Nightfall descended.Silence blanketed the entire Qin estate.
Ever since the emergency war bells had tolled, all nightly activities were suspended. Every clan member now focused solely on cultivation—for in the coming war, only strength would determine survival.
Creak—A door opened gently.Qin Feng stepped softly into the room.
Through the faint silver gleam of moonlight streaming through the window, he saw his younger brother fast asleep, curled up with the little broken cauldron in his arms. The serene innocence on Qin Hao's face made it all the more difficult to act.
"Forgive me, brother. This is for your own good…"Qin Feng kept repeating the words in his heart, a futile effort to ease the guilt gnawing within him.
Only by extracting the Supreme Bone could the Qin Clan preserve its strength, slip into the shadows, and bide time. The pain would temper his brother, hasten his growth—and allow Qin Feng to complete his mission.Most importantly, once the deed was done, their father could no longer declare: "My son Qin Feng bears the potential of an Emperor."
Four birds, one stone.
Forgive me… my foolish little otouto.
"Brother…?"Qin Hao stirred, rubbing his eyes in a daze.Seeing Qin Feng standing by his bed, he was about to leap into his arms with joy—
But pain exploded in his chest.He looked down—Only to see his elder brother's hand buried in his body.
"Brother…?"He lifted his eyes in disbelief.Gone was the smiling big brother he adored; in his place stood a cold, unfeeling stranger.
"The Supreme Bone… is mine now."Qin Feng's voice was firm as he wrenched the divine bone free.
Ding! You have gravely injured the Child of Destiny. Target now critical—Reward: 800,000 Villain Points!Ding! Supreme Bone extracted—You have shattered a major destiny node. Reward: One draw from the Epic Prize Wheel!Ding! You have completed the 'Epic Villain Destiny Mission.' Reward: Invincible Dual Pupils unlocked!
A trio of system notifications thundered through Qin Feng's mind.His vision flickered—his pupils splitting, reshaping into mirrored rings of power.These were the legendary Dual Pupils, capable of perceiving the very fabric of reality. He could even retract their appearance, disguising himself as ordinary.
Clatter.The broken cauldron slipped from Qin Hao's limp grasp. He collapsed onto the bed.
"So this is the power of the Invincible Dual Pupils…"Qin Feng's gaze fell on the cauldron.
Unlike before, he could now see the faint outline of a feeble spirit within it—a classic protagonist's mysterious old man in a pot.
"This has to be a joke…"Qin Hao lay trembling on the bed, refusing to believe that his beloved brother could betray him like this.
But belief could not change reality.He could only watch, helpless, as Qin Feng turned and left, Supreme Bone in hand.
As for the cauldron, Qin Feng did not take it.Whether the spirit within would acknowledge him didn't matter—he had the system. He didn't need an old man in a jar.A bone for a mentor? He considered that a fair deal.
Once Qin Feng departed, a sigh echoed from within the cauldron.
"The Dual Pupils are a path to invincibility. Why borrow another's bone to walk it?"
A gentle light flared, enveloping Qin Hao in healing warmth.
—
Inside the chambers of Qin Feng's parents—
"No… no…"Yun Xiyue sobbed, shaking her head repeatedly as she listened to the plan laid bare.
She begged Qin Tian to call it off. As a mother, she could not bear to send her son into exile, hunted by all.
He's only eight…A child…
Worse still, the truth could not be revealed to Qin Hao. She might one day witness her sons locked in deadly combat, ignorant of the true circumstances. It was a cruelty no mother should endure.
"We must believe in him."Qin Tian's voice trembled as he held his wife tightly.He too understood the agony.
But as the Patriarch of the Qin Clan, he could not let his people die in vain. Nor could he watch the clan fall to ruin through futile resistance.
Today's retreat… was for tomorrow's ascension.
Thud. Thud. Thud.Three knocks resounded outside their door.Qin Feng was kneeling there, bowing three times beneath the night sky.
"Feng'er!!"Yun Xiyue's composure shattered. She moved to open the door—to see her child, if only once more.
But Qin Tian held her back.If she lost control now, others would come. The truth would unravel. All would be for nothing.
"Father, Mother—your son takes his leave."Without hesitation, Qin Feng turned and walked away.
"My son—my child!"Yun Xiyue sobbed uncontrollably in her husband's arms, pounding against his chest.
That boy was once a part of her body, her very flesh…And now she had to send him into darkness, hunted, alone.
—
At the gates of the Qin estate—
Qin Feng paused, letting the night breeze brush across his face.He looked back at the home he had known for eight years.This place had given him warmth, kinship, love.And now, for its sake—he would leave it behind.
荒古… The Wilds…Beautiful women, destined wives… I, Qin Feng, am coming.
"Eh?"He stopped. His eyes fell upon a crooked tree by the gate.
Before, it seemed ordinary. But with the Dual Pupils, he now saw a terrifying force hidden within.
Ruin. Desolation.A presence that didn't belong to this world.A power spanning across countless eras.
"Good grief… Do all Children of Destiny come prepackaged with cheat codes?"Qin Feng looked at the Supreme Bone in his hand, and couldn't help but curse.
Compared to the cauldron's spirit and the mysterious cursed tree…this supreme bone felt… pitiful.
Just then—A voice echoed in his ear. The First Ancestor's spiritual transmission.
"Child… dawn approaches. The bounty upon you will soon spread across the Wilds. Where will you go?"
"To the Moonshadow Dynasty," Qin Feng declared solemnly.He would walk into the most dangerous of lands.
Ever since its radical reforms a century ago, Moonshadow had abandoned bloodlines and embraced meritocracy.They would be very interested in a Qin traitor.
More importantly—three of the Four Great Beauties hailed from Moonshadow.Not that he cared about such things. Obviously.
"Then survive, child. Survive and return!"The Ancestor's voice cracked with emotion.He's only eight… and already bears the weight of the clan.We… we have failed him.
Ding! Such an exquisitely hypocritical villain deserves applause—Your portable realm has doubled in size.
Hypocrite your uncle!I'm the d*mn hope of the Qin Clan!
Qin Feng rolled his eyes at the system's commentary.
Then—A scream echoed from within the estate.
"Someone—quick! The Second Young Master has been attacked!!"