The Sacred Ruins

The news came at dusk, blasting the whole world away.

Just as the mushroom cloud soared high into the air, a wolf howl sounded in the depths of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The howl shook the mountains and trembled the earth; it was terrifying beyond compare.

Suddenly, the whole world came to a standstill. Everything became quiet.

No-one had ever expected the army to locate the wolf so soon; no-one had ever foreseen the use of weapon of mass destruction so early.

Creatures like this wolf could evade danger before danger was even initiated. Their godlike instinct was inconceivably accurate, making it all the more difficult to kill them. Had the wolf died yet?

Everyone was gazing at their communicator, waiting for confirmation.

Numerous eyes were watching. Killing this wolf had a far-reaching influence. The success would effectively intimidate the other mutated species and prevent them from their acts of wanton aggression.

"Kill the wolf! Avenge for those the beast has killed!" People were nervous; they were expectant too. They said their prayers in their heart.

"That beast must die! Avenge for the seven hundred thousand people in that city! Avenge for the dead!" People were indignant too. They were hot with emotion, wishing for the death of the wolf.

People living in the Western world were shocked, but at the same time, they were sceptical as well. How did those fellows in the East manage to locate something as evasive as this wolf? Was it even possible to kill a creatures like this? Back in the days when the king of black dragon was wreaking havoc in their cities, the government and the military were powerless against it. Nothing could be done to stop the action of the beast.

Instinct!

It was a terrifying ability. Once the kings of the beasts possess it, they would always evade danger and push off something life-threatening to them. Even the deadliest and the most accurate weapons were powerless against these beasts.

"Ah... no!" suddenly, someone cried out.

Because the picture displayed on the screen of their communicator suddenly changed. Hundreds of miles away from where the camera was set, the wolf was hastily scurrying off. The wolf was fleeing the scene helter-skelter, but its body seemed to have been functioning just fine.

"God! Just as we thought. The missile didn’t lock on to the wolf. The wolf wasn’t in the center of the explosion!"

This piece of news had greatly dampened the cheerfulness of the masses.

"Why?!" Everyone’s face turned ashen, because if the wolf was let off scot free this time, it would certainly start seeking vengeance in the future. God knew how many people would die when it came around next time again.

"What are the army waiting for? Nuke that place again!" someone screamed. They couldn’t accept a result like this.

However, it was too late. When the army realized that their operation failed, the wolf had already escaped into the depths of the primitive mountains. Behind those dense forests were Multi-verses with lands vast and boundless, shrouded in fogs that were so dense that nothing was visible to a human’s eyes.

Moreover, the wolf ran way too fast!

The wolf didn’t give the army a second chance. Once the first missed, there was no time for them to launch a second one.

"No!" some people couldn’t accept this reality.

"Puff!"

Some people was so angry that they coughed up blood. This was indeed a very much regrettable matter for them.

After so many had died, and after all that trouble locating this wolf, the wolf was still let off scot free. How could anyone not feel a sense of regret?

"What a shame."

People living in the Western world vented out their sigh of regret as well. They were so close to success, only a hair away from killing this tyrannical beast.

BOOM!

An instant later, another mushroom cloud rose on the plateau, then burst into a full bloom in the air above those primitive mountains!

"What?!"

Everyone across the globe was astonished.

Had the army locked on to the wolf already?

"How did they manage to slip under the wolf’s godlike instinct and kill it with a missile?!" many people from the Western world cried out in alarm.

Right now, the internet was boiling over with excitement.

If this second nuke still hadn’t killed the wolf, there was nothing mankind could do to stop this wolf in the future.

But according to the real-time report, the wolf should have been in the effective range that the nuke could deal its deadly power to. No matter what the wolf was capable of, the beast should have been reduced to a sheer pile of ashes by that terrifying temperature unleashed from the explosion. There was no doubt that the wolf was dead by now!

"What a relief! We’ve finally killed this wolf!"

"What a shot! This bloody bastard is finally gone! Rest in peace to those who died under the wolf’s tyranny!"

...

Everyone across the nation was bubbling over with excitement. This was the result everyone had been expecting. The wolf was finally dead.

People living abroad were excited as well. People were screaming and shouting, because for them, this was good news too. It was finally proven that human was not always powerless against these beasts.

"How did they manage to incapacitate the wolf’s godlike instinct?" people from overseas were itching to know.

"After careful probing in the area, we couldn’t find any signs of life. The wolf’s death is confirmed! We’ve accomplished our mission!" representatives from the military timely reported.

Cheers broke out from among the people watching the news. People marched out onto the street, hailing a victory.

After so many people had died and after all those relentless threats the wolf had made, a fume of anger was building up within people’s chest.

