Chapter 1655 Died from Overexpenditure
Within the pitch-black, ink-like Baleful Aura.
A tall Warrior strode forward, holding a shield in one hand and an Iron Hammer in the other.
Drawing closer revealed this Warrior was bare-chested, missing his head, yet an immense fighting spirit surged skyward. Sticky plasma coated his body, dyeing it a deep crimson. The thick, bulging muscles of his Physical Form gave him an imposing and powerful stature, radiating an indomitable, heaven-supporting presence.
Perched on the Headless Blood Savage’s shoulder was a chattering Mutt: "Three circles left, three circles right, four steps forward... good, progress, you got around it..."
The giant seemed immensely excited, raising his Iron Hammer high. Thumping his chest with the Square Shield, roared towards the sky from the mouth that had formed where his navel was: "Sun Hao, Sun Hao..."
The Border Collie rolled its eyes irritably. "I know Sun Hao is powerful, alright? No need to remind me."
The giant roared at the sky again: "Chenxiang, Chenxiang..."
The Border Collie barked fiercely. "I've told you countless times, Sun Hao is Chenxiang, Chenxiang is Sun Hao! It's all you! Stop your roaring..."
Still excitedly slapping his own chest, Sun Hao roared loudly: "Sun Hao, Chenxiang... Sun Hao, Chenxiang..."
Sun Hao was muddled, unsure of who he was. It felt like he had lost something incredibly important.
With the Border Collie by his side, he gradually began to recall his identity. He firmly remembered that he was indeed Sun Hao, also Chenxiang.
Instinct told him this was something he must firmly remember and never forget, as vital as constantly keeping his spine straight.
To prevent his forgetful self from neglecting such an important matter, every time he achieved a major goal, Sun Hao would slap his chest and roar at the sky: "Sun Hao, Chenxiang; Sun Hao, Chenxiang..."
The Border Collie felt immense pressure being with this big oaf.
Fortunately, even without ears, Sun Hao could understand its words. If communication had truly been impossible, even its incredible intellect wouldn't have had much recourse.
Within the pitch-dark, roiling black fog, and overwhelmingly malignant Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard, no one knew how many years had passed. Nor did the Border Collie know how long it took to make Sun Hao recognize his own identity, or to teach Sun Hao where not to trespass and where detours could be faster.
Standing on Sun Hao's shoulder, the Border Collie truly became his eyes and ears. Within the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard, Sun Hao could now consciously avoid certain dangers and obstacles, employing more tactics against enemies.
Over the years, the Border Collie had been utterly awed by Sun Hao's combat prowess.
Although Boss Sun had lost his head, his formidable physique, immense combat power, and especially his fearless spirit—daring to fight anything, never yielding even unto death—left the Border Collie speechless.
Following Sun Hao, the once proud Celestial God-descended Border Collie had once been swallowed whole by a colossal monster only to be excreted as waste. The Border Collie didn't care; it knew the beast couldn't digest it. But Boss Sun was stranger—emerging as a skeleton, regenerating flesh and blood, and charging back into battle.
The Border Collie watched as Boss Sun relentlessly wore down and killed the gluttonous monstrosity through sheer tenacity.
Of course, with the Border Collie present, such combat tactics became far more scientific and reasonable.
After being excreted once, they absolutely wouldn't let it happen a second time.
Guiding Sun Hao inside the great beast's body, they tunnelled straight for vital organs. In moments, they disembowelled the beast and killed it on the spot.
The Border Collie named this rogue tactic: "Invincible Internal Destruction."
As for monsters incapable of withstanding Sun Hao's charge, violently dispatched through raw courage and strength, the Border Collie dubbed it: "Invincible Forced Takeover."
Within the savagely malignant Ancient Tomb, having the Border Collie on his shoulder granted Sun Hao much more vitality and a sharpened sense of how to seek advantage and avoid harm.
Most of the time, with the Border Collie’s sharp "dog eyes" and keen sense of smell, Sun Hao traveled much more safely.
Though its personality wasn't entirely reliable, the Border Collie was cowardly—much more afraid of death than the fearless Sun Hao. Sometimes, it would bite Sun Hao’s leg and desperately drag him back to prevent reckless ventures.
However, if Sun Hao became determined to retrieve some treasure through his senses, the Border Collie could only follow along tearfully, complaining bitterly while enduring hardship alongside him.
It must be said that the Border Collie possessed remarkably mystical abilities.
