Lord of the Earth

Om-!
A sickening screech tore through the sky!

A colossal, bat-like creature, its claws and teeth gleaming with a foul green light, burst forth from the thick clouds of cataclysm!
Its wings blotted out the sky, and its scarlet eyes held only the purest greed for the lifeblood of living beings. Like a meteorite falling from the sky, it crashed down on the outer area of ​​the mysterious inn, where magical treasures swirled and crowds gathered!

"careful!"

Below, some of those with weaker cultivation levels turned pale and instinctively retreated, a tense chill permeating the air.

However, just as the bat-shaped catastrophic creature's claws were about to touch the glazed roof of the building—

hum!
A faint, almost invisible streak of light flashed by, without any earth-shattering roar or dazzling brilliance, only a soft, mosquito-like hum of energy.

The next moment, the massive body of the menacing calamity creature suddenly stiffened, all its movements freezing instantly.

Then, as if all its tendons and bones had been removed, it mysteriously disintegrated and vanished inch by inch in mid-air, leaving not even a trace of ash, as if it had never existed.

Only those with exceptionally sharp eyesight and keen senses can vaguely perceive it.

In that instant, it seemed as if a phantom of an arrow, no longer than a finger, with a peculiar shape and entirely black, flashed and disappeared, leaving a brief spatial ripple in the air behind its trail!

"Hmph, noisy."

A cold, emotionless voice came from the top of a towering black iron watchtower not far away. A soldier from the "Divine Machine Battalion," dressed in the dark gold spirit armor of the Qianxia standard with dragon patterns engraved on his shoulder armor, slowly put away the "Azure Dragon Crossbow" in his hand, a streamlined weapon that perfectly blended technology and ancient runes. His movements were skillful and indifferent.

It was as if he had simply swatted away an annoying fly.

His sharp gaze swept over his comrades on and off the city wall, which resembled a steel jungle, and his voice suddenly rose, carrying a resounding clang like metal striking stone.

"Today, everyone must be on high alert! We must show the people of this mysterious inn the true power of Qianxia! For every living being brought into this calamity, we will kill them; for every ten thousand, we will slaughter them all! We will not yield an inch of our defensive line! We must let those who are merely observing and wavering know who the strongest bulwark is in this land of despair! Wherever the divine will points, all evil will be annihilated—!"

"As ordered!"

On the city wall, the Shenji Battalion soldiers responded with a thunderous roar, their voices like a tidal wave. Their faces showed no fanaticism, only the icy calm honed by years of bloody battles and absolute confidence in their own strength.

The clanging of armor, the deep hum of crossbows imbued with psionic energy, and the faint glow of runes lighting up one after another intertwined to create a chilling pre-battle symphony.

Today, the Shenji Camp is located on the outskirts of the Mysterious Inn, at the forefront of the battlefield of the Land of Calamity, a place that was once a meat grinder shrouded in endless despair and bloodshed.

Every catastrophe that strikes at the heart of humanity means fierce battles and heavy casualties. It is a sword hanging over the heads of all the inn's inhabitants. Every defense is a test of life and death. No one dares to let their guard down and fight desperately.

But today, the atmosphere on this battlefield is strange. Human "managers" from all over the world and from different factions in the East and West have gathered here, shoulder to shoulder. Their whispers, discussions, and probing sounds have merged into a buzzing wave, which has overwhelmed the solemn atmosphere that a battlefield should have.

Most people's attention had long since shifted away from the monsters that were constantly struggling to break free from the thick aura of catastrophe.

After all, those who can gather here today are all representatives and strongmen of various forces. Ordinary calamity creatures are often instantly vaporized in mid-air by various attacks as soon as they break out of the clouds, truly becoming mere background figures.

"It seems the Chinese camp is determined to get this position as the head manager... They've even sent out such an army to oversee it..."

An elderly man with an oriental appearance, dressed in a Taoist robe with Bagua symbols, stroked his beard and spoke in a low voice, his eyes extremely solemn.

"It's difficult, so very difficult!"

Another burly general, wearing tattered armor, shook his head and sighed, his face filled with worry.

"Haven't you all noticed? These days, the Western alliance, led by the 'Temple,' has been making frequent and impressive moves, coercing and enticing small and medium-sized inns with promises of great benefits. Clearly, they are determined to obtain this position."

