Bloodbath on the horizon

"What do you mean the reconnaissance units were destroyed?!" *Bang* The He An Clan leader's voice is filled with fury as he slams his hand on the table with all his might.

"Honored clan leader, forgive this insolent servant, but I am just the mess--!" Before the poor Rank 2 gu master could finish his words, he is punched and sent flying across the room.

"I'm surrounded by incompetents! And it's never anyone's fault, apparently!" The clan leader yells, glaring at the Rank 2 gu master crawling on the floor with a fearful expression.

"Could you explain to me how taking out your anger on this poor gu master will solve our problems?" Wang Su, the elder of the Justice Hall and also the clan leader's uncle, speaks calmly, unafraid of offending the clan leader.

An absolute silence follows, as the other elders in the meeting room do their best not to make a sound, fearing the clan leader's wrath.

"…Don't act like our familial relationship gives you the right to do as you please." Wang Xi, the clan leader, speaks in a low voice that carries a tone of threat towards Wang Su.

"You both should be more concerned about the danger at our doorstep than your egos…" As if to heighten the tension, a low voice emerges. However, unlike what someone unfamiliar with the clan's situation might expect, this voice doesn't increase the tension but calms the atmosphere.

This voice belongs to Wang Liu, the old clan leader, who is sitting in an armchair and speaks with difficulty due to his deteriorating health, which has been worsening over the years. In fact, the only reason he is able to act now in this meeting is because of the Rank 3 Elder's Last Triumph Gu.

"So, Chen Wang… did you manage to contact the one who allegedly is your grandson?" Despite his weak health and hoarse voice, Wang Liu carries great authority felt by everyone in the meeting room.

At this moment, the gaze of all the elders, both old and new, as they were all summoned for this meeting, turns to Chen Wang.

Chen Wang, unlike his former imposing, magnanimous, and unassailable image, now looks disheveled and exhausted, more like a beggar than an honored clan elder.

"…Sir, old clan leader… no matter the methods I used, I received no response… just as the investigation teams I sent met the same fate as the others." Chen Wang speaks not only with melancholy but also with a defeated expression, a sentiment shared by all the elders in this meeting. However, some are simply channeling these emotions into anger.

For Chen Wang in particular, this problem started much earlier, or more precisely, just over two months ago when, during the Battle of the Blood Lake, his talented grandson Chen Wei disappeared into thin air in front of everyone, along with an elder from the Feng Zhi clan.

At first, Chen Wang thought it was some trick by the Feng Zhi clan, so he tried to fight them to rescue his grandson, but this failed as the immortal inheritance began using its aura to force everyone to return to their clans and stop the fight.

After being forced to return to the clan because of the immortal inheritance, he discovered that Wang Mei had also suddenly disappeared, which was another headache for him, as she is the clan leader's daughter and was under his care. Thus, he has been under constant pressure not only from the clan leader's faction but also from his rivals for the past two months.

But all this doesn't compare to the shock after the information came from both spies and gu masters fleeing for refuge. This information was that Chen Wei, his grandson, had reappeared and in this time had destroyed the Feng Zhi clan.

At first, even he didn't believe this news, much less the other elders. But after the same happened with the Xiong Mao clan a few days later, and now a tide of blood creatures was heading their way, everyone was forced to accept this truth.

"Well, despite my affection and appreciation for my son-in-law, I must assume that he harbors ill…" Wang Ci speaks with a tone of melancholy mixed with anger, as he hoped that with Chen Wei's appearance, he could find the whereabouts of his daughter, "…intentions, coming against us with his army of blood beasts he used to destroy two clans so far."

"Sir, at this point, I say it's safe to assume the one controlling that body isn't Chen Wei, but rather the immortal who left the inheritance…" Shu Yang, one of Chen Wang's rivals, speaks without any political maneuvering, just stating what most elders think.

The reason is obvious; despite Chen Wei being one of the most talented youths in the clan's history, it's impossible for a mere Rank 3 Initial Stage like he was to defeat multiple Rank 3 elders and a Rank 4 clan leader, as they have heard.

"I think that's reasonable at this point…" Wang Xi speaks with disgust, considering the sadistic motives this immortal might have had for kidnapping his daughter as well.

"Well… if I may speak on the few pieces of information we've managed to gather…" Bi Nie, the new elder of the Internal Affairs Hall after Tai Zhi was tried and executed for treason, speaks.

"Go ahead." Wang Liu, the old clan leader, says.

"Well, by the easiest to know about, the speed of this blood beast tide suggests they'll reach the clan today…" Bi Nie starts his report.

"Well, according to rough estimates, the tide of blood creatures numbers around fifty thousand and is only increasing." Bi Nie begins explaining everything methodically, like a teacher giving a presentation.

