Reverend Ecstasy

Beyond the Green Leaf Village, the eastern chaos left no house unmolested. Entire cities fell overnight, trampled by rampaging stampedes of Mysterious Beasts. One shouldn't forget that, unlike scions of the Spirit clans, the majority of human cultivators couldn't defeat mysterious beasts in a one vs. one fight.

Depending on the competing bloodlines, some spirit clans would also find themselves outmatched. Now entire hordes united by a singular purpose for man demolition rolled across the land. Who could stand in their way?

Xihai wasn't spared—suffering an infestation of a new species of mysterious beasts: the Burrowing Rat clan! Millions of rats of at least rank-one Beast cultivation surged out of the ground, causing the collapse of the Xihai Prefecture's government. In the vicinity of Chrysanthemum City, one tall blue mountain stood. Older than Dongli, the current imperial family and many other ancient eastern factions, that mountain had stood erect for tens of thousands of years. And in the past, if Nameless City acted as the Sword Emperor's personal palace, then the Nameless Mountain was where he trained his disciples.

Named after its Loose Immortal owner, the Nameless Sword Mountain now hosted an eponymous faction, which despite countless probes, no one could connect to the past Sword Emperor.

As one of the main vassals of the White Immortal Sect, the Nameless Sword Mountain was one of the first to profit from the destruction of their overlord, immediately breaking their arrangement with the Shui royal clan to spread their influence across the Dongli state.

They even went as far as to abolish Shui Haoyue as their prime disciple. The Dongli state's only princess and a Water Spiritual Root beauty, Shui Haoyue was once a key White Immortal Sect disciple, in competition for the prime disciple position.

Alas, according to rumors, a White Immortal Sect disciple broke her heart—in the process almost driving her insane. Shui Haoyue later became a nun, abandoning the White Immortal Sect for the Nameless Sword Mountain.

There, the male disciples treated her like a goddess, but still couldn't challenge the decision of their sect master: Bai Renyi. The prime disciple position now fell on the shoulders of Qiu Chen, a servant boy who, after surviving a terminal illness, became the shooting star of the Nameless Sword Mountain.

Haoyue didn't mind. Because in all good faith, she had to admit that the current Qiu Chen was several times stronger than she was.

But now, Haoyue and the Nameless Sword Mountain both had to confront the same calamity that all across the east dealt: the rampaging beast hordes!

"I know that, by relying on the Shentu Imperial clan's anti-beast decree, spirits and humans alike have been hunting and exploiting you for thousands of years.

I know that some of your clans have gone extinct and that a sea of grievances back your current deeds. But in all good faith, can you say that the beast clans are innocent? Before the Shentu clan took action, were beasts not killing beasts? Were beasts not killing men and spirits as well? No side is innocent. Claiming the banner of righteousness when you have so much innocent blood to account for is pure hypocrisy." Surrounded by a pack of rank-two Dire Wolves, Shui Haoyue held her bleeding shoulder, facing aggression with reason.

The Dongli state's only princess received an outstanding education, enabling her to stay composed before such a hopeless situation.

"The myriad beast clans will unite under the Emperor, kickstarting an era of absolute dominion over the foul eastern lands! Under the Emperor, the beasts will change. The beasts will grow, reshaping the very meaning of the term 'beast,' and building an empire of harmony and unity!

Our victories are proof of our correctness. Proof that the heavens, gods, devils, saints, or whatever superior forces that you put your faith in, support our actions! It is our manifest destiny to conquer the East, for the Heavens so will it!" The pack leader, a rank-three Beast Officer, dismissed Haoyue's words.

Naturally, Haoyue didn't expect these Direwolves to give up their invasion because of a few reasonable words. In inter-species warfare, 'reason' only served as an excuse, not a source of solutions. Having only recently broken through to the Foundation Building realm, Shui Haoyue had no hope to resist this pack. Her red lips curled up, her long hair swaying underneath her jeweled hairpins as she closed her eyes, letting her mind wander to happy memories.

A Lianist monk's face appeared in her mind, one moment, smiling with tender care, the next, choking her to near death. "You? Why is it still you? Oh, Xinzi...how I hate to love you," Haoyue whispered, and raised her sword, ready for one last struggle.

"Futile resistance," The pack leader said, then motioned for his troops to butcher Haoyue. The beasts' final charge never came, replaced by one whistling sound that coursed through the air. Under Haoyue's awestruck eyes, the laws of space rippled, and the dire wolves collapsed—breaking down into dust. Rank-three beast cultivation didn't help the pack leader, who died just as fast.

One man appeared before Haoyue, sheltering her with his back. With uncanny white hair tied in a long ponytail, and bright amber eyes, despite his Foundation Building cultivation, that man projected an aura of extraordinariness and immortality—alone standing like an unshakable pillar able to weather all storms.

"My senior sister isn't for you to bully," the handsome swordsman said, and as he turned to face Shui Haoyue, the killing intent that burned in his eyes vanished entirely.

"Qiu...Chen?" Shui Haoyue couldn't believe that in her time of need, it would be Qiu Chen who'd appear and save her. His cultivation base remained at the Foundation Building realm, yet in his aura and demeanor, she saw the shadow of a transcendent expert, far out of the reach of anything she'd ever confronted.

"Senior sister, you have suffered. Don't worry, so long as I Qiu Chen stand, throughout the four realms of existence, no one can harm you," Qiu Chen said, and stroked Haoyue's cheek.

Following his recovery from that terminal illness, like so many others, Qiu Chen had tried to woo Haoyue. And like all the others, she turned him down. Yet, for reasons she couldn't comprehend, her heart warmed at him—almost as if the weaves of fate pulled her towards him.

"You...you should run. The Nameless Sword Mountain will not survive, but you're still strong enough to fight your way out of this."

"Don't worry. The Nameless Sword Mountain hasn't grown so weak that a band of ragtag rogues can threaten its harmony."

'Bai Renyi, should my Venerable Self personally take action, or will you reveal your Divine Transformation cultivation base? Depending on your answer, you might not live to see the morrow.' Qiu Chen sent his sect master a mental message.

Hearing that ancient voice, Bai Renyi floundered and collapsed onto the ground.

'That voice? Grand Master? Grand Master!' In the cultivation world, Grand Master was a term used to refer to one's master's master.

Unlike what some might believe, Bai Renyi's greatest secret wasn't his Divine Transformation cultivation base, but his background as the weakest disciple of the Nameless Sword Emperor. Surviving the past catastrophe and extending his lifespan through heretical means, Bai Renyi lived a dishonorable existence, changing names and appearances to stay in control of this mountain.

Thus, the Grand Master he referred to could only be one person, the Nameless Sword Emperor's master:

The last Celestial Grandmaster, Qiu Meng!

"Disciples of the Nameless Sword Mountain, rally under me. This day marks the resurgence...of the Nameless Sword Mountain!"