“Countless demons and beasts—numbering in the hundreds of billions, if not more. Just the angels of the Western Heaven alone number over sixty billion, and their ranks never diminish. Yet our human race numbers only a few tens of millions, and we are far from united. Human selfishness runs too deep; it is hard for anyone to command true allegiance. Within the territory that humanity has managed to secure, there are four ruling factions. The Ice Palace—this faction is composed entirely of women. Its leader is called the Ice Maiden, beneath whom are the Sacred Maidens, all possessing unfathomable martial prowess. The Ice Palace is located atop a mountain of ice peaks tens of thousands of zhang high, surrounded for tens of thousands of li by jagged, sky-piercing glaciers, making it extremely difficult to find. Another faction is the Blade Domain. The Blade Domain has three Supremes: the Blade Saint, the Blade Emperor, and the Blade Sovereign. Any one of them is a match for the most powerful demons. The Blade Domain accepts only martial artists who practice the Way of the Blade. The Demon Domain—those here all cultivate demonic arts, their behavior erratic and ruthless. The human race is already few in number; aside from those slain by demons and beasts, many are killed by the people of the Demon Domain. Everyone despises the Demon Domain, but they are still our kin. Though they practice the martial arts of demons and beasts, they are, after all, still human. Our numbers are already small; we cannot withstand further slaughter. The Demon Domain has three great Demon Lords, all of them top-tier in martial skill. The Snow Domain lies in the north, a land of extreme cold. Even demon beasts dare not venture there, let alone humans. The Snow Domain is uninhabited, but martial artists who cultivate cold and yin internal energy often journey there—every one of them a master. There are even legends that, hundreds of billions of years ago during the era of the gods’ great war, a peerless powerhouse known as the War Emperor fell into slumber there. His followers, the War Clan, are rumored to still walk the world, though few now claim that name. Beyond these four factions, the rest are the free-roaming martial artists who refuse to join any side. Among these martial artists, there are quite a few experts. It is said that the three Supremes of the Blade Domain once encountered a top master whom they could not detain even after giving their all. That person called himself ‘Eric’. As for which other experts exist among the free people, it is hard to say, but it has been confirmed that there are at least six top-tier masters.”

“I have heard that our race has experts who can stand shoulder to shoulder with gods and demons, even forcing them to sign certain agreements with humanity. Do you know which Supremes these are?” Brian Sutton suddenly asked.

The middle-aged man seemed not to have expected this question. After a long silence, he finally looked up at the swirling clouds in the sky and said quietly, “Beihai Xuanyuan Hill, Western Cangwu Abyss, Jiuyi has Fushan, and the Vault of Heaven hides the Nether Domain. If your strength is great enough, you will know.”

With that, he suddenly soared into the air, vanishing into the pitch-black night like a great bird.

Chapter Six: The Xuanming Scroll

After that master left, Brian Sutton dared not remain by the firelight. In this world, there were too many things that could destroy him. At once, he hurriedly extinguished the fire, then forced open a cave halfway up the mountain, took shelter inside, and gathered all his energy, sitting cross-legged and motionless like a stone statue.

Sure enough, without the suppression of that man’s powerful aura, the scent of blood and flesh from the massive beast’s body beside the fire’s ashes soon attracted another huge demon beast. Beneath the full moon and starlight, a gigantic shadow was cast from the mountaintop, covering a vast area.

The chilling aura stabbed at Brian Sutton, hidden within the mountain, like icy needles. The sounds of tearing and gnawing from the mountaintop reached his ears from time to time, occasionally accompanied by the beast’s thunderous, eerie howls. Who knows how long it lasted—perhaps the stench of the beast’s corpse was so strong that it masked Brian Sutton’s scent, for the beast atop the peak never discovered him.

After it had eaten its fill, the beast atop the peak suddenly howled at the moon, then, with stones tumbling from the cliff, leapt down, passing not far from where Brian Sutton was hiding. He clearly saw the beast’s ridge-like body and the thick, long membrane wings stretching from its sides. In the middle of the night, many demon beasts hid in the undergrowth, their howls rising and falling. Looking at the deep darkness below the mountain, dotted with unknown flickers of fire, and listening to the midnight wind sweeping across the sky, Brian Sutton suddenly felt a profound sense of loneliness and solitude, as if in this vast world, he alone remained. A chill swept through his heart, and he shivered unconsciously, then realized that he had long since become immune to heat and cold.

The dark clouds in the sky never dispersed; the only sign of dawn was a faint white glow in the east. Suddenly, an angry shout came from the horizon: “Jason Sutton, hand over the upper scroll of the Xuanming Scroll, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

A young voice, both shocked and furious, replied, “Jason, you demon—even if I die, I will never hand over the Xuanming Scroll to you.” Brian Sutton was greatly surprised. He opened his eyes and saw two streaks of dazzling light in the sky, one chasing the other. The pursuer, clad in a wide purple robe, moved like an eagle, relentlessly closing in. The one ahead was a handsome young man wielding a radiant longsword. The two of them sped through the air, one in pursuit, one fleeing.