The Sacred Ruins

After eating a big meal, the members of the Western Punitive Expedition fell asleep. No matter how strong and powerful they were, no-one could stand days of ceaseless pursuit.

Western Punitive Expedition. It sounded easy, but in practice, it was very dangerous. Once those who were being pursued were forced into dire straits, they would put up a desperate fight. In desperate times, people’s will for survival would grant them unimaginable power.

Meanwhile, for the Eastern side, things weren’t as optimistic as it was before. Kings were worn out; experts were not as sharp as they were when they were in their full spirit.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Kat. I’m an interviewer. Please remember my name because I may die at any second now. I’m risking my life approaching a mob of kings from the Eastern camp. No! They are not a mob. We shall respect them now. They are the kings that formed the Western Punitive Expedition!"

A young man named Kat was speaking to a camera. He looked nervous and excited. He was live broadcasting as he approached the camp in which the kings of the Western Punitive Expedition were resting.

There was an entourage behind him in charge of the shooting. They were nervous and excited, just like Kat. Kat wasn’t exaggerating. They were indeed risking their lives doing this.

Days ago, the battle of Kunlun shocked the world. It stirred up a storm that was getting more and more severe.

Everyone was closely following the events. They were waiting for what to come next.

Nowadays, the Western Punitive Expedition was on the rise. They had traversed the entire Eurasian continent. This long-distance expedition had seen the death of hundreds of kings from the Western camp. There were no kings anymore; just a bunch of crops waiting to be reaped and ground. This shook the world more than the initial upheaval itself!

For the past few days, everyone on Earth was talking about this. It was a major topic for people to discuss. It was also a very sensitive topic. It had made the relationships between the West and the East especially tense.

People from the West were worrying. They were afraid that the Western Punitive Expedition might bring total annihilation to them!

"Please excuse me for swearing, but damn the Eastern Punitive Expedition! They were the ones who started this. They were the ones who invited all these troubles. Without them being pre-emptively violent, the Eastern camp would never come knocking at our doorstep!"

Kat was talking to the camera; he expressed his discontent.

Then, he pointed to the mountains behind him and said, "Look! Behind those mountains, there is a great gathering of all the kings from the east. Those kings have earth-shattering power. They are fearless of our missiles. They can easily butcher an entire city if they want. They are gods of war. They are Titans. They are the gods from some of the greatest legends, and right now, we are coming closer and closer to these gods."

Kat’s broadcasting was sensational. They had announced their decision about this broadcast weeks ago. In their announcement, they said that this was going to be a suicide mission for them, but they were going to do it nevertheless.

The broadcast now went on air. People in the world outside were all on the edge of their seats.

"I want to say this: the world had once sunk into degradation. Our forefathers had been living in pain and sorrow before us, but in the end, the establishment of the post-civilization era had brought peace to this world for us. Peace did not come easily, and it was about to be destroyed again by those bastards from the Eastern Punitive Expedition!"

Kat waved his fist in front of the camera to express his anger.

In the meantime, many people were watching this broadcast in Greece. Kat’s words stirred up another heated debate among people. Some people responded sympathetically, while others opposed his views.

Schiller, the Black Dragon King and the Elder Lion King were the initiators of the expedition. The scale of the sensation that these people had caused worldwide was unimaginable.

People in the West were having a complicated mix of emotion.

After all, many people had a good opinion of Schiller. He was called "The Last Knight". He was the living legend of the Vatican. Besides, he also helped maintain peace in the West by killing the beasts who had attempted to revolt against humans.

But people hated the black dragon. The beast had once massacred the inhabitants of an entire city, bringing catastrophes to the world.

Many ordinary people couldn’t understand why Schiller would choose to cooperate with the black dragon.

Therefore, people in the West were having a mixed feeling about this routed expedition, but overall, people were clapping with joy because of the death of the Black Dragon King.

Only a minority of people felt offended by the loss. They felt that the defeat was a disgrace to the West.

"We shall celebrate! The beasts and the birds who had once haunted our dreams have been killed by our Eastern warriors. We’ll forever live in peace after this," Kat said to the camera.

Many people agreed.

The European continent had been boiling over with joy and excitement for the past few days. Ninety percent of all beasts and birds of prey that had ever existed on the continent were either killed or captured. It was good news for most people.

Many Europeans were grateful for this. They thanked the Easterners for helping them eliminate many of scary monsters that they had to live with before.

Since the very start of all these, people had always been suggesting that they should join effort with the East to kill beasts like the Black Dragon King.

And now, their wish came true. Although the expedition had been a total failure, it wasn’t all bad news either.

