Black Stripe City.
A city built of huge black stones looks extremely retro and rugged, revealing a wild atmosphere.
It is impossible to verify the ancient times of this city.
The current city lord, Lord Black Mark, defeated the old city lord a hundred years ago and led his tribe into the city, changing its name to "Black Mark City".
The Ancient Saint Empire is actually the earliest name of the Ancient Saint civilization.
At that time, the Ancient Saint Empire was a truly unified country.
The founder of the empire was the first ancient sage in the history of the ancient sage civilization. Later generations called him "the first ancient sage Yuantuo."
It is said that before the emergence of this "first ancient saint", the crawlers were just a group of weak creatures that were eaten by ferocious beasts.
Until the appearance of the "First Ancient Saint", he was like the protagonist of a novel. In just a hundred years, he went from being the chief of a small tribe to conquering all directions, annexing other tribes, and finally forming a unified "Ancient Saint Empire". The title of Ancient Saint also came down from that time.
The Reptiles believe that the "First Ancient Saint" is the "Holy Snake Messenger" who was born in accordance with the will of the Holy Snake and is a god sent from heaven to save the Reptiles from water and fire.
In fact, whether the "First Ancient Saint" is the Holy Snake Messenger.
In short, after the emergence of the Ancient Saint Empire, the civilization of the Reptiles continued to grow, and by feeding on the blood of the ferocious beasts, they were eventually able to compete with the ferocious beasts.
The "First Old Saints" established a unified reptile language and writing system similar to the wizard's common language, and transformed the tribes into city-states.
He also passed down many methods that lead directly to the ancient sage path. These methods are collectively called "Ancient Sage Methods."
Relying on the ancient saint law, the reptile civilization can give birth to ancient saints who are comparable to the "ancient blood beasts", or "ancient beasts", in every era.
Thanks to the protection of these ancient saints, the Reptile civilization has continued to this day.
At the peak of history, which was the later years of the first ancient saints, there were as many as eighteen powerful ancient saints of the same era as the Reptile Civilization, known as the "Eighteen Saints of the Empire".
The Eighteen Saints united around the original ancient saint. Under the leadership of this leader, they not only initially resolved the huge problem of the "ferocious beast" that weighed on the crawlers, but also took the initiative to explore, fight north and south, and expand their territory!
However, with the disappearance of the original ancient saint.
The once unified Crawler Empire is once again facing the same situation as countless human empires in history, with city-states and feudal lords dividing the country, and the chaos continues to this day.
After that, there was no more peerless powerhouse like the "First Ancient Saint" who could subdue many ancient saints, unify all tribes and city-states, and establish an absolutely unified "Ancient Saint Empire".
The separatist rule of the feudal lords and city-states is the main theme of the Ancient Holy Empire today.
Each city-state is a small tribal society with a small population. Its city lord has absolute ruling power and can deal with the residents of his city-state at will.
Today, there are hundreds of city-states in the Ancient Saint Empire.
Some powerful tribes often establish their own city-states and then divide a territory around the city-state.
All non-tribal crawlers in the territory are "foreigners", and their status in the city is lower than that of native people.
Since the disappearance of the first ancient saint, there have been endless wars between city-states for years, and the people are living in misery. Small tribes like the one led by Chief Kaku can only risk their lives and live in the primeval forest where ferocious beasts roam.
Coupled with the invasion of ferocious beasts, external and internal troubles, the ancient saint civilization has declined greatly compared to its peak period.
Today, there are only thirteen ancient saints, each ruling its own territory and finding it difficult to unite. Moreover, the Ancient Saint Empire is facing the dilemma of being surrounded by powerful enemies.
In the south of the Ancient Saint Empire is a vast ocean. In the ocean, there are many powerful civilizations that are no weaker than the Ancient Saint Empire.
The most representative one is the "Mosaur Empire" established by the "Ocean Reptiles". It was an empire established by several ancient saints of the Sea Reptiles who rebelled against the Ancient Saint Empire. Relying on the rich resources of the ocean, it recuperated and eventually rose to power, invading the borders of the Ancient Saint Empire many times.
