A Deterrent

The Bloody Totem Province possessed power far beyond that held by the White Bat Province, but they were unable to mobilise all of their warriors against a single province. They were under a joint attack from 22 provinces, and even though those provinces were holding back in the hope that they did not enrage Yaan, the 'Red Demon', it was still very difficult to protect their borders.

There were eight 5-Star Realm warriors in the White Bat Province, three of which belonged to the White Bat Tribe. In comparison, the Bloody Totem Tribe Leader was the only 5-Star Realm warrior defending the Bloody Totem Province, and she was barely able to cope during this past year.

If the White Bat Province's 5-Star Realm warriors had been truly serious in their assault, she wouldn't have been able to hold on until now. Their hope was that by restraining themselves from going all out, the Red Demon would take their difficult situation into account, if and when he returned…

As Yaan stared down at the White Bat Tribe, he could not care less about their difficult predicament. The fact that they had only initiated this war due to the Lunar Song Tribe's orders was irrelevant, because he needed to send a message to the tribes of this kingdom.

Yaan did not want to fight right now, he wanted to enter secluded cultivation. He wanted to cultivate in peace until he reached the Peak Vital Qi Core Realm, then he wanted to continue cultivating, perceiving the boundary of the Vital Qi Spirit Realm.

He knew that he would need to spend many years on this pursuit, and he did not want to be interrupted during this time. And so, he needed to show the tribes in the Kingdom of Lunar Song why they should not mess with his province, even if he himself was busy.

Behind Yaan, the Bloody Totem Tribe Leader stood silently, along with the many 4-Star Realm subordinates. They saw the heavy killing intent in Yaan's gaze. This killing intent was so extreme that they could not even muster up the courage to stand close to him, even though they were on the same side.

Recently, for an unknown reason, the killing intent in Yaan's heart had been growing stronger. He at first thought this was due to the Slaughter Aura that he had refined from various powerful cultivators, but the strange killing intent lingered, and even became stronger, even after he cultivated in seclusion for almost three years.

He realised that as he drew closer to the Vital Qi Spirit Realm, this strange feeling was growing stronger. It was still quite vague and not even close to being a problem, but it troubled Yaan that he felt this way for no obvious reason.

Yaan was not stupid, he understood that this constant feeling, although subtle, was beginning to influence his actions.

Even so, Yaan did not particularly enjoy killing.…but today, he would kill.

He would kill more than he had ever killed before.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Three 5-Star Realm warriors quickly appeared outside of the White Bat Tribe's protective formation. Yaan raised an eyebrow after seeing this…it was strange that they would expose themselves like this.

"Lord Red Demon, we greet you with the utmost respect. We would like to apologise for our actions in this past year, you see, we were forced by the Lunar Song Tribe to…to…"

The foremost of the three warriors, an old man dressed quite elegantly for a warrior of the Blood Plane, trailed off as he saw the look in Yaan's eyes.

An indiscernible colour manifested within Yaan's eyes.

On the surface, it looked like these elders had left their tribe's protection formation as a sign of good faith, but the truth was completely different. After using the Reveal Truth spell, Yaan immediately saw through this matter.

They were actually stood within the outer perimeter of the formation. If he attacked them right now, he would fall into their trap. He would be targeted by the all-out attack of the formation, whilst they would be transported to safety.

The three elders felt terrified when they saw Yaan's eyes; it was the feeling of being completely seen through, as if they could not keep any secrets before him!

In their minds, they all had the same thought…

'Immortal!'

They naturally had this misunderstanding. Yaan's power had grown far beyond their comprehension. In their eyes, only immortals could grasp such a terrifying ability!

Whoosh…

Yaan did not reply to their greeting. After he exposed their ploy, and after he saw through this formation as a whole, he rushed forwards, using the 1st step of the Agile Illusion Art to cross the large distance in an instant. They were completely unable to react in time. Yaan amplified the power of this art using his illusion dao, causing his speed to transcend the limits of any 5-Star Realm warrior by many times.

BANG!

His blade first ripped through the formation, causing layers of white and orange runes to appear, then immediately collapse. Before the elders of the White Bat Tribe could even feel any shock, Yaan was already before them.

CHI!

Using the same move, he pushed forwards, stabbing through the throat of the old man who had spoken just a moment ago. Not only was his head torn from his body by the mere shockwaves of the strike, but waves of air and blood exploded out all around, creating a devastating blow that slammed into the other two elders.

The two 5-Star Realm elders were injured severely before the formation could even protect them.

Yaan's eyes flashed with the strange light once again, he activated Reveal Truth whilst pursuing one of those two elders. He saw that the formation, even though he had damaged it, was beginning to react. If he didn't do anything, those elders would be transported away at a speed that even he could not match.

