Within the sacred earth, ancient towers rose magnificently, vast palaces stretching in all directions.

One by one, groups of barbarian warriors broke through great halls — most of which were wrapped in swirling mist and drifting rosy clouds, shrouded in an ethereal haze. Treasures filled every corner.

Another ancient hall was breached and charged into. Treasure-light shot to the heavens as one divine pearl after another hung suspended — each etched with Dao traces, resplendent like stars. To cultivate in a place like this would accelerate one’s progress twofold.

The barbarian warriors cried out in amazement. When had they ever seen such wondrous treasures? In their ordinary lives, they dwelt among wild birds and fought alongside ferocious beasts, living in the vast wilderness, where a spiked wolf-tooth club was all the companionship they needed.

When another great palace was broken open, brilliant radiance shot to the sky. Within were piles upon piles of divine sources — blazing with a brilliance too dazzling to look at directly. Some were as large as a fist, some as large as a human head, some as large as a face — each different from the last, like rows of suns suspended in the air, dazzling and stirring to the heart.

The Wang Family had ruled the Northern Plains for a hundred thousand years and more. From ancient times to the present, they had accumulated a staggering wealth of treasures — naturally enough to shake anyone to the core.

Within the sacred earth, the forces of resistance had grown sparse. Blood stained the sacred land, bones scattered everywhere. The iron cavalry rumbled forward, trampling over the corpses of fallen experts.

Such is the fate of a clan destroyed — all splendor means nothing now. After a time of great flourishing, only endless, bleak lament remains, written in blood as a record of what once was. What is left behind is only sorrow.

When the next palace was forced open, ancient weapons filled the interior — ringing and chiming as they rose, many shooting upward in an attempt to fly off in all directions, seeking to escape.

This was an armory. Every single weapon within had long since developed spiritual awareness — any one of them, offered at auction, would fetch a sky-high price. To seize an armory like this was of immense significance to the barbarian clan, who had a desperate need for such things. Many people’s eyes went wide.

When yet another great palace was broken through, the scent of medicinal herbs struck everyone like a wave — refreshing even the most exhausted cultivators in an instant. The interior was a riot of color. All manner of jade bottles were arrayed in rows, radiating soft light. Pill furnaces stood everywhere, trailing fragrant wisps of smoke, their aroma sinking deep into the soul. Who could say how many precious elixirs were stored within?

…

The Wang Family’s accumulation was extraordinarily rich. Ancient halls numbered in the hundreds and thousands. Everything stored within, taken together, staggered the imagination.

This was the wealth of over a hundred thousand years. Rare and precious materials beyond counting. Many extraordinary wonders had never even been heard of before — each one radiating a lustrous brilliance that overwhelmed the senses, nearly causing one to lose themselves entirely.

Here were mountains built of source blocks. Breathtaking ancient medicinal herbs tens of thousands of years old. Incomplete sacred weapons. Profound and undying ancient scriptures. Mysterious and deadly ancient killing formations of primordial origin.

This was a divine treasury. To capture an ancient clan, to seize their wealth, their collections — so rich and dazzling that it turned one to stone in disbelief, rooted to the spot.

Whatever legendary treasure, whatever undying inheritance one might name — compared to an ancient clan, all of it would seem paltry, unable to compare.

The barbarian warriors were simple people, and yet even now they were nearly losing themselves. Many wore dazed expressions. Compared to the deep mountains and ancient ranges where they ordinarily dwelt alongside wild beasts, what lay before their eyes was overwhelmingly opulent and dreamlike.

And yet all of this was about to be theirs — so unreal that they could barely believe it. Having long grown accustomed to a raw, primal existence — living off the land, moving through forests — being confronted with all these wonders left them at a loss.

The Barbarian King frowned. He stood atop a palace hall and roared:

“Children — do not let what your eyes have seen shake the iron of your will. I brought you here to fight — first, to avenge our kinsmen; second, to temper you in war, to let everyone be baptized by blood and fire. Only this way can one become a true barbarian ancient warrior. Because — in the future, we may face even greater and more terrible battles. This is only the opening movement of a vast chapter. Everything here is merely a rehearsal. I have used this battle to sharpen you.”

Those words fell like a jolt of enlightenment. Every barbarian warrior was roused — eyes growing clear once more. One by one, they stood solemn and resolute.

Several ancient pines, soaring to the clouds. A cold wind swept through, the pines sighing like the ocean’s roar.

Before the ancient-looking trees, twisted as coiling dragons, stood a stone hall weathered with age. Within it were scriptures and secret manuals left behind by the Wang Family’s powerful figures across every generation.

Ye Fan stood by a window, holding an ancient scripture in his hands, reading it with deep concentration. Before long, he had sunk into its wondrous depths and could not pull himself away.

Yan Yixi and Li Tian were also leafing through scrolls. The Barbarian Clan Chief was carefully searching nearby. The floor was in disarray — many of the ancient books had been damaged.

The Wang Family, in their hasty retreat, had attempted to destroy this place — but several great powers had discovered their intent in time and prevented it from being carried out completely. A considerable number of scrolls had survived.

“Found it!”

After some unknown length of time, Ye Fan was roused by the sound. He saw that Li Tian, the Barbarian Clan Chief, and Yan Yixi were all drenched in blood, nearly shattered — and the Barbarian King was standing nearby, stone axe in hand, his chest and abdomen heaving. Clearly he had used the sacred weapon to block a blow. They had forced open a mysterious ancient vault. Within, several scripture scrolls drifted and floated.

“Ancient scriptures authored by a human great saint!”

The first scroll was quickly obtained by the group. It was heavy in the hand — made of some unknown material, neither gold nor wood in appearance.

Once the ancient book was opened, all of them were immediately riveted. These were scriptures written by the Wang Family’s founding ancestor, recording the clan’s highest secret arts — profound beyond measure.

This was without question a tremendous gain. The scriptures of a human great saint could bring an entire clan to its peak of flourishing for ages to come — the profound mysteries within were worthy of a lifetime of devoted study.

Afterward, the other scrolls were opened as well — scriptures left by several saints who had forged their own individual paths, also ancient texts.

Not every saint could open a new way forward. Only a rare few of exceptional genius could do so. But every single one who had left behind a lineage was a fearsome figure — each one articulating a distinct vision of the universe’s great Dao and secret arts.

The final scroll caused all of them to shake with awe. Their expressions all grew solemn. Even the Barbarian King pressed close to look.

The Chaos Ancient Scripture. Three characters — as though carrying some strange, magnetic power — drew all their primal spirits toward them, pulling them in, wanting to dive deep. This was the ancient scripture left behind by the Chaos Ancient Emperor.

In his youth, Wang Teng had been carried away on the back of a divine crane, and had received the inheritance of the Chaos Ancient Emperor. Needless to say, this was what he had brought back.

Their hearts could not settle. They examined it carefully and all felt a small measure of regret — only the first three volumes of heart techniques were present: the Wheel Sea, the Dao Palace, and the Four Extremes. The last two volumes, the Metamorphosis and the Immortal Platform, were absent — and there were none of the world-shaking secret arts created by the Chaos Ancient Emperor.

By now, Ye Fan had no shortage of heart techniques. What he yearned for most were the final secret chapters of the ancient emperor’s scriptures — rumored to contain supreme forbidden secret arts.

The Barbarian Clan Chief broke into laughter — content with what was sufficient. Having taken down such a vast ancient clan, the treasures of over a hundred thousand years were a stunning haul. He had nothing to feel regretful about.

“Young friends — take your time looking it over and make copies of what you need.” The Barbarian Clan Chief said.

Ye Fan, Li Tian, and Yan Yixi were not ones to stand on ceremony. They stepped forward and read carefully. They were not lacking in heart techniques, but they hoped to find something that might open new directions of thought.

That night, signal fires rose to the sky all across the Northern Plains, the sounds of battle unending. The Wang Family was an enormous entity with deep roots and broad branches — across every region, their industries and cultivation grounds were without end, and all of them had now become targets.

When walls fall, the crowd pushes. While in their days of flourishing and dominance they had kept the Northern Plains under their sway and no one dared provoke them — now that they had been trampled flat by the barbarian cavalry, every old enemy came pouring out at once.

Across the vast expanse of the Northern Plains, fires and battles raged without cease. Even great sects that had no particular grudge against the Wang Family stepped in — all of it simply to vie for the spoils.

All manner of source mines, cultivation grounds, auction houses holding rare and extraordinary wonders — every location became a battlefield.

If even the Wang Family’s sacred earth had been uprooted down to the last foundation, what hope did any of the smaller holdings have of resisting?

Of course, the fighting could not come to an end quickly. In the long time ahead, battles and pursuits of every kind could be anticipated.

The Wang Family had been erased.

