The Vermillion Bird Altar was the oldest altar used by the aboriginal people of the entire Vermillion Bird Mountain Range to worship the ancient Vermillion Bird deity.

This altar was located in the deepest part of Vermillion Bird Mountain, protected by deep canyons and surrounded by countless mountain ridges as barriers, upon which ancient sacred patterns were carved.

For unknown reasons, this altar had long been abandoned, and it had been an unknown period since anyone had worshipped there.

Its specific location had even been erased from the tribal records.

Related memories had also vanished with the deaths of some elderly tribal ancestors.

But no matter how deeply hidden, how completely sealed, or how utterly traceless it became, it could not withstand the Wujiu Tribe’s army, which swept through the entire Vermillion Bird Mountain realm like a swarm of locusts in their search.

After nearly a year of war and slaughter, annexing and destroying one local tribe after another, and meticulously searching through their tribal records for clues, the Wuzhu of the Wujiu Tribe finally located the Vermillion Bird Altar.

The Vermillion Bird Altar was situated in the Endless Canyon at the southern end of Vermillion Bird Mountain.

Above the great canyon, red clouds hung like blood.

After overcoming various obstacles, flattening numerous perils, and enduring a long period, the Wujiu Tribe’s army, like a flood, had crossed the mountain ranges, broken through the ancient sacred patterns, and, at the cost of lives, launched their final assault on the altar.

They aimed to conquer all dangers, ignite the Vermillion Bird’s fire, light the ancient altar, and respectfully invite the Great Wujiu Deity to descend.

The will of the Wujiu Deity would then envelop the entire Vermillion Bird Mountain Range.

Under the spreading famine, the Vermillion Bird Mountain, one of the largest mountain realms in the entire Land of the Final Game, would be completely brought under the Wujiu Tribe’s rule.

Using this as a base for outward expansion, the Wujiu Tribe’s ambition to unify the wilderness amidst the famine and establish a glorious, everlasting empire would soon be realized.

And the Young Master of the Wujiu Tribe would become the true Lord of the “Wilderness.”

Even the Royal Court would not dare to underestimate the Wujiu Tribe.

The Royal Court might even give a princess of the royal family in marriage to the Wujiu Young Master, extending the royal bloodline into the Wujiu Tribe.

After two or three generations, the Wujiu Tribe could enter the Royal Court.

It was even possible that, should the Royal Court become unstable, the Wujiu Tribe could replace it.

Driven by the call of the deity, the tribe’s grand vision, and the ambition for glory, and emboldened by the invigorating Wuxiu battle dance, the morale of the Wujiu Tribe reached its peak, their fighting spirit making the mountains and rivers boil.

On the other side, the tribal alliance of Vermillion Bird Mountain was desperately resisting the Wujiu Tribe’s army.

As indigenous tribes of Vermillion Bird Mountain, they naturally could not allow the Wujiu Tribe to light their ancestors’ totem fire, to occupy the altar their ancestors had worshipped for generations, and even less could they allow the Great Wujiu Deity to descend upon Vermillion Bird Mountain to establish “religious” dominion over them.

Most Manxiu simply could not accept this on a bloodline and emotional level, viewing it as a profound humiliation that desecrated their ancestors.

However, great chiefs, as well as high Wuzhu of the Royal Court like Yan Zhu and Qing Zhu, deeply understood that this form of “faith” dominion, a spiritual control, was the most terrifying thing of all.

Therefore, they absolutely would not allow the Wujiu Tribe to achieve their wish and complete the descent of the Wujiu Deity.

The sharp conflict in beliefs had brought this war to an extreme, truly white-hot intensity.

The Manbing of the Wujiu Tribe and the Alliance had completely gone berserk.

Throughout the entire Vermillion Bird Mountain Range, the mountains and plains were filled with people—the living and the dead, the whole and the dismembered.

Blood flowed like rivers, and the accumulated death qi formed dark clouds, spreading across the sky.

Mo Hua stood on a distant mountaintop, silently observing all of this.

