Of Cursed Lines and Cherished Treasures

The emerald main vine shimmered with a crystalline, jade-like radiance, as if carved from the finest green jade. It stretched from the divine city like a bridge of verdant light, coiling all the way to the white-furred little beast's feet.

"Ya-ya ya-ya…"

Keke tilted its head, looking from Xiao Chen to the luminous divine vine. Its large eyes were a mix of excitement and nervousness, its long lashes trembling.

"Go on!"

Xiao Chen smiled and gently nudged the little creature forward, urging it toward the city.

Keke's clan had halted in the distant primordial age, utterly unafraid of any enemy's approach. They awaited all comers with supreme confidence, their power so unimaginable it defied description. Yet, more than awaiting enemies, it seemed they were awaiting the arrival of their own descendants.

"W-wait! Wh-what about us?" Jin Sanyi stammered, trying to follow the divine vine. But the emerald main vine, like a beam of green light, bore Keke away into the city in an instant.

Fatty Zhuge and Sha Polang also sighed with regret, rubbing their hands together and complaining that Xiao Chen should have followed.

Xiao Chen and the others soared into the sky, gazing down at the scene within the city. Everything lay spread out before them.

The colossal stone statue stood a hundred zhang tall, majestic and lifelike, as if at any moment its petrified flesh might regain life. Divine vines trembled atop its head, each tremor releasing waves of pure life essence.

"Ya-ya… who are you?" Keke had arrived before the statue, standing on a single divine vine, tilting its head up at the stone man.

The great stone statue stood proudly between heaven and earth, motionless, like a fossil that had endured for eons. It possessed a presence that could swallow mountains and rivers, inspiring terror in any who beheld it.

"Who are you really?" The little white beast persisted, its voice childish and innocent.

But the hundred-zhang stone man remained utterly still, as if it had not heard, silently standing at the center of the divine city.

However, the pure white blossoms blooming on the nine main vines all burst with sacred radiance, converging toward the white-furred little beast.

"Eh? Who said something?" Keke asked in surprise, as if sensing a voice.

The nine main vines blazed with green light. The holy flowers upon them continuously emitted brilliance, gathering toward Keke at the center.

"No one spoke to me, but it's like I suddenly understand something." The little creature's large eyes were filled with confusion. It scratched its head and muttered, "Using this radiance to refine my own treasure?"

Throughout this process, the hundred-zhang heroic stone statue stood upright, never once moving.

In the real world, above the divine capital of Luoyang, Lu Lopeser, Ai Er, and Lan Yufeng—these Otherworld Ancestral Gods—were all filled with a sense of crushing defeat. Powerful as they were, objects of reverence for all sentient beings, they had tasted such bitter fruit. Two Ancestral Gods had fallen forever in the past.

"Have you sensed it? At the dawn of the ages, time itself seems disturbed. It is neither in the past nor the present—it appears to be a strange and singular spacetime."

"Correct. We seem to have stepped out of the past era, arriving at its end and entering a new, strange world."

As they speculated, in the eternal unknown beyond the heavens, three figures seated as motionless as fossils had not stirred for untold ages.

A primeval aura of forgotten eras flowed over their bodies, as if they had been this way since the dawn of time, still as stone.

Clang!

A black demon blade suddenly vibrated, erupting with a cold, savage light. Its murderous aura shook the heavens. The long black blade seemed possessed of a demonic nature, ringing sharply. Blood-red light swirled across its surface—it had drunk the blood of countless living beings. Faintly, one could even see the remnant souls of Ancestral God-level powerhouses struggling within!

Boom!

From another direction, an ancient shield surged into the air—the Immortal Heavenly Shield. Its radiance was gentle, dreamlike and illusory. Yet in this moment, it merged with the very heavens and earth, as if the entire world was its true body. The supreme power of defense had been activated, faintly capable of suppressing all worlds!

Rumble!

From the unknown depths of the heavens, a thirty-three-story ancient pagoda, towering to the sky itself, shook and rose. Its light was a billion zhang bright. From distant starry skies, the light of ten thousand rivers of stars faded into shadow. The ancient pagoda, capable of suppressing thirty-three heavens, seemed to come alive, reborn. Its divine power stirred, and even the void of the eternal unknown was thrown into chaos!

Three Supreme Ancestral Gods occupied different territories. Though their figures remained motionless, as if turned to stone long ago, in this moment, their supreme treasures were all reborn.

And at that instant, from each of the regions where they sat cross-legged, a beam of blood light shot forth.

The three beams of blood light came from different directions, then converged in the void. The powerful divine fluctuations they generated were enough to shake the world, startling an Otherworld Ancestral God who had hurriedly arrived. He watched from a great distance, not daring to approach even a single step.

The three beams of blood light coalesced together, forming a blood-red humanoid figure. Its crimson radiance soared into the heavens, its murderous aura crushing even the starry rivers. The surging divine power shook the firmament.

