For a moment, the entire sanctuary fell silent as if a flock of crows and sparrows had vanished.
A wave of subdued, anxious emotion rippled through the crowd.
Why? Because Weak Races Have No Freedom! Even here in our own core valley, offend this honored Human guest and you will die—executed personally by Elder Xiturok!
"We..."
"Weak races..."
All the Quibeasts—six-legged monsters covering the ground—froze in place. The once deafening uproar of protest dissolved into silent, heavy gazes exchanged among them. Their cultivation realms differed, their bodies glittered in every color, yet they all shared one identity—
Quibeasts.
A third-rate life race, vassals of the Human Race—the Awakened Beasts Race.
"Let me hear no more words of complaint."
As Andrew Han immersed himself in the Mystery-Light Baptism, losing all sense of the outside world, Elder Xiturok shed his facade of hospitality and returned to icy severity: "Anyone still dissatisfied, get out now—leave the core valley at once."
At that, the Quibeasts obediently nodded their assent.
Then—
Xiturok raised his six hooves, traced a circle in midair, and plunged through it as if entering another, unknown space-time.
Only his cold, soul-piercing voice lingered in the cultivation sanctuary: "Andrew Han of the Human Race is visiting. Don't blame me for not warning you in advance—this is a temporary decree issued by the great Archaic Hall..."
"Anyone who dares defy it—"
"No one will be spared."
His chilling words echoed through the sanctuary, and the multitude of Quibeasts bowed their heads in silence. At the very center stood a colossal black statue, its surface pitch-dark, shrouded in unfathomable Mystery-Light that enveloped the white-haired figure. In that moment, the world was utterly still.
Once Elder Xiturok vanished into the void—
Most of the Quibeasts exchanged glances, sighing in resignation: "If only our Supreme hadn't fallen by accident back then, with our ranking on the Cosmic Dawn List, maybe we'd already be a second-rate life race."
Even the weakest second-rate life race is far stronger than any third-rate.
“Unfortunately, having only a Supreme to preside is not enough. We must also pass the unified review of the Four Great Life Races, receive their formal verdict, and issue a public announcement at the same time... After all, simply declaring ourselves a second-rate life race means nothing; without the credibility and recognition of the Four Great Life Races, it’s just self-congratulation. I remember, the only thing our Awakened Beasts Race ever lacked was that official cosmic public announcement!”
We were always just a little bit short.
If only, we could have ascended to a second-rate life race from here.
If you don’t count the Four Supreme Races, second-rate life races represent the first true rung of the starry sky’s hierarchy, naturally held to extremely high standards.
Simply put, in the current cosmos, for a third-rate life race to climb to a higher tier and become second-rate, two prerequisites must be met—
First, you must possess no fewer than one Supreme presiding over your race. Second, a comprehensive assessment of the race’s overall Primeval strength must be made, evaluating the depth and breadth of its Primeval power. This assessment is conducted through competition on the Cosmic Dawn List, observing and measuring, and ultimately drawing a conclusion. The Four Great Life Races, of course, would never personally intervene in such a promotion review.
Whenever I think of this place...
It stirs my emotions like a painted scene.
A handful of ancient Awakened Beasts, their faces wan and spirits wounded, murmured: “I still remember when I charged at the threshold of the Cosmic Eternal Realm, there was a Supreme silently watching. When I failed and nearly fell, a Supreme personally stabilized the cosmic order and helped me break through to the Cosmic Eternal Realm.”
Yet...
As eras pass and the cosmos shifts, everything has changed dramatically.
What should have been a seat of glory close at hand has become distant, almost unreachable. They can no longer see even a glimmer of hope; even gaining the official cosmic public announcement has lost its original meaning.
“Primeval power is easy to come by; that’s not the issue.”
“What we truly lack is a Supreme presiding over us!”
A weathered, six-legged Quibeast lifted its head, exhaling slowly: “Most important is that our Awakened Beasts Race has never given birth to an Archaic King. That’s the root of our broken hope!”
Without an Archaic King, how could there be a Supreme?
Without a Supreme presiding, can we ever regain our freedom?
Submitting to the Humans grants safety and peace, and most of them accept this willingly. Yet in the end, they still yearn for freedom. This also proves that among the cosmic races, there is no such thing as absolute loyalty... Everyone knows, in those distant ages, even the Supreme Humans were once subordinate to starry sky monsters.
Dust rose between the cracks, rage erupted from the insignificant, and life itself shattered the ancient shackles and chains of endless ages!
From then on, they advanced and became a Supreme race!
They gallop across the cosmic seas, overlooking the breath of myriad races—this is the unique example of the Human Race, above heaven and earth!
“Sigh.”
“Let’s disperse, everyone. It’s over.”
A pure white six-legged Quibeast spoke up; it was a peak Cosmic Eternal Realm being.
It shook its fur, dispersing invisible waves; in the blink of an eye, the pressure blanketing the cultivation sanctuary was soothed.
In truth, being a Human vassal isn’t so bad; the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and the Humans are relatively gentle. One by one, the Awakened Beasts dispersed, and the sanctuary regained its solemn tranquility.
The scarlet earth returned to its former state.
Many Awakened Beasts closed their solitary eyes.
Yet at this moment, right beneath the ancient statue, two full shares of Mystery-Light wrapped around Andrew Han, swirling and singing like a whirling wind. Seven or eight Void Rift-tier Awakened Beasts slowly approached, their solitary eyes flashing, pointing and evaluating.
“Hmph.”
They were all Void Rift-tier: “I truly don’t know how strong a Void Rift-tier Archaic King is, or why the elders of our race always revere the Archaic King so much.”
You should know, Archaic Kings are exceedingly rare; in the entire history of the Awakened Beasts Race, there have only ever been two.
That’s exactly why...
These Awakened Beasts encircling Andrew Han have never actually encountered an Archaic King.
No matter how vivid their imagination, they cannot comprehend the cruelty of reality; their vision is short, their race’s weakness confines their imagination.
Their descriptions are never exaggerated.
Even if these Void Rift-tier, peak Primeval Awakened Beasts banded together, they would not be a match for Andrew Han. But how could they easily trust and submit?
“Yet we still don’t believe.”
“What of the Archaic King? The records must be greatly exaggerated.”
“That’s right. From my view, this Human wants to be invincible at his tier but is still lacking. He’s only Fourth-Stage Void Rift, while we are all Fifth-Stage Void Rift, a full minor realm higher.”