Dust and smoke filled the air, hurricanes churned, dark clouds rolled across the sky, and raging flames spread over the ground. Since Ai Lan Royal City had been built against the mountains and already stood high above the surrounding terrain, its citizens, as well as merchants and travelers from the other Southern Countries, could clearly see this hellish, apocalyptic scene.
Gods truly existed. Thousands of years ago, ancient people had witnessed them with their own eyes and left records behind. As a result, countless later generations had imagined what it would be like when gods descended into the world.
Perhaps holy and pure, perhaps accompanied by celestial music, perhaps with colorful light filling the skies...
But no one had expected it to be like this.
Shocked by the gods' power and transcendence, and overwhelmed by the many terrifying sights before them, people had completely lost the ability to speak. Their minds were blank, and almost every face bore the same expression: utter horror.
There were no clamor or screams throughout Ai Lan Royal City. Time seemed to have frozen, and the atmosphere was so still that a needle could have been heard falling. This was the first time it had been so quiet since its founding.
"Rumble..."
Before long, an incomparably dull sound suddenly came from above the clouds. Everyone's hearts trembled as they wondered what sort of disaster was descending again. They raised their heads toward the sky and looked around in confusion and fear.
Soon, a blinding beam of light shot down. The people in the city raised their hands to shield their eyes, and only after adjusting to the brightness did they discover that a warship bearing an enormous human-head statue had broken through the heavens and pressed down like a mountain.
Before anyone's expressions could change,