Great Upheaval

The Primeval Mountain Range was no longer peaceful. Powerful figures appeared one after another; some had come for Stone Village's sacrificial spirit, while others sought to investigate the mountain treasure within the Great Wilderness. They flocked in from all directions, and Lone Mountain Town became packed beyond capacity. The chiefs of the various clans did not act rashly. They found that Willow Tree exceedingly mysterious, giving them an unfathomable feeling.

Over the past few days, quite a few powerful figures had ventured deep into the mountain range, wanting to learn what sacred object could make ancient relics fight over it for two years without being willing to leave.

A group of experts from different tribes formed a fairly powerful team. They broke through the outer region, slaughtered fierce beasts all the way, and entered the deeper parts of the mountain range.

"What kind of mountain treasure could hide for two years without being found? Could it be a living creature?"

"Hmm, that's possible. Perhaps it's a sacred herb—maybe it can even fly on its own."

The group discussed it, but did not forget to stay on guard as they advanced into the mountains. Everyone was full of anticipation. Even if they could not obtain the mountain treasure, finding other spiritual herbs by chance would still make the journey worthwhile.

Of course, if they discovered the corpse of an ancient relic that had died in battle, that would be even more heart-shaking. Without question, every relic was a priceless treasure trove!

"Aoo..."

Suddenly, a muffled roar came from deep within the primordial forest. It shook the mountains, sending huge boulders rolling down and crushing countless towering ancient trees, like a mountain flood bursting forth.

"We haven't even gone that deep yet. How can there already be such a terrifying roar?" Everyone was startled.

A violent wind howled, ancient trees swayed, and a rich stench so sickening it made people want to vomit rushed out of the forest, accompanied by a dreadful ferocious Sha Qi.

"Not good! Fierce beasts are on the move—defend yourselves!"

A golden-furred bear charged out, running upright. It stood ten meters tall, with a huge horn growing from the center of its brow, and it arrived in the blink of an eye.

"Puff!"

Though enormous, it was far from clumsy. It moved with incredible speed, darting forward and bringing down a paw. Before anyone could react, one person was smashed apart by that winnowing-basket-sized bear paw, reduced to a lump of bloody pulp.

"Swoosh!"

A powerful expert unleashed a precious technique against the horned golden giant bear. Bone Script spread out, transforming into a sheet of fire that swooped down toward the bear-man. Yet this fierce beast had no intention of fighting them at all. It leaped over twenty meters into the air and vanished into the distance in an instant.

"Not good! Run! It's a beast tide!"

The group cried out in alarm. That bear-man was extremely powerful and ran at the very front, while behind it, a vast mass of fierce beasts surged forward like a mountain flood, a black expanse as far as the eye could see.

Everyone's courage froze. No wonder the stench had filled their noses and the wind had howled—there were actually so many fierce beasts stampeding through the forest.

The ground trembled, countless ancient trees were smashed apart, and great herds of colossal beasts raced wildly, flattening the mountains as they fled from the depths of the range. Packed tightly together, every one of them was powerful.

"Mother of mine, what happened? Why are there so many fierce beasts?!" The group fled for their lives, not daring to pause for even a moment. In an army-like beast tide like this, even the chief of a clan would most likely have to retreat rather than face it head-on.

"Aoo..."

Another roar echoed through the mountain range. Rocks blasted into the sky, the peaks shook, and huge boulders continuously tumbled down, creating an incomparably horrifying scene.

"Heavens, an ancient relic! That's a Demon Ape!"

The group looked back and, to their shock, saw a black ape king radiating dark light from its entire body. Black mist billowed around it as it stood in the sky like an unrivaled Demon King, beating a pair of enormous demonic wings as it looked down over the land. It was driving the beast herd away.

What was even more shocking was that one arm of such a powerful ancient relic had been severed. It had only one arm left, and a savage gleam filled its eyes as it stared in their direction.

This group of experts fled quickly, but they were still discovered. The Demon Ape beat its wings and transformed into a bolt of black lightning. Wild winds howled, rocks tumbled, and it dove down upon them in an instant.

