"Whoosh—"
Sand and dust whipped through the air, rocks thundered as they tumbled, and the howling gale sounded like the wails of spirits who had slumbered here, sending a chill down anyone's spine.
Across the desolate hills stood countless enormous crimson boulders. Long eroded by wind and sand, they had taken on all manner of strange shapes, forming a unique landscape within the Land of Earth.
Yet even though he stood on his own country's soil, Nanli Hu couldn't bring himself to look at the barren landscape. Instead, his eyes were wide and his face pale as he stared at a sea of blood unlike the crimson boulders.
Cold sweat kept trickling down his forehead. He had witnessed plenty of killing as a ninja, but the scene before him still challenged him with the most primal of fears.
Before that being's three subordinates, the Cloud Ninjas were like insignificant, withered blades of grass—shattering at the slightest touch, without the power to fight back.
Blood gushed together like streams to form pools, while shattered limbs flew through the air. The once-fierce Cloud Ninjas could now do nothing but scream in terror.
Watching a brutal scene that seemed fit to appear only in Hell, Nanli Hu felt his whole body go weak.
If he hadn't survived so many battles, he would have collapsed to the ground by now. Even so, cold sweat soaked his clothes, his pale lips quivered, and his hands hanging at his sides trembled nonstop.
The young Rock Ninjas behind him were in even worse shape. At the thick stench of blood that filled the entire area, some fainted on the spot, while those still conscious bent over and vomited repeatedly, as if they meant to bring up their very organs.
At last, the slaughter ended. Silence fell.
Only