Treasure Land

The crystalline white sacred object changed hands several times, passing from one owner to another. Each of the four supreme creatures had possessed it, yet none had truly claimed it. The great battle continued.

A dozen or so pieces of Primitive Treasure Bone from Primordial Remnants could no longer protect this mountain range. The four supreme creatures fought to the death, sending rocks crashing into the sky. One towering mountain after another collapsed, reduced to ruin.

They fought as they moved, heading farther and farther away. The battlefield grew ever more vast, its reach ever wider. The Vast Mountain Range, stretching for thousands of miles, could barely contain them.

In Stone Village, the charred Willow Tree suddenly trembled. Its tender branches blazed with light, so green it made the heart quiver. Brilliant rays of light poured forth, enveloping the entire village.

"Ah! What happened?" Little One looked up in astonishment. He had been playing with the three young birds beneath the tree.

Shi Lin, sitting with his eyes closed before the stone cliff, opened them sharply.

"It's time to go!"

All the villagers shuddered, feeling as though they were standing before a deity. The ancestral medicinal cauldron began to glow and resonate with the tree. The images of ancient ancestors on its walls grew ever clearer.

With a hum, the Willow Tree's green radiance shot into the heavens. One Order Divine Chain after another intertwined, blinding everyone. Then they enveloped Stone Village, and in an instant, it vanished from the world. Nothing remained in that place.

Far away in the mountain range, dense mists shrouded the land. A pair of deep green eyes, vast as lakes, gazed in this direction. The creature was extraordinarily sensitive; it had sensed something and let out a muffled growl. "It actually escaped..."

"At this rate, who knows how many days it'll take to massacre this land? Too slow." The fierce bird swept across the sky like a dark cloud, its blood-moon eyes radiating boundless savagery.

"I hate the human race. They breed like vermin. We'll do it ourselves and finish this sooner!" the vicious beast growled. Killing intent filled its emerald eyes as it unleashed two bolts of lightning as thick as mountains, striking the spot where the original Stone Village had stood.

"Boom!"

The mountains collapsed and the earth split open. Dust billowed into the sky, and a deep pit appeared where Stone Village had been, like an abyss—pitch-black and bottomless.

"Hm? This is where a deity fell. No wonder it took root here. What a pity it got what it wanted!" the creature with the flashing green eyes roared, its killing intent soaring to the heavens.

The radiant white sacred object floated amid streams of light and rosy clouds. The four creatures fought without pause, trading precious arts. The entire Vast Mountain Range was destroyed, leaving broken peaks everywhere. Their battle raged across thousands of miles and into the vast wilderness.

"With such bloodlust, aren't you afraid Heaven will punish you someday?"

"Who can punish me?!" roared the terrifying creature with a pair of emerald eyes. Its roar scattered every cloud in the sky.

The fierce bird was even more direct. It spread its wings, blotting out the sky. Black mist surged around it, and its body was larger than the clouds themselves. This time, it seized the radiant white sacred object and flew tens of thousands of miles away.

The other three creatures naturally pursued it without rest, launching fierce attacks.

"I despise the human race. I'll slaughter them all before your eyes!" the fierce bird cried. With a flap of its wings, it swept across the boundless land in an instant, mountains and rivers racing backward beneath it.

Before long, it arrived at a marquis's domain belonging to the Lei Clan, home to tens of millions. It abandoned the sacred object and immediately began slaughtering the people there.

"Roar..."

It was clearly a fierce bird, yet it let out a beastly roar. It opened its beak, and a terrifying blast of dark light surged out, covering a marquis's domain with tens of millions of inhabitants.

The Lei Clan's territory was vast, with one enormous city after another and a large, prosperous population. Yet today, it faced the catastrophe of annihilation!

Like a mountain flood surging backward, like a vast sea striking the sky, the moment the dark light enveloped the marquis's domain, all its people shot upward, flying toward the gaping beak.

It was a terrifying sight, like the end of the world. There was no way to stop it. Once the dark light had engulfed those tens of millions, there was no hope of survival.

Anyone who struggled within the dark light would explode, turning into a mist of blood!

"Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow! It's actually the legendary Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow!"

