**”Born Supreme? How audacious!”** Many scoffed, utterly disbelieving such a terrifying title. Of course, not everyone dismissed it outright. Living in the imperial capital, whispers had long circulated about why Shi Ziling had rebelled against the Martial Prince’s Manor all those years ago. Moreover, the Great Demonic God’s recent rampage through the capital—though his roars and condemnations had been confined to the manor—had still given sensitive ears a glimpse of the past.
**”You’re drunk!”** Another scion of the Martial Prince’s Manor barked, gripping him and shaking him roughly to sober him up.
**”I’m not drunk! Don’t stop me!”** The man struggled furiously, his face flushed.
**”Enough. Ignore the drunkard,”** someone murmured, and the crowd dispersed.
Despite its current infighting, the Martial Prince’s Manor still commanded fear. Their lineage was never short of prodigious talents. The Great Demonic God alone was enough to awe an entire generation—even marquises and princes were no match for him now. Then there was Shi Ziteng, who had pledged himself to the Demon Spirit Lake, a forbidden land rivaling the ancient divine mountains. Feared for his ruthless methods and terrifying genius, he was a force to be reckoned with. And let’s not forget Shi Ziling, hailed as the capital’s unparalleled prodigy, who once dominated his peers before defying even the manor’s four grand elders. Further down the line was Shi Yi, the **”Heaven-Born Divine Child”** with his legendary double-pupiled eyes, unstoppable from birth, now the most dazzling young supreme of the Stone Nation. None could predict how far he would rise.
Though some relished the manor’s division, none dared provoke them lightly.
A serene flute melody suddenly rose, quelling the clamor. The crowd turned toward the lakeside, where a woman in white stood, her robes fluttering, hair dancing in the wind. A jade flute pressed against her crimson lips, her divine music stirred heaven and earth.
**”The fairy maiden has arrived!”** Gasps erupted. She was the honored guest of the Nineteenth Prince. Though her identity remained a mystery, the prince’s deference suggested origins as lofty as the ancient divine mountains. Rumor even had it she had spent a night in private audience with the Human Emperor, sparking endless speculation.
**”Could she become another imperial consort?”**
**”Silence! Even marquises dare not gossip. My clan’s elder says she hails from beyond our realm.”**
The lake’s pristine waters mirrored her ethereal grace. Veiled yet otherworldly, her misty eyes and flawless lips framed by the luminous flute painted a scene straight from a divine scroll. The melody itself seemed to weave sacred runes, purifying souls, hushing all murmurs. Light rained from her flute like petals, enveloping her in radiance, as if she might ascend to the heavens at any moment.
Grass sprouted, flowers bloomed, butterflies swarmed—even the legendary **Dragon Carps**, rare spirit beasts nurtured by the Human Emperor, surfaced to circle her. Birds of myth—scarlet cranes, five-colored luan, peacocks—descended, filling the air with vibrant life.
**”Forever beyond reach,”** sighed Li Baiding, a renowned genius known for his charm, now sounding utterly resigned.
**”She is a celestial. Mortals like us cannot approach,”** murmured another powerful marquis’s heir.
Then—ripples. Silver-scaled figures glided through the water, drawn to her purity.
**”Dragon Carps!”**
These were treasures among the **Eight Ancient Delicacies**, their spiritual potency unmatched. Yet they willingly danced around her.
The tranquility shattered with a roar. A wild-haired youth clad in crimson armor streaked across the sky like a blazing meteor.
**”Hahaha! I’ve found you at last, Fairy!”** His voice boomed, thick with menace.
The crowd, jolted from their reverie, seethed at the intrusion.
**”Fairy, I’ve chased you across domains. Why do you evade me?”** His eyes burned with obsession.
**”Who are you? Leave!”** voices demanded.
**”Zhen Zhen, persist, and my lady will not spare you,”** a maidservant warned.
**”You dare command me?”** The crimson-haired man scoffed, his aura erupting, churning the lake. When challengers hurled treasures at him, he shattered them with a glare. Silence fell.
**”Your domain is on the brink of chaos. Soon, even your so-called ‘sacred’ will be trampled like weeds,”** he sneered.
**”Enough!”** Marquis Huntian intervened, summoning a blood ruler—a relic of ancient infamy.
**”Hmph!”** Zhen Zhen recoiled, recognizing the weapon.
**”For your elder brother’s sake, I spare you. Leave,”** the fairy spoke, her flute weaving golden runes that crushed Zhen Zhen like a mountain. Blood sprayed as he staggered back.
**”I’ll return, Fairy! Even ten defeats won’t sway me!”** he vowed before vanishing.
The crowd trembled. This man, so formidable, had been effortlessly subdued. The fairy’s power was terrifying.
**”Sister grows ever more fearsome. Even I feel a chill,”** purred a new voice. The Heavenly Fox Fairy emerged, her curves sinuous, eyes dripping with allure.
**”Why fear me? We could speak plainly,”** the fairy replied, a breeze lifting her veil just enough to steal breaths with a glimpse of her transcendent beauty.
**”Our sects are destined for war. Will you hold back then?”** the fox teased.
**”Have you come to fight?”**
**”To settle our old wager—a battle at the peak!”**
In a blur, both vanished.
Meanwhile, Shi Hao—happily gorging on delicacies amidst a crowd of “plump” companions—suddenly found himself whisked into a strange realm.
Mouth full of golden jerky, wine cup in hand, he blinked at the two peerless fairies.
**”Hey, you two chubsters—what’s the big idea?”**
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