"In the distant, exalted beginning, when the people first arose. The imperial order was founded, the enduring bonds set forth. The five virtues turned in succession, receiving the registers and sacred seals..."
A mighty voice resounded throughout heaven and earth, solemn and majestic.
An enormous altar towered into the clouds, exuding an ancient, weathered air. No one knew how long it had existed. All manner of ancient images were carved upon it: the sun, moon, and rivers of stars, primordial beasts, ancient ancestors, and gods, all striking awe into the heart.
The altar was magnificent and boundlessly vast, surpassing mountains, wreathed in clouds. The corpses of primordial remnants lay upon it, their blood dripping down and flowing into the carved images.
There were also all manner of wondrous divine treasures and rare medicinal herbs...
This was an entire nation offering sacrifice to heaven!
In the Desolate Region, several great Ancient Kingdoms held nationwide sacrifices to heaven every year. Even when the ancient gods some kingdoms worshipped had long since perished, their sacrifices continued without cease.
This was chiefly to inherit what the gods had left behind, such as the right to enter the Void God Realm.
This was not Shi Zhao's first visit. Over the past two years, she had tagged along with Shi Yi to mooch food and drink.
After all, heaven would not really take away the corpses of those Ancient Species placed on the altar. In the end, the Human Emperor would usually distribute them as rewards, and the feast would begin right there.
Of course, aside from imperial relatives, nobles, lords, and ministers, only the families of certain important figures could attend this grand ceremony.
This year, she had a Little One in her arms. Watching the sacred radiance scatter like a vast ocean of light, the little fellow in his swaddling clothes laughed happily, reaching out his tiny hands again and again to catch the falling rain of light.
Standing behind them, Shi Ziling even felt a little jealous. Why had his son never looked so delighted when he held him?
"Hao'er really likes his big sister," Qin Yining said with a soft laugh.
Not far away, Shi Yi glanced over from time to time, his double pupils deep and unfathomable. His little face was cold and taut, warning strangers to keep their distance.
"Yi, you're not so little anymore. From now on, you must focus on cultivation."
Noticing his distracted behavior, Shi Yi's mother said expressionlessly, her tone indifferent, "I know you and Xiaozhao have been close since childhood, but her aptitude is mediocre, while you are a born sage. There is no limit to what you can achieve. You cannot keep wasting your time playing and humoring her."
Shi Yi came back to himself, the corner of his mouth twitching at her words.
The slap she had given him before remained vivid in his memory. He had used both a Precious Technique and the secret arts of his double pupils, yet she had sent him flying with her bare hand. That counted as mediocre aptitude?
He felt that his mother had changed somewhat. She always wanted to keep him under her watch, showing no interest whatsoever in anything outside cultivation. This stirred an unfamiliar feeling within him.
"How could a dragon walk alongside a snake? Yi, you are destined to sweep across the world and subdue the Eight Desolations! When that time comes, simply grant her a few benefits. That will honor your childhood friendship."
Beside the mother and son, an old man stroked his beard and nodded upon hearing this, deeply approving.
He was Shi Yi's great-grandfather, Shi Yuan, ranked fifth among his generation.
Shi Yi remained silent and clenched his fists. He could not help wondering why his mother and great-grandfather were like this, then recalled what that self-appointed big sister had told him.
Double pupils are a path to invincibility. A true powerhouse should have convictions and principles of his own... That's right. My path is mine to decide! Divine light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and a faint air of composure and majesty emerged around him, drawing attention.
"Good! This is a transformation of your state of mind. It seems you've understood, Yi. Truly worthy of being the qilin child of our Martial King Manor!" Shi Yuan said with a smile, filled with satisfaction.
Shi Yi merely nodded, saying nothing.
After the ceremony ended, many people stayed, and several princes and lords arranged to go hunting together.
Tens of thousands of fierce cavalrymen cleared the way, heading straight for a spiritual lake in the Great Wilderness.
The scenery here was pristine and beautiful, with abundant spiritual energy, making it highly suited to cultivation. Many rare birds and exotic beasts frequented its shores, including no small number of primordial remnants.
Ordinary people could not approach this place at all, yet now several hundred people were admiring its scenery.
The Fifteenth Master, delighted at the prospect of a hunt, immediately took out an enormous bow and shot toward the heavens.
