Although the branches of the human race do not number exactly one hundred, this legend is still revered by the Baidi humans. Among the ancestors who led the Baidi humans to expand their territory, the most renowned are known by later generations as the Ten Emperors and Five Sovereigns.

Thus, the Age of Emperors replaced the Age of Myth.

The rise of humanity inevitably led to battles with the creatures that threatened them. This eased the pressure on the Baiyue tribe, allowing them a period of recuperation.

Within the Baidi humans, the Jueling tribe produced a leader of unparalleled innate strength—Eric Carter. Another branch of their ancestors was the ancient divine beast—Jueling Xinggan. Born with extraordinary might, they were even stronger than the Baiyue gods in terms of sheer power. Eric Carter looked down upon all beings, invincible under heaven. He led his people to expand their lands and drive out the fierce beasts of the wild, dominating the southern part of Shenzhou. Under the leadership of the Jueling tribe, the Baidi humans began to break free from the control of the Baiyue gods and gradually gained independence.

The Baiyue gods were displeased with Eric Carter's defiance and dispatched powerful warriors to subjugate the Jueling tribe. Yet Eric Carter truly lived up to his later title as "the most fearsome god of Central Shenzhou."

He led his people to seven consecutive victories, achieving results that even his own tribe could hardly believe. In the end, Eric Carter defeated the second-generation chief of the Baiyue demon tribe, after which the Baiyue gods could no longer control the lives of the Baidi humans.

Furthermore, Eric Carter classified all Baidi humans outside the Jueling tribe as demons; only those with Jueling blood could be called human.

With the rise of the Jueling tribe, the era of Baidi humans submitting to the Baiyue gods came to an end. Thus ended the Age of Emperors, and the Age of Mortals began.

At the dawn of the Age of Mortals, the races of Central Shenzhou had fully taken shape. The central lands were occupied by humans led by the Jueling tribe, the desolate west was home to the Baiyue tribe, the far north of Central Shenzhou was a land of icy mountains and snowy peaks, rarely visited by living creatures. The far east was a vast ocean, teeming with aquatic life. The south was covered in mountains and forests, said to stretch endlessly to the horizon.

Other ancient clans also gradually rose to prominence. The Eastern Wood tribe, descendants of the wood god Qingdi; the Ahela tribe, descendants of the divine bird Liluan; the Wuxu tribe, descendants of the divine beast Huangdu; the Diga tribe, bloodline of the celestial serpent Baihuang; and the Baiyue demon tribe—these were collectively known by later humans as the Five Great Ancient Demon Tribes.

Although the ancient demon tribes lost the might of their ancestors after mixing with other bloodlines and were no longer immortal, they remained overwhelmingly powerful, becoming the perennial enemies that humanity could never escape.

Besides the Five Great Demon Tribes, there were still other, weaker demon tribes living in Central Shenzhou.

The Dong'ao tribe, descended from the ancient azure dragon, was one of the four great eastern tribes, with the power to control water veins and the innate ability to soar and transform.

The Youxiong tribe, descended from the fierce beast Xiongpi, was the most powerful clan. Born with unmatched strength, they could withstand mountains, uproot ridges, and run wild for thousands of miles. Their power allowed them to transform at will into towering giant beasts, with their strength increasing accordingly.

The Youqiong tribe, descended from the three-legged golden crow, a divine beast that once roamed the world in ancient times, could incinerate the heavens and earth. The Youqiong tribe's power was to control flames, able to melt metal, dissolve stone, and burn the wilderness.

The Dongyi tribe, whose shamanic arts were said to be the best among the Baidi humans, was the most mysterious clan among them. Legend has it they were descendants of the two-headed demon dragon and the celestial serpent Baihuang.

Whether human or demon, their supernatural abilities were innate, naturally varying in strength. Training could make these powers stronger, but one could not learn the abilities of other races. When a genius among humans or demons developed their powers to the point of atavism, they were called a Desolate God.

Although both humans and demons shared the blood of the Baiyue demon tribe, the other half of their bloodline led them to ceaseless conflict and fusion over tens of thousands of years. They established countless nations and factions, until the founding of the first unified dynasty in Central Shenzhou—the Ji clan dynasty—when humanity achieved unity and established its dominance over Central Shenzhou.

Eight hundred years later, led by the Baiyue demon tribe, the ancient demon tribes united to establish the Great Shang dynasty, which also unified the Western Di, thus beginning the eternal war with humanity.

From then on, Central Shenzhou developed countless schools of thought and culture, seeking ways to govern the world, pursue immortality, and even acquire the boundless powers of legendary ancient beings. Confucianism, Daoism, hermits, and wild men gradually rose to prominence...

Prologue

"I really should spend less time chasing girls and more time working out..."

After being struck on the head with an iron pipe, Grace Walker's consciousness began to blur. The ensuing storm of fists and kicks shattered the last thought of his life.

His tightly clenched fist slowly relaxed, and Grace Walker could no longer breathe.

"This kid's not breathing!"

"Nonsense!"

The thug who retorted kicked Grace Walker's body hard. Feeling no response from the corpse, he finally accepted the others' judgment.

"He's dead! Just toss him at the construction site over there. Come give me a hand!"

A dozen men in city management uniforms, their faces brutish, dragged Grace Walker to the roadside and swaggered off. At that moment, the sun was shining brightly, and the street was as bustling as ever. The girl whose bag had just been snatched by the gang was hiding in a small shop dozens of meters away, trembling with fear, her fingers shaking so much that she couldn't dial that simple number for a long time.