"Hee hee hee~~~"
An eerie low laugh echoed over the underground basin, and a cat holding a dragon eye-sized golden pill in its paws also revealed a malicious smile.
"As the saying goes, the wheel of fortune turns, and this time it's your turn to be unlucky!"
As Du ke spoke, he tossed the sun essence pill in his paw.
This was a sun essence pill refined from the sunlight after sunrise. Although it had exploded once before, this time, Du ke wanted to try again to see what the effect would be like.
Du ke flipped his paw to throw out the sun essence pill, his golden eyes stared straight at the pill.
Then, he stirred his spiritual rhyme and triggered an explosion!
The spiritual rhyme was stirred, causing the sun essence pill's energy to become unstable. The originally intact pill structure immediately lost balance.
Snap!
After a barely noticeable crisp sound, a crack appeared on the surface of the sun essence pill. The crack rapidly expanded, and golden sparks spewed out from within the crack.
The spewing sparks formed into a golden firework as the entire pill instantly exploded.
Pop!
Amidst the sound of the firecracker-like explosion, Du ke also saw a flash of golden light disappear in the dark underground basin.
However, all this seemed to occur slowly when in fact it happened extremely quickly, merely within a breath.
"Tsk tsk, although it exploded like a firecracker, that flash of golden flame was quite beautiful."
Du ke clicked his tongue as he looked in the direction where the golden firework had exploded.
At this moment, that area where the golden firework had exploded still had sunlight that was rapidly dissipating, being swallowed by the darkness.
With his head tilted to one side, causing the tassel on his tiger head hat to sway along, the dog said, "Hmm, these rats react pretty quickly. Then what about this one?"
Du ke took out another sun essence pill, this one egg-sized, refined from the sunlight at around noon.
That would be around 11 o'clock in the time system of the previous world.
Du ke toyed with the egg-sized sun essence pill. Just holding it in his paws made him feel like the pads of his paws were being burnt.
"Go!"
Du ke swung his front limb and threw out the sun essence pill.
The all-golden sun essence pill left a golden arc in the air of the underground basin, leaving specks of golden trails as it fell. At the same time, Du ke's gaze focused.
"Explode!"
He stirred his spiritual rhyme again, disturbing the balance within the pill. The egg-sized sun essence pill instantly exploded.
Boom!!
Amidst a roar like that of a mountain collapse, Du ke and Shi San's field of vision was suddenly filled with a vast golden light.
In that instant when the explosion from the egg-sized sun essence pill occupied their eyes, all the rats in the underground basin madly scurried about chaotically.
Having lived in the darkness for an extremely long time, even for generations, they had absolutely no immunity against sunlight.
In a flash of light, their eyes were as if gouged out, with two pieces of charcoal stuffed into their sockets.
Squeak, squeak, squeak!
Squeak squeak squeak squeak!
For a time, the shrieks of the rats rose in a symphony. Du ke blinked his eyes as he looked towards the blast point.
Golden light glimmered in his eyes amidst the darkness. At the same time, Du ke could see clearly the situation below.
The once pitch-black underground basin now had sunlight that was continuously dissipating, the sunlight dispelling the darkness, while also seemingly like drops of water dissolving ink as it was slowly swallowed up by the surrounding darkness.
Where the sun essence pill had exploded, there was now a crater over three feet wide.
The crater edges were uneven, with sparks still flashing about. The entire crater looked as if a large scoop had been taken out of the ground.
At the same time, within Mao City.
Many people had walked out from their homes, coming to the streets.
Just now, the ground had trembled suddenly, felt clearly even by those lying in bed.
The tremor was especially pronounced, felt by most in the city.
"My god, what was that just now?"
"Was it an earth dragon turning over?"
"Don't joke around. If it's an earth dragon turning over none of us would be able to escape!"
"I went to Hongzhou on business in my younger days, and witnessed an earth dragon turning over before. It was frightening, like the sky was falling!"
"Oh? You've seen an earth dragon turning over before?"
"I have. And before the earth dragon turns over, there are always omens. First the dogs and chickens become restless, then the rats and sparrows abandon their nests and flee all around!"
"So does that mean...?"
"Our Mao City may not have many rats and sparrows, but we do have chickens and ducks. If nothing else, just look at the cats!"
"My cat Da Huang was still sleeping soundly in my arms just now. When the tremor happened, he bolted right up!"
"Then that must be an omen of the earth dragon turning over. We must hurry to the city lord's residence, hurry to inform them of this!"
...
While many were horrified by the recent tremor, in the backyard of the Spirit Cat Temple, the stuffy gourd who had been napping in the Tan Cat Hall also abruptly stood up and looked towards the ground.
Cats are extremely sensitive to tremors in the ground. The recent one was clearly highly abnormal.
And the tremor was transmitted from underground, specifically from the entrance to the Spirit Cat Experience Road.
Upon realizing this, the stuffy gourd immediately left his Tan Cat Hall.
Although of a huge physique, the stuffy gourd moved extremely agilely, giving off the impression of a tiger or leopard.
Just as the stuffy gourd exited the Spirit Cat Temple, the priests and disciples also walked out from their rooms. The first thing they saw was this pond deity who rarely left his hall departing his palace. They began discussing amongst themselves.
"Eh, why has the pond deity left his Tan Cat Hall?"
"In all these years I've never seen the pond deity leave the Tan Cat Hall in broad daylight before."
