Ancestor Manifestation?

No one knew how long Shi Yi had lain in Willow Deity's arms, nor did anyone know what Willow Deity had said after Shi Yi fell unconscious.

Shi Yi only knew that when he woke up, he had awakened in the warm embrace of his mother, Yu Yuexian.

"Yi'er, those who have passed cannot be brought back. They can only be remembered. Mother does not want you to remain trapped in sorrowful memories. Mother hopes you can be strong and pull yourself together."

Yu Yuexian gently held Shi Yi's head, letting his whole body lean against her. It was the same posture she had used since he was little.

"Mother, I will pull myself together," Shi Yi said softly.

In his previous life,

he had been starved of love and terribly lonely. His parents did not cherish him, his uncle did not care for him, and no one had cared about someone as ordinary as him. He had never experienced a mother's love or a father's love.

In this life, it was as if Heaven had decided to compensate Shi Yi. He had experienced familial affection he had never known before, as well as a mother who doted on him excessively.

If others cherished Shi Yi only because of his status as a Double Pupil User and an Innate Saint,

then Yu Yuexian doted on him unconditionally and without reason. Even if Shi Yi wanted her life, she would not refuse.

In that vanished timeline,

if Shi Yi had been young and ignorant, unable to understand what it meant to dig out Shi Hao's Supreme Bone, then could Yu Yuexian truly have failed to understand?

Once she did something so abhorrent to Heaven and humanity, Shi Yi might survive because he had been too young to know better, but she would certainly die.

And that was exactly what happened.

Yu Yuexian was killed.

She used her own life to pave Shi Yi's path.

Yu Yuexian's thoughts were very simple. She wanted to give Shi Yi every good thing in the world, even if it incurred Heaven's wrath and humanity's resentment, even if the world could not tolerate it.

Just like now.

"Yi'er, Mother found in an ancient text that a Supreme Bone can be transplanted to a blood relative," Yu Yuexian said, lowering herself to whisper something abhorrent in Shi Yi's ear.

Transplant a Supreme Bone?

Shi Yi frowned, but quickly relaxed.

The next moment,

Shi Yi deliberately pulled a long face, his expression turning cold as frost. "Mother, do you not believe in my talent? Or do you think Double Pupils are simply inferior to a Supreme Bone?"

At that moment,

seeing Shi Yi's displeasure, Yu Yuexian panicked and hurriedly said, "Yi'er, Mother only thought that an extra bone meant another path. It was not that Mother did not believe in Yi'er, nor that Mother looked down on Yi'er's Double Pupils."

Her world was pure. It contained only Shi Yi.

Shi Yi's reaction made her heart ache, and she felt terribly wronged.

"If that is the case, Mother should not say such things again in the future."

As he spoke, Shi Yi rose from Yu Yuexian's embrace.

Ignoring Yu Yuexian's aggrieved gaze, he turned his back to her and said in an even tone, "Double Pupils are already an invincible path. Why borrow another's bone?"

His voice was firm and resonant.

Those words completely dispelled Yu Yuexian's thoughts of digging out the Supreme Bone. She did not want to, nor was she willing to, let this matter affect Shi Yi's feelings toward her.

Within an elegant courtyard of Martial King Manor,

"This child had been away from home for five years. He had only just returned and had not even had the chance to enjoy family happiness before such dreadful news struck. He even cried himself unconscious in the mourning hall."

Qin Yining's voice carried a trace of pity, and her fair, jade-like face was filled with heartache.

Although she was not truly familiar with Shi Yi, a nephew she had only met a few times, and could only recognize him upon seeing him,

she genuinely felt sorry for Shi Yi. At such a young age, while he was still a boy, his shoulders already had to bear such a heavy mountain.

"Mother, I was the first to find Yi Gege unconscious in the mourning hall, but I felt that someone else was beside Yi Gege—someone I could not see."

Shi Hao sat beside Qin Yining and voiced what he had sensed.

