Outside the barrier surrounding the Golden Ring Continent, tens of thousands of warships gathered across the vast ocean. They belonged to an enemy faction known as the Ground Breaking Sect, which originated from the Stone Hedge Continent, located two thousand kilometers away from the Golden Ring Continent.
The Ground Breaking Sect was led by a couple, both of whom had reached Rank Eight. However, a rumor had circulated for countless years that the couple were not the faction's true ancestors. Instead, their real ancestor was an old, pale-faced woman who habitually concealed herself among the sect's elites. According to the rumors, she possessed the terrifying strength of a Rank Nine cultivator.
Whether this information was true or false hardly mattered to the countless factions and continents that had fallen victim to the Ground Breaking Sect. None of those who had been invaded survived to spread the truth to the outside world.
Now, the Ground Breaking Sect had set its sights on the Golden Ring Continent.
At the command of the couple leading the invasion, tens of thousands of warships unleashed relentless attacks against the continent's protective barrier. Explosions reverberated across the ocean as countless attacks struck the barrier, causing its surface to tremble violently beneath the overwhelming assault.
The barrier, which had protected the continent for countless years, was gradually approaching its limits.
Within the Golden Ring Continent, the citizens and indigenous inhabitants watched the unfolding catastrophe with growing terror. Their greatest fear was finally becoming reality. Panic spread throughout the continent as countless beings abandoned their homes and fled in every direction, desperately searching for somewhere to hide.
Oscar, who had been observing the situation, was slightly taken aback.
For the first time since he had met Golan, he noticed uncertainty in the man's eyes.
Golan had always appeared composed, even when confronted with dangerous situations. Yet, as he watched the barrier weaken beneath the relentless bombardment, his expression revealed something Oscar had never seen before.
Helplessness.
It was as though Golan had finally realized that there might be nothing he could do to change their current predicament.
After a brief silence, however, Golan's expression hardened.
If the Golden Ring Continent was destined to fall, he would rather perish fighting than watch helplessly as its inhabitants were slaughtered.
He reached into his garment and retrieved several talismans. Carefully, he stacked three talismans of each type on top of one another before directing his gaze toward the skies.
Without another word, Golan soared upward.
He passed through the protective barrier and emerged outside the continent, facing the overwhelming army of the Ground Breaking Sect alone.
The moment he appeared, Golan drew his sword and charged toward one of the enemy warships.
A terrifying sword light swept across the vessel.
Blood splattered everywhere as more than a thousand beings perished beneath his blade. Their bodies fell into the ocean, staining the surrounding waters with blood as Golan continued his relentless assault.
Unlike the spiritual realm, where beings could utilize seals to manipulate the surrounding world's energies and enhance their attacks, the lower-ranked cultivators in this world faced severe limitations. Beings below the tenth rank could not draw upon the world's energies to attack or defend themselves. They were restricted to elemental attacks and their own physical strength.
Consequently, Golan's combat prowess depended heavily on his cultivation, techniques, treasures, and the talismans he had prepared.
Even so, his strength was enough to turn him into a terrifying force on the battlefield.
He moved through the enemy ranks like a battle god, slaughtering everything that stood in his path.
The couple leading the Ground Breaking Sect soon noticed the alarming disappearance of their frontline soldiers. Their expressions darkened as they realized that a single cultivator from the Golden Ring Continent was responsible for the devastation.
Without hesitation, they rushed toward Golan.
Their objective was straightforward. They intended to entangle him in battle, gradually exhaust his strength, and create an opportunity for the mysterious old woman to launch a surprise attack capable of killing him.
As the couple approached, Golan gripped his sword tightly and swung it toward them.
The couple's expressions changed.
They immediately summoned their defensive treasures, both of which belonged to beings at the tenth rank.
A sword collided with a shield.
CLANG!
The deafening impact reverberated across the ocean as a violent shock wave spread in every direction.
The couple were forced backward by several meters, while Golan also retreated a few steps to stabilize himself.
Yet, before he could recover completely, a ghostly figure materialized behind him.
It was the pale-faced old woman.
Her expression was cold as she raised her palm and struck Golan directly in the back, aiming precisely for the region where his heart was located.
BOOM!
Golan was sent crashing toward the ocean.
As he descended from the skies, blood poured from his mouth, his body trembling from the force of the attack.
The old woman did not give him any opportunity to recover. She immediately followed him downward, launching another palm strike directly toward his heart.
However, just as her attack was about to land, Golan revealed a sinister smile.
He retrieved a talisman and swiftly swept it across his sword.