Kat was still speaking to the camera, but he switched the conversation to another subject. He said, "The only worry I have is that because the ‘Western Punitive Expedition’ has come knocking at our door, is this really a blessing to us? Or is it going to be catastrophic for us?"

People who were watching became thoughtful and silent. They were concerned. "Is it going to be a blessing, or is it going to be a catastrophe?" It was too early to answer.

"But I am Kat; I am fearless! I am here, inches away from their camp. I am about to come into contact with those Eastern warriors. I will try my best to know the truth, and I will try my best to relate the truth to you audiences as early as I can. I will ask if they will kill all the inhabitants of Europe in a bloody manner. So please remember my name. I am Kat; I am fearless! But if I die, please mourn for me!"

Kat was treading on a leaf-littered path leading into the depths of the mountains. He was approaching the place where every sane person would try to get as far away from as possible. In the eyes of the people outside, it was a land of horror.

Eventually, they stepped into the restricted area.

"I’ve got to admit. My legs are literally shaking right now. My heart is about to come out of my arse. You audiences at home have no idea how nervous and terrified I am," Kat candidly admitted that he was nervous.

There were a lot of the giant trees in the mountains, bulky and towering. There were no other creatures here since they had all been scared away.

"Oh god! I hear the sound of thunder. Is that their snore?"

Soon, those who were watching the broadcast also heard the sound. It was the sound of a snore, but it was ear-piercing. Then, through the camera, they saw a "pile" of giants lying on the forest floor in a mess.

"Goodness me! Look at the sizes of those things. They are huuuuge! Calling them ‘Titans’ is an understatement. Can you guys see it? Every single one of them is over ten meters tall. Oh look how tiny I am compared to them. Their snore sounded like the beating of a giant battle drum. I’m... scared!" Kat grew pale.

"Oh my god! You guys saw what’s on the ground?" Kat was screeching.

People who were watching the broadcast also saw what Kat had seen. There were burnt mark left by bonfire. Apart from that, there were piles and piles of... bones!

"Those are the bones of beast kings! Oh god! Even the smallest piece there is well over half a meter long. Oh! And there are horns as well. Eight meters long! These beasts were once kings, and now, they are just food for these great warriors from the East!"

Kat was quivering. His voice trembled as his face turned pale.

He was only an ordinary human. Without the ability to seal the "pores" of his body, his presence was easily detected by the beast kings. Some kings opened their eyes, casting a sideways glance at him from the corners of their eyes.

The glance made Kat feel as if something were banging on his head. He almost fell to the ground.

At the moment, Greece wasn’t the only country that had been startled by the live broadcast. Many people from across Europe were closely following the broadcast.

Soon, the news spread to the East. People there started paying close attention to the broadcast as well.

The audience ratings of this broadcast suddenly skyrocketed. The level popularity it received had reached an unprecedented level.

"Everyone, perhaps I’m about to meet my Maker very soon. They have seen me. I can’t move a muscle when they look at me. I feel like I was being looked down at. Please remember my name. I’m... Kat... I’m... fearless..." Kat said in a tearful voice.

Chu Feng had woken up. He told the other beast kings to relax, then he beckoned to Kat.

"Oh god! I saw a human there. He’s the only human here. He’s standing in the middle of all the beast kings, smiling at me, beckoning at me. I can feel the warmth in his smile. It felt like the sunshine in spring!" Kat finally found himself able to move. He felt like he had been rescued. He looked overjoyed. "He is still waving at me. Oh god! He looks very familiar to me!"

Kat ran towards Chu Feng, looking rabid. He said, "Guess who I saw? That human I told you guys about is the legendary Demon King Chu. Oh, excuse me. He’s not a demon; he is god. He is my savior!"

In the meantime, the number of audiences watching this broadcast was still growing rapidly. They came from all parts of the world. The sound of discussion on the platform was incessant.

"Oh! It is Chu Feng indeed! Is he part of the Western Punitive Expedition? I can’t believe it! Look at those beast kings around him. They might look clunky and big, but Chu Feng is always the best!" people from the east commented. They were excited.

"Oh god. Demon King Chu! Isn’t he the one who killed the Chillin King?!" people from the West were crying out in alarm as well.

It had been recently confirmed that Chu Feng was still alive. He was found next to the dead body of a dragon. The news had stirred up great sensation across Europe.

Nowadays, he was seen again. This time, he was with the rest of the kings and experts from the Eeast. It made people scream in excitement. The tycoons from both the East and the West seemed to care a lot about Chu Feng. People were closely following the broadcast.

