Adam Cooper hated her for betraying him, and struck without any warning. But Ethan Scott truly deserved her reputation as one of the top ten young talents of her generation. After years at Adam Cooper’s side, her cultivation had grown ever deeper, and she calmly neutralized Adam Cooper’s deadly attack.

Ethan Scott glanced at him, a hint of disdain in her eyes, and said coolly, “Even I can withstand your killing blow—what future do you have left? Hand over the secret realm’s treasury. Don’t keep fighting like a trapped beast.”

On one side stood the forces representing the Nine Great Heavenly Gates; on the other, the Southern Wasteland Demon Sect. Adam Cooper stood at the center, suddenly letting out a long howl like a dragon’s roar, shaking the heavens.

“Come on! The Southern Wasteland Emperor is here. If you want my life, if you want the secret realm’s treasury, let’s see if you have what it takes!”

Six first-grade spirit talismans slowly rose around him, their boundless aura surging like mighty rivers. Ryan Parker and Dylan Reed’s faces changed simultaneously. Both waved their hands in unison, commanding their followers: “Kill!”

……

The battle lasted seven days, turning heaven and earth upside down, reversing yin and yang, and inverting the five elements. Thousands of peaks on Ghost Vengeance Mountain, where Desolate Cloud City stood, were wiped out as if by magic, leaving behind a massive crater dozens of miles wide, as if struck by a meteor from the heavens. The entire Southern Wasteland trembled six times; mortals thought it was an earthquake and panicked in terror.

The Southern Wasteland Emperor Adam Cooper fell, the world’s most fearsome talisman buried with him. But what shocked both righteous and demonic factions most was that, even after losing the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Talisman, the Southern Wasteland Emperor managed to slaughter thirteen great cultivators—half of all those who joined the battle; six from the demonic path, seven from the righteous.

Dylan Reed and Ryan Parker were gravely wounded, and the “secret realm’s treasury” that the Emperor had spent his life collecting was obliterated in a violent explosion, leaving Dylan Reed and Ryan Parker empty-handed.

Dylan Reed became the new lord of the Southern Wasteland, but the hidden injuries from this battle lingered for decades, never healing, leaving him unable to control the entire region. The title of Southern Wasteland Lord became empty, and the once demon-dominated land fell into chaos.

Ryan Parker, suppressing his injuries, fled back to Jiuyi Mountain. It was said that as soon as he reached the mountain gate, he could no longer hold back and vomited three pints of blood, his vitality greatly depleted. He hastily announced to the world that Ethan Scott had rendered great service in slaying the demon lord Adam Cooper, and as a heroine of the righteous path, the Song clan would be protected by Jiuyi Mountain. Immediately after, he went into seclusion to recover.

On the seventh day after this battle, which happened to be the fourteenth of July, deep into the night, Ghost Vengeance Mountain was shrouded in dark clouds and rolling thunder. No one knew how long the storm had been brewing, but suddenly a bolt of lightning struck, shattering a mountaintop and sending rocks tumbling down. In the flash of lightning, at the bottom of the massive crater left by the great battle, the earth slowly stirred. A purple jade talisman began to grow, drawing threads of blood essence from the surrounding soil. Moments later, it shot skyward and vanished into the night.

Chapter 002: The Five-Element Jade Mountain, Twin Dragons Holding the Handle

The water was clear, the mountains full of spirit, and everything was lush and green. A stretch of snow pines adorned the mountain like a giant piece of jade, appearing fresh and lovely in the newborn morning sun.

Across from the mountain stood a massive cliff, with a huge boulder jutting out from its top like an eagle’s beak, poised to strike, facing the mountain with fierce intent.

Beneath the eagle-beak rock, shrouded in a faint mist, sat a young man in coarse robes, cross-legged. He looked ordinary, of average build, no different from the sons of common mountain folk.

At dawn, birds left their nests, beasts emerged from their dens, and insects began to chirp. The mountain was full of vitality. Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes. Though his expression was calm, his eyes were wide with surprise.

Without a word, the youth scrambled to his feet and began climbing toward the opposite peak, using both hands and feet. His body seemed stiff, and he stumbled and fell several times over the dozens of yards between the cliffs.

After much effort, he finally reached the summit. Looking north, he couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it, this is Ruolu Prison!”

To the north of the jade-like, vibrant mountain, endless ranges stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Amidst them, clouds and divine light swirled around a colossal structure that towered thousands of yards above the surrounding peaks.

The building was a massive, four-sided platform, wider at the base and narrower at the top. Most striking of all, atop the platform stood an enormous bronze bird statue, proud and imposing. Surrounding the bronze bird were huge, ancient stone pillars.

At each of the four corners of the platform, several hundred yards away, a nine-story pagoda floated in midair. Each pagoda had eight sides, each side with a door. From the seventy-two doors of the nine-story pagodas, strange talismans shot out from time to time, flying in and out, up and down, as dense as a torrential rain.

The dark platform was built from massive stones, each about a yard long, with fine spiritual light writhing across their surfaces like snakes.

The talismans from the pagodas and the spiritual light from the stones would occasionally merge into the surrounding clouds and holy light. With each interaction, the talismans and spiritual light grew stronger.

The clouds and divine light were even more astonishing, directly connected to the sun in the sky. A fiery red beam poured down from the sun, nourishing the clouds and divine light, which instantly grew several times stronger, their momentum terrifying.

This bronze bird platform dominated the land in all directions. Even the endless mountain ranges seemed mere backdrop, as if this structure was born to overlook all living things, reigning over the Five Sacred Mountains!