Indeed, the adult Pixiu feared the Vermilion Bird, Zhu Yan, Qiong Qi, and the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow—but that didn't mean it feared Shi Yi, a mere youth barely grown. It simply wished to avoid unnecessary trouble.
It is well known that the four great disaster beasts of the Great Wilderness hadn't earned their reputation through boasts but through slaughter.
The crimson feather bestowed upon Shi Yi by the Zhu Que was a clear signal to all: Shi Yi was under its protection. To move against him was to weigh whether one could afford to provoke the Vermilion Bird.
"If you want me to back down, you're welcome to try!" Shi Yi declared, unflinching.
Though cautious by nature and averse to danger, with Liu Shen residing within his ten Heavenly Passages, he wouldn't retreat even if the King of Heaven himself stood before him.
"Youth—no, Envoy of the Vermilion Bird, you're being far too overbearing," the Pixiu said, its tone tinged with unease.
Shi Yi's unyielding stance made the Pixiu's heart waver. It feared not only the Vermilion Bird but the possibility of an even stronger protector lurking in the shadows. In a one-on-one fight, it was no match for the Vermilion Bird—it would be roasted in moments. And a supreme youth with ten Heavenly Passages like Shi Yi? There was no way he lacked a guardian.
"The Mountain Treasure was born before heaven and earth. It is destined to be mine," Shi Yi proclaimed.
Behind him, his ten Heavenly Passages blazed like ten scorching suns, radiating boundless light and heat. They carried him slowly toward the Mountain Treasure's location.
"Wait!"
The Pixiu instantly blocked Shi Yi's path, its massive pupils locking onto him with intensity.
"If you want to fight, then fight," Shi Yi said coolly.
He pushed his ten Heavenly Passages to their limit, drawing in the heaven-and-earth energy within a hundred li. The energy swirled into a massive vortex, like a funnel in the sky.
Such divine might surpassed the Spirit Transformation Realm and carried a trace of the Formation Arrangement Realm's aura.
Blood Transformation, Heavenly Passage, Spirit Transformation, Engravement, Formation Arrangement, Venerable—these were the six mortal realms. The Venerable Realm marked the pinnacle of mortal cultivation, earning the title of Human Emperor.
Yet Shi Yi, still in the Heavenly Passage Realm, rivaled the Formation Arrangement Realm—an feat unattainable even for other supreme youths with ten Heavenly Passages.
The ten Heavenly Passages Shi Yi had forged, tempered by the thirteen Daoist scriptures, were not comparable to those gambled with life and blood.
It sounded strange—why would Heavenly Passages forged through life-or-death struggles pale in comparison to those shaped by Shi Yi's resonance with the Dao's voice?
But that was reality. Sometimes, risking everything didn't yield the best results.
In simple terms, it was the difference between brute force and intellect, between toiling blindly and studying wisely.
Faced with Shi Yi's brazen dominance, the Pixiu fell silent for a long moment before sighing. "If my son hadn't been hunted by humans, he'd be about your age. He might not have opened ten Heavenly Passages like you, but he would've been a prodigy."
Yes, its only son was dead. It had avenged him, slaying the culprit—but so what?
The dead could never return.
It still remembered that day, watching its only child disemboweled, his heart's blood—his true blood—harvested. The agony that tore through it, as a father, was unbearable.
"What does that have to do with me?" Shi Yi asked, genuinely perplexed.
Beasts killed humans, humans killed beasts. Humans ate beasts, beasts ate humans. It was all part of the natural cycle of heaven and earth—nothing more to say.
"It has nothing to do with you, of course. But if you're willing to become my adopted son, I'd gladly let my child have the Mountain Treasure," the Pixiu revealed, its voice earnest.
The loss of its beloved son had left it in daily torment. Seeing Shi Yi's extraordinary talent and potential, its first instinct was to take him as an adopted son.
"What?"