"On the other hand, our Eastern camp, especially China, which was originally the mainstay... although it has frequently launched attacks and contacted various parties, it seems that apart from the traditional alliances and aid methods, there are not many new strategies that are truly impressive..."

Although he didn't say everything, his concern was obvious.

Many people around nodded in agreement; the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Because the Western "Temple" faction has been making great strides recently, they are "saving people" everywhere and showing off the purifying and healing power of "holy light" with great momentum!
As a result, some "inns" that originally belonged to or were led by the Huaxia camp were affected.

For example, hundreds of inns from regions such as Samsung Country and Sakura Country... have now turned against the temple, either openly or secretly.

"I believe the Chinese people are at their limit, their foundation is about to be exhausted..."

"Indeed, the temple is backed by a true god..."

At this critical juncture where absolute strength and future potential are needed, the Chinese camp is likely to suffer a great loss!
Many neutrals were secretly weighing the options.

"Look! The people from the Temple are here!" someone suddenly shouted, breaking the conversation.

In the distance, a patch of holy light soared into the sky, its pure radiance even briefly dispelling the gloom of calamity that shrouded that area.

Squads of Templar Knights, clad in gleaming silver armor and bearing the insignia of a cross on their chests, marched in perfect unison, exuding an aura of menace.

Even more striking were the hundreds of figures above them—two-winged angels with pure white wings on their backs, surrounded by phantom images of hymns, and wielding longswords of light and flame!

Their appearance immediately sparked thunderous cheers and fervent chanting of hymns from the Western camp, and the power of the holy light made many people feel a sense of unease.

"It's the Holy Knight Legion, every single one of them possesses Saint-level cultivation... The Temple has really gone all out this time! It seems they're determined to get the position of Grand Steward!"

"People from the Chinese camp have arrived too..."

Compared to the magnificent and dazzling appearance of the "Temple," the appearance of the Chinese camp was unusually "simple" and even somewhat "low-key."

There were no dazzling light effects, no grand procession, only rows of soldiers with heavy, imposing presence, their armor stained with dark red blood or even fresh wounds, silently and swiftly escorting a craftsman-looking man into the arena.

They quickly set up in a designated area, displaying not dazzling holy light.

Instead, it was a mountain of real supplies: various elixirs filled with the fragrance of cinnabar in jade bottles, standard psionic weapons gleaming with cold light and flowing runes, and intricately designed mechanical artifacts containing powerful energy fluctuations...

These hard currencies immediately attracted a lot of attention, especially from neutral and small faction members who had experienced the cruelty of the catastrophe and the scarcity of resources, and their eyes revealed an undisguised desire.

"Hiss... How can the prices of these pills and weapons be so cheap?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

You must understand that in this land of calamity, elixirs and spiritual weapons are hard currency that can save lives, and their prices have always been so high that they are despairing.

A very ordinary, standard-issue extraordinary spiritual weapon often costs over ten thousand Qi Luck Gold Pearls on the market. However, the similar product exhibited by the Qianxia camp was priced at a whopping 500!

"Hmph, they're just external things. No matter how many you pile up, they're still inanimate objects!" A man dressed as a temple priest from the Western camp sneered.

"No matter how good the weapons or how miraculous the elixirs, how can they compare to the eternal power and soul redemption brought by faith? How can they compare to the sacred power of the angelic legions?"

Another knight commander echoed loudly, his voice amplified by holy magic.

"Only weapons blessed by my holy light possess a natural ability to purify and restrain the evil of calamity! They are far more practical than those cold iron weapons from the East!"

"Hmm? Is that really true?"

Some neutral human shopkeepers were persuaded and looked at the temple with even more fervent eyes.

However, the next move by Qianxia's camp silenced all the doubts and ridicule.

"No way...the 'Unsealing Pills' they brought out...so many boxes of them? It's like they're carrying stones?"

"And those talisman packs... Good heavens, were they mass-produced on the spot? But the spiritual power emanating from each talisman is incredibly powerful; they're definitely not inferior products, no worse than the previous ones!"

"More than that! Look over there, those spirit-grade arrows are piled up almost like a small mountain! And this output... is impossible?!"

All that could be seen was the rear of the Huaxia region.

Hundreds of small, automated workshops, temporarily set up and driven by complex rune arrays, are operating at full speed, with robotic arms precisely packaging and sealing finished pills, arrows, and standard talismans.

