving so easily?"

"This is just fate."

Ye Shu said lightly as he strolled along the forest path, What is fated to be yours will eventually be yours; what is not fated to be yours, do not force.

As he spoke, a pangolin suddenly popped out of the roadside bushes. Holding a homemade bone dagger, it blocked Ye Shu's path and shouted loudly, Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak, squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak.

I claimed this mountain, and I planted these trees. If you want to pass through, leave your wealth behind.

Looking at the pangolin in front of him, Ye Shu suddenly smiled.

This was destiny.

With a wave of his right hand, the Male Mandarin Duck Sword was fully assembled in an instant.

Squeak?!

Watching Ye Shu draw closer with a wicked smile on his face, a trace of panic flashed in the pangolin's eyes.

What was this human trying to do?

A moment later.

After an enthusiastic exchange with the pangolin, Ye Shu successfully learned the location of the Lion King's new lair.

He passed through a dense forest and crossed two low hills.

After winding his way forward, he came across a crystal-clear stream. The surrounding scenery was beautiful and pleasant.

Surprisingly, it was just a short distance downstream from the small wooden cabin.

As he got closer, faint beastly roars reached Ye Shu's ears, gradually becoming clear and carrying a distinct rhythm.

He walked another few dozen steps and parted a patch of tall grass.

Looking through the grass, he saw a massive stone grotto. Countless demonic beasts sat upright and proper in front of it, their eyes staring intently at the cave entrance.

And at the entrance to the cave, a purple figure sat.

Little Beast.