Outside Divine Spirit Valley, in the Polar Bear Empire.
Temporary tents stood on one mountaintop after another, with people occasionally coming and going. At night, campfires were lit here as well, and dishes from various countries were cooked.
The timing of the Yin Qi Outbreak at the Gods' Mausoleum, the SSS-Class 4 living-person forbidden zone, was uncertain, so all the factions had arrived early to wait.
In the past, however, very few factions could claim a share of a prize of this caliber. There were usually no more than five.
Yet now, more than a dozen mountaintops around Divine Spirit Valley had been occupied.
An area of white tents emblazoned with enormous golden crosses occupied one of the largest mountaintops.
A group of young people sat around a campfire there, talking among themselves.
It was clear that these young people were all extraordinary. Most had reached A-Rank, and even if they had undergone a Grand Sacrifice, that still spoke to their unusual status.
The strongest among them were already Half-Kings.
"There are way too many people here this time. Could some of them be unqualified?" a burly, blond young man carrying a massive axe asked disdainfully.
"Hmph! We can't let people like that fish in troubled waters." A young man holding a curved saber nodded in agreement.
"Rode, Albert." A curvaceous woman holding a large shield sneered. "Have your muscles grown into your brains? Who would dare come to a gathering like this without something to back them up?"
"See those pitch-black tents over there? They belong to the Shenji Sect, which has been making quite a name for itself lately. It's said to be a major sect left over from ancient times."
"Back on our own turf, that Shenji made even Lord Gris of our organization suffer a serious