"The seal is trembling; are you about to awaken?"

Outside the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, on a pastoral utopia's vast grassland.

A petite teenager, whose face was as mesmerizing as the landscape, lay on a dirt slope, gently stroking the area around her collarbone and muttering to herself.

Upon closer look, a delicate and dazzling silver chain was embedded above her collarbone. Attached to the chain was an obsidian, as black as ink, engraved with a series of numbers and letters.

At this moment, the obsidian gradually turned a bizarre red-black color, and the eerie red was inexplicably terrifying.

Just then, two members of the utopia approached from the other end of the grassland.

They herded a flock of sheep over at a leisurely pace.

Finally, they stopped in front of the girl. After spreading out the flock, one of them stood guard on the spot, vigilant.

The girl unexpectedly remarked, "It's been winter for quite some time; regular herders wouldn't bring their sheep out in this season. Can't you at least pretend more convincingly?"

The other person came closer, crouched down, and smiled, saying, "Don't worry about those details, Saintess Ayimu. I heard the call of the Divine Stone and came here. Is Saintess Yao finally emerging?"

After saying this, he reached out to touch the obsidian embedded at Ayimu's collarbone.

Unexpectedly, Ayimu abruptly sat up, raised her hand, and mercilessly slapped away the other's hand, coldly saying with Yao Qingxue's flawless countenance, "This isn't something you can touch, Pioneer!"

Unbothered by her brusqueness, the person responded with a cold, deadpan expression mixed with a sardonic smile:

"No worries, I'm just happy that the curse on Saintess Yao can be lifted."

With that, he also sat on the slope, silently accompanying Ayimu, waiting for that moment to arrive.

Their gazes coincidentally turned towards the distant Celestial Pool of Tianshan.

The Bogda Peak, usually covered in snow, now showed no sign of whiteness at all, a situation that had persisted for several days.

But they knew it wouldn't be long before the ice and snow would cover this mountain range once more.

Because the slumbering Saintess Yao was about to awaken!

"Pioneer, will the future really be as the prophecy says, with fierce ghosts running rampant in the human world, leaving humans struggling to survive? What if Saintess Yao fails to..." Ayimu suddenly hesitated.

But before she could finish, the man beside her immediately interrupted, "Don't worry, Saintess Ayimu. The one slumbering in the cavern of Tianshan Mountain Range is the only true deity in this world!"

"You can hardly imagine the extent of her abilities. In a nonexistent future, she alone can lead the world's Awakened organization."

"As of now, she might be able to divide space and time and single-handedly create a Peach Blossom Spring independent of the world. Truly enviable..."

At this point, Pioneer couldn't help but rub his temples.

These words bore no falsehood.

He genuinely envied Yao Qingxue for her ability to awaken powers capable of changing the world, no matter the realm. If he had such powers, perhaps there would have been no regrets initially.

Unfortunately, certain things aren't achievable through envy.

Like his own teacher... Oh, once a teacher—Wu Xiaoyao, no matter how the world changed, the person destined to obtain the Stone Slab was always him.

This was a predetermined fate by the heavens.

"But this time is different! There's no longer such a saying as 'predetermined by the heavens'!" Pioneer couldn't help but clench his fist.

In this new world, especially after the great battle in Chengyang City with the passage of time, there are no longer stone slabs that change everything; no longer the chosen one Wu Xiaoyao; nor Wu Quanye, whose awakened abilities can alter soul states despite differing ideals from mine.

The only obstacle standing in my way is someone I never thought of—Wu Liang.

The child of my teacher and his wife, the product of love between the strongest Awakened and the chosen one.

And now, this sole obstacle is about to die!

He will die at the hands of his own mother!

"Saintess Ayimu, could you see if the Divine Stone has almost turned completely scarlet?"

After Pioneer finished speaking, Ayimu instinctively lowered her head to look at the area around her collarbone. Though the embedded exquisite gem indeed revealed more red light, it hadn't yet fully enveloped it.

This guy seems too impatient...

Splurt—

Suddenly, a glaring scarlet burst from around the obsidian. Ayimu felt an excruciating pain piercing through her, unexpectedly collapsing and looking at the Pioneer beside her.

The opposite person's fingers had by now plunged deep into her collarbone, clutching the Divine Stone she had considered her lifelong faith.

Then, he gently lifted it.

The obsidian, which had been embedded into her flesh and even her bones, was extracted.

Under the rare winter sun, Pioneer, with a face full of blood and an unfazed smile, raised the obsidian, making one's heart shudder involuntarily.

"You..."

Ayimu couldn't comprehend why this person would act against her at such a critical moment, when clearly the Saintess hadn't emerged yet, and she should've been a crucial part!

However, Pioneer lightly placed his blood-soaked fingers on her lips, preventing her from speaking, and said in a tone laced with regret, "Sorry, Saintess Ayimu, your face simply scares me too much."

"Oh, right, haven't I always told you the curse keeps Saintess Yao slumbering within Tianshan Mountain Range, and only with the soul of her closest relative and all of you as a trade-off could she awaken?"

"I seem to have forgotten to tell you—that curse was precisely my doing."

Saying this, Pioneer observed that the blood-red hue emerging from the obsidian had almost fully covered the gem, indicating the curse's unraveling was nearing its end.

It also signified that Wu Liang, who was saving Yao Qingxue, was about to fully sacrifice his soul.

Seeing Ayimu's eyes, alight with fury as if intent on devouring him, Pioneer smiled again and continued, "The true effect of the curse is—while sealing the master, it lures the one breaking it into soul sacrifice."

"Thus, Wu Liang will accompany the master down to the Yellow Springs together with him, leaving the world unobstructed for me."

"Thank you, Saintess Ayimu, you've made a tremendous contribution to saving this world."

Pioneer specifically just extracted the obsidian without directly killing Ayimu to let her witness this moment—witness the collapse of faith!

This was his favorite thing to do!

The despair revealed in the eyes of the faithless at the moment of collapse was the most beautiful scenery!

But the expression in Ayimu's eyes at this moment made him a bit puzzled; it was a strange kind of relief and apology.

Why was she looking at him that way?

No, it seemed she was looking behind him!

"Oh? So that's how it is. I was wondering who cast such a vicious curse—turns out it's you, you bastard, Pioneer. Long time no see."

"Or should I say, do you prefer being called by your real name—Yin Qiming?"

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