Two months had passed since Lan An returned to Yuelong Star in the identity of Xue Leng…
During this period, several continent-shaking events occurred, becoming the hottest topics of discussion throughout the entire Cultivation World…
The Hu Clan and Kun Clan officially announced their departure from the U Origin Continent and relocated to the Ice Heaven Continent, becoming allied forces with the Harem and the Holy Spirit Academy… leaving the entire world in shock.
After thorough investigation, the root cause was revealed: it stemmed from the serious mistake of the Heavenly Demon Academy and the Giao Clan, who had deliberately delayed reinforcements to the Hu Clan during the Blood Imperial Clan's surprise attack, all for their own selfish purposes.
The Blood Extermination Alliance Council convened once again to deliberate on a solution. In the end, they decided to temporarily suspend the Heavenly Demon Academy's rights within the Council until they performed meritorious deeds to atone for their crimes. In the coming period, the Heavenly Demon Academy would have no right to interfere in any decisions made by the Blood Extermination Alliance Council regarding the resistance against the Blood Imperial Clan.
The moment this decision was announced to the world, it caused an uproar across the Cultivation World. The Heavenly Demon Academy's reputation plummeted to rock bottom. The once-revered holy land of the Demon Beast race suffered a severe loss of prestige, triggering an unprecedented wave of public outrage across the U Origin Continent…
Among the Four Great Academies, only the Heavenly Demon Academy symbolized the Demon Beast race and served as the spiritual faith in the hearts of all demon beasts… Yet now, its status had fallen below that of the other three great academies. The entire demon beast race found it difficult to accept…
Compared to the Heavenly Demon Academy's loss of reputation, the Harem's strength once again shocked the entire star. In the eyes of many, the status of the force led by Lan An had far surpassed all others and was showing signs of rivaling the Multi-Treasure Pavilion, which had stood for over ten thousand years.
The forces that had previously held grudges against the Harem's master — such as the Sea Palace, Shadow Island, and Seven Killings Sect — hurriedly came to Peaceful City bearing gifts to apologize. However, it was said that they couldn't even meet a single member of the Harem…
Meanwhile, the smaller to medium-sized forces that had close ties with the Harem — such as Flower Bamboo City, Ai Ren Island, the Ai Clan, Spirit Island, and the Ice Profound Empire — saw their status soar to unprecedented heights, becoming objects of envy for countless people…
Not to mention the rising prestige of the Hundred Flowers Sect. In name, the Harem and the Hundred Flowers Sect were one and the same…
Of course, whenever a force was discussed, its leader always became the focal point of attention. The Harem's master, Lan An, instantly rose to the top of the wave and became the most frequently mentioned name at the moment, even though he had yet to appear…
…
If only those events had occurred in these two months… although they carried significant influence on the overall situation of the Cultivation World, they still weren't enough to make everyone feel fear or unease…
What truly made everyone's hearts restless was that… after their failed surprise attack on the Hu Clan, the Blood Imperial Clan had once again reared its head and committed even more frenzied acts…
Five hundred Blood Guards and thirty Blood Generals were rapidly mobilized, madly expanding their territory and plundering blood essence. Their target was none other than the U Origin Continent, which had just lost two major Ninth Grade forces to support it…
Clearly, the Blood Imperial Clan had decided to strike the snake at its head — first pacifying U Origin now that it had lost two Ninth Grade forces.
It had to be known that each Ninth Grade force like the Hu Clan or Kun Clan possessed, on average, around thirty Sixth Grade demon beasts and six or more Seventh Grade demon beasts.
With the loss of the Hu Clan and Kun Clan, U Origin's overall combat power had been greatly reduced. Where would they find the manpower to resist the Blood Imperial Clan's invasion?
Faced with this critical situation, the Blood Extermination Alliance Council quickly formulated a response. Led by the Heavenly Demon Academy and supported by the Giao Clan as the main frontline force, they would directly confront the enemy… with assistance from the Seven Killings Sect and a group of protectors from the Multi-Treasure Pavilion.
U Origin naturally still had other representative Eighth Grade forces, such as the Bat Clan, Wolf Clan, Five Marquis Clan, Turtle Clan, Alligator Clan, and even the Lan Clan, which was forced to join the war…
The Heavenly Demon Academy fully mobilized all members at the Sixth Grade demon beast level and above to participate in the battlefield…
An unprecedented great war broke out…
…
The war dragged on for half a month. Thanks to the overwhelming numerical advantage and the Blood Slaughter Corpse Puppets possessed by every member, the Blood Imperial Clan continuously pushed back the U Origin Continent's experts. Corpses piled up like mountains. No one knew how many low-level demon beast races had been sacrificed. Naturally, the Blood Imperial Clan also suffered losses.
Faced with the brutality of the great war, as the leader of the frontline, Niu Wu Ba issued a decisive order: "All demon beast races shall abandon their territories and migrate together to form a single large base stationed at the Heavenly Demon Academy, joining hands to resist the Blood Imperial Clan!"
