The Mystery of His Origins

The Blood-Moving Realm was the first true stage on the path of cultivation. Under ordinary circumstances, it was already impressive for a tribe of tens of thousands to produce even one person who reached it. The requirements were simply too harsh, and the path was difficult to walk.

At this stage, one had to rouse the essence and blood throughout the body until they surged like thunder, refine Bone Text, and kindle Divine Radiance within the blood. In this way, one could refine the blessings of heaven and earth and nourish the body.

Simply put, the Blood-Moving Realm was when blood and runes fused to give birth to Divine Radiance, which then nourished the body. One seized the blessings of heaven and earth to strengthen oneself and thereby achieve the purpose of cultivation.

Even the early stage of the Blood-Moving Realm possessed astonishing destructive power. It could easily subdue powerful men like Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao, who could wield five or six thousand jin of strength with a casual swing of their arms.

If one had to measure it in numbers, then the early stage of the Blood-Moving Realm required at least eight thousand jin of destructive power!

Little One had only entered the Blood-Moving Realm after merging runes into his flesh and transforming them into Divine Radiance, then drawing the essence of heaven and earth without end, like an eternal divine furnace.

Even fierce men like Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao could not be counted among those of this realm. It was simply too difficult; in a tribe of ten thousand, it was already impressive if one person crossed that threshold.

The middle stage of the Blood-Moving Realm possessed a full twenty thousand jin of destructive power, while the late stage was even more astonishing, capable of unleashing fifty thousand jin of divine strength and charging unhindered through a herd of giant beasts!

Even in tribes of tens of thousands, those who entered the Blood-Moving Realm might spend their whole lives unable to reach the late stage and unleash such astonishing power.

Little One was only six years old, yet he could lift a boulder weighing thirty thousand jin with his physical strength alone. Add the secret power of the runes in his flesh, and he was naturally even more astonishing. He already counted as being at the peak of the Blood-Moving Realm.

Shi Lin was no less impressive. At only nine, he already had sixty thousand jin of strength in his arms. After fusing it with the power of runes, his strength could reach seventy thousand jin.

The sun was nearing the horizon, and the evening clouds dyed the sky red. The lake looked even more beautiful. A flock of strange birds played in the water, when suddenly chaos broke out. All the giant birds beat their wings and cried out incessantly.

Among the aquatic plants, an egg as big as a human head rolled along at great speed, away from that area. A furry golden ball dragged it over.

The children stared, dumbfounded. The golden Zhu Yan had stolen an egg from a fierce bird. The several-meter-long Red-Feathered Cranes were blazing red all over and shrieked furiously.

"Furball, these eggs might taste delicious roasted, but they aren't nourishing medicine. Go steal a whole nest of Little Luan Bird eggs instead. Those are the real good stuff." Snotty Kid egged it on. He was little, but quite wicked.

"Squeak, squeak..." Furball cried, turning into a streak of golden light. With a whoosh, it vanished. It was incredibly fast.

Before long, a flock of Little Luan Birds among the aquatic plants by the lake cried out angrily, flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere as they vented their fury.

The fist-sized golden ball was remarkably efficient. In just a short while, it had made more than twenty trips, stealing eggs back and forth. If Shi Hao hadn't held it down, it would have kept going. "So delicious!" The children built a fire and roasted bird eggs by the lake, sharing the feast with Furball.

There weren't many eggs, but they were wonderfully fresh and made for a nourishing medicine. The children ate to their hearts' content, their bodies growing hot. The golden Furball wasn't greedy, either, and was happy to share.

But its big eyes kept rolling around. It was already scheming about which child's home to visit tonight. It couldn't have stolen all those eggs for them for nothing, could it?

Night fell, and the willow tree at the village entrance suddenly gave off a halo that enveloped all of Stone Village, just as it had in the Vast Mountain Range. It did this every night.

It was just that it had fallen into slumber for more than a year, and only then had the nightly glow ceased.

"Willow Deity has awakened!" the villagers cried.

At that moment, Zhu Yan's golden fur stood on end. Its eyes widened, and it stared tensely at the tender green shoot on the charred trunk.

