Several days after Yu Chenzi fled in disgrace and Bai Wuhen quietly disappeared with his sister and their clansmen, an earth-shattering upheaval far beyond anyone's imagination—one sufficient to overturn the entire Dragon Kingdom and all secular understanding—erupted without warning in the heart of Stonia: the Forbidden City district.
On that day, the sky was cloudless for ten thousand li, and Stonia bustled as usual.
However, at noon, the earth suddenly emitted a deep, resonant rumbling, as if an ancient behemoth was awakening and turning over in the planet's core. At first, people only felt a slight tremor beneath their feet, thinking it an earthquake.
But then, in the center of the great plaza before the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, the incredibly solid golden brick flooring suddenly bulged and cracked!
"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!"
A thunderous roar shook the heavens! Accompanied by blinding dark yellow radiance gushing from the fissures, the base of a "mountain peak" of indescribable magnificence forcibly shattered the surface, breaking through the earth.
It didn't fly in from afar—it "grew" from deep within the earth, rising upward at a speed that defied all reason!
Massive boulders tumbled, soil surged like waves. The palace complex of golden bricks and jade tiles was pushed aside, torn apart, and buried like a child's building blocks before this irresistible force! The imperial walls, the towering palaces, the exquisite gardens... the Forbidden City, that magnificent architectural complex symbolizing the pinnacle of secular imperial power, was mercilessly swallowed and covered by this abruptly rising "mountain root" in mere moments!
And this was only the beginning.
The mountain's base alone was already massive enough to cover the entire former site of the Forbidden City, and it was still rapidly expanding outward.
Its entire body displayed an ancient, heavy, mottled gray-brown color. The mountain wasn't ordinary rock—upon it could be vaguely seen natural, enormous, and mysterious patterns, emanating a desolate, primordial aura that made souls tremble.
Across the mountain's surface, strange radiance flowed intermittently, flickering on and off, as if containing the secret power from the universe's creation.
It continued to "grow," shooting straight toward the clouds.
At first, the mountain body was still visible. Moments later, its midsection had already disappeared into the cloud layer.
After that, people could crane their necks until they broke, yet all they could see was a colossal peak with no visible end—as if connecting heaven and earth—standing where the center of Stonia had been.
Clouds swirled around its waist, while higher up it vanished into violent winds and thunderfire beyond ordinary sight. No one knew how many tens of thousands of ren tall it reached!
The entire city of Stonia shook as if mountains were moving. Countless buildings collapsed, the ground cracked.
Citizens were terrified, crying and fleeing, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
"Heavens! What is that?!"
"A mountain! A mountain grew out of the ground!"
"The Forbidden City... the Forbidden City is gone!"
"Run!"
Fortunately, though the mountain's growth was astonishing, it wasn't instantaneous.
Its expansion was primarily centered around the former Forbidden City area, which gave people time to react.
Margaret, as the future Empress, immediately organized official personnel to assist citizens in evacuating toward the outskirts.
She opened all preset evacuation routes, doing everything possible to protect public safety.
In the face of this heaven-shaking catastrophe, she displayed decisiveness and leadership far beyond ordinary people.
She had long prepared various contingency plans for "extraordinary events" that might occur in Stonia, though she hadn't expected the scale to be this terrifying.
She personally commanded from the temporary headquarters, issuing orders like flowing water, mobilizing every available official resource.
Though chaos was unavoidable and casualties occurred, under Margaret's efficient organization, the vast majority of Stonia's citizens were evacuated within the following two days from this ancient capital that had suddenly been "occupied" by a heaven-reaching divine mountain.
The entire nation was in uproar!
The world was shocked!
Through still-functioning communication networks and satellite imagery, the image of this heaven-reaching colossus that had suddenly appeared in the Dragon Kingdom's capital—swallowing the Forbidden City—rapidly spread across the globe.
Science couldn't explain it, common sense couldn't fathom it. For a time, various speculations, panic, and rumors ran rampant.
Government leaders from various nations urgently contacted the Dragon Kingdom, trying to understand the situation.
However, unlike the outside world's terror and unease...
Those hidden immortal cultivation clans and ancient lineage bearers who had quietly infiltrated or already been watching Stonia—after their initial shock—were filled with indescribable excitement and wild joy!
"Buzhou Mountain! Buzhou Mountain has appeared in the world!" Old cultivators with ancient texts wept with emotion.
"Appearing once every three thousand years, Buzhou Mountain connects the celestial realm to the mortal world! Legend says at its peak lies Buzhou Palace, which contains ancient immortal artifacts and supreme cultivation techniques!"
"Opportunity! A heaven-sent opportunity! If we can ascend to Buzhou Palace, even obtaining just one treasure would be enough for our clan to rise and dominate a region!"
"Quickly! Immediately gather all elite disciples, bring our precious treasures, and head to Buzhou Mountain!"
The Yu family, the Bai family, the Qin family, the Ji family, the Jiang family... one after another, whether famous or secretive, immortal cultivation clans emerged from their hidden places, gathered their elites, and turned their burning gazes toward the heaven-reaching divine mountain standing upon the ruins of Stonia.
The various conflicts and schemes that had arisen from hunting Bai Qingxue or supporting the Montgomary Palace were all unanimously set aside for the moment.
Nothing was more important than the opportunities atop Buzhou Mountain!
Even some reclusive independent cultivator masters and ancient sects that hadn't appeared in ages were alarmed, sending their disciples or personally setting out for Stonia.
In an instant, winds and clouds converged, dragons and snakes rose from the land.
– Marinien
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