Chapter 271 A Series of Strange Phenomena

In the central square, the murderous aura beneath the Black Stone Sword Monument was so thick it was impossible to dissipate.

Humans and demonic beasts had already gone to great lengths to kill those few jade slips of inheritance that floated deep within the sword energy.

Broken swords lay across the ground, and corpses littered the earth.

Dark red blood meandered along the stone's veins in the cracks of the white marble plaza, as if adding a damp and glaring color to this ancient Shushan site.

Deep within the ruins of the side hall, Old Ding, dragging his almost useless left arm, pressed tightly against the "sword embryo" rolled up in his chest, and silently disappeared into the deeper shadows.

He did not look back.

It's not that he doesn't want things from the central government.

But he knew even better that in his current state, with only half a life left, if he wanted to continue approaching the Black Stone Sword Stele, he wouldn't be competing for an opportunity, but rather rushing to be reincarnated.

"Alive..."

Old Ding huddled behind a collapsed stone cauldron, his chest heaving violently, his throat filled with the taste of blood.

"First, get the stuff out alive."

Compared to the openly displayed lineage, the "sword embryo" scroll in his hand may not be the most conspicuous, but it is the root that is most suitable for him.

At least this trip wasn't in vain.

……

And high above, at the Kunlun Cloud Palace.

Gu Qing sat in front of the white jade chessboard, quietly looking down at the planet that had begun to stir.

The deadly trap of Emei, the Temple of War in Taklamakan, the ruins of the Dragon Palace deep in the East China Sea...

The previous simultaneous explosion of strange phenomena has, like a red-hot iron hook, firmly gripped the nerves of the entire world.

What truly fueled the continued surge in faith was no longer the phrase "the rebirth of a relic" itself.

Instead, more and more people are beginning to believe...

The planet beneath their feet once truly buried a glorious era of cultivation, one so powerful that it could fight to the death against extraterrestrial calamities.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the Faith Power Panel was still beating wildly.

[High-level faith fluctuations continue to increase: awe, reverence, fanaticism, despair, longing, pilgrimage...]

The reshaping of civilizational understanding is accelerating.

The concept of "remnants of an ancient cultivation civilization" has been deeply integrated into our understanding.

Gu Qing looked calmly at the lines of notifications that were jumping around.

This is the situation he truly wants to see.

It's not simply about distributing techniques or crudely stuffing resources into everyone's hands.

Instead, it's about letting everyone realize it for themselves—

They weren't creating a new path out of thin air; they were desperately digging and climbing forward on an ancient, broken ruin.

Only when this understanding is fully ingrained will people truly feel fear, true greed, and a willingness to fight tooth and nail for that path.

"The first fire has been lit."

Gu Qing gently moved a white piece on the chessboard, but her gaze did not fall on Emei. Instead, she looked beyond the vast mountains and rivers and into the distance.

"Next, it's time to let it burn like wildfire."

……

The heart of the Taklamakan Desert.

That earthen-yellow pillar of light still stands between heaven and earth, like a giant spear driven into the present world from ancient times.

The previously emptied sand did not reclam up; instead, after the first exploration team arrived, even more chilling things were revealed.

"Quick! Cut the camera down!"

Inside a Soyuz reconnaissance aircraft, the operator practically shouted.

The camera suddenly zoomed in.

The ancient black palace, which was previously only a hazy outline, has now revealed most of its form from the sea of ​​sand.

It is much larger than it appears in satellite images.

The temple's outer walls were mottled and cracked, their surface covered with ancient, weathered patterns. Even in this state of ruin, it still exuded a savage, warlike aura that sent a chill down one's spine.

In front of the temple, besides the shattered stone platform, broken war drums, and collapsed altar, there was a bottomless crater, as if someone had punched through the earth.

Most alarmingly, a huge fist print remained on the rock strata at the edge of the giant pit.

The fist imprint is over ten meters deep, and its edges still exude a domineering aura.

Not far from the fist mark, several pale and thick objects were slowly emerging from under the yellow sand.

At first, everyone thought it was a collapsed stone pillar.

It wasn't until the camera zoomed in that they suddenly saw clearly—

Those are bones.

A section of arm bone is half-buried in the sand, a row of ribs are diagonally inserted among the ruins, and deeper still, there is the outline of a skull that has not yet been fully revealed.

In front of the temple, half-buried in yellow sand, was a giant humanoid skeleton, ten meters tall.

"This is no ordinary historical site..."

An intelligence officer stared intently at the screen, his voice hoarse.

"This is an ancient battlefield."

"Moreover, it is an ancient battlefield exclusively for the body cultivation lineage."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the cabin looked at him differently.

The Sword Tomb of Mount Emei and Mount Shu is ultimately not quite right for those in the Yellow District who mainly cultivate physical bodies and demon blood mutations.

