A Battle Between Immortals and Mortals

As the elder made his move, the Tyrannosaurus seemed to sense the impending crisis. The cyan dragon's scales bristled, revealing its ancient, rugged hide. Its pale gold tail hummed, like a supreme celestial blade lying in wait. The golden radiance flowed like liquid, slowly enveloping the entire length of the tail.

At this moment, the four elders had already descended to less than a hundred meters above the ground. The youth in the snowy robe stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the Tyrannosaurus's tail for a long moment before sighing. "Why do you resist? As a Wild Dragon, though you share the ancestral bloodline with the Dragon Clan, the Hundred Clans do not recognize your kind. Your foundation lies within the lands of humanity. If the Hundred Clans descend upon this world, your kind will not be spared either. Though we may seem to be taking advantage of your plight, we do this out of necessity. The Four Great Royal Tribes guard the path to the Eternal Road in the Western Territory of Northern Wilderness. If that path is breached, it will bring calamity upon our people."

The Tyrannosaurus's pale golden eyes remained icy, showing no response. However, its tail trembled with a metallic clang, like a celestial blade resonating—a silent declaration of defiance.

"Strike!"

The Azure-Clad Sword King acted decisively. His gaze was as sharp as a sword, and the golden battle sword in his hand erupted with an astonishing radiance. The golden sword energy cleaved through the air, resonating with the heavens and the earth. The entire sky reverberated with nothing but the pure sound of a sword's hymn.

As the Sword King attacked, the snowy-robed youth sighed lightly. The hand that had been resting behind his back extended forward. What a remarkable hand it was—crystalline like white jade, smooth as fine porcelain, yet the knuckles were defined, exuding a hidden sharpness.

A soft chime echoed as a three-inch-long, silver-white flying dagger appeared between his fingers. The dagger was engraved with intricate cloud patterns, reflecting both the heavens and the earth upon its surface. Threads of formless blade intent burst forth, locking onto the Tyrannosaurus below. At the moment the snowy-robed youth summoned his dagger, a fleeting trace of wariness flickered deep within the eyes of both the Azure-Clad Sword King and the iron-blooded elder.

"Mountain River Seal!"

The middle-aged man in green robes let out a deep cry. His hands traced a series of profound trajectories, as though embracing the vast seas and mountains within his grasp. A massive green seal took form once more, spanning several miles. Its immense presence shook the heavens. As the colossal seal descended, the very air shattered inch by inch, sending ripples through the void. An overwhelming pressure descended upon the Tyrannosaurus.

The Tyrannosaurus bellowed in fury, its voice rolling like thunder across the land. The earth trembled, and ancient trees were uprooted and flung away. Behind the faint red barrier, Xiao Yi could clearly sense the emotions contained within its roar—resentment, fury, and an unbearable sorrow. There was no need to decipher it; the emotions reached directly into his heart.

The flying dagger in the snowy-robed youth's hand vanished. A streak of silver light flashed, disappearing into the air as if teleporting. At the same time, atop the celestial horse, the elder let out a deep roar, his black battle axe cleaving downward. This strike seemed to split the heavens and the earth. A boundless aura surged forth, and threads of blood-colored murderous intent twisted like flood dragons, enveloping the area around the dragon's cave.

In the blink of an eye, a streak of blood light flashed across the Tyrannosaurus's forehead. Xiao Yi saw the red barrier before him distort abruptly. At the center, a silver-white, three-inch flying dagger slowly spun, its energy finally depleted before falling to the ground—none other than the snowy-robed youth's dagger.

A chilling sensation gripped Xiao Yi's heart as he looked again at the Tyrannosaurus. On its skull, a gaping wound as wide as a bowl had been carved open, from which pale golden blood flowed freely.

The Tyrannosaurus howled, its voice more deafening than ever before. It seemed utterly unfazed by the wound on its forehead. Instead, its pale golden eyes blazed even more intensely. In the next instant, it opened its mouth and spat out a cyan sphere the size of a human head. Seven pale golden points of light flickered upon its surface.

As the cyan sphere emerged, its aura seemed to suppress the very heavens. In an instant, it swept across the battlefield, making the expressions of the four warriors shift simultaneously.

"This is bad! It's the Seven-Star Dragon Pearl! Its soul is gravely wounded—it's sacrificing itself in a final attack!" the Azure-Clad Sword King shouted.

But the Tyrannosaurus's resolve was unshakable. Even with the four of them combined, they could not stop it. One by one, the pale golden points of light on the cyan sphere shattered. Each time a point broke, the dragon's aura surged higher. When all seven had shattered, its power had grown to an unimaginable level, distorting the very fabric of space around it. The cyan sphere had now turned completely golden, sending ripples through the void like surging tidal waves.

Golden sword energy shattered. The colossal seal crumbled. The blood-colored murderous aura dissipated into a rain of crimson droplets that fell from the sky. The four warriors stood on high alert, their gazes solemn as they locked onto the golden sphere. The power the Tyrannosaurus had unleashed in its final moments far surpassed its peak, promising an earth-shattering last strike.

All around the dragon's cave, fissures spread open. Ancient trees were swallowed into the abyss. Boulders tumbled, and lava surged from the earth. Yet, the moment the smoke appeared, it was instantly dispersed by the dragon's overwhelming might. The very air congealed, thick like a viscous mire.

Behind the red barrier, Xiao Yi felt a strange sensation. At that moment, the pale golden eyes of the Tyrannosaurus seemed to glance at him for an instant. Then, the golden sphere expanded, flooding the barrier with intertwining golden and red hues. An esoteric aura spread forth.

The sudden change caught the four warriors off guard. In an instant, their expressions turned grim.

"Bloodline Divine Restriction!" The celestial horse neighed, and the elder atop it let out a deep exclamation. The black battle axe in his hand hummed, its edge gleaming with a chilling light.

