Volume One: Divine Central Lands

Prologue: Central Land Myth

Legend—

No one can verify when heaven and earth were created; the earliest writings of the Central Divine Lands only record as far back as the Primeval Era.

It is said that in the Primeval Era, all living beings in the Central Divine Lands were incomparably powerful. They could shoulder mountains to create land, split the vast seas, soar through the skies and burrow into the earth, summon wind and rain—nothing was beyond their abilities. Moreover, their lifespans were endless, immortal and undying.

However, the Primeval Era was also the most chaotic time in the Central Divine Lands.

The earliest "Classic of Strange Wilderness" from the Central Lands records that the primeval beast Huangdu and the divine bird Liluán fought over territory. Each battle lasted for years without end. When Liluán was at a disadvantage, it would flap its wings and soar high. Huangdu could not catch up with the divine bird Liluán, which could fly ten thousand miles in an instant. Though Huangdu often had the upper hand, it could do nothing to the divine bird Liluán. In a fit of rage, it swept its massive body across the entire Central Divine Lands, determined to destroy every Azure Sky Divine Tree where Liluán loved to perch. The furious Huangdu rampaged unchecked across the land. Such reckless behavior angered the other beings, who all rose up against it. Although Huangdu was immensely powerful, it was ultimately slain in the eastern lands by six mighty beings—the divine bird Liluán, the celestial serpent Baihuang, the three-clawed golden crow, the giant spirit Xinggan, the two-headed demon dragon, and the wood god Qingdi—in the wilderness.

After Huangdu's death, its body became Buyuan Mountain, its fur became the Iron Oak Divine Tree, its bones became Buyuan Mountain Stone, and its blood became the six great rivers of Buyuan Mountain, flowing ceaselessly for ten thousand years. People say that the Buyuan Mountain Stone, formed from Huangdu's bones, is the most indestructible thing in the world. Throughout the ages, eight or nine out of ten of the most renowned divine weapons were forged by master craftsmen from the refined iron of Buyuan Mountain Stone.

This great war lasted tens of thousands of years, dragging countless innocent beings of the Central Divine Lands into its wake, even causing heaven and earth to collapse. Rivers flowed backward, mountains sank, plains became marshes, and the landscape of the Central Divine Lands was forever changed, becoming what it is today. Many powerful, immortal beings vanished into the vastness of the world.

The conflict finally subsided as the Primeval Era ended and the Ancient Era began.

The great war of the Primeval Era left the Central Divine Lands devastated. The two-headed demon dragon was slain by Huangdu, and the divine bird Liluán, celestial serpent Baihuang, three-clawed golden crow, giant spirit Xinggan, and wood god Qingdi were all gravely wounded, falling into endless slumber.

However, the wars of the Central Divine Lands did not cease.

The strong and fierce naturally oppressed the weak. The weak either united or relied on some powerful yet benevolent beings. At this time, the beings of the Central Divine Lands began to differentiate; the descendants of the primeval divine beasts gradually formed different races. Among them, a race emerged that, while not the strongest, was the wisest.

This group was called—the White Moon Divine Clan.

When the primeval divine beasts were at war, the primeval demon ape Brian Cooper, who possessed boundless power but did not join the battle, became the ancestor of the White Moon Demon Clan.

The White Moon Divine Clan united and, after another tens of thousands of years of war, destroyed the then most powerful divine beast—Lixu—in the wilderness. This made all beings acknowledge the might of the White Moon Clan, and conflicts gradually lessened. After countless generations of strife, everyone had grown weary, and peace and tranquility began to appear in the Central Divine Lands. The founder of the White Moon Clan, Brian Cooper, became the first ruler of the Central Divine Lands, honored as the First Gou God.

The differentiation of races and the emergence of wisdom marked the Ancient Era as distinct from other times.

As the wisest race gradually grew stronger, the Mythic Era began.

The White Moon Clan, who had lived for generations in the Western Wastes, lost most of their companions in struggles with other beings. Though they possessed the highest wisdom and were extremely powerful, the White Moon Clan faced the danger of extinction.

Their reproductive ability was extremely low; a young White Moon Clan member required thousands of years to be born. These immortal beings now faced the crisis of their entire race dying out—a true irony. Members of the White Moon Divine Clan were often killed in battles with other powerful beings. The dead far outnumbered the newborns. At this rate, the divine clan would soon disappear.

At this time, the great chief of the White Moon Clan, Brian Cooper, devised a way to continue the race: to live among some highly reproductive races and use those races to produce offspring. In this way, the White Moon Clan could increase their numbers.

According to the records of the White Moon Clan at the time, the great chief divided the land of the Central Divine Lands into a hundred regions, ordering a hundred divine clan members to go there to live and reproduce. After mixing with the local beings, a hundred new races emerged. Because they all carried the blood of the White Moon Clan, their appearances were very similar.

This is the origin of the Hundred Lands Human Race.

With the emergence of the human race, the Mythic Era came to an end.

The great chief of the White Moon Clan, Brian Cooper, in search of the ultimate mysteries of the world, tore open the void and left the Central Divine Lands, never to return.