The person running at the front suddenly stopped, his eyes vacant.

Blood spurted from his head, and his skullcap flew away. The Demon Ape opened its mouth and directly sucked his brains clean. It did not stop. With a flicker, it arrived before another person, swift as black lightning, too fast for anyone to react.

"Pop!"

With a light flick of its finger, another skullcap flew up. It opened its mouth and sucked dry the brain matter within that head, then licked its crimson lips before finally releasing its grip.

Only when his brain had been emptied, just before he died, did that person let out half a scream. It ended abruptly, because everything had happened far too quickly.

"Ah..."

Everyone screamed in terror, their scalps going numb with fright. No one had expected to encounter an ancient relic just after entering the mountain range. It could not be fought against; they could only flee for their lives.

Clearly, this struggle was futile. The Demon Ape flickered several times, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as skullcaps flew continuously into the air. It feasted to its heart's content.

In the end, not a single person escaped. Every expert was killed.

If anyone from Stone Village had been here, they would certainly have recognized it. This was the relic that had once battled the Suanni, and it had now become even more vicious and frenzied.

The beast tide was astonishing. It destroyed vast stretches of forest, converging into a raging torrent that crashed toward the outside of the mountain range and caused a tremendous uproar. Not only were the nearby villages thrown into tension, even the powerful figures who had come from afar were alarmed. They believed something must have changed within the mountain range to make all the beasts flee.

From afar, black shadows also filled the sky above the mountains. Countless fierce birds spread their wings and fled the great mountains at top speed.

"Hmm, what a terrifying beast tide. I thought this desolate, savage land lacked spiritual energy and would not contain any extraordinary creatures. Who would have thought so many ferocious things had gathered here!" The chief of the Golden Wolf Tribe stood on a mountain rock, overlooking the beast tide with deeply furrowed brows. Beside him, a golden divine wolf stood proudly atop the mountain peak, staring into the distance.

"Eh, an ancient relic is driving the beast herd..." The Golden Wolf Tribe's chief revealed a shocked expression and muttered, "Such a powerful relic seems to be carrying out orders?"

Having keenly noticed this, he was immediately stunned. That was an ancient relic—one that could sweep across a region and was nearly impossible to match—yet it was doing such a thing.

Vaguely, he understood. An incomparably powerful being in the mountains was clearing the field. The mountain treasure was truly about to emerge!

At the same time, Thunder Marquis, the master of Luofu Great Marsh, and several other supreme figures also realized this. They were the strongest beings of their clans, ruling the many tribes across this land, yet now they could only sigh. They knew the mountain treasure was not fated for them, and they lacked the strength to contend for it.

Only after two hours did the beast tide finally disperse, vanishing into the forests of the outer region as the beasts scattered in every direction. Yet this was merely the first wave of the beast tide. The weakest creatures had been driven out; clearly, there would be a second wave, and this land would know no peace.

The powerful figures retreated to Lone Mountain Town, finding the situation thorny. The sight within the mountain range was too terrifying. They had no way to enter it at all. Forget the mountain treasure—even relic corpses and the like were utterly beyond their reach.

"Alas, we came here for nothing. I never expected this mountain range to be so terrifying. A powerful Demon Ape was merely responsible for driving away the beasts, and this is not even the deepest part of the range. What extraordinary thing has appeared in the Primeval Mountain Range?"

"Could it be a sacred herb, or the Heavenly Bone from ancient legends?"

"Who knows? In any case, this trip was for nothing. I don't want to stay any longer. I'm leaving tomorrow, or I'll probably die here."

Everyone was greatly dejected. Many tribes had joined forces and come in great force, only to end up with such a result. They felt deeply unwilling to accept it.

"Ah, right. Aren't the strongest few clans in this territory planning to deal with some village? What happened? I heard they suffered a loss?"

"Aren't there disciples of the Golden Wolf Tribe here? And experts from Luofu Great Marsh? Let them tell us about it."

Lone Mountain Town was in an uproar. The number of outsiders was nearly equal to that of the original residents, while the Golden Wolf Tribe, Thunder Clan, and others had stationed large numbers of experts there, quietly awaiting orders.

