Ten Thousand Mountain Island

Story context

Ji Ning and his eight companions arrive at Ten Thousand Mountain Island, the third major waystation within the Moonlit Abyss. What they find is not a desolate battlefield but a sprawling, semi-permanent party: nearly a hundred Tianshen (Gods) roasting meat, singing off-key campfire anthems, and living it up. The wild contrast between the deathly Volcano Island trials and this social paradise hits instantly. But beneath the BBQ and laughter lurks a serious game mechanic: whenever a new self-made Tianshen arrives, the Abyss triggers a calibrated demonic army assault—and only the ten independent cultivators may fight. Ji Ning learns that one or two of them will probably die, that coordination is everything, and that he’s about to spar with the infamous Feast-Loving Feiyou to gauge his combat profile.

Why it matters

This is a classic “breather before the storm” chapter—and Xianxia breathers are some of the most fun reads in the genre. The barbecue campfire scene serves three critical narrative functions: (1) it humanizes the Tianshen, making them more than power-level stat blocks; (2) it introduces the Calamity Rule, which raises immediate stakes for Ji Ning’s arrival; and (3) it sets up the sparring match that will let us see how Ji Ning’s combat profile compares to veteran Empyrean Gods from the primordial era. Watch for the political subtext: Ji Ning is already cataloging which Tianshen belong to which camp, and he knows the Great Calamity outside will eventually shatter this peaceful coexistence.

Quick facts

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Source novel

Desolate Era