Outside Longevity Hill, on the edge of Ji River, lived a nomadic tribe by the name of Gongsun. Although they were descended from the Bear Tribe, none of them were cultivators. Over tens of thousands of years of oral inheritance, they had lost nearly all records on the Hasbear External Art, much less the Eight Source Ascension created by the Martial Ancestor.
Still, the tribe survived by migrating with their prey. On a certain day, none of the tribe’s hunters had left. Instead, they gathered outside the largest hut in the tribe. Not just them, but all the tribe's people waited outside.
Inside the hut was a woman. Her husband wasn’t anyone important. In fact, he had died while out on a hunt, but that didn’t matter. What the Gongsun Tribe respected wasn’t the woman herself, but the child she carried. Her child had stayed in her belly for nine years, just like the legends of Sovereign Fuxi and Sovereign Shennong.
The Gongsun Tribe and humanity itself didn’t know the existence of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, but they didn’t stop them from yearning for a leader to bring them prosperity.
“Look, purple clouds are coming from the east!”
At someone’s shout, people looked up and saw the violet clouds miraculously soaring towards them. A few sharp-eyed people saw nine coiling dragons roving within the cloud. One by one, the people knelt down in reverence.
Unknown to the Gongsun Tribe, a similar phenomenon occurred above the Jiuli Tribe near the West where the World Nexus once existed. Although dragons also roamed the violet clouds, there were only eight of them. Still, the happenings in the Jiuli Tribe would not affect the Gongsun Tribe for many years to come.
A piercing shriek echoed from the hut. However, her cries were drowned out by the dragon roars and phoenix cries of the violet clouds above.
The cacophony went on for hours, but when an infant’s cry pierced through the dragon roars and phoenix cries, the violet clouds started to dissipate. As the clouds disappeared, golden lines fell down from the violet clouds and clothed the tribe's people in golden robes. When the violet clouds disappeared, so did the golden robes.
Still, the people did not stand up and continued to kneel. They waited for an immortal to arrive. According to the oral tales, when Sovereign Fuxi and Sovereign Shennong were born, an immortal arrived not long later to accept them as students.
To the tribe’s people’s dismay, no immortal arrived even after they kneeled for several days. Still, they did not abandon the newborn child, for they still harbored hope that he would bring them prosperity.
The tribal chief and his wife entered the hut. To their shock, the widow had perished not long after giving birth because she did not receive any aid. Although it was a tragedy, the widow’s children lived. Yes, children. For the widow had given birth to twins, one male and one female.
From the first glance, the tribal chief and his wife knew that the twins were extraordinary. They were born with milky white skin and hair the color of golden wheat. Even though they were just born, their skin was glossy and not wrinkled like most newborns. Even as infants, the chief and his wife could already guess how beautiful the twins would grow up to be.
The chief picked up the male twin while his wife picked up the female twin. The male twin was given the name Xuanyuan, and the female twin was named Xuanyi.
Together, the Gongsun Twins grew up under the care of the entire tribe. Although they were without parents, they grew up full of love and respect.
Gongsun Xuanyuan was brilliant from a young age. Even though he didn’t become a hunter, Xuanyuan was still respected by the tribe. When his tribe had a bad hunting season, he invented the first boat to allow the tribe to go deeper into the waters to capture more fish. Later, he invented the wheel, which made transportation easier.
Because of his achievements, the Gongsun Tribe were even more convinced of his right to rule humanity. His fame didn’t only remain with the Gongsun Tribe and made its way to other human settlements. Upon learning of his achievements and brilliance, many tribes and settlements willingly joined the Gongsun Tribe. The Gongsun Tribe then grew until it became Zhuolu.
Xuanyuan was extremely talented in the chains of command. He didn’t do every task himself and delegated tasks to appropriate subordinates. His achievements didn’t stop there.
After years of observation, Xuanyuan realized that each year could be split into quarters based on the weather. He named the first quarter winter for its cold and desolateness. He named the second quarter spring because the chill receded and flowers bloomed. Summer was the third quarter, and it was the hottest period of time where plants and animals multiplied the most. The last quarter was called fall, and it was when most plants bore fruit and animals prepared for winter.
Colloquially, the four quarters were called the four seasons.
Unlike Xuanyuan, Gongsun Xuanyi pursued power from a young age. She became a hunter at nine years old and became the tribe’s best hunter in less than a year. In ten years, none of the hunters could defeat her in combat, even if they all ganged up on her at the same time.
After her brother started to unify the surrounding settlements and tribes, Xuanyi made a good friend in Xi Lingshi. Together, Xuanyi discovered the silkworm and used their silk to make a new type of clothing. Xi Lingshi created the silk loom and devised a method to farm silkworms.
Not long later, Xuanyuan proposed to Xi Lingshi, and she agreed, becoming Xuanyuan’s wife and Xuanyi’s sister-in-law.
Unknown to the denizens of Zhuolu, Xuanyuan’s wedding was observed by two revered beings.
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“Are you really not going to take him in as a disciple?” a woman with skin the color of wheat wearing fur and exuding a wild aura asked from atop a mountain peak.
