Emperor Suanni

"Boom!"

Suddenly, deep in the Great Wilderness, a vast sea of flames erupted, blazing fiercely. A bird's cry shook heaven and earth, splitting the sky!

The crimson flames burned so fiercely that even the sky seemed to collapse. A little red bird streaked across the heavens, its divine might astonishing!

With a rumble, a huge golden claw reached down through the dense clouds. It blotted out the sky and covered the earth as it swiped at the crimson bird, its power beyond compare.

"Whoosh!"

"Ah, it's that little red bird I saw before!" Little One cried in shock, his eyes widening. He had only just woken up, and already he was witnessing such a breathtaking sight.

"What on earth is happening? Could the battle from two years ago still be going on? Are the mightiest Primordial Remnants still guarding the Mountain Treasure and fighting over it?!" Shi Yunfeng was stunned too.

The Mountain Treasure is about to emerge! Shi Lin thought, his eyes shining brilliantly.

"Boom!"

The golden claw reached down again, its demonic might peerless. It scattered the crimson flames. It was almost impossible to imagine how enormous the creature's true form was—its golden claw alone hung above the clouds!

Deep in the mountains, a fierce battle erupted, like something out of a myth. Each time the enormous golden claw swept down, it shattered a mountain ridge. The little red bird was no less formidable, turning many peaks into lava. Crimson liquid erupted toward the heavens, forming red rivers that linked earth and sky—but that was only the aftershock. The true battle raged above the clouds!

The little red bird was only as long as a palm, its feathers bright red and glistening, yet it fought with unmatched ferocity. It plunged into the thick clouds to face off against that terrifying, unknown creature.

Everyone in Stone Village stared, dumbstruck, cold creeping down their spines. The tales said that some Primordial Remnants were so powerful they could blot out the sky with one hand and wipe out a super-clan with ease, like deities. Now it seemed those tales were true!

"Too bad we can't see it anymore..."

Lead-gray clouds hung heavy overhead, and some strange force blocked everything from view. No one could see through them or know what kind of battle was unfolding above the sky.

"So Little Red is that powerful." Little One propped his chin on his hand, blinking his big eyes as he spoke softly.

Half an hour later, the mountains fell quiet. But the fiery clouds did not disperse; they still swirled overhead, and the horizon remained crimson, as if stained with a layer of divine blood.

"These are troubled times. I wonder what kind of Mountain Treasure appeared to make them fight over it for two years. Could they still have no winner?" The clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, wondered.

"The Mountain Treasure must be unbelievably powerful!" Shi Linhu said.

The deepest part of the mountains was full of strange things. No one from Stone Village had ever ventured in, so they had no idea what kind of Mountain Treasure was taking shape there.

For the next half month, the deepest part of the mountains remained peaceful. No fierce battles broke out, and people nearly forgot that heart-stopping clash.

Stone Village.

Shi Lin and Little One, Shi Hao, sat facing the Suanni Treasure Bone.

They were curious about the Treasure Bone, but they couldn't understand the writing on it, so they could only study it in silence.

Shi Lin tried touching the Treasure Bone. The instant his fingers made contact, golden light suddenly burst from his body. At once, brilliant runes erupted from the Suanni Treasure Bone, filling the sky.

Blue runes shone with divine splendor, their radiance shooting into the heavens. They circled the Treasure Bone, sparkling without pause.

"This is..." Shi Lin remembered that the last time this golden light appeared, the Green-Scaled Eagle had successfully reverted to its ancestral form and become the Purple Emperor Immortal Eagle.

Is it evolving again? Could this golden light be so incredible that it can even make a Treasure Bone evolve? Wang Quan wondered.

"Wow! Those runes are so pretty!" Little One, Shi Hao, said in a childish voice.

Suddenly, a blue halo appeared on the surface of the Treasure Bone, which had originally been ivory-white. It spread from that point to cover the entire bone.

A fierce roar echoed across the mountains and rivers. The Suanni Treasure Bone had completed its evolution.

The Treasure Bone now looked like this: it was entirely blue, with the image of a Suanni at its center and the character "Emperor" above it.

"Wow! The Treasure Bone changed! It looks so pretty!" Shi Hao cried.

"The Treasure Bone evolved!" Shi Lin exclaimed in shock.

The golden light slowly faded, and everything returned to normal.

Shi Lin and Shi Hao fiddled with the Treasure Bone, examining the runes on it. They couldn't make heads or tails of them, and could only scratch their heads.

The clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, walked over.

"Grandpa Chief, what does this mean? I can't understand it." Little Shi Hao pointed at a rune on the Treasure Bone and asked.

"These runes are rather profound," Shi Lin said.

"I don't understand them either. What I know is limited," Shi Yunfeng said with a wry smile.

"But I can tell you what I do know!"

"Grandpa Chief, hurry up and tell us!"

"Awooo, Grandpa Chief's teaching again! Come listen, everyone!" a group of children howled.

The children gathered around the clan chief, Shi Yunfeng.

Ever since they'd seen Shi Lin and Little One learn to use Bone Text, all the children had been eager to learn. So whenever Shi Yunfeng gave a lesson, they would gather to listen.

"Bone Text is a mysterious system of runes. Humanity observed the original markings of other races, then imitated and developed them. It is only a method; ultimately, it must become your own power," Shi Yunfeng said.

"Grandpa Chief, explain it slowly," Little One urged. He was eager to learn, his eyes bright and clear.

