Background story

In just the span of three days, Nightin and his army had already taken out nine of the bandits hideouts before they could even realise it. Ash wasn't lacking behind either and his army had already taken out four of the thirty seven other hideouts, but the four he had taken out while the four strongest hideouts.

Some may have been serious and ready for combat, but both armies just outstripped them in terms of power by too large of margin. This resulted in the two armies still maintaining their full manpower without suffering any casualties besides minor injuries not worth mentioning.

Two army, two youths, two contestants. Nightin and Ash may be taking different approaches, but if they manage to keep this up for another week without getting interrupted, they'll be able to launch an combined attack towards the leaders.

But of course, life is never smooth sailing and since this was supposed to be a challenge, they shouldn't have underestimated the opponent's communication range and methods.

Unlike most in bandits the open that depends on communicating through animals or communications tools, the leaders had imprinted a blood seal on the leader of every hideout.

If the leaders were to die or lose a certain amount of blood that puts their life in danger, then they would be alerted. The blood seal also carries a tracking device, which means that they already know where Nightin and Ash are going everytime.

"Leader, are we just going to watch as our brothers suffer and die?" One of the pale face subordinates asked.

"Don't worry, all of them are just mere pawns anyway. The best they can do before dying is to bring them towards me after sacrificing themselves." The first leader laughs hysterically, the third leader to his left watches coldly while the second leader wasn't present.

"But what can we do against tens of thousands of them with only a few hundred of us? We may be the elites that stand out from the norm and even if we can contend against one Half Saint each, their combined strength will still be enough to strike us down." The soldier hurriedly explains, worrying that the leader will just strike him down.

"You can die then." Before the bandit can even reply and before the two other leaders even react, a blade of spiralling wind cuts that soldier into half cleanly, the blood evaporating from the heat brought about by the speed before it lands on the ground.

"Jade, you have stepped into the middle stages of the Great Saint realm?" Kinuthia asks cautiously as he lowers his pride, he may be the eldest among the three of them, but what their tribe recognises is strength and not age.

"Yes, I have stepped into the middle stages of the Great Saint realm." Jade replies, her voice enchanting like the calls of a fairy.

Her light blue hair flows down her shoulder, resting on the exposed milky skin on her shoulder, her clothes were barely containing her assets and the upper part of her shoulder was exposed. Resting on her sharp neck was a pair of black rimmed spectacles that added onto her elegance, behind her were angelic wings of holiness.

"Kamau, I believe that you should adhere to your promise. You sworn on the life of your brothers and loved ones. That you'll never take back a decision that you've made even if you regret it." Jade says with a smile, not one that makes you fall in love with her, but one that makes you terrified of her.

"Don't worry, all I need is about seventy percent of your blood essence, it might take you about a few hundred years just to recover, but at least it won't affect your future potential."

Kamau stares back into Jade's eyes intensely, but gives up in the end with a helpless smile as he says to her "Jade, why must you push us this much? We were once the best of friends weren't we?"

"A friend is nothing but someone who might backstab me one day, what I need are loyal guards that'll listen to each and every single one of my command. They don't have to be willing either, their deaths will benefit my cultivation even if they die. Pretty generous of me, aren't I?"

"You're just a demon!" Kinuthia bellows as a spear appears in his hand. Arching his body backwards to throw the spear forward, the spear pierces through the air as the space around them distorts, flying straight for Jade without any warning.

"You guys should have anticipated the arrival of this day. You two are the reason why I'm not human anymore and a half devil, the two of you deserve death, all those filthy humans and devils deserve death and my job is to condemn all of you to hell!" Jade screeched as a wall of ice blocks the spear, devouring it.

"Replica!" Four spears form in the air, bringing about ripples that distorted the air at a slow frequency. But this signals trouble as the air pierces through the air in a straight line, much quicker than the speed Kinuthia managed to achieve in rage.

"Kinuthia be careful!" Kamau calls out anxiously as a shield formed in his hand, his body skidding to the side to block the attack off.

"You think that a shield at the middle Saviour grade can stop me? Stop being foolish!"

Without any shock or surprise, the shield vibrates for a moment when the spear strikes the shield in the center as cracks expanded quickly from the epicentre of the shield.

"Kamau! No!" Kinuthia cries as tears gushed out from his eyes, but right at the moment the spear was about to stab through Kamau's neck, it stops abruptly while the other three disperses.

"On account of our past relationship, I'll let you go. Leave now. Before I change my mind." Jade says coldly, but the tears welling up in her eyes reveals her softness and fear.

"Jade, return to use. Please, you know that Kamau and I need you. We can give up our leadership and power including our authority if you demand us to, we can return to how we once were." Kinuthia says as he stands and walks toward Jade, hoping that she'll change her mind, so that everything can return to how they once were.

Back in the past, the three of them were just wandering cultivators that roam the deserts where the poorer trading merchants pass by and even if they wanted to steal from the plains, they were just too weak back then. But all of that changed one day when Jade accidentally fell into the lake.

Back then, Kamau had dived down to save Jade while Kinuthia only stayed upshore crying from fear and helplessness. The him back then was weak willed and pathetic, he didn't have the guts to do anything and when trouble gets him, getting him to perform under stress will only cause panic.

When Kamau woke up, all he saw was Jade kneeling down coldly beside Kinuthia, her tears had already dried and even though she was already freezing to death from the chill, she still tried her utmost best to keep Kinuthia alive with whatever heat energy she could gather from the surroundings.

"Kamau, help me!" Jade called out frantically when she realised that the cold energy was already heading straight for Kinuthia's bones and would arrive at his heart shortly after.

"Sister Jade… I… I'm scared." Kamau back then was still a young teen around the age of fourteen at that time, he should be enjoying life and cultivating without fretting for his cultivation resources if he just wants to stay average and peaceful for life.

Even for others his age, they would already have their own mindset and show some signs of resilience and the determination to keep one's pride and integrity.

"Continue cowering in fear and your brother Kinuthia will die! Are you sure you want that? Come over and help me…" Before Jade could even finish speaking, her body fell limp onto the ground and took on the emergency defensive measures to protect her heart to keep her alive.

"Ahhh!" Kamau cried out in pain at that time as tears gushed from his eyes, burning flames gathered in his palm as he gathered all the heat energy around the area to form a gigantic scorching fireball, dispersing it into a beam of energy to help Kinuthia.

"That's enough." A voice says coldly. "I don't have much time to waste, so I'll make this quick." The voice says again as the cold energy within Kinuthia's body dissipates.

"The two of you are to work together hand in hand with this young lady I've chosen, but when the time comes, the two of you are to assist her as subordinates no matter what. If I find out that any of you three broke the taboo or rule stated, then I'll make an appearance personally to take the lives of all three of you. Mark my words."

None of them understood what happened that day even up till now, their cultivation soared rapidly to the Martial Emperor ninth gate and to their surprise then, what all of them had awakened were nine transcendent gates.

Back then, they had the wish to live a peaceful life and serve under one of the kingdoms, they were expecting a lucrative salary to live affluently while being able to help out the poor at the same time. Yet life plays another joke on them when they realised that the king actually wanted to make the three of them his slaves and extract all the possible information from their body after figuring out their background. Since then, the three of them returned to the battlefield and conjured up a story to deceive others about their background.

"Jade, since we can't break the taboo on our own, then why not we ask the person trying to invade us this time for help? It might seem helpless but…"

"But we'll be dead before he even arrives!" Jade screams as she dashed out of the chamber.

Kamau and Kinuthia stood still and didn't make a move, they had to wait here anyways and only approach Jade when their invader is here so that they stand a chance of being alive.