And when this ultimate evildoer was finally blasted by the wisdom and technology of mankind, all without exception were happy and cheerful.

Tonight, it was destined to be a sleepless night.

The mutated beasts lurking outside the city of Shuntian fell back.

On the following day, the news about the death of the wolf hit the headline of every newspaper worldwide.

The internet was simmering with excitement as well. Since yesterday, all kinds of reports were flooding in and dazzling their audience.

The influence of this battle was huge; the effect was immediate.

On that day, the craze over the ownership of famous mountains suddenly cooled down. The battles and fights were no longer as fierce as before.

Then, kings of the animal kingdom opened their mouths to talk!

Mount Song. Temple of Great Woods.

The voice of that elder ape could be heard hundreds of miles away. The ape made clear its position. It stated that it was against the idea of massacring the inhabitants of a conquered city. Creatures of all species could live happily alongside each other. There was no need for competition and killing.

At the same time, it called upon the leaders of all species to refrain from any impulsive acts. Human and beasts should sit down and talk.

People were shocked by the ape’s pacifying tone. Some even questioned whether this treacherous ape was aiding the military in killing the wolf.

Otherwise, how could the wolf suddenly become unaware of the incoming missiles directed against it? How did its godlike instinct suddenly become ineffective? No-one knew about the weak points of the wolf better than the other kings of the animal kingdom, and the ape could potentially be the one who had divulged the secret about the wolf to the military.

Soon, the white snake from Taihang Mountains came under the spotlight. It opened its mouth to talk. The snake still sounded indifferent as it did before. It clarified that the wolf died because it was too weak.

Those who were worthy of the title as the king of the animal kingdom should have sharp instinct. A true king should grow alert to a danger of a projectile an hour before the missile was launched, so it should be fearless of any weapons at all time.

The snake’s words had a far-reaching influence. It shook the world and prompted people to question: how did the kings manage to gain such terrifying power?

According to the white snake, the wolf was only one of the weakest kings alive in this world, but the beast itself had almost reached the acme of perfection in terms of its power of destruction!

"Yellow Ox, pass the phone to our black chief. I need to have his advice on a problem," Chu Feng shouted through the communicator. He wanted to know whether the white snake’s words were truthful.

"Get lost! I’m busy!" the black yak shouted back when the communicator was handed over to him.

"Hey, ‘black chief’! What makes you so busy?" Chu Feng asked.

"Young man, I warn you! Don’t call me ‘black chief’, or you will get your arse kicked as soon as I get to Shuntian!" The black yak was unhappy about Chu Feng’s form of address.

Chu Feng forced out a few seconds of jittering laughter in awkwardness. "All jokes aside, what are you actually doing, Demon Ox?" Chu Feng asked.

"Studying nuclear weapons!" Demon Ox sounded impatient.

Chu Feng was dumbstruck. What on earth was this cow doing? What did he want? Was he trying to make an advance into this sophisticated field of scientific discovery on his own?!

Soon he understood. It was the killing of the wolf that made the beasts who lived in the wild feel intimidated. The black yak was one of them. He was taken aback by the power of the nuke, so he was eager to study the magic of this powerful weapon.

"So, the killing of the wolf does some ramifications in the animal kingdom. Even the mutated beasts have grown fearful of the power of the nuke," Chu Feng mumbled to himself.

At first, the elder ape from Mount Song acted as the good guy, making appeasing appeals to all parties; then, there was the white snake from Taihang Mountains. She played the villain.

"We’ve done enough to scare these beasts off for now!" many people supposed.

People had a broad consensus in favor of the idea that the beasts could finally settle, and that a period of peace was heading their way.

However, the reality was contrary to public’s belief.

After the wolf was killed, the beasts and birds lurking outside the city of Shuntian fell back, but the waves of beasts in Sichuan were still surging high.

Clearly, there was someone behind these waves of beasts, boosting the morale, keeping them standing on their ground. It must have been another king from the animal kingdom who had not been intimidated by the nuke. This king was still feeling hostile to human; it was still itching to do something big.

"Oh god! A king from the animal kingdom appeared in Sichuan!"

This was an explosive news. Many people were dumbfounded.

It had only been days since the wolf was killed. People couldn’t believe that another king would show itself so soon after the death of another.

Soon, the internet began flooding with news about this "king". There were even pictures of it.

It was a falcon with a body that was thoroughly metallic-looking. Glints of terrifying luster trickled over its feathers. Its wings spanned over ten meters in length. As it soared up into the air, it inspired fear in the beasts and the people down on the earth.

Beasts and birds would tremble when they saw this falcon. Every beast lay prostrated before their king in worship and respect.

"Human! You’ve enraged me. The wolf was my friend, but you killed him. I will make you pay for his death, and the price would be bloody and expensive!"

