No!

"Shi Yi, I allow you to come into contact with my Law Body, but you cannot disregard your teacher's words," Willow Deity said softly.

Though her voice was gentle, her grip was not.

As the saying went.

Shi Yi could only reluctantly lift his head from her embrace, unable to continue enjoying that warmth reserved for him alone.

"Yes."

Shi Yi nodded obediently. With his ear clenched in her hand, how could he possibly turn the heavens upside down?

"Regarding your Ten Celestial Passages, Shi Yi, would you like to hear the good news or the bad news first?" Willow Deity continued.

"The good news." Shi Yi answered without hesitation.

"The good news is that your Ten Celestial Passages are truly unprecedented and unmatched. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Yin Yang Chaos, Five Elements Power, and even the cosmos itself are all contained within them." Willow Deity sighed.

"The bad news?" Shi Yi asked hesitantly.

For some reason.

He had a bad feeling that his streak of misfortune for the day was not over yet.

"The bad news is that if no one helps you sort through the mixed powers inside your Cavern Heavens, Shi Yi, you may be unable to advance to the next realm for the rest of your life."

Willow Deity spoke calmly, but Shi Yi's heart turned half-cold upon hearing it.

But immediately after.

"Teacher, you can't abandon your disciple! I'm your precious disciple!" Shi Yi directly wrapped his arms around Willow Deity's Slender Waist and buried his head in her bosom again.

Willow Deity neither rebuked nor avoided this obvious groping. Since Shi Yi had acknowledged himself as her disciple, he was now the person closest to her.

"Since you have accepted this master-disciple relationship, your teacher can help you. But remember, Shi Yi, I am your teacher. Do not entertain so many improper thoughts in the future. The strong all possess steadfast Dao hearts and do not indulge in women, much less obsess over appearances of flesh and skin."

Willow Deity's hand, like a slender willow branch glowing softly, gently brushed over the back of Shi Yi's head. When it touched the Crimson Feather on his head, it paused slightly.

The Crimson Feather given by Little Red Bird seemed to have taken root atop Shi Yi's head. No matter how he pulled at it, he could not remove it, as if it had truly rooted itself there.

Though Willow Deity had the ability to pull it out, she did not act. After all, avoiding women was easy to say, but not something that could be achieved overnight.

She was not in a hurry.

She could wait.

When Shi Yi himself grew tired of women one day, he naturally would not care so much about them anymore. Whether it took a thousand years or ten thousand, time was merely a number to her.

"Teacher Willow, I understand," Shi Yi said helplessly.

People always spoke of steadfast Dao hearts, of avoiding women, of being born for battle and dying for battle. Yet he felt that women were his Dao heart, and because of that, he had even abandoned his former desire to simply drift through life.

Shi Yi's original plan had been to stop at Nine Celestial Passages and directly advance to the next realm. But in order not to be looked down upon by Willow Deity, he had forcibly opened Ten Celestial Passages through sheer willpower.

Although these Ten Celestial Passages differed from the ones Willow Deity had seen before—Ten Celestial Passages that would be utterly useless without her help—they were still genuine Ten Celestial Passages in essence.

In short.

Shi Yi's current Ten Celestial Passages contained the powers of Yin Yang and the Five Elements, as well as the foundation of cosmic Chaos. They were incomparably powerful, yet at the same time, they had trapped him.

Cavern Heavens were the foundation of cultivation. The deeper the foundation, the taller the building that could be raised upon it. But the foundation Shi Yi had built for himself was simply too deep.

He did not understand Chaos, nor did he comprehend Yin Yang and the Five Elements. He understood even less about the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams. All of it was beyond him, like a poor student who had memorized everything by rote.

Shi Yi's understanding of the Dao only skimmed the surface. He did not understand its true meaning. Reading a few Daoist scriptures did not mean he had truly comprehended the essence of Daoism.

To put it plainly.

Without Willow Deity, Shi Yi's Ten Celestial Passages would be completely ruined. One year, two years, no one would say anything, but after ten or twenty years, if he were still stuck in the Celestial Passage Realm—

But with Willow Deity helping Shi Yi sort through the powers of Yin Yang and the Five Elements, as well as the foundation of cosmic Chaos within his Ten Celestial Passages, his potential truly became unimaginable.

It was also because of this.

That Willow Deity had accepted Shi Yi as her disciple. She believed that as long as Shi Yi grew up, surpassing her in the future would not be impossible.

As for his unsteady Dao heart, it was far less important than talent and potential. Dao hearts could be molded, but talent and potential were difficult to alter after birth.

Several more days passed.

Just as Shi Yi was preparing to set off for home, treasure light appeared deep within the Great Wilderness. The Great Wilderness, which had finally been peaceful for several days, suddenly became dangerous and unpredictable once more.

At this time.

Far from Stone Village, far from the Vast Mountain Range, in a corner at the edge of the Great Wilderness.

There was a fertile land with broad plains, beautiful peaks, and clear rivers.

Scaled Horses surged like ocean waves, galloping in great herds across the grasslands. Armored cavalry with imposing auras that soared into the heavens raced across the land, their armor gleaming and their killing intent piercing the sky as they drilled.

On the horizon stood endless buildings stretching without break. This was a human tribe with a population of tens of millions, one that had prospered on this land for countless years.

This human tribe was filled with powerful experts. Its inheritance had endured from ancient times until now, never once dying out. Every generation produced several exceptional geniuses, ensuring the tribe's strength and prosperity.

At the same time, this was the future envisioned by Stone Village's older generation.

Because their descendants were destined to leave Stone Village and establish tribes of their own.

Given enough time, Stone Village might not be unable to become the next Tribal Clan.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter."

