Amidst the ruins and smoke-filled battlefields, Blood King Chunyu surveyed his subordinates.
Below him, every member of the Blood Clan bore wounds.
Even the Blood Beasts, usually cannon fodder, were noticeably fewer, a far cry from their former strength.
After a sweeping gaze, he, the Lord of the Blood Clan, sighed, his expression complex.
This battle had brought him much, but also cost him dearly.
Though the Undead Lord Alsaith was consumed and the hundreds of billions of undead troops annihilated, leaving only remnants, the seven Undead Kings still stood, and the Undead Imperial Capital remained unconquered.
Despite the victory, the price paid by the Blood Clan was immense.
The basic rank-and-file members had been reduced by a third.
Over a hundred million had perished, and countless more were wounded.
Hundreds of high-ranking Blood Clan members had also fallen.
The thoughts in one's mind and the actions taken often diverged; this was due to the difference in self-perception.
Blood King Chunyu, who had believed his heart would remain unmoved no matter how many of his people perished, now felt a crack appear in his icy resolve.
Witnessing firsthand the carnage, the sea of corpses and blood that stretched for ten thousand miles, a direct consequence of his decision, a fissure opened in his once frigid heart.
Fragmented memories of Alsaith's experiences flashed through Blood King Chunyu's mind.
At this moment, Blood King Chunyu seemed to break through some barrier. Runes, akin to rules, spread across his body, and his heart began to pound furiously.
"Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!"
The sound of his heartbeat was not loud, yet all the high-ranking Blood Clan members heard it clearly.
"What is that sound..."
Xue Ba'er looked uncertainly in a certain direction, the direction of Blood King Chunyu.
"King!"
"Long live our King!"
"Chunyu!"
"Chunyu..."
Hundreds of millions of Blood Clan members knelt on one knee, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, their resounding cries of "Blood King Chunyu!" filling the air.
Blood King Chunyu stood up, spreading his arms, reveling in the worship of billions of his kin. A sense of pride swelled within him.
Having advanced his cultivation to the Half-step Emperor realm, Blood King Chunyu's power had undergone a significant transformation.
Pondering this, Blood King Chunyu frowned, closed his eyes, and delved into his own body.
There, he discovered the changes within himself.
Firstly, the faint runes appearing on his body symbolized the rules of Hell itself.
Subsequently, Blood King Chunyu, along with Blood Ba'er, Blood Gaires, Blood Shak, Blood Mikena, Blood Rif, Blood Meng, Blood Tos, Blood Tianmeng, and eight other Blood King-level subordinates, led hundreds of millions of Blood Clan troops to sweep through the remnants of the Undead Clan.
Only the Undead Imperial Capital remained, a tough nut to crack.
"Roar!" "Roar!" "Roar!"
It took the Blood Clan army three months to breach the terrifyingly dense undead aura surrounding the Undead Imperial Capital.
Finally, through their collective effort, they channeled a sea of blood towards the Undead Imperial Capital.
An endless expanse of blood flowed slowly, its destination the Undead Imperial Capital.
Upon this sea of blood stood Blood King Chunyu and the nine Blood King-level subordinates: Blood Ba'er, Blood Gaires, Blood Shak, Blood Mikena, Blood Rif, Blood Meng, Blood Tos, and Blood Tianmeng. Behind them, a dense throng of Blood Clan soldiers.
Blood Ba'er stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said, "Remnants of the Undead Clan, considering you were once among the top hundred races, if you wish to live, open your Undead Imperial Capital..."
"And accompany us to the Blood King's Palace, or you will all die!"
"Nonsense!"
"Do you take us for fools?"
"What good would going to the Blood King's Palace do? A death sentence?"
"..."
Before Blood Ba'er could finish, the seven Undead Kings within the Undead Imperial Capital, enraged by his words, were determined to defend their fortress to the death.
Hearing the sharp curses of the Undead Clan, a murderous glint flashed in Blood Ba'er's eyes, yet his expression remained calm, as if unaffected by the insults.
Blood King Chunyu stepped forward, shook his head, and said:
"Words are useless. Since you refuse, then you shall die..."
Crimson lightning crackled around him, and countless blood-colored bolts controlled the sea of blood, crashing towards the Undead Imperial Capital.
