Northern Border, Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain.
Descendants of the Qiu Clan at or above the Qi Condensation realm gathered together.
Densely packed and numbering roughly thirty thousand, they listened to the teachings of the Supreme Ancestors at the Void Refining realm, whom they rarely had the chance to see on ordinary days.
Such a grand occasion would typically only occur when the Demon Race invaded.
The Ancestors spoke with impassioned fervor.
They were going to march beyond the mountain to seek out the enemy, pursuing a ten-thousand-year destiny of prosperity for the Qiu Clan.
The four Supreme Ancestors of the Qiu Clan:
Ancestor Naihe, rumored to have crossed the Naihe Bridge, had already reached the realm of a divine being.
Ancestor Xundao, the Second Commander of the Northern Border's Asura Army, enjoyed the supreme merit of protecting the Human Race under the Imperial Dynasty's blessing.
Ancestor Xunfa, whose Dharmic shadow scattered across the world, was feared by immortals and gods alike.
Ancestor Chuhui, possessing boundless Spiritual power, deterred the external enemies of the family.
However, the other day, a man engulfed in black fog had arrived outside the Immortal Mountain.
He was an otherworldly demon from the Li Clan of the Southern Border, threatening to slaughter their entire Qiu Clan.
Thus, united in heart and mind from top to bottom, the Qiu clansmen's eyes burned with fervor.
To annihilate the Li Clan and seize their destiny, they would march forward even if it meant dying ten thousand deaths.
"Today, the Li Clan has committed ten deadly sins, striking at the very foundation of our Human Race.
They have committed high treason, and everyone has the right to execute them."
Qiu Xundao's voice was deep and resonant.
Snow fell over the Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain, snowflakes landing on the shoulders of the clansmen as they listened to Qiu Xundao's Dharmic decree.
"I have divined and calculated deeply.
Although their clan's power is great, they will hardly be able to withstand the encirclement and suppression by the various factions of the Imperial Dynasty.
Our Qiu Clan can head to the Northguard City to suppress the demonic Li Clan, passing through the Silver Moon Li Clan along the way."
"We can obtain the Li Clan's Beast Taming Art and their Silver Moon Spirit Mineral Vein.
From there, we will march straight to the Azure Cloud Prefecture and occupy its territory to supply troops for our Northern Border.
This would be tantamount to a grand victory for the Northern Border over the Demon Race—an unparalleled merit."
"..."
After speaking for half a day, the clansmen who had gathered from all directions arranged their trump cards in an orderly manner and unleashed their techniques.
A sudden blizzard rose within the Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain, sweeping towards the Northguard City.
At the forefront, Qiu Naihe rode a White-Feathered Snow Eagle great demon, leading the clansmen through the wind and snow toward the Northguard City.
He cast an almost imperceptible glance at the brothers beside him, Qiu Xundao and Qiu Xunfa, sighing inwardly, "It had better be exactly as Xundao says."
Previously, when the Li Clan's Ancestor came, the other party's Half-Step Body Integration realm cultivation and the Li Clan's formidable strength in the Western Border had truly left Qiu Naihe trembling with fear.
Who knows how many times he had violently cursed the troublemaking Qiu Xunfa when he was alone.
Even if the Li Clan didn't possess such strength, for Qiu Xunfa, an elder, to attempt to murder a junior to silence her was utterly unjustifiable.
Most importantly, he still let the person escape.
Fortunately, a few days ago, the Li Clan's Ancestor had not entangled them too much, merely demanding an explanation.
Qiu Naihe had pondered bitterly for days; for a matter like this, an apology would suffice.
At worst, Qiu Xunfa would lose some face, and the family would have to sacrifice some flesh to pay a hefty compensation.
But no matter how carefully he thought it through, he couldn't withstand the barrage of unexpected accidents.
When Qiu Xunfa's deeds were exposed, instead of returning to the family to discuss it with him, he went to Qiu Xundao to beg for his life.
