Calamity Across the Land

The Great Wilderness was vast and boundless, with towering mountains rising one after another, dense forests, ancient beasts roaring, and fierce birds striking at the sky. Complete chaos had erupted here! "Moo..."

A savage bull's roar carried for hundreds of miles. Li-Fire surged into the heavens as a gigantic ox, red as blood, over ten meters tall and thirty meters long, charged out from a split mountain, trailing magma and wreathed in flames.

It was the Li-Fire Bull Demon. It had once battled the Golden Suanni, losing one of its enormous crimson horns. It had existed for ages, its might shaking the Great Wilderness; even Stone Village's elders had grown up listening to its legends. Flames burned beneath its four hooves, and its entire body bathed in fire. Its red hide gleamed like silk, flashing scarlet light as it charged into the distance.

Behind it came an endless mass of fierce beasts, densely packed and all mutant species. They avoided the magma and inferno, following it out of the Primeval Mountain Range and slaughtering their way beyond the mountains.

"Ah... no!"

Everyone in a village of several hundred households was terrified. So many fierce beasts were charging toward them, and the leading Li-Fire Bull Demon was far stronger than their sacrificial spirit. How could they resist?

The village's sacrificial spirit sensed the danger and immediately abandoned the place, fleeing without a trace. It did not dare resist, and in the end even merged into the beast tide, becoming one of its members.

This was a tragedy. The Li-Fire Bull Demon charged past. Let alone this village's sacrificial spirit, even the sacrificial spirit of a major tribe would not have been its match. Nothing could halt its steps. Stone houses, altars, and more were hooked up by its sole crimson horn, smashed apart, and brutally trampled beneath its hooves.

Dust billowed into the sky as it charged toward lands even farther away.

Behind it, fierce beasts covered the mountains and plains, baring fangs and claws as they pounced forward. The villagers resisted desperately, but before this flood-like horde of beasts, they seemed utterly insignificant. Popping sounds rang out without end as sharp claws and snow-white fangs harvested one life after another.

It was a human tragedy. In the blink of an eye, the village was swallowed by the beast tide. The whole village perished; not a single person survived.

The same thing happened elsewhere. In only a short time, seven or eight villages on the outskirts of the Primeval Mountain Range were razed to the ground, leaving vast swathes of blood behind.

Deep within the mountain range, those two terrifying beings had issued their command. All manner of fierce birds and savage beasts dared not disobey, pouring out of the Great Wilderness in great numbers and bathing this land in blood.

In truth, some of the fierce birds and savage beasts had been stopped. That little crimson bird and the being wielding an iron staff had shouted them down; otherwise, there would have been even more.

Lone Mountain Town—A golden-maned lion came charging in, its sleek fur flowing with golden radiance. It actually walked upright, standing twenty meters tall. A massive horn grew from its brow, crackling with lightning. Its eyes were blood-red as it stormed into the town.

"Heavens, that golden-maned lion has come!" The townspeople were terrified. This was an ancient beast. Many old people had heard its legends in this Great Wilderness, but no one had expected it to come here.

"Run!"

No one dared resist. This descendant was terrifying beyond measure. The instant it entered the town, it swung a paw, smashing seven or eight people to pieces in the street, leaving them a bloody pulp. Then another claw came down, shattering several stone houses and crushing more than a dozen people beneath huge rocks.

Lone Mountain Town descended into chaos. People fled in every direction, only to discover in horror that fierce beasts surrounded the town on all sides. There was nowhere to escape. The beast tide had arrived, swallowing the place whole.

"Heavens, why do you punish us like this?" A white-haired elder roared furiously at the sky.

"Father, save me!" Children cried in terror.

Lone Mountain Town plunged into panic. Doomsday had arrived. Everyone was fleeing for their lives, only to find there was no road left to take. People howled in despair.

"Golden-maned old lion, I'll fight you to the death!" The town's strongest warrior was a burly middle-aged man. Gripping a broad sword taller than half a man, his beard and hair bristled as light radiated from his body, and he charged at the beast king.

Pfft!