Then, the strongman puppets carried and piled them up box by box. The quantity was far beyond what everyone imagined, and it could not be described as a so-called "limited edition"!
"It's not dumping at low prices! They... they really can reduce production costs to such an unbelievable level?! When did the Chinese camp acquire such incredible production capacity?!"

Everyone was in disbelief.

The Western camp members looked somewhat grim, but they still tried to remain calm.

"It's just weapons and pills... So what if there are many? My temple has recently recruited millions of devout believers from the Transcendent Realm, and there are also a million extraordinary knights bestowed by the Lord, and a thousand temple knights ready to be deployed to the battlefield at any time! The power of faith is the key!"

"This is our real trump card in the competition for the 'Chief Manager' position!"

The people from the temple had very confident expressions on their faces.

And then, after the people from both the Eastern and Western camps arrived at the dojo.

An ancient, indifferent, and emotionless voice seemed to resonate from the very heart of the inn, clearly penetrating the minds of every living being:

"The conditions are met, and the selection process for the 'Chief Manager' position is now officially open. Have all factions confirmed their participation in the selection?"

"What's going on? What's that sound?"

"The inn's spirit has awakened!"

Someone gasped in alarm, recognizing the source of the sound.

As everyone knows, the Mysterious Inn is itself a prototype of a "Supreme Artifact" with an astonishing origin, designed to protect the human race from calamity. Its artifact spirit is high above, allowing numerous "managers" to exercise "autonomy".

But this time, it actually took the initiative to show up and personally presided over the selection of the "head manager," which means things have changed!
"And... does the spirit mean that the 'Grand Manager' should be selected through actual combat right now, in this place?"

Everyone instantly understood the meaning, and their feelings varied.

"Could this supreme artifact have sensed some opportunity? Or has an unknown change occurred during the calamity? It must be the descent of the true god's aura from my Holy Temple, allowing it to sense a higher level of power. This time, it is preparing to choose a master!"

Within the Western camp, many wore expressions of pride and fanaticism, believing that the artifact spirits were aligned with the true God behind the temple.

However, the spirit's next words coldly shattered all speculation.

"The Mysterious Inn was originally a vital tool for spreading the torch of humanity, eliminating evil and filth, and accumulating merit."

"The Grand Manager will surely be able to lead everyone to slay the calamity-stricken beings and protect more human lives..."

"Therefore, the selection criteria are twofold: first, to fight against the calamity and to protect more of humanity. Only the faction that slays evil, protects life, and performs the greatest merit during this period can obtain this position!"

Its voice fell, as if words had become law, and an invisible force of rules enveloped the entire battlefield.

The next moment, the entire "Mysterious Inn" suddenly shifted and began to move.

Everyone understood—the spirit of the artifact was watching!

The performance that follows will not only be for survival, but will also directly determine who gets the position of "head manager"!

How is merit calculated?

Naturally, it depends on who makes the greatest contribution and gains the most during this test!
"Hiss, in that case, the importance of this head manager is probably much higher than we initially estimated."

"In a sense, whoever takes this position will be able to guide or even determine the future direction of the Mysterious Inn to a certain extent, and its influence will radiate throughout the entire Eternal Land!"

"This time, our Eastern camp must unite as one and spare no expense to take them down!"

"Our Rooster Kingdom also wants a piece of the pie for that head manager position..."

The spirit of the mysterious inn had just finished speaking, especially the rule that "merit determines position" was clearly conveyed.

Many neutral forces that had originally intended to remain neutral and observe the situation from the sidelines suddenly turned their eyes on the situation with fervor and changed their minds. An atmosphere of restlessness and greed filled the air.

The general of the Rooster Kingdom stood proudly, straightened his magnificent military uniform adorned with medals, and with a wave of his hand, a squad of royal guards equipped with sophisticated steam-powered armor and wielding high-frequency vibrating rapiers stood in solemn formation, white steam billowing from the gaps in their armor and emitting a rhythmic hum.

Not far away, the elders of the Yellow Sand Kingdom prostrated themselves on the ground, silently chanting ancient incantations. The sand around them churned violently, and several desert giants, formed from quicksand and ancient pale skeletons, suddenly rose to their feet, their eyes blazing with the fire of their souls…

Countries and inns alike are eager to unleash their most powerful resources, hoping to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a better future.

After all, the rules set by the spirit of the mysterious inn meant that it was no longer a competition of background and reputation, but a contest of real contributions on the battlefield.

This undoubtedly gave all forces a glimmer of hope. (End of Chapter)