"Brothers, I owe you my deepest thanks. Not only did you save me from peril, but you also helped me avenge my son's death."
A hundred-meter-tall adult Pi Xiu, its presence commanding and majestic, bent its forelegs and knelt before two formidable beasts: Ya Zi, with the body of a jackal and the head of a dragon, and Bi An, with the body of a tiger and the head of a dragon.
Ya Zi, jackal-bodied and dragon-headed.
Bi An, tiger-bodied and dragon-headed.
Both were pure-blooded ferocious beasts, their veins coursing with true dragon blood, their strength far surpassing that of the adult Pi Xiu by more than a single tier.
They were not just close friends but sworn brothers from years past. Ya Zi was the eldest, Bi An the second, and the adult Pi Xiu the youngest.
"Third Brother, we're brothers. Standing up for you is only right. Why the formalities?" Bi An asked, his eyes, large as small hills, glaring at the Pi Xiu.
Bi An, with his tiger-dragon form, was a creature of justice, unable to tolerate bullying. Back in the Heavenly Domain of the Lower Realm's Eight Domains, he often upheld fairness for both humans and beasts. The incident where humans killed the Pi Xiu's cub and then tried to hunt down the adult Pi Xiu had enraged him, driving him to unleash a bloody slaughter.
"Third Brother, why kneel? Stand up!" Ya Zi roared, his voice like the heavens collapsing.
"Big Brother, I…" The adult Pi Xiu rose, its eyes brimming with grievance.
Ya Zi ignored the expression and said calmly, "Since the humans are so despicable, resorting to extermination, we'll match their shamelessness. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. They brought this upon themselves."
"If the Martial King's Manor weren't in the Stone Country's capital, under the Human Emperor's nose… hmph! I wouldn't spare even their elderly, women, or children!" Ya Zi, with his jackal-dragon form, was fierce and battle-hungry. He repaid kindness generously but avenged slights with bloodshed. He had long wanted to counter human shamelessness with equal ruthlessness.
"By the way, Third Brother, didn't you go to seize the Mountain Treasure? What happened? Did you fail?" Bi An stepped closer to the Pi Xiu, his towering hundred-meter frame exuding a faint true dragon aura. His hill-sized eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"There was an accident. I didn't get it," the adult Pi Xiu replied, its expression dimming as it recalled Shi Yi. Ten days and nights, a blood-soaked battle across a hundred thousand miles of wilderness, and I still couldn't defeat that young supreme who relied on external tools to boost his strength.
"Both Zhu Que and Zhu Yan have left. Of the four great ferocious beasts of the wilderness, only Qiong Qi and Tun Tian Que remain. Did they steal your Mountain Treasure?" Ya Zi's eyes flashed with murderous intent. If the Pi Xiu nodded, he would charge into the wilderness to reclaim the treasure from Qiong Qi and Tun Tian Que.
Though the Lower Realm's Eight Domains—Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow, Cosmos, Eternity, Vast, and Desolate—had no formal hierarchy, Ya Zi, hailing from the Heavenly Domain, held little regard for the so-called four great ferocious beasts of the Desolate Domain. To him, true mighty beasts roamed all eight domains, not hid in the wilderness, claiming dominance and creating titles like "Four Great Ferocious Beasts," which he found embarrassing.
Moreover, Ya Zi believed that Zhu Que and Zhu Yan, at least, had the backing of the Fire Country and Stone Country. Qiong Qi and Tun Tian Que? Mere wild beasts, liable to die without knowing how.
"No, Big Brother, it wasn't them. They stayed hidden. The Mountain Treasure was taken by a young supreme with ten Heavenly Passages," the adult Pi Xiu said, shaking its head.
"A young supreme with ten Heavenly Passages? Could it be a prodigy from the Upper Realm?" Bi An gasped.
"He's surnamed Shi," the Pi Xiu said softly.
"Surnamed Shi… Double Pupil Shi Yi?" Ya Zi immediately thought of one person, a name rising to prominence in the Stone Country.
It wasn't surprising he made the connection so quickly. Shi Yi's identity as a Double Pupil bearer was renowned throughout the Stone Country. He was not only the pride of the Martial King's Manor but also a symbol of the Stone Country's glory.
Though Shi Yi had been absent for five years, his disappearance hadn't dimmed his fame. Many believed the Double Pupil bearer was biding his time, preparing for something monumental.
