Deep in the Great Wilderness, Cangmang Mountain Range
Far from the comforts of Martial King Manor, Shi Yi remained unaware that his younger cousin, Shi Hao, was basking in familial joy. Though Shi Ziling had returned only briefly before departing with six Venerables to rescue his father, Shi Zhongtian, Shi Hao's mother, Qin Yining, chose to stay behind to care for her son.
As a result, Shi Hao's days were filled with delight. He often pestered Qin Yining to share tales of the Great Wilderness, his heart racing at stories of archaic species and pureblood beasts dominating the wilds. He yearned to grow up instantly, to clash with prodigies and carve his own legend in the vast wilderness.
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Half a Month Later, Deep in the Cangmang Mountain Range, Ten Thousand Miles from Stone Village
After wandering aimlessly for what felt like an eternity, Shi Yi's luck finally turned. Just when he thought he'd be lost forever, he stumbled upon an unremarkable mountain range in the boundless Great Wilderness—the Cangmang Mountains, home to Stone Village.
Spanning billions of miles, the Great Wilderness was a paradise for archaic species and pureblood beasts, where wild beasts and wild variants were mere prey. Human tribes eked out a precarious existence here. For Shi Yi to locate the obscure Cangmang Mountains amidst such vastness was no small feat—a sign he wasn't entirely hopeless at navigation.
"I'm no longer that naïve boy. After you left, I've been so pitiful!" Shi Yi sang softly, a dogtail grass dangling from his mouth, as he rode atop a silver demon wolf. The tune was alien to this world, and he relished the brisk wind brushing his cheeks.
The silver demon wolf, three meters tall and five meters long, had sleek, glossy fur. A wild variant in the Heavenly Passage Realm, it moved with blinding speed—twice that of a high-speed train from that blue planet. Swift as the wind, fleeting as lightning, it could cover ten thousand miles in a day.
Shi Yi had subdued it half a month ago, after a thorough thrashing, convincing it to serve as his temporary mount. It had carried him across millions of miles of the Great Wilderness.
Suddenly, the wolf, sprinting at full speed, sensed a terrifying danger. It slammed to a halt, its slender legs digging deep into the earth. The sudden stop sent Shi Yi lurching forward, but he clung to the wolf's neck, narrowly avoiding being flung off.
In an instant, a deafening roar shook the mountains and valleys, reverberating through the wilderness.
Roar…
The beastly cry rattled ancient trees, sending leaves cascading down. The air turned icy, and a terrifying aura surged like a flood, engulfing the surroundings. The forest fell silent—ferocious birds and beasts froze, trembling, too terrified to make a sound. The silver demon wolf tucked its tail, quivering in fear.
Shi Yi, witnessing this, had little to say. Had the wolf not been so cowardly, taming it as a mount wouldn't have been so easy. Greedy for life, fearful of death—classic.
"What is…" Shi Yi's double pupils gleamed, their radiance piercing the veil of the world, scanning tens of thousands of miles. Nothing could escape his gaze.
In his vision, a robust black figure emerged not far away, exuding an aura like a demon king descending. Its overwhelming presence silenced countless beasts and birds across the mountains.
It was an ape, its half-foot-long black fur shimmering menacingly, covering its body in a way that felt strangely unsettling. Standing just over two meters tall—smaller than the silver demon wolf—it appeared unremarkable at first glance.
But Shi Yi's double pupils saw more: a pair of black, fleshy wings sprouted from its back, enabling flight. The ape had descended from an unimaginable height. Twin black horns jutted from its head, gnarled and sinister, wreathed in black mist. Its aura was steeped in slaughter, as if it had slain billions.
"An archaic species—Demon Ape?" Shi Yi's mind raced, recalling a tattered tome from Martial King Manor that cataloged archaic species and pureblood beasts. With the innate wisdom of a double-pupiled saint, he instantly identified the creature from its features.
"Good heavens, and not just any Demon Ape—a King-tier Demon Ape! Only one with such noble blood could grow those sky-soaring demon wings!" His voice betrayed shock. This beast was on par with the suanni elder, a Venerable Realm creature—far beyond his ability to confront.
As Shi Yi suspected, the King-tier Demon Ape was terrifyingly powerful. Its mere presence subdued all beasts, its cold gaze sweeping the area, forcing every creature to lower its head in submission.
"King-tier" was a title, not a realm, akin to a human prodigy being, crowned a king. This Demon Ape was the sovereign of its kind.
