Great-Grandpa, You're So Nice!

Deep within the Great Wilderness, in a shadowy place.

"The aura of the Vermillion Bird Plume. She left on her own and even gave up the Mountain Treasure, letting a junior fight over it?"

"Could it be that this Mountain Treasure isn't worth much, and she felt it wasn't worth personally making a move?"

"Very likely. If this Mountain Treasure were truly valuable, even if she gave up, that Zhu Yan would never give up. It would definitely fight to the death to seize it."

"What do we do now?"

"Watch for now. That junior won't find it easy to obtain the Mountain Treasure either. The Tribal Clans of the Great Wilderness have openly and secretly sent many human slaves over."

"Honestly, those human slaves breed quickly. We ate tens of millions last time, and after a few decades, they've multiplied again. And that was just the human slaves from one tribe."

This was a conversation between a Ferocious Bird and a vicious beast.

The Ferocious Bird was the Heaven Swallowing Sparrow, while the vicious beast was Qiongqi.

They had originally been enemies, but there were no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests. The departure of the Vermilion Bird and Zhu Yan had made them unconsciously form an alliance.

They had no choice.

In terms of strength alone, among the four great vicious beasts of the Great Wilderness, the Vermilion Bird ranked first, Zhu Yan second, and only then came the two of them, third and fourth.

Now that the first and second-ranked beasts, who had fought for two years, had run off and stopped fighting for the Mountain Treasure, the third and fourth-ranked beasts were understandably uneasy.

Therefore.

Even though the Mountain Treasure had appeared, the Heaven Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi still decided to observe first. They would only emerge to fight for it after confirming there was no danger, lest the Vermilion Bird and Zhu Yan ambush them.

At the edge of the Great Wilderness.

Within a grand and massive royal palace, thunder rumbled, shaking countless armored guards until they trembled, nearly falling to their knees.

It was merely one person's voice, yet it was terrifying beyond measure. It shook entire stretches of palaces like a sudden thunderclap exploding in the highest heavens.

"The Mountain Treasure has appeared. The Purple Mountain Clan has made its move and even sent out its descendants. Lei Kun, take your younger brothers with you. The moment you see those Purple Mountain Clan geniuses, beat them up!"

Rolling thunder echoed out. Within the royal palace, streaks of black lightning intertwined around a blurry yet majestic figure, turning the surroundings into a sea of thunder.

"Yes!"

A middle-aged man in crimson armor knelt respectfully on the ground.

Far away.

Amid a range of mountains, the peaks were exceptionally majestic, soaring into the clouds. The temperature was bitterly cold, and the mountaintops were cloaked in silver, blanketed in thick snow.

Yet a giant city had been built here, resting atop the central mountain and overlooking all creation in the eight directions. It carried an air of sacred majesty.

However, the giant city was sparsely populated. Only a small group lived in its innermost region, making its population seem utterly mismatched with the vastness of the city.

This was an extraordinarily ancient reclusive family, with an astonishingly terrifying inheritance.

Legend had it that a deity from the Upper Realm had once ruled this land in ancient times.

"The Golden Wolf Tribe, Luofu Great Marsh, Purple Mountain Clan, Flood Dragon Clan, Thunder Clan—one Tribal Clan after another has mobilized. All of them want to see the Mountain Treasure that appeared deep within the Great Wilderness. This time, the Great Wilderness may descend into chaos."

Above the giant city, an Old Man stood atop the city wall, gazing toward the depths of the Great Wilderness. Stroking his white beard, he let out a sigh.

"I don't understand. I truly don't understand. Those two supreme creatures fought in the sky for two years, yet they left before the Mountain Treasure appeared."

"Many people do not understand that question. Figuring out exactly why will likely not be easy."

Two more Old Men flew up onto the city wall and stood beside the first.

"The Purple Mountain Clan chief and the Thunder Clan chief are old rivals. They will certainly have their descendants fight each other. Why not bring along a few of our Snow Clan's little geniuses so they can broaden their horizons?" the first Old Man suggested.

No sooner had he spoken than several beautiful young girls came walking over the snow. Each was as lovely as a little fairy, with lively eyes, fair and radiant faces, and glossy black hair fluttering in the wind. Two young boys followed behind them.