To the north of the Ancient Holy Empire, in the vast and endless "Intis Mountains", there is a new and powerful empire.
The "Wind God Empire" was established by the "Feather People". According to the crawlers, the Feather People were born later than them. It can even be said that it is not an exaggeration to say that the Feather People are the descendants of a group of mutated crawlers.
However, almost all of the Feathered People have the ability to fly. Relying on their air and space advantages, they have quickly risen among the mountains of Intis and are now invading the northern border of the Ancient Saint Empire.
And in the Ancient Saint Empire, apart from a few powerful Ancient Saints, the only ones who could effectively cause damage to the Feather People and engage in air combat were the Flying Lizards led by the "Ancient Saint Duankong".
Inside Black Stripe City.
Levi and Kaku were sitting in a tavern.
Drinking the extremely bloody "Blood Demon Wine" brewed by the crawlers.
Listening to an old man talking about the ancient and modern history and current situation of the Ancient Saint Empire.
The old man's name is Kane, and he is one of the few cultured people in Black Stripe City.
He used to be the librarian of a city-state where an ancient saint lived. Later, because the ancient saint died in the war, the city-state was destroyed and the library was burned down.
Kane became a slave of foreigners and wandered all the way until he finally ended up in Black Stripe City. Because of his education, he became one of the stewards of the City Lord's Mansion.
In his spare time, he would come to the pub to drink, brag, and show off his knowledge. Gradually, he became quite famous.
"Lord Kane, where did the ancient saints go in the beginning?" Levi asked.
Kane followed the sound and looked at Levi. Levi's red scales caught his special attention.
Because the fire lizard clan has a relatively high status in the Ancient Saint Empire.
Even in foreign cities, the Salamanders do not have to worry about being discriminated against because they are foreigners.
After all, who would dare to discriminate against a powerful race that gave birth to the ancient saints?
Moreover, as we all know, the first ancient saint came from the Salamander clan, which has allowed the Salamander clan to have a relatively transcendent status to this day.
So in Kane's view, the combination of Levi and Kaku is just a pair of young people from the noble Salamander clan, who are traveling around with their Green Lizard servants.
"It is impossible to verify the life of the First Ancient Saint this month, because the history books have long been interrupted by years of war. The lifespan of an ancient saint is no more than 500 years. Some extremely powerful ones may have a lifespan of a thousand years, but compared to the long history of the Ancient Saint Empire, this is just an insignificant wave... So, the First Ancient Saint, alas, is most likely dead." Kane sighed. Throughout the ages, among the many ancient saints recorded in history, only the First Ancient Saint is the one he admires the most.
"If the First Ancient Saint were still alive, how dare the Wind God Empire and the Mosasaur Empire act so presumptuously in front of the Ancient Saint Empire? The First Ancient Saint alone is enough to suppress these traits of the Reptile Civilization!" Kane said angrily.
"Lord Kane, are there any other countries to the north of the Intis Mountains?" Levi asked.
"I don't know about that. No one can cross the Intis Mountains alive. Those feathered people hovering in the sky and overlooking the earth are not vegetarians." Kane shook his head.
Levi thought in his heart, now it seems that there are three maps that have been explored in this plane.
The Ancient Saint Empire, the Wind God Empire, and the Mosasaur Empire.
The three empires share the same origin and their ancestors can be traced back to the reptilian civilization, but now they have parted ways.
The common problem that troubled the three empires was "ferocious beasts".
"If the two empires next door can contend with the Ancient Saint Empire, there should be no shortage of Ancient Saint warriors. Judging from this, there are dozens of Ancient Saint warriors who are comparable to fourth-ring wizards on the maps I know of today.
In the wizarding world, ordinary mid-level wizarding organizations cannot produce so many level four warriors. The difficulty of conquering this plane is greater than I thought, and I have to take it step by step.
