Chapter 1669: The Holy Fortune Mountain Range

The Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region, northwestern boundary territory.

This boundary territory is where the present-day Mingwang Alliance is located. Beneath this top-tier alliance, nearly a hundred dynasty empires and various clans and sects have gathered, and within it sit thirteen King-realm experts.

Among the thirteen, the alliance leader Zhao Mingwang possessed the strength of a peak Double-Crowned King. Apart from him, there was a vice alliance leader named Liu Yuan, an old-school King-realm expert whose fame had spread across the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region for over a hundred years. He had founded a flourishing empire, making him a founding emperor. Though his strength was not equal to Zhao Mingwang's, it was still at the level of a Double-Crowned King.

Under the unified command of these two Double-Crowned Kings, the Mingwang Alliance attracted the joining of many forces from the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region, huddling together for warmth and jointly resisting the calamity.

However, even such a top-tier alliance, facing the continuous descent of the Dark Nests over the past five years, had increasingly found itself unequal to the task.

Especially this time, when the Three-Crowned Demon King appeared on the lands of the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region, and Zhao Mingwang, the alliance leader, was severely wounded by it and nearly perished. This cast an even thicker shadow over the hearts of the countless living beings beneath the Mingwang Alliance.

But the Demon Kings of the Dark World showed no mercy because of this. On the contrary, that White Scorpion Demon King, whose fierce name now resounded throughout the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region, after consolidating many other Dark Nests, swept toward the Mingwang Alliance with a vast offensive.

Facing such erosion and invasion, the Mingwang Alliance had no path of retreat and could only rally the entire alliance to meet the battle.

Yet while fighting with their backs to the river, the Mingwang Alliance also sent a request for aid to the Daxia Alliance. Thus Jiang Jiang Qinge personally led five King-realm experts and an elite army, traveling far to the Mingwang Alliance to extend assistance.

In this era of chaos and turmoil, the Daxia Alliance and the Mingwang Alliance were dependent on each other like lips and teeth. Once either side was crushed by a Demon King of the Dark World, it would be a tremendous loss to the other.

The timely support of the Daxia Alliance greatly uplifted the entire Mingwang Alliance, and morale rose accordingly. After all, over these years, the fame of the Twelve-Wing Holy Light Goddess had long since spread to every alliance, great and small, across the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region.

However, their elation did not last long. With the descent of a second Three-Crowned Demon King upon the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region, panic and despair once again pervaded the entire Mingwang Alliance.

The Holy Fortune Mountain Range.

This was a landmark terrain in the northwestern boundary territory of the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region. The towering, cloud-piercing, abyss-riddled perilous mountains, like natural barriers, cut through more than a dozen dynasty empires, and in the hearts of many dynasties, it was regarded as a sacred mountain.

In terms of scale, the ancient Kun Great Mountain Range within Daxia was merely the size of one of its branches.

And now, this vast and magnificent mountain range had become the strongest barrier against the erosion of the Dark Nests.

West of the mountain range, the once-prosperous dynasty empires had long since turned into dead, silent lands, becoming a paradise for the aberrant, breeding countless horrors.

Therefore, the Mingwang Alliance used the mountain range as a barrier, building numerous fortress cities at each perilous point, and then weaving these fortress cities into a massive protective grand array to resist the erosion of the Dark Nests.

Thus this mountain range had become the most important defensive line of the Mingwang Alliance.

On a towering mountain near the front line, a massive city coiled like a giant dragon, overlooking the distant plains, where one could see thick, dense currents of malevolent aura flowing together, converging into endless cold, dark clouds.

This was Holy Fortune City, the hub of this defensive line.

At this moment, atop the city walls, experts gathered in great numbers. Wave after wave of powerful energy rippled through the heavens and earth, bringing a sliver of a sense of security to the people in the surrounding fortress cities.

The present-day gathering here could be said to have assembled nearly half of the top-tier power of the entire Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region.

"Goddess, on behalf of the many dynasty forces and countless citizens beneath the Mingwang Alliance, I first thank the Daxia Alliance for traveling thousands of miles to come to our aid. This debt of gratitude, we shall all keep firmly in our hearts."

Before the city wall, a white-robed elder looked toward the young woman beside him—slender and graceful of figure, holy of countenance, possessed of peerless elegance. Although many renowned experts of the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region had gathered here, she was undeniably the center, like a dazzling holy sun whose radiance was so intense that even he, the alliance leader of the Mingwang Alliance, seemed dimmed beside her.

Indeed, the elder was none other than the alliance leader of this Mingwang Alliance, Zhao Mingwang, a peak Double-Crowned King expert.

And the young woman beside him was naturally Jiang Jiang Qinge, who had led her forces to provide support.

"Alliance Leader Mingwang is too kind. If the Mingwang Alliance were to collapse and fall, the Daxia Alliance would also be unable to stand alone." Facing Zhao Mingwang's thanks, Jiang Jiang Qinge replied with equal courtesy.

"Old Pang, your Sacred Mystic Star Academy truly makes one envious. To have produced a peerless Eighth Grade—if in the future the Goddess can advance into the Heavenly King realm as a peerless Ninth Grade, your academy will have to be renamed Ancient Mystic Star Academy." Zhao Mingwang's gaze shifted to Pang Pang Qianyuan beside Jiang Jiang Qinge, and he said with a smile.

