"Hahaha! Today, I shall drag you two wretches down with me, to serve as offerings for my slain imperial father and mother!"
Enshrouded in churning black mist, Bai Zhiyue stood at the center, a jet-black lotus blooming between her brows, as though alive, clinging to her forehead.
Her once peerless face—now utterly ruined—was etched with mockery and irrevocable resolve.
Boom!
"No—!"
Fei Ruo'er, Anyang Motian, and those who had just rushed in screamed in terror, but their cries were swallowed by the deafening roar.
With that thunderous explosion, the most magnificent palace of the God Realm—the Zhiyue Palace—was reduced to rubble.
"If there is another life, I will never trust anyone again."
A single, crystalline tear fell soundlessly to the ground.
A flash of red light streaked through the void at the very instant her soul was about to dissipate, seizing Bai Zhiyue's departing spirit. Gathering the fallen divine treasure into itself, it fled the God Realm in a blink.
The night was breathtaking—stars scattered across the heavens, pale crimson moonlight spilling gently over the mortal world.
Beneath that glow, shadowy figures raced through the darkness, all converging toward the same destination.
"My lord, your prediction was flawless. They are indeed all rushing in that direction," a young man clad in tight black attire reported respectfully, his head lowered. Long bangs obscured his features, revealing only the cold, chiseled outline of his face in the moonlight.
On a soft couch nearby, a man reclined lazily. His lips curved into an alluring, wicked smile as his long, pale fingers tapped idly against the table. Beside him, a small, furry creature nestled obediently, silent and still.
This was the once-in-a-century Night of the Crimson Moon. When the heavens revealed such an omen, a peerless treasure was destined to be born.
Heroes, wanderers, and royalty from every nation, upon hearing the news, hastened through the night toward the place of its emergence—the Hanyue Mountain Range—fearing that even a moment's delay would allow another to seize the prize.
On ordinary days, Hanyue Mountain was devoid of human presence. Its perils were notorious: countless powerful demonic beasts dwelled within. Those of insufficient strength could never hope to reach its deepest reaches.
Yet tonight, even those normally too weak ventured together toward the mountain's core.
True powerhouses, along with great clans possessing flying artifacts, strode through the skies instead, disdaining travel on foot and keeping to their own paths.
Their destination was the same—the innermost depths of Hanyue Mountain.
Legend held that no one had ever entered those depths and emerged unscathed. For that inner sanctum was the domain of spirit beasts—creatures only a single step away from ascending into sacred beasts and assuming human form.
Beyond them roamed demonic beasts of varying ranks.
Ordinary beasts, ranked at Tier Zero, were beneath the notice of cultivators, who scorned to hunt them lest it demean their own worth.
Demonic beasts, having absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, possessed nascent intelligence and knew how to cultivate, growing ever stronger with time.
At the mountain's outer perimeter lurked Tier One to Tier Three demonic beasts; the deeper one ventured, the higher their ranks became.
The cultivators who came to seize the treasure each radiated an oppressive aura, driving the weaker beasts to cower in their lairs, trembling in fear.
Tier Three and Tier Four demonic beasts, however, merely watched from the shadows, eyes glinting as though ready to strike at any moment.
A Tier Three demonic beast alone possessed enough power to effortlessly slaughter a second-rank human warrior.
For humans to cultivate greater strength, innate talent was indispensable. At the very least, one needed a green-grade spiritual aptitude.
Above that lay cyan, blue, and purple grades.
Purple-grade spiritual aptitude was exceedingly rare on the Haoyue Continent—virtually nonexistent. Even blue-grade aptitude was found in only a handful of individuals, each hailed as a prodigy.
Beyond these, there existed another formidable and mysterious profession upon the Haoyue Continent: beast tamers.
Beast tamers wielded their spiritual power to command the elements of heaven and earth for offense, defense, and healing—and could form contracts with demonic beasts, amplifying their combat strength to terrifying heights.