The lake rippled, firelight flickered.
The black-haired youth grinned as he tore off a huge piece of roasted fish and handed it to the group of kneeling cultivators before him.
"Come on, eat! You've traveled so far—you must be starving, right?"
His eyes blinked innocently, face brimming with "warm hospitality."
Yet in the eyes of the holy son and his followers, this scene was nothing less than divine judgment.
That piece of meat—clearly the core flesh of a "Thunder Abyss Fish," saturated with primal lightning essence. A mere bite of it would cause an ordinary saint to explode on the spot.
And the youth… was handing it out casually, like roasted meat?
"This… this is a trial." Cold sweat drenched the holy son's body, his voice trembling. "The offering of an ancient god cannot be eaten lightly. To endure it… means to pass the trial!"
At his words, everyone turned pale, hearts hammering wildly.
"To eat, or not to eat?"
"If we don't… we'll die anyway."
"If we do… we might die faster…"
Their faces turned white then blue, as if thrown into boiling oil.
—But the black-haired youth was watching eagerly, his eyes bright with expectation.
"Come on, don't be shy! I roasted it till it's crispy outside and tender inside—delicious!"
He even tore off another chunk for himself, chewing noisily with relish.
"Mm! Just a bit salty."
But in the eyes of the cultivators, it was something entirely different:
—He had personally eaten the forbidden offering, declaring, "Those I approve of may share in it."
This was… the acknowledgment of an ancient god!
"I'll risk it!" one bold cultivator cried, trembling as he grabbed a piece and bit down with his eyes shut.
At once, raging thunder erupted inside him, tearing his flesh apart—yet the next moment, a strange warmth flowed from the meat, forcefully stabilizing his meridians.
His eyes bulged wide, stunned.
"I… I've broken through?!"
In just a few breaths, his cultivation surged from the peak of the Golden Core realm into the Nascent Soul stage!
The place fell silent.
Then, gasps and cries exploded like thunder.
"Ancient god's offering! This truly is an ancient god's offering!"
"One bite and you can defy fate!"
"This is the ultimate trial! This is fortune itself!"
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned blood-red as they hurled themselves at the roasted fish.
"Give me a piece!"
"Junior brother, don't steal mine!"
"Let go! That's mine!"
…
Chaos erupted by the lakeside, the cultivators tearing into the meat like starving beasts.
Meanwhile, the black-haired youth was dumbfounded.
"Are they… really starving? It's just a roasted fish, why fight like this?"
He quickly tried to calm them: "Hey, hey, don't fight! There's plenty more fish in the lake!"
With a flick of his rod—splash—he hauled another Thunder Abyss Fish, larger than a house, onto the shore.
"Hold on, I'll roast another one!"
Smiling, he tossed it into the fire, sprinkling salt and flipping it like a seasoned cook.
…
But the holy son and the others were petrified at the sight of him casually hauling out monsters.
"With just a flick… he drags them up?"
"Could this lake… be his backyard fishpond?"
"Hiss—" countless cultivators sucked in breath. "A being who lives in a forbidden land… terrifying beyond measure!"
They could never guess that the boy had grown up here, fishing and roasting meat as nothing more than daily life.
…
The fire blazed higher, the aroma of roasted meat spreading stronger.
The youth called out cheerfully: "Come on, everyone, have a taste!"
The outsiders, tears streaming down their faces, had only one thought left in their hearts—
"This is the feast of an ancient god!"
They knelt reverently, scarcely daring to breathe, whispering in trembling voices:
"To share a meal with the ancient god… is the honor of my life!"
The youth scratched his head, muttering in puzzlement: "Weird bunch… who eats on their knees? Don't their legs get sore?"
…
Night fell, the fire by the lake blazing to the heavens.
Beyond the dungeon, in the nine heavens and ten lands, every great sect peering into the ruins saw the scene:
—A black-haired youth sitting calmly by the bonfire, surrounded by countless cultivators kneeling, receiving food from his hands as if in pilgrimage.
That single image detonated the entire world.
"Heavens! The forbidden land has revealed its master!"
"He sits at the sacrificial fire, with all cultivators prostrating… that's no meal—that's the transmission of the Dao!"
"That is the very will of the dungeon, given form!"
In a rush, rumors swept the heavens and the earth, shaking every sect to its core.
…
By the lake, the youth yawned, drowsy from a full belly.
"Ugh, food coma's hitting me. Better sleep early."
He casually tossed the remaining half of a fish into the fire, stretched, and trudged back to his wooden hut.
"You all take your time, I'm going to bed!"
Creak—the door shut softly.
The outsiders were left gaping, frozen in place.
"The ancient god… has returned to his divine palace to rest," the holy son whispered.
In an instant, all of them understood, tears streaming, as they cried out in unison:
"Rest well, ancient god!"