As Ethan departed, a Druid chieftain named rk entered the room where Nichs was.


    rk squinted his eyes, staring intently at Nichs. "ckwood family head, the High Priest demands your presence."


    Nichs sat up straight, a smile ying on his lips. "What does High Priest Luke want?"


    rk snorted, "What does he want? Nichs, you have angered the High Priest! For years, we''ve tried to enter the inner city, but you''ve repeatedly made excuses. You were supposed to deliver your family''s ancient Blood Tree to me, rk, but you''ve been stalling. The High Priest has run out of patience."


    "We wanted your help against external enemies, but your Dawn warriors only fight against Druids, never aiding us in battling the strong warriors of Cloudview County. Do you really think we Druids have no other options?"


    "Now, the entire Cloudview County is under Druid control. Think carefully, without sufficient value, ckwood will also be useless!"


    Nichs''s expression remained unchanged.


    He slowly stood up, turned his back, and looked at the Great River Dragon Map, ignoring the chieftainpletely, his eyes cold.


    "Helen, kill him."


    "Send the order, within a hundred miles of Gratitude Vige, exterminate all Druids."


    At these words, the chieftain''s face drastically changed.


    "Nichs, what are you doing?!!"


    Instantly, assassins from Dawn emerged from the shadows.


    Nichs, without a backward nce, gently took down the Great River Dragon Map and the psychic spear that had apanied him in battles.


    As the sun set over Gratitude Vige, countless vigers rushed out of their homes, armed and ready. The Druids within Gratitude Vige screamed and ran as blood soaked the streets.


    Nichs didn''t return to his quarters.


    Dressed in his finest clothes, carrying the psychic spear, and holding the Great River Dragon Map rolled up like a scroll, he walked through the streets, stepping over puddles of blood, his shadow stretching long behind him.


    He found a donkey in Gratitude Vige, a psychic beast that had once charged into battle with him at the Azure Cloud Martial Pavilion.


    "Old friend, join me for one more journey."


    Leading the donkey, Nichs mounted it. The once stubborn psychic donkey now steadily carried Nichs out of Gratitude Vige, tears streaming from its eyes.


    A man and his donkey left Gratitude Vige, Nichsughing atop the donkey''s back, once again the spirited young man who had stormed into the Azure Cloud Martial Pavilion.


    Their shadows lingered outside Gratitude Vige.


    Behind themy Gratitude Vige,y ckwood!


    As the sun dipped below the horizon, a single, resonant toll echoed through Gratitude Vige. With just one strike of the bell, every viger paused, heads turning in unison. This was the rm bell of Gratitude Vige!


    One ring signaled a call to arms for the entire town. Three rings meant doors should be locked and martialw dered. Six rings called for the drawing of swords. But now...


    Nine rings!


    "Nine rings of the rm... Nine!" On the streets, Riley, once a warrior for ckwood, now aged and weary, was hauling goods for the Druids. He stopped dead, the handle of his wooden cart ttering to the ground as tears welled up in his eyes, gazing towards the inner city.


    A supervising Druid, eyes wide, scoffed, "Nine rings of the rm, that''s—"


    He cut off mid-sentence, eyes bulging in disbelief as he stared at the old man before him, clutching at his throat where a sharp dagger now protruded. Riley, who had beenboring for the Druids, trembled with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he stared down his assant.


    "Nine rings, fight alongside ckwood, exterminate all external enemies!"


    "Ever since you Druids entered our Gratitude Vige, I''ve waited for these nine rings, waited for over thirty years. I''ve aged, but I''ve seen it through."


    "ckwood remains the ckwood of old."


    With the de withdrawn from the Druid''s neck, blood sttered across Riley''s face as heughed maniacally.


    "I''ve waited for this!"


    Shouts and shes ofbat filled the air. He saw it—all the people of Gratitude Vige, grabbing their weapons, charging at these usurping Druids. He looked towards his home, from which his wife and children emerged, joining the fray!


    Many familiar faces on this street, the faces of the Druids marked with panic and fear. These arrogant fools, now desperate, fought back fiercely.


    "Thud—"


    A stone spike pierced Riley''s abdomen. As if unfazed, he roared wildly, pulling his body off the spike and charging at the nearest Druid, another Druid falling by his hand.


    He too copsed to the ground.


    Thirty years had passed, yet it felt like old times. Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the swordsmen of ckwood appeared in the sky, their figures unmistakable to him. The air was filled with battle cries, a sound not forgotten despite the passage of years.


    He knew, with ckwood''s men here, these Druids were doomed. Thisnd, rooted by generations, still belonged to their descendants.


    A slight smile curled at the corners of his mouth as he gazed deeply into the sunset''s afterglow.


    "I''ve waited for... the most beautiful sunset."


    "Can dawn be far behind?"


    ...


    "Kill!"


    Throughout the inner city, the garrison, and even beyond the city walls, cries of battle rang out. On this day, after thirty years of silence, every member of the ckwood forces picked up their weapons and began a purge of all Druids within the ckwood stronghold!


    Kill them all.


    Chop them to pieces!


    "What''s happening..."


    The Druid chieftain, who had been secluded in the ckwood stronghold, panicked as he emerged. He loved this ce; the head of the ckwood family, Nichs, was extremely obedient.


    Periodically, he received offerings from ckwood, which allowed him to grow stronger step by step. He had even been preparing to advance to the next level of power within ckwood.


    But then...


    He never reached his next level of power. A terrifying presence was wreaking havoc within ckwood, and a shadowy figure appeared before him, shattering all his hopes. His body froze, his pupils dting in terror!


    "The first one."


    Lord of Frenzied Blood!


    This guardian, stationed at the ckwood stronghold, began to carry out ckwood''s orders as soon as the bell tolled, killing all Druids above a certain level of skill.


    His hand plunged into the chieftain''s chest, crushing his heart, and blood flowed along the demonic patterns into his body!


    "The second, the third..."


    He mercilessly killed all the high-level Druids, treating their lives as mere numbers.


    Afterpleting his mission, the Lord of Frenzied Blood, hands behind his back, vanished like a mist of blood from the spot.


    Over the years, the people of ckwood had continuously educated him, and his intelligence had grown.


    Besides feeling a kinship with the third generation of ckwood, he seemed to have grown ustomed to fighting alongside them and cultivating psychic powers together.