In the southwestern heartland of the Monster Domain lay an endless mountain range of incomparably steep terrain.
The mountains were a dark, heavy black-yellow color. Ancient trees towered within them, vines coiled like dragons, and the air was steeped in the primitive aura of the Primordial World.
The core ancestral land of the Shaking Mountain Ape clan was located atop one of those towering solitary peaks.
The peak stood several hundred thousand zhang tall, seeming to have been cast entirely from refined iron. Countless natural folds and protrusions covered its surface. Its upper half vanished into dense black-yellow clouds that never dispersed, while its lower half was protected by layer upon layer of heavy defensive formations connected to the earth veins, laid down by generations of Shaking Mountain Ape ancestors using mountain-moving divine arts and Earth-element formations. At its summit stood a vast plaza, ancient stone halls, and cave dwellings.
As one of the ten great royal clans of the Monster Domain, the Shaking Mountain Ape clan dominated this region. Ordinary forces did not dare approach within ten thousand li of their ancestral land.
This day seemed no different from any other.
Some giant apes atop the ancestral peak were absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Some were tempering their bodies and honing their strength. Others had already taken human form and were cultivating in cave dwellings throughout the mountain. The entire clan was immersed in a relatively peaceful atmosphere of cultivation.
Although the Shaking Mountain Ape clan had lost seven Monster Kings in the Boundless Sea ten years ago, and their clan chief had only escaped by using a forbidden technique and was still in seclusion nursing his injuries, the clan's foundation remained. They still had more than a dozen Monster Kings, and their overall strength remained