Fortunately, these thirteen ancient saints are not a monolithic group. Perhaps I can sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the tigers, and support an absolute dictator like the original ancient saint as a puppet. In this way, I can control the entire Ancient Saint Empire, rule this country behind the scenes, and then annex the Wind God Empire and the Canglong Empire to explore the wider boundaries of this world. "
Levi muttered to himself.
He already had a preliminary plan in mind.
"Little Salamander, if you are interested in the original ancient saints, if you have the chance, you can go to the city-states where the ancient saints are located. Black Stripe City is a small place after all."
After eating and drinking, Kane touched his stomach, spit out his tongue, and left the tavern leisurely.
He and Levi had a very pleasant chat. It had been a long time since he met a young crawler like Levi who was willing to listen to him talk.
"Thank you, Lord Kane." Levi said with a smile.
In the tavern, Levi and Kaku continued to drink.
"Sir, where are we going next?" Kaku asked.
"City Lord's Mansion." Levi said calmly.
…
City Lord's Mansion.
On the training ground.
A sturdy lizardman covered with gray scales and wearing bone armor was wielding a big sword. The strong wind caused by the swing of the big sword made sand and rocks fly on the training ground, and there was an invisible heat wave spreading over the training ground, with an extraordinary momentum.
This is none other than the Lord of Black Mark City, Monka.
The members of the Black Stripe Tribe are all from the "Black-spotted Lizard" clan, which is a relatively powerful clan among the reptiles. The Black-spotted Lizards have extremely strong defenses and are naturally strong. They are all brave and skilled warriors.
"Lord Monka, there is a member of the Salamander tribe outside asking to see you." The servant came in and said.
"Salamander?" Monka frowned. "Let him in."
Not long after, a salamander covered in red scales walked in with a very ordinary green lizard crawler.
"Greetings, Lord City Lord." The fire lizard man said respectfully.
"What do you want from this city lord?" Monka asked.
"I want... to be the city lord." Levi smiled slightly.
Monka's expression changed.
The next moment, Levi's body burst out, and the true form of the fire dragon emerged, with flames burning and power runes flashing.
Monka raised the greatsword and slashed towards Levi. The blood in his body began to boil, and white smoke rose into the sky. Scorching flames spewed out of his mouth, burning the greatsword red.
"Red Burning Heart Slash!" Monka roared in a low voice with a painful look on his face. He knew that the person who came was not friendly, so he used all his strength when he attacked.
Levi did not dodge or evade. His scaly fist hit the hot sword. The sword shook violently, cracking Monka's palm. The sword flew out and landed in the distance.
The red-hot sword burned the ground black, turning it into flaming scorched earth in a short period of time. The temperature was obvious.
On the other hand, Levi's fist was safe and sound, with only a little white smoke coming out of it.
“Too weak.”
In a flash, Levi came behind Monka, grabbed Monka's neck with his big hand, and pressed hard.
Monka fell down with a bang, his face hitting the ground, and dust flew everywhere.
"I only need to apply a little force and you will die." Levi said lightly, his eyes cold.
Monka was pinned to the ground, unable to move.
The Lord of Black Stripe City was weaker than he had imagined. It seemed that his strength was not even as good as that of Bo Gang, let alone being on par with a senior wizard with three rings.
"Who are you? There is no one like you among the thirteen ancient saints!" Monka asked in fear.
Just one move determines the outcome.
The gap between him and the other party is too big. The other party is definitely a strong man at the ancient saint level.
You know, he is at least a strong ancient snake-level warrior. In this Ancient Saint Empire, only the Ancient Saint can easily defeat him, Monka.
Monka was familiar with the thirteen ancient saints today, and the one closest to him was undoubtedly the Ancient Saint Burning Sky.
The problem is that the Ancient Sage Burning Sky usually stays in his own Burning Sky City, so how could he possibly come to his own small Black Stripe City.
Could it be that two ancient saints appeared in the fire lizard clan?
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that if you don't obey me, you will die." Levi's voice was indifferent. He revealed a trace of the aura of an ancient saint. The majesty of the ancient saint swept in like a tide, drowning Monka.
"What...what do you want to do?"