That night, a thousand armies and ten thousand cavalry poured into the Northern Plains. The forces that came from other great domains must have been the very highest tier of great sects — otherwise, cross-domain warfare on this scale would have been impossible.

Many charged straight for the Wang Family’s sacred earth, hoping to gain the greatest spoils. Within it were ancient scriptures, supreme sacred weapons, and resources beyond counting — divine materials, heavenly treasures, war chariots, ancient ships, royal weapons, ancient medicinal herbs — piled into mountains. It was an unparalleled divine treasury.

Even if one could not swallow the whole of it, merely receiving a portion would be sufficient for untold lifetimes — after all, this had once been an undying ancient clan.

Yet all those great sects could only stare with envious eyes. The barbarian army hung the human great saint’s stone axe without ceremony above the sacred earth. Anyone foolish enough to try to force their way in would be cut down on the spot.

Moreover, people had learned a terrifying fact — the Wang Family’s Primordial Ancestral Beast had been suppressed by the barbarian clan. When this was known, every single person’s courage went cold. To have trampled an ancient clan, the power of these iron cavalry was something no one dared to test.

The great sects could only watch from a distance. Not one dared to enter uninvited. Those who could trample an ancient clan flat — the strength of these cavalry was simply terrifying, and no one wished to bring trouble down upon themselves.

Within the sacred earth, one massive warship after another rose into the sky and disappeared into void gates. Every single one was loaded to capacity with rare materials and heavenly treasures, their brilliance illuminating heaven and earth.

People watched with consuming envy — yet not one dared to try to seize them. All they could do was watch helplessly as it happened.

One after another, fortresses forged from refined gold also rose into the sky. All the powerful war machines left behind by the Wang Family — every last one of them — had become the property of the barbarian clan.

Each war fortress was packed with source stones, ancient medicines, weapons, divine materials, and more. The scale of this gain defied imagination — enough to lavish untold generations without exhausting it.

The Barbarian King had once roared at the younger generation not to lose themselves in material desire — yet now, even he could not help but sigh. The harvest was simply too vast.

Hundreds and thousands of ancient chariots, warships, and fortresses kept rising into the sky — and still the treasures could not be fully transported. In the end, there was nothing for it but to use the inner pocket worlds within the sacred weapons to contain them.

Mountains of treasure, seas of rare wonders — all of it kept disappearing. In the end, the Barbarian King was thoroughly thorough about it. He took up every ancient hall and every last foundation, tucking it all inside the stone axe.

“That truly is something — this is literally scraping the earth clean. Not three feet down — thirty zhang down. Not a single hair left behind!”

In the distance, the great sects keeping watch all around were deeply disappointed. Someone could not hold back their aggrieved muttering — but dared not say it too loudly.

After a full day and night, the barbarian army fully withdrew. The great sects entered the sacred earth and began another thorough, carpet-style search.

Because the reserves of an ancient clan were simply too deep and rich — there was every chance that some treasure might have been left behind. These people could be said to have scraped the earth down three hundred zhang — more thorough even than the barbarian army itself!

And remarkably, several great sects truly did uncover hidden chambers and recover a considerable number of valuable treasures.

“Ahh…!” In the Southern Ridge, Wang Teng had gone mad. Hair wild and disheveled, standing atop an ancient emperor’s war chariot, his eyes blazing like a feral beast’s as he let out a shrill, howling cry — his expression savage beyond words.

He had entered the Southern Ridge specifically to kill Ye Fan. He had not expected that in the span of a single night, Ye Fan had led the barbarian army into the Northern Plains and trampled his clan to destruction.

“He truly came back…” In the Southern Ridge, on a sheer cliff, Li Xiaoman stood in white robes that drifted in the wind, her gaze cold and indifferent, looking north toward the Northern Plains from afar.

“Little leaf — you led tens of thousands of cavalry and leveled an ancient clan!” In the Eastern Wasteland, the little moon of the Ji Family’s eyes glimmered with a bright light as she too gazed into the distance.

One battle’s achievement shook the world. All people were stunned silent. Any number of powerful factions were seized with a cold chill — none more so than the Yin-Yang Sect of the Central Continent.

In the northern reaches of the Eastern Wasteland, an ancient mountain stood like a demonic wall, dividing the nine heavens and ten earths. A man stood with his back to the view, hands clasped behind him, murmuring to himself:

“The human race’s sacred constitution — he is rather interesting. He is worth my effort to go and kill.”