Child of Sin and Restriction

The Great Thousand World, with its billions of territories.

If there was anyone who could be called the protagonist of this era over the past decade or so, it had to be those supreme experts who had already reached the pinnacle.

Along their path to the summit, the names of ancient clans had become indelible colors in their stories.

The Great Thousand World, the Ice Spirit Clan.

This was a clan that had existed since the Ancient Era, the absolute ruler of the Ice Spirit Continent. Its foundations ran unfathomably deep. Even across the entire Great Thousand World, the Ice Spirit Clan was a colossal force worthy of holding its own place.

It could be said that, throughout the Great Thousand World, there were very few matters capable of throwing this ancient clan into turmoil.

The most recent time had been more than a decade ago.

Yet from just moments ago, the entire clan had been in an uproar for a full half hour. Every clansman was staring up at the beam of white light descending from the heavens.

Some shouted fanatically, some fled in panic, and some soared into the air in search of the source of the white light.

The entire Ice Spirit Clan had fallen into an indescribable state.

That streak of white light descended from the vault of heaven with magnificent momentum, covering every region at the center of the Ice Spirit Clan.

It had come without warning. No dark clouds had gathered, no stars had scattered. It was like a warning from the heavens, sacred and imposing, making every member of the Ice Spirit Clan, regardless of strength, feel an intense suppression.

It was the merciless oppression of those above against those below.

Such pressure felt strangely familiar.

When the pure white pillar of light dispersed, the commotion within the clan seemed to have been doused with a bucket of cold water, abruptly coming to a halt.

It was too fast. It vanished so quickly that no one could react.

The Supremes who had already risen into the air descended one after another, staring blankly at where the white light had disappeared.

If they had not seen wrong, that place should have been...

"Have you found out?"

Atop the Ice Spirit Clan's high tower, a group of white-robed clansmen stood behind the old man. His tone was steady, without the slightest hint of panic.

He was the sky of the Ice Spirit Clan. No matter what happened, he could not afford to lose his composure.

The Ice Spirit Clan members behind him respectfully bowed as they stood there, feeling the pressure unique to a Heavenly Supreme as they reported what had just happened. "The pillar of light landed in the area where the Ancestral Decree is kept. It did not cause any damage to the surrounding regions."

This was the strangest part. When they arrived, the area was completely intact. That menacing pillar of light had seemed like nothing more than an empty display, merely cast upon the place without producing any tangible effect.

If they had not truly felt the suppression contained within the pillar of light, they might even have suspected it was merely an illusion.

As he listened to the reports behind him, a sharp glint flashed through the old man's clear eyes.

He had thought of something, but he did not dare to be certain.

"Old Ancestor, should this matter be reported to..."

The speaking clansman stopped at just the right point. Though he had not finished his sentence, everyone present from the Ice Spirit Clan understood what he meant.

Within the Ice Spirit Clan, the person with the highest status was not this white-haired old man before them, but a woman—a legendary woman.

Before the old man could reply, snow and ice began to drift through the room in the next instant. Shattered ice crystals scattered in every direction, and the surrounding air seemed to plummet to its lowest point. Everyone could not help turning toward the source from which the cold energy was pouring out.

It was a figure dressed in a pale white gown. She stepped out from space itself, noble in bearing, her exquisite features those of a girl in her twenties. Dark blue hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her expression was icy, as though she constantly radiated cold energy into her surroundings.

The moment the surrounding Ice Spirit Clan members saw her, they immediately lowered their heads and withdrew their gazes.

"Clan Leader."

Hearing the addresses around her, the woman acted as though she had heard nothing. She walked straight through the crowd toward the old man.

The clansmen on both sides hung their heads low, not daring to raise them for even a glance.

"Clan Leader."

When the old man saw her approaching, he immediately addressed her respectfully as well.

This woman had been personally pushed into her current position by him.

"What is the explanation for this phenomenon?"

Her voice was cold, as cold as the snowflakes drifting everywhere, involuntarily inspiring awe.

"The pillar of light fell where the Ancestral Decree is located, yet it caused no damage whatsoever. This situation made me think of one possibility."

The old man straightened, facing the clan that had already fallen quiet outside as he explained softly.

Yet anyone observant enough to notice his current state would have discovered that this normally composed old man had clenched his fists tightly and was trembling slightly.

The woman glanced at him without speaking, quietly waiting for him to continue.

The old man closed his eyes, struggling to restrain his emotions. After a long while, he slowly opened them and spoke in a low voice. "It resembles the sign of a spiritual vein awakening."