The abyssal blood sword was utilised crazily many times, each strike obliterating a part of the formation. Yaan was not targeting the components of the formation since those components were not within the formation's border, but within the tribe. Even so, his attacks disrupted the formation's function and caused it to go awry, resulting in it being unable to hinder his movement, and unable to protect those elders.

The female warrior stared up with despair in her eyes as she watched the black demonic sword descending upon her.

"Don't!" The other surviving elder, an older man with a giant build and long black hair, called out in anxiety.

CHING!

Yaan ignored his cry, cutting the woman in half. He did not have time to take her Vital Core in this situation, so he directly destroyed it, before moving on to the last elder.

Bang, bang, bang!

Detonations repeatedly lit up the sky as Yaan wrecked the formation all along his war path. He cared not for the collateral damage, the chaotic explosions that destroyed portions of the tribe down below, as he battled his way towards the final 5-Star Realm warrior.

CHI!

The man's head was removed with a single blow. Yaan then proceeded to slice open a hole in his chest, before pocketing his Vital Core.

5-Star Realm warriors were no longer Yaan's match, but everyone already knew this. What was so shocking, was that he could actually hunt down three 5-Star Realm warriors, all whilst battling against the tribe's protective formation!

This level of power was simply terrifying!

For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent. The onlookers, both inside and outside of the tribe, could not say a single word. They were so stunned by Yaan's overwhelming display of ferocity and might, that their brains stopped working for a moment.

Even the formation did not act against Yaan right now, causing people to feel as if the formation itself feared him! Naturally, this was untrue, Yaan had just broken it temporarily.

BANG!

Not wanting to waste time here since he had another 21 provinces to deal with, Yaan blasted open a giant hole in the formation, creating an opening for his subordinates to enter through. Seeing them still standing dead still, shocked and unable to process what had just happened, Yaan threw the group a glance.

"Hurry up, don't waste my time."

His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads. The Bloody Totem Tribe Leader was the first to react, hurriedly flying forwards and passing through the formation, leading the way for the others.

After everyone had entered the tribe, Yaan also slipped past the formation, allowing the opening to partially mend itself behind him.

The formation was damaged, but since it was still able to repair itself, it should not be in such a pitiful state that it was unable to target them whilst they were within the bounds of the tribe. However, the formation became still, showing no signs of moving.

"L-Lord Red Demon, please have mercy!" At this moment, a group of 4-Star Realm warriors all flew across to Yaan and his small army. Some had hatred in their eyes, some were barely holding back their sadness and anger, but for the most part, there was a singular emotion which was shared amongst all of these winged tribesmen…

Fear.

How could they not be afraid?

They had lived their entire lives as the tyrannical ruler of this province. They were always the ones stepping on others, it had never been the other way around!

In the face of someone like Yaan, someone with the power to annihilate them without any resistance, they could not remain strong-willed and courageous. Not only their lives, but their entire tribe was at stake!

"Lord, we were wrong for attacking the Bloody Totem Province, please have mercy!"

"Lord, please forgive us, we were wrong!"

"Lord, we will submit to your Bloody Totem Tribe, there is no need for further blood-shed…"

…

The 4-Star Realm warriors all spoke out, some with unwillingness and reluctance, others with earnest hearts. On the Blood Plane, there were many people who would rather die than admit defeat, but very few were obstinate enough that they would willingly drag their entire tribe down with them.

The Bloody Totem Tribe Leader said nothing, instead looking towards Yaan and waiting for his instructions.

Yaan also did not speak…instead he raised his sword above his head.

The blade seemed to be enormous before their eyes…no, it really was massive, far too massive!

This was naturally an illusion, but in Yaan's hands, an illusion could become a deadly weapon. Back when he fought the 6-Star Realm warrior, he also attacked with an illusory sword. Now, he was simply creating the illusion that his abyssal blood sword was hundreds of times larger than it really was.

As for why he needed to enlarge his sword?

It was to save time.

As the blade cut through the air towards them, the 4-Star Realm warriors experienced a pressure so strong that they could not move. Yaan's killing intent seemed to envelope their minds, causing their will to break and their hearts to despair.

The outcome was as expected.

BANG!

In a single blow, he obliterated tens of 4-Star Realm warriors. They could not even resist against Yaan's attack, but this was to be expected. What was more shocking, was the fact that Yaan had chosen to kill them all, rather than accepting their defeat! This was very different compared to his actions in the past.

Yaan did not turn to face his subordinates, but he issued an order, before taking a step and vanishing from his position, rushing deeper into the tribe.

"Let the world know that the Bloody Totem Province cannot be touched. Kill them all."