At the outermost mountain range of Stone Ridge Mountain, a chain of undulating fortresses had appeared.
The Black Tide, two to three thousand meters high, repeatedly battered the mountains, throwing them into turmoil.
All manner of Mechanical Giants with gaping mouths used the fortresses as cover, seizing Evil Creatures and swallowing them whole.
Some Flesh and Blood Creatures, shaped like millstones, squeezed the Black Tide and ground it into flesh-and-blood powder, which fell into the Fire Pits below.
The Fire Pits blazed, their flames roaming across the mountains and holding back the darkness.
There were also warriors of countless Paths, their flesh twisted—some sprouted tentacles, while others simply transformed into octopus-like forms, feeding on evil.
Along the endless defensive line, there was not a single exotic treasure. In their place stood one glittering Golden Core after another.
The Golden Cores scattered their radiance, illuminating the warriors of every Twisted Path, constantly restoring their spirit and energy, healing their wounds, and even strengthening their foundations.
Among the densely packed Golden Cores was one as large as a millstone.
Like a searchlight, this Golden Core gathered golden rosy light into a beam and repeatedly swept over the mountain defensive line.
Under its illumination:
The shattered Golden Core defensive line was restored in an instant, becoming even tougher than before.
Many Evil Creatures, Fallen Ones, Lost Ones, and even Corrupted Ones turned into statues under the Golden Core's radiance, forcibly fused into the mountain fortresses to enhance the treasures' resistance.
Though strange, the sight was not enough to make Chu Qing lose his composure.
What truly unsettled him was:
The temple Tang Wuming and Sima Zhao had built at the very beginning.
The once-majestic temple was now covered in flesh-like growths resembling moss.
The entire temple writhed. Facing the Black Tide of the