The seed of hatred has been planted. The fire of revenge will never die.

　　Jiang Er had regained consciousness. Crying out, he lunged toward his mother. Xuejizi quickly restrained him, using heart-calming art to soothe him into stillness.

　　Shortly after, Chen Qing's wide-open eyes blinked twice. She awoke, but her gaze remained clouded and dull, devoid of its former clarity and light.

　　It took her a considerable effort to finally recognize the figure standing before her.

　　"Master Xuanjizi... is that you? Where am I? Where is Jiang Er? Where is my son?"

　　"Mother! Mother! I'm here!" Jiang Er threw himself upon her.

　　Chen Qing's breath was as faint as a thread, sustained only by the spiritual energy Xuanjizi had transferred, granting her a brief respite. She looked at Jiang Er, her voice filled with relief and joy, "My good child... you are safe. Thank goodness..."

　　"Master Xuanjizi... the people of the Wolf-Tribe...?"

　　"Be at ease, Qing'er. They have all safely reached Domepeak Fairy Vale."

　　"Good... that's good." Chen Qing's voice was faint. "Master Xuanjizi... Master Xuejizi... my Jiang Er... he has only you to rely on now. Please... take him as your disciple."

　　"Don't worry," Xuanjizi said, his voice softening. "He's a bright boy, with a gift. His potential is boundless. He'll be a pillar of our clan one day."

　　"Hearing you say that... I can rest now." A faint smile touched her lips. "But Master Tianyouzi... where is she? I don't see her."

　　"She's in seclusion," Xuanjizi explained gently. "She emerges today. All our best mages are safeguarding her ritual. That's why we missed the distress call you sent with the bird. Qing'er... I'm sorry. We were too late."

　　"Don't say that." Her voice was barely a whisper. "You gave me and my husband a second life. We could never repay you, not even in another lifetime. Jiang Er... come here... let your mother see you."

　　Chen Qing's eyes found her son's face, pouring all her remaining love into that last look. Her hand, which had been holding his, went limp. Her head tilted to the side, and as her eyes closed for the final time, a profound peace settled over her features.

　　"Mother! No! Mother!" Jiang Er's heart-wrenching sobs echoed in the small cabin once more.

　　"Ah!" Xuanjizi slammed his right fist into his left palm.

　　A heavy grief hung over the room...

　　Soon, an elderly woman's urgent voice came from outside: "Qing'er, Qing'er! Where is Qing'er?"

　　The door opened, and a white-haired old woman entered.

　　Xuanjizi was aghast at the sight of her. "Grand Mage Tianyouzi! Your eyes... what happened?"

　　"Do not trouble yourself, Xuanjizi," the old woman replied calmly. "A minor accident occurred during my secluded training. I have lost my sight, but the spiritual power of my Third Eye has multiplied manifold. Ah, Qing'er, you..." She froze as her perception fell upon Chen Qing lying on the bed.

　　She slowly approached the bed, felt Chen Qing's wrist, and shook her head sorrowfully. "My poor Qing'er... I should have called you back after Jiang Sheng fell. Had I known this would happen..." Tears streamed from her sightless eyes.

　　Noting her frail movements, Xuanjizi said gently, "Grand Mage, what is gone cannot be restored. You have just emerged from seclusion; you must preserve your strength. Please, do not grieve too deeply."

　　The old woman touched Jiang Er's head. "This child must be Qing'er and Jiang Sheng's son? Do not worry, child. We will surely avenge your mother."

　　A Blue-Cloaked Mage entered and reported, "Grand Mage Tianyouzi, the centaurs remain at the pass, shouting challenges. They..."

　　"What are they doing?"

　　"Their insults are vile. They have cursed our ancestors for eight generations."

　　Tianyouzi gritted her teeth. "They killed my beloved disciple, and now they dare shout insults at our gate? Xuanjizi, Xuejizi, since when has our Divine Blessed Clan suffered such humiliation?"

　　"Grand Mage, leave this to me," said Xuanjizi. "I will deploy the Arcane Beast. It will take but a moment to wipe out these beasts." Xuanjizi was a master craftsman, skilled in creating divine tools and mystical devices. The Arcane Beast was his invention—a mechanical serpent capable of burrowing underground.