"Heavens! What terrible wrong did our clan commit, to be punished by a fiendish bird that appears only in legends?!"

Wails rang out through the Lei Clan. Everyone was stunned, utterly powerless to resist.

Their struggles were futile. No one could save them. The dark light blotted out the sky, covering the land; all they could do was watch as they were swallowed into that beak.

It was a horrifying sight: a colossal vicious sparrow stretched across the heavens, its entire body wreathed in black mist that obscured the whole sky. Its eyes were as large as blood moons. It opened its enormous beak and swallowed tens of millions of people.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!"...

The instant they entered its mouth, the people all exploded into mists of blood and were swallowed into its belly.

"That's a lot of blood essence. I'm full enough for now." Nourished by the vast supply of blood essence, the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow perked up, all traces of fatigue gone.

An iron staff swept over, smashing the sky apart as it struck at the demonic bird's head, larger than an ancient mountain. It would have smashed the creature into a shower of peaches! Unfortunately, the fierce bird was far too powerful. It spread its wings, tore through the sky, and vanished in an instant, dodging the staff. Though its body was enormous, it was astonishingly nimble and possessed divine speed.

"You're so savage. Aren't you afraid of violating Heaven's harmony?" a voice called out from the mist. The iron staff struck again.

"What is Heaven's harmony? Heaven itself can't take me!" The fierce bird's enormous body filled the sky. It beat its wings with all its might, as if to shatter the world into pieces. Gale winds howled, and the entire world plunged into darkness.

The colossal vicious bird unleashed its precious art, its demonic might peerless. Its cries sounded as though they came from the deepest abyss. Thousands upon thousands of black feathers, each etched with terrifying runes, shot forth. Every one was astonishingly thick, whistling down as if to destroy the world, hurtling toward the creature wielding the iron staff.

Another fierce battle erupted. The iron staff pierced the heavens and collided with the endless black feathers. The radiance of precious arts burst forth, turning the skies and earth upside down as storms and clouds rose and vanished in every direction.

"Whoosh!"

Dark light blazed. The black feathers filling the sky converged and suddenly transformed into a black furnace, taller than hundreds or thousands of mountains. Its imposing aura was terrifying. It stood between heaven and earth—a furnace of the world itself.

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow had woven its demonic feathers together and refined them with runes, forging a fearsome demonic furnace. It gave a soft hum and tried to suck the creature wielding the iron staff inside.

"Hum!"

A soaring aura shot toward the heavens. The enormous creature swung its iron staff with all its might, while a vertical eye opened at the center of its brow. Golden light blazed, runes filled the sky, and they formed an unrivaled immortal sword that slashed toward the black furnace.

This was a battle to the death. They had fought themselves into a frenzy!

Elsewhere, the scarlet bird was locked in fierce combat with the enormous vicious beast. They fought without regard for their lives, flames colliding with giant claws as metallic clangs rang out and the Dao's resonant tones thundered, making heaven and earth tremble together.

They battled all along their journey, sweeping through the sky and crossing endless mountains and rivers. The battlefield grew wider and wider.

On the land below, the once-prosperous Lei Clan had become a thing of the past. One towering city after another stood empty, its people gone. Tens of millions had been swallowed in a single bite by the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow. It had been a calamity beyond measure.

The four supreme creatures departed. A gust of wind swept past, and dozens of great cities, along with countless smaller towns, collapsed in an instant, becoming broken walls and rubble.

The Lei Clan, once the strongest power ruling this land, had become a wisp of history, gone forever!

"Within a radius of a hundred thousand miles, not a single living creature will remain. These mountains and rivers will be most beautiful only when stained red with blood!" The vicious beast stood between heaven and earth, shrouded in thick mist. Its cold green eyes reflected a terrifying killing intent.

It commanded the myriad creatures, and it set off as well. Breaking free of Little Red Bird's pursuit, it charged away and disappeared into the distance, reaching the edge of the horizon.

"Heavens! What is that monster?"

Within another marquis's domain, the Purple Mountain Clan stared in shock as a pair of eyes as vast as lakes drew closer through the immense mist, pressing down on them until they could barely breathe.

"Whoosh!"

