The night was deep, and darkness continued to spread quietly, as if nurturing something, waiting for the moment when dawn would break.

Chapter One: The Jade House (Part One)

The workings of heaven and earth have always been wondrous and strange. Although the sacred mountain is shrouded by a mysterious and terrifying force that makes it impossible for anyone to approach, as one descends from the mountain, this force gradually weakens and gives rise to miraculous changes.

Centered around the sacred mountain, a vast ring of land stretching a thousand miles outward has given birth to the most vibrant yet also the most perilous and terrifying wilderness forest on this ancient continent. Countless magical beasts, far stronger than those found in any other corner of the continent, dwell here.

Eighteen great rivers originate from the depths of the sacred mountain, flowing through this vast land known as the “Inner Ring of the Sacred Mountain,” and continue on to the even broader outer ring, the great wilderness.

There, the human race, who possess the Holy City, live together with the many once-powerful tribes of the wild on this continent.

For the humans, the mysterious force within the inner ring of the sacred mountain has always been a dreadful threat, yet it is also especially alluring. In a sense, this powerful force could even be said to represent the ultimate dream of the human race throughout history.

The reason for this lies with the human progenitor, the legendary sage who, before his death, left behind a miraculous book containing ten prophecies. It is said that in this book, called “The Mortal Scroll,” the very first prophecy explicitly states that a tremendous secret is hidden at the summit of the sacred mountain. If the humans could obtain it, they would rule the entire continent and gain eternal life.

In this world, nothing is more tempting than supreme power combined with immortality.

Thus, for thousands of years, the ever-strengthening human race has coveted the sacred mountain, hoping to set foot within and obtain the treasure and secret spoken of by the sage.

However, the reality is harsh. The terrifying and powerful force atop the sacred mountain is utterly destructive to most living beings. Not to mention ordinary humans—even those who have mastered the most powerful ancestral witchcraft cannot endure on the mountain for long, or else their bodies will soon be destroyed by that force, leading to a tragic death.

In fact, not only the sacred mountain itself, but even the inner ring below—where the mysterious force is much weaker—remains difficult for humans to adapt to, given their current abilities.

Humans who practice witchcraft are usually called “sorcerers.” In reality, most sorcerers, upon entering the inner ring, will suffer a backlash of spiritual power, gradually falling into agony, and ultimately being burned alive by their own witchcraft.

Ironically, some humans who are not qualified to practice witchcraft, as long as their bodies are strong enough, can linger in the inner ring for a while longer, but that is all. In the end, after enough time, everyone still meets a dead end.

This mysterious force seems to be the nemesis of humanity, always coldly and harshly rejecting their longing for the sacred mountain, keeping them outside its bounds.

So, for many years, the powerful and prosperous human race built a towering and magnificent Holy City, defeated the once-mighty wild tribes, and ruled vast lands, yet still could not draw a single step closer to the sacred mountain.

That greatest dream, passed down since ancient times, remained far out of reach for humanity.

This painful situation persisted until seventy years ago.

By chance, someone among the humans suddenly discovered a strange kind of stone in one of the eighteen great rivers flowing from the sacred mountain. Because this stone had a bluish hue and a jade-like texture, it was named “blue jade.”

The special—or rather, miraculous—property of blue jade is that it can almost perfectly block the terrifying force from the sacred mountain. In other words, as long as a house is built entirely of blue jade, including the floor, humans can avoid the mysterious force from the sacred mountain.

This discovery shook the entire human race, and unsurprisingly, that long-distant and seemingly illusory dream suddenly became clear before everyone’s eyes.

Power and immortality! What could be better than that in this world?

A grand and mad plan was quickly drawn up among the human rulers!

For that dream, they would build a miraculous road leading to the sacred mountain. The plan was actually quite simple: enter the inner ring, and every five li, build a spacious blue jade house, like stepping stones, allowing humans to advance step by step toward the sacred mountain of their dreams.

Among the humans, the blue jade houses built in the inner ring are called “Jade Houses.”

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This was a medium-sized Jade House. To block out the strange force outside, at night, all the doors and windows of the Jade House would be completely sealed until dawn.

Brian Cooper woke up in the darkness, feeling a bit stifled.

A chill seeped up from the ground beneath his back, making him uncomfortable. He reached out to pull the blanket tighter around himself, which made him feel a bit better. Yet the chill lingered, like a faint, elusive needle, leaving him restless and uneasy.