This was a vast, boundless world. Gods and demons were everywhere across its endless lands, living there just like human cultivators.
It was like a paradise beyond the world for gods and demons. Though they fought and killed one another, it was nothing like the Great Xia World, which was entirely a world of humans. There, gods and demons could only hide away in secret corners of the world and sleep.
At the center of the world stood five enormous mountains, each tens of thousands of miles high, like five pillars holding up this vast world.
But the five mountains were not all the same height. They rose and fell at different levels, resembling a giant hand standing upright in the center of the world.
Whoosh~~~
At the highest point of these towering mountains, a phantom suddenly appeared in the sky. It glanced down at the five mountains, then flew straight toward the second-highest one.
As for the first mountain, its master had not returned for countless ages. But even the faintest possibility that he might return meant that only its original master could dwell there.
Unless a new heir was born!
At the summit of the second mountain stood a vast cluster of palaces.
In one of the palaces, a god with blood-red hair and golden armor sat cross-legged, his eyes half-closed. A black spear lay horizontally before him.
The golden-armored god sat quietly. Just sitting there, he seemed to be the center of the entire space, impossible to ignore.
Suddenly, the golden-armored god opened his eyes.
"Hmm? What brings him here?" the golden-armored god murmured. "Could he have come because of Huang Niu? But since the Primordial War, several gods at the Celestial God level have left. Didn't they all swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao before being teleported out? This is a little strange."
As he spoke, the golden-armored god rose to his feet.
Whoosh~~~
Just then, a phantom appeared out of nowhere in the hall. It took the form of a great bear with yellow fur.
"Oh? Big Bear, you're usually cultivating in your cave abode. What brings you to see me today? Is it about Huang Niu?" the red-haired, golden-armored god asked with a smile.
"Huang Niu? That's not why I came." Yellow-Haired Great Bear shook his head. "Before the master left, he gave us instructions. We all know them. Over these countless ages, several Celestial Gods and True Immortals have left. If Huang Niu wants to go, let him. He's a powerful Celestial God, after all. He only followed the master back then; he never sold himself to the Star-Plucking Mansion."
"Mm." The red-haired, golden-armored god nodded. The God King had departed, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead. He had not returned since the Primordial Era. It was perfectly natural for some gods and demons to want to leave.
"If it's not about Celestial God Huang Niu, then why have you come today...?" the red-haired, golden-armored god asked curiously.
"I lost a bet with someone. Now it's time to fulfill my promise, so I've come to find you, Red Snow Celestial God." A hint of amusement showed in Yellow-Haired Great Bear's eyes.
"A bet? You?" Red Snow Celestial God was astonished. A Magic Treasure Spirit had lost a bet with someone and come all the way to him?
His curiosity piqued, Red Snow Celestial God looked at Yellow-Haired Great Bear and smiled. "Could it be Immortal Juhua, the one who failed his tribulation? He's lived for millions of years, and he's quite strong even among the Celestial Immortals. If he got lucky, it's not impossible that he could have beaten you."
"Juhua is indeed involved. You might not know this, but just a few years ago, Juhua found a fourth master for the cave abode. His name is Lei Zhan," Yellow-Haired Great Bear said.
"Lei Zhan?" Red Snow Celestial God's interest was piqued.
"Lei Zhan's talent far surpasses Juhua's. He's an extraordinary monster. Though he has only just reached the Rebirth from a Drop of Blood level, with the help of the Star Hall, he's already entered the Great Dao. He's also reached the Domain Realm of the Dao in a minor Dao. Most importantly, when he became the fourth master, he was only four years old!"
"Entered the Great Dao? Reached the Domain Realm of the Dao? At four years old? Which Great Dao did he enter?" Red Snow Celestial God seemed to have guessed the answer. He pressed on, "I heard that Juhua took on a disciple. That was five or six years ago, wasn't it? So now... he's exactly ten!"
A hint of anticipation appeared in Red Snow Celestial God's eyes. "Could it be that you came to find me for this Lei Zhan?"
"As expected of Red Snow Celestial God, whose name is renowned throughout the Ancient World. I haven't even finished speaking, and you've already guessed the key." Yellow-Haired Great Bear praised him. "Today, Lei Zhan went to the Star Hall again and comprehended two Dao Domain Realms. He's now passed the Divine Ability Hall and is receiving the divine ability inheritance the master left behind."
"Lei Zhan passed the Divine Ability Hall!" Red Snow Celestial God was overcome with excitement. "After countless ages, the God King's divine abilities finally have a true heir!"
The gods and demons under the Star-Plucking Mansion had waited for countless ages. Could the Star-Plucking Mansion's name soon resound throughout the Three Realms again? Was it possible that Lei Zhan was the one who would make it happen?
Thinking of this, Red Snow Celestial God said, "You came to find me because your bet had something to do with the Great Dao Lei Zhan entered? You didn't go to Snow Scorpion or Dove Snake. Could it be the Great Dao of the Spear? Or the Great Dao of Snow? The Great Dao of Time?"
These were the Great Daos Red Snow Celestial God excelled at most. His guesses were bound to be close.
"The Great Dao Lei Zhan entered was the Great Dao of the Spear!"
