At the crack of dawn, I stood atop the stronghold, staring at the rising city in the distance, where the Jin Clan resided. The morning mist clung to the rooftops, but the sight stirred a fire in my chest. I drew a deep breath and whispered under my breath, "Today marks the end of the Jin Clan."
Turning back, I entered the stronghold. My eyes scanned the team—Yue Rong and Liang Chen stepped forward immediately. "Take the resources we looted from the Jin Auction House back to Jade City," I instructed. "Alex and I will handle the clan itself."
The team nodded without question, their movements precise as they packed up the haul and departed. Alone now, I turned to Alex, my gaze piercing. "You're the main actor today. You strike the main clan alone. Kill the Ancestor first, then wipe out the upper echelon. Spare no one."
Alex's eyes flickered with determination. "And you?"
I smiled faintly, my grin sharp as a blade. "I'll handle the rest—from the Purple Blood Warriors to the Desolate Lord experts. They'll know what true fear feels like."
Alex shuddered at the thought of my relentless fury, but nodded.
"Alright, Alex," I said, a thrill running through me. "Let's make sure Rising Sun City never forgets this day. Let's introduce the Vardar brothers to the empire properly."
We exchanged a brief, knowing smile before setting off toward the Jin Clan.
---
The Jin Clan Courtyards
Alex arrived above the Jin Clan, floating with effortless grace. The early sun glinted off his black robes as he extended his hands. A pulse of spatial and ice magic erupted from him, obliterating the courtyards in an instant. Stone shattered, pillars crumbled, and dozens of Purple Blood Warriors fell screaming in agony. The clan's experts rushed out, fury etched across their faces, only to be met by devastation.
The Jin Ancestor's gaze fell on Alex. "Sir… do you not owe my clan an explanation?" he asked, his tone measured but tight with anger.
Alex tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk curling his lips. "Dead men don't need explanations. Am I wrong?"
The Ancestor's fury flared, yet he restrained himself. Even he could sense the suffocating aura radiating from the young man before him.
Two clan elders, trembling but defiant, lunged forward. Alex's gaze met theirs. In an instant, spatial magic lacerated them both to death. The remaining onlookers drew sharp, fearful breaths, paralyzed by terror.
The Clan Leader, voice shaking, stammered, "Senior… if we have offended you, can't we talk this out?"
Alex had been watching calmly. Without a word, he extended his hands and spatial blades shredded the Clan Leader limb by limb. A Guardian, overwhelmed by grief at the loss of her son, charged recklessly at him—but Alex was faster. Ice magic pierced her heart, ending her life instantly. He dispersed his magic and returned to his stance, surveying the carnage with quiet precision.
Rage and grief twisted the Ancestor's face. He inhaled deeply. "Young master," he said to Third Prince Zhang Wei, "gather the Mid-2nd Layer and Mid-3rd Layer Sage experts. Together, they must stop him!"
The Third Prince nodded after a brief moment of thought. Two elderly Sage experts joined the Ancestor in the sky, forming a formidable trio against the black-robed young man below.
The Ancestor's smile was dark. "Now, let's see if you can escape this."
Alex shook his head, a hint of amusement in his smirk. "You can't kill me."
In a heartbeat, he vanished. When the Jin Clan's defenders blinked, Alex had reappeared behind the Grand Elder, spatial blades slicing through his defenses and ending him instantly. One by one, the remaining nominal elders and Guardians fell in the same merciless fashion. Even the three Sage Realm experts above could do nothing as Alex's movements blurred faster than the eye could follow.
Witnesses trembled, murmuring in disbelief. Even if the Jin Clan's defenders managed to survive Alex, the clan's power was already fractured beyond repair.
Before the Ancestor could respond in rage, the ground shook. From nowhere, a meteor of earth and fire magic crashed into the remaining ranks of the Jin Clan, obliterating nearly a quarter of the three thousand warriors assembled. Before they could recover, I charged through with the Purple Blood Warriors' remnants, striking with flames, wind, earth, and qi-based attacks, my King-tier weapon cutting a path of carnage.
"Brother! You're taking too long," I yelled to Alex, a heavy smirk across my face. "My blood is boiling!"
Alex turned, his smirk matching mine. His eyes met the three frozen Sage Realm experts above him. "I'm not willing to lose out!" he yelled, charging at them with a ferocity that made the air itself quake.
And just like that, the Fall of the Jin Clan began.