Shi Yunfeng patted his head and said, "In the distant primordial age, humanity was still in its infancy. The foundations of the great principles had been laid, and the laws of eternity were already arrayed."

The old clan chief explained slowly, resolving their doubts from the very beginning and sharing everything he knew. His words stirred a longing deep in their hearts. This was like "planting the Dao."

"The laws of order and truth are laid out in nature. All things possess a spirit, and some intelligent races favored by the heavens are especially representative of this. The true meaning of the Dao takes tangible form in them."

"Grandpa Chief, are you talking about those primordial runes—the markings on the Treasure Bones of the Primordial Remnants?" Little One's eyes were bright and lively.

"You're very clever." The clan chief smiled and praised him.

"People in ancient times noticed this long ago. As they fought against the ferocious beasts of the wilderness, they gradually learned some of the laws of heaven and earth. By studying the remains of the mightiest creatures, they slowly comprehended a few simple divine abilities."

Bone Text gradually developed from there. Humanity borrowed the methods of other races to explore the order of heaven and earth, and at last rose step by step from weakness to prosperity.

"Unfortunately, true human Sovereigns are still pitifully few, while the Primordial Ferocious Beasts are far too powerful. Just one of them can wipe out several human super-clans with a casual sweep of its hand."

By comparison, humanity was still weak. Many other races stood high above them, as if they were gods!

In truth, people in ancient times had their own faith and often worshipped deities. What they were really doing was worshipping some supremely powerful creature.

"Grandpa Chief, tell us more," Little One urged, eager to learn more about the past and the ferocious beasts as powerful as deities.

"Even what I know is limited. I've only traveled eighty thousand li, which sounds impressive, but who knows how many stretches of eighty thousand li this region contains? A conservative estimate is that you'd have to travel at least several million li to reach its edge."

Shi Yunfeng spoke softly. The places he'd visited might have seemed vast, but compared with this enormous region, they were only a tiny corner. And that was nothing compared to the mysterious worlds beyond the edge of the land, or the other great regions, which were beyond comprehension.

"Reading a hundred thousand scrolls is no better than traveling a hundred thousand li. One day, if you grow strong enough, you should go out and see the world for yourself. Grandpa is old. I'll never have the chance—or the ability—to do that," Shi Yunfeng sighed.

"Grandpa, I know you have old injuries. One day, I'll find the legendary heavenly treasure medicine and heal you. Then I'll take you to see the world beyond," Little One said.

Shi Yunfeng felt a little bitter, but he was happy too. The wrinkles on his face relaxed as he smiled. "As long as you grow up safe and everything goes well, Grandpa will be at peace."

A breeze stirred the scorched, massive Willow Tree. A single crystalline tender branch swayed in the wind. Beneath the tree, a group of children sat around an old man, listening as he expounded on the Dao.

"Mastering Bone Text is like taking up a broad sword or picking up a bow and crossbow. But what happens when you put those weapons down? The foundation of cultivation is to strengthen yourselves."

Some of the children looked bewildered, while others seemed to understand, lost in thought.

"Bone Text is only a form, only a means. The right path is to truly turn it into your own power. Otherwise, it's all duckweed without roots. Only by strengthening yourselves can you stand firm."

"How do we do that?"

"Make Bone Text part of your body. Let your flesh and bones become one with heaven and earth, as if favored by the heavens, like those other races. Otherwise, imitation will remain imitation, and you'll never bring out its true power."

The clan chief explained that Bone Text was like the body and hair. It had to truly blend with you, like milk and water, and become part of your body before it could count as your own power.

"Clan Chief, teach us!"

"Don't rush. Take it slowly," Shi Yunfeng said.

In truth, using runes consumed one's vital essence. Drawing on a Precious Technique took a tremendous toll. Fighting continuously could injure the body and weaken one's blood and energy.

Strictly speaking, there was no harm in learning Bone Text if one failed. But if one succeeded and happened to be at a certain special stage, using it constantly could seriously harm the body.

After hearing the clan chief explain everything in detail, the children's faces all turned pale.

"Don't be afraid. Just be a little careful. As long as you don't risk your lives by constantly unleashing primordial Precious Techniques, you'll be fine. You haven't mastered the essence of Precious Techniques like Little One and Linzi have. And even if you lose some vital essence, you can replenish it."

This was true not only of the Bone Text used in Stone Village, but also of that practiced by the great clans beyond. If you wanted to achieve anything, you had to go through this in the beginning. Everyone had to endure it to get started.

Once you truly entered the path and reached a certain level of mastery, your cultivation method would change. The clan chief brought over several Bone Scriptures and taught Little One and Shi Lin the remaining runes.

In the days that followed, the clan chief taught every day, instructing the children according to their individual needs.

Shi Lin and Shi Hao practiced the runes on the Suanni Treasure Bone every day, growing stronger with each passing day.

"Let the runes seep into your bodies, becoming radiance, becoming Divine Radiance. Let each rune become an eternal divine furnace, rooted in every inch of your flesh, tempering the essence of creation and drawing divine essence into your body. This will completely transform your flesh and spirit." This was the path they would take from here on.

In just a few days, the two of them had made remarkable progress.

When Shi Lin unleashed a Precious Technique again, every inch of his flesh glowed, runes flickering into view. They were like furnaces that endlessly supplied his vitality, leaving him refreshed and invigorated from head to toe.

With that, his mastery of the Emperor Suanni Precious Technique grew more fluent, and his progress accelerated day by day.