In the Chaos Star Domain, within the barrier of the Three Great Royal Cities.
Heaven and earth were dim, and silence filled the space.
Within the barrier, where blood qi power had once been rich and active, all forms of energy had grown thin and meager.
Vegetation was withering in swathes on the mountains where the three royal cities stood.
Vast numbers of martial artists gathered below the mountains, along with the allied army formed by the Three Great Royal Cities.
Everyone sat cross-legged, circulating their cultivation with all their might, drawing blood qi power from the scant energy in the air to replenish their own.
At the same time, they struggled against the omnipresent refining force within the space.
For nearly three years, they had been resisting that refining force without a moment's respite.
At first, supported by the immense energy of three top-grade blood crystal mines, everyone could replenish their energy in time, unafraid of the drain caused by the refining force.
But as time passed, the energy released by the three blood crystal veins gradually diminished, while that invisible refining force seemed to be growing stronger.
By now, the energy of the three blood crystal veins had become extremely thin, and many of the plants growing on the mining mountains had begun to wither.
Even the barrier's curtain of light, which surrounded the Three Great Royal Cities and guarded everyone like a heavenly gate, had begun to dim.
It was becoming increasingly difficult for everyone to counterbalance that refining force.
An invisible weight began to settle over every heart.
At that moment, at the foot of Mountain-Slaying City's mountain, before a low, single-story house.
A lovely young girl who still bore traces of childish innocence raised her hand and pointed into the sky overhead.
A golden light