In the distant past, the Kandela Empire was overthrown, and the survivors possessing Kandela blood were cursed by an evil god, perishing in an instant.
However, the vast Kandela Empire persisted for a time before slowly collapsing like a grand structure.
During this period, some of the empire's inheritances were buried deep within unknown spaces in the form of ruins, awaiting a destined day to be opened in the future. The remaining inheritances were either destroyed by malevolent entities and servants of the evil god, or obtained by human factions closely associated with the empire.
One such faction, known as the Holy Court, acquired a significant amount of technical data from the Kandela Empire, along with many ready-made runic artifacts.
Leveraging this great opportunity, the Holy Court faction continued to develop and expand, saving countless humans during an era of rampant calamity and integrating many fragmented human nations.
They also created a land of pure sanctuary to resist the calamities and protect the survivors.
Thus, the great nation of the Central Holy Court was officially established, and it quickly became the vanguard of human factions, firmly holding the position of humanity's foremost power.
The Central Holy Court also made numerous contributions to the development history of the human alliance.
They lived in prosperity, and they were abundant in powerful individuals.
The entire realm of anomalies was treacherous and fraught with constant danger, yet these things had no bearing on the Central Holy Court; they were protected and did not have to face external threats.
Until, the prophecy emerged.
When calamity struck, even the pure sanctuary would be unable to shield them. They would fall under the gaze of an unspeakable evil god.
What should be done?
Fight, or flee?
Undoubtedly, the latter.
The ancient ones within the Holy Court—those in the high realms, or demigods who had prolonged their lifespans through special treasures—recalled the terror of being dominated by the evil god faction.
Now, with the evil god faction poised to return, how could they muster the will to resist? The mighty Kandela Empire had already fallen! And they were clearly inferior to the Kandela Empire.
However, they were not entirely unprepared.
They had long proposed the Ark of Salvation plan, though its research had been slow. As the Holy Lord prophesied the coming of calamity, the entire Holy Court focused most of its might, and the construction speed of the Ark of Salvation accelerated.
According to calculations, they had the capacity to launch the ark before the tribulation fully descended.
But,
Ancient beings infiltrated the Central Holy Court, coveting their Ark of Salvation and seeking to seize it. This forced the ark to depart in haste.
Then, the ark shattered.
"Destiny is not with our Holy Court."
"But, was it truly so close?"
The White-robed Holy Lord, shrouded in radiance, his entire form almost entirely transformed into light, mocked himself.
"The three elders and seven demigods had unknowingly been corrupted and tainted. Even without the ancient beings lurking, the Ark of Salvation could never have truly set sail."
"Perhaps, all along, it was we, it was I, who was too arrogant."
"If I had paid more attention to the humans outside, and recruited some talented individuals into the Holy Court, would the outcome have been different?"
He did not know.
He had no opportunity to verify it.
He suffered a fatal sneak attack. Even as he unleashed immense power to take away the three elders, who had become utterly unfamiliar, his divine form was on the verge of collapse.
In another 12 seconds, his body would completely disintegrate, vanishing from space and time without a trace.
But before that…
The earth split open in chasms tens of thousands of kilometers long, buildings collapsed, and countless ordinary people fled in panic. Gazes traversed space, falling upon a red-haired youth with an expressionless face.
The gaze gradually intensified.
An invisible force descended across space.
The red-haired youth's expression changed drastically, his body gradually flattening, as if about to be crushed into a thin sheet of paper.
He roared, revealing his true form.
He was a giant, ten thousand feet tall, covered in red scales, with enormous wings unfurled behind him. But…
His rampant energy could not dissipate.
His roaring cry seemed to be silenced.
The giant struggled, but his body became flatter and flatter, with cracks spreading across his form, from which endless light bloomed.
He was shattered.
In just a few seconds.
The White-robed Holy Lord cast his gaze again upon another ancient being who had sabotaged their ark plan, extending his hand, and power descended, enveloping them.
*Bang!*
"The future…"
He looked out towards the gray, hazy world beyond the Holy Court.
His divine body shattered.
…
The Central Holy Court descended into complete chaos.
The Ark's departure failed, and the "Eternal Pure Land," the cornerstone of their defense, was damaged, causing the vast lands of the Holy Court to lose their protection.
Beyond the towering city walls on the periphery of the Holy Court, gray mist rapidly spread, continuously devouring the land of the Holy Court.
Monstrous, malevolent beings emerged from the mist, lunging at the city guards with bared teeth and claws.
But the Holy Court nation was vast, and it would still take time for the gray mist to fully engulf its territory, so this crisis was not yet urgent.
