After finishing the book, Logan remained seated for a long moment. The words lingered in his mind.

Slowly, Logan stood up. The chair scraped softly against the stone floor as he pushed it back and returned the book to its place on the shelf.

Without any particular destination in mind, Logan began walking along the shelves once more.

He moved slowly. Carefully. Row after row of ancient tomes passed before his eyes. Some were thin and brittle, others thick enough to crush a careless reader’s arm. Titles glowed faintly or lay carved deep into their spines, written in scripts that predated present languages.

Minutes passed. Then…

Logan stopped. Another title had caught his attention.

‘The Nine Ancient Deities’

Logan’s eyes narrowed. “…Deities?” he murmured.

He reached out and exhaled slowly. “This should be interesting.”

He carried the book back to the study table and sat down once more. The chair creaked softly beneath him as he placed the heavy tome on the surface. Unlike the previous book, this one was bound in a dark, almost scale-like material.

He opened it and started reading.

‘Before the current era… Before the collapse of balance… There existed Nine Ancient Beings. They were not merely powerful creatures. They were revered as gods.’

Logan’s breathing slowed as he continued reading.

‘These Nine Ancient Deities ruled over the Nine Upper Heavens. Each Upper Heaven existed as a complete world of its own — vast, boundless, and governed by the will of its deity.’

Logan turned the page.

‘The Silver Unicorn — Ruler of the First Upper Heaven.

The Black Basilisk — Ruler of the Second Upper Heaven.

The Crimson Phoenix — Ruler of the Third Upper Heaven.

The Orange Griffin — Ruler of the Fourth Upper Heaven.

The White Ape — Ruler of the Fifth Upper Heaven.

The Azure Shark — Ruler of the Sixth Upper Heaven.

The Golden Dragon — Ruler of the Seventh Upper Heaven.

The Grey Lion — Ruler of the Eighth Upper Heaven.

The Green Wolf — Ruler of the Ninth Upper Heaven.’

Logan’s fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the page.

Nine names.

Nine beings.

Nine worlds.

He continued reading.

‘Though they were called deities, they were not omnipotent. They governed. They supervised. They competed.

The Nine Upper Heavens were rarely at peace. War, rivalry, and competition were constants.

Each deity sought to strengthen their own heaven — not only for survival, but for pride.

Losing to another Upper Heaven was not merely a defeat. It was humiliation.

Thus, the deities focused on cultivating powerful and talented individuals.’

Logan’s eyes flickered.

‘In those times, humans, elves, beasts, and dwarves did not fight among themselves.

They lived in harmony.

But only within their own Upper Heaven.’

Logan leaned back slightly.

‘All races coexisted, but as factions under different heavens.

And other heavens?

Enemies.

From the beginning of recorded time, this balance endured. Though competition was fierce, no Upper Heaven ever gained a decisive advantage. Their overall power remained equal.

Until…’

Logan’s gaze sharpened.

‘Until the birth of one human. He was born in the Seventh Upper Heaven. Under the rule of the Golden Dragon.’

Logan leaned forward unconsciously.

‘That human’s talent eclipsed all known records. His growth defied logic. His progress shattered established laws.

What took others centuries… He accomplished in decades.’

Logan’s heart began to pound.

‘At first, he was celebrated. A miracle. A blessing. But the tone shifted. Soon… he became feared.’

Logan swallowed.

‘His cultivation surpassed the limits of humanity. Then, it surpassed the limits of other races.

And finally…

It approached the realm of the deities themselves.’

The page trembled slightly as Logan turned it.

‘Balance was broken. The Upper Heavens trembled. For the first time… the Nine Deities felt threatened.

Eight of them reached the same conclusion.

That human… could not be allowed to live.’

Logan’s eyes darkened.

‘If he continued to grow… The heavens would fall under a mortal’s shadow. Thus, the deities of the Eight Upper Heavens joined hands.

An alliance born not of unity…

But of fear.

They descended upon the Seventh Upper Heaven.

To erase the anomaly. To restore balance.’

He turned the page slowly.

‘But the Golden Dragon did not stand aside.

Bound by his duty… And by something deeper…

The Golden Dragon chose to protect that human being.

The golden dragon shared its bloodline.

Dragon blood fused with human flesh. Divine will merged with mortal ambition.

And the human became… Unstoppable.’

Logan stared at the words. His mind replayed them again and again.

Eight deities. Against one human.

‘The war that followed scarred the heavens.

Worlds shattered. Laws collapsed. Reality itself bled.’

Logan’s grip tightened until the wood beneath his fingers creaked.

‘Even united, the Eight Deities struggled.

Their combined might was barely enough to suppress him.’

Logan’s lips parted slightly.

‘But in the end…

The human still fell.

Or so history records. The Golden Dragon was slain. Or so the world was told.’

The page felt heavier.

‘The Seventh Upper Heaven did not collapse immediately. But its vitality was drained.

Resources dwindled. Talents started to decline. Its former glory faded into legend.’

Logan slowly closed the book. The silence of the fifth floor pressed in around him. His breathing was steady, but his mind was anything but.

“What is this Golden Dragon’s Legacy?” Logan muttered. ‘I am sure it isn’t just power.”

The book rested quietly on the table, its cover cold and unyielding.

Nine deities. Nine Upper Heavens. One human who broke the balance. And a deity who paid the price.

Logan exhaled slowly. He was still far from learning everything he needed to know.

Yet the knowledge he had uncovered was already turning his long-held beliefs upside down.

While Logan was immersed in the Grand Library, Gazel and Sirus were busy elsewhere — hunting for strong opponents.

Opponents they hoped would be cultivators.

Unfortunately, their luck was poor. Outside Spirit Mountain, true cultivators had all but vanished. Finding even one was nearly impossible.

Still…

They had found someone strong.

Standing before them now was none other than Ali Arkman, the Guild Master of the Hunter Guild.

And the moment their gazes met, both Gazel and Sirus knew…

This opponent would not disappoint.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep