Chapter 57: The Twelve Divine Lords (Part Two)

The Unyielding Mountain Domain, the Mountain of Water and Fire.

Nanluo sat upon the frozen throne, his gaze cold as he watched the battle unfold between the Twelve Divine Kings and the myriad great powers. Yet his thoughts were entirely elsewhere, uninterested in this uneven contest.

The Twelve Divine Kings, as Primordial Divine Kings, were born noble and powerful. To defeat them, the powers would need to send forth one hundred and twenty perfected Divine King experts, suppressing them with battle formations to stand a chance at victory. However, among the armies assembled, there were only fifty such commanders. This meant the powers had not yet revealed their full strength; their true capabilities were far greater. This battle felt more like an appetizer before the main event—a probing skirmish to gauge the Twelve Divine Kings.

When the real battle began, the powers would strike with all their might, intent on toppling any Twelve Divine King who dared defy them. Thus, Nanluo had no interest in this childish fight. His thoughts drifted instead to the distant Western Wilds.

Ferocious beasts had swept through the Western Wilds, slaughtering countless lives in an attempt to establish a paradise for their kind. Though Nanluo was unaware of the details, he felt a spiritual premonition. Indeed, every Primordial Divine Lord could sense a storm brewing across the wilderness, about to descend upon all.

"What has happened in the Western Wilds? Why do I feel as if blades and axes threaten my very existence, as if calamity looms?" Nanluo looked toward the blood-red Western Wilds, convinced his intuition was correct.

When heaven and earth are harmonious and all beings are at peace, their fate manifests as golden, sacred clouds. When chaos reigns and suffering abounds, it appears as endless blood clouds, full of slaughter and resentment. The fate of the Western Wilds, once a sea of golden clouds, had transformed into an endless expanse of violent, bloody mist.

...

The Eastern Sea, Dragon Palace, Star-Plucking Pavilion.

"Yuanxing, has the great tribulation begun?" The Ancestor Dragon, wearing a Nine-Dragon Crown and clad in royal robes, stood atop the pavilion, his gaze unfathomable as he looked toward the blood-red Western Wilds, asking with authority.

The Ancestor Dragon had once subdued a Primordial Divine Demon known as Yuanxing, the Star Demon.

A middle-aged man, calm-faced, dressed in a robe adorned with celestial stars and crowned with a star diadem, approached respectfully. "This is but a prelude. The great tribulation will only truly start with Nanluo."

Hearing this, the Ancestor Dragon nodded slightly, watching the blood clouds above the Western Wilds. He spoke slowly, "Nevertheless, the dragon clan must not be careless. The endless tide of ferocious beasts is a peerless weapon, heedless of friend or foe. We must wield it wisely, never allowing them to overturn the wilderness."

"Understood," Yuanxing replied, raising his hands in respectful salute.

...

Southern Wilds, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

The Titan Clan, sons of the earth, favored dwelling atop vast mountain ranges, absorbing the power of the land. Their territory was called the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

Within these mountains, no race could destroy the Titans, the so-called children of the earth. The Phoenix Clan, who understood well the Titans' absolute defense, were co-rulers of the Southern Wilds. In truth, the Phoenixes consistently suppressed the Titans, defeating them time and again—sometimes nearly eradicating them. Yet whenever the Titans withdrew to their mountains, the proud Phoenixes found themselves powerless, unable to break their defenses, resigned to sharing dominion.

The mountains were divided by the strength of their spiritual energy into ten tiers, each comprising ten thousand mountains. At the heart of each tier, the Titans placed their ten strongest guardians. The innermost, tenth tier was guarded by the Titan Clan Chief himself, while the outermost, first tier was watched over by the Tenth Priest, Taihai.

Taihai Hall.

A stern-faced, yellow-skinned, thick-browed middle-aged man sat upon the throne, cultivating. This was Taihai, the Titans' Tenth Priest.

Suddenly, a diamond-shaped crystal for transmitting messages appeared in the hall, flying toward him. He opened his dark eyes, grasped the crystal, and sent his divine sense into it. As he read, his expression changed repeatedly—three times in succession.

"An army of ferocious beasts? Exterminating all races? Unifying the Western Wilds? The Tiger Clan Chief, Tiger Shatian, slain?!"

It took him a quarter of an hour to recover from this string of terrible news. "I must report this to the Clan Chief immediately!"

Taihai infused his divine sense into the crystal, sending it to the Titans' supreme hall, Titan Hall.

"Guards!" Taihai called in a deep voice.

Two Titan guards in golden armor entered, kneeling respectfully. "We are here!"

"Escort all Tiger Clan monsters to the tenth tier," Taihai commanded.

The guards replied respectfully, "Understood!"

...

Unyielding Mountain Domain.

With the probing of the Twelve Divine Kings concluded, the powers finally launched their true assault.

A roar echoed as an eight-thousand-eight-hundred-zhang blue water dragon and a red fire dragon, leading fifteen water-fire Dragon Kings, coiled from the Dragon Palace and charged straight at the Twelve Divine Kings. The two leading Dragon Kings were none other than Ao Run and Ao Yan, chiefs of the Water and Fire Dragon clans.

Though plagued by inner demons, Ao Run and Ao Yan had ultimately slain and devoured them, their powers greatly enhanced. They sought to test their newfound strength in this battle.

A golden lion, eight-thousand-eight-hundred-zhang in length, radiated boundless golden light, racing through the void with fifteen golden lions, attacking the Twelve Divine Kings.

A phoenix of equal size, ablaze with immortal fire, soared above the clouds, leading fifteen fire phoenixes, charging at the Divine Kings.

Next, the Titan Clan dispatched fifteen perfected Divine King Titans, the Qilin Clan sent fifteen perfected Fire Qilins, the Central Wilds Alliance and Puppet City joined forces to send fifteen perfected Divine Kings, and the Northern Wilds Nine Clans, led by the Black Tortoise Clan, sent thirty perfected Divine Kings.

Thus, the powers united, sending one hundred and twenty perfected Divine Kings to wage war against the Twelve Divine Kings.

Facing this challenge, the Twelve Divine Kings remained impassive, unleashing twelve towering pillars of light. Around these beams, dragons swam, lions roared, phoenixes cried, qilins raced, and tortoises soared—a magnificent scene of divine beasts locked in battle.