“Don’t do anything, stop struggling, offer a bit of your soul, and take the initiative to sign a contract with me. I will promise not to kill you, otherwise…” Levi took out a contract slate and threatened.
Lizardmen are also humanoids. Logically, the contract on the contract slate should also be effective for them, but they need to give up their souls on their own.
Monka saw the slate in the man's hand. Although he didn't know what it was, there was no doubt that it was not in his favor.
But in this situation, with the gap between the enemy and us so huge, he seems to have no choice.
"I'll do as you say..." Monka said with a sigh.
"Don't worry, I always keep my word." Levi smiled with narrowed eyes, which was chilling.
Monka just felt that it was a disaster from the sky. He didn't know where the ancient saint came from. He was really unlucky.
In the end, Levi and Monka signed an unequal treaty.
After signing the contract, Monka always felt that there seemed to be some kind of restraint on his soul. If he violated the terms of the contract, he was afraid that the consequences would be terrible, which made him feel hopeless.
"Once I reach the fourteenth level of Scarlet Dragon Breathing Technique and add one more contract position, I won't have to go through so much trouble." Levi thought to himself.
He now has two positions in the Scarlet Contract, one is given to the Deep Sea Baron Baghdad, and the other is to the Vampire Skin. Both of them are very important to Levi, and there is no way to terminate the contract.
Outside the door, the guard seemed to have heard the noise and rushed in.
"Lord City Lord, are you okay?" the guard asked.
"It's okay, you can leave now. I just had a sparring match with this friend from the Salamander tribe." Monka said calmly, but he felt bitter inside. This wasn't a sparring match at all, this was a one-sided crushing...
"What does the Ancient Saint want to do? You might as well tell me frankly. I, Monka, am just the lord of a small border town with limited ability. With the Ancient Saint's vision, I'm sure you won't be interested in my city-state in a remote area, right?" Monka sighed.
"You are very smart and you know the current affairs. He who knows the current affairs is a hero. My goal is very simple, to unify all city-states and make the Ancient Saint Empire great again." Levi said seriously.
"My Lord Ancient Saint... Excuse me for being blunt, this should also be the goal of the other thirteen Ancient Saints, but since the disappearance of the first Ancient Saint, no one has been able to unify the Ancient Saint Empire." Monka said.
"How do you know if you don't try?" Li Wei said confidently. "You can continue to be the city lord. I was just joking. I am not interested in your position as city lord. I just need you to do things according to my wishes in the future."
Levi was not sure whether his current strength could ensure victory over an ancient saint, otherwise he would have gone to the city-states where the ancient saints were stationed and captured them.
It would be safer to control an ordinary city lord first, and then gradually come into contact with those ancient saints after gaining a deeper understanding of this world.
In the following days, Levi settled down in Black Stripe City.
It has to be said that as the lord of Black Stripe City, Monka knows much more than Kaku.
Levi gained a deeper understanding of the situation of the thirteen ancient saints from Monka, and he also obtained the "Ancient Saint Law" that he practiced from Monka.
In a mansion in Black Stripe City, Levi sat at a desk. On the desk was a rough piece of paper that seemed to be made of animal skin.
The text on the parchment is the common language of the reptile civilization, which Levi has already mastered. In addition, there are various movements and postures.
After he finished reading it, he fell into deep thought.
"This looks similar to the Knight's Breathing Technique inheritance diagram. The only difference is that this ancient sacred technique only has a little man pattern, but no black snake holding a candle like the Black Snake Breathing Technique... Is this a castrated and modified version of the Knight's Breathing Technique?"
According to Monka, the practice of the ancient sacred law is based on the formulas, essentials, postures, and movements recorded in the ancient sacred law, and then devouring a large amount of specific ferocious beast meat to obtain energy from it, transform the lizard man's body, and finally continuously achieve the evolution of the body.
From an insect to a lizard, from a lizard to a snake, from an old snake to an ancient, and then to a saint.
These are the four stages of practice of the ancient sage law.
The ancient sacred law that Monka gave to Levi was obtained by him from the ruins of an abandoned ancient sacred temple. It was called the "Ancient Sacred Law of Flame and Blood".