Little Red Bird, pursuing from behind, opened its beak and spat out a rosy glow. It carried surging divine flames that coalesced into a scarlet immortal sword, which slashed toward the enormous vicious beast.

But it was too late to stop it. The towering creature, its body rising above the clouds, opened its enormous mouth, like a sea of blood, and swallowed everything in every direction.

"Heavens! No! What kind of vicious beast is this? How can it be so powerful?"

The Purple Mountain Clan was horrified. The entire royal city rose from the ground. Its walls, like black mountain ridges, and its magnificent palaces all cracked apart. The entire city's population fell into that bloody maw

. Little Red Bird wanted to stop it, but the human body was too frail. Even the slightest contact with the vicious beast's precious art would make everyone explode inside its bloody maw, turning into a mist of blood.

A wave of demonic light surged toward every corner of the land, then swept back, engulfing countless creatures. Tens of millions of people from the Purple Mountain Clan flew skyward in a surging torrent, disappearing into the bloody maw and being swallowed into its belly.

Even their powerful Sacrificial Spirit had no chance to fight back. It exploded in the sky, turning into a mist of blood that drifted into the enormous beast's mouth.

It was a true catastrophe, leaving the land barren and the people slaughtered!

The Purple Mountain Lineage had been annihilated. Apart from Marquis of Purple Mountain, whose whereabouts were unknown, the entire clan had perished. Not one person survived.

Little Red Bird was furious. It had held back for fear of harming the people, but this savage creature had no such scruples. It had swallowed tens of millions in a single bite.

A gust of wind blew past, and chaotic energy surged everywhere. Every great city in the region collapsed, reduced to ruins.

"Within a radius of a hundred thousand miles, whether human or beast, if they've formed a tribe or clan, not one will be spared. We'll slaughter them all!"

Four supreme creatures vied for dominance. Two of them roared madly as they commanded the myriad creatures, determined to flatten the land and turn it into ashes.

Fierce birds and vicious beasts went berserk, obeying their commands as they slaughtered in every direction.

The land fell into chaos. Roars of every kind filled the air, and vicious beasts surged like a flood, slaughtering in every direction.

"Why? Is Heaven punishing the human race?"

People cried out. On that day, countless tribes came under attack, powerless to fight back. Once their Sacrificial Spirit was killed and the strongest members of their clan had fallen, their annihilation was certain.

"The human race already struggles to survive in the wilderness, scraping out a living in this cruel land. Why would such a calamity descend upon us as well?!"

On ordinary days, the land teemed with ferocious beasts, while vicious birds swept across the sky. That was how humans lived: they had to fight and struggle, or they had no hope of survival.

This was a great calamity sweeping across the land. Under the leadership of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and the towering vicious beast, the mountains and rivers were stained red, and every clan was wiped out.

The mountains and rivers ran scarlet, with corpses piled high in the rivers!

All the great clans were wiped out, and then the calamity spread to even more distant lands.

Just as the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and the other supreme creature had said, everything within a hundred thousand miles was destroyed. The mountains and rivers were soaked in blood, living beings wailed, and the world was a scene from the apocalypse.

Once-prosperous cities had become ruins. The vast plains, once so fertile and suited to life, were now lifeless, littered with bones and soaked in rivers of blood.

When calamity struck, no one could escape. Chaos engulfed heaven and earth, living beings wailed, and terror shook the world. Blood flowed for a hundred thousand miles!

"Boom!"

Only days later did the life-or-death battle between the four supreme creatures finally end. The curtain fell, and the entire world fell silent in an instant. Not a sound remained.

As far as the eye could see, the towering mountains had either collapsed or been reduced to broken peaks. The earth was split open, all life was gone, and bloodstains covered the land. It had become a dead zone.

This was the grim reality: survival was harsh, the land teeming with primordial beasts, vicious birds blotting out the sky, and poisonous insects lurking in the forests. To stay alive, one had to fight and struggle without end.

Disasters like the one today unfolded across the land again and again.

Silver Moon rose. The mountains and rivers were silent and lifeless, without a sound. The night wind swept across the land with a mournful "whoo," like someone weeping.

The people of Stone Village had spent two months in a pocket of space.

Two months later.

"Crack!"

It was as if a jade bottle had shattered. The space trembled violently, then flickered in and out of view. At last, with a rumble, the gray mist vanished completely. The chaos disappeared, and sunlight poured down. The sun hung high in the sky, enormous and dazzling, yet everyone was thrilled. They kept looking up and cheering loudly. They had escaped and returned to the earth.

The children could hardly wait. They shouted and rushed out of the village, greedily breathing in the fresh air, rich with the scent of plants and trees. They jumped and danced about.

"Eh? Something's wrong. This isn't the forest outside our village." Er Meng was dumbfounded. The landscape before his eyes was nothing like the mountains he had known since childhood.

A river flowed past the village. Great fish leaped from its waters, their golden scales flashing as they sent up sprays of foam. Not far away lay a lake, clear and blue, where a flock of brilliantly feathered birds strolled leisurely. Each was over two meters long and shimmered with rosy light. A herd of unicorns, their bodies glimmering with silver radiance, drank by the lakeshore.

"What a beautiful place!" After their initial shock, the children stared around in amazement.

The adults were equally dumbfounded. They had escaped from that strange space, only to find that the woods outside the village looked nothing like the place they had known for decades. They had arrived in a place of such breathtaking beauty.

"Chirp, chirp..."

"What fresh air! We've finally reached a place with flowers and water!" Shi Lin shouted.

"Chirp, chirp..."

Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiao Qing came rushing over, extremely excited. They drooled over the great fish in the water. They were now about three and a half meters long. After their first two or three months, their growth had begun to slow.

The Green-Scaled Eagle appeared and beat its enormous silver wings. Waves surged onto the shore, where seven or eight large fish covered in golden scales leaped about. Each weighed a dozen or so jin. Most remarkable of all, two crystalline, fragrant dragon whiskers grew beside each fish's mouth.

The three young birds happily rushed over to enjoy their feast.

Shi Yunfeng was startled. He hurried over, picked up a large fish, and turned it over and over in his hands. "Could these really be Dragon-Whisker Fish? And such fine golden-scaled ones! These are precious. They're rich in spiritual essence. Eating them regularly can increase strength and strengthen bones and sinews. They're wonderful for children!"

The children heard this and immediately cried out excitedly as they rushed toward the water.

These fish were rare and rich in spiritual essence, commanding a high price outside. Yet the lake was full of them—enough to feed a whole village for a long time.

"Chief, look! Could those birds by the lake be Five-Colored Chickens, also known as Little Luan Birds?" Er Meng's father was excited. He pointed ahead. He had once spotted one from afar in the mountains, but hadn't managed to catch it.

"They seem to be... They really are!" Shi Yunfeng widened his eyes and examined them closely, instantly moved.

Five-Colored Chickens were covered in brilliantly colored feathers and were exceptionally beautiful. They resembled Luan Birds, each measuring over two meters long. They were a rare bone-restoring medicinal ingredient.

If someone broke a bone or injured their sinews, one could stew a cauldron of Five-Colored Chicken, eat the meat and bones together, and drink some of the broth. It had miraculous effects and could quickly mend a broken bone.

Shi Yunfeng came back to himself and solemnly warned them, "A whole flock lives here. Don't act rashly or hunt them at random. I'll let you know when we need them for medicine. Don't frighten them; we want them to stay by the lake all year round."

The burly men all nodded in agreement. But they weren't thinking about the Five-Colored Chickens. Their minds were elsewhere, all eyes fixed on the unicorns. Those silver-shimmering steeds stirred every man's heart. Growing up in the mountains, every strong man dreamed of having a magnificent steed that could travel ten thousand miles in a day. It was a dream and a passion unique to men.

Unicorns were rare, mutated Scaled Horses. Yet here there was a whole herd of them, no fewer than fifty or sixty. Naturally, the men's eyes all turned red with longing, though they knew these were vicious beasts and not to be trifled with.

"Take it slow. We'll catch a few sooner or later. Don't spook them. As long as they keep living on this fertile land, they'll be ours eventually," Shi Feijiao whispered.

The landscape outside the village had completely changed. After their initial shock, the villagers no longer felt lost. This place was simply too wonderful. With so many rare, spiritual creatures nearby, it was a beautiful treasure land.