The night swallowed the silhouette of the Faceless Lord, leaving Thiet Phu kneeling alone amidst the desolate Assembly Hall of Brotherhood. The mountain wind howled through the gaps in the walls, carrying the chill of the night, yet within the heart of the Black Wind Stronghold Chieftain, a fanatical flame that had been extinguished for a hundred years now burned violently once more.
He carefully picked up his horse-chopping saber, then tightly gripped the Demon General Medallion carved with the character "VÔ" in his hand. He was no longer Thiet Phu, the hegemon of a domain. He had reverted to being a Blood Fiend Guard, a warrior who knew only how to obey the commands of his master.
Early the next morning, an earth-shattering order was issued from the peak of Black Wind Ridge. The Black Wind Stronghold, one of the most ferocious bandit gangs in the region, announced its disbandment. All the wealth plundered over the years was distributed among the families of fallen brothers and those who wished to leave and return to an honest life.
Only fifty men remained. The fifty most elite, most loyal men—those who had braved life and death alongside Thiet Phu. They didn't understand what their boss intended to do, but their absolute trust meant they uttered not a single word of complaint.
"From today onward," Thiet Phu stood before his fifty subordinates, his voice deep and resonant. "There is no more Black Wind Stronghold. There are only the Blood Fiend Guards!"
He offered no further explanation. He simply led his fifty brothers away from the lair they had occupied for decades, embarking on a new journey. They split into numerous small groups, scattering in all directions—heading to taverns, black markets, and the most chaotic places—to seek out their comrades of yesteryear and to deliver a message.
A message sealed by the Blood Soul Mark: The new master has appeared. One month from now, in the City of Chaos, the Blood Fiends shall gather anew!
Meanwhile, Tran Kien, or rather Faceless, had journeyed far from Black Wind Ridge. He did not immediately return to the City of Chaos. He knew that once Thiet Phu acted, the news would undoubtedly stir up a storm. He needed a period of time to prepare, and to continue growing stronger.
He headed toward another desolate mountain range, continuing his bitter cultivation. But this time, he had a new objective.
He began to delve deeper into the Blood Sacrifice Array. He didn't use it to commit evil. Instead, he used his Primordial Chaos Qi and his knowledge of Lac Viet array formations to reconstruct it, transforming it from a wicked sacrificial formation into a battle array capable of connecting the auras of warriors, amplifying the power of an entire army.
He also began to fuse the essence of the Asura Blood Slaughter Saber into his own saber arts. His Saber Intent—Hundredfold Tempered—was no longer solely upright and unyielding. It had gained an unpredictable, treacherous nature, along with a deeply concealed killing intent. He was preparing for the impending battles in the City of Chaos, a place where mercy was tantamount to suicide.
A month passed by in a flash.
The outside Cultivation world was truly in an uproar. News of the Black Wind Stronghold's disbandment and the resurgence of the legendary Blood Fiend Guards had caused no small amount of shock. Countless rogue cultivators, former members of the Blood Fiend Guards of old, upon receiving the news, flooded into the City of Chaos from all directions.
The major powers like the Phantom Shadow Pavilion and the Crazy Sand Gang felt an extreme threat. An army that knew only slaughter and absolute loyalty, if truly re-established, would utterly shatter the balance of power in the City of Chaos. They all dispatched men to secretly monitor the situation, wanting to see exactly what kind of sacred existence this mysterious "Lord" was.
On a night of the full moon, at an abandoned gladiator arena in the western part of the City of Chaos.
Nearly a hundred figures clad in battered black armor, radiating a dense killing intent, had gathered here. They stood as silently as statues, producing not a single sound, yet their converging auras formed a pitch-black cloud that visibly dropped the surrounding temperature by several degrees. Leading them was none other than Thiet Phu.
He had managed to gather nearly half of the surviving Blood Fiend Guards. Every single one of them was a peak Qi Condensation expert, and a few had even touched the threshold of the Foundation Establishment stage.
They were waiting.
When the moon reached its zenith, a figure draped in a black cloak and wearing a bamboo hat silently stepped out from the shadows.
There was no terrifying momentum. There was no overbearing coercive pressure. The person looked incredibly ordinary.
"Is it him?" "He looks too young..."
A few Blood Fiend Guards began to whisper, doubt plain in their eyes. They only submitted to the strong. How could someone who looked so weak be their master?
Thiet Phu said nothing. He merely stepped aside in silence, yielding the stage to his true master.
Faceless stepped into the center of the arena, facing the doubting gazes of nearly a hundred men.
He didn't say a word. He merely drew the dull black saber from his back.
Then, he slashed out at the empty space before him.
It was still Saber Intent—Hundredfold Tempered. But this time, it was no longer an invisible line of intent. It had fused with the essence of the Asura Blood Slaughter Saber.
A black dragon forged from Primordial Chaos Qi, its entire body shimmering with golden veined patterns, flew out from the blade. It didn't roar, nor was it ferocious. It merely circled once in the air, carrying a coercive pressure that was simultaneously upright, brilliant, gloomy, and tyrannical.
All the Blood Fiend Guards froze upon seeing that black dragon. The Blood Soul Marks within their bodies trembled violently—not out of mere submission, but out of resonance, an acknowledgment stemming from the deepest depths of their souls.
This saber art had surpassed the realm of the Blood Hand Demon General of yesteryear! This new master... was even stronger than the old master!
No further words were needed.
THUD!
Nearly a hundred Blood Fiend Guards, including Thiet Phu, simultaneously dropped to one knee, their right hands placed over their hearts, their heads bowed low.
A resonant, unified voice, carrying fanatical zeal and absolute loyalty, echoed throughout the arena.
"WE, THE BLOOD FIEND GUARDS, SWEAR TO FOLLOW THE LORD TO THE VERY END! FOR ALL LIFETIMES AND ETERNITY, WE SHALL NEVER BETRAY YOU!"
In the hidden corners of the arena, the few shadowy figures of the Phantom Shadow Pavilion and Crazy Sand Gang who were monitoring the situation broke out in cold sweat upon witnessing this scene.
They knew that, as of tonight, the City of Chaos had a new king.
And an even greater storm was about to descend upon this Cultivation world.