But the ruins of the Temple of War before us are different.

It's as if it's specially prepared for those who, through their flesh, bones, and lives, gradually forge themselves into weapons.

Further out, the first batch of hunter convoys that had reached the outer perimeter had completely lost control.

"Charge!"

"Whoever goes in first gets to claim the inheritance!"

"Emei is not for us. This temple in the desert might just be a path reserved for people like us!"

Modified off-road vehicles and armored vehicles kicked up clouds of yellow sand, rushing recklessly towards the outer perimeter of the Temple of War like a mad herd of steel beasts.

And this is only the most conspicuous part.

Further out in the Taklamakan Desert, far more than just this main temple was unveiled by the same strange phenomenon.

Deep within the desert, fragments of tombstones, collapsed underground palaces, dilapidated passageways, and ancient training grounds, half-buried in the yellow sand, were unearthed one after another. Though far smaller in scale than the Temple of the War God, they were still enough to drive hordes of rogue cultivators and hunters into a frenzy.

From the air, the entire Taklamakan Desert looks like an ancient behemoth that has been gutted, constantly spitting out bones and organs buried for millennia.

……

at the same time.

East China Sea, deep sea area.

The sea eye is still expanding.

The previously faint projection of the underwater architectural complex is no longer just a blurry outline, but is beginning to reveal more details piece by piece.

The dilapidated crystal palace reflected a deep blue, eerie light.

On the underwater jade bridge, the broken dragon-patterned railings can still be faintly seen.

Deep within the vast ruins of collapsed palaces, a massive ancient pillar covered in rust and sea grime leans precariously into the ruins. Even the exposed section creates a huge, visible whirlpool in the surrounding seawater.

Beneath that ancient pillar lies a fragment covered in bluish-black scales, buried between silt and reef bones. Occasionally, it is swirled by the ocean currents, scattering a faint, unsettling golden light.

"Those are definitely not ordinary scales..."

On the cruiser's deck, an elderly professor looked through a high-powered detector and felt his hands and feet go cold; his voice even trembled slightly.

"That's most likely a dragon scale."

"The true remains of a real dragon."

His words were like a boulder crashing into the sea.

Everyone around fell silent.

The communication channel exploded completely in the next instant.

"Immediately dispatch additional deep-sea diving teams!"

"Third Fleet, full speed ahead!"

"Order all coastal observation stations to designate the deep-sea area of ​​the East China Sea as a top-level wartime blockade target!"

But they could seal the ships, not the sea monsters.

After that ancient dragon's roar, more and more deep-sea creatures began to gather in this area from all directions. Giant squid, scaly fish, deep-sea serpents, and even fourth-tier sea monsters that rarely surfaced in the trenches began to surge towards the vicinity of the sea eye.

Because they are more able than humans to sense that suppression from the depths of their blood.

That is precisely why they understand things better than humans—

What lies beneath the sea eye is far more than just the ruins of a dragon palace.

Buried within is something powerful enough to completely transform them.

Beyond the main eye of the sea, the East China Sea coastline is equally turbulent.

Small-scale anomalies have appeared one after another on previously neglected deserted islands, reefs, and trench edges: some have emerged halfway up the seabed altars, some have revealed ancient dragon-patterned stone pillars buried under the coral layer, and some have briefly revealed a blurry palace silhouette when the tides surge.

They were far less impressive than the Dragon Palace Master's relics, but enough to draw the military, pirate groups, rogue cultivators, and sea monsters to rush over and fight at the same time.

……

Emei Sword Tomb, Desert War God Temple, East Sea Dragon Palace Ruins...

The ruins that had revived simultaneously in the previous round finally revealed their first layer of true form, enough to make all forces envious.

Besides these three most prominent main sites, strange phenomena of varying scales have also emerged in the depths of the Qinling Mountains, the old cliffs of Wuyi Mountain, beneath the ice lakes of Changbai Mountain, on the edge of the snow line in western Sichuan, and even in some previously unremarkable desolate mountains and ancient caves.

Some are half of an ancient cave dwelling that has been cracked open, some are fragments of divine weapons broken into several pieces, some are ancient alchemy furnaces that have been scorched by the earth's fire, and some are just a corner of a broken stele or a small piece of array pattern, but they are still enough to make a cultivator and a demon beast fight fiercely.

The whole world is no longer just shining in three places.

It's as if countless long-buried historical moments have been simultaneously illuminated at this moment.

At this point, the world's reaction finally spiraled completely out of control.

The Green Zone Supreme Council did not hesitate for a moment longer.

"Emei cannot be left undeveloped, but the others are even more crucial to stay open!"

The speaker slammed his hand on the long table, his voice hoarse with excitement.

