South Dakota was a state in the Midwestern United States, situated in the transitional region between the Midwestern plains and the Rocky Mountains. The land sloped from west to east, and the Missouri River, which ran through the state, divided it into two roughly equal halves: east of the river and west of the river.
The eastern grasslands had no forests and were used for agriculture.
The west was a vast, rolling high plain. The Badlands region, which stretched for more than 160 kilometers along the White and Cheyenne Rivers, was rugged, and its strata held abundant prehistoric animal fossils.
In the southwest lay the Black Hills, whose domed peaks rose 1,100 meters above the surrounding plains. Harney Peak, at an elevation of 2,209 meters, was the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains in North America.
On the boundless grasslands of South Dakota stood a small, elegant old house.
This was where Ajaka, leader of the Eternals, lived in seclusion.
As Hao Shuai descended from the sky, he happened to see Ajaka leisurely leading a fine white horse home.
"Hello, Ajaka." Though Hao Shuai made it sound like a question, he spoke with certainty.
Ajaka looked to be only in her thirties, but Hao Shuai knew she was a bona fide old-timer who had lived for thousands of years.
She had been on Earth for over seven thousand years, not to mention how long ago the Celestials had created them.
Their abilities were rigidly limited. They couldn't grow stronger through cultivation. Otherwise, just thinking about it was terrifying.
"May I ask who you are?" Ajaka gently pulled the reins to halt her horse, watching Hao Shuai warily.
Though she wasn't good at fighting, her long experience in battle had taught her to recognize that there was something unusual about