Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Su Yu asked, “Please enlighten me, Master. What did you mean by small, and how big could it get?”
Yun Yazi said, “Tao Tie is one of the four great ferocious beasts of the ancient era, and it is the most frightening ferocious beast in the world. “When it is born, it feeds by devouring the lives, essence blood, and spiritual flesh of All Creations Old Monsters. As it grows, it feeds on strong men of the Mortal Fairy level. Once it enters adulthood, it begins feeding on Gods.”
Feed on Gods? Su Yu felt a chill down his spine. Aren’t Gods entities of supremacy?
Who in the world dared to provoke a god-devouring beast?
“Rumor has it that, somewhere in the universe, there is an ancient Tao Tie that has existed since the birth of the world. It is the ancestor of all Tao Ties and is the ultimate form of Tao Ties. It feeds on the constellations and stars of the universe. Wherever it passes, that part of the universe is annihilated and life is wiped out. Not even the most powerful God in the world could resist it. It could override all lives.”
Upon hearing that, Su Yu inhaled a sharp cold breath. Does such a terrifying Tao Tie actually exist? And it overrides all Gods?
“By now you should’ve understood what kind of creature a Tao Tie is, shouldn’t you?” Yun Yazi questioned in a stern voice.
Su Yu nodded. In the past, he had only thought of a Tao Tie as an ancient, mythical living creature. He only now understood their terrifying nature.
“Master, how does this relate to the harm that you mentioned?” Su Yu pointed to the spot between his own brows. “Will the Tao Tie sense that I have one of its eyeballs and begin hunting me down?”
Phoenix Master Qiu had offered him the same advice. Tao Ties were avaricious creatures which never failed to take revenge. No races that had transplanted the Tao Ties’ eyes ever ended up unscathed. Perhaps this was Yun Yazi’s concern.
“No.” Yun Yazi said, surprising Su Yu. “Tao Ties are so rare that the majority of living creatures have never even discovered their footprints in their entire lifetime. The probability of you meeting a Tao Tie is almost negligible.”
Su Yu gave a sigh of relief. Still doubtful, he asked, “But Master, the races which had transplanted Tao Tie’s eyes were all killed. Weren’t they the subjects of the Tao Tie’s revenge?”
“Those are only rumors spread by people who are fearful of Tao Ties.” Yun Yazi seemed to have seen through all worldly matters. “They weren’t killed by the Tao Ties, but instead, they had suffered severe problems caused by the transplanted Tao Tie’s eyes, hence resulting in death.”
At the end of the day, it was still about the eyeballs.
“Master, what is the problem with my eyeball?” Su Yu asked.
Yun Yazi said, “It is related to the training methods of the Tao Ties. Tao Ties are only so powerful because they possess the talent and magical power of devouring. The more they devour, the stronger their devouring power becomes. This is the reason a Tao Tie can grow to the state in which they feed on Gods. But the Heavens have their own rules. Despite the Tao Tie’s nature-defying magical powers, they possess an intrinsic, fatal weakness. This is why the number of Tao Ties in the world is always extremely low. Most of the Tao Ties perish before they are fully-grown, due to their inherent weakness.”
Su Yu seemed to have understood something as he listened. “Master, could the fatal weakness you mentioned lay within the eyes?”
As Yun Yazi spoke, he looked between Su Yu’s eyebrows with worried eyes. “Yes. A Tao Tie’s eyes are also known as the Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye, a terrifying eye that could devour the Gods. But at the same time, its most fatal problem lies within the eye as well.”
“Master, what is the fatal weakness?” Su Yu’s heart thumped lightly. Even the omnipotent, god-eating creatures like Tao Ties perished because of it. What kind of frightening weakness could it be?
Yun Yazi said solemnly, “The fatal weakness is that, once the Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye is opened, it has to keep devouring things. If the need isn’t satiated, it will start devouring itself, its physical body and soul. Everything will be devoured until there’s nothing left, ultimately leaving only the Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye behind. If I’m not mistaken, the Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye between your brows most probably belongs to a Tao Tie which had devoured itself, leaving only the eye.”
A tremendous vibration raged in Su Yu’s heart. A demonic eye that would devour his very own self?
“But Master, I transplanted this demonic eye a few years ago, and I haven’t experienced any abnormalities before.” Su Yu felt that it was a bit of a fluke.
