Chapter 0: Prologue

Prologue - Great Wasteland

It was deep into the night. Everything was pitch-black and nothing could be seen, yet the mountains weren't completely silent. Roars of fierce beasts shook the mountains and rivers, causing countless trees to tremble. They began to rustle as leaves flew chaotically into the air.

Within the endless mountains and ravines, ferocious beasts ran wildly through the great wastelands and descendants of archaic creatures roamed about. All types of terrifying sounds rose and fell within the darkness as they tried to tear this world apart.

A gentle light could be vaguely seen from the mountain range. Inside the extreme darkness of tens of thousands of mountains, it flickered like the flame of a candle, as if it would die out with a moment's notice.

As it gradually grew closer, an enormous and ancient tree that was on the verge of death appeared. The tree trunk was a dozen or so meters in length, and it was completely burnt black. Other than this ruined half of its trunk, there was only a single weak branch that remained; however, it was still full of vitality. The green branch and the leaves on it sparkled as if they had been carved out of green jade. Specks of gentle light began to spread out, surrounding a village.

To be more precise, this was a tree that had been struck by lightning. After encountering powerful heavenly lightning many years ago, its enormous body and vigorous vitality were ruined. At this moment, only an eight or nine meter tall tree stump rose from the ground. It was terrifyingly thick, and the branch that extended out from it was like a green multicolored divine chain. A hazy light began to spread through the sky, enveloping and guarding the village within. The area of residence became hazy and indistinct, as if it was a fairyland. Within the great wasteland, it seemed extremely mysterious.

All the houses inside the village were made out of stone. It was the dead of night; this place was quiet and peaceful, as if it was completely isolated from the roaring beasts of the outside darkness.

Wu...

Gusts of fierce wind swept past. An enormous dark cloud filled the atmosphere and covered the night sky, blocking out every last speck of stellar light. As a result, the mountain range became even darker.

A tyrannical bird cry rang out from above, piercing through metal and splitting open rocks. Surprisingly, this sound originated from the dark cloud, and upon closer inspection, it was actually an inconceivably large bird! As it covered the sky and concealed the moon, no one knew just how long it was.

While flying over Stone Village, it looked downwards with eyes that resembled bloody moons. A heaven-overflowing vicious aura flowed about as it stared momentarily at the old willow tree. In the end, it decided to fly towards the depths of the mountain range.

Silence ensued for a long period of time, and soon it was past midnight. The great earth began to tremble as an indistinct figure walked over from the distance. This figure was as tall as a mountain!

An indescribable aura emanated, and the range of mountains and ravines became deathly silent. The tyrannical birds and fierce beasts all remained hidden, not daring to release the slightest bit of sound.

It drew closer. This was a human shaped creature that walked upright. Its size was astonishing, comparable to a lofty mountain. There wasn't a hair on its body, and instead, dazzling golden scales covered its skin. A single vertical eye rested on an ordinary face, and as it opened and close, it was as if streak after streak of sharp lightning flew out. The creature's blood and breath surged greatly, making it seem like a demonic sovereign!

It passed by this region and also glanced towards the old willow tree. After pausing momentarily, its movements suddenly became panicked. In the end, it quickly disappeared into the distance, leaving behind trembling mountains and rumbling sounds with its violent footsteps.

At dawn, a ten-meter long centipede that was as thick as a bucket appeared. The dazzling silver centipede snaked its way forward. It was as if it was cast from silver, and every single section was shiny and fierce. As it slid past mountain rocks, kengqiang sounds would rise as sparks flew. However, it ultimately avoided Stone Village and did not intrude. As the black mist surged in all directions, all types of creatures were forced to retreat.

A weak branch was releasing lustrous green multicolored lights as it gently swayed in the wind...