Brian Cooper knew that the chill was emanating from the jadeite, each piece of jadeite stone having been tempered and refined for countless years in the eighteen divine rivers before it was formed. They were innately imbued with this cold, yin energy, and for this, the human race had no better solution but to silently endure it.

Yet, these uncomfortable, needle-like cold jadeites were the only source of safety for Brian Cooper and nearly a hundred others within the inner ring.

Although it was still pitch black before his eyes, with not even a hand visible in front of his face, Brian Cooper knew that it should already be morning outside. The dawn light had just spilled onto the land of the inner ring of the sacred mountain, all things were awakening from the silence of night, and of course, with them awoke even more unknown dangers.

As for why he felt stifled upon waking, Brian Cooper gradually understood the reason: there were ninety-seven others spending the night with him in this dark jadeite shelter.

Cold, stifling, and dark! The feeling of staying in this jadeite shelter was certainly far from pleasant, but Brian Cooper had no complaints about it, because just yesterday, there should have been a hundred people in this jadeite shelter.

But two people had died yesterday.

Of the two who died, one slipped and fell into a patch of grass by the roadside while carrying jadeite stones, his arm scratched by the thorns on a black vine, and half an hour later, his whole body stiffened and he died; the other, while working during the day, just five or six zhang away from Brian Cooper, was suddenly bitten in half by a huge wolf-shaped demonic beast that leapt out from the nearest grove.

The tragic howl of that man before his death, and the terrifying scene of blood spraying into the air, were all seen by Brian Cooper with utter clarity. Even now, he seemed to still smell that scent of blood.

He lay quietly in the darkness, saying nothing, enduring all the discomforts he could bear, waiting for the new day to begin.

And then, the day finally began.

A burst of firelight suddenly flared up in the darkness—a torch had been lit by someone. Immediately, a tall and slightly fierce figure appeared behind the firelight, striding toward the people still sleeping on the ground, roaring loudly, and kicking hard with his foot to jolt those still asleep awake.

"Get up, get up, get ready to work!" the man holding the torch shouted loudly, breaking the silence of the jadeite shelter.

Some groaned in pain, but no one resisted or cursed. Most people silently stood up, tidied their belongings a little, and then took out the food they carried in their bundles and began to eat.

After a while, suddenly, a heavy sound came from a wall of the jadeite shelter. Everyone in the darkness instinctively turned to look. The rumbling was like thunder rolling, and moments later, a bright light shone into the darkness.

Day had broken. The captain had opened the door. In this perilous inner ring, the heavenly road built for the dream of the entire human race appeared before everyone. A new day had begun...

Brian Cooper swallowed the last piece of hard, dry flatbread in his hand, silently hoping in his heart that he could survive the day safely. Then, following the crowd, he walked out, leaving behind the only jadeite shelter that could protect them.

※※※

The weather was nice that day—blue sky, white clouds, a refreshing breeze. The inner ring was lush with trees, full of vitality, and the crisp calls of birds could often be heard among the grass and woods.

Standing here, it seemed no different from any ordinary mountain wilderness, a scene of comfort and ease.

But as this group walked here, each one was as if facing a formidable enemy, always cautious and careful in their work, frequently scrutinizing the quiet forests around them.

Building this heavenly road to the sacred mountain was no easy task. In fact, it was extremely difficult. Those who could enter the inner ring to build the road were never powerful sorcerers; they lacked the aptitude for sorcery, but possessed strong bodies, and were selected to do this exceptionally dangerous work.

So far, the human race had built fifteen jadeite shelters along this heavenly road in the inner ring, but as they delved deeper, the construction pace slowed more and more.

Besides the various dangers and perils encountered, the demonic beasts grew more numerous, and many accidental casualties occurred from time to time, making the transport of jadeite stones an enormous burden.

People had to carry the collected jadeite stones from one shelter to the next, moving them forward shelter by shelter. Because of the strange power in the inner ring, people could work no more than six hours a day, which was also a major reason for the slow progress.

The jadeite shelter where Brian Cooper stayed was, by its number, the thirteenth, which was already quite deep into the inner ring.

Except for the warriors in the deepest, fifteenth shelter, the only mission for those in the other shelters was to deliver the jadeite stones from the rear to the next shelter as quickly as possible, then return to carry more, again and again, never stopping, just like ants.

Chapter Two: Jadeite Shelter (Part Two)

Ninety-eight human warriors, each carrying a piece of jadeite, under the lead of that fierce and tall captain, marched toward the fourteenth jadeite shelter ahead.