Slow in appearance, yet swift in essence.
A hand that could shroud the heavens.
"Not bad!" Shi Yi nodded with satisfaction.
The Supreme Treasure Technique, Hand of the Heavens, derived from Shi Hao's Supreme Bone, was barely worthy of his attention. At the very least, it had the potential to harm him.
Unlike the thundercloud and lightning technique Shi Hao had unleashed earlier, which Shi Yi found no more threatening than a parlor trick, utterly incapable of causing damage.
It might sound arrogant, but to Shi Yi, ordinary treasure techniques could no longer touch him. Arm-thick lightning bolts? They wouldn't even scratch an itch. He could stand still and let Shi Hao's thundercloud technique strike him, and it wouldn't break his skin.
Why?
The gap was simply too vast. Shi Yi, with his ten heavenly passages, possessed a physical body so formidable that Shi Hao, at the extreme limit of the Blood Transformation Realm, was separated from him by an impassable chasm. Shi Hao couldn't even track Shi Yi's speed.
"You're just the younger brother. To defeat your elder brother, you're still far too lacking!"
Shi Yi covered half his face with his hand and calmly closed his eyes.
As the Hand of the Heavens, capable of shattering all things, descended from the sky to seize him, the uncovered half of his face snapped open. His dark pupils transformed into Double Pupils.
A great terror descended.
An unparalleled, supreme terror!
Light faded, and darkness enveloped all.
A Double Pupil, roughly the size of the moon, silently appeared in the pitch-black night sky, staring intently at Shi Hao. From a distance, it evoked an indescribable sense of dread.
In the next instant, the pristine, jade-like Hand of the Heavens, dense with runes, was forcibly restrained by an invisible force. It could neither advance nor retreat, frozen in place before Shi Yi.
Shi Yi did nothing more. With a mere touch into the void, the jade-white hand, inscribed with intricate runes, began to fracture, piece by piece, dissolving into nothingness.
The power of the Double Pupils could seal time and space.
This pupil force was like a universal power. As long as Shi Yi could conceive it, and his Double Pupil's power was sufficient, he could achieve whatever he desired.
This "conceiving" was akin to intent—a force born from his gaze, the so-called pupil force.
In truth, even ordinary people possessed pupil force, as it was merely an extension of consciousness.
To explain: when you try to move an object with your mind, you first look at it with your eyes, then use your consciousness, gaze, or mental energy to attempt the act.
But ordinary people's pupil force is far too weak, limited to observing the world, incapable of moving objects with consciousness, gaze, or mental energy.
As a Double Pupil bearer, Shi Yi's pupil force was innately immense. He might not be able to seal the entire Stone Nation with it, but locking down the space-time of the Martial King's Manor was no challenge.
Perhaps the Double Pupils didn't enhance physical strength as directly as the Supreme Bone, but in terms of learning, creating, perceiving the essence of all things, or wielding the near-omnipotent pupil force, the Supreme Bone couldn't compare.
True, the Supreme Bone had the potential for rebirth, growing stronger with each regeneration, but no sane person would dig out their own bone for no reason.
The spar between Shi Yi and Shi Hao had concluded.
A simple exchange, with an obvious outcome.
Shi Hao, as he was now, was no match for Shi Yi. Even unleashing his strongest technique, the Supreme Treasure Technique, Hand of the Heavens, he couldn't withstand a single move from Shi Yi.
"Huff, huff, huff! The gap is truly massive. Catching up to Yi Gege isn't something I can do in the short term."
Shi Hao panted heavily. Activating the Supreme Bone to unleash the Hand of the Heavens had taken a toll on him, especially as a mere Blood Transformation Realm cultivator.
"Keep at it. Your brother believes in you!"
Shi Yi patted Shi Hao's shoulder, his tone brimming with encouragement.
Five years had passed since he left the Martial King's Manor.
Shi Yi had changed greatly, especially in his mindset. Once, he had hoped Shi Hao would grow strong enough to protect him. Now, he saw no need for that.
