Primordial Era: At the beginning, the Desolate Heavenly Emperor invited me to drink beast milk, and

What shocked the knight even more was Qin Yuan's mention of the "Stone Clan".

The sharpness in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

Pointing to a direction in the distance, the garrison commander said, "The Stone Clan's territory is in that direction. Just follow this road and you'll get there."

Qin Yuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting that simply mentioning the name of the Stone Clan would cause such a drastic change in the other party's attitude.

In the present world, the Stone Clan is regarded as the descendants of sinners, and ordinary people avoid them like the plague. However, this guard is acting out of character.

Seemingly sensing Qin Yuan's doubts, the garrison commander sighed and continued, "That's right, everyone says the Stone Clan are descendants of sinners."

"But in my opinion, why should the affairs of our ancestors be the responsibility of their descendants?"

"Over the years, the Stone Clan has proven their loyalty to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths with their own blood."

The garrison commander's voice carried a hint of emotion: "In every bloody battle, countless Stone Clan warriors have been buried here."

"They have long since washed away that so-called sin with their lives and blood."

"Unfortunately, I am of lowly status and have little influence, so I cannot change other people's minds. I can only do my best to point out the way for you."

Hearing these words, Qin Yuan was deeply moved.

The information revealed in the garrison commander's words gave him a deeper understanding of the Stone Clan's predicament.

"It's true."

The guard continued, "I used to have prejudices against the Stone Clan as well."

"Until one bloody battle, a Stone Clan daredevil risked his life to save me."

"It was only after that I realized that a person's character has nothing to do with their background."

Looking at the distant, undulating mountain range, Qin Yuan seemed lost in thought.

In this vast world, prejudice and discrimination are everywhere, but there are always some people who can see through appearances and distinguish right from wrong.

"Thank you for pointing me in the right direction."

Qin Yuan bowed respectfully, then turned and walked in the direction the guard had pointed.

The voice of the garrison commander came from behind: "Be careful. Although the Stone Clan is currently stationed near the Imperial Pass, the journey is not peaceful."

Qin Yuan did not turn around, but simply nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

In this land of imperial pass, not everyone harbors prejudice against the Stone Clan.

Following the direction the other person pointed, he passed through several sparse woodlands and finally came into view a small village built against the mountainside.

The tribe was surrounded by a rough wooden fence, and the watchtowers were also built with the most ordinary wood.

It stands in stark contrast to the magnificent buildings found elsewhere in Diguan.

The tribe is very small, with houses scattered along the mountainside, and it has about a thousand people.

This is the settlement of the Stone Clan in the Upper Realm.

Looking at the entire Imperial Pass, such a population size is truly minuscule.

But this insignificant tribe was placed at the forefront of the Imperial Pass, simply because their surname was Shi.

As soon as Qin Yuan reached the entrance of the tribe, an old man dressed in patched animal skins came out from inside.

The old man had gray hair and beard, his face was covered with wrinkles, and his animal skin clothes were patched in several places, clearly indicating that he was not well-off.

"Young friend, where do you come from? Do you have important business with my Stone Clan?" the old man asked, bowing respectfully.

Qin Yuan's divine sense had already enveloped the entire tribe, and he discovered that, as the rumors said, the tribe was indeed sparsely populated.

He asked softly, "Old man, is this all the clansmen left of your noble family?"

The old man's expression darkened, and he nodded: "That's right. These are all the members of my Stone Clan in the Upper Realm."

Qin Yuan was startled.

Although he had heard that the Stone Clan was in a bad situation, he realized that the situation was even worse than he had imagined after seeing it with his own eyes.

The reality before our eyes is in stark contrast to the once-illustrious Stone Clan of legend.

"Does the old man know what exactly happened to the Stone Clan in the very beginning?" Qin Yuan asked tentatively.

The old man sighed and sat down on a large rock by the roadside: "It's a long story. In ancient times, my Stone Clan was prosperous and had many experts."

"In the Imperial Pass, the Stone Clan is the main fighting force and has made great achievements in battle."

"But later, several remnant immortals came forward to testify that my Stone Clan's ancestors had colluded with the Demon Clan. Since then, my clan has been branded with the mark of sin and blood."

The old man's tone was filled with deep helplessness as he spoke.

“From then on, whenever there was a war, the Stone Clan would always be sent to the most dangerous places.”

"It's like a suicide squad, charging forward regardless of casualties. Even the most powerful race can't withstand such attrition."

"One generation after another of the strong fall on the battlefield. Even if a genius occasionally appears, he will be immediately conscripted to the battlefield. They are not given any chance to grow."

The old man's voice was filled with deep sorrow.

Qin Yuan remained silent. This declining tribe before him was the best proof of that.

The once illustrious clan has now fallen to this state.

He looked around and saw that most of the houses in the tribe were old and dilapidated, with many places showing signs of damage.

The people's clothing was very simple, even shabby.

The village of Shizu was desolate and silent.

A burly man in tattered armor, holding a heavy spear, slowly walked up to Qin Yuan.

He looked Qin Yuan up and down, his eyes filled with a mixture of wariness and sympathy.

"Is it another brother who's been exiled here?"

The middle-aged man spoke up and asked.

In his view, apart from the prisoners who had been exiled there, no one would voluntarily come to this almost forgotten corner.

There is constant warfare here, and every day could be the last.

Qin Yuan gently shook his head.

These words immediately caused an uproar among the surrounding Stone Clan members.

Someone exclaimed in surprise: "You weren't exiled here? What are you doing here? This is no good place. Once you're here, don't expect to leave alive."

Qin Yuan remained calm and slowly said, "My surname is Shi."

Upon hearing this, an elderly man with white hair who had been sitting to the side suddenly stood up, his body trembling slightly with excitement: "You...you came from the lower realm?"

The old man quickly walked up to Qin Yuan: "In the past, our ancestors did send a group of clansmen down to the mortal realm to seek refuge, and we have not heard from them for many years."

"We all thought...we all thought they were no longer alive. We never expected this, we never expected this!"

"That's wonderful! The bloodline of our Stone Clan continues!" the old man exclaimed excitedly.

Qin Yuan nodded in confirmation: "That's right, I am indeed from the Stone Clan of the Lower Realm."

After saying that, Qin Yuan began to circulate the power of his internal energy.

In an instant, his forehead began to radiate a dazzling light.

A dazzling beam of light shot into the sky, illuminating the surrounding area for miles.

This is the best proof of identity, more convincing than any words.

As if sensing something, the brows of the Stone Clan members present also lit up.