This was the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard—a place where only instinct-driven, baleful beasts should arise. Yet the Border Collie remained lucid and completely unaffected.
Even if Little Flame had been by Sun Hao’s side, it likely couldn’t have matched this feat.
Of course, once battle commenced, the Border Collie’s true combat strength remained uncertain.
Besides being exceptionally hard to injure and seemingly impossible to kill, it displayed no particularly outstanding fighting prowess. Its cultivation level had always been rather murky.
Fortunately, with its plethora of strange abilities, it proved genuinely valuable as Sun Hao’s most effective helper within the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard. Had an overwhelmingly powerful being noticed the Border Collie then, it would surely have been astonished: what kind of Mutt could retain its clarity of mind within the Ancient Battlefield, gradually guiding and educating a Headless Blood Savage?
Roaming perilous zones and fighting battles with Sun Hao, the Border Collie also acquired many rare cultivation resources. As long as resources weren't scarce, it usually got its share. If finds were meagre, it generally didn't compete with Sun Hao.
They fought monsters together, bathed in blood together, advanced together. Unconsciously, their coordination grew increasingly seamless; it felt like the perfect partnership.
Then something happened, adding unexpected 'spice' to the Border Collie's previously happy life.
While venturing through the wilds with Sun Hao, they inadvertently crashed into the den of a mutated, ferocious wolf pack—close relatives of wolves (and thus Border Collies). To their misfortune, it was mating season; the she-wolves were in heat.
Affected by proximity to kin and the seasonal urges, the Border Collie felt its own springtime passions flare. Realizing it was now a Minor Achievement—a young adult dog—it stood on Sun Hao’s shoulder. Unconsciously, saliva dripped. A certain part of its canine physique stiffened like steel, droplets of fluid trickling down.
This was all perfectly normal.
But even the Border Collie hadn't foreseen that its discharged fluid held potent nourishing properties for Sun Hao’s Flesh Body. This was a disaster. A true catastrophe. Guided solely by instinct, Sun Hao perceived the liquid's immense value against foreign matter within his body. Relentlessly, he demanded the Border Collie produce a few more drops.
This wasn't something you could just squeeze out on demand. Normally, resisting to the death might have worked—Sun Hao had terrible memory and would have forgotten soon enough.
But the Border Collie, driven wild by passion, made a decision it would regret for the rest of its dog’s life. Secretly, it had Sun Hao capture an ovulating she-wolf, then proceeded to... delightedly indulge in the deed.
It had its pleasure.
Freshly spent, the she-wolf still yowling—Sun Hao suddenly crushed the she-wolf directly overhead, against his own neck area! He absorbed both her blood and the 'essence' the Border Collie had just expelled into himself.
To the Border Collie's horror, Sun Hao grabbed another she-wolf and indicated: "Again."
Thus began the Border Collie's tragic dog life of "dying from overexpenditure." No matter how much it pleaded or resisted, Sun Hao's one-track mind prevailed. Helpless, thereafter, the esteemed Border Collie—descendant of divine hounds—was forced to 'enjoy' itself almost daily. In blissful agony, its spent partners were crushed and transformed into nourishment for Sun Hao’s cultivation.
What was this absurdity!
The Border Collie’s origins were mysterious, its entire being bizarre. Its essence being beneficial for cultivation wasn't that surprising. However, had Sun Hao been in his normal state, he would never have done something so repulsive. But the current Sun Hao? Only dim awareness. Only grasping what proved beneficial. So long as it helped him, Sun Hao had no qualms capturing she-wolves, letting the Border Collie achieve its pleasure upon his shoulder, then claiming his own reward.
What could the small, weak Border Collie do? Besides... though laborious, this was also... kind of... its favorite activity. Fine then, come as it may—suffering and ecstasy entwined.
Though later, the Border Collie was horrified to discover that even without she-wolves, Sun Hao might arbitrarily capture any creature and demand it 'get excited.' It took immense effort for the Border Collie to finally instill within Sun Hao the most basic of all basic concepts: females and males are different. At last, they stopped resorting to... forced anal breaches.
Truly, ignorance breeds fearlessness. Sun Hao had no real consciousness. He was abnormal, utterly unafraid.
The Border Collie, on the other hand, held little understanding of the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard’s true nature. Coupled with growing up in the Heaven-Burying Ruins—an environment scarcely better than the graveyard—it wasn't overly terrified.
One Headless Warrior. One oblivious Rascal Dog. Thus they ventured deeper and deeper into the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard.