Deep within Crescent Mountain.
The desolate yellow landscape is all too common, and the parched earth is riddled with cracks. Although there are still plenty of withered trees standing tall, they impart the desolation of a desert, a deathly silence.
A peaceful village nestles within Crescent Mountain, with rows upon rows of two or three-story buildings built terrace-style along the mountainside.
Curling wisps of cooking smoke ascend into the air.
No Demonized Beasts dare approach the vicinity.
What should be a tranquil and harmonious village becomes a source of furrowed brows for anyone who catches a glimpse of its inhabitants.
Some are clad in black robes with masks, others carry an air of indifference as they hurriedly walk past, and the majority are the ordinary villagers, their faces aglow with fanaticism as if they could devote themselves to anything for their faith.
In the eastern part of the village.
Two Fourth Epoch Awakeners wearing retro yellow-brown robes hide in the shadow of the trees, watching the coming and going of the crowd. One appears middle-aged, while the other is in his early thirties, both with a badge on their chests symbolizing a bishop of the Doomsday Cult.
"Uncle, when will it be our turn for the sacrifice? I can hardly wait to transcend the ordinary!"
The man in his thirties spoke up.
The middle-aged man shook his head softly, "A Blood Sacrifice breakthrough is merely an inferior choice. The strength gained is no match for a true Transcendent, and it exhausts all potential. It's not worth it."
"But... hasn't the Divine Sect promised us an opportunity for breakthrough if we perform great deeds? And the sect frequently orders people to bring in children with high aptitude. If not for Blood Sacrifice, surely they can't all be for training Death Soldiers."
"Death Soldiers?" the middle-aged man patted his nephew's shoulder, "You're still too young. With the power of the Divine Sect, what need is there for Death Soldiers? Those high-aptitude children, I suspect, are also for sacrifice, but not for power enhancement."
"Our family's Blood Sacrifice Technique requires high-tier Awakeners, like us. If we wish to forcefully break through to the Transcendent level, it would take at least ten thousand Awakeners of the Tenth Layer or above, coupled with other materials, to decrease the number of sacrifices needed. Even so, it's impossible to gather enough... though it might be possible in a few years."
"The Divine Sect's choice of sacrifice is the exact opposite; they choose children with low strength and young age. There's something I don't understand: with the capabilities of the Divine Sect's leaders, taking over Tiannan Province and West Forest Province shouldn't be difficult, but they don't seem to be in a hurry..."
"To better rule, perhaps? The Divine Sect's manpower is limited now. As they continue to grow stronger, they could even take over without spilling blood."
The young man shared his opinion.
The middle-aged man stamped his foot, causing the trees behind him to shiver and the withered leaves to whirl down, clearly visible to the naked eye.
"Look at the environment beneath our feet and think about the Divine Sect's doctrine. It's not about rule, but...destruction."
He sighed, then lowered his voice, "Haven't you noticed? Since the Divine Sect made this place their headquarters, it has not once been harried by Demonized Beasts. I suspect... the Sovereign they worship truly exists."
The young man's pupils contracted.
The middle-age man spoke more fervently, "The world is doomed for destruction. Even the mighty Ancient Spirits of old couldn't alter fate. But we, on the other hand, if we can truly become a part of the Divine Sect and ascend beyond the Transcendent, reach even greater heights, infinite possibilities await..."
His mutterings gradually faded until they were barely audible.
The fervent expression also returned to calm, just like those expressionless faces in the village, but the madness that lurked deep in their eyes could not be dispelled.
Inside Crescent Mountain.
The Pingliang Sanctuary had mobilized a force of eight thousand Awakeners to eliminate the Doomsday Cult. Leaving one thousand five hundred to hold positions outside, over six thousand had entered the mountain.
A vast, densely packed crowd. Given enough time, they could have turned the expansive Crescent Mountain upside down.
"We have limited time, we must find the cult headquarters before the other Sanctuaries!"
Only then could they regain their lost face, and more importantly... whether the Doomsday Cult possessed a Secret Treasure or a method to breakthrough with a Blood Sacrifice, they had to find it and firmly grasp it in their hands.
By then, his own strength, including the strength of the Sanctuary, would advance by leaps and bounds.
The Pingliang Sanctuary's Director thought so.
He even personally led the charge, bringing along a thousand of the most elite Awakeners, hastening their pace through the mountains and rivers, cutting through the obstructing trees and rocks, and continuously pushing forward.
"There are people over there!"
The Director of Pingliang looked over.
Far away on a small hilltop, devoid of trees, stood only a large boulder. At this moment, two individuals dressed in yellow-brown robes were standing on that boulder.
Eyes met across the distance.
Director Pingliang's face brightened with joy, "It must be people from the cult."
He wasn't reckless and understood that those who dared to appear at this time had to be powerful. He immediately ordered, "We can't give them a chance to hit and run. First and second teams flank from both sides. You, follow me; remember to restrict their movements. It's best if we capture them alive to interrogate the location of the cult headquarters!"
"It doesn't matter whether we capture them alive or not, quickly crush them to prove that we are superior to others."
In the midst of their conversation.
From the distance, among the thousands of Awakeners, dozens took the lead in the charge, their speed extremely fast, running across the rugged terrain as if it were flat land, and one of them raised his hand, causing a gigantic chessboard to appear beneath the feet of the two figures standing on the boulder.
The two clad in yellow-brown robes seemed like two small pawns in the massive chessboard, moving freely but their mobility greatly restricted; no matter where they went, they could only move one small square within the chessboard.
Special Ability, Heaven and Earth Chessboard.
"Interesting, but the strength... too weak," the middle-aged man snorted coldly. The binding force of the rules on the chessboard shattered violently; the ability user in the distance turned red as he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees, clutching his chest.
With a kick, the boulder dented inward, forming a bowl-shaped pit covered with dense cracks.
The middle-aged man, like an eagle skimming low overhead, appeared in front of the Pingliang expert team in less than a breath's time. With a punch wearing Finger Tigers, an elite at the Ninth Layer Peak was struck from behind, blood splattered in an explosion, and the expert deflated like a balloon drained of air, collapsing limply.
One move, one kill; the middle-aged man's actions never stopped.
Even the top combat powers could only see a blur in their eyes; ordinary Ninth Layer Peak experts were not a match in an encounter.
The younger man also leapt down from the boulder, not charging into the expert team, but bypassing them, dashing into the Awakener Army ranks behind them, like a sheep entering a tiger's den. His sword light flickered, and in an instant, several men were dismembered and cut apart.
Director Pingliang's eyes reddened.
Weren't there supposed to be only one or a few Fourth Epoch powerhouses within the Doomsday Cult?
Clearly, they were merely one of the eighteen forces besieging the cult, but unfortunately, they encountered two.
Green Shadow, Yang City, that was already enough, but now, even the cult was targeting them, Pingliang.