Young Star Constellation giggled with laughter.
She wandered around the back mountain, strolling among the wildflowers in full bloom, playing in the sweet mountain springs.
She teased a spirited little civet kitten — one she had accidentally saved.
Every day she had free time, she would visit the cave to see it, feed it, and play with it.
"You're playing around again?!" A voice came abruptly from behind.
Young Star Constellation's entire body trembled, her scalp tingling. She turned around slowly to see Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable, clad in a white robe, his face stern.
"Master..." Star Constellation lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Extend your hand." Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable produced a ruler.
Star Constellation gritted her teeth and stretched out her small, pale hand.
Smack.
The ruler struck her palm, instantly leaving a red mark.
Intense pain surged through her, but Star Constellation clenched her teeth and refused to cry.
"Your studies have been a complete mess lately. Instead of practicing your killer moves properly, you're here playing with a kitten?" Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable's gaze shifted to the little civet behind Star Constellation.
Young Star Constellation's eyes immediately filled with tears: "Master, please don't be angry. Don't send Little Yellow away. His wounds only healed not long ago. I promise I'll be good and practice my killer moves from now on."
Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable gazed deeply at Star Constellation, but at this moment she had mustered every ounce of her courage, looking as though she would die to protect the little civet.
Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable kept a straight face and lifted young Star Constellation by the scruff: "Come with me."
Star Constellation felt a violent gust of wind rush into her face, and she couldn't open her eyes.
She didn't know how long had passed before the howling wind suddenly ceased, and she felt her feet touch solid ground.
"Open your eyes and look." Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable's voice came.
Star Constellation opened her eyes to find herself standing in a stretch of ruins.
Her pupils contracted to needlepoints. Before her burned the remains of houses, and scattered everywhere were the corpses of men, women, and children...
"This small village was once peaceful and quiet, but it sat right against the world barrier. A band of variant human raiders broke through and massacred everyone." Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable said.
"Do you know how many times a situation like this occurs?" Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable asked.
Young Star Constellation was deeply shaken and instinctively shook her head.
"Almost every single day, this is playing out somewhere." Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable sighed. "Not only along the borders of the Central Continent — even deep in its heartland, remnants of the variant humans still linger, frequently emerging to slaughter our human race."
"The Central Continent of today has already seen the establishment of Heavenly Court, and humanity holds an unassailable advantage. The supreme organizations of the variant humans have either gone into hiding or fled the Central Continent entirely. But what about the other four regions? The variant humans still reign supreme. Do you know why?"
Young Star Constellation answered without much deliberation: "I know! I've heard the other senior brothers and sisters talk about it before. Master, you once roamed all five regions and struck at every supreme organization of the variant humans. No matter how many variant human Gu Immortals there were, they couldn't defeat you, Master — but they went into hiding. And we couldn't find them."
"That's right." Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable nodded. "Once an immortal aperture is merged with heaven and earth and compressed to a single point, searching for one is like trying to find a needle in a vast ocean — extraordinarily difficult."
"Exactly so. Even though the human race has Immortal Venerables like me who are invincible beneath the heavens, it is still difficult to effectively root out the variant humans."
"Although our human race has initially established dominion over the Central Continent, the other four regions remain difficult to liberate. Our population is simply too small — far too few to match the variant humans."
"Even if we were to slaughter every last variant human Gu Master and mortal in the four regions, so long as their blessed lands and grotto-heavens still exist, they could effortlessly cultivate vast numbers of variant humans once more."
"Blessed lands and grotto-heavens, once hidden, are nearly impossible to find. Moreover, the flow of time inside them is far faster than the outside world. This causes their populations to explode rapidly."
"Every so often, these blessed lands and grotto-heavens throw open their gates, releasing their surplus populations into the four regions."
"Those immortal apertures of the Gu Immortals — they are the very foundation of the variant humans. If we cannot locate them precisely, then after my death, humanity will remain in grave danger, and the tragedies of the past will repeat themselves." Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable sighed deeply, gently stroking young Star Constellation's head. "This is precisely why you must work hard! Destiny has decreed that you shall be humanity's future Immortal Venerable, the one who founds the Wisdom Path."
"With the Wisdom Path, we will be able to calculate the locations of the vast majority of blessed lands and grotto-heavens, slay those variant human Gu Immortals, and truly establish an age of prosperity for our human race."
"Star Constellation, you must understand — every moment you waste playing here, members of our human race are dying beneath the variant humans' butcher blades. Among them are countless elderly people, and countless children your own age. While you play, children just like you can only collapse into pools of blood, never to see the sun rise again."
Young Star Constellation's face turned white as paper, her lips pressed tightly together, silent.
Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable activated his killer move once more and brought her back to the back mountain. He offered no further lecture, simply leaving her alone.
Several days later.
Young Star Constellation parted ways with the little civet, Little Yellow.
Although Little Yellow was deeply attached to her, she still sent him back into the forest.
When she was alone once more, she crouched on the ground, hugging her knees, and wept softly.
"Even though everything Master said is completely true, I'm still just a child. The other senior brothers and sisters all get to play — why can't I?"
"Is it all because destiny has decreed that I'm to be an Immortal Venerable in the future?"
Young Star Constellation cried for a long time, until night fell and the summer sky was filled with countless stars.
She slowly rose to her feet, tear stains still visible on her small face.
From her chest, a cluster of starlight welled forth.
Star Constellation took the cluster of starlight in her hands and cast it into the back mountain.
The starlight bore a faint shadow of her own silhouette.
Young Star Constellation spoke to the star shadow: "I never actually wanted to become an Immortal Venerable, but destiny cannot be changed. Everyone has been so kind to me — I need to think of them too. I want our entire human race to be happy."
"If there is a next life, then live freely and play to your heart's content — make up for the regrets of this one!"
The star shadow lingered and would not depart.
Young Star Constellation gazed at it and said: "Let me give you a name as well. Since Master often praises me for having bright eyes and gleaming teeth, for being clever and quick-witted — I shall call you Ming Hao."
Receiving its name, the star shadow seemed delighted and vanished in an instant.
Star Constellation in her youth had already blossomed into a stunning young female immortal.
She did not simply seclude herself away — she frequently traveled the four corners of the world, broadening her horizons.
Sitting at home in isolation was of no use, for what she needed was not to inherit Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable's mantle, but to found the Wisdom Path.
While traveling the Eastern Sea in disguise, she came to know a certain Gu Immortal.
Through a twist of fate, she and this Gu Immortal encountered each other time and again — fighting side by side against enemies, annihilating variant human tribes, exploring the deep ocean trenches together. Their bond grew deep and eventually blossomed into romance.
However...
"You're a variant human!" Star Constellation saw her beloved's true appearance and recoiled in shock, stumbling backward again and again.
"Xing'er, I didn't mean to hide it from you — please let me explain." Her beloved was frantic with anxiety.
But Star Constellation shook her head violently and soared into the sky.
Her beloved gave chase without hesitation, but his injuries were far too severe. In the end, he plummeted from the heights.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying on a stretch of beach — and right beside him was Star Constellation.