To practice this ancient sage method, one must use the flesh and blood of a thing called the "Flame Beast" as a basis and consume it for a long time.
Use the ancient saint method to absorb the unique "flame blood energy" in the flesh and blood of the flame beast, and use this "flame blood energy" to transform the whole body, refine the organs, change the tendons, cleanse the marrow and temper the bones, and after exchanging blood, you will become an ancient saint.
The more powerful the fire beast, the better the effect.
If one practices to the highest level, he can be compared with the king among the fire beasts.
Ancient beast: the Flame-blooded Mad Hunting Dragon.
This is a powerful creature that lives underground and is often accompanied by magma.
The body of the Flame-Blooded Mad Hunter Dragon contains "ancient blood".
The so-called ancient bloodline is said to be the bloodline left by several "ancient kings" who stood at the top of billions of creatures at the beginning of the world.
The king of the sky is Othros, the king of the forest is Deuces, the king of the sea is Ernis, and the king of the underground is Mobius.
The four ancient kings represent the earth, fire, wind and water of creation, and each rules over four ancient kingdoms.
It is said that the four ancient kings were all subordinates of the supreme Lord Holy Snake. They obeyed the will of the Holy Snake, created this world, and maintained the operation of the world order.
At that time, neither the Feather People nor the Crawlers had been born.
Only the ferocious beasts of different camps led by ancient kings gallop in the sky, forests, oceans, and even underground.
Therefore, whether it is the Ancient Saint Empire, the Wind God Empire, or the Mosaic Dragon Empire, they are all extremely wary of ancient bloodlines.
Later, the powerful ancient empire seemed to fall apart overnight, and the four ancient kings fell one after another.
The flesh and blood of the ancient kings were eaten by the surviving ferocious beasts, giving birth to the first ancient beasts. The reptile civilization was most likely born at this time.
These are all legends that Levi has heard from old man Kane during this period, and he doesn't know whether they are true or not.
Levi had a vague feeling, whether it was the "ancient king", or the "original ancient saint", and the "ancient saint law" and so on.
These things are inseparable from the ancient wizard who entered here.
"Who is it? Who entered here and what is the purpose of doing all this?"
Levi looked at the drawings recording the ancient sacred laws and pondered deeply.
…
The next day.
Levi looked at the fire beast meat that Monka sent.
This is a piece of ordinary-looking meat, weighing about 100 pounds and extremely solid. Moreover, even though it has been dead for so long, its surface still emits high temperature. This should be the so-called "flame blood energy".
Levi took a little blood from it and put it into the Rowling crystal.
[Red Fire Snake bloodline 56%, Stone Red Lizard bloodline 68%... Dark Lantern Dragon bloodline 1.5%. ]
Seeing this, Levi's face changed.
"Dark Lantern Dragon?"
There was no information about this kind of dragon in his database.
"If I have a chance in the future, I must find out what kind of dragon race the Dark Lantern Dragon is."
In this world, Levi has found the descendants of two types of dragon bloodlines.
Emerald Dragon, Dark Lantern Dragon.
During this period, Levi studied the Supreme Holy Snake believed by the Reptile Civilization.
Judging from the records and descriptions of the holy snake that have been left behind, the holy snake is an Ouroboros with its head and tail connected. It coils in the sky, spinning continuously, emitting holy light, driving away darkness, and illuminating believers, just like the sun.
From this point of view, the Holy Snake has similarities with Levi's family emblem, the Black Snake.
However, Levi did not see the most obvious feature, "the candle in its mouth", so he did not dare to be sure that the holy snake was the black snake.
And now, he has discovered the blood of the Dark Lantern Dragon in the body of a ferocious beast that contains ancient blood.
According to legend, the ancient bloodline is the bloodline of the four kings under the Holy Snake.
"The Dark Lantern Dragon, could it be the Black Snake with a Candle in its Mouth... Could it be that the Black Snake is a general under the command of the Holy Snake? Or, is it the Holy Snake's vest..."
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