He watched countless people die in this meat-grinder-like Asura battlefield, rivers of blood flowing, killing intent and resentment steaming, the world changing color as if it were a human purgatory.

Sorrow filled his heart, yet his gaze was somewhat indifferent.

This was humanity.

Forever self-destructing in arguments, battles, and massacres.

And this was Tianji.

The choice between life and death for countless people.

To seek good, one must know the deepest evil within humanity and accept human nature’s malevolence.

To seek life, one must experience true, massive death, and seek “life” from “death.”

A profound Tianji, incomprehensible to ordinary people, swirled in the depths of Mo Hua’s eyes.

His original intention was further refined amidst good, evil, life, and death.

As Mo Hua observed, amidst the intertwining of life and death, the battle progressed step by step.

Finally, after a full day of fierce fighting, the Wujiu Tribe broke through the Alliance’s defense, shattered all the ancient sacred pattern seals, and ultimately reached the Vermillion Bird Altar.

As an entire mountain collapsed, years of dust settled.

After nearly a millennium, this almost forgotten ancient Vermillion Bird Altar finally reappeared before the eyes of the Manzu people.

In that instant, almost everyone held their breath, astonished by the sight before them.

They had never in their lives seen such a magnificent, splendid, and solemn altar.

The vast plaza exuded an ancient, desolate charm.

Nine crimson Luanbird stone statues, wings poised for flight, encircled a towering altar.

These nine crimson Luanbirds corresponded to the totems of the major tribes in the Vermillion Bird Mountain realm, including the Danque, Yan Yi, Huo Ying, Hong Luan, and the Bi Fang before its “blackening,” among others.

However, some of the tribes corresponding to these Luanbird totems had already declined, or even perished and vanished from Manzu history.

And on the altar, guarded by these nine Luanbirds, stood an even more magnificent and sacred statue.

This was a true statue of a Vermillion Bird.

Its entire body was crimson, seemingly inanimate, yet its wings were as dazzling as colored glaze, as if fierce flames flowed within them.

The Vermillion Bird held a golden ring in its beak.

On the golden ring were traces of flowing fire, though now extinguished.

Beneath the Vermillion Bird, where its two feet gripped, was cast an incredibly magnificent and grand “divine throne.”

Crimson, vibrant glazed crystals wound around the golden divine throne like vines.

It was as if the blood of the Vermillion Bird nourished this divine throne.

And on the divine throne, solemn patterns were carved.

These patterns ranged from thick to fine, branching out in an orderly manner.

Mo Hua’s breath hitched at a single glance.

For he had seen these patterns before.

These were the true patterns of the Tree of Divine Authority, closer to the origin, symbolizing the power of the gods.

This meant that this divine throne was indeed connected to some ancient divine authority.

And the other Manzu cultivators, almost in an instant, all fell into a certain frenzy.

They might not know what this Vermillion Bird and divine throne signified.

But just one glance, sensing this aura, told them that this must be a “divine” gift.

A divine artifact left in the wilderness by a true ancient deity.

How could such a sacred object not drive people mad?

Just one look, and a mortal’s inner desire would instantly consume reason.

Even more frantic were Wuzhu like Yan Zhu and Qing Zhu, who revered deities and practiced spiritual念 (niàn) arts.

They understood better than anyone the preciousness of this Vermillion Bird statue and the golden divine throne.

The divine aura condensed upon it was thousands upon thousands of times more profound than the divine blessings they had sought through a lifetime of cultivation.

Even the Young Master of the Wujiu Tribe and the numerous Wujiu Wuzhu were plunged into prolonged shock.

They knew they sought the ancient altar of Vermillion Bird Mountain, but they had never expected this altar to be truly “precious” to such an incredible extent.

At this point, almost all tribes, everyone, frantically rushed towards the altar.

Especially some high Wuzhu, great chiefs, grand elders, and numerous Jin Dan Manjiang who had previously controlled the battle and had not personally fought, now threw caution to the wind, desperately activating their movement techniques, drawing streaks of light as they lunged towards the altar.

