"Willow Deity, what did you say?"
When he went to meet up the following day,
the Willow Deity told him that Shi Hao had already left the night before.
He wanted to return to his homeland to search for traces of his parents.
So Shi Xiu could only go cultivate in the Void God Realm by himself.
But that was hardly surprising.
As time passed, news of the Rain Clan's annihilation gradually spread.
So the little brat wouldn't run into too much trouble.
If he wanted to go back, this was the perfect time.
That was why the little rascal hadn't even said goodbye.
He had simply asked the Willow Deity to pass along a message and left Stone Village overnight.
That little rascal-this really was his style!
Still, Shi Hao had suffered enough.
On the surface, he seemed like an optimist.
He laughed and joked all day long.
Yet he carried so much in his heart.
"Never mind him. Willow Deity, please have someone take me over!"
Shi Xiu didn't have so many grievances weighing on him.
When it was time to act, he acted.
He couldn't let such a great cultivation opportunity slip away.
After all, only his spirit would enter.
His physical body would be perfectly safe under the Willow Deity's protection.
This truly was an opportunity that came once in a thousand years!
And the insights he gained from cultivating in the Void God Realm would quickly integrate with his actual body.
Plenty of people wanted to enter but weren't even qualified!
"My power can only take you to the entrance. From there, you must walk the road yourself!"
It was a bizarre, kaleidoscopic world.
Along its outskirts lay a row of pitch-black stone paths.
A swirling green portal stood before him.
One step through it brought him into an entirely new world.
He didn't know whether it was a coincidence.
When Shi Xiu entered the Void God Realm, some gathering or festival seemed to be underway.
It was lively indeed!
He looked toward the spot where everyone had gathered.
A handsome young man seemed to be standing there.
He wore luxurious clothes.
Quite a few servants appeared to be accompanying him.
Which family's young master was this?
He stopped two passersby to ask.
They looked at Shi Xiu in disbelief.
"You don't even recognize Shi Yi? He's the young supreme!"
Shi Yi?
The bastard who had stolen Shi Hao's Supreme Bone?
The road truly was narrow when enemies met!
He had actually run into Shi Yi here.
Following the crowd, Shi Xiu moved closer.
It turned out that Shi Yi wanted to show off and break a Void God Realm record.
He intended to leap onto a volcano across from them.
Everyone was instantly dumbfounded.
They hadn't expected someone so young to possess such courage.
Leaping onto a volcano was no joke.
One careless mistake could destroy both body and soul.
Even here in the Void God Realm, an injury to the spirit body would injure the physical body as well.
At any rate, no one present dared to jump.
Among the crowd, Shi Xiu also spotted a face that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
Had he seen her somewhere before?
Yet something about it felt unreal.
He heard others say that the beautiful young woman was the War Goddess of the Deer-Chasing Academy.
Apparently, she intended to recruit Shi Yi.
"Shi Yi, if you truly succeed in this challenge, I'll invite you to our academy!"
The War Goddess seemed very confident in her own charm.
But Shi Yi didn't seem willing to spare her so much as a glance.
Beside him stood a bizarre-looking young man whose eyes kept roving over the War Goddess.
"Little lady, why not join our Demon Spirit Lake instead? Then you could see this fellow every day!"
Wonderful.
So that was the Golden Spider young master from Demon Spirit Lake!
Shi Yi certainly seemed popular!
But a young supreme?
What was there to be proud of about a stolen Supreme Bone?
Perhaps it was because he felt indignant on Shi Hao's behalf.
While everyone was busy discussing it,
Shi Xiu stepped straight forward.
"It's just a little volcanic crater! You call that breaking a record? What a joke!"
His tone was unmistakably provocative!
At those words, everyone turned to look.
The War Goddess's eyes lit up.
"It's you!"
Clearly, the War Goddess had used some method to keep her memories from being erased.
The Deer-Chasing Academy was rather interesting.
