Long before Shi Yan set foot in the Ancestral God Sect, the Three Ancestral Gods had received a warning from the Universe Origin and learned that Shi Yan had entered the True God realm.
Since the Beast God Position had never returned, the Three Ancestor Gods had assumed Shi Yan had escaped by some special means and gone into hiding. They never expected him to become a Universe Supreme Being.
Now the Three Ancestral Gods were in an awkward position. After all, they had received many favors from the Eight Natural Beast Gods in their early years. If they had been Natural Beast Gods themselves, they would likely have resented the Ancestral God Sect's betrayal.
As Ancestral Gods, they had no reason to fear a Universe Supreme Being, at least until the end of this Reincarnation Era. Even so, no one would willingly make an enemy of a Universe Supreme Being—especially one who had once been one of their own.
"Senior Shi Yan, why don't you come with us to the Ancestral God Palace for a chat?" The Double-Faced Ancestral God wore a kind, gentle expression, radiating such friendliness that people couldn't help wanting to befriend him.
But Shi Yan wasn't buying it. He said coldly, "There's no need to reminisce, you three. We have no old ties worth revisiting. I came only to relinquish the Beast God Position. Let's leave it at that."
"..."
The Three Ancestral Gods were troubled by his words, but they couldn't press him further. They could only say helplessly, "Very well. Still, we hope you'll understand our position, Senior Shi Yan. We had no choice."
This time, Shi Yan couldn't even be bothered to reply. He headed straight for the Light Beast God Palace in the Eight Directions Beast God Palace on Bauhinia Island.
Unlike Acquired Beast Gods, who inherited the Beast God Position through the Beast God Inheritance, the Natural Beast Gods had founded the Ancestral God Sect. The Beast God Positions they held had appeared with the sect's creation.
The Beast God Position had been created to make practitioners of the Beast God Path more like the Natural Beast Gods. That was why inheriting one could greatly increase their strength.
But as the saying went, "Those who learn from me may thrive; those who imitate me will perish."
Practitioners of the Beast God Path who were confined to the Natural Beast Gods' version of it would have no future and could never break through.
For that reason, most practitioners willing to accept a Beast God Position had limited talent. After all, the position let them wield Fourth Order strength, making them powerful even among Universe Masters.
For Acquired Beast Gods, the Beast God Position was a shackle. For Innate Beast Gods, it was merely a shadow, an imitation. They could relinquish it whenever they wished.
Shi Yan's arrival had already alerted countless Inheritors on Bauhinia Island. More than ten Universe Masters had gathered in the Eight Directions Beast God Palace. Several of them radiated a rhythm somewhat similar to Shi Yan's, clearly having inherited other Beast God Positions and become the new Beast Gods.
Shi Yan couldn't be bothered with them. He went straight to the Light Beast God Palace, where several Sect-Protecting Beast Gods who cultivated the Light-Time Beast God Path were already waiting.
"Lord Shi Yan!"
"Senior!"
Several Universe Masters tried to approach, but Shi Yan stopped them.
"Ha!"
Shi Yan let out a low roar. Ripples of light spread from him, and the Universe Origin descended upon the Light Beast God Palace in response. It seemed almost joyful, as if celebrating the birth of one of its children as a True God, while also conveying some sort of message.
"!"
Shi Yan's eyes suddenly widened, his expression turning complicated. But soon he cut off all awareness of the outside world and focused entirely on separating the Beast God Position from himself.
As time passed, a phantom gradually separated from Shi Yan's white-gold body. It looked exactly like him: a white-gold horned lizard.
At times it roared, at times it slept, at times it played, and at times it turned savage—free to do as it pleased.
It was the Beast God Position created by the Primal Universe Origin, modeled on the Light Beast God among the Natural Beast Gods.
"Roar!"
With a silent roar, the Beast God Phantom broke free of Shi Yan completely, then faded away into the world. The Light Beast God Palace, meanwhile, seemed to gain a peculiar new rhythm.
At the same time, the Three Ancestral Gods, who had followed Shi Yan to the Light Beast God Palace, sensed that the Light Beast God Position was now vacant.
After relinquishing the Beast God Position, Shi Yan immediately felt a great weight lift from his body, as if some invisible pressure had finally vanished.
"So that's the truth about the Natural Beast Gods..." Shi Yan looked up at the distant, boundless Primal Universe Origin, his heart a tangle of emotions.
"Senior Shi Yan!"
Seeing Shi Yan relinquish the Beast God Position, a figure suddenly rushed toward him. The youth looked human, with bronze skin, four arms, and three eyes on his forehead.
"Senior Shi Yan, is it true? You really became a Universe Supreme Being? That's wonderful! You have no idea how worried I was about you. It's all the Ancestral Gods' fault for forcibly holding me back. Otherwise, I would've gone to help you teach those damned Monster Race a lesson..."
The youth rattled on like a string of firecrackers, leaving Shi Yan with a pounding headache. He hurriedly cut him off. "All right, Qing Huan. The Ancestral Gods were right not to let you go. With your strength, you would've only thrown your life away in a battle at that level. Besides, didn't I already tell you I was sure I could survive? I told you not to get involved."
The youth had still looked a little indignant, but at Shi Yan's last words, he deflated like a punctured balloon and muttered, "I was just worried about you, Senior. A Universe Supreme Being leading ten Universe Masters—how could I believe you when you said you were sure you'd survive..."
Shi Yan couldn't help laughing, but warmth stirred in his heart. "It's all over now. The Monster Beast Progenitor has fallen, so no one will hunt me anymore."
"That's good." Qing Huan breathed a sigh of relief, while everyone else around them erupted into an uproar.