Whoosh!

It suddenly sprang up and pounced on the willow tree, actually trying to bite the tender shoot. It had sensed the astonishingly abundant divine essence within, which contained the strongest vitality.

"Furball, don't!" Shi Hao cried.

The glowing green willow branch dropped down and looped around Furball, suspending it in midair. At a glance, one might have thought it had hanged itself. The sudden turn of events left its big eyes wide with alarm as it struggled with all its might.

Little One hurriedly explained, "Willow Deity, please don't hold it against Furball. Although it's a Primordial Remnant, the runes inside its body have shattered, and it might have forgotten its past, too."

A long time passed before the willow tree finally released it. Clearly, it took a keen interest in the golden Zhu Yan, but it said nothing more.

After escaping, Furball squealed and tumbled down, then leaped onto Shi Hao's shoulder and hid behind his hair. It blinked its big eyes as it watched the willow tree, not daring to move recklessly again.

Everyone from Stone Village came out. They were devout and performed their rites with care, expressing the respect in their hearts.

At last, the chief asked for guidance, hoping for an answer. He described Little One's cultivation progress and asked the willow tree what he should do next.

No one had expected the willow tree to respond. It sent out a thought: "In the ancient years, the mightiest of the ferocious beasts, such as True Hou and Golden-Winged Dapeng, could lift divine iron weighing a hundred thousand jin when they were young."

"Ah!"

Everyone cried out in shock. The words shook them to the core.

What sort of existence was Willow Deity? Surely it would not lie. Its words were far more reliable than the legends they had heard, and yet the news was still astonishing.

"That was the strength of their flesh alone. They had not used the supreme arts unique to their races," Willow Deity added.

Golden-Winged Dapeng, True Hou—these Heaven-Tier Primordial Ferocious Beasts surely possessed peerless arts beyond compare!

The villagers were stunned into silence.

"So don't rush to break through. Try to make your purely physical strength surpass the extreme threshold of a hundred thousand jin in the shortest time possible. It will benefit you greatly," the willow tree advised.

The villagers were all taken aback. Clearly, Willow Deity regarded Little One with special favor. It had said more for his sake than it had in all the past several decades combined.

"I'll work hard!" Little One blinked his big eyes and clenched his tiny fists. Then he asked timidly, "Willow Deity, can you help me see what's hidden in my subconscious? I want to know what happened back then."

He was nervous, afraid of uncovering a cruel truth, yet he desperately wanted to know the answer and make sense of what had happened in the past.

"Yes," the willow tree replied simply.

A hazy mist billowed from the charred trunk and spread outward, like chaos. The entire world seemed to fall silent, as though it had returned to the time before heaven and earth were formed. Everyone was startled. In the past, only a willow branch had glowed, but now even the broken trunk was changing, producing such a breathtaking scene. They retreated without meaning to.

"Squeak, squeak..."

The fist-sized Furball shot away with a sharp cry, nearly falling into the lake. Its eyes were wide as it watched from a distance.

The villagers also moved away, leaving only Little One at the entrance to the village. The mist slowly enveloped him, shrouding him until he was barely visible.

Little Shi Hao stood motionless, as if at the edge of the world, surrounded by an expanse of chaos. Scenes he had once witnessed but been too young to remember now reappeared before his eyes, drawn from the depths of his subconscious.

"Vast is the Way Above; mankind's beginning was thus. The Supreme Mandate was first established, and the eternal order spread throughout. The Five Virtues took turns in their cycles; the Mandate was received, the Talisman bestowed..."

A majestic voice resounded between heaven and earth, solemn and grave. The scene was like something from a myth.

A massive sacrificial altar towered into the clouds, exuding an ancient, timeworn aura, as though it had existed for billions of years. Various ancient images were carved into it: the sun, moon, stars, and rivers; primordial ferocious beasts; ancient people; and even deities. The sight struck awe into the heart.

The altar was magnificent and boundless, larger than mountains, with clouds swirling around it. The corpses of Primordial Remnants had been laid upon it, their blood flowing down over the carvings. There were also strange divine treasures and rare medicinal herbs... This was an entire nation offering sacrifices to heaven!