Yellow-Haired Great Bear nodded. "Juhua may be comparable to those Celestial Immortals, but he follows the way of the sword. I came to find you today because I want you to pass some spear techniques on to Lei Zhan. The fact that he entered the Great Dao of the Spear with a spear technique that simple shows just how gifted he is."
"As I thought."
Red Snow Celestial God considered it for a moment, then said, "I'll accept your wager. It'll be a chance to build some goodwill with this young fellow who received the God King's inheritance."
"However, though my spear technique originated in battle and slaughter, I've spent countless ages refining it. Giving the complete version to that young fellow might be difficult. Ordinary materials won't be able to preserve it in full."
"Give Lei Zhan the complete version?" Yellow-Haired Great Bear was taken aback. He had only hoped Red Snow Celestial God would pass on a few techniques. That alone would benefit Lei Zhan immeasurably, enough to serve him through the Void Return level.
After all, not all Celestial Gods were equal! Red Snow Celestial God had comprehended several Great Daos. Even among the Pure Yang True Immortals, few could match him in their understanding of the Dao.
"If I'm going to pass it on, I may as well pass on the most complete version." Red Snow Celestial God smiled. "Since Lei Zhan received the divine ability inheritance of the Star-Plucking Hand, he's already a nominal disciple of the God King. When he ventures into the world, he'll represent our Star-Plucking Mansion lineage. We can't be careless."
Yellow-Haired Great Bear nodded in agreement. "In that case... let's do it."
"Mm." Red Snow Celestial God seemed to think of something. Looking at Yellow-Haired Great Bear, he smiled. "I have a piece of hide that I've kept since the Primordial Era. I once killed a ferocious White-Faced Flood Dragon and skinned it. It should be enough to record my spear techniques."
"The White-Faced Flood Dragon? The one that wreaked havoc in Su River?" Yellow-Haired Great Bear asked curiously.
"That very serpent." Red Snow Celestial God nodded. "The God King took Su River away. Since I killed the White-Faced Flood Dragon, it became my spoils of war."
"So it really was that ferocious beast. Lei Zhan's sure getting a bargain," Yellow-Haired Great Bear said with a shake of his head and a smile.
The White-Faced Flood Dragon had been a Celestial God. Aside from its two pairs of sharp claws and its long tail, which could be refined into powerful magic treasures, its hide and scales were also rare treasures.
"It's only a small piece. It's nothing much." Red Snow Celestial God smiled warmly, not the least bit concerned. Then he began recording the spear technique he had created over a lifetime of effort.
Water Mansion, main hall.
"Senior Big Bear?" Lei Zhan said softly, looking at Yellow-Haired Great Bear, who seemed lost in thought.
"Hmm?" Yellow-Haired Great Bear turned to him and smiled. "Lei Zhan, come closer. I'll pass on this spear technique to you."
"Yes." Delight spread across Lei Zhan's face, and he went over to Yellow-Haired Great Bear.
Whoosh!
Yellow-Haired Great Bear waved his hand. A streak of light flew from the depths of the hall and appeared before Lei Zhan.
"This is..." Lei Zhan stared in shock. Floating in front of him was a square piece of black beast skin, a foot across. Black scales covered it, and the careless way the skin had been treated was plain to see.
Even so, the piece of hide was hardly larger than a palm, yet it radiated an aura so terrifying that Lei Zhan could not ignore it.
"Hmm? A piece of hide radiating the aura of a Celestial God or True Immortal?" Immortal Juhua stared in shock at the scaled beast hide in the distance. He could not conceal his astonishment.
Though Immortal Juhua had never seen a Celestial God with his own eyes, he had once caught a distant glimpse of Xia Emperor, the ruler of the Great Xia World. The aura Xia Emperor exuded was on the same level as that of the beast hide before him.
"The complete spear technique is recorded on this." Seeing Immortal Juhua's shocked expression, Yellow-Haired Great Bear felt a strange satisfaction. "And this black beast skin was nothing more than an insignificant trophy of the spear technique's creator."
"A trophy? And an insignificant one?" Immortal Juhua was even more astonished. For the past several million years, he had only been able to sense that the cave abode held a great secret.
Yet even after all that time, it had remained as elusive as flowers seen through a fog.
Now, thanks to his disciple, a corner of the cave abode's secret had finally been revealed.
Yellow-Haired Great Bear looked at the master and disciple before him and shook his head. "This Celestial God was one of the foremost among the Celestial Gods and True Immortals. His spear technique is exceedingly profound. Ordinary methods wouldn't be able to record it in full."
"Left with no choice, he used the hide of a Celestial God-level ferocious beast to record the entire spear technique. It's a real treasure. You're getting quite the bargain, young fellow."
Please keep reading! Please keep reading! Please keep reading!
It's still early in the story, and the Star-Plucking Mansion hasn't completely fallen apart yet. Red Snow's strength is nothing to joke about.
This also gives a little insight into the situation in the Star-Plucking Great World.
At least, by the time the protagonist takes over the Star-Plucking Mansion lineage, things won't be as they were when Ji Ning became Mansion Master. The enormous Star-Plucking Mansion had only seven Celestial Gods, one of whom had become a Celestial God only after passing his tribulation. They could just barely make up a Seven Luminaries Celestial God array.