　　"Senior Brother Xuanjizi," Xuejizi interjected, "your Arcane Beast is not at hand. Allow me to act instead. I need only sprinkle a certain powder into the air, and I can wipe them out instantly." Xuejizi was skilled in crafting poisons and hidden weapons.

　　"I am well aware of both your capabilities," Tianyouzi said. "But would that not be too merciful for these beasts?"

　　Xuanzi attempted to use mind-reading art on Tianyouzi, hoping to discern her thoughts. To his surprise, he found he could not penetrate her consciousness in the slightest; her spiritual power had reached a state of sublime perfection.

　　Mind-reading art could only be used on those with weaker spiritual power. Xuanjizi had not realized that after this period of seclusion, Tianyouzi's power had surged far ahead of his own. He sighed inwardly and said, "We do not fully comprehend your intention, Grand Mage. We seek your guidance."

　　"A blood debt must be paid in blood," Tianyouzi declared, her voice cold. "Since they used weapons to slaughter our people so cruelly, we shall return their own method unto them. Let them tremble in fear beneath the blades of us 'lowly and cowardly' humans."

　　"But... the celestial gods themselves decreed that unless absolutely necessary, we must not wield spiritual power recklessly against the common multitude, and certainly not for slaughter. To do so would invoke divine retribution..."

　　"Xuanjizi!" Tianyouzi cut him off. "Is today not such an 'absolutely necessary' situation? If you fear divine retribution, you may stay behind. But today, I will unleash my wrath. Only this can quell the hatred in my heart."

　　Hearing her resolve, Xuanjizi ceased his objection. "Since that is the case, Grand Mage Tianyouzi, allow me to take a dozen or so Blue-Cloaked Mages and teach them a lesson."

　　"Xuanjizi," Tianyouzi said, a new intensity in her voice, "during my seclusion, I have mastered the Art of Ethereal Projection. I rather fancy testing it on these beasts."

　　"Congratulations, Grand Mage!" Xuanjizi exclaimed, utterly astonished. He knew the Art of Ethereal Projection was an ability possessed only by the celestial gods. For a human to achieve it was a monumental, near-impossible feat.

　　The Art of Ethereal Projection was a supreme technique allowing one's spiritual form to move freely outside the physical body. Using this art, the spirit could instantly travel anywhere desired. Moreover, the ethereal form was invisible to ordinary mortals and impervious to worldly weapons.

　　Mastering this art to its highest level allowed one to trace the past, foresee the future, traverse the cosmos freely, and ultimately become a deity of great liberation—omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.

　　"Xuanjizi, Xuejizi," Tianyouzi commanded, "lead the disciples and follow. This old woman cannot wait any longer; I will go ahead to teach these beasts a lesson."

　　Tianyouzi drew the twin blades from her waist. In an instant, her ethereal form had arrived outside the mouth of Domepeak Fairy Vale. After the spirit had left its body, both the twin blades, which served as her magical instruments, and her ethereal form became invisible to ordinary mortals.

　　Outside the pass, the centaurs were shouting their insults with abandon. Ignorance breeds fearlessness; they had no idea that their annihilation was imminent.

　　Hali said to his lieutenant beside him, "You see? These so-called 'Wizard Clan' are all cowards, there's nothing to..." Before he could finish his sentence, a gust of wind swept past, and the lieutenant was spattered with a shower of blood.

　　The lieutenant turned his head in horror, only to find that the head that had been resting on Hali's shoulders was gone. From the clean cut on the neck, blood gushed out like a fountain, the headless corpse remaining upright...

　　This bizarre scene utterly stupefied the lieutenant. As he stood there, terrified and不知所措, dozens of human mages in brown and blue cloaks suddenly poured out from the thin mist at the pass.

　　These human mages, each wielding a longsword, moved with the swiftness of swallows. In the blink of an eye, they were upon the centaurs. The centaur warriors fell into immediate and utter chaos, thrown into a panicked uproar.

　　The centaur soldiers were no match for these trained human cultivators. The elite forces of the Divine Blessed Clan had mobilized in full force, driven by vengeance, and they showed no mercy, leaving no survivors. Every mage unleashed their spiritual power without reservation, like tigers descending a mountain, unstoppable.