A golden sun radiated an overwhelming aura, so dazzling that one could barely keep their eyes open. Within it stood a terrifying figure whose light illuminated the entire sky. Like a Heavenly Emperor, he looked down upon heaven and earth, golden blood energy naturally radiating from him and creating this wondrous sight.

This was the Human Emperor of an ancient kingdom, who ruled over millions of li of mountains and rivers. Now, he was personally offering sacrifices to heaven, with utmost solemnity.

Behind him stood a group of powerful members of the imperial clan, each radiating a fearsome might. Their eyes flashed like lightning as they opened and closed. Behind them were the various feudal lords and countless ministers.

These people alone numbered tens of thousands. They had come from different fiefs, and each was a terrifying powerhouse who shook their own domain. The auras they gave off made heaven and earth tremble.

Farther behind them stretched endless ranks of troops. They truly seemed to have no end; no one knew how many there were. They filled the entire land, and even from atop the altar, one could not see where they ended.

A single feudal lord ruled over a population numbering in the hundreds of millions. None was an ordinary figure. With so many ministers and nobles gathered here, even if each brought only a small force to the sacrifice, their numbers would still be staggering.

The entire nation offering sacrifices to heaven—such a vast and imposing spectacle beggared imagination. It was like a scene from a myth!

On the other side, the families of several important figures had also come to take part in the grand ceremony, bathing in the sacred radiance that surged like an ocean. Among them, a young woman held a swaddled infant in her arms. The baby smiled happily, reaching out with his tiny hands. His big eyes looked much like Little Shi Hao's.

Beneath the willow tree, Little One froze, lost in thought.

The scene of the sacrifice vanished, and other sights appeared. A vast lake stretched out before him, its waters clear and blue, its beauty unparalleled. Spiritual energy was so dense it seemed almost liquid, making the place ideal for cultivation. Many rare birds and strange beasts roamed along its shores, including no shortage of Primordial Remnants.

Ordinary people would never dare approach such a sacred lake.

In the distance, tens of thousands of fierce cavalrymen sat astride powerful ferocious beasts. Their armor gleamed, and their divine spears pointed skyward, flashing with a cold metallic sheen. A murderous aura hung in the air. They stood motionless, keeping watch while the princes hunted farther ahead.

Terrifying remnants prowled the sacred lake's banks, and descendants of Divine Birds made their nests there. It was a forbidden zone beyond the reach of ordinary people; anyone who approached was sure to meet a violent end.

Yet hundreds of people were enjoying the scenery and hunting there, fearless. Their blood energy surged skyward, and their power made people tremble!

A flock of fierce birds with brightly colored, dazzling wings nested by the sacred lake. Disturbed by the visitors, they flew into a rage. Each was six or seven meters long, its feathers glowing as if wrapped in burning divine flames.

The king of the birds was especially enormous, measuring seventeen or eighteen meters in length. Five-colored divine light flowed over its body, and its dazzling wings seemed to be surrounded by divine radiance. It was so powerful that even the tens of thousands of iron cavalrymen in the distance felt their hearts quail.

It let out a long cry, and divine light shot into the heavens. The countless fierce cavalrymen recoiled in fright, its might shaking the sacred lake.

"Haha... What a fine Luan Bird! It's a powerful remnant, with the blood of a primordial Divine Bird flowing through its veins. A rare medicinal treasure indeed. Watch how I shoot it down!" an old man roared with laughter.

He took out a massive bow with a black bow stave and a string made from flood dragon sinew. It radiated a fierce killing aura. In an instant, he drew the bow and nocked an arrow, the bow bending into a full moon as he aimed at the sky.

Whoosh!

The arrow shot out like a flood dragon soaring into the heavens, roaring with wind and thunder. It radiated a blinding light and trailed endless divine splendor as it charged toward the Luan Bird.

Boom! A clap of thunder burst in the sky as the arrow collided with the descendant of the primordial Divine Bird. Endless rays of light erupted, transforming into a storm of energy.

