The eyeball was glowing with a faint golden radiance, astonishingly vibrant, as if it still harbored innate vitality. Shi Hao was utterly amazed. How many years had passed since ancient times? Yet it hadn’t dried up and still exhibited such brilliance—truly remarkable. He focused his energy, and the eyeball’s color shifted from pale gold to a more resplendent hue, casting a dreamlike glow over the entire room, as if it could unveil all secrets.
Shi Hao channeled a peculiar force, cradling the eyeball in his palm. A unique sensation washed over him as the surroundings materialized in his mind with unparalleled clarity—all perceived through the eye in his hand, not his own vision. This startled him. Was this the power of the dual-pupiled eye? A treasure indeed! In an instant, Shi Hao grasped its value. It could pierce through walls, revealing everything in the courtyard with lifelike precision.
“Seeing through illusions, transcending superficiality, reaching the essence.” Shi Hao trembled. This eye was terrifyingly powerful, almost unreal. He lowered his gaze, carefully observing it before attempting to peer into the distance again. Once more, vivid images flooded his mind—this time even clearer, penetrating walls to glimpse the outside world.
“Incredible divine ability!” Shi Hao marveled. The dual-pupiled were truly favored by heaven. Merely activating it once had already revealed such prowess.
With a forceful surge of energy, he poured his essence into the eyeball. The void trembled as a beam of golden light erupted, shattering the wall. Shi Hao flinched—had it been aimed at him, the consequences would’ve been dire. He directed it at a bronze arrowhead, and with a metallic clang, the beam turned pure gold, reducing the arrow to dust.
“Astounding! A mere glance can destroy treasures!” Shi Hao was awestruck. Even detached from its original owner, the eye retained such might. How fearsome must it have been in its prime? He envisioned a divine being, roaring across the heavens, golden beams annihilating all in their path.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed the eye remained dull and lifeless unless infused with vitality. Had it become a treasure, or did it still cling to a sliver of life? Perhaps sealed within the stone, it had evaded the ravages of time.
The stone fragments resembled divine material, stained with the blood of gods and demons, embedding the bronze arrowhead—a relic of immense power.
“If nourished, could it revive, like the Dragon-Shears of legend?” Shi Hao mused. The thought of wielding such a divine artifact was both exhilarating and daunting. Yet, he hesitated to integrate it into his body, wary of unforeseen consequences.
As he continued experimenting, he uncovered another ability—slowing motion to a crawl. A bee’s wings flapped in slow motion, every detail captured. Birds soared languidly, and warriors’ movements decomposed frame by frame.
“This is beyond comprehension!” Shi Hao gasped. In battle, such vision would render him nearly invincible, foreseeing every strike. The dual-pupiled were indeed monstrous.
To counter such an opponent, he theorized two strategies: unmatched speed via the Kun Peng technique, or immovable defense, anchoring himself with ten heavenly apertures to suppress the enemy’s movements.
“Perhaps merging it with a spiritual avatar…” Shi Hao pondered. By channeling the eye’s power into a manifested form, he could study its primordial runes without risking his true body.
He crafted a humanoid avatar within one of his apertures, embedding the eye within its brow. As his consciousness merged with it, the eye flickered with golden light, stirring with latent power.
“Excellent!” Shi Hao grinned. Even partial revival would grant him insight into its divine abilities—three of which he’d already glimpsed: piercing perception, destructive beams, and temporal deceleration.
Meanwhile, the small pagoda trembled, drawn to a clump of “mud” among his auction spoils.
“This is the blood-clay of a celestial,” it revealed, stunning Shi Hao. A treasure of unimaginable worth, whether for forging artifacts or elixirs.
“Why not just plunder the auction house?” Shi Hao teased.
“Balance governs all things,” the pagoda replied cryptically. “My current state demands equivalent exchange.”
Suspicious but intrigued, Shi Hao set the matter aside, focusing instead on a tortoiseshell scripture acquired earlier—a legacy of the Xuanwu, renowned for peerless defense.
Seated on a divine mat woven from Kun Wood, once used by the Kun Peng himself, Shi Hao immersed in cultivation. Symbols of the Xuanwu’s technique materialized around him, his body sheathed in earthen light that morphed into black scales, evoking the primordial turtle’s might.
Days passed in deep meditation, mastering the art’s fundamentals. Though its core mysteries eluded him, his progress was undeniable.
As the gathering’s date neared, a fox-tailed maiden arrived with an impish grin.
“My mistress invites you,” she chirped. “She dislikes a certain ‘saintly fairy’ and wonders if you’d take her off her hands—for a price.”
“Does the deal include your mistress?” Shi Hao quipped, leaving the girl gaping.
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