Dominator Emperor

Over the past thirty thousand years, people have divided Demon’s Back Ridge into several zones, each with a radius of roughly three to five thousand miles.

The starting point, of course, was the stone gate where everyone entered. The area within a three to five-thousand-mile radius of the start was designated as the Ordinary Area by the Great Teaching Territories. Although Longevity Spirits and Celestial Beasts appeared in this area, they were all under ten thousand years old. For factions like the Holy Sects, Ancient Sects, and Great Teaching Territories, this zone was one they could traverse freely.

The five- to eight-thousand-mile radius was designated the Harvest Area. This zone produced Dao Treasure Gold and Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs, which were perfectly suited for disciples from the various Great Teaching Territories qualified to enter Demon’s Back Ridge. The Beast Marrow, Dao Bones, Longevity Blood, and Annual Rings obtained from slaying the Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits in this zone were all very suitable for the elite disciples at their current stage.

Moreover, this area was much less dangerous. Thus, for Great Sect-level lineages, this area was a harvesting ground for their disciples.

The nine- to fifteen-thousand-mile radius was the Challenge Area. Only Heroic Heroes and Princes dared to set foot here. Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits over a hundred thousand years old could appear here. For ordinary disciples, entering this zone was tantamount to suicide.

For Heroic Heroes and Princes, this area was a place they yearned for. Here, there was an abundance of Elixir Grass and Spirit Medicine suited for their level!

The region at the twenty-thousand-mile radius was the Dangerous Area. Only True Masters dared to venture here to dig for treasure and hunt Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits.

Beyond twenty thousand miles was the Extremely Dangerous Area. As for how dangerous it was, that depended on one’s luck. With bad luck, one could encounter Longevity Celestial Beasts over five hundred thousand years old. With better luck, one might only encounter Longevity Spirits and Celestial Beasts around three hundred thousand years old.

Of course, the Dao Treasure Gold, Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs, and even the Annual Rings, Longevity Blood, Beast Marrow, and Dao Bones from the Longevity Spirits and Celestial Beasts produced in this area were all incredibly tantalizing.

Beyond thirty thousand miles was the forbidden zone, also called the Uninhabited Area. In this zone, one could encounter million-year-old Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits. Forget Princes, not even True Masters dared to go there. To go was to die. Facing million-year-old Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits, a True Master wouldn’t even be enough to pick their teeth with!

As for how vast the Uninhabited Area was, no one could say for sure, as no one had ever been heard of completely crossing it! To enter this area was to seek death!

Legend had it that a mythical terror lived in the deepest part of Demon’s Back Ridge. Some said it was a Longevity Spirit or Celestial Beast over three million years old—an existence at the very apex of Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits. Even if a Great Sage were to encounter a Celestial Beast or Longevity Spirit of this level, it would be hard to say who would come out on top.

There were also rumors that a legendary demon lived in the deepest part of Demon’s Back Ridge, that it was the true master of the ridge. Even a Great Sage would only find death if they went there!

In any case, even True Masters were unwilling to risk venturing into the Uninhabited Area, let alone the deepest parts of Demon’s Back Ridge.

After entering Demon’s Back Ridge, the Great Teaching Territories, Holy Sects, and Ancient Sects all acted immediately. No sect or person was willing to delay for even a moment. A moment’s delay meant someone else would claim territory first.

In an instant, this vast, desolate mountain range became incredibly lively. The lineages that considered themselves not yet strong enough stationed themselves in the Ordinary Area, sweeping through the region and even digging three feet deep into the ground. Meanwhile, the sects confident in their strength went straight to the Harvest Area. A single Great Teaching Territory might have hundreds or even thousands of elite disciples, and they swept through the area like a torrent, slaughtering Longevity Spirits and Celestial Beasts to seize their Longevity Blood and Dao Bones!

As for the Great Sect lineages that could enter the Challenge Area, they were true behemoths. Only existences like the Nantian Country, the Jiangzuo Family, and the Treasure Sacred Upper Country could march directly into this region. Even Great Sects like the Purple Mist Temple and Feijiao Lake only set up camp in the Harvest Area.

However, the sects and cultivators entering Demon’s Back Ridge were far more numerous than these. Batch after batch of latecomers continued to pour into Demon’s Back Ridge. One could say that every lineage of any renown in the Great Middle Realm had come to Demon’s Back Ridge.

Demon’s Back Ridge was truly a place of great harvest, even called a place second only to the Burial Land Old Soil in the entire Human Emperor Realm!

Within a short time, a great deal of good news spread. Many sects, lineages, and cultivators were experiencing the joy of a bountiful harvest.

In Demon’s Back Ridge, countless pairs of eyes watched every mountain and river, making it difficult for any sect’s gains to escape notice. ”Xiaowan Pavilion has unearthed a Three-Wen Dao Treasure Gold!”

”The Sect Lord of the Flying Leaf Sect has picked an eighty-thousand-year-old Cyan Pill Fruit!” Some lucky person had found a Spirit Fruit used for refining Blood Medicine.

”The Treasure Horse Sect and the Dao River Country joined forces, pursued it for a thousand miles, and slew an 180,000-year-old Longevity Spirit, sharing its Longevity Blood and Life Wheel.” Of course, there were also sects that united to hunt Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits to seize their Longevity Blood and Dao Bones.

”The Qishan Holy Land dug a thousand zhang into a main peak and found a piece of Five-Wen Emperor Iron!” There were also sects that gathered their disciples to dig thousands of zhang deep in order to unearth Dao Treasure Gold!

