Volume One: The Proud Son from a Humble Family

Prologue

"In the spring of the 2,990th year of the Ninth Era of the Great Calamity, the Demon Abyss in the Western Wastes stirred, dark beings descended upon the world once more, ravaging the mortal realm and slaughtering all life. The cultivator forebears took up their swords and entered the wastelands, fighting fiercely for ten years, finally driving the dark beings back into the Demon Abyss, restoring peace to heaven and earth!"

"History is vast, the righteous path endures. This monument is erected to honor the heroic spirits of our forebears!"

"Dao One Immortal Ancestor Walter Bishop, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"Shangqing Immortal Ancestor Edgar Hamilton, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"Wangqing Island Saintess Grace Hamilton, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"Great Heavenly Demon Sect's Supreme Demon Ancestor, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"Ninefold Heaven Emperor Harold Whitman, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"Kunlun Battle Immortal Raymond Carter, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"Snowfield Sword Immortal Leonard Franklin, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"Eternal Night Demon Lord Earl Whitman, heroic spirit undying, eternal through the ages!"

"……"

"……"

A sliver of sunset still hung over the foothills, but the world was already shrouded in dusk. On the ancient and vast plaza, the endless shadows of blue stone monuments were stretched long by the last rays of sunlight, intertwining together like endless darkness!

The monuments were made of incredibly hard, millennia-enduring mysterious stone, and the words upon them were written in blood.

The content was simple, just a few words, brief and to the point.

But there were many monuments, spreading far and wide, one after another, extending deep into the sacred mountain.

Each monument represented the end of countless lives!

Since the emergence of the Great Calamity of the Demon Abyss, every three thousand years, the world would face a catastrophe lasting ten years. Every three thousand years, countless people would fall on that land in the Western Wastes, long since soaked in blood. They might be peerless immortals, astonishing geniuses, revered saints of the immortal sects, or infamous demon elders, but in the end, all would fall before the Demon Abyss for the same purpose, their cultivation dissipated, finally becoming a small line of writing on the monument!

"Over three thousand years ago, the power of the cultivation world reached its peak, countless Nascent Souls, many ascended to Spirit Transformation, and no less than ten Great Ascension immortals!"

"But after that ten-year catastrophe, not to mention Spirit Transformation or Great Ascension, even among the Nascent Soul patriarchs, only a handful remained…"

"…Countless immortal ancestors, countless forebears, all perished in those ten years!"

"Their deaths in those ten years bought us three thousand years of life!"

An elder in a white wide robe slowly ran his fingers along the edge of a monument, then slowly turned around. In front of him stood row after row of young people with resolute expressions and grave faces. His gaze swept over their faces, his voice lowering, but as if imbued with an invisible power: "Soon, it will be our turn to die, to exchange for the lives of those who come after!"

Hearing the elder's heavy words, all the cultivators present looked even more solemn...

To follow the example of the forebears, to shed our blood and protect the mortal world, is a matter of course...

But can we really withstand this Great Calamity this time?

Three hundred years ago, the great chaos atop Kunlun Mountain caused the cultivation world to lose too many of its top experts...

"I know, none of you have much confidence in this battle..."

The elder seemed to see the worries in their hearts, and sighed softly: "Originally, we had enough strength to ensure that this Great Calamity could be overcome without danger, but three hundred years ago, the four great immortal sects, the three great demon sects, and the masters of the pill, artifact, talisman, and formation lineages—over seventy percent of the top experts in the cultivation world—all gathered atop Kunlun Mountain, seeking a way to forever resolve the Great Calamity. But after ten years in seclusion, a great chaos broke out, and not a single one of them came out alive..."

"But we still have hope!"

The elder raised his head, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd: "It is said that they succeeded. The methods they developed in those ten years were all recorded in a scripture called the 'True Explanation of Dao Origin.' As long as we can find that 'True Explanation of Dao Origin,' we can use the methods within not only to withstand the Great Calamity, but perhaps even to resolve it forever!"

These words left the crowd in utter silence, the atmosphere heavy, but everyone's expression became fervent!

"The cultivation world cannot end with our generation. Even if we have to dig three feet into the earth, we must find that miraculous book!"

"Sacrifice ourselves to resist the Great Calamity..."

"Either become a ghost under the calamity, or become an immortal who overcomes it!"

Chapter One: Top of the Immortal Ranking

"Top of the Immortal Ranking, Henry Carter!"

At this moment in Zhongtu Yunzhou, north of the Yue Kingdom, within Taiyue City, the whole place was filled with joy and festivity, lanterns and decorations everywhere.