Deep in the Great Wilderness, a Shaded Realm
"The aura of the Zhu Que's feather… She left, abandoning the mountain treasure, and sent a junior to compete for it?" a voice hissed.
"Could it be that this mountain treasure's value is mediocre? Maybe she deemed it unworthy of her personal effort," another speculated.
"That's likely. If the treasure were truly valuable, even if she gave up, that Zhu Yan wouldn't. It'd fight tooth and nail to claim it."
"What do we do now?"
"Let's observe. That junior won't find it easy to seize the treasure. The tribes and clans of the Great Wilderness have sent many, both openly and in secret."
"Honestly, these human slaves breed like roaches. We devoured tens of millions last time, yet decades later, they've multiplied again—and that's just one tribe."
This was a conversation between a ferocious bird and a beast: the Tun Tian Que and Qiongqi.
Once enemies, they were bound by the adage that there are no eternal foes, only eternal interests. The departure of the Vermilion Bird and Zhu Yan prompted an uneasy alliance. In the hierarchy of the Great Wilderness's four great beasts, the Zhu Que ranked first, Zhu Yan second, leaving the Sparrow and Qiongqi as third and fourth. The sudden exit of the top two, abandoning the treasure, unnerved them.
Thus, even with the treasure revealed, the Sparrow and Qiongqi opted to bide their time, wary of ambushes from their stronger rivals.
___
Great Wilderness, Edge Region
In a grand, colossal palace, a thunderous voice boomed, shaking the armored guards until they nearly collapsed.
"The mountain treasure has emerged, and the Purple Mountain Clan is on the move, sending their heirs. Lei Kun, take your younger brothers and go. If you encounter the Purple Mountain Clan's prodigies, beat them senseless!"
The voice, laced with terrifying power, reverberated like a storm from the heavens. Black lightning crackled around a blurred, majestic figure, transforming the palace into a sea of thunder.
"Yes!" a middle-aged man in red armor knelt, his expression reverent.
___
Far Away, Amidst Towering Mountains
Here, the peaks pierced the clouds, their summits cloaked in thick snow under frigid skies. At the heart of this range stood a giant city, perched atop a central mountain, overlooking the wilderness with an air of divine authority.
Yet, the city's population was sparse, with only its core inhabited, a stark contrast to its vastness. This was an ancient, reclusive clan with a fearsome legacy, rumored to have been ruled by Upper Realm deities in ancient times.
"The Golden Wolf Tribe, Luofu Great Marsh, Purple Mountain Clan, Flood Dragon Clan, Thunder Clan—one after another, they're mobilizing to investigate the mountain treasure in the Great Wilderness's depths. This time, the wilderness may descend into chaos," an elder mused, stroking his white beard as he gazed toward the treasure's location from the city walls.
"I don't understand. Those two supreme beings fought in the skies for two years, yet they left just before the treasure emerged," another elder remarked, joining him.
"It's a mystery to many. Unraveling the reason won't be simple," a third elder added, flying up to stand beside them.
"The Purple Mountain and Thunder Clan leaders, old rivals, will surely pit their heirs against each other. Why not take our Snow Clan's young prodigies along to broaden their horizons?" the first elder suggested.
No sooner had he spoken than several beautiful girls approached, stepping lightly over the snow. They were like delicate sprites, their eyes sparkling, their faces radiant, their dark hair dancing in the wind. Behind them trailed two younger boys.
"Grandpa, you can't play favorites! We all want to go!" the children protested, swarming the three elders.
"Go, go! See how strong those outside prodigies really are," one elder chuckled.
"Great-Grandpa, you're the best!" the children cheered, crowding around the first elder, who fondly patted their heads.
"As long as the four great beasts don't interfere, we old folks still have a shot at the treasure," he said.
"Don't rush. The Snow Clan isn't like the Golden Wolf Tribe with its vast resources. Our population's dwindled. Let's just observe," one of the later elders cautioned.
The two exchanged glances, sighing helplessly. They had no intention of vying for the treasure. Seizing it would be ideal, but failure would cripple the already weakened Snow Clan. Contests for treasures always claimed lives—opportunities were synonymous with danger, like plucking chestnuts from a fire.
Watching from the sidelines was one thing, but fighting for the treasure? Did they think the other tribes were pushovers, ready to hand it over? Beasts devoured humans swiftly, with minimal suffering. But humans harming humans? That was a fate worse than death.
With the treasure's emergence and the departure of the Vermilion Bird and Zhu Yan, while the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi lay low, numerous tribes grew eager to claim the newly surfaced prize. Known contenders included the Golden Wolf Tribe, Luofu Great Marsh, Purple Mountain Clan, Flood Dragon Clan, Thunder Clan, and Snow Clan—six major tribes dispatching experts and young prodigies to probe the treasure's secrets.
___
In the Great Wilderness
Days after leaving Stone Village, Shi Yi encountered several tribes. The Flood Dragon Clan was arrogant, the Purple Mountain Clan composed, the Golden Wolf Tribe brash, and the Snow Clan seemed like leisurely sightseers.
Aside from the Snow Clan, the tribes dismissed Shi Yi. Clad in beast hides and straw sandals, with nothing of value on him, he looked like a poor kid from some backwater village, unworthy of their attention.
Logically, Shi Yi's Heavenly Passage Realm cultivation—even as an ordinary cultivator, not a Tenth Passage prodigy—shouldn't have warranted such disdain. But his cautious nature held him back. He disliked drawing attention, preferring to operate in the shadows, and had concealed his true strength early on.
Blood Transformation Realm, single-arm strength of thirty-five thousand jin, hailing from an obscure village.
Now, under the alias Yun Potian, Shi Yi traveled with the Snow Clan's group.
"悠悠太上,民之厥初,皇极肇建,彝伦攸敷," an elder chanted softly.
"Elder, what does that mean?" Shi Yi asked, curious.
The elder glanced at him and said, "In the distant primordial era, at the dawn of humanity, the great central path was established, and eternal truths were laid across the Great Wilderness. Order and truth are woven into nature. All things possess spirit, and certain divinely favored intelligent races, like humans, most clearly embody the true meaning of the Dao."
Before he could continue, the Snow Clan's radiant girls pulled Shi Yi away.
"Brother Tian, don't go back. Join our Snow Clan!" they chirped, their voices bright with enthusiasm.
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