"Additionally, according to information from scouts who managed to return to the clan, as well as refugees from other clans, most of the blood creatures are at Rank 1 in strength." Bi Nie's words are met with nods of agreement from the elders.

"Well… but among these, approximately four thousand compare to Rank 2 gu masters." These words make all the clan elders nervous, as these numbers exceed many medium-sized clans. Moreover, these creatures follow commands perfectly and fearlessly, which is even more terrifying.

"…And even more, the number of Rank 3 creatures is around 70."

"…And if what some refugees say is true, he has two creatures with Rank 4 battle strength…" As if the previous news hadn't shocked everyone enough, Bi Nie speaks with extreme melancholy.

"Impossible!! Even for an immortal!" Wang Xi shouts in shock and fury, as the He An clan is not unfamiliar with the Blood Creature gu, and even knowing that must be a Rank 4 version of the gu, it shouldn't be capable of this.

He is certain of this, as they used the Blood Creature in the war in the past, but even then, they didn't fully understand its capabilities or its recipe.

But after the appearance of this blood creature tide, the elders united to pressure Chen Wang into revealing the various Blood Path gu recipes created by his grandson, including this one, as they saw an opportunity amidst the disaster to deal with a major strength of a rival.

"You underestimate what an immortal could do… especially with that young man's mind." Si Mang, Tradition Hall Elder and also the oldest of the elders, speaks with a tone of reproach at the idea of a junior in his voice.

"You want me to believe that it's possible for two Rank 4 creatures to appear so easily?" Wang Xi speaks, leaving even Si Mang without words, as he has no way to justify this fact.

"…It's best we prepare for the worst… and if that's the case, the He An clan, like the Xiong Mao and Feng Zhi clans, will fall." This phrase could be considered an act of treason and taken to a court-martial in most cases, but as it comes from the mouth of the honored old clan leader Wang Liu, everyone listens as if it were an imperial decree.

"Of course, this is only the worst-case scenario… and even then, my men of the He An clan refuse to fall without a fight, right?!" Wang Liu says as if to boost the morale of the elders who have been in the depths of despair for a long time.

"Yes, honored old clan leader!!"

"Of course, how could our mighty clan go down without a fight!"

"I swear to make this immortal regret attacking our He An clan!"

"I swear if this immortal appears at the clan's gates, I will personally kill him!!"

At that very moment, as if the last words had jinxed them, a loud noise is heard coming from one of the clan's walls, followed by a strong shockwave that could knock a weaker person to the ground.

"Sir!! The beat tide has arrived and breached the clan wall!!" Less than a moment after the explosion, a Rank 2 gu master runs into the meeting room with a desperate expression.

"Damn it, that's hours earlier than we expected…!" Wang Xi says while activating various Information Path gu to give orders to the frontline troops.

"…Sir, I have received reports from the front lines… it's the worst-case scenario." Chen Wang, despite being suppressed recently by other elders, is still the Strategy Hall Elder, so he is naturally the first to receive the front line's recognition.

"…" Absolute silence falls over the meeting room, as the last thread of hope the elders were clinging to, even if it was just a futile attempt to stay positive, is broken.

"Ahhh, you go to the front lines! I and your subordinates will give orders to the troops from the rear." Wang Liu speaks with a stern look, not accepting the slightest dissent.

"Yes, old clan leader!"

"Understood, old clan leader!"

"Of course, old clan leader!"

All the elders agree immediately, as their respect for the old clan leader is immense. Besides, it's not like they suspect the old clan leader is trying to avoid the front lines, as if he were able to fight, he would be advancing into battle.

But his condition is barely stable, in this state where he can hardly sit in an armchair, so he would be of no help on the front lines and would probably have the opposite effect, as the clan elders would have to guard him.

"Let's go!" Without worrying about formalities, the clan leader, followed by the elders, quickly exits through the meeting room window and runs across the rooftops, heading at high speed to the walls.

"Quick, healing gu masters here!!"

"Damn it, these blood beasts don't die!!"

"Where the hell are the reinforcements!?!?"

"No, I don't want to die here, why is it like this!?!?!"

Quickly, as the elders approach the clan wall that has been the front line, they hear loud crying and shouting from the clan members.

But this is nothing compared to the fearsome sight of the blood creatures advancing slowly but steadily, an unstoppable force that kills everything in its path while their numbers only increase.

"Little Wei..." Chen Wang, who, along with the other elders, stops at a tower near the walls, mutters with a complex expression as he looks into the distance, seeing Chen Wei standing on the horizon with two blood creatures that transmit a rank 4 aura by his side.

"Men, it was an honor to fight by your side..." the clan leader speaks with great melancholy, knowing that his death and that of everyone else is approaching as he looks at Chen Wei advancing along with the two blood creatures beside him. "...let's give this damn immortal Hell!!!"