As the Lord of Frenzied Blood disappeared into the distance, heading back towards Glory City, Bill Daoist wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
He stood at the foot of Psychic Sanctuary Mountain, his gaze fixed on the spot where the rogue cultivator had vanished.
"Heavens above," he muttered, his voice hushed with awe and a hint of trepidation.
"What manner of monster has Blackwood taken in? Could he be... one of the Ancient Blood, a descendant of the primordial demons?"
The Ancient Blood. Creatures of pure, unadulterated power, their lineage stretching back to the dawn of ti.
They were incredibly rare, their numbers dwindling with each passing millennium.
Most lived in seclusion, their existence shrouded in myth and legend.
"How Blackwood manages to control such a being is beyond ," Bill Daoist mused.
"But it's for the best, I suppose. Better he channels his power for their cause than unleashes it upon the world."
...
High in the mountains, miles from the border, Danny lay broken and bleeding.
His limbs, severed at the joints, lay scattered around him like discarded twigs.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with terror and regret.
"Why?" he gasped, his voice a ragged whisper.
"Why ?"
Fate, it seed, had conspired against him this day.
Humiliated and robbed blind by Blackwood, he had barely escaped with his life.
And then, just when he thought his luck couldn't get any worse, he had stumbled upon that rogue cultivator... a Blackwood agent!
If not for the desperate gamble he had made, burning half his life force to activate the Kylin Mountain's secret escape technique, the Kirin's Shroud, he would be dead.
"Elder Danny, are you alright?"
Victor, his last remaining companion, hovered anxiously by his side.
The young man's face was pale, his voice trembling with fear and barely suppressed anger.
"Your energy channels... they're shattered! You're..."
"Silence, you fool!" Danny roared, his voice laced with pain and fury.
"This is all your fault! If you hadn't provoked them..."
But even in his rage, Danny knew he couldn't bla Victor entirely.
He had let his anger cloud his judgnt, underestimating both Blackwood's ruthlessness and their reach.
"Victor," he gasped, his voice weak.
"Take back... to the family. We must make them pay... for what they've done."
"But Elder Danny..." Victor stamred, his eyes wide with fear.
"They're too powerful! We can't..."
"Fool!" Danny spat, his voice regaining so of its forr strength.
"Do you think I've survived this long by being weak? Blackwood may have won this battle, but the war is far from over."
A cunning glint entered his eyes.
"We've been visiting Azure Cloud for the past two years, haven't we? Did you not notice the movents near Martinez Pass, where Starlight County borders Cloudview County?"
Victor frowned, confused.
"I... I don't understand."
"They're planning sothing," Danny hissed, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.
"Blackwood... they're not content with just defending Azure Cloud. They want to retake Starlight County for Duke Jon. And they're planning a surprise attack!"
Victor's eyes widened.
"But... how can we use that to our advantage?"
"We'll use their arrogance against them," Danny said, a cruel smile spreading across his lips.
"Take back to the family. We'll inform the patriarch. He'll contact the Druids in Starlight County, have them lay an ambush."
"When Blackwood walks into that trap," he continued, his voice filled with venomous glee, "they'll be slaughtered. Owen and Bill Daoist will be forced to abandon Azure Cloud, leaving Blackwood vulnerable and alone."
"Their precious artifacts, the Death Coffin, the Shapeshifting Divine Tree, their soul-controlling techniques... all of it will be ours for the taking."
He turned to Victor, his eyes burning with avarice.
"You'll be rewarded handsoly for your loyalty, Victor. I'll even grant you the ultimate prize... the chance to claim Blackwood Alia's body as your own! Her Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation-tempered physique... imagine the power!"
Victor's breath hitched.
The thought of possessing Alia, a prodigy whose talent was spoken of in hushed whispers, sent a thrill of excitent through him.
But he wasn't a fool. He had seen Danny's true colors.
"Swear it," he said, his voice surprisingly steady.
"Swear a blood oath that you'll fulfill your promise."
Danny hesitated, his eyes narrowed.