Over the years, Shi Yi had been grappling with a single question: Why do I need protection?
Because of the adult Pixiu?
Or the Bi'an?
Perhaps the Yazi?
Clearly, none of them were the reason.
If Shi Yi didn't care to exact revenge himself, he could simply ask Liu Shen to eliminate all three right now.
Enemies in the future?
With his cautious nature, he wouldn't recklessly provoke foes, nor would he play the saint, protecting those beyond his means. The only enemies he'd make would be those whose interests clashed with his own.
Admittedly, Shi Yi didn't know the full plot of Perfect World, but he was familiar with parts of the Shrouding the Heavens storyline, mostly gleaned from online discussions.
The Dark Turmoil?
Sacrificing the masses?
To him, the so-called Dark Turmoil was like sheep eating grass or wolves eating sheep. Compassion was admirable, and protecting others within one's ability was good. But was it worth dying for?
Sheep eat grass, wolves eat sheep—it's part of nature's cycle, just as humans eat pork, lamb, or beef. Were those creatures born to be food?
This world was inherently dark.
Every moment, countless beings perished.
You couldn't protect everyone.
You couldn't save everyone.
The Dark Turmoil, at its core, was wolves eating sheep to sate their hunger.
It boiled down to survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle.
If someone chose to die saving the masses, calling it great compassion, a noble sacrifice—that was their choice.
Yet, to feast on chicken, duck, fish, beef, or lamb and call it minor compassion, part of nature's cycle—that was selective kindness.
Compassion doesn't come in sizes. Compassion is compassion. If you're determined to save the masses, you should also save the chickens and sheep being slaughtered, not dismiss it as "nature's cycle."
Shi Yi didn't consider himself particularly kind. He'd help if he could, but risking his life? He'd slap you and run if he couldn't win.
Whether the world was dark or not didn't concern him.
As long as the darkness didn't touch him, whoever caused the Dark Turmoil was irrelevant. No one could morally blackmail him into saving the masses.
So, why did he need protection?
Shi Yi couldn't figure it out. He felt he might face enemies in the future, but he doubted he'd provoke unbeatable foes just to save others.
To him, the adult Pixiu, Bi'an, and Yazi were his true enemies.
Enemies he had to personally slay.
___
The Desolate Domain, Northern Region, deep in the Great Wilderness, a forbidden land.
This place, perpetually uninhabited, was a frozen expanse of ice and snow. Yet today, three uninvited guests brought a trace of life to the desolate landscape.
"Third Brother, is this plan truly feasible?"
The Bi'an, with a tiger's body and dragon's head, coiled on the snowy ground. Its massive form resembled a mountain peak, its limbs tucked beneath its belly, giving it an oddly endearing appearance.
"Human prodigies are obsessed with opportunities. So, we'll give them one," the adult Pixiu said, a smirk curling its lips.
"Opportunities, opportunities… How many have died chasing them?" Yazi mused, his tone wistful.
"Third Brother, this is too dangerous. Using yourself as bait—one wrong step, and we're doomed!" Bi'an objected.
"But if we let him grow, none of us three brothers will escape," the adult Pixiu growled through gritted teeth.
"That kid can already fight Third Brother to a standstill. If we don't lure him out and kill him now, eliminating the threat early, we'll all die by his hand eventually," Yazi agreed.
"The question is, even if we manage to deceive everyone and fabricate a mountain treasure in this endless wilderness, will that kid take the bait?" Bi'an asked, skeptical.
"Hmph, when he was still roaming the Great Wilderness, he fought me tooth and nail for a mountain treasure, battling for ten days and ten nights. Now that another treasure has appeared, I refuse to believe he'll resist!"
The adult Pixiu's voice brimmed with confidence. He was certain Shi Yi was the type to stop at nothing for an opportunity. A mountain treasure appears, and he won't try to seize it? Impossible.
_
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