"God Chu! It’s such an honor to meet you. Please excuse my boldness. I’m just... too excited!" The fact that Kat could speak in fluent Eastern tongues surprised many people, but right now, he sounded a bit incoherent.

"Don’t be afraid. They won’t hurt you," Chu Feng said. He pushed the head of a beast away from the camera then went on to calm Kat down.

In fact, whether it was Kat or the camera crew, both almost peed in their pants. The skull of that beast was as big as a house, and it had big teeth as well. It was not just a single head either. There were many. The heads were sticking out of a single body, and they were popping in to look into the camera all at the same time. The scene frightened the wits of everyone from the shooting crew.

The people who were watching the broadcast had also become speechless. At the same time, they were quaking with terror as well. They were trying to put themselves in Kat’s shoes. They were thinking what if they were the ones hosting this broadcast, and the answer was that they might be frightened into screaming like a little girl before fainting.

"God Chu, can you tell me whether the Western Punitive Expedition is going to kill all the inhabitants of Europe in a bloody manner or are we pardoned for the crime committed by those bastards from the Eastern Punitive Expedition? This is the question that I really want you to answer," Kat was still nervous, then he quickly added, "I want to stress that I believe those people in the Eastern Punitive Expedition are bastards indeed, but we have no ties to them. Their downfall is our happiness. We will never mourn for them; quite the contrary, we are going to celebrate the death of the Black Dragon King and the Arctic King. We had always wished that they could perish from the earth."

People who were watching the broadcast agreed with what Kat said. They never really had any good opinions of the Eastern Punitive Expedition.

"Please rest assured, brother, we come here to make peace. We only wanted the remaining forces of the Eastern Punitive Expedition to die. I know that these beasts and birds of prey used to haunt the people in Europe as well, so that’s why we come here today. We want to help you eliminate them once and for all," Chu Feng said with a smile, "so, you shouldn’t fear us; you should welcome us and give us clues as to where those remaining forces are. In doing so, you are helping yourselves as well."

Chu Feng’s words gave many people reassurance. They couldn’t know whether he was telling the truth or not, but Chu Feng’s kind and gentle demeanor made his words all the more trustworthy.

Otherwise, the Europeans would think that the sole mission of this so-called Western Punitive Expedition was to come to Europe then kill and plunder, but now, they wouldn’t have to fear anymore.

In the meantime, the black yak popped his head over after phase-shifting to his original form. His fur was black and shiny. He looked staunchly righteous. He spoke in fluent and authentic Greek, "We are peace-lovers. We hate wars. We come for peace, for restoring social tranquility in the west, and so we came. We are going to eliminate all the sources of turmoil and disorder. We are the messenger of justice and peace; we are gods that bring happiness to the world!"

The yak was getting more and more excited as he spoke with awe-inspiring righteousness. He spat his saliva everywhere as he blowed his own trumpet. Even the camera lens became soaked in his saliva in the end.

Chu Feng quickly pushed him away. The yak had said too much, and it began to sound fake.

Sure enough, those who were watching the broadcast were flabbergasted. They couldn’t wrap their head around what they just saw. Where did this black yak come from? Why was he speaking Greece? It was beyond weird and horrifying!

Yellow Ox had once said that the black yak used to study a lot about Greek and Egyptian language mostly because the yak had had his eyes on Mount Olympia in Greece and the mythical temples in Egypt for a long time.

Then, the Serbian Tiger hogged the camera. He popped his head in front of the camera. His white and shiny teeth were longer than Kat’s height. He yelled, "I’m Manchurian Tiger! He who dares to invade the East will be killed no matter how far he runs!"

This tiger was here just to make sure that everyone knew that he belonged to the East because he was still worrying that the Elder Ape and the sect master of the Roaming Jade Temple would pick on him later on.

Chu Feng quickly pushed him away. The tiger was making trouble here.

The world outside was boiling over with sounds of debate. Everyone was voicing their own opinions.

Overall, the West had no more fears or worries. They started to think that perhaps the arrival of the Western Punitive Expedition might be a blessing for them. If what they just said was true, it would mean that there would be no more violent beasts to haunt them ever after this. Some tycoons even started considering lending the Western Punitive Expedition a helping hand.

Half an hour later, Kat was giggling to the camera because not only was he still alive, but he had also been invited to eat barbecue alongside with other beast kings.

The audience were dumbfounded because Kat was gnawing at a giant bone. The bone was taller than an average adult man, and the meat attached to that bone looked golden, tasty and irresistible. Kat was frantically gnawing at the meat.

"So damn tasty! This is the meat of a beast king. Guys, I bet you’ve never eaten something so good! Oh man! I’m living in heaven!"

