Above Bloodbattle Valley, at the edge of the cliff, a large group of people stood gathered, led by the Clan Chief and the Grand Elder.
"What are they doing here?" Lin Lei was somewhat confused.
He flew over before he could even greet them, when the Clan Chief, Gasreson, grinned and said, "Welcome back, Lin Lei!" Standing at the Clan Chief's side was the Grand Elder, dressed in a black robe and wearing a silver mask.
"Lin Lei, well done," the Grand Elder also said.
"Lin Lei, impressive! You killed two Seven-Star Demons. Truly admirable!" Elder Gavi, who stood not far away, laughed heartily.
"Elder Lin Lei, one move from you and it was already extraordinary," the golden-haired old man Fu'erhan declared with a laugh.
Facing the praise of the Clan Chief and the assembled elders, Lin Lei was somewhat dazed. "My clones, and the clones the other team members left behind at Bloodbattle Valley—neither has reported the news to the Clan Chief or Grand Elder yet, have they?"
Because the round trip wasn't long, Lin Lei had originally planned to report after returning.
Who could have guessed that the Clan Chief and Grand Elder already knew?
How did they know... For news this encouraging to the clan, the intelligence personnel of the Four Divine Beast Families naturally relayed it back as quickly as humanly possible.
"Alright, everyone, let's not just stand around here. Come—I've already ordered preparations for a celebratory feast," Gasreson announced with a hearty laugh, then looked at Lin Lei. "Lin Lei, come. Walk with me."
Lin Lei flew over at once.
Gasreson patted Lin Lei on the shoulder, his face full of smiles. "Well done."
"It was just luck," Lin Lei quickly said. In a direct confrontation, those two Seven-Star Demons were definitely stronger than him. He had only been able to kill one first through a sudden surprise attack, and only then relied on the combined efforts of everyone to kill the other.
"Still being modest?" Gasreson said with a smile.
"I was actually worried about him this time. I didn't expect the mission to turn out even more perfect than I'd imagined," the Grand Elder added.
With that, Gasreson, the Grand Elder, and Lin Lei flew side by side, leading a group of elders and the surviving members of Squad Thirteen, heading deep into the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range. After a long while, Lin Lei and the others arrived at a magnificent, crystal-gray grand hall.
Numerous clan handmaidens were carrying trays of food and continuously delivering them into the hall.
The hall was spacious, tens of meters high, supported inside by a full nine stone pillars. The Clan Chief and the Grand Elder flew directly to the top of the hall and sat side by side. Within the clan, the Clan Chief's status was slightly higher than the Grand Elder's.
The Clan Chief and the Grand Elder were considered the highest-ranking figures in the clan, while the other elders were just below them.
"Everyone, take your seats," Clan Chief Gasreson waved his hand and said with a smile.
"Lin Lei, you sit at the head of the left side." Gasreson pointed to a seat. "Today's celebratory banquet is held in your honor."
"Me?" Lin Lei was taken aback.
There were many elders stronger than him, and he had the least seniority of all.
"Lin Lei, since the Clan Chief asks you to sit, just sit!" A silver-haired young man with a cold demeanor walked over, a rare smile crossing his face.
"Elder Bull," Lin Lei nodded and took his seat.
And this Elder Bull sat down right beside Lin Lei, in the second seat from the left head. No one dared question his placement. After all, Elder Bull was a genius elder of the clan!
According to rumors, his strength was second only to the Clan Chief and the Grand Elder, far surpassing all other elders. One of the clan's three "trump cards"!
Moreover, when the Ancestor, the Azure Dragon, was still alive, he had doted on Bull enormously and had gone to great lengths to strengthen Bull's body, making it exceptionally powerful as well.
"Our Four Divine Beast Families have been at war with the Eight Great Families for over ten thousand years. It's rare to achieve such a grand victory," Gasreson sighed from his seat at the top of the hall. Normally, once one side realized they couldn't win, they would flee.
Killing a Seven-Star Demon who was trying to escape was extremely difficult. Killing two Seven-Star Demons while your own side suffered virtually no losses—that almost never happened.
"Since we've managed such a rare great victory, if we could kill two of their Seven-Star Demons every time, the Eight Great Families wouldn't be able to withstand that kind of attrition no matter how many experts they have!" an elder said with a laugh.
The entire hall erupted in laughter.
"Lin Lei, what's wrong?" Elder Bull, sitting beside Lin Lei, noticed that Lin Lei wasn't laughing.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about Elder Thorhouse, and about the many, many elders who sacrificed their lives," Lin Lei said with a low sigh.
Instantly, many elders in the hall fell silent.
Over these past ten thousand years, the killing had never stopped. With each enemy Seven-Star Demon they killed, their own side's experts had been steadily dwindling as well. Six-Star Demons died in droves. The foundation the clan had accumulated over countless ages was being consumed bit by bit.
"What's with all these expressions?" the Grand Elder barked.
Everyone couldn't help but look toward the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder spoke in a cold voice: "We are the Four Divine Beast Families. Even if every last one of us dies, we will not allow those eight clowns to tarnish our family's honor! When the Ancestor was alive, did those Eight Great Families dare resist? Now that the Ancestor is dead, they seek revenge. Humph! How could such clowns ever make our Four Divine Beast Families submit?"
"For the clan—what is death?" Elder Bull said with pride.
"For the clan!"
Lin Lei could feel the pride and defiance radiating from every elder in the hall. They would rather die than submit.
Better to be a shattered piece of jade than an intact tile!
"For the clan?" Lin Lei said silently in his heart. In his childhood, he had always dreamed of recovering the Baruch Family's inherited treasure, the War Blade Slaughter. He had a deep sense of belonging to the Baruch Family.
Now, although he had entered the Azure Dragon clan and met countless clansmen who carried the dragon bloodline, he naturally felt a sense of belonging.
Yet, he still couldn't fully grasp that kind of fierce pride.
If it were Lin Lei leading the clan, he would probably have kept all the clansmen hidden in the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range, waiting until the day he had at least a ninety percent chance of success before going to battle against their enemies.
"Perhaps it's because I never experienced the Four Divine Beast Families' glorious years," Lin Lei thought to himself.
The pride of the Four Divine Beast Families had been forged through countless ages of power and countless ages of glory. The clan's honor had long been deeply rooted in the heart of every elder.