Chapter 130: The Four Great War Emperors

The rising sun cast a brilliant glow, painting the mist-shrouded mountain forests in shades of vibrant crimson.

Though it was barely dawn and the sky was just beginning to brighten, the periphery of the Taihang Mountains was already bustling with activity. Transcendents could be seen arriving in a steady stream, some alone, others in groups. Above, helicopters crisscrossed the sky.

In recent times, the global landscape had undergone a radical transformation. The federal government had collapsed, and regional administrations had followed suit. Various factions aggressively carved out territories, establishing human cities that now operated as independent, self-governing entities. Global civilization felt as if it had been thrust back into a primitive era overnight, with power seized by powerful clans, sects, and various other organizations.

Yesterday, an announcement from the numerous divine factions in the Northern Dragon region regarding an expedition into the Taihang Mountains had caused a massive sensation.

Recently, many blessed lands and celestial grottoes had appeared across the Earth. Factions were locked in a frantic struggle for control, and transcendents everywhere were joining these divine groups in hopes of securing greater resources. The Taihang Mountains were among the most prestigious of the blessed lands to have emerged within the Dragon Continent. Countless eyes were fixed upon them, yet because the divine-level factions ruling the Northern Dragon region had remained silent, no one had dared to venture inside. While some lone wanderers had attempted to enter, they lacked the strength to penetrate the depths of the range. The mountains were now teeming with powerful zombie beasts and mutated creatures; many transcendents who sought opportunity there ended up never returning.

But today was different.

The four major divine factions governing the Northern Dragon region were leading the exploration, mobilizing a vast number of elite warriors. This triggered an uproar online, and within a single day, three to four thousand transcendents had descended upon the Taihang Mountains.

*Boom.*

A helicopter touched down on a mountain peak, and a graceful figure emerged. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and her mere appearance sparked an immediate commotion.

"Who is that? She’s absolutely stunning."

The onlookers were mesmerized, their eyes glued to the woman as whispers rippled through the crowd.

"You don't know her?" someone said in surprise. "That’s Lin Miaoyi, the eldest princess of the Lin family from Tianshui City!"

The mention of her name caused an instant stir.

This woman was akin to a global superstar in the pre-apocalyptic world. A powerhouse at the Emperor level, she had gained fame during the defense against the Tianyuan Realm invasion, where her mastery of ice-sealing arts single-handedly suppressed ten thousand zombie beasts. When the video of that feat hit the internet, netizens hailed her as one of the four great beauties of the Dragon Continent.

Lin Miaoyi sported a pair of icy wings that radiated a pearlescent white glow. She landed lightly on the summit, her white shoes and stockings stepping onto the rocks with an ethereal, refined elegance.

The Lin family of Tianshui City, while sounding like a human faction, was actually a demi-human race. It was said they hailed from a powerful force known as the Sumeru Star. Their ancestors were legendary beasts who had attained immortality and interbred with humans, giving rise to a lineage infused with celestial blood—a race known as the Ice Spirits.

The Ice Spirits possessed innate advantages in cultivation. While ordinary zombie beasts required the Emperor level to assume human form, the Ice Spirits could do so at their first stage of cultivation. By the time they reached the King level, they could attain a complete human appearance. However, the Ice Spirits were a proud race and disdained appearing as humans; regardless of their cultivation level, they almost always retained their demi-human form.

Lin Miaoyi, for instance, was already a War Emperor, yet she still bore her wings.

Even so, her figure was enchanting. She wore light, airy attire, and her skirt could not fully conceal her long, snow-white legs. Coupled with her holy, icy wings, she left countless lecherous onlookers struggling to contain their nosebleeds. Yet, no one dared to stare too brazenly; they only dared to steal a glance or two.

"Are Chiyu, Baifeng, and Wuji not here yet?" Lin Miaoyi asked softly.

The three she mentioned were also renowned War Emperors on Earth, each leading one of the other three major factions spearheading this expedition.

Chiyu, known online as the "Heavenly God Chiyu," was an Emperor-level mutated beast—a crimson-gold crane in his true form. He was notoriously high-profile, frequently seen flying across various battlefields. Because of his arrogant nature and his tendency to belittle humans—once claiming no human on Earth could withstand a single punch from him—he had sparked intense online debates. One such debate involved whether Gu Sha, the formerly supreme powerhouse of humanity, could block that punch. It even escalated into a minor flame war, eventually drawing out Gu Sha, who had long been in seclusion.

However, that debate ended inconclusively. Regardless of whether Gu Sha could block the blow, no one believed he was a match for Chiyu. In fact, with the emergence of a large number of King-level transcendents among humans, even Gu Sha’s title as Earth’s premier powerhouse was being challenged by many.

As for the other two, Baifeng and Wuji, both were human. Baifeng hailed from a cultivation sect known as the Flying Sword Sect, while Wuji came from a prominent human clan.

Together with Lin Miaoyi, these four War Emperors were the leaders appointed by the four divine factions to explore the Taihang Mountains.

...

On the peak, one of Lin Miaoyi’s guards spoke up, "We are the first to arrive; the other three have yet to appear."

"Then we won't wait for them," Lin Miaoyi decided. "If they can be late for an opportunity like this, then so be it. Whoever gets there first claims the prize—let’s head in."

Just then, a thunderous boom echoed through the air. A massive, black-blooded zombie beast plummeted from the sky and crashed into a nearby peak. It was the corpse of a King-level zombie beast.

The crowd stared in shock at the mangled carcass. A King-level beast, killed so brutally!

A moment later, a handsome youth with crimson wings descended from the heavens. With a casual kick, he shattered the skull of the beast, reached in to retrieve the corpse core, and flew toward the peak where Lin Miaoyi stood.

"My apologies, Miss Lin," he said. "I ran into this zombie on the way here and couldn't resist a quick warm-up. I’m afraid it delayed me."

The appearance of this youth caused another wave of excitement in the crowd.

"Heavenly God Chiyu!"

"It’s Heavenly God Chiyu!"

Many female transcendents shrieked in excitement, their expressions so fervent they looked as if they were ready to throw themselves at him. Chiyu, however, didn't spare them a glance. His gaze was fixed entirely on Lin Miaoyi, his intentions clear to everyone.

Lin Miaoyi, however, seemed unimpressed, offering only a perfunctory nod in response.

At that moment, a dozen rays of light appeared in the sky—a group of cultivators riding on flying swords.

Leading them were the other two War Emperors, Baifeng and Wuji!