Sadly, he was nowhere near a match for this descendant. With a single claw, the lion tore both him and his sword into two pieces.

Blood sprayed high into the air. Boom!

At the center of the town, the low stone hill shook violently. A massive boulder shot out from within, its entire surface glowing with a lustrous light and covered in runes as it rammed forward at high speed.

Clang!

The golden-maned lion swung its sharp claws and slapped the boulder with a crack. Sparks flew everywhere, and the giant stone rolled away.

"Roar..."

The beast tide submerged Lone Mountain Town. A pack of fierce beasts rushed forward and bit at the rune-covered boulder, producing clanging sounds as stone chips flew everywhere. The boulder shone, erupting with immense force and ramming again and again. Popping sounds followed, and in an instant, a swath of savage beasts had been smashed into meat paste, blood splashing in all directions.

The golden-maned lion let out a mighty roar, making the entire town tremble. The huge horn atop its head emitted a brilliant beam, and a bolt of lightning struck the boulder. With a crack, several fissures appeared on its surface.

"You slaughter the land with such savagery. Are you not afraid of punishment? I am a descendant of the Mountain God!" The boulder shone as a wave of divine consciousness spread from it.

"Tell that to the few beings in the mountains!" The golden-maned lion also sent out a wave of divine consciousness. It opened its blood-filled maw and spat out an even more dazzling burst of lightning before pouncing upon it.

Crack!

Although Lone Mountain Town's sacrificial spirit fought fiercely, runes interweaving, it was ultimately smashed apart by the golden-maned lion. A spray of brilliant blood burst forth, only to be swallowed in a single gulp by the fierce beasts.

Moments later, Lone Mountain Town had become ruins. Broken walls and shattered remnants stood amid bloodstains. Everyone was dead, yet not even corpses remained; all had been buried in the bellies of savage beasts.

Fierce beasts filled the mountains and plains. Beyond the Great Wilderness lay a scene like the end of days. Led by powerful descendants, the beast tide slaughtered in every direction, charging toward the ends of the earth.

Stone Village—The Willow Tree stood silently. That tender branch emitted a soft halo, enveloping the entire village. The beast tide thundered past, yet veered far away from this place.

Perhaps this was the only place spared from disaster.

"Living beings are drowning in misery. Who knows how many will die unnatural deaths? I fear none of the nearby villages will remain." A clan elder sighed, grief on his face. They all struggled and survived within the Great Wilderness; witnessing such a catastrophe descend, he could not help but feel sorrow and sympathy.

He did not know that this calamity was many times more severe than he imagined. This was no longer a disaster confined to the mountains' surroundings—it had spread across the boundless land!

That day, blood splashed across the earth. No one knew how many tribes had been wiped out. Fierce birds and savage beasts ran rampant, primordial mutant species appearing everywhere and sweeping through every inhabited region. This was a catastrophe.

Within the Primeval Mountain Range, chaotic energy permeated the air, while immortal light occasionally shot skyward. Four supreme beings were locked in a great battle, fighting over a sacred relic.

Divine fire burned down half the sky. A giant bird swept across the nine heavens, savage beasts tore apart the firmament, and an iron staff pierced through the clouds. The battle grew ever more intense!

The crystalline white sacred relic changed hands several times, constantly shifting masters. Each of the four great beings had obtained it, yet none could truly possess it. The battle continued.

More than a dozen primordial descendant's original precious bones could no longer protect this mountain range. The clash of the four supreme beings sent rocks hurtling into the heavens and caused one enormous mountain after another to collapse, reducing the place to utter ruin.

They fought as they moved, heading farther into the distance. The battlefield grew ever more vast, affecting an ever wider area. Even thousands of miles of the Primeval Mountain Range could scarcely contain them now.

Stone Village—The charred Willow Tree suddenly trembled. Its tender branches blazed with light, green enough to make one's heart quiver. Resplendent radiance spread out, shrouding the entire village.

"Ah, what happened?" Little Dot, who had been playing beneath the tree with the three young birds, looked up with a startled expression.

All the villagers trembled, feeling as though they were facing a deity. The medicinal cauldron passed down through the clan began to shine and resonate. Upon its walls, the images of ancient forebears grew clearer and clearer.

