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

Unlike the ancient and sacred "stone" character on Qin Yuan's forehead, their foreheads bore a glaring "sin" character, like a thousand-year-old brand of shame.

The old man gazed at the brilliant "stone" character on Qin Yuan's forehead, tears streaming down his cloudy eyes.

“When I was a child, I heard from the elders of the clan that the mark on the forehead of our Shi clan was not originally the character for ‘sin’, but the character for ‘shi’ (stone) of honor.”

The old man raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of his eyes: "I always thought it was just a beautiful legend, but I never expected that today... today I finally saw it with my own eyes."

At this moment, the entire village fell silent.

The clansmen all looked up at the radiant light on Qin Yuan's forehead, a glory once possessed by their ancestors, a truth obscured by the dust of history.

"We have waited for this day for far too long."

The old man sighed deeply: "Ever since our ancestors were banished here, generation after generation has been guarding the border for the Emperor's Pass."

“Countless of our people have fallen on this land, but we have never forgotten our identity and have always been waiting for news from our people in the lower realm.”

Looking at these weathered faces, Qin Yuan was filled with mixed emotions.

They maintained the pride of the Stone Clan, yet were burdened with unfounded accusations.

They guarded the border of the Imperial Pass, yet the Imperial Pass regarded them as descendants of traitors.

Qin Yuan stood before the crowd, his gaze sweeping firmly over the "sin" mark on the foreheads of everyone present. He spoke in a deep voice: "What flows in your veins has never been the blood of sin, but the supreme glory of our ancestors."

"The so-called Blood of Sin is nothing but a colossal lie, a lie targeting our Stone Clan!"

Upon hearing this, the Stone Clan members present exchanged bewildered glances, as if the air had frozen.

Some people subconsciously touched their foreheads, some clenched their fists, and many more had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Upon hearing this, the old man gave a bitter smile: "So what if it's a lie?"

"In these nine heavens, everyone believes us to be descendants of sinful blood. But who cares about the truth?"

"I care!"

Qin Yuan said firmly, "We also care about the innocent souls of the Stone Clan who died! They were all heroes, warriors who protected the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

"How can we allow our ancestors, who earned their glory with their blood, to bear such infamy after their deaths?"

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

The Stone Clan members gathered around, their eyes gleaming with hope.

A young member of the tribe suddenly rushed out of the crowd, shouting excitedly, "Yes! We are not sinners!"

"My father is not a sinner, he is a hero!"

"My brother died fighting to protect the heavens and the earth; he certainly didn't deserve to die!"

More voices followed, and the grievances and resentments that had been suppressed for many years erupted at this moment.

Some wept uncontrollably, some clenched their fists, and some looked up to the sky and sighed.

Over the years, they have lived under the scorn of the world and suffered unjust accusations.

The old man looked at the scene before him, and tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.

He took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions and turned to Qin Yuan: "Child, what do you want us to do?"

Qin Yuan looked around and said solemnly, "I need everyone's blood."

"I suspect that our ancestors did not completely perish. If we can combine the power of everyone's bloodline, perhaps we can awaken our sleeping ancestors!"

Upon hearing this, the entire camp fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared at Qin Yuan in shock, even their breathing became cautious.

The old man's body trembled slightly, and his voice shook: "Our ancestor... is he still alive?"

This news was like a ray of dawn in the darkness for the Stone Clan, who had suffered so much bullying.

For thousands of years, the Shi tribe has lived in the shadows, bearing unfounded accusations and the infamy of being traitors generation after generation.

But the truth remains the same: in the perfect world, strength is everything.

The reason why those remnant immortals can turn black into white is simply because they possess unparalleled power.

If the ancestors of the Stone Clan were still alive, even if there were traitors, who would dare to point fingers at the Stone Clan?

The seven kings of the former borderlands fought bloody battles for the nine heavens and ten earths, but ultimately withered and died in battle.

Their descendants carried on their legacy, and like them, shed their last drop of blood for this land.

Is such a sacrifice and such an effort really worth it?

The elder of the tribe trembled as he asked, "Young Master Qin, is what you say true? Are the ancestors of my Stone Clan truly heroes who fought for heaven and earth?"

Qin Yuan's expression was solemn: "It is absolutely true. The seven kings of the borderlands fought to the death, all for the sake of protecting this land."

These words caused a huge uproar in the Stone Tribe.

The villagers sprang into action. Now that the truth was out, how could they continue to endure such humiliation?

Continuing to live like this is nothing more than waiting for a slow death.

Now that the opportunity is right in front of them, they must not give it up.

Just as the Stone Clan was preparing to gather the strength of the entire clan to summon the spirits of their ancestors, a group of uninvited guests suddenly arrived.

They were dressed in silver armor and were conscripts from the Imperial Pass.

The significance of this team's appearance for the Stone Clan is self-evident.

Each time a conscription envoy arrives, he takes away a group of Stone Clan warriors, and many of these people never return.

For so many years, the Shi tribe has struggled to survive under such oppression.

There was no laughter, no carefree time.

The children in the tribe begin their spiritual practice as soon as they are old enough to understand.

They understood that only by doing everything in their power to improve their strength could they share the burden with their families and have a better chance of survival on the battlefield.

These young faces show no trace of innocence, only a determination beyond their years.

When the conscription team appeared at the village entrance, the once bustling Stone Village instantly fell silent.

The children hid behind the adults, some clutching their parents' clothes, others tightly holding their older brothers' hands.

Their young hearts have already been marked by too many shadows of parting.

Every time a conscription envoy arrives, it means that someone will be sent to the border and never return.

Even if they do return, they are often just cold corpses.

A little girl with pigtails clung tightly to her father's leg, tears welling in her eyes: "Daddy, don't go..."

Her father gently stroked his daughter's hair, but couldn't utter a single word of comfort.

In this world, the fate of the Stone Clan has never been a matter of choice for them.

Upon seeing the conscription envoy arrive, Shi Houde hurried forward, his face beaming with smiles: "Gentlemen, what brings you here today...?"

Although he already knew their intentions, Shi Houde still held onto a sliver of hope.