Yun Yazi still had worries in his eyes as he shook his head slowly. “Have you opened it since it was transplanted? If you haven’t, I have some ways to take it out.”
Su Yu’s heart sank. He had only ever used the Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye once, in order to resist a blow from Xue Di. That was his only memory of opening it.
Yun Yazi gave a deep sigh when he learned that Su Yu had used it before. “It doesn’t matter if the time of opening it is short, as long as it has been opened, then the activation of the eye is accepted. Now, the power of rules existing within the eye has merged into your soul. Even if your physical body shatters, the eye will still follow you closely, right until you are devoured by it. I have no idea how to get rid of it now.”
“As for the absence of abnormalities you experienced without devouring anything for years, this is also a mistake committed by the other races which have transplanted the Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye. They had the misconception that this shortcoming could be suppressed by complementing it with some spiritual treasures of the world. Even the three highest-class races of the eternity could only invent methods to delay it.”
“The fact that you have not experienced any fits doesn’t mean that you are safe. You merely get to postpone it for a few years,” Yun Yazi explained.
Su Yu felt as if his heart had sunk to the bottom of the chasm. It was only a matter of time before the Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye started to take its toll on him. By that time, Su Yu would be forced to devour living creatures incessantly, and when he reached a point where he couldn’t find any stronger creatures, the eye would begin to devour him.
“However, you don’t have to worry too much. Even if the eye starts taking its effect, you can start taking the path of Tao Ties, and train by devouring lives and creatures. It’s considered a great opportunity as well.” Yun Yazi tried to comfort him.
His facial expression consisted of both joy and sorrow. “The Heaven Devouring Demonic Eye is something that can only be encountered by serendipity. In all the eternities, there have only been two to three cases of transplanted Tao Tie’s eyes. But all of the people who had undertaken the transplantation had achieved astonishing altitude,” Yun Yazi said.
Su Yu flashed a bitter smile. “Master, you don’t need to console me, I can stand it.” The crisis had been laid. Running away from it would serve no actual purpose. Besides, he still had a few years to search for a means to delay the onset of effects.
“It’s best that you can think that way. I will also look at the ancient books when I next enter isolation, and we’ll see if there are ways to resolve the matter.” Yun Yazi offered his consolation.
Su Yu knew that their chances of success were very slim. It was a Tao Ties’ destiny to be killed by their very own eyes. With the oldest Tao Tie in the world being the only exception, none other could escape the shackles of destiny. Yun Yazi was just trying to make Su Yu feel better.
“Thanks a lot, Master. Time is running out, so I’d better start training,” Su Yu said.
Yun Yazi nodded and sat cross-legged beside Su Yu. He began guiding him on his training.
Time flew.
Three days later, a mystical, bizarre phenomenon occurred all across the Jiuzhou continent. Pearwoods that had withered nearly a century ago, and that were almost reduced to dust, began blossoming with beautiful flowers overnight. New springs began to flow from underneath the dry, barren mountains and rivers again. Mortals who had been blind and deathly ill for many years received an instant recovery. They had regained their vision and been liberated from their ailments!
The newborn children were identified with outstanding talents and were being sought after by various influences.
One after another, the anomalies foreshadowed the special period of time the Jiuzhou continent was undergoing. It was a century in which prodigies overflowed and vied for excellence and victory. Mediocrity and diligence would all be determined throughout this era. The Glittering Jewel Wonderland was fast approaching.
The Wonderland was left behind by the Glittering Jewel Mortal Fairy, the Mortal Fairy of the eternity before her demise. All that she had ever owned in her lifetime was left within the Wonderland.
Due to her overly strong Mortal Fairy’s Strength, the Glittering Jewel Wonderland kept revolving amongst the galaxies of the universe and only returned to the Jiuzhou continent once every hundred years. One hundred years happened to be the point of time at which the prodigies of the older generation retired, and those of the younger generation replaced them.
Regardless of whether it was the Blessed and Heavenly Lands or the Heavenly Knife Region; the Central Prefecture or the remaining eight prefectures; the Eastern continent or the Western continent; the Northern continent, the Southern continent, or even the Central continent, all of them were paying attention to the imminent Glittering Jewel Wonderland.
All of the top-notch prodigies were gearing themselves up for the fight. A feast of rivalry involving the entire continent was about to be kick-started.
