In a past more ancient than myth, the primal land was once known as the Wilderness.
In that era, the dominant force in this world was the now-waning Demon Race.
However, the demons of that time did not cultivate spiritual energy, or rather, the world itself did not possess spiritual energy as a resource.
Countless fierce and savage great demons roamed the land, and weaker demons were merely food for these monsters.
These top predators, as vast as mountains and dominating the heavens and earth, were the Desolate Beasts.
They originated from the Demon Race, yet transcended it!
They were the true overlords of that era!
Innumerable weak demons were scattered within the territories of the great Desolate Beasts, struggling to survive.
After those ages, even more ancient than myth, the weaker demons found their own strength.
However, even the great sects possessing knowledge of the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths did not understand that lost era.
All they knew was that at the end of the Wilderness era, the weaker demons forged the ultimate war weapon known as the "True Dragon."
The True Dragon was the apex of all demons, unlike the ferocious Desolate Beasts that would even devour their own kind.
While powerful, the True Dragons also cherished the weak; they were kings created by the Demon Race itself.
After numerous great battles, the Desolate Beasts vanished from the world, and the Demon Race ushered in a new era of prosperity.
But this prosperity was soon replaced by the era of humans.
Therefore, to the Immortals and Demons standing in the human era, the Desolate Beasts were already legendary beings.
However, an Immortal of the Nine Heavens once prophesied that although the Spiritual Energy Era was the choice of the Heavenly Dao, the Desolate Beasts, as relics of the old era, had not truly perished.
As long as the Demon Race endured and their bloodlines flowed, the Desolate Beasts would naturally have a day of reappearance.
The Demons of the Nine Earths affirmed this, believing that in the current Spiritual Energy Era, those former overlords, the Desolate Beasts, could certainly reach even greater realms by harnessing spiritual energy!
Indeed, this proved to be true. In the million years following the seventh Immortal-Demon War, at least six Desolate Beast calamities occurred on the primal land.
Those Desolate Beasts, residing deep within the bloodlines of the Demon Race, returned to the mortal realm.
These ferocious monsters needed no cultivation; they could shake the heavens and earth with their physical bodies alone, and the boundless spiritual energy was merely their sustenance.
The faces of the Immortal Ascension Dharma Bodies were grave; the previous Desolate Beast calamities had left too deep an impression on the world.
The last Desolate Beast calamity occurred thirteen thousand years ago in the Western Desert.
At that time, the western part of the primal land was a lush and vibrant jungle.
But after a fierce battle with a Desolate Beast, the once-rich forests were reduced to a dead land.
The savage will of the Desolate Beast, even after more than a hundred thousand years, still deeply cursed that land.
One of the reasons the Ten Great Sects, the Myriad Buddha Sect, was located in the Western Desert was to suppress and dispel that terrifying will of the Desolate Beast!
Therefore, the expressions of all the Dharma Bodies present were extremely solemn.
Fully mature Desolate Beasts were too terrifying; they were moving natural disasters, gods of destruction living in the world!
With the great powers of the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths unable to descend, all the Immortal Ascensions then in existence emerged, led by a peak ninth-stage Immortal Ascension True Dragon, who battled for months before they finally managed to slay the terrifying Desolate Beast.
However, Elder Li's words brought a sliver of hope to everyone's hearts.
In fact, most of the Desolate Beast calamities in the past million years had involved mature Desolate Beasts; they had never encountered such a recently awakened being.
Clearly, compared to those mature Desolate Beasts that troubled even peak cultivators, this newly transformed black and white giant bear might not be as difficult to deal with!
And the merit of slaying a Desolate Beast was enough to immortalize those present in history!
"Haha, I never expected to encounter such a great opportunity by coming to the Vast Sea Sect!"
"By slaying a Desolate Beast, we are sure to gain the favor of the Heavenly Dao, and our future immortal tribulations will likely be much smoother!"
It seemed that the greedy gazes of the Dharma Bodies had provoked the Desolate Beast outside the floating island.
"Roar!!!" Amidst the roar, the cultivators present felt an invisible pressure descending from the heavens.
And all the magical artifacts in the hands of the cultivators trembled as if in fear.
The Dharma Bodies remained unfazed, their vast energy projections about to manifest behind them.
Under the gathered might of the Dharma Bodies, they managed to suppress the Desolate Beast's ferocious aura.
The trembling of the magical artifacts also slowly subsided.
Seeing this, the Dharma Body elder from the True Martial Sect chuckled:
"I recognize this species of Desolate Beast, a Black and White Bear! A Tie Shi Beast!"
"Desolate Beasts are born from the Demon Race, yet they transcend their own species. The most apparent characteristics are their mountain-like physique and peculiar abilities resembling peak cultivation!"
"From the situation just now, this newly transformed juvenile Desolate Beast already possesses the ability to suppress magical artifacts! Esteemed sirs, our fortune is good. If we were to wait until this Desolate Beast matures, our magical artifacts might all be suppressed by it!"
"Martial friend Wu is correct. We should act quickly and not allow any unforeseen circumstances to arise!"
Just as the Dharma Bodies were about to make their move, Elder Li raised his hand to stop them, then looked towards the high platform in the center of the arena:
"Dragon Princess, you are the host here. I presume you will not show favor to the Desolate Beast!"
"Moreover, True Dragons have always been the main force against Desolate Beasts throughout history. We implore the Dragon Princess to reveal her true form and lead us in conquering this savage Desolate Beast!"
Elder Li's voice echoed in the arena, and all eyes turned to the nine-layered spiritual pattern high platform.
The Dharma Bodies instantly understood Elder Li's intentions.
The human cultivators present did not wish for the Demon Race to rise. And that mysterious treasure of unknown origin had allegedly caused the Vast Sea Sect's strength to surge in a short period.
The various factions, who were already preparing to form an allied army to attack the Vast Sea Sect after their departure, were naturally happy to see the Dragon Princess and the Vast Sea Sect's strength depleted by this sudden appearance of the Desolate Beast.
Furthermore, they all knew this was an open scheme, one that the Dragon Princess absolutely could not refuse!
After all, the war between the True Dragons and the Desolate Beasts was an irreconcilable blood feud that had begun in the primordial Wilderness era!
However, the Dragon Princess showed no intention of answering the inquiries of the great Dharma Body figures.
The noble and beautiful mistress of the Vast Sea slightly lowered her head, and with her own hands, offered the True Dragon Purple Gold Seal, representing the highest authority, to the young man before her.
The young man was clad in white, a gentle smile gracing his lips like a spring breeze. His exceptionally handsome face inspired goodwill in anyone who saw him.
This young man was Chen Luo, who had arrived at the high platform at some unknown time.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Chen Luo gently accepted the True Dragon Purple Gold Seal, representing the highest authority, from the Dragon Princess.
His clear voice resonated throughout the entire venue:
"Disciple, stop fooling around and come back."