“Tell us more about this legend.” They crowded around him.

Elder Hu stared at the broken peaks and cleared his throat before starting: “This happened a long, long time ago, before the existence of our Eight Desolaces. Heaven fell and the earth shattered, the start of a great calamity…”

“I’ve heard of this before.” One disciple interjected: “Heavenly corpses fell down and crushed everything during the calamity. Fortunately, the Supreme Monarch appeared and stopped the calamity…”

“You want to tell the story?” Elder Hu glared and playfully knocked on this disciple’s forehead, stopping his attempt at showing off.

The others knocked his head as well and said: “Elder, ignore him, keep going.”

“As I was saying, the great calamity was happening with raining colossal corpses. Keep in mind that this was the golden age of cultivation. Unfortunately, the calamity destroyed the mythical nine worlds…”

He then glanced at the disciple earlier and said: “You’re right, the Supreme Monarch took action indeed. However, she wasn’t the only one…”

“Ooh, I know!” The big gossiper couldn’t help but interrupt again: “An Immortal Emperor was there too and shouldered the weight of the calamity. This emperor was peerless and brilliant, even the Supreme Monarch pales in…”

He didn’t know how to hold back and said something he shouldn’t have.

“Do you have a death wish?!” An older senior immediately shouted.

“Watch your words.” Elder Hu smacked his head again.

He finally realized what he had just said and shuddered.

There were disciples from Lion’s Roar at this conference. If they had heard him, the consequence would be unimaginable.

The Supreme Monarch was a revered existence in Lion’s Roar or rather, all of Southern Desolace. That comment could have been viewed as sacrilegious, ending with the destruction of Little Diamond.

He became pale and kept his mouth shut henceforth.

Elder Hu coughed and continued: “The shocking battle did indeed include many brilliant existences. The Supreme Monarch was a combatant, the same with Immortal Emperor Zhan. In fact, someone right over there joined as well.” He then pointed at the broken peaks.

“Is that from fighting the heavenly corpses?” One disciple asked.

The elder shook his head and elaborated: “No, rumor has it that this place had a different name, Heavenguard Mountain or something like that. During the calamity, not only did the corpses come but also the darkness…”

“Darkness?” The disciple shuddered and asked: “Like a devil king?”

“No one is sure.” Elder Hu replied: “It is written that a dark hand came down from above, instantly crushing an entire continent.”

The listeners couldn’t believe it. One swing took down a continent? That’s akin to being able to crush all of Sky Border. They would piss their pants if they were stuck in that hellish scenario.

“During this moment, a big shot from Heavenguard took action and bombarded the hand with a special cannon. Deafening blasts occurred as the shells pierced the dark hand…”

The disciples weren’t there to see a top-level fight and the cannon. Nonetheless, they could tell that the cannon must have been incredibly destructive to be able to pierce that hand.

“What happens next?” They were immersed in the story.

“It goes on to say that the dark hand was defeated but before death, it unleashed one last smash right here, killing millions by reducing them to ashes. This place was saved due to a mighty barrier, otherwise, it would have been decimated instead of just being left with a few broken peaks.” Elder Hu took a deep breath and revealed.

This was nothing short of a legend for weak cultivators like them. They simply couldn’t fathom the sheer destruction since their own power was too little.

“No wonder why there are so many ruins.” One disciple noticed broken architectures deeper into the mountain range.

“I’ve heard that this place used to be protected by a matchless lineage. This lasted for eras but the dark hand ended it all.” Elder Hu became sentimental.

The mythical lineage known as Heavenguard was extremely powerful. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to defeat a being capable of untold destruction. Nonetheless, it didn’t survive the great calamity.

Spatial chaos remained in the current epoch. Smoke and gales still ravaged the sky above the broken peaks. It took a long time before these maelstroms died down.

“How scary.” One disciple murmured.

“Once the calamity ended, the Supreme Monarch led a great coalition to clear out the battlefields. She then started Myriad Sect Mountain here and summoned the world for a conference. This became a tradition that has lasted all the way to our era.” Elder Hu went on.

They then stared at the buildings belonging to the various sects. Just one peak was enough to accommodate all of Little Diamond.

They were glad to learn the land’s history. Each had a different thought about the destruction that once happened here.

One, in particular, was impressed with Heavenguard Mountain and its valiant defense against the darkness. Alas, there weren’t that many records about it. That’s why it was their first time hearing its name.

“Still defending to the very end.” Li Qiye didn’t interrupt their conversation and murmured to himself afterward.

He sighed and didn’t say anything else. Heavenguard Mountain was the name remembered by future generations. This wasn’t entirely accurate. They only had the “Heavenguard” part correctly.

These men never forgot their mission, still fighting bravely during the darkest hours. Though they had ample resources and blessings from top beings, this was still not enough.

“Your death will not be in vain.” Li Qiye continued with a profound gaze: “There will be altars and ceremonies in your honor, just wait.”