Dao Treasure Gold was a material used to refine Treasure Artifacts. Apart from their one and only Heavenly Destiny True Artifact, every cultivator could refine their own Treasure Artifacts.

Unlike True Artifacts, a cultivator’s True Destiny was unique, so they could only have one True Artifact. However, Treasure Artifacts were different; any cultivator could refine two or more.

Therefore, materials for Treasure Artifacts were extremely sought-after, and the quantity required was far greater than that for Heavenly Destiny True Stones.

There were only two types of materials that could be used to refine Treasure Artifacts: one was Dao Treasure Gold, and the other was Celestial Beast Dao Bones.

Celestial Beast Dao Bones could only be obtained by slaying Celestial Beasts, while Dao Treasure Gold had to be dug out from underground. Moreover, the better the Dao Treasure Gold, the more dangerous the place it was formed in.

Dao Treasure Gold, Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs, Beast Marrow and Dao Bones... The sects and cultivators who entered Demon’s Back Ridge all had gains of some kind; it was just a matter of how much.

One piece of harvest news came after another, but Demon’s Back Ridge was also steeped in blood. This was not only true for the Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits, but for all the sects and cultivators as well.

While cultivators from the various sects hunted Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits, a feast was also beginning for the denizens of Demon’s Back Ridge. Many powerful Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits mobilized to hunt their own prey. ”The Crown Prince of Qingcheng Country was ambushed and killed by a 100,000-year-old Longevity Spirit. The three hundred expert disciples accompanying him were all drained of their blood.”

”The five hundred disciples of Heart-Inquiry Mountain encountered a 200,000-year-old Celestial Beast and were all slaughtered!”

”All the disciples of Red River Valley mistakenly entered the Flame Cave and were trapped inside. In the end, except for the Valley Lord who escaped, all the other disciples were burned to ash!”

However, the dangers of Demon’s Back Ridge did not just come from the Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits. There were still perilous lands here that could swallow everyone’s lives.

...

At this time, the entire Demon’s Back Ridge had become a place of feasting. Whether for the cultivators or for the Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits here, both sides began to sweep through and prey on each other. The stench of blood lingered in the air, and though there was news of joy every day, there was also news of tragedy.

However, there were also sufficiently powerful Great Teaching Territories that were unstoppable, sweeping through everything in their path and reaping harvests that made others green with envy. The Jiangzuo Family, the Holy Celestial Kingdom, and the Nantian Country were such examples.

”Marquis Jiangzuo has slain a 200,000-year-old Celestial Beast!” Within a few short days, this particularly astounding piece of news spread, secretly shocking many who heard it.

”A 200,000-year-old Celestial Beast? Even a Prince would have trouble with that! How could Marquis Jiangzuo kill one by himself?” Many were stirred by this news and remarked.

”Marquis Jiangzuo had a thousand cavalry under his command. They formed the ’Worthy King Six Vibration Array,’ trapped the Celestial Beast for three days and three nights, and finally killed it.” A cultivator who witnessed it with their own eyes revealed the truth.

Even a Prince would be wary of a 200,000-year-old Celestial Beast, perhaps even retreating from it. For Marquis Jiangzuo, a member of the younger generation, to be able to slay one was truly incredible.

”The Worthy King Six Vibration Array!” A Sect Lord who knew of this Grand Array couldn’t help but sigh softly, saying nothing more.

The Worthy King Six Vibration Array could be called the Jiangzuo Family’s strongest clan-guarding Grand Array. It was said to have been created by the Jiangzuo Prince and had once slain many Saint Emperor Great Sages!

Someone, marveling at Marquis Jiangzuo’s strength, said with emotion, ”Although no Jiang Country has enfeoffed him as a Marquis, I hear he already has one foot in the Prince realm and possesses the strength of a Prince.”

While marveling at Marquis Jiangzuo’s strength, many people also envied him for obtaining the Beast Marrow and Dao Bones of a 200,000-year-old beast. These were all good things, extremely precious.

”Nan Tianhao stumbled into an Ancient Cave and obtained a piece of Cyan Copper, a Six-Wen Sacred Copper!” While Marquis Jiangzuo’s strength was astounding, Nan Tianhao’s luck was also excellent, as news of his find spread within just a few days.

”Cyan Copper, and it’s Six-Wen! That’s truly amazing stuff, something you couldn’t trade for even with a million Essence Walls.” Someone who heard this news couldn’t help but say with envy and jealousy, ”The Challenge Area really does produce good things. To think even Six-Wen Sacred Copper has appeared!”

Hearing such good news, some cultivators from various sects ventured into the Challenge Area. Of course, for most of them, what awaited was death.

Dao Treasure Gold was naturally formed and contained Dao Patterns within. Only treasure gold whose Dao Patterns had transformed into text could truly be called Dao Treasure Gold!

Within every piece of naturally formed Dao Treasure Gold, an ancient Dao Text was born! This kind of Dao Text was also called Daoist Golden Text or Dao Treasure Text. For a Treasure Artifact, a Dao Treasure Text was simply too precious.

For example, if a piece of Dao Treasure Gold contained a Dao Treasure Text with the character for ’fire,’ that would be incredible. If one were to refine this piece of Dao Treasure Gold using the Purple Fire Technique or the Fiery Flame Technique to evolve the Dao Treasure Text, then once the refined Treasure Artifact was wielded with the same cultivation technique, its power would increase severalfold.