The Azure-Clad Sword King sighed. "We were fortunate to discover the existence of this Seven-Star Wild Dragon. Had it not just given birth and had its strength diminished, even the four of us together might not have been able to defeat it. Now that it has shattered its own dragon pearl to lay down a bloodline divine restriction, none but those of the Wild Dragon bloodline or an Emperor can enter."

"Perhaps there is another way."

Suddenly, the snowy-robed youth spoke. He extended a crystalline finger and pointed toward a corner of the golden-red barrier. The other three warriors focused their gazes, and in an instant, their eyes glowed with sharp insight. Though they could not break the restriction, peering through it posed no challenge. Following the youth's direction, they all saw Xiao Yi within the cave.

"A human?" The middle-aged man in green robes was momentarily stunned before letting out a cold snort. "Must have wandered in during the battle. Just a mere mortal. Lucky, indeed."

As the man in the green robe spoke, the four figures descended to the ground. The hope that had once faded from their eyes now burned brightly once more. Outside the dragon cave, the Tyrannosaurus rex remained utterly motionless, as if it had been petrified. Its once-glowing cyan scales had lost their luster, its dragon eyes were dull and lifeless, and all traces of intelligence had vanished. Even as the four figures passed by its side, it did not move in the slightest.

It was dead!

Xiao Yi's heart stirred as he gazed at the lifeless Tyrannosaurus rex outside the cave. So this was how it had happened—how that fossilized skeleton, which would later be unearthed in the ancient Qinhu Wetland Park after endless ages, had come to be.

But in the next instant, Xiao Yi's attention was drawn away by the four figures standing outside the shimmering barrier. Even with the light screen separating them, he could feel an instinctive tremor deep in his soul. It was the same kind of awe and intimidation that an ordinary citizen might feel upon suddenly standing before the president of a nation. The sheer presence of these figures radiated an overwhelming pressure, the natural authority of those who stood above others.

"Are you immortals… or ancient Qi cultivators?" Xiao Yi hesitated as he spoke. He had read many books in his time and knew that in ancient history, there were practitioners—alchemists and Taoists—who sought the path of immortality through cultivation. However, none of the historical records ever mentioned individuals with such terrifying destructive power. This led Xiao Yi to lean toward the first possibility. Only true immortals could remain hidden from the world, wielding divine abilities beyond comprehension, quietly fading from history's stage in an age of advancing technology.

"Hmph, just as I thought. Some vagrant from a minor tribe, completely ignorant of even the most basic principles of cultivation. Not only do you lack any shred of cultivation, but you can't even distinguish between an immortal and a human." The elderly man atop the celestial horse regarded Xiao Yi with a deep, measured gaze. His voice was heavy with authority as he continued, "No matter which tribe you hail from, or if you are merely a wanderer, remember this—immortals are among the greatest enemies of the human race. The immortal race carries immortal energy, which makes them unable to conceal themselves within our human world. They can be distinguished at a glance. You, boy—if you ever have the fortune to become a warrior of our race one day, how will you fight against the great enemy races beyond our domain if you cannot even tell them apart?"

Xiao Yi was stunned. Everything he had just heard overturned his entire worldview.

In the age of advanced technology, he had only ever heard of secluded Taoist temples hidden deep in the mountains—places like Qingcheng, Wudang, Maoshan, and Longhu Mountain—where a few still sought the path of the immortal, distancing themselves from worldly affairs. To them, ascension was the ultimate pursuit. And yet, in this distant and unfathomable era, immortals were regarded as enemies? Moreover, from the old man's words, it seemed that the human race had many enemies, not just the immortals.

What had happened in Earth's ancient past?

Was it something even older than the Mesozoic era? Something dating back to the Paleozoic era? Or perhaps an era even more ancient than that? Was this truly Earth in the purest sense of the word? What exactly did the concept of an "ultra-ancient civilization" mean?

Xiao Yi's mind was in chaos, but his instincts remained sharp. Although the Tyrannosaurus rex seemed truly dead, the four figures before him were undeniably beings of immense power—each capable of toppling mountains and splitting the very land. He was nothing more than an ant in their presence. If he so much as brushed against them, he would be severely injured; if he truly faced them, he would undoubtedly perish.

Yet he had also faintly sensed something.

The movements of the Tyrannosaurus rex before its death had been extraordinary. More importantly, it seemed that these four figures were unable to step beyond the golden-red barrier and enter the cave.

"My young friend," the elderly man on the celestial horse suddenly spoke again, his voice calm yet filled with undeniable authority. "Retrieve that Desolate Dragon Egg from within the cave for us. In return, I, King of the Heavenly Axe, shall grant you a place within my Heavenly Axe Clan. You shall be recognized as one of our people, and before you reach the realm of Opening the Heavens, I will personally assist you in forging your Blood Weapon, allowing you to become a true warrior of our human race—one who commands soldiers on the battlefield."

The other three figures were momentarily stunned by these words before they quickly chimed in.

"For his advancement, my Blazing Sun King Clan will provide twenty-five percent of the necessary resources." The man in the green robe, who carried a sword, nodded.

"My Blade Spirit King Clan shall do the same," said the young man in the snowy robes, smiling faintly.

"As will my Mountains and Rivers King Clan." The middle-aged man in blue robes finally spoke, his gaze falling steadily on Xiao Yi. "You need not speculate. It is true that the divine restrictions prevent us from entering. However, you, a mere mortal, have no use for the treasures within that cave. That Desolate Dragon Egg, if allowed to grow, will be of great use in the battles of the Northern Wilderness and the Western Domain.

"Therefore, as a human, you must understand gratitude. You must recognize the greater good. You must learn when to take and when to relinquish.

"Do you understand?"