The Border Province was, apart from the Han Province, the most prosperous and flourishing province on the Nine Provinces Continent.
Not only were the experts here more numerous than in other provinces, but the common folk also lived far wealthier and more carefree lives.
But now, this Border Province that other provinces had once envied had fallen into a massive battlefield engulfed by the fires of war, a scene of utter devastation.
The Border Clan allied with the four great powers—the Yuan Gang Sect, the White Hidden Sect, the Carefree Valley, and the Fire God Gate—together attack the Spirit Realm Guild, igniting the largest-scale war the Nine Provinces Continent had seen in nearly a century.
The war had spread across nearly every corner of the Border Province, with the Spirit Realm Guild and the Border Clan's forces constantly clashing.
As they fought to determine a victor, those who suffered most were undoubtedly the innocent commoners. When experts clashed, their power was terrifying, and whether intentionally or not, those without cultivation were always caught in the crossfire.
And regarding this war, which would reshape the balance of power across the Nine Provinces Continent, the continent's overlord, the Jiang Dynasty, did not intervene, nor did it even interfere.
As if the war had nothing to do with them, they simply remained within the Han Province, observing coldly from the sidelines, making no moves.
At first, the war had seemed evenly matched. Although the Border Clan had united with four other great powers, the Spirit Realm Guild was no pushover.
However, the ancestor of the Border Clan—a once-in-a-century genius who had shaken the continent a hundred years ago—had unexpectedly emerged from seclusion, his cultivation having reached the seventh level of Heaven Martial.
Leading an army of a million elite soldiers with the irresistible might of his seventh-level Heaven Martial cultivation, he swept through the Spirit Realm Guild.
Now, the Spirit Realm Guild was being forced to retreat step by step, driven back into their own headquarters, where they deployed their strongest barrier formation to withstand the Border Clan's army.
But the ancestor of the Border Clan was no ordinary character. With his mastery of the Spirit Realm, even the Spirit Realm Guild's powerful barrier formation would inevitably be breached sooner or later.
At this critical moment of life and death, the ancestor of the Spirit Realm Guild remained secluded, unwilling to come out. This left the Guild's members plunged into anxiety.
Facing a perilous situation with an uncertain fate, they resolutely used a special method to send the most outstanding young generation of the Spirit Realm Guild away, hoping they could escape secretly.
As long as these young ones survived, the Spirit Realm Guild would still have a chance to rise again. If all the young generation perished, then the Spirit Realm Guild would truly face annihilation.
However, the Spirit Realm Guild had still underestimated the Border Clan. It turned out the Clan had long been prepared. While focusing on breaking the barrier formation, they had also stationed people at every exit around the Spirit Realm Guild.
Therefore, shortly after the Guild's young disciples had just left the premises, they encountered the armies of the Fire God Gate, White Hidden Sect, Carefree Valley, and Yuan Gang Sect, forcing them into a dead end.
"Sect Leader of the Yuan Gang Sect, Gate Master of the Fire God Gate, Cult Leader of the White Hidden Sect, Valley Master of the Carefree Valley! My Spirit Realm Guild had no grievance with you before. Why do you press us so relentlessly?" At this moment, the Vice Guild Master of the Spirit Realm Guild, his face somewhat pale and his tattered clothes stained with blood, spoke. It was clear he had just been through a fierce battle.
Behind him stood Xu Zhongyu, Gu Bo, and the other outstanding young disciples of the Spirit Realm Guild. Their numbers were small, less than a hundred, but these were all carefully selected geniuses, and not a single accident could befall them.
However, facing four leaders of Sect Master caliber, even this Vice Guild Master—a remarkable blue-robed Spirit Realm Master—was no match.
"Hahaha! Vice Guild Master Gao, at a time like this, we'll cut the pleasantries."
"We came here not to capture Chu Feng, but to annihilate your Spirit Realm Guild. You ask us why? Because we simply can't stand the sight of you, and the Border Clan happened to offer a handsome reward to help destroy you, so here we are. Is that clear enough?" The Fire God Gate Master laughed heartily.
At the same time, the other three also burst into laughter. Previously, they had been wary of the Spirit Realm Guild, often letting the Guild lead them by the nose without daring to protest. Now, they could finally fight the Guild openly and without reservation, which naturally filled them with a sense of vindication.
"Sect Leaders, stop wasting words with him! Kill them quickly, and take their heads back to report. My Clan Leader will surely reward you generously."
At that moment, a young man from the crowd spoke up. This young man was none other than the future patriarch of the Border Clan, Jie Qingming.
"Jie Qingming! If you have the guts, fight me, Xu Zhongyu, one-on-one! Relying on outsiders—what kind of skill is that?" Xu Zhongyu roared in anger.
"Hmph! Xu Zhongyu, don't be so naive. Want me to fight you one-on-one? Could you even beat me?"
"We've been rivals for so many years, and we've never decided a clear winner. You and I both know it's very difficult for either of us to best the other."
"Besides, this is a real war now. My Border Clan only cares about the outcome of victory; we don't need to worry about the process. Right now, these four Sect Leaders can easily kill you all. There's no need for me, Jie Qingming, to fight you one-on-one." Jie Qingming smiled coldly, then looked at the four Sect Leaders and said:
"Sect Leaders, why haven't you acted yet? If you don't hurry, my Clan Leader might still understand, but if my Clan ancestor grows angry, even I will be punished."
"This..."
Hearing the name of the Border Clan's ancestor, the expressions of the four Sect Master-level figures all changed. Over these past days, they had personally witnessed that ancestor's terrifying power.
Although the ancestors of their own forces were no slouches—all masters of the sixth level of Heaven Martial, only one level below the Border Clan ancestor's seventh level of Heaven Martial—that single level of difference was truly vast. The seventh level of Heaven Martial was far beyond what the sixth level could compare to.
"Vice Guild Master Gao, if you must blame someone, blame your Spirit Realm Guild for not knowing how to conduct yourselves. You were arrogant and looked down on others back then, so don't blame us for being ruthless now!" With a roar, the four Sect Leaders launched their attack on the Spirit Realm Guild's group.
"I'll fight you all!" Seeing this, Vice Guild Master Gao let out a furious shout and unleashed his own fifth-level Heaven Martial power, engaging the four Sect Leaders in battle.
While these Sect Master-level figures clashed, the other experts from the four great powers and the Border Clan, led by Jie Qingming, directly launched their offensive against the young disciples like Xu Zhongyu and Gu Bo.
In such a situation, the only young disciple capable of joining the fight was Xu Zhongyu alone. He wielded his peculiar fan weapon, radiating the aura of the second level of Heaven Martial, truly carrying the air of an outstanding genius.
But against his arch-rival Jie Qingming, along with the veteran experts of the four great powers and the Border Clan, he was quickly overwhelmed and fell into grave danger.