Chapter 55: Lineage

The darkened willow tree’s main trunk emitted a faint mist, spreading outward like a primordial haze. The entire world seemed to fall silent, as if arriving at the dawn of creation.

Everyone was alarmed. In the past, only a willow twig had shone, but now the broken trunk had also undergone a transformation, creating such an astonishing spectacle that they instinctively retreated.

“Eek, eek!”

The fist-sized golden ball darted away with a squeal, nearly falling into the lake. Its large eyes widened in surprise as it watched from a distance.

The villagers also kept their distance, leaving only a small figure at the village edge, gradually enveloped by the mist, making it hard to see clearly.

Little Shi Hao remained motionless, standing as if at the edge of the world. The chaotic aura pervaded, and scenes from his subconscious, which he had seen but could not remember due to his youth, reappeared before him.

“Eternal Supreme, the origin of the people. The Emperor's Extreme Creation, the order of rituals is laid out. The Five Virtues cycle, the talismans and symbols received.”

A grand voice resonated through heaven and earth, solemn and dignified. It was a scene like a myth.

A massive altar soared into the clouds, exuding an ancient, weathered aura, as if it had existed for millions of years. It was engraved with various ancient images—sun, moon, stars, primordial beasts, ancient ancestors, and deities, all of which were awe-inspiring.

The altar was vast and boundless, surpassing mountains, surrounded by clouds. On it lay the corpses of ancient species, their blood flowing over the engravings. There were also rare divine treasures and precious elixirs, indicating a grand national sacrifice.

A golden sun emitted an overwhelming aura, blinding to the eyes. In the center stood a terrifying figure, illuminating the entire sky like a celestial emperor, casting a natural golden blood aura that created such a spectacle.

This was the Emperor of the ancient kingdom, ruling over millions of miles of land, personally conducting the sacrifice to heaven with utmost solemnity.

Behind him stood a group of imperial warriors, each formidable and awe-inspiring, their eyes flashing like lightning. Behind them were numerous lords and countless subjects.

Just this group alone numbered in the tens of thousands, coming from various fiefs, each a terrifying powerhouse, their aura causing the very heavens to tremble.

Further back were endless armies, truly boundless and uncountable, filling the entire land. Even standing on the altar, one could not see the end.

A single fief lord ruled over billions, not a simple figure among them. Gathering so many subjects and nobles for the sacrifice would be astounding.

The national sacrifice was grand and unimaginable, like a mythological scene.

On the other side, important figures’ families also participated in the grand ceremony, bathing in the vast, sacred radiance. Among them was a young woman holding an infant in swaddling clothes. The child, smiling happily, kept reaching out with his small hands, his big eyes resembling those of Little Shi Hao.

Under the willow tree, Little Shi Hao was stunned, lost in thought.

The sacrifice scene vanished, replaced by another image.

A massive, crystal-clear lake, beautifully blue, rich in spiritual energy, ideal for cultivation. Various rare birds and beasts roamed the shore, including ancient species.

Such a holy lake was generally not approached by ordinary people.

In the distance, tens of thousands of fierce cavalry were stationed, mounted on powerful beasts, with soldiers in gleaming armor, holding divine spears towards the sky, emitting a cold metallic sheen and a killing aura. They stood motionless, keeping watch, while lords hunted in the front.

The lake’s shore was a forbidden zone with terrifying ancient species and divine bird descendants. It was a place not to be approached, or one would face great peril.

However, hundreds of people were sight-seeing and hunting without fear, each brimming with vitality, their strength causing shivers.

A group of vividly colored, majestic birds lived by the holy lake. Disturbed, they erupted in fury. Each fierce bird was six or seven meters long, their feathers glowing like divine flames.

Among them was a bird king, measuring seventeen to eighteen meters long, radiating five-colored divine light. Its wings were spectacularly beautiful, surrounded by divine light, instilling fear even in the tens of thousands of iron cavalry from afar.

With a loud cry, it emitted a soaring divine light, startling the endless cavalry into retreat and shaking the holy lake.

“Ha! What a magnificent phoenix! It’s a powerful ancient species with the blood of primordial divine birds. Truly a rare treasure. Watch how I shoot it down,” an old man laughed heartily.