At the same time, the demon blade, the Immortal Heavenly Shield, and the thirty-three-story pagoda blazed with boundless light. Billions of divine rays all converged toward the blood-red humanoid shape.

The distant Otherworld Ancestral God was shocked. To draw out the divine power of supreme treasures like this was equivalent to sucking the lifeblood out of the treasures themselves.

A full ninety percent of the power from the three supreme treasures was extracted and poured into the body of that blood-red man. The demon blade, the Immortal Heavenly Shield, and the thirty-three-story pagoda's light dimmed, as if they had become ordinary objects.

The distant Otherworld Ancestral God knew that at this moment, the blood-red man's body contained the equivalent of the three supreme treasures. Although the true bodies of the Supreme Ancestral Gods' spiritual treasures had not melted into his form, it was nearly the same.

The three Ancestral Gods had used their own essence blood and divine consciousness to create this blood-red man, then drawn out the divine power of the three supreme treasures and poured it into him. It was clearly an attempt to forge a slaughtering war god.

The powerful blood-red man gazed imperiously upon the world, his divine might covering all. That aura chilled even the distant Otherworld Ancestral God, sending a cold shiver down his spine.

The blood-red man swept a cold glance at him, then took a single step into the starry sky. With that one step, countless stars turned to dust and ashes. He was truly terrifyingly powerful, and the Otherworld Ancestral God felt a deep, abiding dread.

This created lord of cold-blooded slaughter floated around him the phantom souls of the demon blade, the Immortal Heavenly Shield, and the ancient pagoda—purely the condensed power of the three supreme treasures, each as terrifying as the originals.

In the next instant, he directly tore open a spatial channel and appeared above the divine capital.

Lu Lopeser and the others had not yet departed. The moment they saw this blood-red man, they could not help but shudder.

Whoosh!

The blood-red man flashed with light, entered the underground palace of Luoyang, and vanished from sight.

At the dawn of the ages, within the great divine city, the white-furred little beast's large eyes shone. Hovering around it were countless divine treasures: an ancient saber of surging divine power, a profound demonic gate, a bracelet refined from starlight… their quality was immeasurable.

The sky was filled with divine radiance. A vast treasury of treasures hung in the sky above the giant city.

"But… there's no spiritual essence here…" the little creature muttered discontentedly.

Boom!

The nine main vines suddenly shook, their green light soaring into the heavens, covering the entire treasure trove. Then came a sound of crushing and smelting—all the divine objects were destroyed!

"Ya-ya!" Keke cried out in surprise. "What are you doing? Why destroy everything?" Though the little one's favorite things were still spiritual essences, such a great treasure trove was still tempting.

In the distance, Jin Sanyi, Fatty Zhuge, and Sha Polang beat their chests and stamped their feet. That was a mountain of treasure! To be destroyed like this was truly a crime against heaven and earth!

This heaven-defying clan had even dared to venture deep into the Otherworld to plunder treasures. One could imagine their collection. All the divine objects melted into a single ball of blinding radiance, merging together to form a divine source comparable to the Eternal Light!

The hundred-zhang heroic stone man remained utterly still. But Keke seemed to have a sudden comprehension, muttering softly, "Using this fused divine source to refine my treasure…"

Behind it, Xiao Chen and the others were stunned. This was truly extravagant!

What kind of divine object was being forged, that required such a method?

Just then, Keke muttered again, "Father's grass root… oh! I remember now. Was it refined like this too?"

Fatty Zhuge and Jin Sanyi rolled their eyes, on the verge of fainting. That seemingly insignificant grass root that Keke's father had carelessly held between his teeth was forged from this much divine source? That was too unfair!

A single broken grass root with such an origin. The few of them felt even greater reverence for this heaven-defying clan rising in their hearts. Keke's father had never displayed the power of the grass root, but one could imagine its terrifying might.

"Wait! First tell me who you are, or I won't refine it!" Keke was being surprisingly stubborn, its large eyes glancing at the giant stone statue.

"He is your great-grandfather." A gentle voice, with a hint of magnetism, echoed softly through the divine city. The motorized warrior who had appeared earlier slowly walked onto the city wall, speaking to Keke.

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying."

Keke's voice was childish, filled with disbelief. "Then why is he like this? He looks nothing like me! He's not pretty at all!"

"Why can't he be like this?" The motorized warrior seemed very composed.

"You're lying! He's nothing like me!" Keke stubbornly tilted its head, continuing to doubt. "I don't believe you!"

A soft sigh echoed through the great divine city. It had come from the giant stone statue itself.

The motorized warrior seemed somewhat regretful and emotional. "I was created by your clan. How could I deceive you?"

He paused for a moment. "Your clan has dwindled to barely three people, on the verge of extinction." He paused again before continuing, "You are a cursed race, envied by the heavens. You were originally human, only later did you take on this form."

Envied by the heavens! A cursed race!