But before they even reached the altar, just entering the altar plaza, they felt a fiery burning sensation.

Those in the Jin Dan realm fared better, but some in the Zhuji realm, even peak Zhuji Manbing, all clutched their faces, tearing at their skin, their entire bodies searing with pain.

Yet, strangely, there was not a single abnormality on their bodies.

It was purely in their divine sense that they felt a soul-piercing burning, and thus their entire physical body also felt as if it were being roasted by fierce flames.

And this spiritual heat directly “burned” their hearts and consciousness to death.

One after another, Manbing struggled and roared, then prostrated themselves before the Vermillion Bird statue and died.

Their physical bodies were unharmed, but their divine sense had been “burned” to death.

Flesh and blood remained, but the soul had perished.

Great Chief Dan Lie’s expression changed, and he immediately shouted:

“All Zhuji Manbing of the Alliance, heed my command! Retreat immediately, do not enter the plaza, or you will die without a burial place!”

The Manbing of the Danque Tribe were the first to retreat.

Other allied tribes’ Manbing, such as Yan Yi, Huo Ying, and Bi Fang, wouldn’t necessarily listen to his command as “Great Alliance Leader,” but after experiencing “spontaneous combustion without fire” and losing another batch of people, they too began to retreat with horrified expressions.

The Wujiu Tribe also lost many Manbing.

Afterward, the Wujiu Young Master also ordered that Zhuji Manbing no longer charge towards the altar.

But while Zhuji couldn’t charge, Jin Dan could.

A Zhuji realm divine sense couldn’t withstand even a hint of the Vermillion Bird Altar’s “burning.”

A Jin Dan, however, could last for a long time.

Therefore, the vast numbers of Zhuji soldiers from both sides halted outside the Vermillion Bird Altar plaza.

Only the Jin Dan elders, Manjiang, grand elders, and great chiefs of each tribe began to enter the plaza and attempted to cross it to reach the ultimate altar.

Everyone understood that this was now a Jin Dan game; Zhuji were no longer qualified to play.

And even for Jin Dan, many simply couldn’t play for long.

Not all Jin Dan cultivators had strong divine senses, nor did all Jin Dan cultivators have resilient Dao hearts.

Some Jin Dan Manxiu were fine when they first entered the plaza, the “scorching pain” that went straight to the marrow was still bearable.

But just halfway through, their divine sense and mental power were exhausted.

An invisible fire, like the wrath of the Vermillion Bird, burned their divine sense, directly desiccating their sea of consciousness.

These Jin Dan, like the other Zhuji, collapsed to the ground, their spiritual power withered, and they died.

And besides the burning from the spiritual fire, they also faced attacks from hostile tribes.

Outside the altar, the Alliance and the Wujiu Tribe had fought until blood flowed.

Now, at the altar plaza, with the Vermillion Bird Divine Throne within reach, they had even less reason not to fight to the death.

The Jin Dan from both sides fought in the plaza, simultaneously enduring the burning of the Vermillion Bird’s fire.

Some were burned to death.

Some were killed.

And some were half-killed, half-burned, enduring dual pain, dying before the Vermillion Bird Altar.

On the desolate Vermillion Bird Altar plaza, one Jin Dan after another continuously fell.

This was an extremely brutal battle.

In the entire Vermillion Bird Mountain realm, the total number of Jin Dan who had died in the past century did not exceed those who died on this single day.

And amidst this brutal struggle and competition, several great chiefs in the late Jin Dan stage from the tribal alliance, along with two Wuzhu sirs, braved immense pressure and spiritual burning pain to be the first to approach the Vermillion Bird Altar.

They could already see the magnificent crimson Vermillion Bird statue.

And beneath the statue, the ancient divine throne emanating a divine aura.

Their breathing grew heavier.

The Great Chief of the Huo Ying Tribe was about to step into the altar’s domain when he suddenly heard a whistling cold wind beside his ear, fierce and wild.

Turning his head, he saw a fist, imbued with immense power, striking towards him.

The Huo Ying Tribe’s Great Chief’s expression changed, and he immediately activated a fire-fan artifact, placing it in front of himself.