The moment the talisman made contact with the blade, its energy merged with the weapon. Golan then thrust his sword toward the approaching old woman.
Her expression changed.
She immediately attempted to retreat, but she had already committed herself to the attack. The distance between them was too small, and Golan's counterattack arrived too quickly.
The sword brushed past her left arm.
In the next instant, the entire limb was severed.
"AHHHHH!"
The old woman screamed in agony as she retreated, clutching the wound.
Her eyes widened in disbelief when she realized that the sword had been coated with a strange poison.
Ordinarily, beings who had reached Rank Three or above could regenerate severed body parts through their cultivation. With sufficient energy and time, even the loss of a limb would not necessarily constitute a permanent injury.
Yet, despite being a Rank Nine cultivator, the old woman discovered that she could not regenerate her missing arm.
The poison was interfering with her body's regenerative abilities, preventing the severed limb from growing back.
For the first time since the invasion began, the old woman felt genuine alarm.
Meanwhile, Golan looked at the result of his counterattack and smiled.
He then retrieved one of the pills Solanky had gifted him and swallowed it before rushing back toward the Golden Ring Continent's protective barrier.
A general of the Ground Breaking Sect, who had reached Rank Seven, immediately pursued him.
Within the Golden Ring Continent, the elders and elites who had witnessed the battle erupted into cheers.
Golan had not only inflicted a serious injury on a powerful Rank Nine cultivator, but he had also managed to suppress the two leaders of the Ground Breaking Sect during their brief exchange.
Although the situation remained dire, his actions had given the inhabitants a glimmer of hope.
Golan approached the barrier, and an opening immediately appeared before him.
He passed through without hesitation.
However, just as the opening was about to close, the pursuing Rank Seven general slipped through it.
His sudden intrusion sent waves of terror through the citizens and elites of the Golden Ring Continent.
The general, meanwhile, paid little attention to their reactions.
He hovered above the continent and burst into sinister laughter, his voice spreading across the surrounding region.
But his laughter abruptly stopped.
The moment he looked toward the skies, his expression froze.
The formations and restrictions covering the Golden Ring Continent had begun to illuminate.
Three enormous seals appeared above the continent, stacked on top of one another. They began rotating slowly, releasing a profound aura that caused the surrounding space to tremble.
At the same time, the energies of the entire world began converging toward them.
The three seals absorbed these energies at an astonishing rate, growing increasingly radiant as their power accumulated.
The Rank Seven general stared at the spectacle in horror.
The energy gathering within the seals had already reached a terrifying threshold. Space around them began to distort, and fragments of the surrounding spatial structure appeared to break apart under the pressure.
Realizing that something disastrous was about to happen, the general immediately turned toward the barrier.
He attempted to escape.
However, no matter how desperately he tried, he could not pass through it. It was as though an invisible, impenetrable wall had appeared before him, completely cutting off his escape route.
Panic seized him.
He began flying frantically in different directions, desperately searching for a way out.
Then, a thought flashed through his mind.
If he could not escape, he would slaughter as many inhabitants as possible before his inevitable death.
He turned toward the nearby cities, intending to unleash a massacre.
Unfortunately for him, he had already made a fatal mistake.
The instant the thought entered his mind, the entire sky erupted in brilliant light.
The four statues positioned throughout the continent illuminated simultaneously, their eyes glowing with an incomprehensible radiance.
In the next instant, the flow of space and time throughout the affected region came to a complete halt.
The three seals continued rotating above the continent.
Meanwhile, every being within the general's surroundings froze in place like an ice sculpture.
The general himself was no exception.
Even Golan and the elders of the Golden Ring Continent found themselves immobilized, unable to move a single finger.
Yet, unlike the terrified general, the inhabitants of the Golden Ring Continent quickly understood what was happening.
Excitement filled their eyes.
Their continent's guardian spirit had finally taken action!
The three seals continued rotating for a brief moment before suddenly merging into one.
The instant they fused, an overwhelming pressure descended upon the continent.
The Rank Seven general's consciousness remained active despite his inability to move. He could sense the terrifying energy gathering above him, and he immediately realized that his decision to massacre the indigenous inhabitants had triggered the attack.
Before he could even process the consequences of his actions, a beam of white light shot out from the enormous seal.
It descended toward him with terrifying speed.
The brilliant light filled his pupils.
Then, everything went blank.
His body, along with every treasure he carried, was incinerated into nothingness.
There was not even an opportunity for him to scream.
Yet, the seal's attack did not end there.
After eliminating the general, the enormous seal rose higher into the skies and began expanding.