"That's him. The Martial King's Manor's direct heir, a reincarnated innate saint, Double Pupil Shi Yi. Not only did he successfully open ten Heavenly Passages, but with the aid of external tools, he fought me to a standstill," the Pi Xiu said, too embarrassed to admit that, toward the end, it had been outmatched. It clung to the face-saving claim of a draw.
"This boy will be a great threat in the future," Ya Zi declared without hesitation.
"Not just in the future. If he can truly match Third Brother now, he's already a grave danger," Bi An added.
"Brothers, Shi Yi's growth is terrifying. In a few years, I fear I won't be his match at all," the Pi Xiu said, preemptively warning Ya Zi and Bi An. It had a sinking feeling that, next time, it would truly lose to Shi Yi.
"We've killed so many humans, including many of Shi Yi's kin. This is a feud that can only end in death," Ya Zi said, baring its massive maw. It slowly raised its enormous head, gazing calmly toward the east.
It knew the east was where the Stone Country lay.
"But that's the Stone Country, guarded by the Human Emperor. We can't barge in. Unless we can capture more of Shi Yi's kin to lure him out and kill him," Bi An said. Though he was a champion of justice, he was clear-headed when faced with irreconcilable conflicts, far from indecisive.
"Brothers, I have a plan!" the adult Pi Xiu suddenly declared.
___
Meanwhile, in the Stone Country's Martial King's Manor
Unaware that he had become a thorn in the side of others, a target marked for elimination with schemes already brewing, Shi Yi prepared to cultivate. But before he could begin, a willow branch emerged from the void, pulling him into a dark rift.
The next moment, his vision spun. When he opened his eyes again, Liu Shen stood before him.
"Teacher, where is this place?" Shi Yi swallowed hard, scanning his surroundings. The area, barely a hundred square meters, was lush with clear streams and verdant trees. Yet beyond its borders raged the primal forces of earth, water, fire, and wind.
Earth, water, fire, and wind—the essence of all things.
Legend held that when a great world shattered, it would dissolve into these primal elements. The foundation of yin-yang chaos, the principles of the five elements and eight trigrams, all resided within. To reenact earth, metal, water, fire, and wind was to obliterate a world and forge it anew.
"This is your own world. Can't you feel it?" Liu Shen sat on a wooden stump. Before her was a stone table adorned with simple tea and pastries. Beneath the table lay a runic bone fragment, a black orb, and several treasure bones.
"Of course I can feel it, but I can hardly believe it. The change is too great!" Shi Yi said honestly. When he first opened his tenth Heavenly Passage, everything was in disarray—earth, metal, water, fire, and wind; yin-yang chaos; the five elements—all chaotic.
Disorder, pandemonium, a tangled mess. Though his tenth Heavenly Passage encompassed all things, it was a jumbled chaos, so muddled that Shi Yi couldn't discern its components.
What was chaos?
What was yin-yang?
What were the five elements?
Earth, metal, water, fire, and wind raged unchecked. Directions—east, south, west, north—were inverted. Time and space drifted aimlessly.
In short, it was a world of unimaginable disorder. Though it contained everything, everything was in disarray. If he couldn't untangle it, this chaos would become a stumbling block, perhaps even trapping him forever at the ten Heavenly Passages, unable to advance.
Indeed, Shi Yi's ten Heavenly Passages were unprecedented, derived from thirteen scriptures, unimaginably powerful, far surpassing those of his peers in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
But all things in the world followed the law of cause and effect.
The immense power of his ten Heavenly Passages had become a sturdy lock, barring his path forward.
Unless someone could sort the chaos—earth, water, fire, wind; yin-yang; the five elements—and break the lock, he risked becoming the first young supreme to be trapped at the ten Heavenly Passages.
Fortunately, Shi Yi had always treated Liu Shen with care and devotion, obedient and attentive. While he hadn't stirred her heart—how could a mighty being like her fall for a mere boy?—he had earned her favor, enough for her to see him as someone worthy of standing by her side in the future.
Thus, his tenth Heavenly Passage, once a chaotic mess, was now orderly and vibrant.
Shi Yi could clearly sense that the grass beneath his feet and the trees nearby were real, not illusions meant to deceive.
This, too, was cause and effect. Without Liu Shen's guidance, Shi Yi wouldn't have dared to open the tenth Heavenly Passage. With her by his side, he needn't fear the pitfalls of his early cultivation.
"Shi Yi, tell me," Liu Shen said, her voice calm but piercing. "Where did you get that scripture you were chanting?"
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