Who exactly was Qiu Xundao? These two brothers were originally orphans who had crawled their way out of the mud. They had never trusted him as their Ancestor.
Furthermore, Qiu Xundao had climbed step-by-step to the high position of Second Commander of the Asura Army.
He was an arrogant and haughty individual; in his eyes, only Grand Tutor Lin Jiu could make him bow his head. As for anyone else...
Qiu Xundao's method was simply to kill.
Amidst his thoughts, Qiu Xundao seemed to notice the worry in Qiu Naihe's eyes.
His black robes fluttered as he shifted his position to the back of the white eagle, looking down at the cross-legged Qiu Naihe.
"Ancestor, is there anything inappropriate about this child's actions on this trip?"
"No."
Qiu Naihe casually replied.
Since the establishment of the Qiu Lineage until now, their clansmen had spread across the world, and power had shifted through the generations. But ultimately, might made right.
With the halo of being the Second Commander of the Asura Army, Qiu Xundao's prestige in the family had long reached its peak.
But this was exactly how an Immortal Clan like theirs operated: they shared in both glory and ruin.
This was the biggest reason they had endured through the ages, and it was also the deepest bond within their bloodline.
Although the Ancestor had replied casually, Qiu Xundao still saw his displeasure.
He said in a mild tone, "Ancestor, I know you harbor resentment in your heart. That younger brother of mine is truly incompetent."
Qiu Naihe's expression turned cold.
The two brothers of the 'Xun' generation were both individuals of extraordinary talent, yet they possessed two entirely different temperaments.
Qiu Xundao was decisive in killing, while Qiu Xunfa was a troublemaker.
Qiu Xundao had spent his entire life cleaning up Qiu Xunfa's messes.
Sure enough, Qiu Xundao added another sentence, "But he is my last remaining blood relative."
"After this is over, I will have him cultivate in seclusion. Once I break through to the Body Integration realm, I will be able to be promoted under the Grand Tutor, and the position of Second Commander can be taken over by Chuhui."
Qiu Naihe's eyes lit up, and he looked towards a woman in the distance.
The woman was dressed in a white skirt with a longsword on her back; this blizzard domain of the Qiu Clan was unleashed primarily for her.
Through the generations of the Qiu Clan's reproduction, the family had derived the 'Snow Spirit' bloodline.
Qiu Chuhui was an outstanding figure among them, highly valued by him as an Ancestor, and regarded as the future hope of their Immortal Clan.
"Xundao, are you certain the Azure Cloud Li Clan has already fallen into disaster?"
A hint of vitality finally appeared in Qiu Naihe's eyes.
If Qiu Xundao broke through to the Body Integration realm, the family's future could be planned around him alone, and the Qiu Immortal Clan could greatly prosper.
"Why does the Ancestor think this child wants to move against the Li Clan?"
The corners of Qiu Xundao's mouth curled up.
"The Grand Tutor has viewed the Li Clan as a thorn in his side since hundreds of years ago.
When he gifted the Human Emperor's Blood to Tian Xing, how could he not have known of Tian Xing's talent? Even I am well aware of it.
Yet, a person with the potential for the Great Mahayana realm lost his life at the hands of the Li Clan while he was still accumulating his foundation.
A pawn of the Grand Tutor was thus destroyed."
"It was just that in the past, the Imperial Preceptor and the Human Emperor protected the Li Clan, and the figures of numerous Azure Cloud ancestors appeared upon Li Tianyi.
Even when the Grand Tutor went to the Azure Cloud Prefecture, he had many reservations."
"Therefore, he cultivated Li Xinghuo, taking him as an adopted son to keep him constantly by his side.
It looked like appreciation, but in reality, he wanted to use Li Xinghuo to probe the Li Clan's secrets."
"Now the Li Clan is so formidable, shocking the world overnight, yet they cannot be used by the Grand Tutor."