With Liu Shen as his safeguard, Shi Yi had nothing to fear.
A mountain treasure, was it?
Bring it on!
To that end, Shi Yi altered his plans. Instead of heading east toward the rising sun—and Stone Country—after leaving Stone Village, he ventured deeper into the Great Wilderness.
The Great Wilderness, situated in the northern part of the Desolate Domain, was a vast expanse where pure-blooded creatures and archaic relics thrived. Here, humans were little more than prey. The east was claimed by Stone Country, the west by Fire Country, while the south was dominated by formidable beast forces like the Demonic Spirit Lake.
This was merely the Desolate Domain, one of the Lower Realm's Eight Domains: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow, Cosmos, Eternity, Primordial, and Desolate. The Desolate Domain, where Shi Yi resided, ranked last and was considered the least significant.
___
Deep in the Great Wilderness
In the heart of a towering mountain, a white pillar of light pierced the heavens. Within it floated a black sphere, etched with dense, enigmatic runes. This was the so-called mountain treasure—not the only one of its kind. Every few decades or centuries, strange treasures would inexplicably emerge from the depths of the Great Wilderness.
The reason was simple.
The Lower Realm's Eight Domains weren't merely a lower world. They were an extension of the Upper Realm's Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, yet distinct due to their unique nature. Forged by ancient powers using supreme methods, the Eight Domains were a microcosm modeled after the Upper Realm. They concealed countless secrets and opportunities—so much so that even Upper Realm deities would descend to seize them. Thus, the Eight Domains were no ordinary lower world.
In a typical lower world, a single blade of grass from the Upper Realm would be an unimaginable treasure. Yet, certain opportunities and prodigies in the Eight Domains could make even Upper Realm experts green with envy.
___
Seven million li from the mountain treasure, atop a mountain range, stood a boy and a woman. The boy appeared eleven or twelve, while the woman appearance in her thirties.
"Teacher, you followed me. What about Stone Village?" Shi Yi asked.
"Stone Village is protected by my formation. As long as they don't leave, my presence or absence makes no difference," Liu Shen replied.
"Does that mean I've whisked you away?" Shi Yi teased.
"I belong to no one. They worship me, and I shelter them. I am not Stone Village's possession," she said firmly.
"Do you belong to me, then?"
"Do not entertain reckless thoughts. I am only your teacher."
It was clear who they were: Liu Shen and Shi Yi, setting out to seize the mountain treasure deep in the Great Wilderness.
Under normal circumstances, Liu Shen wouldn't have accompanied him. She wanted Shi Yi to grow independently, capable of standing on his own. But Shi Yi, with his thick skin, had clung to her hand and pleaded relentlessly, ultimately coaxing her to leave Stone Village.
However, Liu Shen had set clear boundaries.
Unless Shi Yi faced certain death or the annihilation of his Dao, she would not intervene. She'd watch him take his beatings without lifting a finger.
Her reasoning was straightforward: Shi Yi shouldn't assume her presence meant he could run rampant in the Great Wilderness. At most, she'd be a bystander, studying and channeling the chaotic forces within his Tenth Heavenly Passage.
"Teacher, I understand," Shi Yi said, pouting.
Teacher, huh? Think that title will kill my feelings? Not a chance. Can't I dream of surpassing my master?
"Shi Yi, as long as you understand. You are my disciple. From today, you will not only cultivate the Original True Solution but also my secret technique. Henceforth, you must not slack in the slightest," Liu Shen declared.
She perched on Shi Yi's shoulder, one arm propped on his head, her delicate jade feet dangling near his chest. A faint fragrance emanated from her, subtle and alluring.
From a distance, Shi Yi looked like a mount—a human mount—with Liu Shen as his rider.
Fortunately, Liu Shen had cast a secret technique to conceal herself from others, ensuring no one could see or touch her. Shi Yi didn't have to worry about being mocked for carrying her like this.
"What secret technique?" Shi Yi asked.
At eleven, his body was well-developed—not towering, but sturdy and youthful. His shoulders, though not broad, were strong enough to bear Liu Shen's weight.
"This is my unique technique, nameless but defined by two words: Endless Vitality. If you must name it, you may call it the Liu Shen method," she explained.
With a gentle tap on Shi Yi's forehead, intricate and profound runic mysteries flooded his mind. She didn't impart the full Liu Shen Method—only the portion suitable for his current realm. The complete technique was far beyond his present capacity.
"Endless Vitality… With this technique, as long as I'm not instantly killed, dying will be nearly impossible!" Shi Yi marveled.
He paused, savoring the Liu Shen Method's essence surging through his mind, particularly the force of endless vitality. It felt as if death itself would be a challenge.
As a Double Pupil bearer—a natural sage with innate wisdom—Shi Yi learned techniques and methods with ease. Unlike others, who struggled with runes, he could replicate any technique he understood after a single glance. If he grasped its runes, he could mimic it passably.
Of course, such techniques lacked the power of mastery. Understanding and barely executing were worlds apart from true proficiency.
"Study this technique well. The mountain treasure won't be easy to claim. You may face relentless battles ahead," Liu Shen warned.
With that, she transformed into an imperceptible speck of light and vanished into the Tenth Heavenly Passage hidden within Shi Yi's forehead, resuming her study of its peculiarities.
Over the next few days, Liu Shen rarely appeared, only emerging occasionally to share meals or chat with Shi Yi. Most of her time was spent analyzing his extraordinary Tenth Passage.
Shi Yi trekked alone through the depths of the Great Wilderness, drawing closer to the treasure's location. He could sense a storm brewing there, a tempest of chaos and danger.
Unlike two years ago, when Liu Shen had thrown him into the wilderness to fight his way through beasts craving his flesh, he now faced no such threats. The crimson feather on his head—gifted by the little red bird—allowed him to roam unchallenged.
Thus, his journey was uneventful. Most beasts, sensing the feather's aura, retreated without a fight.
But this didn't mean the mountain treasure was his for the taking. Beneath the calm surface lurked a terror that even Shi Yi found daunting.
He wasn't ignorant of the little red bird's identity. It was the Zhu Que, one of the Great Wilderness's four disaster beasts. The entity behind the golden claw was undoubtedly Zhu Yan.
The four diaster beasts—Zhu Que (Vermillion Bird), Zhu Yan, Tun Tian Que (Sky-Swallowing Sparrow), and Qiongqi—were the true overlords of the Great Wilderness. While Zhu Que and Zhu Yan bore no hatred for humans, the Tun Tian Que and Qiongqi despised them, frequently attacking tribal clans.
Each assault by the waiting like predators. No one dared ignore these two terrors.
_
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