[Year 1028]
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, but for the entire Southern Frontier, every second counted.
Refugees were everywhere in Clearpeak Prefecture and Westfall Prefectures.
The commoners were fleeing; the Blood Moon had completely occupied the entirety of Grandhaven Prefecture and had reached the borders of Clearpeak Prefecture.
On the surface of the South Sea, ships sailed one after another.
At first, some unscrupulous cultivators collected spirit stones before allowing people to board spirit boats guarded by experts, as the sea domains were fraught with extreme peril.
Later, as the terrifying news spread panic, the cultivators no longer cared about the danger and began their own frantic escape.
On this day, within the territory of Clearpeak Prefecture, Li Jianshu—who had broken through to the Void Refinement realm relying on the massive amount of spiritual liquid left behind by Uncle Rain and the 'Void-Soul Exchanging Dao Technique' bestowed by the Old Ancestor—arrived, leading a large number of experts.
Hidden in all directions were seniors from numerous families and Westfall Prefecture, ready to respond to any unknown troubles.
Li Jianshu's face was dark.
The Red Dust Immortal's immortal methods and the demonic transformation methods had given the Southern Frontier hope.
But there were always those who were desperate—desperate people running away, as well as those fishing in troubled waters, believing that in such an environment, they could unbridledly slaughter commoners to enhance their immortal arts.
For this kind of person, back during the years when he was the Patriarch, he would not have hesitated to summon Heavenly Thunder.
But now, the palm lightning was delayed from striking down.
On the ground was a large-scale sect, the Drunken Dream Sect.
This was a major sword sect; most of the swordsmen in Clearpeak Prefecture originated from it.
The cultivators of this sect often carried a gourd at their waists, all of them drunkards, yet this did not hinder the drunks of the Drunken Dream Sect from upholding justice and intervening in the world's unfairness.
Now, the Ancestor of the Drunken Dream Sect, Zeng Xiao, stood covered in scars amidst the ruined walls in the center of the sect.
He looked with a complex expression at the numerous experts surrounding his sect in the cloudy sky.
Monstrous demonic qi emanated from his body. Among the besiegers were even disciples of his own Drunken Dream Sect.
In his hand was his lifebound demonic sword. The demonic sword had devoured countless lives, allowing a Divinity Transformation realm demon to reach the Void Refinement realm.
The price was the lives of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing along the roads, and four hundred disciples of the Drunken Dream Sect.
All the experts in the cloudy sky looked down at Zeng Xiao with complex expressions.
Two trails of bloody tears flowed down Zeng Xiao's face.
"What could I do? Tell me!"
"The Drunken Dream Sect's Dao and roots are all in Clearpeak Prefecture. Here lies the legacy forged by generations of our Ancestral Masters and forebears.
Every single spirit mine, herb garden, and even every blade of grass and tree is stained with the blood of our predecessors.
If I fail to protect this legacy, or if I don't try with all my might, what face would I have to meet my predecessors in the Yellow Springs?"
"Since they were unwilling to make the final effort and abandoned the land their ancestors lived on for generations, why couldn't I kill them?!!"
"At the very least, I will take their place and stand upon the soil of Clearpeak Prefecture."
Madness, extreme.
It was an autumn evening; the bleak wind blew under the setting sun. Zeng Xiao's furious roar left everyone in the cloudy sky in absolute silence.
Li Jianshu's brow was deeply furrowed. He had always been resolute and swift in action, yet at this moment, he hesitated.
He silently gazed toward the Blood Moon in the west.
The Old Ancestor had said that cultivators beneath the Blood Moon would go mad.
But in this era, it seemed that even without the Blood Moon, they had to adapt to this madness to resist the era.
...
Li Wei appeared again at the edge of the Blood Moon, gazing into its maddened world.
On the ground lay the devastation left behind by the fleeing cultivators of Clearpeak Prefecture.
In the distance were mountains. All life was food for the Blood Moon and would become its nourishment.
As time passed, the people of the Southern Frontier also developed countermeasures.
That was to grit their teeth, burn their homes to the ground, and leave the Blood Moon with nothing but scorched earth.
And then...
To war!
Covered in demonic tattoos, the Mad Blood Demon Lord emanated demonic qi as he stood at the edge of the Blood Moon, staring intently at everything inside.
Behind him were the Seven Ironclads, standing like iron pagodas.
"Do not get captured. If you sense a powerful existence, cut off your own life force."
The Mad Blood Demon Lord exhaled the breath pent up in his chest. With a complex gaze, he turned his head to look at the siblings who had accompanied him for centuries.
Seeing that they lacked their usual mischief, he turned back and headed straight into the Blood Moon.
"Crack, crack."
Li Yundou pressed his fingers together, cracking his knuckles. Runes of the Demon Tribe and Wu Tribe crawled up his body.
He sneered ferociously, "Next is a vicious battle. I don't know how long we will fight, but it will be enough for us to feast to our fill."
"And then, we go home together."
"Go home together!"
As Li Yundou brazenly charged into the Blood Moon, the other six split into six different directions and rushed in.