But the next instant, he, along with his artifact, was blasted back five or six steps by that black-energy-surging punch.

After regaining his footing, the Huo Ying Great Chief swallowed the blood in his throat, looked up, and saw a black-cloaked youth standing before him, his demeanor profound, his eyes filled with a murderous intent.

This person was none other than the Young Master of the Wujiu Tribe.

He was clearly only in the middle Jin Dan stage, yet that punch just now was so powerful that it made the blood of the late Jin Dan Huo Ying Great Chief boil, almost leaving him breathless.

Great Chief Dan Lie and the other allied great chiefs all frowned.

Although they had anticipated that this Wujiu Young Master, capable of leading such a massive Wujiu army and commanding the fierce Jin Dan of the Wujiu Tribe, must possess formidable personal strength, they had never imagined his strength would be so great.

To be able to suppress a late Jin Dan great chief with a single punch, despite being only in the middle Jin Dan stage, was truly incredible.

Dan Lie and the others all had grave expressions.

Yan Zhu and Qing Zhu also frowned.

The atmosphere became tense for a moment.

At this point, all the Manxiu who could approach the altar were in the late Jin Dan stage.

Only this Wujiu Young Master was in the middle Jin Dan stage.

Yet, precisely this Wujiu Young Master had the strongest aura, making even these great chiefs feel a chilling awe.

Behind the Wujiu Young Master were eight formidable late Jin Dan generals from the Wujiu Tribe, each clad in black feathered armor, appearing like fierce deities.

The Wujiu Young Master, standing before these eight Wujiu generals, cast a cold glance at Dan Lie and the others, stating indifferently:

“The Vermillion Bird Altar is destined to be mine. It’s not too late for you to submit to me now and serve me. I can forgive past enmities.”

Dan Lie’s gaze was solemn as he calmly replied:

“Your Wujiu Tribe led an army to attack my Vermillion Bird Mountain realm, destroyed my tribes, and killed my kin. Now you still want us to submit to you? For someone of your cultivation age, barely a century old, to be so arrogant, isn’t it laughable?”

Great Chief Yan Yi also sneered, “I’d like to see what right a middle Jin Dan whelp like you has to demand our submission!”

The Wujiu Young Master’s eyes gradually revealed a sinister sharp glint, his tone chilling, “You refuse a toast and will drink a forfeit—.”

Great Chief Yan Yi immediately wielded his long saber and charged towards the Wujiu Young Master.

Lu Gu, one of the great chiefs, also could no longer suppress his killing intent and rushed towards the Wujiu Young Master.

Other Jin Dan cultivators also joined the fray.

The Wujiu Tribe’s generals were no less eager.

For a time, black energy surged, light flared intensely, and various Manzu artifacts, imbued with unmatched Dao, clashed together with immense force.

After a long period of fierce fighting, neither side had gained a decisive advantage.

Yet, the Vermillion Bird’s fire continued to burn their divine senses.

If they delayed any longer, they would die from their sea of consciousness being burned dry before even reaching the altar.

The Wujiu Young Master’s gaze turned cold, his expression somewhat distorted, “A bunch of old farts, truly courting death—.”

His aura instantly began to surge.

The black cloak on his body glowed with sacred patterns, emitting powerful fluctuations, as if a certain seal was being undone.

A stronger, more majestic aura flowed from the Wujiu Young Master.

Everyone engaged in battle was startled.

Upon closer inspection, they saw that the black cloak on the Wujiu Young Master had transformed into black mist and merged into his body.

And with that, the Wujiu Young Master’s “seal” was lifted.

A hideous and terrifying sacred pattern appeared on his body. As the sacred patterns circulated, they outlined a fearsome, malevolent totem.

But what was shocking was that this totem was not the image of a Wujiu.

It had a horse’s head and a snake’s body, deer antlers and fish scales, tiger paws and eagle claws, ox ears and fierce eyes—

This was a pitch-black evil dragon.

The Wujiu Young Master had a “dragon” tattooed on his body!