In a wilderness clearly deep within the barbaric wilds, a mountain more than two thousand zhang tall had actually split into four pieces, spreading apart like several opened petals.
Outside the mountain, thirty-six enormous white banners, each several dozen zhang long and wide, floated in the air.
Each of these thirty-six banners bore apricot-blossom-like runes. The white spiritual light they emitted linked together to form a vast white light barrier that enveloped the entire mountain.
Yet from outside, neither the thirty-six white banners nor the white light barrier could be seen at all. It merely looked like several low, unremarkable hills.
Even if one passed overhead through the sky, one would not notice anything unusual. Clearly, these thirty-six banners formed a formidable illusion-concealing restriction.
Within the white light barrier formed by the thirty-six banners, dozens of golden warships hovered above the shattered mountain.
Every warship resembled a great hall floating in midair. They were forged entirely from refined metal and covered in profound relief carvings, while dense lightning-aura radiated from their hulls.
Bolt after bolt of snake-like lightning flashed from many of the carvings from time to time, leaping across the ships' bodies. Their imposing presence was truly terrifying.
The golden warship at the center of the shattered mountain was the largest, stretching over two hundred zhang. Its color was noticeably darker than that of the other golden warships, and its hull was covered with scars left by magical treasures and spell impacts.
It was an ancient relic, exuding an air of age and a dense killing intent.
Four cultivators stood at the prow of this ancient warship.
One of them was dressed exactly like an emperor, with an imperial crown upon his head and a golden imperial robe upon his body.
His golden robe was woven from all kinds