The Almighty Dragon General

Rumble!
On the battlefield, the earth shook, and the sound of an explosion rocked the area. James turned around and saw a humongous
beast charging toward him. The beast’s limbs were like pillars of the heavens. With every step he took, the earth shattered, and
profound fissures were created.
“Him again...”
James’s face paled.
That was the beast that had been pursuing him previously. He knew just how powerful the beast was. Even at his full strength,
he could not even injure the beast. Losing all courage to fight, he simply made his escape and disappeared without a trace. In
the next instant, he appeared in the mountain range at the back of the battlefield and stood on the peak of a mountain.
The battlefield seemed to have some sort of restrictions that prevented the beast from leaving the battlefield. So, the beast did
not give chase.
“That guy’s scary...” A voice came from behind James.
James turned around and saw that the bird from before was behind him.
“You know about the beast?” James asked.
“It was once the guardian beast of the Tendo Sect,” the bird said.
“The Tendo Sect?” James looked at the bird puzzledly. It appeared that the bird knew something he did not.
The bird said, “This restricted area once belonged to a powerful sect called the Tendo Sect. The sect was annihilated in the end,
yet the guardian beast survived. However, it has lost all consciousness after being contaminated by a bizarre power.”
“A guardian beast at the Acme Rank?” As James stared at the beast that ran around amok and roared in fury, he was stunned by
the beast’s aura. The beast’s power certainly had surpassed a Ninth Stage Lord.
“Not the Acme Rank, I suppose,” the bird said, “Strictly speaking, the beast should be infinitely close to reaching the Acme Path.
Perhaps it once attained such a rank but lost everything after being sealed away in the depths for too long.”

James was at a loss for words. How was the beast so terrifying even though it was not at the Acme Rank? So just how
frightening was the Acme Rank?
“I’m not chit-chatting with you anymore. I’ll be taking my leave,” the bird said and began flapping its wings.
James, however, appeared before the bird in an instant and blocked its way. Then, he hurriedly said, “Wait, I have some
questions for you.”
“Speak your mind,” the bird said.
James asked, “When did you arrive at the Ecclesiastical Restricted Zone?”
He came here in search of Jabari. However, he was unable to sense Jabari’s presence. Perhaps the bird knew something he did
not.
The bird was lost in contemplation. After some time, he said, “Not too long ago, I think. I entered the Dark World when the
Twelfth Universe was only just created. Then, I immediately headed straight here.”
“This means that you have been in the Ecclesiastical Restricted Zone for a long time now. What are you here for?”
“To find a way to break through the Acme Path, of course,” the bird said nonchalantly.
“Does this mean that you are a Ninth Stage Lord... No, wait, a Nine-Power Macrocosm Ancestral God?”
“Bullsh*t.” The bird immediately rebuffed him, saying, “What are these Ninth Stage Lords and Nine-Power Macrocosm Ancestral
Gods to me? Nothing but insignificant beings! I can easily destroy them all if I do say so myself. To tell you the truth, I can
subdue the beast outside without breaking a sweat. I just don’t feel like doing it.”
The bird’s words were arrogant, and James had no idea whether he could trust his words.
“In that case, have you found the way to reach the Acme Rank?” James asked.
Hearing this, the bird shook its head in disappointment. “I wouldn’t be in the Ecclesiastical Restricted Zone if I had found the way.
Even so, however, I think I may have found a way to reach the Acme Rank. Soon, I will cross into the Acme Rank.”