"Whoosh-whoosh!!"
The arrows soared skyward like flood dragons, trailing the howl of wind and the rumble of thunder. With just two shots, he killed a powerful Ancient Species whose veins carried the blood of a primordial divine bird.
"Fifteenth Master, your archery truly borders on the divine!" Shi Zhao cheered in a clear voice from the side, holding Little One. Her main contribution was making everyone feel good.
It was not really flattery. After all, he was a powerhouse on par with princes and lords, while she was still muddling around in the blood moving realm. To her, archery like that really did border on the divine.
The Fifteenth Master burst into laughter, praising her way with words. Then he personally extracted the most precious blood from the Ancient Species's body. A little over half a bowl contained most of the essence of its entire body.
Then he took out a jade chopstick, dipped it into a few crystalline drops of blood, and placed it in Little One's mouth, looking just like an old man teasing his grandson with a taste of liquor.
Shi Ziling and his wife were startled, but the little fellow did not resist at all. After being fed several large drops of divine bird blood, his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he laughed happily.
"My little brother Shi Hao has the makings of a supreme being!" Shi Zhao declared with a grin.
Actually, she had wanted to proclaim that her little brother had the makings of a Celestial Emperor, but since nobody would understand, she had to settle for second best, inflicting a brutal downgrade on the little baby.
"Indeed, Hao'er will surely become a young supreme being someday." A loving, concerned smile appeared on the Fifteenth Master's face. He had great hopes for his grandson.
"Ee-ya~~" The little fellow in his swaddling clothes babbled, his little face rosy as he laughed, utterly endearing.
Not far away, Shi Yi narrowed his eyes slightly and turned toward the lake.
He felt nothing in particular toward that little fellow. It was just that hearing Shi Zhao praise him left him inexplicably annoyed.
"I bet you're thinking, 'What happened to double pupils being a path to invincibility? Why is there suddenly someone with the makings of a supreme being? I was here first,' right?"
Shi Zhao suddenly popped up and lightly nudged the four-eyed youngster with her right elbow.
She knew this awkward child all too well. The moment she noticed the gloomy atmosphere nearby, she had stuffed Little One back into his parents' arms and slipped over.
"..." Shi Yi fell silent for a moment, then said evenly, "Mother said I should spend less time with you from now on. You're a bad influence."
"That's all?" Unbothered, Shi Zhao nudged him again, her other hand holding a jade bowl steady. It contained a little over half a bowl of precious blood.
"Here, one sip each. No drinking extra."
Shi Yi snatched it away and gulped down most of it, then broke into a smile.
Looking at the thin layer of blood left at the bottom, Shi Zhao felt like crying but had no tears. She turned away in feigned anger, only to catch Shi Yi's mother looking at her from the corner of her eye. The warmth in her gaze abruptly vanished.
Some people were mediocre and incapable themselves, yet claimed their children's successes as their own achievements. On top of that, they liked to assume they knew best. Their intentions might be good, but the results often ran counter to their wishes.
Shi Yi's mother was precisely such a person.
Even as she showered her child with love, her outlook was narrow, her eyes fixed on gain. Had Shi Zhao not intervened, Shi Yi would inevitably have been influenced by her, becoming ruthless, arrogant, selfish, and obsessive.
Not long afterward, the Fifteenth Master left the imperial capital for the southern frontier.
In truth, he had often traveled away from home over the years to hunt fierce beasts and gather spiritual herbs, never letting Shi Zhao go short of cultivation resources. Now he would be busy laying a solid foundation for his young grandson as well.
For that purpose, he was even willing to put himself in danger and enter the Hundred Clans Battlefield.
That was a place where mighty figures fought for supremacy. Once inside, the strong survived and the weak perished; life and death were left to fate, with no one else to blame. But danger also meant enormous rewards.
On the battlefield, he shot and killed a young pixiu of nearly pure blood. As a result, an old one sprang out of a primordial divine mountain and, disregarding the rules, pursued him relentlessly, cutting off his escape to kill him.
The Fifteenth Master suffered grievous wounds and even lost an arm. In the end, he used a divine formation to cross the void and escape, but whether he lived or died remained unknown, and his whereabouts were lost.
Before you continue