As Shi Yi pondered, a blur of motion caught his eye. With a whoosh, the Demon Ape leaped, cracking the earth beneath its feet. It soared a thousand meters into the air before diving down, landing atop a peculiar wild variant—a ten-meter-tall bear with eagle wings. The bear was stronger than Shi Yi's silver demon wolf, and it could tear the wolf apart with ease.
Yet, under the Demon Ape's oppressive aura, it cowered, trembling and prostrate, unable to move.
"Old thing, you're finally dying. From now on, this mountain range is mine," the Demon Ape said, grinning ferociously as it gazed toward the depths of the Cangmang Mountains.
Slowly, it raised a black claw and tapped the bear's head. Crack! The skull shattered. With ease, the Demon Ape pried open the platter-sized cranium, revealing steaming, white brain matter. Its terrifying face twisted into a satisfied smile.
Digging in, it slurped noisily, indifferent to its surroundings. The bear let out a final, mournful cry but didn't dare move—not because it didn't want to, but because the Demon Ape's monstrous aura pinned it in place.
"The strong devour the weak—cruel and merciless," Shi Yi sighed, gently patting the trembling silver demon wolf, which was equally paralyzed. He gained a deeper understanding of the Great Wilderness's brutal law: The strong rule; the weak die.
"Pah! Tastes awful. Human flesh is far better," the Demon Ape spat after a few bites, its face contorting in disgust. It tossed the remaining brain matter aside, as if it had eaten something vile.
With a powerful stomp, it leaped again, bounding toward the heart of the Cangmang Mountains, clearly eager to confront an old rival. Though its demon wings allowed flight, jumping was faster for such distances.
Once the Demon Ape departed, the bear's eyes dimmed, its life extinguished. Its corpse collapsed, instantly swarmed and devoured by nearby beasts.
"It's gone. No need to be scared," Shi Yi said, patting the wolf's head. The creature rose shakily, whimpering behind him, its three-meter-tall, five-meter-long body resembling a pitiful puppy, terrified Shi Yi might abandon it.
"I told you, get me to Stone Village, and you're free. You're free now—go, before a big battle breaks out here," Shi Yi said, pushing away the wolf as it tried to nuzzle him.
He was unfamiliar with much of the Great Wilderness, but the Cangmang Mountains? Those he knew like the back of his hand. Having lived in Stone Village for three years, he'd often joined the hunting team, making the range second nature.
Howl! The silver demon wolf let out a long cry. For a fleeting moment, it considered forsaking freedom to follow Shi Yi. But in the end, it turned, glancing back once before sprinting into the unknown.
It was a mutual choice. Shi Yi wouldn't have driven it away—he could use a mount—but the wolf's yearning for freedom outweighed its desire to stay.
Sigh, I lack the charisma of a leader. If my little cousin were here, that wolf would've followed him willingly, Shi Yi thought, shaking his head. He'd treated the wolf well, save for the initial beating to tame it. What a pity—it couldn't be tamed.
Roar… A deep, resonant bellow echoed.
Shi Yi's ears pricked, pinpointing the sound. Two breaths later, a blazing light charged from the distant ridges—a massive crimson bull, over ten meters tall and thirty meters long, its hooves wreathed in flames. Its sleek, satin-like fur gleamed red, bathed in firelight.
The beast wasn't charging at Shi Yi. Ever cautious, he'd sealed his aura, blending into the scenery like an unremarkable stone.
"First a Demon Ape, now a Blazing Ox Demon—both archaic species. Are they both after that dying suanni?" Shi Yi mused.
Though once from that blue planet, Shi Yi's knowledge of this world was patchy. He knew key figures like Liu Shen and Shi Hao but lacked fine details. The sudden appearance of a Demon Ape and a Blazing Ox Demon struck him as odd. In his years at Stone Village, the Cangmang Mountains rarely saw more than one archaic species at a time.
His double pupils flickered, and the depths of the Cangmang Mountains appeared in his vision, as vivid as a live broadcast. There, the Blazing Ox Demon faced the Demon Ape, which spread its wings and soared to a thousand meters, their monstrous auras clashing like a hurricane, ravaging the forest.
Roar!Roar!
With deafening cries, they charged, colliding in a brutal melee. The earth quaked, ancient trees splintered, and boulders flew.
Nearby, the hundred-meter-tall suanni lay motionless, its eyes dull, seemingly lifeless.
But was it truly dead?
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