1: Hey kid, wake up!

Divine Profound Continent

Cangyun Kingdom, Lower Profound Domain—a frontier town, a small village named Shiyuan Village, nestled amidst a vast expanse of mountains and wilderness. Far from the bustle of the world, the villagers lived simple and modest lives.

However, in this unremarkable little village, the gears of fate for three infants had quietly begun to turn.

One evening, as the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the sky above Shiyuan Village, a streak of seven-colored light streaked across the heavens like a meteor, flying straight toward the small houses of three adjacent families in the village.

A woman's voice, tinged with urgency and helplessness, drifted from the colored light: "Damn it! Time is running out. The infants of these three families are actually all boys—how unlucky! Sigh, there's no other way; I'll just have to make do. Hmm? This little brat actually possesses a Pure Yang Body... You'll have to do! See you in twenty years. Don't all die on me; it would be a shame if not even one of the three survives."

Before her voice could fade, the seven-colored light poured into the bodies of the three infants like flowing water. A faint glint of seven colors flashed in their eyes for a fleeting moment before vanishing, as if nothing had ever happened.

Eight years later.

Shiyuan Village remained as peaceful as ever, but there was now a child who stood out from the rest—Jiang Ye. At only eight years old, he possessed astonishing strength; even three adults who performed farm work year-round couldn't match him. The villagers marveled at this, but none knew the reason behind it.

One day, Jiang Ye took his two playmates of the same age—the chubby Shi Bao and the somewhat thin Shi Feng—to a mountain not far from the village.

Due to their families' poverty, they often went up the mountain to set traps and catch prey like wild boars and pheasants to improve their livelihoods.

After setting traps in a spot where game frequently appeared, the three children ran to a nearby cliffside to play.

At the end of this mountain lay a bottomless abyss. The villagers often said monsters haunted the place and warned the children not to go near. However, Jiang Ye didn't take it seriously.

Shi Bao lay prone on the edge of the cliff, staring into the pitch-black abyss. He said timidly, "Ye Zai, the villagers say there are monsters down there and told us not to play here, or else we'll be dragged down and eaten."

Jiang Ye curled his lip and said, "Where are the monsters? They're lying. If there were monsters, they would've come up and eaten all the wild boars long ago."

Shi Feng was also a bit scared and said, "Let's play somewhere else. It's pitch black down there; it looks a bit terrifying."

Jiang Ye rolled over and looked up at the sky, saying lazily, "I don't know where else to play right now. If we go too far, I'm afraid we'll get lost. Let's just sleep here for a bit! Once something gets caught in the traps, we'll go back and get it."

And so, the three children lay down by the cliffside and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Half an hour later.

A low voice suddenly drifted up from the bottom of the abyss: "Is this child eight years old now? Hehehe! It seems the time has come. A Pure Yang Body! You will finally help this Demon God escape his predicament!"

Before the voice finished, Jiang Ye's body suddenly floated up and slowly drifted down toward the bottom of the abyss. His two playmates remained asleep, completely unaware.

Jiang Ye was brought to a massive Formation at the bottom of the abyss. Trapped in the center of the Formation was a middle-aged man with a towering build, dressed in magnificent black and red robes. His face was full of domineering presence, and his eyes flashed with a sharp, piercing light.

"Kid, wake up!" The middle-aged man's voice boomed like thunder in Jiang Ye's ear.

Jiang Ye opened his eyes groggily and rubbed his sleepy eyes. When he saw the middle-aged man before him, he couldn't help but be stunned!

"Hmm? Where is this? Uncle, you don't look like you're from our village. Was I just dreaming?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness: "You're not dreaming. This is the bottom of the abyss by the cliff where you were just sleeping."

"What? How did I end up here?" Jiang Ye was startled and quickly sat up, looking around.

"I'm the one who brought you down," the middle-aged man said calmly.

"You brought me down? Are you the monster from the stories?" Jiang Ye was somewhat terrified and hurriedly scrambled back a few steps.

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "Do you think I look like a monster in any way?"

Jiang Ye sized him up seriously and shook his head. "I guess not. Then let's hurry and go back up."

The middle-aged man let out a soft laugh, his tone holding a bit of admiration: "Kid, you've got quite some guts. Aren't you afraid to be here alone?"

Jiang Ye puffed out his little chest and said confidently, "I'm not afraid! I'm very strong. Even several of those adults put together aren't as strong as me."

The middle-aged man pointed to the Formation around him and said, "Do you know what a Formation is? Like this one around me. I accidentally fell in and got trapped by it. Come over and help me wipe it away! Otherwise, I can't get out."

Jiang Ye nodded and walked forward on his short legs. "Oh, then wait a moment. I'll help you wipe it away right now."

Bang!! "Ah!!!"

However, just as he approached the Formation, his foot was suddenly tripped by a rock. He lost his balance and fell directly into the Formation. His forehead hit the ground hard, and blood immediately began to flow, dripping onto the Formation.

The middle-aged man's expression changed drastically, and he shouted urgently, "Get up! Wipe the blood away, quickly!"

Jiang Ye clutched his forehead and looked at the middle-aged man blankly. "What's wrong? That really hurt, and I'm bleeding."

The middle-aged man's face grew solemn, and a complex look flashed in his eyes. "Kid, your blood... it triggered the Formation's Restriction. This is bad..."