The falcon roared in human language, striking unmatched fear in all those who heard the sullen voice.

Boom!

Some people saw the falcon chopping off a hilltop with its wings. The scene was a terrifying one to behold.

When these videos were uploaded to the internet, every viewer felt numb on their scalps.

People realized that this falcon was more terrifying than the wolf. This bird would prove to be a much larger problem.

"Satellite unit, lock on to the falcon! Fire!" The falcon’s blatant provocation had enraged the commander of the army.

This metallic falcon was the one who gathered all the beasts in Sichuan, and now the bird itself had decided to strike.

"Your weapons are powerless against me. They aren’t going to lock on to me. If you don’t believe it, then try it. Let’s see who will fall first, me or the bustling civilization on this land?" the falcon clamoured for war.

It fluttered its wings and streaked across the sky. It flew so fast that it broke the sound barrier. The sky was ruptured with booming sound.

The falcon streaked across the sky like a bolt of lightning. Its cold, metallic body coupled with its sharp and cutting wings split a jet plane in two like a shuriken striking through the air with dead accuracy and fatal power.

It was a dreadful sight to behold!

The falcon measured ten meters in length. In terms of size, it was comparable to the plane; however, in terms of firmness and rigidity, the falcon was leagues above the plane. Meanwhile, it could travel at a great speed and possess a godlike sense of instinct as well, making it almost impossible for the missiles to hit.

"I will spare you some time to prepare. When the time is up, I will start killing the inhabitants of the ten conquered cities in Sichuan!" the falcon’s voice was cold and emotionless. There was a rancid smell of blood spreading across the air when it spoke.

Through these threatening words, the falcon was in a way putting its prowess on full display. It flew towards a primitive mountain, breaking the sound barrier as it did. It flew so fast that it seemed almost inconceivable. The falcon spanned its wings before millions of brilliant rays burst out, blinding the eyes of all its beholders.

"Boom!"

That primitive mountain was split in two. Everyone across the globe was astonished.

Because all these events had been captured by the satellite.

"This is a dream, isn’t it? How is a bird capable of doing this?"

People started to realize that there was a big problem awaiting them just around the corner. This falcon was many times stronger than the wolf.

Helicopters took off from their landing pads, locking on to the falcon. Their sole purpose was to kill the falcon in one blow.

"CLONK!"

The falcon speedily hared about in the sky. It opened its mouth and jetted out an electric arc directed right towards the chopper in the distance.

"BOOM!"

The chopper spiralled down to its demise.

An unexpected missile suddenly came only inches away from the falcon, but the bird still easily dodged the blow. Just as the falcon said, these weapons were powerless against it.

Suddenly, a ray of visible light was shooting upwards towards the bird. It was a deadly ray of laser beam.

Unfortunately, the bird had sensed the projected light with its godlike instinct and dodged the laser just in time.

Meanwhile, it opened its mouth and screeched a piercing scream. In the form of an electric arc, the bird dove down. With a boom, the bird burst apart the missile launch site below.

Men on the ground had tried many ways to shoot down the bird, but every single attempt was crushed by it. The falcon had struck terror into its enemies’ hearts.

Experts from both within the country and overseas frowned upon this result. They had a premonition of disaster. They admitted that the prowess of this metallic eagle was way too terrifying to deal with.

"Not much time is left for you. I am about to begin the carnage. Let this day forever stay on your mind and in your history!" the falcon’s voice pierced through the air.

Sichuan soon became a place of fear and chaos.

People were completely panic-stricken. Many people were running away, heading out from the city. This caused quite a turmoil and disturbance in towns and cities.

Because of the carnage that had been previously done by the wolf, people realized that nothing was impossible. When the beast was something as powerful as this metallic eagle, the carnage would only be crueller and bloodier.

At this moment, fear and terror shrouded the entire province of Sichuan.

At the same time, people living in other places also had chill running down their spines. The rising of the mutated beasts seemed to have become an unstoppable process. Beasts were getting stronger and crueler, so what fate was left for humans to choose?

People were feeling agonized for those who lived in Sichuan; meanwhile, they were worrying about themselves as well. If this falcon had really resolved to butcher in large numbers, who knew when and where this carnage would stop.

People living overseas were anxious as well. They realized that the speed at which the mutated species evolve was faster than they imagined. The future seemed bleak for mankind!

At this moment, everyone had grown despaired!

"Silence? Is this the answer you’ve got for me? Sure! If no-one opposes, I will start taking actions!" the falcon coldly said. Carried by gales of icy wind that cut one to the bone, the falcon flew towards an inhabited city.

PUFF!

A glint of white light soared into the air from within the jungle of Mount Emei. The light had a dazzling radiance, burning bright like a lustrous pearl.