This live broadcast had a big influence across the world. Everyone had gotten very excited.

Meanwhile, Chu Feng’s Western Punitive Expedition was met with less and less resistance. The West used to worry greatly about the Western Punitive Expedition. Some had even suggested to counter the invasion by pre-emptively launching nuclear weapons against the Expedition.

But they knew, it wouldn’t do much either.

So now, everyone finally could vent out a sigh of relief.

Two hours later, the Western Punitive Expedition entered a village. The black yak had metamorphosed into human form. He was in a black suit, white shirt and wore a pair of brilliantly polished leather shoes. His swept-back hair was shiny and sleek. There was also a thick cigar dangling from his lip-balmed lips. In the meantime, everyone else had also followed his way of dressing, looking just as pretentious yet "elegant" as the yak himself.

Chu Feng and Yellow Ox were having a headache while watching this. They were at a loss for words.

Kat was still with them. He was broadcasting all these live to the world outside. Everyone was flabbergasted. This supposedly solemn and powerful team of experts and kings really just became a... pretty mess.

They looked like a mob of gangsters... early in their careers!

Ever since that day, many youngsters in the West started to mimic this peculiar way of dressing. For a long long time, it made their parents and other grown-ups quite speechless.

The live broadcast was suddenly cut off because the battle now officially began!

The Westerners hated the beasts. Many organizations secretly contacted the Western Punitive Expedition soon after the broadcast and informed the team on the whereabouts of those beasts.

The mopping-up operation that followed went on smoothly. Both the fugitives from the Eastern Punitive Expedition and the other unrelated yet violent beast kings were killed and captured.

This Western Punitive Expedition had been duly rewarded. Many beast dens were raided; all kinds of rare materials, weaponry and strange fruits were seized from the beast kings.

Soon later, it was said that Schiller had escaped. He had delved into the depths of an immense ocean. The sect masters of Eight Vision Temple, Void Jade Temple, and Roaming Jade Temple all failed to catch up with him.

It was mostly because Schiller was using the energy yielded from burning the fuel of both darkness and light. This process was expensive, but in the end, Schiller still made it out alive.

The Elder Ape, the Mountain Turtle, the Golden Roc, the sect master of Wudang and the Mastiff King were only a few examples out of all the sect masters that had come to Europe. Their arrival stirred up great sensation to the Western world.

"We’re almost done. Our Western Punitive Expedition has come to an end. It’s time for us to leave," Yellow Ox said.

"Next objective: Mount Olympia. Let’s go!" the Manchurian Tiger howled and roared. He insisted on going there because during the past few days, he and the black yak had become as thick as thieves. It seemed like the yak had used this friendship to talk the tiger into conquering the mountain with him.

In fact, many other beast kings also wanted to fight for that sacred mountain!

Therefore, soon after, the Western Punitive Expedition found themselves standing in front of the tremendous Mount Olympia.

The towering mountain looked vast and grand. There were many ancient trees along the slope of the mountain. Amongst the many mountains, the main mountain looked like a pillar holding the sky above the earth. Standing at the foot of that mountain, there was a suffocating feeling of oppression.

After discussion, it was decided that the Manchurian Tiger would be leading the main attack force, while the other fast-travelling kings would try to assist the tiger on the side. And so, the attack on the birthplace of all Greek legends—the Mount Olympia—began!

Kat was also here. He was excited and overjoyed. He was given special approval to come along because of his new-found friendship with Chu Feng.

BOOM!

The battle began. The Manchurian Tiger roared. His power was boundless. On the mountain, he was fighting with a sacred vine. Bolts of lightning were ignited as they fought; sound of thunder exploded as they battled!

"God! It’s Zeus! Zeus is a sacred vine!" Kat looked astounded.

Then, a golden plant appeared. It was a sunflower. The sunflower was shooting its seeds as if it were launching an array of mini rockets, bombarding the mountains around it.

This time, Chu Feng, Yellow Ox and the black yak blocked the attack. Although they knew that these plants had severed five shackles, but they were fearless of them. This sunflower represented Apollo the Sun God, but its attack proved to be incompetent against its enemy.

Kat was flabbergasted. If Apollo the Sun God was a sunflower, then what would Athena look like?

"Charge! There are sacred soils on the main mountain!" the kings yelled from the behind. They were fearlessly charging forward. Some even overtook Chu Feng and Yellow Ox to take the lead.

In fact, Chu Feng himself also wanted to know what was hidden on Mount Olympia. Were there going to be any temples? Were they really going to find a kingdom of gods?

At last, they broke through the line of defense and began clambering up to the summit of the main mountain!