Shandra, a vast continent in an immeasurably vast world. A world so vast that no one has ever reached the borders of the world. A world where beasts roam freely with their tyrannical strength, the result of a mutation due to the dense amounts of energy in the atmosphere. A world where law of the jungle reigns in its most primitive form.
But the intelligence and resourcefulness of the humans cannot be underestimated. Under the threat of extinction of their very existence, the hidden potential of the mankind came flooding out, changing the fate of the entire race to enter a new dimension. The result of numerous years and toils of countless generations of prodigious talents, Spirit Cultivation came into existence.
With their new found strength, humans gradually managed to push back the hordes of beasts and created a foothold in the chaotic world. A time of peace ushered the mankind to flourish rapidly. Various kingdoms, territories were quickly established. The common population lived peacefully without the fear of death under the shadows of powerful cultivators.
But along with peace came greed and ambitions that were suppressed by the ever present life threats, which once again gave rise to another bout of devastation. But the culprits this time are fellow humans ruled by greed over their neighbors. Various kingdoms fell, some rose to prominence, some were exterminated, and some were assimilated. A thousand year period of peace was destroyed as mankind once again pushed themselves into the same pits of hell they desperately crawled out from.
After a millennium of bitter and brutal struggles, a temporary truce was declared, as the leaders of the waging countries could see that neither of them could gain an upper hand over their adversaries. These war mongering years were later dubbed as 'Dark Age' by the later generations, as number of legacies was lost during the Waring period. But the same darkness gave rise to many heroic figures that shined brightly within the darkness providing hope to all around them.
Countless years passed after the Dark Age, the legends established by the Dark Age once again roused the fierce survival instincts of the mankind. Numerous powerhouses helped stabilize the delicate situations between the various kingdoms, by establishing a common enemy, an old enemy who was almost forgotten by the greed of humans. The Beasts… the result – – – The Radiant Church was established.
The Radiant Church was not a religious organization, but the passage of millennia of years increased their followers, and the increase in their influence perverted the propaganda of the Church from suggesting the Kingdoms to controlling them.
But a single incident changed whatever plans the various kinds of organizations had.
It was a peaceful night with clear skies filled with the vast expanse of the twinkling stars. A warm breeze blew over the land bringing comfort to whoever could experience it. The common population was fast asleep due to the fatigue from their hard work in the day. But various anomalies that they couldn't detect with their mortal senses were currently spreading over the entire continent.
In the middle of a vast city that spanned over a massive area, there stood a huge tower. The peak of the tower reaches the clouds as if trying to establish its roots on Earth and reach for the might of the Heavens. Its entire structure radiated a majestic feeling and its grandeur cannot be expressed in words. Atop this tower stood a single person watching the skies. His back was slightly hunched, and his hair and beard were the color of snow white. A face full of wrinkles shows the ravages of time and experiences of a lifetime. But the eyes were shining with such vitality as they gazed at the stars, that one could see the energy he held within that shriveled body.
As he observed the skies, the darkness surrounding him suddenly shifted, as a massive head suddenly rose as it hissed loudly at the skies. It was the head of a massive python but the strange thing is a pair of transparent wings that spread from the abdominal region of the snake.
"Strange. The Spirit Energy of the heavens and earth are roiling with such ferocity. Is a powerful Spirit Beast undergoing an evolution into its next stage? Or a Spirit Treasure is being born? But a Spirit Beast or Treasure to influence this much energy is not possible. Is it a Divine Element being Awakened? Exactly what is going on?" A raspy voice silently echoed into the air as that person mumbled to himself.
At the same time in another location thousands or tens of thousands of miles from the tower, a primitive forest spread over the vast expanse of the land. Various kinds of roars, growls of beasts, flapping of wings and shrill cries of different birds resounded through the silent night as they fled in panic.
A massive man that can only be called 'Gigantic' was walking in a dense forest. A stature of almost 3 meters high with rippling muscles along his massive chest and arms holding onto two massive war hammers on which stains of fresh blood were visible, suddenly stopped and lifted his head, as his piercing blood red eyes alertly roamed over the skies for a moment. Two curved black horns on either side of his temples suddenly shone with a bright gold color, as a grin slowly split his face and his blood red eyes started shining with a mad glint.
"HAATHIII" he called out in a loud voice as he lowered his head with that smile still present. Loud crushing sounds suddenly came from behind him as a massive figure came ploughing through the forest. It was a huge mammoth with blood red pelt reaching almost 200 meters high with a body length of 50 meters. Each step it took created slight tremors to spread through the ground. The two massive tusks that spread before it met with almost no resistance as they cut through the trees that stood in its way.
The man suddenly jumped and stepped onto one of the tusks of the huge mammoth. He lightly patted the trunk of the mammoth as it trumpeted loudly and continued on its way leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
In a distant location, even distant than the primitive forest, as they continue forward, the expanse of the land changes into a vast ocean. At an unknown location in that vast ocean, there stood a small solitary island only 10 miles wide.
A small lake with crystal clear water without the slightest hint of ripples created a reflection of the starry night sky, a reflection so realistic that there exists no difference between the real and the mirror image. Lush greenery surrounded the lake with gigantic trees towering over the head to a thick carpet of grass under the feet. In the middle of this heavenly location, a small cottage can be seen. A beautiful woman walked out from the cottage with a pair of girls in tow.
The beauty of the woman is so profound that the charming scenery around her paled in comparison to the grace she is exuding. The beauty of the woman was enough to the point of being able to steal souls, regardless of the gender. Every single feature on her snow white face was exquisitely delicate and perfect to the point beyond compare; it can be described as the very pinnacle of the realm of perfection a living being can attain.
A light green dress adorned her body, but it cannot hide the natural beauty that poured out from her. Two bountiful peaks below her jade white neckline, a waist so slim that one can only wonder how that slim waist could bear the weight from the towering peaks above. Below her skirt hem, there exhibited two white, slender and straight shins. The feet that touched the ground were like two blossoming lotuses, impeccably beautiful, overflowing with honeyed milk sleekness.
As she moved, her feminine charm coupled with the mature elegance in her movements accentuated her already devastating beauty to another level.
Her clear phoenix like eyes were sparkling and translucent like two precious black gemstones, but those eyes were filled with various emotions as she observed the skies with her delicate eyebrows lightly scrunched, before returning to their formal tranquility.
"Is it starting? If my divinity is true, this incident can be the start of a prosperous era for the world, or the trigger for the destruction that could very well wipe out every single living thing on this world. Which will it be? The answer, only fate can decide" A heavenly voice like the chiming of bells spoke these words with a tranquil look in her eyes, before she turned and entered the cottage with the two girls who followed her silently inside.
As these figures contemplated over the happenings, suddenly a small crack appeared in the clear skies. The crack is almost a foot long with a palm thin width. In the vast expanse of the night sky, this crack went unnoticed and undetected. As the crack appeared, the air stood still, the water froze, and every living thing paused for a single instant before continuing on their workings. Even the powerful figures could only detect a slight unrest within their bodies, but they could not find the reason for the unrest.
As the crack was about to collapse on itself, a small silvery light with the occasional gold specks came out the crack before whizzing at a high speed in a random direction…