What was that? Everyone was shocked.

The scene had been captured by satellites.

Right now, Sichuan was the only actor under the spotlight of the world. Every functional satellite was locking on their camera to the scene of action.

"Oh my god. What am I seeing? Is that the ... glint of a sword?"

"The glint of sword rose from Mount Emei?!"

People cried out in alarm. It was impossible to explain, but everyone had been shaken by the sight.

In Sichuan, there were a lot of fables of immortal sword masters spreading far and wide amongst people, so when the glint of a sword was sighted in the area, people naturally began to associate it with the legends they were all familiar with.

In the legends, Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng were usually where the masters lived.

"PUFF!"

That glint of white light was too swift and violent. It caught up with the flying falcon.

The falcon was taken aback. It quickly changed direction, dodging from the course of this glint.

"Flying sword! It’s a flying sword!"

Right now, behind the screen of every communicator was the screams of an excited audience. Everyone was overjoyed upon seeing this scene.

The satellite had captured this scene. It shocked the audience from overseas as well!

PUFF!

That glint suddenly turned around and headed back towards the falcon, just as swiftly and violently as before.

PUFF!

This time, the falcon failed to dodge the blow. That pair of wings of its was punctured by this mysterious glint. Huge splatter of blood immediately began spewing out from the wounds.

"Oh god! The bird’s wing was punctured!" even people living abroad were shouting joyously. People were bubbling over with excitement.

"An ancient country where magic belongs. I never thought that the legendary sword master would exist!" even some of the high-ranking officials in the Western world were crying out to express their surprise.

Domestically, the country was boiling over with people cheering and shouting.

"Sword master is here to save the day!"

"Sword master really exists in this world! I’m so astonished!"

Before, people were feeling disheartened and were ready to give up. Despair was hitting hard on people’s emotion, but who could have guessed that a glint of light would rise from the mountain of Emei that could pierce through the formidable wing of the high and mighty falcon?!

...

In the air above Mount Emei, the falcon was dripping with blood. With a look of indifference, it hung in mid-air. Metallic luster was still trickling over its feathers, but the bird itself was now burning with anger and rage. The falcon had been severely injured.

However, the bird was fearful as well. It was gazing in a direction and coldly asked, "Who are you?"

The whizzing glint of light finally came to a standstill, hanging in mid-air opposed to the injured falcon.

"You..." The falcon was not the only one who was surprised. The people watching on their communicator were grasping in surprise too.

It was not a flying sword but a creature encircled in an auspicious halo.

It was a white crane with feathers that were glittering with a crystalline shine. Vaguely, a circle of brilliance was forming around it, like some godly scent that had condensed into a ball of liquid vapors around this celestial-looking creature.

Its body was not huge. It was as big as any other cranes, but it had something godly, something charming and romantic about its presence. The whole being seemed to have risen above the ordinary.

Its scalp was as red as a piece of blood agate. There were a few black feathers scattering around its body, but most of its feathers were white as a white jade. People guessed that this should have been a red-crested crane.

Normally, people would call it Xian [1] Crane.

This crane was the sword master who lived here!

"Why are you on their side?" the falcon asked. Both of them were birds who had only just risen to power. As a wild animal, the crane should have been fighting alongside the falcon, but why was it the contrary to the case?

"Hundreds of years ago, I was injured. The injury was so bad that I almost died at Mount Emei, but I was saved by an old man. He fed me with food; he fed me with water. I would have died a long time ago if he didn’t offer me his help. I wouldn’t have lasted to see you exercise your tyranny on these people today either," the crane opened its mouth and spoke. The crane sounded calm and gentle. It was a male voice that was rather pleasant to the ears.

"Is that why you’re against me now?" the falcon coldly asked.

"Yes. That old man had died for more than a hundred years now, but here was where he lived; this city was his hometown, so I won’t allow you to plunder this place so wantonly. Under my watch, this piece of land will no longer be stained with blood," the crane said.

Just now, someone on the internet broke something new to the public. It was an astonishing piece of news.

From today onward, Mount Emei had officially become the possession of a new owner. Days ago, every party who had been fighting for the ownership of the mountain had laid down their arms and surrendered, letting the mountain be seized by a white crane.

This piece of news was divulged by someone from Pre-Qin Research Institution!

People were astonished. Undoubtedly, that new owner was this white crane alright, and the fact that it had single-handedly fought off all invaders made all those who had lost their battle concede their defeats from the bottom of their hearts.

"What if I insist on doing it?" the falcon asked with a sneer.

"Then I will have to stop you!" the crane said. Its body suddenly began to glow, then, like a flying sword, it soared into the air!

...

[1] Xian means God