With a hum, green radiance from the Willow Tree shot into the sky. One chain of divine order after another intertwined, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open. Then, enveloped by that light, Stone Village suddenly vanished from heaven and earth. Nothing remained in that place.

Its entire body was charred black, having suffered devastating damage. When the great catastrophe descended, it could only protect itself; it could not battle terrifying beings of that level.

"Hm?"

At an immeasurable distance within the mountain range, thick mist swirled. A pair of dark green eyes as large as lakes gazed in this direction. Extremely sensitive, their owner actually sensed something and spoke in a muffled voice, "It fled away..."

"At this pace, who knows how many days it will take to bathe this land in blood? Too slow." That fierce bird crossed the sky like a dark cloud, its blood-moon eyes brimming with monstrous malice.

"I hate the human race. Their breeding power is astonishing. Let us do it ourselves and end this sooner!" A savage beast growled. Killing intent filled its emerald eyes as it fired two bolts of lightning as thick as mountains toward the place where Stone Village had once stood.

Boom!

The mountains collapsed, the earth cracked, and dust soared into the heavens. A deep pit appeared where Stone Village had been, like a vast abyss—black and bottomless.

"Eh? It is actually the burial ground of a deity. No wonder it rooted itself there. What a pity—it succeeded!" The being with flickering green eyes hissed, its killing intent towering to the heavens.

The lustrous white sacred relic rose and fell, flowing with light and radiant haze. The four great beings battled without pause, precious techniques clashing. The entire Primeval Mountain Range was destroyed, broken mountains everywhere. Their battle spread across thousands of miles and entered the vast lands beyond.

"You are so bent on slaughter. Are you not afraid that one day retribution will come?"

"Who can restrain me?!" The terrifying being with the pair of emerald eyes roared. At that roar, all the clouds filling the sky were scattered.

That fierce bird was even more direct. With a spread of its wings, it covered the entire firmament. Black mist surged into the heavens, and its body was even larger than dark clouds. This time, it seized the lustrous white sacred relic and flew tens of thousands of miles away.

The other three beings naturally pursued it without relent, launching fierce attacks.

"I loathe the human race. I will show you a bloodbath!" The fierce bird screeched. With a flap of its wings, it crossed the boundless land in an instant, mountains and rivers racing backward beneath it.

Very soon, it arrived above a marquisate belonging to the Thunder Clan. It held a population of tens of millions. It tossed aside the sacred relic and directly began slaughtering the place.

"Roar..."

It was clearly a fierce bird, yet it gave a beast's roar. Opening its beak, it released a terrifying expanse of black light that covered the entire marquisate, with its population of tens of millions.

The Thunder Clan's territory was vast, with one enormous city after another. Its population was immense, and it flourished greatly, yet today it encountered the catastrophe of clan extermination!

Like a mountain torrent flowing in reverse, like a vast sea striking the heavens, once this marquisate was shrouded in black light, every single person rose into the sky and flew toward that gaping bird beak.

It was a horrifying sight, like the destruction of the world. There was no way to stop it, for once those tens of millions were enveloped in black light, their deaths were already inevitable.

The moment they struggled within the black light, they exploded into bloody mist!

"The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow! It is actually a legendary Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow!"

"Heavens, what terrible wrong has our clan committed, for such a demonic bird from legend to come punish us!?"

Wails and cries rose from within the Thunder Clan. Everyone was stunned, utterly powerless to resist.

Struggling was futile. No one could save them. The black light blotted out the sky and covered the land, leaving them only able to watch as they were swallowed into that bird's beak.

It was a terrifying scene. An enormous savage sparrow stretched across the heavens, its body wreathed in black mist that obscured the entire sky. Its eyes were as large as blood moons. It opened its huge beak and swallowed all tens of millions of people.

Pfft, pfft...

The instant these people entered its mouth, they all burst apart into bloody mist and were swallowed into its belly.

"With so much blood essence, I am barely a little full." Nourished by an ocean of blood essence, the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow became invigorated, all signs of exhaustion swept away.