"The Monster Beast Progenitor has fallen?"
"How is that possible?"
The Universe Masters couldn't believe it. No Universe Supreme Being had ever fallen in this era of the Primal Universe. Even the Original Ancestor, who had dared to provoke the Primal Universe Origin, had only been suppressed.
The Monster Beast Progenitor was the first Universe Supreme Being to fall in this era.
Shi Yan paid no attention to the Universe Masters' shock. He turned to the Three Ancestral Gods and said, "Double-Faced, you three are agents of the Origin Will. Though you betrayed us Natural Beast Gods, there's nothing I can do to you. But from now on, I have nothing more to do with the Ancestral God Sect. Take care of yourselves."
With that, Shi Yan lost all interest in talking. He vanished from the Light Beast God Palace in a flash and Teleported straight beyond the Ancestral God Secret Realm.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned an Immortal Servant to his side. "Divine Kingdom Teleportation. Take me back to the Hulan Secret Realm."
"Yes, Master."
The Immortal Servant opened a God Kingdom Passage. But before Shi Yan could leave, a famously booming voice exploded in his ears. "Senior Shi Yan, wait for me!"
Shi Yan stopped, a helpless look crossing his face. When he turned around, he saw the bronze-skinned, three-eyed youth with four arms Teleporting toward him with a grin.
"You're doing just fine as a Sect-Protecting Beast God in the Ancestral God Sect. With your talent, becoming a Sect-Protecting Divine Lord someday should be easy. Why insist on following me?" Shi Yan tried to reason with him.
"Senior, we agreed that once I became a Universe Master, you'd take me as your disciple. You're a Universe Supreme Being now. Surely you won't go back on your word?" Qing Huan shamelessly clung to him.
Shi Yan's head began to ache even more.
Heaven knew, when he'd said that, he'd only been brushing the kid off. Shi Yan had figured that once Qing Huan became a Universe Master, he'd stop pestering him to take him as a disciple.
After all, Qing Huan would already be a Universe Master by then. Shi Yan wasn't the Original Ancestor; it wasn't as if Universe Masters would be lining up to become his disciples.
But the kid had actually remembered his words.
Seeing that Shi Yan was still hesitating, Qing Huan continued, "The Ancestral God Sect? If Senior hadn't taken me away from the Blazing Wind Secret Realm back then, I might've been possessed by someone, and I wouldn't even know who.
"I joined the Ancestral God Sect because Senior was one of the Eight Directions Beast Gods. Now that Senior has severed ties with the sect, why should I stay here?
"Senior has been guiding my cultivation all this time. The sect's Beast God Inheritance did help me a little, but I left my Supreme Treasure with the Ancestral Gods as compensation. I don't owe them anything now."
As it happened, Shi Yan had met Qing Huan by chance. Shi Yan had been comprehending the Fire-Space Beast God Path in the Blazing Wind Secret Realm and had just mastered it. As he was preparing to leave, he happened upon Qing Huan, a Special Lifeform who had only recently come into being and was still quite naive.
Shi Yan had been in high spirits after mastering the Fire-Space Beast God Path, so he took Qing Huan out of the Blazing Wind Secret Realm and brought him to the Ancestral God Secret Realm, where he joined the Ancestral God Sect.
Qing Huan really was a Special Lifeform of exceptional talent. He hadn't been cultivating for long, yet he had already become a Universe Master, and he still seemed far from reaching his bottleneck.
"Qing Huan, I'm not joking. From now on, I'll be a lone Universe Supreme Being. I'll have to fight for my own opportunities. Unlike the Ancestral God Sect, I won't have the Primal Universe Origin protecting me and showering me with opportunities." Shi Yan frowned, his expression stern.
"Senior, didn't you tell me that to become a Universe Supreme Being, one must learn to leave the Primal Universe's protection and find one's own path? If that's the case, I don't need the opportunities offered by the Ancestral God Sect." Qing Huan looked carefree, but his tone was firm.
"..."
The kid had used Shi Yan's own words against him, and Shi Yan couldn't help laughing.
Qing Huan pressed his advantage, putting on a pitiful look. "Senior, I don't have a single Supreme Treasure left, and I've left the Ancestral God Sect. If you won't take me in, I might die in some godforsaken corner."
"All right, enough of that." Shi Yan couldn't help laughing as he scolded him. "You're a Special Lifeform and a Universe Master, no less. Who did you learn that from...? Fine. Since you're so set on becoming my disciple, you can follow me from now on."
Shi Yan paused, then added, "Don't worry. You'll have plenty of Supreme Treasures..." As long as you don't turn out to be as ungrateful as those three Ancestral Gods.
He left the rest unsaid.
But Qing Huan seemed to understand what Shi Yan meant. Overjoyed, he knelt in the void and bowed three times to Shi Yan. "I pay my respects to you, Teacher. Don't worry—I'm not like those three Ancestral Gods."
"You little..." Warmth filled Shi Yan's heart. Special Lifeforms didn't usually kneel to take a master; this was a Human Race custom.
Because Shi Yan had inherited the memories of the Visitor from Another World, he had paid close attention to the Human Race. Qing Huan must have noticed and deliberately learned their way of taking a master.
Though Qing Huan acted naive and playful in front of Shi Yan, and had even lost his reason when Shi Yan was in danger, he was still a Universe Master. He was no fool.
With everything settled, Shi Yan had unexpectedly gained a disciple, but his goal for the trip had been accomplished. He took Qing Huan back to the Hulan Secret Realm, where they waited for the Monster Race expedition a year later and reflected on the insights and gains he had accumulated during this time.
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