In this land, everyone was constantly striving to achieve their own hopes and goals. Snehwal was one of them.
But the judgment of his fate still remained hidden within the fog of the future.
Would he, in the times to come, attract the attention of the entire land like a star shining across the sky—
or would he be forgotten beneath the weight of time and dust like a closed book—
no one knew yet.
Because hard work alone was never enough.
The support of both fortune and wisdom at the proper time was equally necessary.
It was the balance between these three that allowed a person to reach greatness.
At the same time— in a distant region of the Middle Lands.
Inside an ordinary tavern, Jury, Lith, and Shon were seated. Numerous empty containers of alcohol lay before them.
The three Yakshinis, who had once ruled over their respective territories, were now drowned in intoxication.
After drinking throughout the entire night, the light of the morning sun was entering through the windows.
Yet all three of them lay unconscious with their heads resting upon the same table. Their condition was extremely miserable.
Humbha Yakshini had humiliated them and driven them out of her territory.
From one perspective, it was freedom from her captivity and control.
But from another perspective— it was an insult that had left deep wounds upon their hearts. And in this entire conflict, they were the ones who had suffered the greatest losses. The foundation of their cultivation had been shaken. Their hosts had been killed, their kingdoms had been taken from them. Their reputation and fame had been reduced to dust.
Everything they had built through years of effort seemed to have been destroyed in a single blow.
Now, whenever they looked at themselves— all they could see within was defeat, humiliation, and regret. They were ashamed of themselves.
And little by little, circumstances had made them far harsher and far more dangerous than before.
But the moment Jury regained consciousness, she slapped both Lith and Shon across the face.
With a slight twitch, the unconsciousness that had allowed them to escape from their pain suddenly shattered with a rustling jolt under the sting of that pain.
Jury said—
"You two are sleeping, while an excellent opportunity has appeared before me."
"If we gather all of our cultivator supporters and the wild beasts that cultivate, then surround Kankal City, chaos will erupt there."
"After that, we can force whatever terms we want."
Upon hearing this, both Yakshinis expressed their agreement.
Jury stood up and said— "Now Lily will find out what the three of us can accomplish together."
The three of them left four coins upon the table and began walking out.
As she departed, Jury cast a frightening glance toward the owner of the tavern as well.
He trembled slightly under that gaze. But he managed to maintain his composure.
Kankal City was peaceful and orderly, just as it was on any other day.
Little did it know that a massacre was approaching it. Lily was immersed in her cultivation.
Snehwal was busy with his arduous training journey. Liora was cultivating amidst her grief and emotions. Master Jins was occupied with making his final card meaningful. And Luna was continuously striving to achieve her goal.
None of them had any idea of the crisis that was approaching.
At the same time— far away, nearly one thousand wild beast cultivators and nearly one thousand human cultivators were advancing together.
Most of them were Second Stage and Third Stage cultivators. They were under the command of Jury, Lith, and Shon.
As evening fell, the entire group stopped upon a high plateau and made camp there. When night arrived, the three Yakshinis sat together inside a tent and talked. But Jury's heart was filled with so much jealousy and hatred toward Lily that she kept bringing her up again and again.
At last, Lith asked— "Is this force enough to defeat Lily?"
"And what if we are killed again this time?"
Before Shon could say anything, Jury let out a mad and terrifying laugh and said— "I do not want to conquer Kankal City."
"But I will not allow Lily to live peacefully with everything she has gained."
"If we spread fear and chaos around the city, she will understand that the humiliated Yakshinis are still alive."
"I want her to feel the same restlessness that we are feeling today."
Her laughter echoed throughout the camp for a long time.
The darkness of the night made that cackling laughter seem even more terrifying.
As though the darkness itself had become fearful of that madness.
Because the coming morning— was going to paint the earth red.