When Shi Yi, surrounded by admirers like a moon among the stars, heard that provocation,
his face immediately turned livid.
"Who are you? Do you know who I am?"
"My name is Shi Xiu. All I know is that you're a thief. You stole my brother's Supreme Bone!"
What?
This was the first time anyone had called Shi Yi a thief.
Although the boy was known as the young supreme,
many people knew that the origins of his Supreme Bone were questionable.
The Shi family had always avoided discussing the matter.
He hadn't expected someone to tear open that old wound today.
His gaze instantly sharpened.
But just as he was about to spring into action, his companion began to dissuade him.
"Don't stoop to this wild brat's level. We're here to break a record!"
"What record? Who can jump farther? I like the long jump too! Dare to compete with me?"
Looking at Shi Yi before him, Shi Xiu maintained his lofty, superior air.
It was as though the young supreme whom everyone revered meant nothing in his eyes.
But this really wasn't empty boasting.
Shi Xiu had dared to slay even the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow. Why would he fear this callow brat?
"Fine, let's compete. Just make sure you don't fall!"
After saying that,
Shi Yi let out a cold snort.
His entire body shot toward the distant volcano like a cannonball.
"Bravo!"
Seeing Shi Yi's agile form,
the people around them couldn't help cheering.
By contrast, Shi Xiu seemed completely motionless.
He simply stood where he was.
Had the boy only been talking big?
Did he lack any real ability?
At the sight, the War Goddess seemed about to step forward and remind him.
But before she could speak,
she suddenly felt the ground tremble.
The earth beneath everyone's feet rapidly cracked open.
So he had been gathering strength all along!
"Ha!"
With an explosive shout,
Shi Xiu shot out like a missile.
His speed and height let him overtake Shi Yi despite starting later.
Just as Shi Yi traced a parabola through the air and searched for a landing spot,
he suddenly felt a fierce gale whipping up behind him.
He couldn't help turning to look.
And there was Shi Xiu, soaring straight into the clouds.
He had jumped far higher than Shi Yi, and farther too.
The peak he was descending toward stood more than several hundred meters above Shi Yi's.
And he would land before Shi Yi did.
Smack!
Hearing the sound of Shi Xiu's feet striking solid ground,
Shi Yi's face alternated between livid and pale.
It was as though someone had slapped him across the face.
"Congratulations to Shi Xiu on breaking a Void God Realm record. This serves as certification!"
Before Shi Yi could recover,
a stone tablet appeared in the sky.
Shi Xiu was invited to inscribe his name on it.
Then his true name was announced throughout the Void God Realm.
That honor should originally have belonged to Shi Yi.
Grind, grind, grind!
At the sight before him,
Shi Yi ground his teeth in fury.
Yet there was nothing he could do.
With his current strength, even if he squeezed out every last ounce he possessed, he probably couldn't reach that height.
Weak. You're far too weak!
Looking at the gaze cast down from several hundred meters above,
Shi Yi felt as though he understood what the other boy meant.
"This is what you call a young supreme? What a joke! Hahaha!"
"You!"
Looking at the arrogant Shi Xiu before him,
Shi Yi was on the verge of flying into a rage.
But two old men appeared below, and one of them, known as Grandpa Finewall, offered a well-meaning reminder.
"Young fellows, don't get worked up. Private fights are forbidden in the Void God Realm!"
That did indeed seem to be a rule here.
Anyone who broke it would face a severe punishment.
And just then, it seemed someone else had come looking for Shi Yi.
"Brother Shi Yi! Brother Shi Yi! It's me, Yu Feng! I've finally found you!"
Yu Feng?
A fish from the Rain Clan that had slipped through the net!
Because he had joined the Heaven Mending Pavilion, he happened to be away on the day the Rain Clan was wiped out.
That stroke of luck had let him escape disaster.
He must have come to seek refuge with Shi Yi!
Before you continue