Chapter 145: Ignorant
Dong!
A deep, muffled boom rang out.
The towering mountain gate, built atop the shattered ruins of the Hundred Fragment Peaks, trembled. Something inside was struggling to break free. The cliffs flanking the gate shuddered as dust cascaded down, dislodged by an unknown force from within.
"It's coming! The great opportunity is finally here!"
The Crimson Flame Bird was nearly bouncing with excitement. As a Primitive Beast from an obscure mountain range—a descendant of an Ancient Bloodline—it had never experienced something of this magnitude before.
"Ignorant."
The Nine-Headed Golden Lion straightened up, eyes cold and disdainful. It raised all nine of its regal heads, unwilling to associate with such lowly company.
It had already suffered the humiliation of being used as a stepping stone by Shi Yi. And now even the youths from Stone Village were walking all over it. Truly disgraceful.
But it was different from others.
Aside from Shi Yi and his brother Shi Hao, who else dared treat it so? If anyone else tried, it would rip them to pieces.
"Hmph. Hmph. Hmph. At last, the biggest chance in the Hundred Fragment Peaks is opening." Huo Linger crossed her arms, voice tinged with excitement.
"Opportunities like this also bring calamity," Yu Zimo said coolly, eyes sharp. "Without big brother here, we wouldn't even have the right to be standing in front of this gate."
She wasn't wrong. Overnight, many weaker Ancient Bloodline Beasts and Human Clans lacking real strength had been quietly removed.
It was expected. Even if the Hundred Fragment Peaks held a divine surge and ancient treasures by the thousands, not everyone was qualified to partake in its bounty.
Now, before the ruined gate, two major alliances had taken shape.
One side was led by Shi Yi and his Human Clan supporters—comprising the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, Zhulu Academy, Stone Village, and several sharp-eyed, forward-thinking Human forces who had chosen to align with him.
The opposing camp was led by the likes of Bi'an, the Demonroot Tree, the Primordial Ant, and the Skyshatter Devil Moth—four terrifying Pure-Blooded Ferocious Beasts. Behind them gathered a mass of Ancient Descendant Beasts, each powerful in their own right.
But even within these camps, unity was an illusion.
Not every Human Clan force had submitted to Shi Yi. Even the most flawless figure couldn't win everyone over. Some saw Shi Yi as lucky rather than legendary—claiming his kills of adult Pure-Blooded Beasts like Bi'an, Yazi, and Pixiu were flukes, achieved using artifacts or external help, not true strength.
Such voices were born from jealousy and self-deceit. Reasoning with them was pointless.
And on the beast side? No better.
Bi'an, the Demonroot Tree, the Primordial Ant, and the Skyshatter Devil Moth were each unwilling to bow to the others. While they appeared to stand united, each faction acted independently. Four leaders, four agendas.
Only Shi Yi's presence on the human side offered anything like cohesion. If the beasts had a single existence as overwhelming as Shi Yi, no such divisions would persist.
But human hearts are complicated.
Some refused to bend the knee. Those who rejected Shi Yi's leadership and failed to offer tribute were purged during the night. Not by Shi Yi himself—he didn't need to get his hands dirty. His circle took care of it.
The youths from Stone Village. The disciples of Heaven-Mending Pavilion. The scholars from Zhulu Academy. These were proud people. They wouldn't let freeloaders cling to Shi Yi for benefits without contributing.
It was like a kingdom: if you're protected by it, you owe it something. You pay your share—you don't just take.
That's why any Human Clan force that aligned with Shi Yi had to surrender a tenth of whatever ancient treasure they found in this Divine Tide to him.
Since Shi Yi's rise, most Human factions in the Lower Realm's Eight Regions had begun to gravitate toward him. He had become a natural center of gravity.
This was the siphon effect in action.
The strong get stronger, not just through battle, but through momentum. Shi Yi was a force of nature. Like a tornado, he pulled people, opportunities, and resources into his orbit. Around him, a core group had formed—small, but powerful, with clear direction and limitless potential.
Shi Yi was the one cutting the path forward. But he wasn't doing it alone.
No general—no matter how brave—can conquer the world single-handedly.
True power isn't about the individual. It's about the clan.
Even someone like the Desolate Emperor—who stood unmatched in a forgotten time—couldn't pacify all creation on his own. In the end, even he had to wait for the rise of those who followed.
Shi Yi wasn't trying to carry the sky alone. He was the spear tip, carving the way for the others who would follow and rise with him.
BOOM!
The ancient mountain gate began to move.
A few tense breaths passed.
Then, with a creaking rumble, the gate opened a crack. From within, a ray of radiant brilliance spilled out—sharp, dazzling, alive.
The glow of treasure.
In this world, the more powerful the artifact, the brighter and more terrifying its light.
What's a treasure?
It's a magic weapon crafted from spiritual bones or natural wonders. Like Shi Hao's Dragonbone Shears, forged from the bones of a Golden Flood Dragon. Or the Nine-Headed Golden Lion's nine golden fangs, refined into nine flying swords.
Later generations would abandon such relics. They'd turn instead to spiritual weapons—artifacts with their own sentience, capable of independent battle. These were called Emperor Weapons of the Ultimate Path.
In comparison, current treasures were crude. They lacked soul. Few developed true intelligence. But those that did? They became legends.
That didn't mean they were useless now—just rarer in spirit.
BOOM!
As if shoved by a hand from the heavens, the gate groaned wider.
Brilliant multicolored lights spilled forth, dancing like spirits.
Each light was a treasure. Each shimmer, a hidden power.
Eyes turned red. Desire ignited.
Only a few—like Shi Yi—remained calm.
The rest?
"Opportunity! This is it!"
"Get out of my way! You take mine, you die!"
"There's so many—ten each wouldn't even scratch the surface!"
But just as the crowd prepared to surge in—
Whoosh!
A silver light shot from the gate, fast as lightning, vanishing into the sky in an instant.
"Chase it!"
A voice rang out. That light wasn't just treasure. It was alive.
And if you could tame a sentient artifact? That was fortune beyond measure.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three more beams erupted. But these didn't flee. They weren't aiming for escape.
They went straight for blood.
They tore into the Ferocious Beast faction, slicing through them like reapers. Screams rang out.
Three Ancient Descendant Beasts died before anyone could react.