Within moments, its size had increased to three times that of the continent's protective barrier.
Its immense coverage engulfed nearly two-thirds of the Ground Breaking Sect's invading army.
The couple leading the sect immediately recognized the danger and fled beyond the seal's expanding range.
Unfortunately, not everyone reacted quickly enough.
Those who remained within its coverage were frozen in time, unable to move or defend themselves as the seal prepared to execute its judgment.
As the seal continued expanding, the flow of time within the Golden Ring Continent's barrier returned to normal.
The indigenous inhabitants could finally move again.
When they realized that the invading enemies had been frozen in the skies above them, cheers erupted throughout the region.
Countless inhabitants raised their heads toward the heavens before turning toward the nearest statue.
They bowed deeply, their faces filled with gratitude and reverence.
Their guardian spirit had protected them!
Meanwhile, the enormous seal finally stopped expanding.
Countless beams of light descended from its surface, sweeping through the frozen ranks of the Ground Breaking Sect.
Every beam struck its target with absolute precision.
One after another, the invading cultivators were annihilated, their bodies reduced to nothingness while their treasures and warships remained behind.
In the span of a single attack, millions of beings perished.
The surviving members of the Ground Breaking Sect immediately abandoned their offensive and retreated in terror. None dared to remain within the vicinity of the terrifying seal, fearing that it might continue expanding until it reached them.
The couple leading the invasion had already escaped beyond its range, but even they could not conceal the shock on their faces.
The injured old woman was equally horrified.
They had originally believed that the Golden Ring Continent possessed no powerful guardian capable of resisting their invasion. Yet, the spectacle before them had completely overturned their assumptions.
The three seals had demonstrated a level of power and intricacy that far exceeded anything they had anticipated.
There was no doubt in their minds that the being responsible for such an attack possessed extraordinary attainments in seals and engravings.
At the very least, they suspected that the mysterious guardian was a Rank Ten cultivator.
However, the old woman soon realized that this conclusion might have been far too conservative.
Clutching the wound where her arm had been severed, she reluctantly muttered, "How did they manage to convince such a powerful being to serve willingly as their continent's guardian spirit?"
The couple exchanged glances before turning toward her.
They wanted to know how the seals they had just witnessed compared with the inscriptions belonging to their own guardian spirit.
The old woman's expression grew increasingly unpleasant.
After a moment of silence, she reluctantly admitted the truth.
"The guardian spirit's statue currently in my possession has already acknowledged that the intricacy of these seals is at least equivalent to Rank Thirteen. Their comprehension surpasses even its own Rank Twelve attainments."
The couple fell silent.
Rank Thirteen!
That was an astonishing level of comprehension, far beyond what they had imagined the Golden Ring Continent could possess.
The old woman groaned as another wave of pain surged through her body. The strange poison continued draining her power, leaving her increasingly weakened.
The couple immediately ordered their armies to retreat.
They had suffered devastating losses, and continuing the invasion would only invite further disaster.
However, they had no intention of allowing the outside world to learn what had happened.
The couple decided to conceal the entire incident, keeping the invasion and its disastrous outcome under lock and key.
If other factions wished to invade the Golden Ring Continent, they would allow them to do so.
Perhaps those factions would make the same mistake, suffer similar losses, and eventually reveal the true extent of the continent's guardian spirit.
For now, silence was their best option.
Within the Golden Ring Continent, in the region closest to where the invasion had taken place, more than a thousand beings genuinely felt grateful to Solanky for intervening on their behalf.
Above them, the enormous seal gradually dissipated.
Its remaining energy merged with the protective barrier surrounding the continent, strengthening it further. The barrier had expanded after absorbing the life energies and souls of the invading armies, becoming even more formidable than before.
Meanwhile, within the upper-spiritual realm, Black God Solanky observed the results of his actions with a faint smile.
The number of beliefs he had gathered had now reached ten thousand.
Among them, Golan and Oscar possessed the most stable and unwavering faith.
Solanky understood the significance of this development.
The beliefs he gathered were not merely expressions of gratitude or admiration. They were also a means through which he could gradually establish a deeper connection with the Golden Ring Continent.
However, the number he had accumulated was still insufficient for his ultimate objective.
He needed to gather a thousand such faiths and beliefs before he could fully investigate the Golden Ring Continent without restrictions.
With Golan and Oscar serving as the foundation, his plan was finally beginning to take shape.
Black God Solanky smiled faintly.
The Golden Ring Continent had survived its first major crisis, and its inhabitants had begun to recognize the existence of their mysterious guardian.
His influence had only just begun to spread.