Shi Yi could hardly believe his ears. The faint ache in his heart grew complex, tinged with the absurd feeling of acknowledging a thief as a father.
"I'm serious. Think it over. The Mountain Treasure, the complete Pixiu Precious Technique—you could have it all," the Pixiu said sincerely.
As the Pixiu tried to persuade Shi Yi with the promise of the Mountain Treasure and its precious technique, far beyond the Lower Realm's Eight Domains, above the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, a startling scene unfolded.
Above the endless river of time, a blood-drenched hand emerged.
"So familiar… Shi Yi, I've finally found you."
The bloody hand was immense, blotting out the sky, nearly encompassing the entire river of time. It seemed intent on seizing Shi Yi's past and present, erasing every trace of his existence.
This shocking sight naturally alarmed the enlightened beings residing above the river of time. But before they could react to the bloody giant hand, a faint, indistinct murmur of Daoist chants echoed.
"The Dao that can be named is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name."
"The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things."
"Thus, in constant non-desire, one observes its mystery; in constant desire, one observes its manifestations."
"These two emerge together but differ in name. Together, they are called the profound. Profound upon profound—the gate of all wonders."
As the final, indistinct phrase—the gate of all wonders—resounded, a mystical portal materialized above the river of time, directly blocking the bloody hand's path.
Upon closer inspection, the portal bore numerous bloody handprints, as if it had withstood countless assaults.
Shi Yi, of course, was unaware of the bloody hand seeking to erase him or the mystical portal silently protecting him from annihilation.
Only Liu Shen sensed, in some intangible way, that someone sought to obliterate Shi Yi from the very source of time. This puzzled her. Why would someone incur such immense karmic debt to erase Shi Yi, whose Dao heart seemed so unsteady?
Over the years, Liu Shen had come to understand Shi Yi's character well. He was cautious, always thinking thrice before acting—a supremely prudent individual. If she hadn't urged him to pursue the Mountain Treasure's opportunity and assured his safety, his cautious nature would've kept him far from such a contest.
Could it be… his so-called unsteady Dao heart is a deliberate facade?
No, that doesn't seem right.
Given the chance, he'd probably dare to commit some outrageous act.
Liu Shen's inner musings were beyond Shi Yi's knowledge.
Facing the adult Pixiu, he spoke with unwavering resolve. "I'm sorry for what happened to your son, but I will never become your adopted son."
No sooner had he spoken than the Pixiu's aura surged, a towering wave of killing intent crashing down. "You humans have a saying: 'Refuse a toast, and you'll drink a penalty.' Since you won't be my son, prepare to fall. A fallen prodigy is no prodigy at all," it said coldly.
Truth be told, the Pixiu was now somewhat humiliated and enraged. It had been sincere, genuinely admiring Shi Yi and earnestly wanting him as a son. Yet it had been rejected so mercilessly.
Does he look down on me?
Though it wasn't one of the four great ferocious beasts, it was still the foremost beast beneath them. Or was it that Shi Yi would rather be the Vermilion Bird's lapdog than its son?
"Hmph, you? You're not worthy!"
Shi Yi dismissed the Pixiu's threat without a care.
He had Liu Shen—his Liu Ma—by his side. In the Lower Realm's Eight Domains, who had the ability to kill him?
"A supreme youth with ten Heavenly Passages… Before you fall, I'll allow you to speak your name," the Pixiu said, its calm tone laced with an indescribable ferocity.
It had already confirmed that the Vermilion Bird was absent, and no one else was nearby save Shi Yi.
"Yun Potian!"
Shi Yi stood tall, proudly declaring his false name.
A joke—venturing out without a fake name? How could he survive in the world?
"Yun Potian, I'll remember that. A bold name. I'll beat you half to death, erase all your memories, and make you my true son," the Pixiu said, nodding with satisfaction, though the ferocious light in its eyes grew fiercer.
"You still haven't given up?!"
Shi Yi clutched his chest, feeling his lungs nearly burst with rage.
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