But he was desperate.
"Very well," he hissed.
"I, Danny of the Kylin Mountain Roberts, swear upon my blood and my lineage..."
...
With the Roberts family dealt with, a strange calm settled over Azure Cloud.
News of Danny's fate spread like wildfire, serving as a stark warning to any who dared to underestimate Blackwood's resolve.
Blackwood, however, wasn't resting on its laurels.
They knew the Roberts family wouldn't forgive or forget this humiliation.
They prepared for retaliation, reinforcing their defenses and strengthening their alliances.
Even Bill Daoist and Owen, disgusted by Sunshine Mansion's greed and treachery, pledged their support.
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If the Roberts family dared to retaliate, they would face the full might of Blackwood and its allies.
"Those Roberts fools," Owen had scoffed, his hand resting on the hilt of his warhamr, an heirloom weapon that pulsed with restrained power.
"They have but one asly Basic Mastery cultivator to their na. If not for the risk of escalating the conflict, I'd pay them a visit myself and teach them so manners."
Five years passed.
Life in Cloudview County settled into a new rhythm.
The border remained a flashpoint, skirmishes erupting with predictable regularity.
But Blackwood stood firm, their defenses bolstered by Ethan's guidance and the growing strength of their allies.
[Congratulations! Under Daniel's leadership and Jessica's tactical brilliance, your family has slain over three hundred thousand Druids in the past five years. You have successfully annexed forr Druid territory into Cloudview County, achieving remarkable victories. You have gained 5 Family Willpower.]
Ethan tallied his gains.
Between the family's accomplishnts and his careful managent, his Family Willpower had reached an impressive 53 points.
On the battlefield, both Jessica and Daniel had flourished.
[Your descendant, Jessica, has slain over ten thousand enemies in battle. She attempted to establish peaceful coexistence with the Druids, but their ideologies proved irreconcilable.
After a group of Druid captives collaborated with their brethren to launch a surprise attack on Azure Cloud's forces, your descendant spent six months constructing a network of killing grounds, utilizing both natural formations and psychic formations to eliminate over a million Druids.]
[Trait: Druid Slayer – Having slain over a million Druids, Jessica can now withstand the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.]
Clad in crimson armor, Jessica stood atop Border Town's wall, her gaze sweeping across the endless expanse of the Endless Forest.
Her expression was calm, her grip on her twin swords steady.
Below her, the soldiers of the Azure Cloud army stood in disciplined ranks, eighty thousand strong.
If not for the constant attrition of war, their numbers would have easily swelled to two hundred thousand.
Each soldier wore crimson armor, their movents synchronized and precise.
The armor... it was eerily reminiscent of the Black Iron Blood Armor Julian had crafted all those years ago.
And indeed, it was Julian who had gifted the design to Cloudview County's enchanters.
His armor, while incredibly potent, was also relatively simple to craft, perfect for outfitting a large army on short notice.
Each suit was a masterpiece of psychic engineering, forged from tal and tempered in the blood of slain Druids for forty-nine days.
The results were... unpredictable, to say the least.
But each suit amplified the wearer's psychic powers, allowing them to channel their energy into devastating formations.
Jessica smiled, a hint of pride flickering in her eyes.
Half of the Azure Cloud army now answered to her command.
Another three hundred thousand Psychics stood ready to answer her call, their ranks swelling with each passing year as a new generation ca of age, eager to prove themselves in battle.
And all of it, this formidable force, was but a single cog in the machine her uncle Daniel had built.
"Jessica, your tribulation approaches."
Daniel materialized beside her, his keen senses detecting the telltale signs of an impending tribulation gathering in the sky above her.
It crackled with raw power, tinged with the bloodlust and resentnt of countless slain Druids.
"The Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation," he said, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Most impressive. Your aunt has been hard at work, crafting a new batch of seventh-grade elixirs. And the family's alchemists have prepared a dozen high-grade healing pills. Your uncle Julian even crafted you a new weapon. It's ti to prepare for your breakthrough."
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