Shi Yi's death

News that Shi Yi, the Double Pupils holder, would battle a prodigy from the Stone Kingdom Ancestral Land spread like wildfire.

The Double Pupils holder was already renowned, and earlier revelations had disclosed that he also possessed a Supreme Bone. His flesh had been nourished by Supreme Bone blood and golden body liquid, making up for the physical weakness of his double pupils. This all but meant he was invincible.

He had suffered a setback against Wu Gensheng in the Void God Realm, but that battle had been a chaotic melee. People on Wu Gensheng's side had taken turns intervening and disrupting the fight, leaving Shi Yi one move short. His reputation had not suffered much.

Many were curious about Wu Gensheng's true combat strength, but no one had seen him make a move.

Recently, however, news had emerged from the Primordial Sacred Mountain that Wu Gensheng's methods excelled at invasion by external demons. Anyone who fought him would be afflicted with all manner of negative conditions, growing weaker the longer they fought, until they might even lose the ability to resist.

Shi Yi's Supreme Bone being countered because it came from outside was a warning example. Perhaps that was one reason he had sought the Heaven-Mending Art.

Everyone had been hoping Wu Gensheng and Shi Yi would face each other head-on to determine who was stronger, but it had yet to happen.

What followed was even more astonishing: the Stone Kingdom Ancestral Land would send two people to fight Shi Yi!

One was Shi Hao, who had lost his Supreme Bone.

The other was even more shocking. According to rumors, she seemed to have been one of the children of the Martial King Manor's servants. Her talent had drawn attention, and the manor had been about to devote considerable effort to nurturing her, only for Wu Gensheng to recruit her several years ago. Previously, in the Void God Realm, she had blocked one of Shi Yi's blows head-on and even driven him back with an all-out strike when he was caught off guard.

Still, everyone favored Shi Yi. Shi Hao had already lost his Supreme Bone, and the girl had only managed such a strike by burning her blood essence. She was plainly no match for Shi Yi.

In the crowd, Granny Xihua of the Heaven Mending Sect walked up to Yue Chan and reported quietly, "Miss, we still haven't been able to locate that legendary Stone Kingdom Ancestral Land."

"That stands to reason. There is something unusual about that place. It may contain a True God or even a Heavenly God. Our people in the lower realm are far too weak. It is perfectly normal that they cannot uncover it," Yue Chan said coolly, wearing a moon-white dress and a veil over her face.

"To think the lower realm's sin blood could produce such figures. Unfortunately, it means nothing. When the great calamity comes, that ancestral land will instead draw disaster upon itself because of them and be reduced to ash." Granny Xihua sneered. "Shi Yi said they do not care about the great calamity. Frogs at the bottom of a well indeed, swollen with pride after gaining a little strength. Now they intend to challenge Shi Yi with two geniuses whose aptitudes hardly count as exceptional. How laughable."

"That place does not seem so arrogant. Perhaps they have something to rely on." Yue Chan shook her head.

Granny Xihua disagreed. "Miss, you are too cautious. It is merely a lower realm prison. Whatever it does, can it overturn the heavens beneath the hands of the Upper Realm's sect masters? Its death is already ordained!"

Yue Chan sighed and was about to speak when her expression suddenly changed drastically. Two figures collided in the arena, their divine power shaking the void and actually cracking the dueling platform! The girl's divine power far exceeded everyone's expectations. She had matched Shi Yi through sheer strength, and as her blood and qi burned, she grew fiercer with every exchange, gradually gaining the upper hand.

Worried that Aman might suffer an accident, Shi Hao had taken advantage of his abundant regenerating supreme blood to give Aman a considerable amount of it to refine, advancing his cultivation and potential. From the looks of it now, this enhancement, which suited his path, had produced outstanding results.

Shi Yi was driven back and had no choice but to unleash his double pupils, using precious techniques to suppress his opponent, but to no avail. Aman unleashed the divine ability of the Six Treasury Immortal Thief, repeatedly dissolving through the Divine Armor Shi Yi summoned and leaving wounds on his body. The Blood God Transformation mimicked bloodlines, becoming a phoenix one moment and Kun Peng the next. Empowered by those bloodlines, basic bone text turned decay into wonder, withstanding Shi Yi's onslaught of precious techniques head-on.

The longer Shi Yi fought, the more alarmed he became. This was far beyond anything he had anticipated. His opponent seemed like a true Innate Supreme, far stronger than during their previous clash in the Void God Realm. Through his double pupils, he saw a full 365 small cave heavens surrounding his opponent, each holding a hazy deity, all guarding a primordial spirit cave heaven like a perfectly full moon. Sacrificial chants rang endlessly as the gods bowed in worship, bestowing their own traits and strengths upon the Heavenly Emperor.

"Thief!" Combining the Reincarnation Heavenly Art with the Grass Character Sword Art, the Azure Phoenix True Feather Sword cleaved through the world-opening light. The double pupils faltered in the clash of world-opening profound meaning, losing to the ten fiends profound meaning. A sword split Shi Yi's body open, sending blood flying everywhere and nearly blasting him apart in midair.

"Yi'er-" The Fifth Grandfather's faction of the Martial King Manor cried out in disbelief, but before they could say anything more, Shi Yi's flesh flowed backward, restoring him to his original state as though time itself had reversed.