This revelation shook heaven and earth. The ancient skies themselves trembled at the news, and the great earth quaked without ceasing.

Upon hearing this, Keke looked up at the giant stone statue before it and said seriously, "Great-grandfather, why don't you speak?"

The stone man was silent, motionless.

The motorized warrior's body gleamed with a cold metallic luster. "Your great-grandfather has reached a critical juncture, existing in a state between life and death, unable to respond to you. But he should be able to sense your arrival…"

The little creature was both sad and excited, asking many questions. It chattered incessantly to the stone statue, even confessing its own quirks: its love for sleeping in and its obsession with spiritual essence.

Finally, Keke shyly stopped and began to prepare its own treasure.

"I wanted to use the multicolored jade eggshell from when I was born as material, but I can't find it," the little thing muttered in confusion.

Behind it, Xiao Chen broke out in a cold sweat. The multicolored jade shell left from Keke's birth had originally been collected by him, kept to help identify the little one. But during the False God Calamity, his very body had been shattered, and all the artifacts on him had been scattered away.

"It's no matter. You can summon them from here. They can be retrieved without trouble," the motorized warrior replied.

"Really?" the little one asked, tilting its head.

"Really!" the motorized warrior answered.

"Multicolored jade shell!" the little creature called out to the sky.

At that moment, the nine main vines on the stone statue suddenly swelled, like nine green ancestral dragons piercing through heaven and earth, traversing the swirling spacetime.

Little specks of light appeared. A piece of the multicolored jade shell was summoned and arranged before Keke.

Soon, all the scattered shell fragments from across the world were gathered together.

Keke's eyes were full of emotion. The little creature felt a deep attachment to the shell left from its birth.

"What should I refine it into?" it murmured. "Something that can hold the entire world… hold all the spiritual essences…"

Behind it, Xiao Chen's forehead was beaded with black lines. Was the little thing really going to refine a treasure, or was it just serving its need to eat spiritual essences? He reminded her, "Keke, take this seriously."

"I know!" Keke replied, turning its head. "I already knew in my dreams how to refine a treasure. I'm just thinking now about what shape to make it and what to name it."

Jin Sanyi immediately shouted, "Call it 'Vanquish the Ten Directions'! What a domineering name!"

"That doesn't sound good," Keke shook its head. "I want to give it a nice name. Hmm… I'll refine it into a bowl shape. It can hold anything. I'll call it 'Big Bowl.'"

Xiao Chen felt like collapsing to the ground. That name was too lame! And this was supposed to be a nice name? What was the little thing thinking?

Sha Polang shouted, "Call it 'Eat Everything in the World'! That fits your style!"

Xiao Chen shoved the skeleton aside. "Don't listen to his nonsense."

"Hmm. I know. 'Eat Everything in the World' doesn't sound good either," Keke nodded seriously. "Then… 'Little Bowl' it is."

Xiao Chen felt completely defeated. Had the little thing never thought of anything beyond a bowl? He was utterly helpless against her.

Fatty Zhuge shouted from behind, "A bowl doesn't sound good. Just call it 'Piggy Bank'!"

Xiao Chen kicked him away. "Be serious! Don't just throw out names!"

Keke nodded seriously. "Hmm. Anyway, since I'm refining it into a little bowl, I'll just call it 'Wan'er.'"

Everyone fell silent. The little creature had truly defeated them all. In the end, she was going to make a little bowl. But at least 'Wan'er' sounded somewhat pleasant.

Just then, a blood-red figure suddenly appeared high in the sky, his divine might covering the world, shaking the ancient mountain with force. The demon blade, the Immortal Heavenly Shield, and the ancient pagoda accompanied him, pressing down toward the stone statue in the city!

Boom!

The nine main vines shot into the sky in an instant, sweeping across the firmament. The demon blade, the Immortal Heavenly Shield, and the ancient pagoda were all sent flying!

It was at this moment that Keke suddenly said, confused, "Great-grandfather, are you speaking in my heart? You want me to refine 'Wan'er' and temper it with these three supreme treasures before me?"

Boom!

Then, the nine main vines did not attack the blood-red man in the distance. Instead, they directly pierced through heaven and earth, stretching toward the eternal unknown.

In the real world, in the eternal void beyond the heavens, the three Supreme Ancestral Gods were suddenly attacked. Their foreheads cracked like fine porcelain, red threads of blood seeping out.

"Supreme Ancestral God…!" By now, eight or nine Otherworld Ancestral Gods had gathered beyond the heavens. Sensing this, they all cried out in alarm.

"It's nothing. We were merely testing how far he has progressed. We did not expect him to be this powerful," one Supreme Ancestral God transmitted a thought, sitting still as an ancient fossil.

"Is he truly invincible?" The Otherworld Ancestral Gods were all terrified.

"No one in this world is invincible. There are those who can deal with him," another Supreme Ancestral God responded.

And with that, the world began to change.