By her side, a man wearing simple robes shook his head. He had a head full of black except for the gray hair on his temples. He was Wutian, the Martial Ancestor. “Isn’t Xuanyuan doing very well? I want to show everyone that even without the guidance of immortals, humanity can still prosper.”
Tonggu, Tongtian’s future incarnation, just shrugged. “Do as you wish, but I hope you don’t regret it.”
“Why will I regret it?”
“Aren’t you watching him closely in case of any accidents, even though you know you can’t intervene without becoming his teacher?” Tonggu asked.
“It’s just to prevent accidents. I have full confidence Xuanyuan will become the next sovereign of humanity,” Wutian said.
“Are you sure you want to do that? Now is the best time to comprehend the myriad laws. Once you lose this chance, you may never get it again.”
Wutian shook his head. “I’m sure. Even if I miss this chance, it’s worth it as long as humanity prospers. So what if I miss it? I believe with my talent that I can reach the Primordial Origin Realm, just like the Harmonious One of Blessed Wisdom.”
Tonggu stayed silent. Moments later, she said, “How can it be so easy to reach the Primordial Origin Realm? To reach that level, you have to grasp every chance possible. Not to mention that having you ascend to the Primordial Origin Realm is not necessarily a good thing for humanity.”
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Wutian scrunched his brows. “What does Master mean by that?”
“I can’t say. It involves the heavenly secrets,” Tonggu said.
Although Wutian was puzzled, he believed that human effort could overcome everything, so he didn’t delve into it too much. “What about you, Master? Shouldn’t you be focusing on comprehending the myriad laws, too?”
“I’m just an incarnation. I’ll leave comprehending the myriad laws to my main body and the other incarnations,” Tonggu said. She crossed her arms and leaned against a tree. “Besides, I’m also here as insurance. Just in case, I’ll accept a disciple.”
Wutian frowned. “Who?”
Tonggu gestured toward the flaxen-haired woman within the city with her chin. “I quite like Xuanyi. She’s in my strike zone.”
“Her?” Wutian asked. After a while, he nodded. As long as it wasn’t Xuanyuan, the future human sovereign, it wouldn’t affect much. When Xuanyuan officially became humanity’s third sovereign, most of the luck will concentrate on him. Even if his master took Xuanyi as a disciple, she wouldn’t receive even ten percent of the Karmic Luck.
The two stood in silence and continued to watch as Xuanyuan married Xi Lingshi.
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Years after Xuanyuan married Xi Lingshi, he took a second wife. Her name was Feng Leishi, and she invented the comb. However, her identity wasn’t simply that. She was the daughter of Yu Gong, Sovereign Shennong’s eighth grandson.
After Shennong abdicated, his many sons all claimed orthodoxy and attempted to become the next ruler of humanity, but none of them could convince all humans, like the heavenly and earthly sovereigns before them. This infighting led to the fractured cohesion of humanity, one further split by the invasion of the Tengri Chaos World. Even though Shennong’s descendants couldn’t unite humanity, their existence still contained meaning.
Thus, Feng Leishi’s union with Xuanyuan was like an invisible signal. After the marriage ceremony, Xuanyuan’s prestige was magnified. Through diplomacy and charm, more and more members of humanity pledged allegiance to him.
During this time, Xuanyuan met his third wife, Tong Yushi. Like Xi Lingshi and Feng Leishi before her, she advanced mankind’s prosperity with her innovation. Tong Yushi not only invented chopsticks but also many different kinds of cooking and dinner wares.
As more and more humans joined Xuanyuan’s camp, his sister gradually became forgotten by the people. Xuanyi told herself that it didn’t matter, because her brother could accomplish many things she couldn’t. He could lead humanity to a higher level, but she didn’t have his leadership skills or insights.
Still, Xuanyi felt a sense of dissonance. Before, the people knew her as Xuanyi, the great hunter, but now, people only knew her as Xuanyuan’s sister. The greater Xuanyuan’s prestige grew, the weaker her presence became. Her existence only served as a foil to her brother’s brilliance.
Although Xuanyi didn’t care to become humanity’s next ruler, she didn’t want to become a footnote in her brother’s legend. While pondering about how she could stand out, she learned of immortal cultivation. So, despite her brother’s objections, Xuanyi left Zhuolu to search for an immortal to become her teacher.
Xuanyi’s journey was not without trouble and suffering. The danger only increased after she left the relative safety of human settlements, chief among them were the rogue demons.
The strongest demons had followed Bai Ze and Nuwa, while a few joined the Interception or Liberation Sects. However, many demons still remained in the Earthly Realm. After the passage of eons, these demons had forgotten the glory of the Demon Heavenly Court as well as many other inheritances. Still, one thing remained: their desire to devour human flesh to increase their cultivation.
Especially since Xuanyi’s flesh was like a top-tier tonic for demons. Although she was a mortal, she was born with a powerful body, perfect for cultivation. Once she embarked on the path, the gains the demons would receive upon devouring her would become exponential.