"The Heaven-Mending Art!" the crowd exclaimed.

"A thief? On the path of cultivation, you either advance or fall behind. Innate constitution and aptitude are everything! Without a powerful inborn advantage, without a physique far beyond others, rising to greatness and displaying brilliance are all empty talk! If you hadn't received vast resources and nurturing in the Ancestral Land, improved your constitution, and obtained powerful methods, could you have achieved what you have today? You would be no more than a speck of dust, watching the prodigies soar into the sky!" Shi Yi roared in rebuttal.

"You're right, but are your constitution and aptitude poor? Without that one bone, could you not rise? 'Double pupils are already a path to invincibility; why borrow another's bone?' Those were your own words." Aman panted, calming his boiling blood and qi. Phoenix fire healed the wounds the World-Opening Divine Light had cut into him. He did not continue fighting, but turned and left without another glance at Shi Yi.

Shi Hao stepped forward immediately afterward. Looking at Shi Yi's face as it alternated between ashen and red, he loosened his limbs and said, "Four-eyes, it's the person who's strong, not some inborn bloodline. An innate advantage will always reach its limit someday. Only by constantly surpassing your limits can you walk the true path. A bloodline's power can only determine your lower bound. Those who seek the Dao strive for the upper bound. Surely you understand that?"

The dueling platform's healing light restored Shi Yi to his peak, yet Chen Yao's earlier mockery flashed through his mind: Mother's death has become a sunk cost. If I cannot prove I was right, then Mother died for nothing.

Bloodlines cannot decide everything. In the end, the double pupils must be dissolved away. What matters most is using them to see your own path, not letting them define your achievements. The Ancient Double Pupils Holder's words still echoed in his ears.

Shi Yi stared at Shi Hao in silence.

"The chance to witness a Supreme Bone evolve from nothing lay right before you. The opportunity to learn its precious technique only required a little effort using your double pupils and your ties of blood and kinship. Yet you played a splendid hand into utter ruin. So what if you took the Supreme Bone? That bone wasn't yours. It will never suit you. Beyond giving you a Supreme Art and the nourishment of supreme blood, it means nothing. Instead, as time passes, it will gradually become a shackle binding your path, preventing you from seeing your own Dao." Chen Yao's voice came from outside the dueling platform, drawing Shi Yi's attention. He saw Wu Gensheng sitting lazily on the railing.

"You ended up like this because your obsession blinded your double pupils, keeping you from looking toward the great Dao of heaven and earth. Pitiful. Tragic. After all these years, Shi Yi, ask yourself: setting aside your childishness back then, wasn't there a better way to handle it? One that didn't involve following your mother's example." Chen Yao spoke these words before everyone, but Shi Yi seemed unable to hear any of them and lunged at Shi Hao.

Divine radiance took form, transcending the extreme realm. Divine ability: Divine Radiance Divine Form.

With his Supreme Bone revived to a degree far beyond that in the original story, Shi Hao drove Shi Yi back by brute force through exchange after exchange. Shi Yi was outmatched in flesh, precious techniques, and divine abilities alike. Wounds accumulated across his body, then rapidly healed. Yet he said nothing, forming battle armor and the World-Opening War Halberd. Yin and yang returned to one as he swung a small world down in a devastating strike.

But Shi Hao compressed his cave heaven and unleashed Cycle of Life and Death, sweeping through him like dry stalks and rotten wood, tearing Shi Yi apart outright. Shi Yi forcibly turned back time with the Heaven-Mending Art to start again, only to meet Shi Hao compressing his cave heaven into his chest and abdomen. Five Qi Returning to the Origin blasted him apart and sent him flying once more.

The Heaven-Mending Art saved Shi Yi again. He did not attack further, but silently looked at Shi Hao's unique cave heaven and the divine radiance taking form upon his body. He gave a bitter laugh. "Heh. I've clung to this for half my life. So what if I was wrong? I refuse to accept it!"

Heavenly Tribulation Light burst from his Supreme Bone, but Shi Hao compressed his cave heaven again, merging it into the primordial spirit in his forehead. The Heavenly Emperor opened his eyes and struck downward from the Heavenly Court with a turn of his palm. It was a divine ability that resembled Heavenly Tribulation Light yet was not the same, and it was no weaker. It pushed straight back against Shi Yi's Heavenly Tribulation Light, pierced his chest, and sent him flying again.

"I was wrong, I was wrong! But I can't turn back! I truly can't see the path! Mother, I was wrong! I should never have done it!" Wu Gensheng's earlier words were like a nightmare, exposing his inner demon. At this moment, they triggered a chain reaction that shattered Shi Yi's Dao heart.

"I can't see it anymore, so I won't look. You go and see it for me. I give everything to you."

Shi Yi threw back his head and laughed, bloody tears streaming down his face. He actually gouged out his double pupils and tossed them into the sky, then took out the Soul-Destroying Tower himself and slammed it down upon the crown of his head. His form in the Void God Realm dissolved into pus and blood, scattering into the void. His soul was annihilated!

The pair of double pupils fell lifelessly from the sky, then exploded with a boom, leaving no trace.

Shi Yi, the Double Pupils holder, had shattered his Dao heart and taken his own life in the Void God Realm with the Soul-Destroying Tower. His soul was annihilated.