The powerful Primordial Remnant let out an angry cry. Wounded, it no longer dared to fight and turned into a streak of five-colored divine light, fleeing into the clouds.

"Where do you think you're going?" The old man drew his bow again and loosed another divine arrow. It traced a terrifying path, its beam reaching the heavens as it plunged into the clouds. With a puff, blood sprayed through the air, and the Luan Bird fell to the ground.

"Fifteenth Master, I never imagined your archery had reached the divine. You brought down a powerful Luan Bird with just two arrows. Anyone else would have had to fight a great battle. With skills like yours, you'll surely shake the Imperial Capital once more," an elderly man praised.

The old man who had shot down the Primordial Remnant laughed heartily. Then he personally took a silver knife and cut open the body of the Divine Bird Descendant. He drained its most precious blood, filling more than half a bowl. Even that half-bowl contained most of the bird's essence.

He strode toward a young couple. The man was imposing, the woman beautiful, and she held a swaddled infant.

"Good grandson, come taste some divine bird blood. You'll surely surpass your grandfather and father one day." The old man took out a jade chopstick, dipped it into a few glistening drops of blood, and put them into the baby's mouth. "Father, Hao is still so little. Can he handle this?" the young couple tried to stop him.

"It's fine!" The old man waved a hand and insisted on feeding the infant several large drops of divine bird blood. The baby did not resist. He sucked eagerly, his eyes bright, and even smiled. Everyone watching was amazed.

"Our royal line is flourishing in this generation. Heroes are emerging one after another. This little one may not be much inferior to Yi. One day, he might suppress the Eight Wastelands and awe the various races," an even older man said.

At the mention of "Yi," everyone turned to look at a child, their faces filled with affection and concern. He was extraordinary indeed, born with Double Pupils—two pupils in each eye. It was an ancient sage's auspicious sign.

The child was about three years old and stood not far away, watching them. Though young, he was composed. Four pupils glimmered with divine light, and a faint air of authority surrounded him, quite at odds with his age.

In ancient times, those born with Double Pupils were sages and deities. The few who had appeared were all peerless figures who shook the world.

Shi Yi had been recognized as one born with Double Pupils the moment he was born, naturally causing a huge stir within the clan. Everyone had placed great hopes in him. In truth, he was truly extraordinary, a heaven-gifted genius who learned everything quickly and far surpassed his peers.

"Though ours is a royal line, we are kin to the emperor and carry imperial blood. By the rules, we can compete for the throne," an old man said.

Everyone looked at Shi Yi once more, their expectations for him immense!

"Ah...ya..." The swaddled infant made a little sound. His rosy face beamed at the others, his expression utterly adorable.

Everyone smiled. An old man said, "Of course, our little Hao is good and exceptional. One day, he can become his elder brother's right-hand man and surely rule as a prince."

"We have so many descendants. Won't a great many of them be enfeoffed in some bitter, barren land and made its princes?" someone joked.

They knew there were self-proclaimed princes in the remote Great Wilderness, not appointed by the ancient kingdom. The two were simply incomparable!

"Millions of people, and they dare call themselves princes? They lord it over a bitter, barren land, exploiting the poor with no one to restrain them. They appointed themselves and don't know the height of heaven. A true prince is a mighty ruler who governs a domain of more than a billion people. Even one of his household retainers could easily wipe out those tribes of tens of millions."

The scene changed again, and the beautiful lake blurred away in an instant.

The majestic Imperial Capital stood vast and magnificent, like a divine city fallen from the heavens. It sprawled across an immense area and teemed with countless people. Even its walls stretched on like mountain ranges, unbroken and imposing.

"Fifteenth Master shot down a Primordial Remnant—a Pixiu—on the Hundred Clans Battlefield. For some reason, the news shook the Eight Wastelands and sparked great turmoil!"

The news spread back, igniting heated discussion.

"There's reliable news now. It was only a young beast, but far stronger than ordinary Primordial Remnants. It seems an adult Pixiu with an exceptionally pure bloodline is about to enter the Hundred Clans Battlefield!"

The Imperial Capital was shaken.