"Distribute your forces immediately! Let each unit draw its elite troops; whoever seizes the objective keeps it, but the alliance must secure the core results!"

This statement completely tore away the previous veneer of "unified scheduling".

Clans, alliances, private armies, and high-ranking cultivators will soon pounce on the ruins like wolves smelling blood.

The Yellow Zone Hunter Guild and the Casual Player Alliance reacted even faster and more frantically.

While the Temple of War is the most prominent, the newly emerging small and medium-sized ruins also represent opportunities for them.

In less than an hour, the guild's bounty list was completely altered.

"All route maps, intelligence maps, and real-time coordinates related to the Taklamakan Desert ruins will be priced ten times higher!"

"All newly discovered coordinates of small and medium-sized historical sites will be prioritized and acquired!"

"All high-level team formation posts have had their access privileges increased!"

"Physical cultivation, weapon crafting, and ancient battlefield relics should be prioritized to the highest level!"

Countless hunters in the yellow zone are turning around and running in different directions.

Some people had cigarettes in their mouths, but their eyes were bloodshot; others had just come down from the Jianghuai defense line and hadn't even washed off the demon blood on their bodies before starting their off-road vehicles.

Because they all know it.

For truly great legacies, they might not be able to compete with powerful clans.

However, those small and medium-sized historical sites that emerge at the same time may also have a chance to get a share of the pie.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ten Thousand Mountains, the demon race's actions were even more direct.

Faced with the dragon's might emanating from the East Sea, those terrifying demons that usually lay dormant could no longer remain still.

Gusts of evil wind rose from the ground, sweeping towards the coastline and blotting out the sun.

Some wanted dragon scales, some wanted dragon blood, and some simply wanted to take advantage of the chaos to snatch a piece of real ancient flesh and blood.

The world was completely ignited.

Online discussions about "Emei", "Dragon Palace" and "War God Temple" have gone beyond just being trending topics.

They swept away all the old topics like a flash flood.

"The Mythic Revival 2.0 Era Has Arrived!"

"This is not an anomaly; it is the complete return of an ancient civilization dedicated to cultivation!"

"We've already seen Mount Shu, the Dragon Palace, and the Temple of the God of War, so what's next? The Heavenly Court?!"

Ordinary people were panicking while frantically refreshing the screen and posts.

Everyone knows that this is no longer just about a few ruins.

Rather, the entire world was propelled into the threshold of a new era.

Gu Qing sat on the cloud, quietly watching all of this.

Watching those greed, fear, pilgrimage, despair, and fanaticism gradually converge into a massive torrent, and then continuously transform into faith.

His expression remained calm.

It was as if the planet below, about to boil over completely, was merely a game of chess that had just begun to heat up.

"Is this chaotic enough?"

Gu Qing picked up a black piece and gently placed it on the chessboard.

"The one who truly controls the overall situation has not yet emerged."

Almost simultaneously, the world's attention was diverted to the desert and the East China Sea.

On the large screen of the Kyoto Alliance's central intelligence room, a red warning box that was even more glaring than the previous three sites suddenly popped up.

Its color was as dark as blood.

"Report...Report..."

An observer responsible for monitoring the mountains in central China suddenly stood up from his chair, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling so much he could barely speak.

"What is it now?!"

Professor Wang Mingyuan was on the verge of collapse; his voice was hoarse.

"What happened again?!"

The observer raised his hand with trembling hands and pointed to the large screen.

"It's Mount Tai..."

"Above Jade Emperor Peak... the sky has cracked open."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone turned their heads.

The satellite image zoomed in rapidly.

Above the Jade Emperor Peak of Mount Tai, the most revered of the Five Sacred Mountains, the thick, radiating clouds seemed to have been torn apart by something, revealing a huge, dark, and deep rift that appeared to lead to another world, slowly opening up.

Within that crack, the remains of an extremely massive, dilapidated, yet still imposing force that suppressed the heavens and the earth, ancient gate remnants were slowly and painstakingly "squeezing" into reality from the crack.

The damaged door is tilted.

The ceiling tile broke.

The plaque was half broken.

Yet, that overwhelming aura that transcended all living beings silenced the entire intelligence room, even through the screen.

Finally, the camera zoomed in.

On the plaque hanging above the ancient gate, half of it cracked, three ancient seal characters, seemingly cast with divine blood, slowly came into everyone's view.

【South Heavenly Gate】.

At that moment, the CIA room fell into complete silence.

Everyone forgot to breathe.

Shushan Sword Tomb, War God Temple, East Sea Dragon Palace...

No matter how amazing these things are, they are still part of the "human" tradition.

But now, squeezing out from that crack at the top of Mount Tai...

It's the Heavenly Court!!!