“Disperse!” Sima Yan roared, the words torn from his throat like a curse. Within the war-camp, his voice held the weight of absolute command.

Instantly, the nine thousand demon soldiers surrounding the area scattered backward, shattering the encirclement. The array, once so menacing, dissolved into nothingness.

At that very moment, from the heart of the camp, a crimson light pulsed ominously. The gaunt figure of the Master Sergeant-at-Arms materialized slowly.

He was not alone. Trailing behind him was an aged man cloaked in burlap. Wild, silver hair cascaded around his face, and his presence seemed to warp the very air around him.

The instant the elder appeared, Wang Lin’s eyes snapped open. His gaze pierced through the ranks of demon soldiers, locking onto the elder with unwavering intensity.

The elder returned the stare, his own gaze hardening.

As their eyes met, Wang Lin’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure. Within the elder’s form, he detected four distinct seals.

The elder, too, stumbled slightly, his eyes blazing with sudden power. A wave of shock crashed through him; that single glance from Wang Lin had nearly shattered the seals binding his power.

The Master Sergeant-at-Arms strode forward, covering the distance in a blink, until he stood just yards from Wang Lin. The elder followed at his heels.

The Master Sergeant-at-Arms, his face pale and drawn, surveyed the carnage on the ground, his expression unreadable.

“My lord Sergeant, the Commander slew Team Sun without cause, and slaughtered five hundred demon soldiers! All witnessed this atrocity!” Sima Yan declared, seizing the moment.

Wang Lin flicked his wrist, sending a jade slip spiraling through the air. The Master Sergeant-at-Arms caught it deftly, lowering his head. He channeled demonic energy into the jade, and a series of images flooded his mind.

The images played out the events in their entirety!

The Master Sergeant-at-Arms shot a meaningful look at Wang Lin, his initial disdain vanishing, replaced by a burgeoning respect. Wang Lin’s actions, his masterful manipulation of the situation, had secured his position, making him all but invincible.

A smile spread across his face. “Commander Wang, forgive this intrusion. I shall report this matter to the Demon General. Such insubordination cannot be tolerated!” He clasped his fist in a respectful bow towards Wang Lin, smiling courteously as he turned to depart. The elder beside him followed suit, bowing his head. “Commander Wang, your cultivation is astounding. I am humbled.”

As the two figures receded into the distance, Sima Yan stood in silence for a long moment, then bowed low towards Wang Lin. “This humble lieutenant acted rashly, Commander. I beg your forgiveness.” His words sparked a reaction amongst the other team leaders, their eyes gleaming with newfound respect. One hesitated, then stepped forward, bowing to Wang Lin. “This subordinate also acted in haste.” Soon, all the team leaders echoed the sentiment. From the very beginning, the outcome had been decided. None present were fools, and they had all now grasped the extent of Wang Lin’s power.

This new Commander did not strike lightly. When he moved, it was with the force of a thunderbolt. To continue the infighting might very well lead to a repeat of Team Sun’s fate!

And judging by his cultivation, even Sima Yan could not hope to prevail against him. Many had already chosen to yield.

Wang Lin rose to his feet. He pressed his right hand towards the earth, and the ground beneath the camp resonated with a deep, earth-shaking rumble, as though the earth itself were shuddering. The entire camp’s surface sank a full inch in that instant!

The displaced earth surged upwards at Wang Lin’s feet like a volcanic spring.

Dust swirled in the air, obscuring the sky.

In the blink of an eye, a pavilion of sculpted earth and stone rose before them, dominating the landscape.

The two-storied pavilion, though monochromatic, possessed an undeniable aura of majesty.

To casually reshape the earth of a hundred-mile war camp into a pavilion was a feat that awed not just Sima Yan and the others, but the nine thousand demon soldiers.

“Disperse,” Wang Lin said, his voice calm. He turned and strode into the pavilion.

Thirteen followed close behind, while Tiger Roar cast a contemptuous look at the assembled soldiers before following, his heart filled with delight. The pressure of the past fortnight had finally been released.

His admiration for Wang Lin deepened.

Once the three had entered the pavilion, Sima Yan clenched his fist, then turned and walked away in silence.

The nine team leaders exchanged glances, their resolve hardening. They dispersed.

From that day forward, of the eight team leaders who had previously been close to Sima Yan, aside from the deceased Sun, only three maintained close ties. The remaining four gradually distanced themselves.

From that day forward, within the Black Armor camp, Wang Lin’s presence became increasingly clear in the minds of all the demon soldiers.

Wang Lin had issued no orders since becoming Commander, but his authority was being established, cemented in blood and fear.