Hooves struck the earth like a sudden rainstorm. At the very center of this Tribal Clan's buildings stood a Golden Tent. A fiery red Scaled Horse raced over level ground toward it at great speed.

When it came within less than a hundred meters of the Golden Tent.

A man leaped from the fiery red Scaled Horse's back.

After landing, the man immediately dropped to his knees and shouted, "Clan Chief, an astonishing Mountain Treasure appears to have emerged deep within the Great Wilderness!"

"A Mountain Treasure?" an Old Man's voice sounded.

"For some unknown reason, those two supreme creatures in the sky suddenly stopped fighting." Another Old Man spoke.

"They have already left the Great Wilderness. If they were still here, the Mountain Treasure would never fall to us." A series of aged voices followed.

"Clan Chief, since those two supreme creatures have left the Great Wilderness, should we go take a look? Our clan has only tens of millions of people and cannot compare to those ancient kingdoms outside, but this is the Great Wilderness. Our clan may still have a chance to fish in troubled waters."

As they spoke.

Several Old Men with powerful auras walked out of the Golden Tent.

"Do not take risks. There is more than one powerful Tribal Clan in the Great Wilderness. Bring a few talented youngsters along and make the trip, let them broaden their horizons. Without my order, no one is to make a move!"

Another Old Man emerged from the Golden Tent. He was tall and broad, with streaks of golden lightning flashing in his eyes. He looked immensely imposing.

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

In another region of the Great Wilderness.

There was an enormous lake here, blue as the sea and beautiful beyond compare.

Islands dotted the center of the lake like stars, while waves rolled and churned.

Several children rode atop a Flood Dragon. At times, it plunged into the calm lake, and at others, it soared into the azure sky. Clouds and mist billowed as the Flood Dragon's scales shone brilliantly.

Before a majestic palace on one of the islands.

A group of powerful people watched them with indulgent affection.

"You little brats, stop fooling around. Your uncles will take you on a journey soon. You'll see the geniuses of the outside world, and we'll also take a look at the Mountain Treasure about to emerge to see whether we have a chance of obtaining it."

"Hmph, they're all mediocre. Last time, they said he was some incredible genius, but didn't we still defeat him? If he hadn't panicked and fled into a Flame Cave, we would have captured him and made him a mount."

In yet another land of mountains and rivers, equally far away.

There was another Tribal Clan.

Its population also numbered tens of millions, and enormous cities stood one after another.

The giant cities were magnificent and solemn. Their walls were built from Adamantine Rock, stretching across the horizon like black mountain ranges and radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Within the giant city.

Carriages and horses flowed through the streets as people came and went. It was extraordinarily prosperous.

At the very center of the giant city stood a palace.

The palace was vast and majestic, like a heavenly palace descended into the mortal world. It towered grandly into the sky, while its interior glittered with gold and jade, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, overflowing with indescribable luxury and wealth.

"The Mountain Treasure has emerged, yet at such a crucial moment, the two supreme creatures have instead left the Great Wilderness?"

Within the grand, resplendent hall, a dignified yet puzzled voice slowly came from the lofty throne.

His true appearance could not be seen. His entire body resembled a purple sun, its radiance so intense that it drowned him within it.

His life force naturally overflowed like a great furnace, like a deity blazing with purple light. No one dared approach him and could only gaze from afar.

A man knelt in the hall.

"Clan Chief, I cannot understand it either. But even if they have both left the Great Wilderness, there are still two supreme creatures here: the Heaven Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi."

Seven Cavern Heavens surrounded this man's body, drawing in and expelling the world's energy. A powerful aura radiated from him.

Never underestimate Seven Celestial Passages.

Not everyone was Shi Yi.

Six Celestial Passages were enough to break into the next realm. Eight Celestial Passages were the limit for humans, while Nine Celestial Passages were a level only Ancient Descendants and Pure-Blooded Ferocious Beasts had the potential to reach.

And Ten Celestial Passages—

For the Eight Regions of the Lower Realm, especially Tribal Clans dwelling in the Great Wilderness, Ten Celestial Passages were a realm they did not even dare imagine. They did not believe anyone could achieve it.

"The four great ferocious beasts of the Great Wilderness are the Vermilion Bird, Zhu Yan, Qiongqi, and the Heaven Swallowing Sparrow. Among them, the Vermilion Bird and Zhu Yan have close ties with the Stone Kingdom and Fire Kingdom beyond the Great Wilderness, while Qiongqi and the Heaven Swallowing Sparrow are solitary creatures. Could this Mountain Treasure possess some fatal danger?"

The dignified voice came from the throne. The purple sun trembled, and a terrifying aura spread from it as the entire hall shook.

At the same time.

Deep within the Great Wilderness.

"The Mountain Treasure has emerged, yet they ran away instead. What does this mean?"

This was a Ferocious Bird with a body tens of thousands of miles long. It despised humans immensely, having once massacred Tribal Clans in the Great Wilderness and devoured tens of millions of humans.

Also deep within the Great Wilderness.

"Zhu Yan and the Vermilion Bird have both fled. Could there be a trap?"

This was a Ferocious Beast with a tiger's body, ox horns, and wings on its back. Its enormous size rivaled mountains, while its deep green eyes were like lakes. A trace of wariness colored its voice.

And at this moment.

Great Wilderness, Stone Village.

"Shi Yi, an opportunity is right before you. Do you dare fight for it?" Willow Deity looked at Shi Yi.

"Teacher, can I say no? Opportunities are dangerous," Shi Yi asked in return.

"Are you afraid?"

Willow Deity's tone was calm. After all these years, she had come to understand Shi Yi's temperament thoroughly. She knew exactly what words could make this person, who disliked fighting over things—

Take the initiative to fight!

Take the initiative to seize!

"Teacher Willow, you wouldn't just watch your disciple come to harm, would you?"

"Never!"