Ripples finally surfaced in the woman's lively eyes. "A pillar of light of this magnitude... a Divine Vein?"

No, it was not as though she had never witnessed a Divine Vein awakening within the clan. Those lights had merely flickered brightly, while the pillar now appearing in the sky was dozens of times more powerful.

Which meant...

"An Ancestral Vein..."

How could that be possible?!

A tremor entered the old man's voice. He was one of the beings standing at the pinnacle of the Great Thousand World. The only matter that could make him lose his composure had been that one event several decades ago.

The woman's eyes widened slightly. Although she greatly disliked the old man beside her, his understanding of the Ice Spirit Clan far surpassed hers.

But an Ancestral Vein—how could it be?

Yet if it truly was an Ancestral Vein...

"Immediately investigate every young member of the clan."

The woman decisively issued the order to the clansmen behind her.

"If it truly is an Ancestral Vein..."

Then perhaps the time for the Ice Spirit Clan to reclaim its former glory would arrive because of it...

At that time...

"Clan Leader..."

The clansmen behind her had already dispersed after receiving the order, and the old man turned his gaze toward the woman at his side.

"The Martial Realm will not pose any obstacle to this."

The woman knew what the old man wanted to say, and she answered him in an icy tone.

"You know this, Old Ancestor. There is not much time left for the Great Thousand World."

After saying that, spatial ripples spread around the woman. She cast the silent old man a cold glance, then stepped forward.

The old man watched her figure vanish before his eyes. He remained silent, but his gaze gradually deepened.

The decision made decades ago had secured the Ice Spirit Clan's footing today. This time, he would watch the Ice Spirit Clan reclaim its glory in his hands.

There was a place within the Ice Spirit Clan called the Sin Domain. Within the Sin Domain, snow and ice surrounded everything year-round. Through all four seasons, the cold only accumulated, and warm light was never seen.

Even Ice Spirit Clan members who cultivated using cold energy could not easily wield the spiritual energy within their bodies due to the excessive cold in such a place. Coupled with the constant invasion of the bitter chill, it inflicted irreversible harm upon any living being within.

Since it was called the "Sin Domain," the living beings imprisoned there were all deemed "sinners" by the Ice Spirit Clan.

Ordinary sinners would not be locked in this place. Those sent here were all beings who had committed monstrous crimes.

The Ice Spirit Clan's Sin Domain had not been opened for a long time, and over these past several decades, only one married couple had entered it.

"Mother, I don't know what the longing you spoke of truly means, but I know you must miss Father very, very much. That is why you chose to leave at this time."

It was a small stone monument, and before it stood a small child.

The boy appeared to be only around three years old, yet at the age when he needed companionship most, he had lost his parents forever.

He could not cry, because the weather in the Sin Domain was too cold. The moment he could not hold back his tears, they would turn into ice crystals and freeze upon his face.

Before, with his mother there, he had never needed to worry about such things.

But from today onward, he was alone.

Alone, utterly alone.

He looked at the stone monument before him. At the final moment, his mother's body had transformed into ice and snow, scattering throughout the Sin Domain. His mother had said she wished to be with Father forever, so she had chosen to leave in the same way he had, hoping that one day she could see him again.

He should have blessed her. He should have smiled.

But...

"Don't leave me behind..."

He gazed at the two words "Bai Yu" carved upon the gravestone and crouched down.

At that moment, he felt as though all the loneliness of the Sin Domain had converged upon him in an instant, leaving him unable to breathe.

Mother was gone. His only remaining family member in this world was gone. That meant that amid this endless snow and ice, everyone connected to him had disappeared.

Only he remained.

Alone.

He hugged his knees and buried his face between them. Without him noticing, his dark blue short hair was instantly stained with white, the white spreading faster and faster.

By the time the pillar of light appeared in the sky, his hair had been completely covered in white, pale from head to toe.

Time passed second by second. He crouched on the ground with an empty mind, not knowing what he was thinking, nor what he could think.

He was a precocious child, so long ago, he had already understood that his birth had taken his father away. And now, he had also sent away his mother, sick with longing.

"Mother said I have to live happily."

A long time passed. Truly a long time—so long that even he did not know how much time had gone by.

He raised his head. His delicate little face wore a tearful smile.

It was an ugly smile, so ugly that it looked as though he was about to cry.

"Mother said I have to live freely."

He stood and looked at the unceasing snow and ice of the Sin Domain. This place was not free.

He had heard Mother say that the suppression in the Sin Domain was caused by something called the "Ancestral Decree," which was why even his once-powerful Father had been suppressed here.

