The grand mansion stood like a celestial palace amidst the mortal world, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, exuding solemnity and majesty that inspired a sense of pilgrimage. Yet beneath the auspicious aura and magnificent architecture, turbulent undercurrents of murderous intent surged.
Inside a colossal hall, tension crackled in the air. A dozen elders sat in solemn silence, their surroundings flickering with dense arrays of glyphs, poised to erupt at any moment. The near-death state of Little Rascal—his Supreme Bone forcibly extracted—had shaken the clan’s upper echelons. These elders, figures of utmost seniority who typically secluded themselves from worldly affairs, some unseen for decades, had been forcibly summoned.
“An innate Supreme, harmed within our own clan? This is an affront to heaven itself! Why deliberate? Execute that venomous woman by a thousand cuts at once!” roared one elder in fury.
“Her grandfather and lineage are not to be trifled with. Executing her without explanation will stir chaos in the imperial capital. And if we explain, the Supreme Bone will be exposed to the world,” another elder countered calmly.
“Even the Human Emperor would have to answer for such an atrocity, let alone her family! Are you protecting her out of personal ties, overriding justice?” retorted a cold-eyed elder, his gaze swirling with celestial bodies, his aura shattering the table before him.
The hall trembled as glyphs and lightning intertwined, the atmosphere thick with the scent of gunpowder. Little Rascal, barely clinging to life, lay cradled in someone’s arms, sustained by a torrent of divine essence to prevent his demise.
“Naturally, she will be punished—but later. The priority now is the Supreme Bone. It belongs to our Shi Clan and must not be lost,” declared an elder wreathed in crimson radiance, his gaze unyielding.
“Fifth Brother, what do you imply?” bellowed another elder, golden-maned like a lion, rising to his feet. “We must extract it and restore it to Hao’er’s body! It is his by right—no one else may claim it!”
“Extraction now would make immediate reattachment impossible.”
“Are you shielding Yi’er just because he’s of your bloodline? The Supreme Bone belongs to its rightful owner!”
Divine essence clashed between the two, shaking the sacred hall as if mountains and seas roared within.
“Fourth Brother, this is no favoritism,” interjected an elder wreathed in bloody phoenix flames, gesturing to Little Rascal. “Look at this child—so frail. Even with daily elixirs, how could he sustain the Supreme Bone?”
The argument dwindled. Many fell silent, faced with the harsh truth: Little Rascal might not survive.
“I say discard the Supreme Bone and uphold clan law—execute both mother and son!” thundered the most hot-tempered elder.
Gasps filled the room. Losing one Supreme was calamitous—must they also sacrifice the Double-Pupiled genius?
“Second Elder, calm yourself. Yi’er is but an ignorant child, innocent in this. His potential rivals ancient sages and deities—he must not be implicated!” pleaded another.
“Ignorant? He returned threatening suicide if his mother was harmed! Such defiance—will you indulge this wicked woman and her spawn?” The elder’s body blazed with starlight, his power terrifying.
“Postpone the woman’s punishment. The Supreme Bone takes precedence.” Silence fell. The clan could not afford to lose both prodigies—their strongest bloodline must endure.
“How fares the Supreme Bone within Yi’er?”
The eldest elder, unseen for thirty years, suddenly opened his eyes—twin golden suns blazing, his voice thunderous. The hall stilled.
“It has fused seamlessly with Yi’er, nourished by his flesh and blood—as if born within him,” reported the fifth elder.
Awe rippled through the assembly. Success! With the Double Pupils and Supreme Bone, what heights would Shi Yi reach?
“Reconvene in days. Today ends here,” declared another ancient elder.
Nods followed. The golden-maned fourth elder and the fiery-tempered elder exchanged grim looks—they knew the clan would never allow both prodigies to fall.
Days later, news confirmed the Supreme Bone thrived within Shi Yi, encased in vigorous vitality, fully integrated.
“Damnation!” The fourth elder seethed, cradling the frail Little Rascal. The deed was irreversible.
Little Rascal weakened daily. Despite elixirs, his pallor worsened, his body wracked with coughs and chills. By midnights, his bones crackled, his body shrinking, his spirit fading. Once bright-eyed and lively, he now barely recognized those around him.
“Are you… my Fourth Granduncle?” he whispered weakly from his bed, his mind slipping further.
Servants wept silently. The once-promising child was now a shadow of himself.
Days later, he struggled to speak, his eyes vacant. “Big Sister… who are you?”
The pretty girl beside him wiped tears. “I’m A’Man. Don’t you remember me, Young Master?”
“A’Man… it sounds familiar…”
“I heard Fourth Ancestor say you’re a Supreme, unmatched—but someone harmed you.”
“A Supreme…” he murmured.
“Yes! You must recover!”
“I will. I’m a Supreme…”
Suddenly, memory flickered. “A’Man! You told me stories… promised to show me crimson-feathered cranes…”
“Remember—you’re a Supreme. And don’t forget me, A’Man.”
He nodded weakly. “Where are the other children?”
“They… are training.”
In truth, visits had ceased. The clan’s warmth had chilled, though the child noticed nothing.
A month later, Shi Ziling returned, sensing the ominous air. “Where’s Hao’er?!”
The couple recoiled in horror. Was this their vibrant child? So frail, so dim-eyed?
Little Rascal instinctively reached for them, smiling faintly, sensing their love.
“Hao’er!” Shi Ziling roared, heartbroken. His father missing, his son broken—rage consumed him.
“My child, what happened?!” His wife clutched the boy, sobbing.
“Ziling, I failed you. Punish this old man!” the golden-maned elder lamented.
When Shi Ziling learned the truth, his fury erupted. Brandishing a golden spear, he stormed toward Shi Yi’s lineage.
“Eleventh Brother, calm down! We’ll give you justice!”
“Justice?!” He laughed coldly. “You barred my path when my son suffered. She took one bone from my son—I’ll shatter a hundred of hers!”
With a sweep of his spear, divine runes surged like tidal waves, blasting opponents aside.
“Anyone who stands in my way dies—no exceptions!”
“Ziling, don’t act rashly! Punish the woman, but spare Yi’er—he’s just a child!”
“My son endured agony—where were you then?!” Tears streamed as he fought, heartbroken.
Each strike carried his grief, his spear’s light singing like celestial hymns. Elders were hurled back, bloodied and stunned.
His son—once a Supreme, now a hollow shell. The pain was unbearable. Tears mingled with wrath as he vowed vengeance.
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