"Priest, how long has the pond deity been staying in the Tan Cat Hall already?"
"When my grandson was a hundred days old, I went to seek blessings from the pond deity. Now my grandson is about to get married. So how many years has it been?"
"Wow!"
"The unexplained tremor, along with the pond deity leaving, this must be an omen of great disaster!"
"Yes, it must be so!"
"Then we must be more careful these next few days!"
"Not only that, hurry and inform the city lord's residence. The pond deity acting abnormally likely signals impending major disaster!"
...
The stuffy gourd didn't care one bit about what the Spirit Cat Temple's priests and disciples were saying. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
What he was more concerned with now was the entrance by the Experience Road. Qian Sui was currently patrolling the areas surrounding Mao City, while he guarded the interior of Mao City.
With one inside and one outside, along with that other one, Mao City would certainly remain safe and sound.
But this sudden earthquake likely meant something had gone wrong with the Experience Road.
He must go take a look!
The Spirit Cat Experience Road was fundamental to spirit cats, nothing could be allowed to happen to it!
Just after exiting the Spirit Cat Temple, the stuffy gourd wrapped himself in his rhyme manifestation and flew across the Mao City sky as a streak of light.
...
Within the underground basin, atop a steep slope.
"I still underestimated the might of the sun essence pill explosion."
Du ke looked at the large crater below and clicked his tongue. Merely refined from sunlight at 11 o'clock, around noon, could create such a large crater already.
If it was a sun essence pill refined at exactly noon...
Even if those rats below weren't hit directly, just the shockwaves from the explosion would be enough to blast them to death!
Thinking of this, Du ke couldn't help swallowing his saliva.
He had originally thought he had simply discovered a new usage for pills. But this was no mere new usage, it was clearly opening the door to a whole new world!
As the saying goes:
When in doubt, nuke it!
Indecisive? Settle it with bombs!
One not enough? Add more payload!
Payload is justice, range is truth!
From now on, whoever dares provoke him, Du ke the Bomb Cat, he would show them why the sun shines so brilliantly!
"The sun essence pill refined at nearly noon already has such power. Then one refined right at noon..."
Du ke took out a sun essence pill from his dark cauldron space that was as big as a baseball.
This was refined from sunlight right at noon, and Du ke had accidentally made it a bit too big.
"Let's forget about this one!"
Du ke fiddled with the sun essence pill in his paw pads, not daring to hold it in just one paw.
Mainly because this thing was too hot, like directly touching boiling water with bare hands.
"Although I don't know how deep this underground basin is, if I recklessly detonate it, I'm afraid even I won't be able to escape!"
"Even a remote detonation could likely disturb Mao City above."
"Let's forget about it!"
As Du ke talked to himself, he also turned around and beckoned Shi san to go home.
"Shi san, let's go!"
Du ke put the Day Essence Pill into his own Black Cauldron space and called out to Xiao Ha.
"Let's go home!"
Shi san barked excitedly and carried Du ke back the way they had come.
But when a cat and a dog reached the entrance, Stuffy Gourd also rushed out from the entrance.
As soon as Stuffy Gourd rushed out of the entrance, he saw Du ke riding on Xiao Ha's back.
"Well, what a coincidence, Stuffy Gourd!"
Du ke raised his paw to greet Stuffy Gourd, while also directing Xiao Ha to circle around Stuffy Gourd.
"Did you also come here to play?"
"I just finished playing and was about to head home first, I still have to...tomorrow..."
Before Du ke could finish speaking, Stuffy Gourd manifested his elemental body and grabbed Du ke along with Xiao Ha and Shi san in his claws.
As soon as he was grabbed in Stuffy Gourd's elemental claws, Xiao Ha immediately began writhing and snarling repeatedly at Stuffy Gourd.
What are you doing, what are you doing?
Do you know who my master is?
If you don't put me down right now, my master will bite you!
As Shi san struggled, Stuffy Gourd came to the edge of the basin where Du ke and Xiao Ha had been sitting just now. Looking down, as soon as the large pit entered his eyes, Stuffy Gourd also understood everything.
The things that had just happened were caused by this restless cub.
Stuffy Gourd withdrew his gaze and looked at Du ke. Du ke blinked, and his heart suddenly shuddered. Could it be that the impact of the explosion of that Day Essence Pill around noon affected Mao City above?!
If that's the case...
I absolutely won't admit that I did it!
"What are you looking at me for?"
Du ke laid his ears back, opened his eyes wide, and put on an innocent and pitiful appearance.
"I'm just a harmless little kitty cat who came here to catch mice to eat!"
Stuffy Gourd glared, do you really think I'd believe your nonsense?!
"What nonsense, everything I said is true!"
Du ke immediately began writhing and shouting loudly. At the same time, Stuffy Gourd also contracted his paw pads, revealing claw hooks.
"Hey, what are you trying to do?"
Seeing Stuffy Gourd's claws, Du ke swallowed and tried to struggle one last time.
"I'm still just a child!"
Stuffy Gourd's eyes narrowed, and now you're telling me you're just a child?
Hmph, then I can also tell you, everything I'm about to do is absolutely not personal retaliation.
Really!
There's not a shred of personal cat emotions involved at all!
"Stuffy Gourd, what are you trying to do?"
"Don't be impulsive, if you act rashly.... I.... I....."
"Ah!!"
"Damn you, Stuffy Gourd!!"