"I heard that village is far from simple. It made several of the strongest powers across this vast land suffer a huge loss."

"Really? That can't be possible, can it? Those are two great marquises, along with the Golden Wolf Tribe, Luofu Great Marsh, and others. Which of them does not shake this boundless land with its might?!"

No one dared believe it, and all revealed shocked expressions.

A cold snort sounded. A powerful expert from the Golden Wolf Tribe walked over, his expression indifferent and his gaze icy. "That village is finished. It will be wiped out and cease to exist!"

He had ample confidence, because the golden divine wolf of his tribe had arrived. It was the strongest sacrificial spirit within fifty thousand li and had lived for an exceedingly long time. The tribal chief might not be the foremost expert in this land, but this golden divine wolf could reign supreme among the sacrificial spirits of all the great clans!

The powerful figures were startled. The Golden Wolf Tribe was about to unleash thunderous methods—how could a village possibly withstand them?

"There is a king among the ancient relics in the mountain range. Our clan cannot contend for the mountain treasure, but destroying that village which does not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth will not take much effort." A disciple of Luofu Great Marsh spoke with chilling menace.

Not long ago, they had suffered a disastrous defeat. Their leader, Jiao Cang, had been crippled, and nearly all the experts they sent out had perished, leaving the entire clan furious. Now their strongest chief had personally arrived. Could he truly fail to destroy a mere village? They would not believe it even if beaten to death.

"Yes. Since the mountain treasure is beyond our reach, we'll use that village as compensation. They obtained a Suanni treasure body—how can a village deserve to possess such a sacred object?" someone from the Thunder Clan said.

"Ah, Purple Mountain Marquis has arrived!" Just then, cries of alarm erupted from Lone Mountain Town.

A purple sun streaked across the sky, three feet above the ground. It shot past Lone Mountain Town and disappeared into the primordial forest, heading directly toward Stone Village. Though it flashed past in an instant, the terrifying aura that swept over them made every person tremble.

Other than the reclusive Cloud Clan—the force known as Cloud Heaven Palace—which was mysterious beyond measure and whose true depth was unknown to all, Purple Mountain Marquis was known as the strongest expert in the vast land within fifty thousand li.

Even he had arrived. Could it be that he, too, had come to punish that obscure village?

"The strongest expert has arrived. If he acts, perhaps only a few supreme beings, such as Thunder Marquis and the sacrificial spirit of the Golden Wolf Tribe, can resist him!"

"Heavens, it truly is Purple Mountain Marquis! Hurry and see what exactly he intends to do." The powerful figures were stirred with excitement. Such supreme experts rarely acted, and every time they moved, it caused waves that shook the heavens.

"If our chief has acted, then naturally he means to sweep away that village. How can the dignity of our Purple Mountain lineage be violated!" A young man of the Purple Mountain Clan spoke with a proud expression.

"Once Purple Mountain Marquis emerges, who can contend with him? If his true body has moved, a clan is bound to be destroyed." Someone sighed. There were precedents—Purple Mountain Marquis had once, by himself, wiped out several very powerful tribes.

Just then, the forces of the Thunder Clan, Luofu Great Marsh, Golden Wolf Tribe, and the others seemed to receive some order and surged toward the forest. Soon afterward, the people of the Purple Mountain lineage also moved.

Several great clans were actually heading toward the same place—their target was Stone Village.

"They cannot seize the mountain treasure, so they are going to destroy that village instead." Someone sighed.

"It actually takes several great clans moving together, with the chiefs of the four great clans personally arriving. That mountain village truly is no simple place!" Many people exclaimed in amazement.

The Purple Mountain Clan, Luofu Great Marsh, Thunder Clan, Golden Wolf Tribe, and other great clans had all mobilized. This was exceedingly rare. As they discussed it, everyone grew excited and exhilarated. This would be a battle that stirred the winds and clouds.

The strongest expert of this land, Purple Mountain Marquis, the mysterious foremost sacrificial spirit—the golden divine wolf—and several clan chiefs had all come. A terrifying fierce battle was inevitable.