Two years passed.
The Ancient Astral Continent changed.
The change did not come as a great explosion, but as a slow yet unstoppable shift—like an ocean current that begins calmly, only to suddenly swallow the shore.
In the western and eastern regions, new banners were raised.
Not the emblems of ancient clans.
Nor the symbols of empires.
But a black star layered with gray light—
a symbol now known by all:
The Devouring Star Alliance.
Xuliang City was no longer called an "independent small city."
It had become a command center.
The western trade routes fell under its influence.
Small sects chose to shelter beneath it.
Even several neutral cities handed over their defensive administration to Xuliang—not due to coercion, but out of fear of a power vacuum.
And in the east—
One name finally made the eight ancient clans unable to remain silent.
The Sacred TIANLAN Sect.
An ancient sect guarding the eastern skies.
Holder of the Heavenly Lightning Formation.
And… a long-time ally of the Lei Clan.
Yet three months ago—
The sky above Tianlan changed color.
The heavenly lightning was no longer blue, but ashen black.
The sect's protective formation collapsed from within, and when the Lei Clan sent envoys—
All that remained were ruins…
and the Devouring Star banner planted upon the main altar.
There was no mass slaughter.
No open war.
The Sacred Tianlan Sect was swallowed whole.
Within the territory of the Lei Clan.
The sky thundered without clouds.
Lei Tian Hong stood atop the Ancestral Lightning Tower, his silver hair dancing wildly, his eyes blazing with barely restrained fury.
"TIANLAN IS A PROTECTIVE SECT OF THE LEI CLAN!"
A massive bolt of lightning struck the ground.
BOOOM—!!
The elders of the Lei Clan half-kneeled, struggling under the pressure.
"They didn't just cross the line," Lei Tian Hong continued, his voice booming like thunder,
"they slapped our clan's face before the entire continent!"
An elder trembled.
"The Devouring Star Alliance claims Tianlan surrendered voluntarily…"
KRAK!
The tower cracked.
"Lies!" Lei Tian Hong roared.
"No sect 'voluntarily' extinguishes its own ancestral lightning!"
He raised his hand.
Ancestral lightning gathered, forming the Lei Sky Spear—a weapon never drawn except in great wars.
"From this day on," his voice echoed across the Lei territories,
"the Lei Clan declares war!"
"Primary target—the Devouring Star Alliance."
"And its center—Xuliang City."
The heavens answered.
Lightning danced like enraged dragons.
The news spread like wildfire across dry plains.
The central regions were shaken.
Great sects chose silence.
The other ancient clans… observed.
Within the Fu Clan—
Fu Zhenhai received the report with a faint smile.
"Lei has finally been provoked."
He closed his eyes.
"Good. If Lei strikes first… then whatever happens in the west and east is no longer our concern."
An elder asked hesitantly.
"And if Yunxihua endures?"
Fu Zhenhai's smile sharpened.
"Then the eight ancient clans will see one thing clearly."
"That the fear they held two years ago…"
He opened his eyes.
"…was justified."
In Xuliang City.
Yunxihua stood on the highest balcony of the Astral Tower, gazing toward the east.
The wind carried the scent of ozone—a sign that great lightning was on the move.
Xuhuo stood behind her, his expression serious.
"The Lei Clan has raised its war banners."
"The entire east will become a battlefield."
Yunxihua was not surprised.
She merely let out a slow breath.
"Two years," she said softly.
"We held back, stabilized the territories, and avoided direct confrontation."
She turned, her eyes sharp yet calm.
"And yet… war still comes."
She raised her hand.
Below the tower, the forces of the Devouring Star Alliance moved in orderly ranks—not wild, not panicked.
Disciplined. Trained. Ready to die.
"We will not attack the Lei Clan," Yunxihua continued.
"But we will not retreat either."
Xuhuo grinned faintly.
"Then… this will be a war that shakes the continent."
Yunxihua looked at the sky as lightning began to flash.
"No."
Her voice was low.
"This will be a war that decides—"
whether the eight ancient clans still rule because of strength…
or merely because of old habits.
In the distance, the first thunder roared.
The West–East War officially began.