It had to be said that Niu Wu Ba's strategy was very effective. The "empty city" tactic immediately showed its advantages. Although the Blood Imperial Clan experts had occupied most of U Origin's territory and expanded their domain, their faces all looked as if they had swallowed a fly — extremely unpleasant, with no joy of victory whatsoever.
What was the point of occupying so much land? Their goal was to plunder blood essence. The damn demon beasts had all retreated like turtles into their shells inside the Heavenly Demon Academy's Heavenly Demon City. Where were they supposed to plunder blood essence from now?
Because of this, the Blood Imperial Clan also quickly regrouped and established a Blood Imperial City directly opposite Heavenly Demon City, and the great war continued…
One day, the two armies gathered on the battlefield. The U Origin side concentrated in front of Heavenly Demon City, while the Blood Imperial Clan forces concentrated in front of Blood Imperial City. Both sides stared at each other with surging killing intent… The atmosphere was tense, with bows drawn and arrows nocked.
Looking at the numbers on both sides, it was clear that in terms of sheer quantity… the U Origin Continent held a clear advantage, because they possessed many demon beast armies — Wolf Army, Bat Army, Marquis Army, Giao Army, Eagle Army…
All composed of demon beasts, their momentum was extraordinary…
However, when it came to the quality of top experts, they were clearly inferior to the Blood Imperial Clan…
After the period of great war, the Blood Imperial Clan still had more than four hundred Blood Guards and four hundred Blood Slaughter Corpse Puppets at the Sixth Revolution level, while the U Origin side — including all the instructors of the Heavenly Demon Academy, the elders and clan leaders of the Eighth Grade forces, plus reinforcements from the Seven Killings Sect and Multi-Treasure Pavilion — only numbered around fifty or so…
In terms of Blood Generals, the Blood Imperial Clan still had twenty-six, along with a corresponding number of Seventh Revolution Blood Slaughter Corpse Puppets, for a total of roughly fifty-two.
In comparison… the U Origin side had the Ten Great Elders of the Heavenly Demon Academy at the Seventh Grade, the Giao Clan (including their clan leader and elders) with eight Seventh Grade experts, two Heavenly Killers from the Seven Killings Sect, and four elders from the Multi-Treasure Pavilion at the Fusion Realm… for a total of twenty-four.
One could see just how great an advantage it was to have a Blood Slaughter Corpse Puppet by one's side. Fighting a Blood Clan cultivator was practically like fighting two opponents at once.
"Damn it, if only our army still had the Hu Clan and Kun Clan… we wouldn't be at such a disadvantage!"
Seeing that their main combat force was nearly half that of the enemy, the demon beast races felt endless regret in their hearts…
The battle had not even begun, yet their morale had already dropped a level.
"Could this be retribution? Does Heaven want to destroy our U Origin?!" Ba Li Jiao Huang's face was ashen. The horn on his head had been shattered by Lan An and would never grow back in his lifetime.
Regarding the Giao Clan's scheming against the Hu Clan, Ba Li Jiao Huang had always felt guilty in his heart. Now that the consequences were approaching… the Hu Clan and Kun Clan, who should have stood shoulder to shoulder with them, were instead living peacefully on the Ice Heaven Continent.
"No need to be afraid. Everyone understands the principle that 'when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter'… The Blood Extermination Alliance Council will not sit idly by and watch our U Origin be defeated!" Ba Li Jiao Jun was much calmer. He knew that those old monsters were still secretly observing. In a truly critical situation, they would definitely take action.
It was just that no one knew yet how many hidden cards the Blood Imperial Clan still had left, so they wanted to use the U Origin Continent to gradually probe them.
Otherwise, once U Origin was destroyed and the Blood Imperial Clan obtained a massive amount of blood essence to achieve their goals, the other three continents would not sit idly by and allow such a scene to occur.
Seeing the demon beast race's morale somewhat low, Ba Li Jiao Jun knew it was time to take action to improve it. He quickly looked toward Niu Wu Ba and said:
"Give the entire army a dose of morale-boosting medicine!"
Niu Wu Ba understood and nodded. He looked toward the Turtle Shell Old Man. For something like this, no one was more suitable than the old turtle.
After being beaten half to death by Ju Mei Ying last time, the Turtle Shell Old Man's injuries had not fully recovered. His skin looked somewhat pale. However, his foul mouth remained unchanged. He leaped onto the wall of Heavenly Demon City, looked down at the Blood Imperial Clan forces, and roared loudly:
"Blood Imperial Clan brats, listen up and answer!"
His voice, infused with the Spiritual Power of an Eighth Grade expert, immediately echoed across the entire battlefield, leaving everyone dumbfounded…
"What the hell?"
The Blood Imperial Clan members' faces turned blank, but the entire group remained silent. No one answered. The damn turtle had called them "brats." Replying would be no different from confirming his words…
"What's wrong? Have you all gone mute? Grandpa calls and you don't answer. What a bunch of unfilial bastards!" The Turtle Shell Old Man roared until his face turned red and his neck swelled.