In truth,

Shi Hao's feeling was correct. At the time, the unconscious and unaware Shi Yi had been lying in Willow Deity's arms. Ordinary people simply could neither see nor touch her.

It was the Supreme Bone within Shi Hao's body that allowed him to vaguely sense Willow Deity's presence, but it was only a feeling. Even he himself could not be sure whether it was real.

"Hao'er, do not talk nonsense. That is one of the most important places in Martial King Manor. How could there be an outsider? Even if someone truly was there, it must have been the Stone Clan Ancestor manifesting," Qin Yining said.

"Ancestor manifestation?"

Shi Hao scratched his head in confusion. It had only been a feeling, after all. He had discovered nothing and had no evidence. Perhaps the Stone Clan Ancestor really had manifested.

What Shi Hao and Qin Yining did not know was that

Willow Deity was standing right before the mother and son at that very moment.

"Shi Yi, Shi Hao—Double Pupils and a Supreme Bone. Two supreme beings in one family. I never expected something that was almost impossible to happen to unfold before my eyes. The world truly is vast, and there is no end to its wonders."

Willow Deity felt nothing special toward Shi Hao. To her, he was merely a passerby.

The only person she had ever paid attention to, the only one she cared about, had always been Shi Yi alone.

And also,

when several Old Ancestors of Martial King Manor, including Shi Yi's father Shi Ziteng and Shi Hao's father Shi Ziling, suffered calamity together, she had known. She had even watched it happen with her own eyes.

Yet she had not intervened to save them, merely silently watching everything unfold.

Because to her,

this was all part of the natural order. People ate beasts, beasts ate people, people killed beasts, and beasts killed people. It was normal, and also part of the natural cycle of Heaven and Earth.

Besides,

she was not human. She was a Willow Tree that had attained the Dao, a plant. Both humans and beasts could be considered enemies of plants, so she had no reason to favor either side.

Eight Regions of the Lower Realm, Heaven Domain.

"A fragmentary Dao Scripture has appeared in the Stone Kingdom of the Wild Domain. The Golden Lotus bloomed three times, benefiting billions of living beings. Such an extraordinary scripture must be a great opportunity. Our next place of training should be the Stone Kingdom of the Wild Domain."

The speaker was a White-Clothed Woman, ethereal as an immortal.

She seemed like a Fairy descended into the mortal world, giving off an unreal feeling.

Dressed entirely in white, she was transcendent and refined. Her figure was graceful, and she stood a head taller than ordinary women. Slender, tall, and captivating, her long black hair flowed like ink and cascaded like a waterfall.

Her neck was snowy white and delicate, like that of a swan. Unfortunately, a translucent veil covered her face, making it impossible to see her full features. Only a pair of bright eyes could be seen.

Eight Regions of the Lower Realm, Earth Domain.

"Heh heh, a Dao Scripture has appeared in the Stone Kingdom of the Wild Domain. She certainly will not miss such a great opportunity. I had originally wanted to visit the other eight regions, but it seems I can only head to the Wild Domain ahead of schedule."

She was not a Fairy, but a fox spirit, with nine fox tails dancing in the wind behind her.

She had a standard oval face, tender and fair cheeks, and two slender, neatly shaped dark brows.

At that moment, the corner of her lips curved into a lovely smile, while her brow carried a pitiful air like Xishi clutching her heart.

Her pair of beautiful, seductive fox eyes showed no ripples, yet constantly exuded an alluring, bewitching charm.

This fox spirit was a true peerless beauty. Even if she did nothing at all, she could make men—and even women—lose themselves and become slaves to her charm.

However, her aura was not murky. It was pure and clean, enough to show that although she had been born with seductive bones, she was a fox spirit who kept herself pure.

Eight Regions of the Lower Realm, Wild Domain.

"Two elder brothers, some time ago, thank you for helping your little brother. Not only did you save me in my moment of danger, but you also allowed me to successfully avenge my son's death in the end."