The True Great Terror, Xuanwu Kingdom's Foundation

The crimson earth stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, a black mountain range stood in the middle of the red land, the two colors forming an exceptionally stark contrast.

Xuanwu Kingdom's army of one million had halted at the border of the crimson earth. Even someone as formidable as Emperor Zuo did not dare set foot upon this land lightly.

For ahead lay the legendary Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

As for the specific dangers of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground, even searching through Xuanwu Kingdom's most ancient texts revealed not the slightest clue.

There were only seven simple words recorded regarding the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

"Great terror—ten enter, none survive."

"Huu..."

Emperor Zuo gently exhaled a mouthful of Turbid Qi, then waved his right hand, sending three Humanoid Puppets into the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

These three puppets had been forged using all of Xuanwu Kingdom's resources.

Each puppet could contend against a Spirit Transformation mighty one. Even a full-force attack from a Spirit Transformation cultivator would not be able to break through their defenses anytime soon.

Using these puppets to explore the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground was undoubtedly the safest and best method.

Tap, tap, tap!

Under Emperor Zuo's control, the puppets cautiously stepped into the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

Yet after the puppets entered the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground, the imagined danger did not occur. The puppets advanced several li without incident.

Seeing this, Zuo Xinghe could not help but let out a relieved breath and smile.

"Looks like the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground isn't as terrifying as imagin—"

"Huu..."

Before Zuo Xinghe could finish speaking, a breeze suddenly blew over the three Humanoid Puppets in the distance, and they turned to dust and scattered away.

Faced with such an utterly unforeseen situation, everyone fell silent.

Gulp!

Chen Changsheng swallowed hard, the corner of his mouth twitching. He had wanted to ask Emperor Zuo whether he had seen what had just happened.

But seeing Emperor Zuo's cold expression, Chen Changsheng abandoned the thought.

Seeing that using puppets to scout the way would not work, Emperor Zuo waved his hand again.

The one-million-strong army of Xuanwu Kingdom behind him began to move, forming a profound Grand Formation.

They gathered everyone's strength together, finally condensing it into a black spear that spanned more than ten li.

This method of gathering everyone's power into one was one of Xuanwu Kingdom's trump cards, and also one reason Xuanwu Kingdom had remained undefeated through years of war.

"Kill!"

One million soldiers shouted that single word in unison, the enormous sound wave shattering even the clouds in the sky.

That spear, capable of destroying everything, charged toward the black mountain range of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground with unstoppable momentum.

Boom!

The spear condensed by one million soldiers did not strike the black mountain range. Instead, it slammed solidly into an invisible barrier.

In the face of that powerful attack, incomparably intricate silver Array Patterns immediately lit up within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

Those Array Patterns covered every inch of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

Chen Changsheng, who was proficient in formations, felt splitting pain in his head and darkness before his eyes after only one glance.

Such a tremendous backlash frightened Chen Changsheng into hurriedly looking away. He did not dare observe the supreme Array Patterns within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

"Kill!"

Seeing that they could not break through the peerless Array Patterns of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground, Xuanwu Kingdom's grand general shouted again.

The one million soldiers immediately began bleeding from all seven orifices, forcibly increasing their strength at the cost of burning their lives.

With vast amounts of Qi and Blood poured into it, the black spear turned blood-red, and its power increased severalfold.

Under such a reckless, all-costs enhancement, the bloody spear achieved some results as well.

The invisible barrier was pierced one inch by the bloody spear.

Neigh!

Just as everyone rejoiced over that achievement, the neigh of a horse entered everyone's ears.

Immediately afterward, a Skeleton Horse burrowed out of the earth, carrying a set of Bronze Armor upon its back.

At first glance, it looked like a human figure, but upon closer inspection, one would find that beneath the armor was completely empty.

Tap, tap, tap!

The Bronze Armor rode the Skeleton Horse swiftly toward the crowd. The spear carrying the power of one million soldiers was shattered in one strike by the Bronze Armor's rotten War Halberd.

Seeing this bizarre sight, Chen Changsheng felt his scalp go numb.

As the Bronze Armor was about to charge over, three white-haired old men suddenly rushed out from the crowd.

The moment they attacked, mountains and rivers shook while heaven and earth changed color.

These three old men were Xuanwu Kingdom's foundation, each of them having lived for more than fifteen hundred years.

With his Lifespan nearing its end, Emperor Zuo intended to force his way into the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.

Those "foundations" of Xuanwu Kingdom likewise wanted to take this opportunity to extend their Lifespans.

Seeing the foundation make their move, Emperor Zuo, who had yet to act, also moved.

He drove his chariot while pushing the power of his physical body to the utmost limit, forcibly blasting a crack through the supreme Array Patterns.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent commotion echoed beside Chen Changsheng's ears. Weak as he was, Chen Changsheng could only curl up in the corner of the chariot, secretly peeking at everything around him.

Seeing Emperor Zuo fight himself into a frenzy, Chen Changsheng could not help but marvel at Emperor Zuo's formidable strength.

The cultivation methods on this land were rather varied. Some followed internal cultivation, while others followed external cultivation.

The Great Qian Dynasty was a standard practitioner of internal cultivation, its realms being Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation.

Xuanwu Kingdom, meanwhile, was a standard practitioner of external cultivation, which emphasized the strength of the physical body.

The divisions of external cultivation were comparatively simple, using only basic numbered layers.

As for the standard of measurement, it was determined according to the cultivation technique one practiced, though overall there was not much difference.

Though internal and external cultivation differed in their methods and terminology, their realms and strength corresponded one to one.

Body Refinement First Layer corresponded to the Qi Refining Realm, while Body Refinement Fifth Layer corresponded to the Spirit Transformation stage.

Ever since Emperor Zuo had said that he did not regard Master Yuhua as worthy of his attention, Chen Changsheng had been guessing Emperor Zuo's cultivation realm.

Spirit Transformation was the fifth cultivation realm. For Emperor Zuo to kill Master Yuhua so easily, he had to have reached at least the sixth cultivation realm.

But only after Emperor Zuo unleashed all his strength did Chen Changsheng realize that he had still underestimated him.

His strength had already completely stepped into the seventh cultivation realm.

The only fly in the ointment was that he had likely entered this realm only recently.

"Alas..."

A soft sigh drifted leisurely from the black mountain range, and the three old men entangled in battle with the Bronze Armor instantly turned into blood mist.

Chen Changsheng: !!!

Seeing the great terror reveal itself, Emperor Zuo's aura intensified severalfold.

"Sword Come!"

Emperor Zuo shouted, then smashed through space with a punch and directly drew an ancient, unadorned longsword from the void.

With no one left to restrain it, the Bronze Armor also turned and attacked Emperor Zuo.

Swish!

A streak of sword qi swept out. The sword qi, stretching for a thousand li, instantly slashed the Bronze Armor into scattered fragments.

This Divine Weapon was none other than Xuanwu Kingdom's inherited supreme treasure—the Zhenwu Sword.