More urgent was the fact that the Holy Court's lands were like a broken colossal ship, sinking rapidly.
Fissures, resembling an abyss, continuously spread.
The thirteen provinces were like lone boats tossed about in a storm.
And the Lord of the Holy Court, along with the three elders, had all perished.
Of the thirteen governors and the remaining demigods, excluding those who had perished or been corrupted, fewer than a handful remained.
Chaos was unavoidable.
If this continued, the entire Central Holy Court would be annihilated, reduced to dust in history.
And the descent of the Holy Court was unstoppable.
The demigods, such as the Old King of Red Sand, who had just arrived at the Holy Court's border, were shocked, stunned, and bewildered.
"What in the world happened?"
A demigod said bitterly, swallowing.
A few top demigods hesitated for a moment before deciding to investigate.
However, faster than them were the ancient beings who had long been eyeing the Central Holy Court. Such beings numbered far more than two.
They desired the ark.
They also sought a stable haven.
Moreover, besides the ark, the Holy Court possessed numerous treasures. The Holy Court was, after all, the inheritor of the legendary Kandela!
"This supreme treasure shall be mine!"
An ancient being spoke.
This was a being over ten meters tall, incredibly handsome, with a special beauty that transcended race. He stood atop the clouds, wielding a scepter, and pointed towards the core region of the Holy Court from afar.
Endless mist instantly transformed into a colossal palm that blotted out the sky, descending with a fierce grab.
"Scram!"
A colossal palm constructed of flame appeared, blocking the misty hand.
The two colossal palms grappled in the air. A slight collision unleashed a torrent of incredibly violent energy. This terrifying storm easily destroyed the land and tore through space. Even the incredibly sturdy buildings in the central area of the Holy Court, made of materials comparable to epic and legendary grade, were rendered dilapidated by the energy tide containing the power of laws.
Countless mortals were annihilated and vanished in the dazzling flames before they could even utter a scream.
Even myths could not escape, falling from the sky, severely wounded.
The Old King of Red Sand and other demigods hesitated.
They remained at the periphery of the Holy Court, gazing at the ancient beings engaged in combat, their faces filled with indecision.
They were top demigods, but they could not withstand even one or two moves from those in the high realms. Of course, they were still within the Great Domain of Cloud Radiance, and they had the support of the Level Nine Oasis behind them.
However, wielding the power of the Level Nine Oasis merely granted them the qualification to contend with those in the high realms.
They were still far from being able to deal with or defeat one or two high-level beings.
Fight? Or not fight?
After a few moments of thought, several other ancient, vast auras appeared in the distance.
Seven ancient beings had set their sights on the treasures of the Holy Court.
In fact, the Central Holy Court possessed superweapons capable of dealing with, or even killing, those in the high realms. Normally, even if the Holy Lord and the four elders did not act, other myths and demigods manipulating the superweapons would have been capable of annihilating high-level beings.
However, the Holy Court's high command had suffered heavy casualties, and the disaster struck with unexpected suddenness, leaving the remaining powerhouses utterly bewildered and disorganized.
They could only watch helplessly as calamities erupted within their territory, causing widespread suffering and death.
There were also myths whose eyes were vacant, muttering "It's over, it's over" as they were swallowed by the energy tide.
Flames engulfed the city.
The former prosperity and peace were gone.
Only a few myths protected their loved ones, escaping in flying vehicles.
At this moment, another ancient being appeared.
In his normal state, he was tens of meters tall, humanoid, his body composed of bone as white as jade. He wore a black cape and crown, wielded a scepter, and his eyes burned with a cold, azure flame. He stood above the dark clouds, looking down upon all beings from afar.
This was the Skeleton Demon Lord!
Among the ancient beings, he also possessed a fearsome reputation.
A notorious killer.
Upon seeing his appearance, the other ancient beings showed apprehension. Two or three ancient gods exchanged glances and launched an attack towards the Skeleton Demon Lord.
The Skeleton Demon Lord also made his move.
A seemingly unremarkable gray cloud swept out, colliding with the raging flames and the colossal misty hand. It was like a sharp blade striking a fragile block of tofu; the gray cloud easily pushed aside the flames, the giant hands, and the vines.
It swept over one of the beings enveloped in flame.
In an instant, the flames, as if encountering their natural enemy, rapidly extinguished. The high-level being within the flames changed his expression drastically and roared, "No, spare—"
But before he could finish, his words were cut short.
His body rotted inch by inch within the gray mist, falling from the sky.
"This is Authority?!"
"The Skeleton Demon Lord has entered the tenth realm!"
The other six ancient beings' expressions changed.