　　The centaurs were thrown into utter disarray, their cries shaking the heavens, screams of agony incessant. Instantly, blood rained in the air, and the ground was littered with corpses. In a matter of moments, all fell silent. The entire force of over three hundred centaur soldiers had been completely annihilated.

　　To intimidate Sisen's tribe, Tianyouzi spared a single survivor—a centaur soldier nearly scared to death—and had him drive a wagon loaded with the heads of his fallen comrades back to Sisen's tribe.

　　The next morning, the sky cleared after the rain.

　　Xuanjizi arrived outside the mountain pass. Surveying the carnage, he sighed to himself: Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.He ordered his subordinates to pile the bodies together and set them ablaze. The ashes drifted away with the wind.

　　The Divine Blessed Clan had cultivated many farms in the basin of Domepeak Fairy Vale. Grand Mage Tianyouzi permitted the rescued humans to choose freely: those willing to live in the vale could stay, while those who wished to return to the Wolf-Tribe were not compelled to remain.

　　The majority chose to stay. A smaller group, often those with families in tow, were escorted by the clan's elite masters back to the Wolf-Tribe. They were accompanied by the dozen or so carts of grain looted by Hali's forces, all returned to the gates of Wolf-Den City.

　　Thereafter, Sisen's tribe sent forces multiple times to retaliate against Domepeak Fairy Vale. Each time, the result was the same as before: the sole surviving centaur soldier would drive a wagon laden with the heads of the dead back to his tribe.

　　Finally, Sisen's tribe was thoroughly subdued. Sisen himself came to the Divine Blessed Clan to apologize and atone for his actions. Following the covenant laws established between the people of the Mu Continent and the Celestial Gods, Sisen and Grand Mage Tianyouzi formed a pact of mental allegiance.

　　Sisen's tribe pledged henceforth to honor Tianyouzi as a Celestial God of humanity, serving and obeying her as they would a heavenly deity, offering eternal submission and service.

　　Tianyouzi could, at any time, use mental transmission art to summon Sisen's tribe to follow her commands and serve the Divine Blessed Clan. In return, the clan pledged to provide protection for Sisen's tribe.

　　From that point on, Sisen's tribe never again dared to conduct grass-and-grain raids in the Southern Gorge Forest. When adult centaurs scolded disobedient, crying children, they would often use the phrase, "If you don't behave, the Divine Blessed Clan will come for you!" to frighten them into obedience.

　　Jiang Er was endowed with remarkable natural intelligence, mastering mystical arts far more rapidly than ordinary people. He first apprenticed himself to Xuanjizi, and later received personal guidance from Tianyouzi. Within just a few short years, his spiritual power increased at an astonishing rate.

　　By the age of fifteen, Jiang Er had already attained the rank of Brown-Cloaked Mage, becoming the youngest Brown-Cloaked Mage in the Divine Blessed Clan.

　　Tianyouzi once told Jiang Er that he had been extraordinary since childhood, perhaps a gift inherited from both his parents being elite members of the Divine Blessed Clan.

　　By the time Jiang Er was eight years old, the Third Eye within his cranium had not degenerated or atrophied; instead, it continuously evolved and grew. This was why, in the desperate moment following his mother's tragic death, he had instinctively managed to unleash lightning magic.

　　One early morning, on a mountain peak east of Domepeak Fairy Vale.

　　A human youth sat cross-legged in meditation on a rock. The youth wore a blue cloak, was sturdily built with a chubby, earnest face, and had a pair of exceptionally bright large eyes that made him look particularly spirited.

　　The first rays of the morning sun shone directly on the youth's forehead. The Third Eye within his skull seemed to breathe, the skin on his forehead expanding and contracting slightly as it drew energy from all things in heaven and earth.

　　As he entered a meditative state, his entire body slowly began to levitate, rising to a height of more than ten meters above the mountain peak.

　　This was Jiang Er, now fifteen years old.

　　At that very moment, the voice of Grand Mage Tianyouzi resonated in Jiang Er's mind through mental transmission art: "Jiang Er, please come to your grandmother."

　　"Grandmother, of course. I'll be there immediately," Jiang Er replied using the same mental transmission art.

　　Opening his eyes, Jiang Er deployed the art of aerial flight and flew toward the western mountains of the vale.