Boom!
When the night enveloped the earth and the sky was filled with stars, a massive pillar of light nearly a kilometer in diameter suddenly erupted from a shimmering lake, shooting straight into the sky. This was just the beginning. In the mountains, atop hills, beneath the earth, and in desolate wildernesses rarely seen by man, more beams of light shot upward. As each pillar ascended to a certain height, it gradually faded, transforming into strands of mist that spread across the sky, linking together.
From a high enough vantage point, one could see these beams connecting and forming an enormous pattern that covered the vast land of Yin Desolation.
...
In a large city also shrouded in night, a city lord of the Yin Desolation, who was in the midst of creating offspring with one of his concubines, suddenly looked out the window. He saw a massive beam of light shooting from the highest mountain in his territory, illuminating the surrounding land.
"That's Thousand Stone Mountain!" The city lord, whose bare torso was covered in various totems of fierce beasts, stood up and looked out the window with a darkened expression. He quickly linked this event to the earthquake that had occurred three months ago.
"Someone, go kill the one who investigated the disturbance at Thousand Stone Mountain last time. What nonsense about rainwater," he commanded coldly.
After issuing the order, the city lord grabbed a bear pelt and threw it over his shoulders before striding out of his residence. In a flash, he shot out of the city, flying toward Thousand Stone Mountain.
The fact that this strange phenomenon had occurred without his prior knowledge was already a failure of his duties as city lord. If he didn't act quickly to suppress it, his position would be in jeopardy. The royal court would have an excuse to remove him.
"What on earth is this?" The city lord soon used brute force to dig out a tunnel leading to the heart of Thousand Stone Mountain, where he found a magical formation that was wildly drawing upon the power of the earth and the surrounding elements.
"Lord City Master, if I'm not mistaken, the style of these symbols resembles relics from the golden era of Titan rule. This is likely what is known as a magical formation. There's a similar formation in the royal capital."
"Are you certain?" The city lord turned to glare at his advisor, a man sent by the royal court to offer counsel and, of course, to spy on him.
"Absolutely." The young man, whose refined demeanor was unlike anything a native of the Yin Desolation would possess, nodded.
"Who could have set up such a formation?"
"No one but the legendary Titans. All the formations in the royal capital are remnants from tens of thousands of years ago."
"But take a closer look—this stone wall was freshly excavated." The city lord ran his hand over the stone and then gestured toward the functioning formation. "I may not understand these so-called formations, but this one was clearly laid out not long ago. The marks are new. What do you think that means?"
The city lord turned to his advisor, his face expressionless. However, within, his killing intent was almost boiling over.
"The first Titan arrived some thirty thousand years ago," the advisor began. "He ended the chaos of our world, unifying it and ushering in an era of glory. That Titan gave us the strength to fight the fierce beasts and survive.
But he only ruled for 800 years before leaving. Our world then fell into chaos again. Thanks to the foundation laid by the Titan, we quickly regained unity. But because the rulers were not Titans, the peace only lasted 500 years before chaos returned. Our world has experienced cycles of unity and division for over 20,000 years.
Then, about 12,000 years ago, the second Titan arrived, ending the chaos again. He ruled for 900 years before leaving with the strongest warriors of the Yin Desolation. Now, over 10,000 years have passed. Wouldn't you say it's about time for the third Titan to descend?"
"Why would you think that?" The city lord looked at his advisor as if seeing him for the first time. "You realize that if a Titan truly appears, the Nine Phoenix Dynasty is finished."
"When I was younger, I was obsessed with anything related to the Titans. I once read an intriguing book where the author claimed that the Titans are weakest when they first descend. But after unifying our world, their power peaks, and they become invincible."
"Do you think a Titan has arrived?"
"I'm somewhat certain, but I can't say for sure," the refined advisor replied. "Lord City Master, what do you think we should do with this formation?"
"A formation possibly laid by a Titan—what do you think I should do?" The city lord smiled at his advisor, a man sent by the Nine Phoenix Dynasty to monitor him. It seemed this advisor might be a turncoat.
The advisor's lips twitched, but he refrained from speaking. From the perspective of the Nine Phoenix Dynasty, he should urge the city lord to destroy the formation. But if that meant risking his life, he had no intention of doing so.
"Lord, I've heard that Titan formations have powerful defensive capabilities," the advisor said, avoiding the issue. His words gave the city lord pause. Then, to the city lord's surprise, the seemingly fragile advisor approached the formation and reached out to touch the beam of light.
Watching this, the city lord narrowed his eyes but said nothing, nor did he try to stop him.
"Boom!" The moment the advisor touched the light, he was violently thrown back, his body embedding into the stone wall. The sound of his bones breaking echoed through the chamber.
"Clever," the city lord muttered, looking at his advisor's behavior. Then, without any preparation, he touched the light himself and was similarly flung back, crashing into the wall, unmoving.
Meanwhile, as the golden dragon began activating the massive formation, it drew the attention of local powers, who dispatched people to investigate.
Some of the Yin Desolation people, relying on their knowledge, recognized the formation's origin and its connection to the Titans. Fearing it, they dared not interfere, choosing instead to watch silently.
Others, imitating certain city lords, pretended to attempt destruction, only to be "injured" by the formation's defensive backlash.
Of course, some Yin Desolation people, unaware of the Titans, tried to destroy it, but the golden dragon had already accounted for this. Each formation node was connected to the surrounding mountains and rivers. Without the power to destroy an area spanning thousands of miles, it was impossible to damage the formation. All they could do was watch as the formation continued to activate.
"The iron curtain has descended across the Yin Desolation. Even the legendary peak warriors in the royal capital won't be able to stop it before it's complete."
The golden dragon smiled as she stood ten thousand meters in the air, gazing down at the vast land below. Standing beside her was Muria, his expression filled with awe.
He could see a U-shaped beam of light rapidly spreading across the land, rising higher and higher until it formed an impenetrable wall of light.
Behind this wall lay the territory that the golden dragon had set aside for Muria. While there were legendary Yin Desolation warriors within, their numbers were few, and their strength was manageable for Muria.
"It's about ready. The wall is fully formed. Little Muria, you can now order your legion to begin the conquest," the golden dragon said as the light wall rose to her level.
"Who are you?" Suddenly, a fierce roar came from below. Muria looked down and saw a rough-looking giant of the Yin Desolation striding through the air toward him, surrounded by thirteen solid-looking fierce beasts, their predatory gazes fixed on him. "Are you responsible for this? What are you trying to do?"
"Oh dear, little Muria, we've been discovered," the golden dragon said, completely unconcerned by the arrival of the legendary Yin Desolation warrior. She looked at Muria and asked, "So, will you handle this, or shall I?"
"I'll do it," Muria replied, stepping forward. "Yin Desolation warrior, tell me your name."
"Mang Gu!" The towering Mang Gu, whose stature was comparable to that of a storm giant leader, looked at Muria with a trace of surprise. He had noticed how Muria addressed him. "You're not from our world? Where do you come from?"
"What do you think?" Endless golden lightning erupted from Muria's body, enveloping him. His ten-meter-tall figure quickly swelled to a height of over 130 meters. "What do you think I am?"
"A Titan!" Mang Gu took a step back upon seeing Muria's true Titan form. The fierce beasts surrounding him froze in place as if they had been petrified.
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