Some high-level beings decisively retreated.
Others, after a moment of hesitation, chose prudence over valor and slowly withdrew.
In the era of ancient gods, those in the tenth realm were powerful deities capable of establishing pantheons! In this current era, powerful deities were even rarer. They dared not, nor were they capable of, resisting the Skeleton Demon Lord, who wielded Authority.
Before Authority, even the power of laws seemed fragile.
At this moment, the Skeleton Demon Lord looked down upon the earth.
"Where is it?"
"That most crucial treasure…"
He had roughly pinpointed the area but still needed time to search. The tiny humans fleeing frantically on the ground were somewhat of an eyesore.
With that thought, the Skeleton Demon Lord let out a cackling laugh.
He lightly raised his scepter, and with the great power of his White Bone Authority, he commanded all the bones in the surrounding area.
In an instant,
Regardless of whether they were fleeing, stunned with fear, or buried beneath the ruins of buildings, the movements of every human froze. White bones emerged from within their bodies, devouring them like a great maw, leaving no trace.
Even mythical beings only had time to change their expressions before being devoured by their own bones.
In the blink of an eye, within a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers in the first province, all humans, regardless of gender, age, strength, or weakness, perished instantly.
Billions of humans were erased!
And the cities and ruins within the entire province remained unchanged.
This was the tenth realm, the terrifying power of one who wielded Authority. The demise of billions of lives occurred in a single thought.
"Tsk tsk, humans are truly fragile."
"No wonder there are so many humans, yet their true strength is insignificant."
"However, this human faction inherited the legacy of Kandela, so there should be many top-tier Kandela creations, and perhaps that rumored supreme treasure. I must find it quickly, lest a more powerful elder appear, which would be problematic."
He disdained humans.
But the Skeleton Demon Lord also knew that among the ancient gods, there were still many more powerful than himself.
When Fang You received notification from Little Huan, traveled to the Oasis under the jurisdiction of Kindling, adjacent to the Great Domain of Cloud Radiance, and then made several more space jumps to arrive outside the Central Holy Court, he saw the scene before him.
The scene of countless humans being devoured by bones.
"The calamity of evil gods is a catastrophe, but sometimes, certain wicked ancient beings are also a catastrophe for human oases."
"Some ancient beings are friendly, while others view humans as ants."
A thought arose in his heart.
Fang You tore open space and stepped into the first province of the Holy Court.
His expression was calm. So calm, as if a world-ending volcano was about to erupt beneath eternal ice.
Threads of law power diffused from around him.
Ancient beings who had retreated far away watched.
Human powerhouses discovered his figure.
In the distance, the Skeleton Demon Lord seemed to be saying something.
Fang You paid no attention. He slowly raised his hand.
Slaughter Authority, equipped.
Infinite Gate, opened.
Waves of space surged from behind him, and one terrifying orange lightning bolt after another diffused its power.
In the distance, the Skeleton Demon Lord released his gray clouds, from which tens of millions of skeletal arms extended.
This scene sent chills down the spines of the distant ancient beings.
They now understood that the Skeleton Demon Lord had not used his full power earlier, and that, even so, it had instantly killed an ancient being.
"It seems the Skeleton Demon Lord is angered."
However, at this moment, the lightning exploded like rage.
A spear of divine lightning, condensed from Fang You's full power, finally extended from the spatial waves.
Then, the second, the twentieth, the two hundredth.
One spear of divine lightning after another, filled with immeasurable destructive power, shot out with his outstretched finger.
A river of orange lightning pierced through space!
Tens of millions of skeletal hands turned into particles!
The laws of heaven and earth were pierced, creating vast expanses of void!
The Skeleton Demon Lord's divine form swelled countless times, reaching hundreds of thousands of meters in height, but in the next moment, it was still engulfed by the orange torrent.
White jade bones shattered! Azure flames shattered! White bone laws shattered!
Even the pebble-sized White Bone Authority seemed to be obliterated!
The bone giant, hundreds of thousands of meters tall, lasted for less than three ten-thousandths of a second before shattering with a bang.
Amidst the floating bone dust and the sky filled with orange lightning, several pale beams of light flew out.
These were beams of light woven from fragments of laws.
As long as the laws were not exhausted, the root would not perish.
But,
The spears of divine lightning, filled with terrifying destructive and killing power, appeared from behind the white-robed youth as if they required no effort or time to condense. Dozens, hundreds more emerged.
Several rivers of orange lightning traversed the sky, illuminating the desolate ruins in the firelight.
The Skeleton Demon Lord's plea for mercy was cut short.
Also silenced were the several ancient beings who had been watching quietly from afar.