Yet from the moment he was born, he had discovered that he did not seem to be affected by that suppression.

He looked toward the ice-blue figure at the other end of the mountain. It was the last remaining living being in this Sin Domain besides his family.

"So, will you leave here with me?"

He knew that the bird-like creature could hear him, even though a mountain stood between them.

After he spoke, the ice-blue figure trembled slightly. In the next moment, its enormous wings flapped violently as it shot into the sky and vanished without a trace.

It seemed to have refused.

A trace of sadness appeared on the little boy's face, but it did not last long. A dazzling streak of blue dove straight down from the sky toward where he stood.

The little boy neither dodged nor avoided it. He knew that no matter what, it would not hurt him.

Blue ice feathers transformed into ice crystals in midair, condensing around its body. Its streamlined form resembled a beautiful Phoenix as it rushed straight toward the boy.

In the next instant, the giant bird's body became a streak of flowing light, passing directly through the boy's body before disappearing without a trace.

"Let's go."

Just as the boy was feeling confused, a clear female voice sounded in his heart.

"You can speak?"

"..."

"Why have I never heard you speak before?"

"..."

"Have you been here for a long time? Mother said you were already here before they came."

"..."

"What kind of bird are you, anyway?"

"Shut up and get moving."

The female voice spoke impatiently, but did not make any move.

The boy grinned, and some of his earlier sorrow was immediately swept away.

It was not because he had found anything novel. He simply felt that having someone to talk to was truly a wonderful thing.

He turned around, looked at the stone monument before him, and took a deep breath.

Then, he revealed a broad smile.

"Mother, I'll live very happily, so you have to be happy too."

He picked up the ice-white ring placed atop the stone monument and put it on the index finger of his right hand. It was the only keepsake his mother had left him.

Afterward, he turned around and strode across the snow-covered ground toward the edge of the Sin Domain.

"Little Ice, where are we going?"

"Don't call me Little Ice."

"Then Little Cold?"

"I think you have a death wish."

"Then what do you want to be called?"

"Shut up."

"Shut Up is such an awful name. Rejected."

"..."

"Is that so? Bai Yu too..."

Within the spacious yet empty hall, the woman sat upon the throne at its highest point, listening to the woman below the steps relay the news she had received.

Deep sorrow flashed through her beautiful eyes. In the end, had it still come to this?

"What is it?"

A man emerged from the space behind the throne.

Seeing this, the woman below lowered her head and quietly left.

The man wore a purple-black robe, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. His features were resolute, and he bore a calm smile. When he arrived, his aura was as majestic and imposing as a mountain, but upon seeing the sorrow in the woman's eyes, that majesty immediately vanished as he asked with concern.

"Let me lean on you."

The woman suddenly rested her head against the man and closed her eyes.

The man placed his hand atop her dark blue hair and gently comforted her, but did not ask anything. What he needed to do most now was simply remain by her side.

The great hall suddenly became very quiet, with a hint of sorrow drifting through the silence.

"Lin Dong, Elder Sister Bai Yu is gone too."

After a long time, the woman spoke softly.

The man called Lin Dong paused slightly.

"Is that so?"

"Mm."

The woman closed her eyes and murmured an "mm," saying nothing more.

For the husband and wife, it was the greatest debt of gratitude they had borne since coming to the Great Thousand World.

They had never expected that, even now, they would no longer have a chance to repay it.

For her and for her husband, this would become a knot in their hearts that could never be forgotten.

The man said nothing. He closed his eyes and continued stroking the woman's hair.

He knew that his wife was hurting badly. No matter how much time passed, the kindness in her heart would never change.

"Bring that child out."

After a while, the man said softly, "This is the last thing we can do for that couple."

The woman leaned against him and nodded gently.

This time, without that clansman's stubbornness, even if countless elders tried to stop her, she would not feel the slightest fear.

She was the clan leader of the Ice Spirit Clan and the mistress of the Martial Realm. She was not so powerless that she could not even protect a three-year-old child.

But at that moment, the woman from earlier entered with her head lowered, taking small, quiet steps. She did not look up at the two seated upon the throne.

"Speak."

The woman opened her eyes, lifted her head from the man's embrace, and spoke coldly.

Hearing her voice, the woman's expression remained unchanged as she respectfully replied, "Reporting to Master, that 'Child of Sin and Restriction' has disappeared."

BOOM!!!

Divine thunder crashed down from the nine heavens.

The grand hall at the very center of the Ice Spirit Clan collapsed with a thunderous roar.