But with a sword in hand, Xuanyi fended off the dangers and slayed the demons that dared to covet her flesh.
One day, Xuanyi dropped off her latest hunt, a deer she had shot with an arrow. She relit the fire that had been snuffed out before taking out an obsidian knife to butcher her prey. Dirt and grime covered her skin, and the silk clothing she wore when leaving Zhuolu had turned into fur robes. Even her flaxen hair turned dark brown from the filth.
While butchering the deer, Xuanyi never noticed a cicada with a shell of glittering gold in the tree above her. The golden cicada’s ruby red eyes stared at Xuanyi with yearning. Had it been a wolf or bear, drool would have already leaked out of its mouth.
The golden cicada spread its wings and flapped them at a high frequency, blurring as they created a song unique to cicadas. Xuanyi, who should have heard the cicada’s song, seemed to turn deaf at this moment. She didn’t even look up when the golden cicada took off and flew towards her.
Just as the golden cicada was about to land on Xuanyi, a wheat-colored hand grabbed it. The golden cicada struggled with all its might, but it was useless. It couldn’t escape its captor’s palm, and before it knew it, the golden cicada discovered it was locked up in a gilded cage.
Xuanyi, who finally heard the cicada’s song, turned around full of vigilance. She clutched her sword’s handle and shouted, “Who’s there?!”
She was stunned to see a woman with wheat-colored skin wearing the same kind of fur robes as her. Powerful muscles rippled under the woman’s skin, which was only enhanced by her towering height. Although the woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Xuanyi couldn’t help but feel a sense of closeness to her despite the abnormal situation.
The wheat-skinned woman smiled at Xuanyi. “I’m Tonggu. Are you lost? It’s not often humans venture this far deep into the wilderness, especially cute girls like you.”
Xuanyi flushed. She found herself especially weak to Tonggu’s praise. It was not like she had never been complimented, but she had only been called cute in her childhood. As she grew up, the people described her as beautiful and even used flowery words to compliment her, especially after her brother became more influential. Such a direct and simple compliment made her feel shy.
Despite herself, Xuanyi invited Tonggu to have a meal with her.
Tonggu smiled and sat down. She watched as Xuanyi finished butchering the deer and roast it directly over an open fire.
“I know my third sister-in-law invented many cooking utensils and even some methods, but my favorite method is still roasting it like this. It makes me feel warm and safe, as if someone is there standing in front of me, protecting me,” Xuanyi said.
“Perhaps it’s something embedded into every human’s soul,” Tonggu said.
Once Xuanyi was done, she split the meat between herself and Tonggu. While they ate, they also talked.
“When do you plan to return?” Tonggu asked.
“Return? Maybe when I’m strong enough,” Xuanyi said.
“Oh? And when will that be?”
“When I have enough strength to protect everything important to me. I always feel uneasy. If I don’t have enough strength, I won’t go back.”
A gourd appeared in Tonggu’s hand. She took out a swig of it before wiping her lips with her arms. “Well, good luck. With how weak you are, it’s going to take a long time.”
Even with her good impression of Tonggu, Xuanyi couldn’t help but get angry. “Take that back. Before I left, I was the strongest hunter.”
“Haha. And that’s why I said you’re weak. You’re so weak, you’re ignorant of your own weakness.”
“Then I’ll prove you wrong,” Xuanyi said as she stood up.
Tonggu also stood up with a provocative smile. “Okay, how do you want to prove it to me?”
Xuanyi answered by charging at Tonggu. Tonggu only smiled and stood there. When Xuanyi reached her, she grabbed Tonggu’s body and planned to throw her to the ground, but before Xuanyi knew it, she was the one whose back was on the ground.
She blinked, unable to process what had happened. When Xuanyi sat up, Tonggu was in the same position with the same easygoing smile.
Xuanyi stood up and charged at Tonggu again. She punched her before attempting to grapple with her. But now matter what she did, Tonggu neutralized her attacks with unnatural ease. Yet, those simple movements made Xuanyi feel helpless, as if she was fighting against the currents.
Originally, Xuanyi didn’t want to use her sword because she didn’t want to hurt Tonggu, but not anymore. Tonggu was far more powerful than her. If she didn’t unsheathe her sword, she would have no chance of victory.
Alas, even with her sword unsheathed, Xuanyi still found herself in the same position. She was like a child in front of an adult. No matter what she did, it didn’t affect Tonggu at all.
“Who are you?” Xuanyi asked. “I should have heard of a human as powerful as you. Are you the Martial Ancestor? But I heard the Martial Ancestor was a man.”
“Wrong,” Tonggu said with a simple shake of her head. “Who said I was human?”
After speaking those words, Tonggu’s body began to grow. She reached a towering height of over twenty meters. Just one of her fingers was as tall as Xuanyi.
Although Xuanyi still didn’t know Tonggu’s exact identity, she instinctively knew Tonggu was a powerful immortal. Xuanyi became excited. Wasn’t the reason she ventured into the wilderness to find an immortal master?
Xuanyi kneeled and tapped her forehead against the ground. “Exalted Immortal, please accept me as your disciple.”