"Grandpa, you can't play favorites. We all want to go." The boys and girls clung to the three Old Men present.

"Go on, then. When the time comes, see just how strong the geniuses outside truly are," one Old Man said with a smile.

"Great-Grandpa, you're so nice!"

The boys and girls happily gathered around the first Old Man.

The Old Man also happily rubbed their heads.

"As long as the four great vicious beasts don't appear to fight for the Mountain Treasure, we old fellows still have a good chance of obtaining it."

"We cannot be hasty. Our Snow Clan cannot compare to the Golden Wolf Tribe's great wealth and population. Letting them go broaden their horizons is enough."

The two Old Men who had arrived later spoke in turn. Yet considering how sparse the Snow Clan's population had become, they finally exchanged a glance and could only sigh helplessly.

Clearly, they had no intention of fighting the other Tribal Clans for the Mountain Treasure at present. Obtaining it would naturally be good, but failing to do so would be too devastating for the Snow Clan as it was now.

Why would failing to obtain it be such a blow?

How could people fight over something without anyone dying?

Fortune and opportunity—opportunity itself was danger, like snatching chestnuts from a fire.

If they were merely watching the show and broadening their horizons, that was one thing.

But if they truly fought for the Mountain Treasure.

Did they think the other Tribal Clans of the Great Wilderness were just sitting around doing nothing?

Or were they expecting those Tribal Clans to obediently hand over the Mountain Treasure?

One had to know.

When vicious beasts ate people, they simply swallowed them in one bite. At the very least, there was not much suffering.

But people harming people was not so simple. A fate worse than death was commonplace.

With the Mountain Treasure's appearance, the Vermilion Bird and Zhu Yan—two supreme creatures who were also two of the four great vicious beasts of the Great Wilderness—had departed. Meanwhile, the Heaven Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi remained hidden. As a result, quite a few Tribal Clans of the Great Wilderness developed an interest in fighting over this newly appeared Mountain Treasure.

At present.

It was known that the Golden Wolf Tribe, Luofu Great Marsh, Purple Mountain Clan, Flood Dragon Clan, Thunder Clan, and Snow Clan—a total of six Tribal Clans—had all dispatched experts and young prodigies to explore the Mountain Treasure deep within the Great Wilderness.

During this time.

Shi Yi, who had already left Stone Village for several days, encountered several Tribal Clans.

There was the arrogant Flood Dragon Clan, the steady and composed Purple Mountain Clan, the boldly spirited Golden Wolf Tribe, and the Snow Clan, which made him feel as though they had come sightseeing.

Other than the Snow Clan, all of these Tribal Clans looked down on Shi Yi. He wore Beast Hide clothing and straw sandals, without a single valuable item on him.

In their eyes, dressed like that, Shi Yi was some poor child from an unknown backwater village, not even qualified to speak with people like them.

Logically speaking.

With Shi Yi's Celestial Passage Realm cultivation, even if he were merely an ordinary cultivator of the Celestial Passage Realm rather than the Young Supreme with Ten Celestial Passages, he should not have received such cold treatment.

But Shi Yi had a flaw in his personality. He was too cautious. He disliked drawing attention, preferred acting as the mastermind behind the scenes, and had long concealed his true cultivation.

Blood Moving Realm, thirty-five thousand jin with a swing of one arm, from an obscure little village.

And now.

Shi Yi, concealing his identity under the alias Yun Potian, was traveling with the Snow Clan's group.

"In the distant beginning of the ages, when mankind first arose, the imperial order was established, and eternal principles spread," the Old Man recited softly.

"Old sir, what does that mean?" Shi Yi asked curiously.

The Old Man glanced at Shi Yi and said flatly, "In that distant primordial age, it was still the beginning of humanity. The way of the great center was first established, and eternal principles had already spread throughout the Great Wilderness."

"Order and truth are laid out in nature. All things in the world possess spirituality, and certain intelligent races favored by heaven, such as mankind, are their representatives. The true meaning of the Dao is most clearly expressed through them."

Before he could finish.

Several beautiful young girls of the Snow Clan dragged Shi Yi away.

"Brother Tian, why not stop going back and join our Snow Clan instead?"