The murderous aura had already dissipated from the body of the giant.
It looked down at Wu Xiaode, who was covered in seasoning, with some surprise.
Next to Wu Xiaode, the little girl's eyes were wider than a cow's eyes, and her mouth was so wide open that it couldn't close.
What is this person doing!
Has he gone mad?
I really am pitiful; at the moment of death, I thought of saving such a madman and still hoped he could survive.
Thinking this, the little girl's expression once again became gloomy.
But Wu Xiaode was too preoccupied to care.
He spread his arms out, puffed his chest, and shouted at the giant:
"Come on, try the taste!"
The giant was somewhat moved.
The killing intent in its single eye completely dissipated. After hesitating for a few moments, it gently reached out its hand, carefully lifting Wu Xiaode—
From its demeanor, it seemed as though it feared injuring Wu Xiaode, turning the fresh flesh into a corpse and ruining the freshness and flavor of the ingredient.
The giant's massive hand held Wu Xiaode with extremely gentle pressure, slowly lifted him, and brought him close to its nose to sniff lightly.
"How is it?" Wu Xiaode asked.
The giant spoke in a serious tone, "This is a marvelous flavor that I have never tasted before."
"Actually, there are a few other, better flavors. I can teach you how to season. Are you interested in learning?" Wu Xiaode said.
"There's more?" The giant's single eye lit up.
"Yes, let me tell you—" Wu Xiaode grabbed its two massive fingers, struggled to climb up, leaned forward on the giant's nostril, and said.
Then—
Whack!
A sound like a burst slap suddenly echoed in the quiet magical cave.
The One-eyed Giant froze.
It tore Wu Xiaode off its face and demanded in a deep voice, "Did you just..."
"Slap you." Wu Xiaode said.
Covered in sauces and rubbing his palm, he grinned and said, "No one can hit you? You're just a big trash. What was that sound just now?"
All around was deathly silence.
The little girl didn't know what to say and tightly covered her mouth with her hands.
The One-eyed Giant's whole body surged with a ferocious intent to kill as its vertical pupil slowly contracted, starting to emit waves of scarlet light.
Yet Wu Xiaode had already disregarded life and death, spoke calmly, "Next time you introduce yourself to someone else, don't be so arrogant. Remember to tell them how you were slapped."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a sudden shift occurred!
A lantern-like illusion suddenly appeared in the Void.
The moment the lantern appeared, it exploded with a loud "bang" and then rapidly transformed into intensely blazing stars.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Nine dazzling stars surrounded the Book of the Dead in the Void, arranged neatly in a circle, emitting a blinding light.
Wu Xiaode was taken aback.
What magic is this? Is it used by the giant to kill me?
No, it looked more like something triggered by his own Book of the Dead.
As he was pondering, he saw the starlight quickly scatter into countless particles of light, sinking into the Book of the Dead.
The pages of the book frantically refreshed with lines of text exuding an icy aura:
"Congratulations!"
"You have completed the commission: The Lamb to the Slaughter."
"You have temporarily saved the little girl."
"You slapped the One-eyed Giant and mocked it, too."
"This has never happened before, and you have done it with the humble body of an ant."
"All the spirits lingering in this magical cave are looking up at you and cheering for you."
"You have gained the admiration of the spirits, Level: Nine Stars."
"This is the highest rating."
"Many Heroic Spirits, surrounding the Guardian Spirit of the little girl, have unanimously decided to take a chance on you."
"This book has resonated with all the Heroic Spirits and has gathered enough power from them to temporarily extract you from your inevitable death."
"You will return to your own world, where you have seven days to try to strengthen yourself."
"After seven days, you will come back here. This is a fate you can't escape!"
"Preparations for teleportation are underway—"
Escape from death?
Even if it's just for seven days, it's incredibly good news.
But is it true?
Wu Xiaode was somewhat incredulous and couldn't help but look up at the giant.
The giant stared at Wu Xiaode, showing its mouth full of sharp fangs; saliva dripped down from the corners of its mouth.
It said in a deep voice:
"I was mistaken just now; you dare to struggle even in the face of death, and there is an indescribable power fluctuating around you—"
"You must be top-tier food!"
The giant opened its mouth and stuffed Wu Xiaode inside.
Those sharp fangs came down with strong suction but stopped just centimeters from Wu Xiaode's forehead.
—The teleportation began!
The Book of the Dead frantically refreshed with lines of ice crystal text:
"Energy conversion complete."
"All set."
"Subject is about to be peeled from the current moment and returned to its original world."
"Return!"
Whoosh—
Wu Xiaode transformed into a bundle of light and shadow, tearing through the Void, disappearing without a trace.