With a "boom," the sea of blood surged, its boundless crimson waters cascading down, cleansing the dense undead aura around the Undead Imperial Capital.
"Sizzle... sizzle..."
The undead aura, which had posed a formidable challenge to all, began to melt and dissipate like snow in the sun after being washed by the sea of blood.
Seeing this, Blood Ba'er let out a cold laugh, raised his right hand, and gestured downwards, shouting, "Kill!"
The Blood Clan army, receiving the command, responded in unison, surging forward with the sea of blood into the Undead Imperial Capital.
The next moment, the remnants of the Undead Clan, realizing the situation, led by their seven Undead Kings, counterattacked the Blood Clan army.
The Undead Imperial Capital was an unparalleled war machine, capable of infinitely producing undead armies with sufficient souls and flesh, crushing opponents through sheer numbers.
The accumulated souls and flesh within the Undead Imperial Capital were the foundation of the Undead Clan's resistance against the Blood Clan.
However, in the very next moment, the reality of the situation delivered a harsh blow.
The Blood Clan and Undead armies clashed instantly, countless corpses littering the battlefield.
After an hour of fighting, the situation remained a stalemate, fiercely contested, with the Blood Clan army even beginning to retreat.
Before the remnants of the Undead Clan could even smile, Blood King Chunyu, along with Blood Ba'er, Blood Gaires, Blood Shak, Blood Mikena, Blood Rif, Blood Meng, Blood Tos, and Blood Tianmeng, the nine Blood King-level subordinates, intervened, instantly turning the tide of the battle.
"Ah... ah..."
Continuous screams echoed as countless skeletal skulls shattered. The army of billions of undead skeletons began to crumble.
However, the seven Undead Kings, knowing that surrender meant death, and resistance also meant death, were resolute in fighting the Blood Clan to their last breath.
Billions of undead skeletons sacrificed the spectral fire within their skulls, awakening the ancient and majestic power of the Undead Imperial Capital.
Streams of undead energy emanated from the Undead Imperial Capital in all directions, as if an unprecedented colossal beast had suddenly come alive.
Blood King Chunyu and the nine Blood King-level subordinates, who had been fighting with relative ease, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise upon hearing this roar.
The Undead Imperial Capital was the origin of the Undead Clan, nurturing them, one of the top hundred races of the Underworld, and was naturally not as simple as it seemed.
Whenever the Undead Clan went to war with other races, the flesh and souls gained from the aftermath were thrown into the Undead Imperial Capital.
Over time, the Undead Imperial Capital and the Undead Clan became inextricably linked.
Infused with a large amount of spectral fire, the Undead Imperial Capital seemed to awaken, writhing like a living entity.
The entire Undead Imperial Capital was enveloped by a powerful aura, not weaker than that of Blood King Chunyu and the nine Blood King-level subordinates, and in fact, somewhat stronger.
Blood King Chunyu and the nine Blood King-level subordinates' pupils contracted slightly. After careful observation, they finally understood everything.
They now knew why the Undead Clan, in their current predicament, still dared to fight the Blood Clan with such confidence – this was their trump card.
The Undead Land churned and transformed, morphing into a colossal skull ten million miles in size.
As soon as this massive skull formed, the entire Undead Land seemed to come alive.
Countless streams of undead energy poured out unrestrained, coalescing into thick, gray tentacles.
However, under the combined might of Blood King Chunyu and the nine Blood King-level subordinates, no matter how the Undead Clan struggled, there was only one outcome: death.
The Undead Imperial Capital eventually fell, and with its fall, the Undead Clan's mark on the Underworld vanished.
The Undead Clan was wiped from existence; from this day forward, the word "Undead" would no longer be found in the Underworld.
The Undead Clan, numbering in the billions, was annihilated by the Blood Clan on the sixth day of the third month in the year Hai of the Underworld's calendar epoch!
However, the Undead Clan had exacted a heavy toll from the Blood Clan.
"Blood King Blood Meng has fallen..."
"Blood King Blood Tianmeng has fallen..."
"Blood King Blood Tos has fallen..."
Of the Blood King Chunyu and the nine Blood King-level subordinates who had attacked the Undead Clan together, only six remained.