In a remote, mountainous region of Da Qin, stood a mountain that soared into the clouds, its peak utterly invisible from below.
For this mountain was perpetually shrouded in clouds halfway up its slopes. Its shape was precipitous, resembling a sword thrust directly from the earth into the heavens, with no discernible paths for ascent.
No one knew that atop this mountain, above the endless expanse of clouds, an ancient bronze coffin had rested in quiet solitude.
Anyone who witnessed this scene would surely find it bizarre. The highest, most perilous peak was devoid of any life, yet occupied by a single coffin.
Furthermore, numerous sects were located in the vicinity, with many cultivators at the late Emperor stage. Yet, not a single one had discovered this peculiar sight.
On the horizon, above the clouds, lay the boundless, profound, and desolate void of the cosmos.
A golden light slowly drifted towards the ancient bronze coffin. It moved unhurriedly, and wherever its radiance fell, it instilled a sense of solemnity, reverence, and comfort.
Within the golden light was a monk with a serene countenance. His upper body was bare, one hand held aloft in a finger-pointing gesture towards the heavens, the other cradling a white vase. A smile graced his lips as he floated towards the bronze coffin.
"Buzz!"
When the monk was still over ten miles from the ancient bronze coffin, a resonant sword hum filled the heavens and earth.
Instantly, the monk felt himself enveloped by an infinite killing intent, as if taking another step forward would spell his demise.
Seeing this, the monk halted, smiled slightly, then bowed and spoke.
"Ananda pays respects to the Tongtian Sword Master."
His voice was like the striking of jade, seemingly from beyond the heavens, not of this world, drawing listeners into its ethereal charm.
"Is there something?"
The killing intent did not dissipate; instead, it intensified. A voice echoed from the horizon, its source indistinguishable.
"Sword Master, are you aware of the Blood Sea's recent activities? Nine Blood Children have entered Yan Province. If they are not eradicated promptly, their growth will bring disaster to the humans of Yan Province."
Ananda spoke unhurriedly. The ancient Earth was divided into nine provinces; the current Da Qin was the ancient Yan Province, and the Fan Kingdom was Fo Province.
"Nine mere insects, worthy of you, a monk who has attained Bodhisattva fruition, coming to inform me personally?"
The voice carried a hint of coldness, then continued.
"If they cannot even deal with these nine insects, how can they participate in the great battles to come? At that time, no matter how many weaklings there are, they will be of no use. Humanity needs power! It needs individuals who can suppress an entire era! If all the humans of Yan Province were to perish in exchange for such a powerful individual, then their deaths would not be in vain."
Ananda frowned slightly. Trading the lives of hundreds of millions in a province for one strong individual was too great a price. While the Tongtian Sword Master's words were not entirely wrong, yet...
"Amitabha! Sin, sin!"
Ananda murmured. He had initially thought the Tongtian Sword Master's injuries had not yet healed, thus he hadn't noticed the arrival of the nine Blood Sea children in Yan Province. But he never expected the other party to know everything.
"Hmph! Sin? False piety! Do you know that if humanity ultimately loses, there will be no humanity left in this world? If some die now, and it truly adds even a sliver of a chance for victory in the future, let alone the humans of one province, even if all the humans of all nine provinces perish, humanity would still have profited!"
"As long as someone can survive in the end, humanity will have hope and endure for eternity."
This time, the voice emanated from within the bronze coffin. The tone seemed devoid of emotion, but upon careful listening, one could discern a trace of sadness and longing.
The interior of the ancient coffin was not pitch black, nor was it cramped. The space within was surprisingly vast.
It was a black continent stretching beyond sight, with black soil, riddled with ferocious fissures, black trees, and dried-up riverbeds.
It was a land of deathly silence, devoid of any life. If viewed from high above, the entire landscape appeared broken.
And at the very center of this land, a throne was constructed from countless broken swords.
Upon the throne sat a figure, also broken. Clad in black, a long sword was impaled in the left eye socket of his head, a fist-sized hole marred his chest, and one of his legs was severed.
"Drip! Drip! Drip!"
Blood, black blood, still flowed from the wounds.
This was a corpse, seemingly devoid of any life, a body long since dead.
And he was the Tongtian Sword Master!
The foremost swordsman in history!
As if in a trance, the Tongtian Sword Master's right eye seemed to move, or perhaps it did not.
"If there is nothing else, then return to your Fo Province! This seat is weary!"
Ananda opened his mouth, intending to say more, but in the end, he sighed helplessly and turned, departing step by step.
A light breeze blew, rustling Ananda's kasaya, momentarily revealing his skeletal frame beneath.
"I truly wish to fight! To remain guarding here like a useless person! I still have one sword that can slay the invincible!"
A faint murmur drifted with the breeze, filled with regret and unwillingness.
In the distance, Ananda's body froze for a moment, a flicker of gloom crossing his eyes.
"Amitabha, may my Buddha return victorious!"
In the past few days, the prodigies from various factions had been scouring Da Qin in search of the remaining eight Blood Children of the Blood Sea.
Many of them were young men of this era, unaware of the terrifying nature of the Blood Children, or perhaps they had not considered how monstrous Blood Children could be, defying all logic.
Thus, when the two sides encountered each other, their demise was inevitable.
"The current chief disciple of the Green Mountain Sect, with a cultivation at the mid-Emperor stage, encountered the eighth Blood Child of the Blood Sea and was instantly killed. Even his guardian met the same fate!"
"The Divine Son of the European War God Alliance was killed by the third Blood Child, and his guardian barely escaped with his life!"
"A squad of Holy Knights from the Vatican Holy City was annihilated. Twelve Holy Knights, three of whom were at the late Emperor stage, were all killed by a single Blood Child and turned into twelve desiccated corpses."
"A proud disciple of the Sword Pavilion perished in the desolate forests of Xiangxi. Upon discovery, he had already become a desiccated corpse. It is rumored that this disciple ranked among the top ten in the current generation of Sword Pavilion disciples!"
"A Blood Child appeared in Han City in the East of Da Qin, vowing to kill all the prodigies under the heavens and forge his path to invincibility with their blood!"
Shocking news erupted one after another, stunning all factions, including the common folk of humanity.
Many had no idea what was happening. Li Xiaotian had only relayed the news to the younger, powerful cultivators at the time, so external forces remained oblivious.
However, as prodigies began to fall, this information could no longer be concealed, for too many had died within a mere few days.
And those who died were the talented disciples of various factions.