Hearing this, Pang Pang Qianyuan could not help but show a proud smile. Over these five years, his realm had likewise broken through, stepping into the level of a Double-Crowned King. Yet compared with Jiang Jiang Qinge, the difference was undoubtedly vast. The latter's prospects were boundlessly grand.

Advancing into the Heavenly King realm with a peerless Ninth Grade body—once achieved, would be incomparable to ordinary Heavenly Kings.

That would almost be the most perfect and ultimate advancement in the world.

Looking through the ages, the number of peerless experts who could accomplish this could be counted on one hand.

"Old Zhao, your vision is still too narrow. Our Sacred Mystic Star Academy has produced more than one peerless expert. Our vice-principal Li Luo stepped into peerless Seventh Grade even earlier than Jiang Qinge. He has merely been in closed-door cultivation for five years now, and his future also holds the promise of stepping into the Heavenly King realm as a peerless Ninth Grade—an absolute heaven's favored."

"If that day truly comes, with the two of them holding down the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region, they will surely be able to pacify countless Dark Nests." Pang Pang Qianyuan said with a smile.

"Li Luo? I have heard of him, indeed."

Zhao Mingwang nodded slightly. Although Li Luo had been in closed-door cultivation for five years, his fame in the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region remained extremely resounding. Because whenever Jiang Jiang Qinge was mentioned, everyone would say in a tone of indescribable envy...

The Goddess is the wife of that House Luolan Mansion's mansion master.

Over these five years, Jiang Jiang Qinge's fame had spread throughout the world, attracting the admiration and devotion of countless heaven's favored experts. There had once been fanatics who could not contain their emotions and tried to reveal their feelings to court her, but in the end, they forced the ever-calm and composed Goddess to erupt with killing intent, nearly slaying them on the spot.

Since then, everyone understood how untouchable the bond between Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo was, and no one dared to show any offense in her presence.

And all of this, Zhao Mingwang naturally knew as well. That House Luolan Mansion's mansion master Li Luo was indeed a peerless expert no less than Jiang Jiang Qinge. However, his choice to enter closed-door cultivation for five years during this tenth year of Heavenly Fortune was not particularly wise.

Perhaps these five years had widened the distance between Jiang Jiang Qinge and him—a bit of a pity.

While Zhao Mingwang, Jiang Jiang Qinge, and Pang Pang Qianyuan were conversing, within the crowd not far behind them, a figure also stood, his gaze somewhat complex as it rested on Jiang Jiang Qinge's peerless, matchless silhouette.

He was a man whose face bore the marks of wind and frost. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and within his pupils was reflected the figure of Jiang Jiang Qinge. His expression was somewhat dazed, because he still remembered that in the Holy Cup War of the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region back then, he had clashed with the squad Jiang Jiang Qinge was on, and she had taken the championship of the Holy Cup War from his hands.

His name was Lan Lan, the once fearsome rival who had cultivated the Ming King Scripture and had also applied tremendous pressure upon Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo during the Holy Cup War.

Now, he was already at the Fifth Grade Marquis Realm, holding an important position within the Mingwang Alliance. Yet compared with Jiang Jiang Qinge, the difference was already as vast as clouds and mud.

The person who once regarded him as a formidable foe had now reached a height he could only look up to.

However, Lan Lan did not feel dispirited because of this. On the contrary, deep within his heart, he felt a touch of pride. After all, the more outstanding and dazzling Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo were now, did that not also represent his own past glory?

In the future, if these two could achieve the Heavenly King realm, he could laugh and tell his descendants: back in the day, these two Heavenly Kings were both pressured by me—impressive, right?

As Lan Lan chuckled softly, Jiang Jiang Qinge seemed to sense something and turned her head. Her deep, brilliant golden eyes paused upon Lan Lan's face.

Then she, too, identified him from the depths of her memory.

Lan Lan bent slightly toward Jiang Jiang Qinge as a sign of respect. He did not speak up publicly to make small talk with her. Those youthful, reckless clashes of the past were best left in the depths of memory.

Jiang Jiang Qinge also gave him an almost imperceptible slight nod. She understood his meaning, and so she said nothing.

Yet deep within her eyes, there also flowed a trace of nostalgia. In the Holy Cup War of those years, she and Li Luo had joined hands and ultimately defeated the formidable foe Lan Lan, claiming the Dragon Bone Holy Cup.

Those memories, even when recalled now, still carried a faint warmth.

Boom!

But just at this moment, a surge of heaven-rising, world-oppressing cold demonic might erupted from the heavy dark clouds in the distance, directly causing the expressions of the experts from the two top-tier alliances atop the city wall to change.

"White Scorpion Demon King!" Zhao Mingwang's face darkened. This wave of malevolence was all too familiar—it was precisely the White Scorpion Demon King that had grievously wounded him before.

But this was not yet over.

Just as the White Scorpion Demon King's demonic might revealed itself, in the next moment, another demonic might no weaker than its own surged forth within this stretch of heaven and earth, and then brazenly displayed its terror to the world.

The second three-crowned Demon Lord had appeared.