Within the Ancient Demon City, there were sixteen such camps, all distinguished by their black armor, though with subtle differences. In the third camp, Yao Xixue sat cross-legged in her chamber, deep in meditation.

Late at night, Yao Xixue opened her eyes, a bright glint shining in their depths. Outside the window, the demonic moon radiated a violet glow. Tonight was the night of the Semi-Annual Violet Demon Ascension, when, according to legend, the heavens and earth were connected.

The specifics of this event were lost to time, passed down from ancient eras. Only the saying remained, without any clear explanation. She took a deep breath, rose to her feet, and scanned the surroundings with her divine sense. She reached into her storage pouch and pulled out a crimson compass.

Gazing at the compass, her expression became hesitant.
The thrice-trod path led Xue Yiyao to the same impasse. Her father, a sage long departed, had spoken of a trial within, one that demanded a spirit forged in the fires of the Ascendant Realm. Following his meticulously crafted plan, she had sought to absorb enough demonic energy to pierce the veil of Ascendance. The Blood Soul Pill, a potent elixir wrought by her father’s hand, offered an eighty percent chance of success. But then, the tide brought forth the Token.

Her brow furrowed, Xue Yiyao held aloft a compass, its needle spinning wildly. “The place was gleaned from a Demon Emperor’s lips by my father, when he and Tian Yunzi ventured into this demonic land,” she murmured, “He had no time to delve into it, for the Abyss of Tides beckoned. By his calculations, there is but a sixty percent chance of its true nature being as he surmised. I will try once more. Should I fail, I must await Ascendance. Already, three of my father’s Blood Soul Pills have been spent on previous attempts, leaving but six. Time here is precious, and cannot be squandered. Each pill is a rebirth!”

A steely glint shone in her exquisite eyes. Her beauty, already considerable, was now enhanced by a determined spirit. Gently setting the compass down, she reached into her pouch and drew forth a waxen pellet. Etched upon its surface were intricate runes, pulsing with a life of their own, mimicking the rhythm of breath and heartbeat. With a deep breath, she shattered the pellet, releasing a single drop of azure blood.

Within the pellet, perfectly preserved, lay the essence of the Blueblood lineage.

Without hesitation, she pierced her fingertip, drawing forth a crimson droplet. With practiced ease, she shaped it into a complex sigil that danced in the air. The sigil merged with the blue blood, and Xue Yiyao swiftly pressed the combined power to her brow. A moment of intense pain wracked her body, then slowly subsided.

Breathing heavily, she lifted her finger, and the sigil re-emerged from her flesh, transforming once more into a drop of azure blood, floating in the air.

With a flick of her wrist, the azure blood vanished, its task complete. Gritting her teeth, she stepped onto the compass. A soft, ethereal light enveloped the room, as arcane runes bloomed across its surface, swirling and consuming all in their path.

For three heartbeats, the spectacle continued, then Xue Yiyao and the compass were gone, swallowed by the magical currents.

Time flowed onward, leaving Wang Lin undisturbed. His days were spent in meditation, slowly refining the demonic energy within him, weaving it into his own celestial power, striving towards the late stages of the Infant Transformation Realm.

A law of the mortal world held true even here: the power of emperors lay in their distance, their mystery. To their ministers, they were untouchable figures, their thoughts unknowable, thus commanding respect and fear.

So it was with Wang Lin in the Black Armor Legion. He was a rare sight, yet his authority grew daily, subtly eclipsing that of the ever-present Sima Yan.

Hu Pao, on the other hand, flourished within the barracks. His jovial nature, once strained, now found easy camaraderie with the squad leaders. One, a woman named Xu You, caught his eye, and he pursued her with relentless enthusiasm. Shi Wu, meanwhile, remained the stoic guardian, a silent sentinel outside Wang Lin’s quarters, indifferent to all but his master.

Months passed, and in Xue Yiyao’s chamber within the Third Battalion, a blue light flickered into existence, resolving into a swirling vortex of azure runes.

The runes spun faster and faster, converging towards a central point, where a single drop of blue blood bubbled and writhed, growing larger with each passing moment. The runes, as if drawn by some unseen force, rushed towards the expanding blood droplet, merging into it one by one.

When the last rune was absorbed, the blue blood imploded, its essence reshaping itself into a form most exquisite: a naked woman, her curves and lines a testament to her beauty.

It was Xue Yiyao!

“Another failure,” she sighed, opening her eyes. “Were it not for the Blood Soul Pill, I would have perished four times over. But this time, I shattered much of the barrier. Were someone to aid me, success would be assured.”

Her eyes narrowed in thought.

“Someone to aid me… Wang Lin…”