The Crow Awakens and Faces Its Tribulation

Above the sacred mountain, blazing flames coiled along the mountain paths like a colossal dragon, sealing off the road to the summit completely.

Jin Buhuan stood at the foot of the mountain, clutching the empress's token in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.

The hundreds of imperial guards behind him all wore grave expressions. Not one dared take a step forward.

The blazing flames were no ordinary fire. They were divine flames, imbued with the power of heaven and earth. Forcing their way through the formation meant certain death.

"Chief Eunuch, what should we do?" one of the imperial guard commanders asked quietly.

Jin Buhuan fell silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "The sacred mountain is sealed. Forcing our way through the formation would be no different from throwing our lives away."

"The empress's order is important, but we can't let our brothers die for nothing. Withdraw. We'll report back to the empress and make plans from there."

At his words, the imperial guards all breathed a sigh of relief.

Though they were the elite of the imperial city, they still felt powerless before this force of heaven and earth.

Jin Buhuan took one last look at the blazing sacred mountain. He had a faint feeling that today's events were far from over.

Even the cultivators who had hurried here after hearing the news stood stunned beneath the sacred mountain, staring up at the sky in a daze.

Farther away.

On the wilderness, far from the sacred mountain, Sa Tongtian and Wang Xian trudged slowly through the thick snow, wearing straw rain capes and bamboo hats.

The wind and snow howled. The world was vast and bleak, as if the entire world had been swallowed by the blizzard.

"The imperial city is in chaos today. I'm