He took out a giant bow with a black frame and a bowstring made from dragon tendons. It exuded a fierce killing aura. In an instant, he drew the bow and nocked an arrow, resembling a full moon, aiming at the high sky.

“Whoosh!”

The arrow shot out like a dragon soaring into the sky, emitting a thunderous roar and a blinding light, its divine brilliance trailing behind it as it shot towards the phoenix.

“Boom!”

A thunderclap exploded in the sky as the arrow struck the ancient divine bird descendant. Endless brilliance erupted, forming an energy storm.

A roar rang out, and such a powerful ancient species was wounded, retreating in fear, turning into a swirl of five-colored divine light, heading towards the clouds to escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The old man drew his bow again, firing another divine arrow. It carved a terrifying trajectory, its beam reaching the clouds, and with a splash of blood rain, the phoenix fell to the ground.

“Old Fifteen, I didn’t expect your archery to be so divine. Two arrows took down a powerful phoenix. Others would have to fight a great battle to achieve this. Such skill will surely shock the capital,” an older man praised.

The elder who killed the ancient species laughed heartily and then personally used a silver knife to cut open the divine bird’s body, extracting the rarest blood, filling a large bowl. Even this half-bowl contained most of the essence of the bird.

He took large strides towards a young couple, the man tall and the woman beautiful, holding an infant in swaddling clothes.

“Grandson, try the divine bird’s blood. You will surpass your grandfather and your father in the future.” The elder took out a jade chopstick, dipped it in a few drops of crystal-clear blood, and placed it in the infant’s mouth.

“Father, is it okay for Hao’er to have this since he’s so young?” The young couple hesitated.

“It’s fine.” The elder waved his hand and insisted on feeding several large drops of divine bird blood. The baby didn’t resist, sucking eagerly, his eyes bright and even smiling, which amazed everyone.

“Our royal lineage is truly flourishing this generation, with heroes emerging. This little one may not be any less than Yi’er. In the future, he might suppress the eight directions and intimidate all major races,” an even older man said.

When the name “Yi’er” was mentioned, everyone looked towards a child, showing loving and concerned smiles. He was exceptional, born with double pupils, a rare sign of ancient saints.

This was a child about three years old, standing nearby, looking over. Though young, he was very composed, with four eyes and a divine light flowing, exuding an authority far beyond his age.

In ancient times, those with double pupils were regarded as saints or deities. The few who had appeared were world-shaking figures.

When Shi Yi was born with double pupils, it naturally caused a great stir in the clan. Everyone had high hopes for him. In reality, he was truly extraordinary, a prodigy who learned quickly and surpassed his peers.

“We may be of royal lineage, but as imperial relatives with the blood of royalty flowing in our veins, according to the rules, we are also eligible to compete for the title of the Human Emperor,” an old man said.

The crowd turned their attention back to Shi Yi, with high expectations for him.

“Eek!” The infant in swaddling clothes made a small sound, his chubby face flushed, smiling at everyone with an adorable expression.

Everyone smiled in response. An elder said, “Of course, our little Hao is very well-behaved and exceptional. In the future, he could become a right-hand man to your brother and surely be a powerful lord.”

“Among so many of our descendants, will many of them be appointed to the barren lands as lords?” someone joked.

They knew that in the remote wilderness, there were self-proclaimed lords who were not officially recognized by the ancient kingdom, and the two were not comparable.

“Millions of people dare to call themselves lords, ruling over barren lands and exploiting the suffering people, with no one to check their power. They are merely self-proclaimed, unaware of their insignificance. True lords are those who command billions of people, with subordinates capable of easily defeating tribes of millions,” someone remarked.

The scene shifted again, and the beautiful lake blurred instantly.

The majestic Imperial City, vast and magnificent, seemed like a divine city that had fallen from the heavens. It was expansive, with endless population. The city walls alone were like mountain ranges, stretching endlessly and awe-inspiring.

“Lord Fifteen shot down an ancient beast, a pixiu, on the battlefield of the Hundred Clans. For some reason, it caused a great stir in the Eight Desolations, triggering widespread chaos.”

The news spread, sparking much discussion.

“There is confirmed news that it was only a young beast, but it was far stronger than the average ancient species. It is suspected that a fully mature pixiu with very pure bloodline is about to enter the battlefield of the Hundred Clans.”

The Imperial City was shaken.