Several days later.
Gutres Hills.
Qian Hantian had issued an emergency summons the day he returned to the clan grounds.
Upon receiving it, the members of the Angel Clan scattered across the continent set out at once, returning to Gutres Hills as quickly as they could.
The summons had been sent through the Angel Clan's internal soul-tool communication array.
The array stood in an inconspicuous stone hall deep within the clan grounds and was normally used only to transmit the most urgent messages.
When it activated, dark golden light shot skyward from the array markings at the center of the hall. Like a blazing beacon, it delivered the message to the Angel Clan's branch outposts across the continent in an extremely short time.
The clan members stationed in major cities to protect the clan's businesses received the message first.
They put down their ledgers and tools, handed their duties over to the local stewards, and packed their bags to begin the journey home that very day.
Those who had chosen to settle elsewhere after the war did not hesitate upon receiving the summons either.
They left their homes with packs on their backs and converged along the main roads toward Gutres Hills.
Those still traveling also changed course after seeing the summons at communication stations in the cities they passed through, hurrying home day and night.
Ten days later, the clan grounds in Gutres Hills were packed with people.
The square before the council hall was filled with a dense sea of people, stretching from its center to the stone walls around its edges.
The clan members who had returned from across the continent gathered in small groups, speaking quietly, anticipation written on every face.
Most of them had no idea why the clan leader had suddenly summoned them.
But