Countless Blood Imperial Clan experts present flushed red with anger, wishing they could rush forward and sew that foul mouth shut…
"Hmph… Last time in the genius competition, you were completely crushed by our Cultivation World and nearly all died, yet you still dare to act arrogant. Get back to your pens, all of you!" The Turtle Shell Old Man spat as he cursed, growing more and more heated.
"This old turtle is too despicable… I want to go out and kill him!" One Blood Envoy hidden in the void gnashed his teeth in hatred.
"Don't be impatient. The strength of our Blood Imperial Clan has completely suppressed Yuelong Star. Give them a little hope first, then crush it all — only then will the anger in our hearts be appeased!" Another Blood Envoy laughed coldly.
"Enough, hurry up… I've been thirsty for blood for a long time!" The group of Blood Envoys ground their teeth.
If there was one force they hated the most, it was the Harem. But the one they wanted to kill the most was this damn old turtle.
"This old man will give you brats one chance to admit your mistakes. Quickly send out a representative at the Void Refining or Fusion Realm to fight against our war generals and see who is stronger!" The Turtle Shell Old Man finally got to the main point and shouted with a cold laugh.
"Want a general battle?" The Blood Envoys immediately laughed coldly. The previous genius battle had failed because the Harem had carried the entire group. Now, without the Harem here, this old turtle still dared to act arrogant. Did he want to die?
"Xue Yan! You will represent all the Blood Generals and take the head of the enemy!" One Four-Heart Blood Envoy said in a deep voice.
"Understood, Great One. Khak khak!"
From the ranks of the Blood Generals, a middle-aged man in bright red blood armor threw his head back and laughed savagely. Then he shot forward… His peak Void Refining aura was fully unleashed as he looked at the entire U Origin Continent and roared:
"You U Origin beasts, who dares to come out and accept death?"
Hearing this roar, a group of Sixth Grade demon beasts grew furious and wanted to step forward, but they were still waiting for Niu Wu Ba's order.
Niu Wu Ba and the other top experts exchanged glances. They knew that the general battle would be an opportunity to boost their side's morale. They could not afford to lose.
This man named Xue Yan clearly looked like a battle-hardened veteran. His cultivation was condensed and solid. He was not in the category of young geniuses, but rather a seasoned warrior within the Void Refining realm.
Fighting against such a character with a young genius who lacked experience would not be a good idea. Niu Wu Ba swept his gaze across the field and finally stopped on the leaders of the Eighth Grade forces: the Marquis Clan Leader, Bat Clan Leader, Wolf Clan Leader, and others…
These were all old monsters within the Void Refining realm. They should be enough to contend with that Xue Yan…
"Academy Head Niu, please allow me to fight this battle!"
However, at this moment, a voice filled with determination and desperation rang out, showing the highest level of resolve.
"It's you?" Niu Wu Ba's expression changed slightly. In terms of experience and strength, the person before him was completely qualified. However, his identity was somewhat inappropriate…
Lan Po Lei, the Clan Leader of the Lan Clan, a peak Void Refining expert.
In the opening battle between U Origin and the Blood Imperial Clan, it should have been demon beasts who stepped forward. As a human, Lan Po Lei was somewhat unsuitable…
"I have been sheltered by the Heavenly Demon Academy and feel deep gratitude in my heart. I have always wanted to show my loyalty and hope to be granted this opportunity!" Seeing Niu Wu Ba hesitate, Lan Po Lei immediately cupped his hands and bowed, his attitude respectful.
In his heart, Lan Po Lei had already decided that even if he died, he would risk everything to cling tightly to Niu Wu Ba's thigh. As the Harem's power grew day by day, there would inevitably come a time when there would be no place left for the Lan Clan under this sky…
And since Niu Wu Ba was a key combat force of the Cultivation World in resisting the Blood Imperial Clan, with the Blood Extermination Alliance Council's rule against internal fighting, the Harem would not be able to casually deal with the Lan Clan if they clung tightly to Niu Wu Ba and the Heavenly Demon Academy.
That was why, this time, Lan Po Lei was determined to show his loyalty and catch Niu Wu Ba's eye.
This was his and the Lan Clan's final choice.
The past period had been a time of crisis for the Lan Clan. They had even considered submitting to the Blood Imperial Clan… but submitting also required being valued. With the Blood Imperial Clan's strength, they simply looked down on the Lan Clan. Submitting would likely lead to ten deaths and no survival…
Niu Wu Ba's face darkened. Seeing the desperate look in Lan Po Lei's eyes, he finally spoke in a heavy voice:
"Do not disappoint me, or you know the consequences, right?"
Lan Po Lei nodded solemnly and answered shortly: "Understood!"
Under the watchful eyes of countless people…
The man who had once been domineering and majestic across the Ice Heaven Continent — the Lan Clan Leader, Lan Po Lei — stepped onto the stage!