As the first ray of dawn tore across the horizon, the thunder of enormous war drums rang throughout the valley deep within the Iron Hoof Clan's territory.
Brawny, horned men swung drumsticks down hard against drumheads made from the hides of unknown magical beasts. Each beat made the ground tremble slightly, and even the distant stone walls hummed along.
The drumbeats came fast and thick, like a heartbeat rising from deep underground, each pulse stirring the fighting spirit in their blood.
Children living in the residential area around the training grounds ran out of their houses and stood on tiptoe to peer toward the grounds. The outlines of those enormous figures were reflected in their eyes, which brimmed with admiration and longing.
On the enormous training grounds, tens of thousands of Iron Hoof Clan warriors had already formed square formations.
From a distance, they looked like a forest of dark-gold armor. Every warrior wore standard-issue divine artifact armor, its surface densely inscribed with magic runes that gleamed coldly in the morning light.
Their weapons were uniform divine artifact heavy axes and tower shields.
Loa leaned beside the Metal Shuttle's hatch, holding a cup of hot drink as he quietly watched the scene.
The pressure of tens of thousands of people standing in orderly formations was considerable indeed, but at his current level, that was all it amounted to.
Wangcai was nowhere near as composed.
He stood at the gunwale formed atop the shuttle, both hands braced against the railing. His purple eyes were wide, and his mouth had hung open for ages.
He had followed Loa all the way from the Yulan Continent and had seen plenty of grand spectacles, but he had never seen anything like this.
Tens of thousands of Deity warriors-although most were Middle Gods, with quite