The tide of battle turned unexpectedly fast.
On the same day, Barek used a flying magical beast to report to the Rhein Imperial City that "the enemy Bulake has been killed, and a strategic retreat will follow. We hope that follow-up troops will be prepared to provide support."
On the third day, the first wave of undead legions had already arrived on the battlefield.
The reason it is called an undead legion rather than a squad of Necromancy is because this army, led by twenty-one Necromancy, makes no attempt to conceal its identity.
He rode the Royal Griffon provided by the Rhine Empire directly to the vicinity of Purplewood City, then summoned hundreds of thousands of undead to surround the barbarians near Purplewood City and slaughtered them all.
"I never imagined that Father would actually be so determined to let Necromancy join the battlefield." Barek stood with the necromancer squad, while in the distance, the undead army was slaughtering the last of the barbarians.
There were twenty-one mages, three of whom were level nine and eighteen of whom were level eight; all of them were members of the Rhine Clan.
The leader of them, Mage Pelham, had a full head of white hair and was already 320 years old, exceeding the lifespan limit of the Rhine Clan. He was only surviving by relying on Necromancy.
In Jason's view, these level nine powerhouses who were nearing their end were simply wasting their lives by staying at home too much. If they wanted to break through to the Saint-level, going out for a walk would be much more effective than going into seclusion for life-or-death cultivation.
Master Pelham said calmly, "This order was jointly issued by His Majesty and the seven surviving former emperors of the empire. There is no need to conceal our strength; we must deliver the strongest possible response to any force that dares to challenge the Rhine Clan."
The emperors of the Rhine Empire were all quite talented, especially in the early days of the empire, when each emperor was an extremely powerful cultivator.
According to records, five of the Rhein Emperors have become Saint-level. Together with Maisiji and the two emperors before him who are still alive, these eight people jointly hold the secular power of the Rhine Clan.
Pelham added, "Fifty more level-seven Necromancy and a thousand elite imperial troops have arrived on the battlefield, along with ten Saint-level warriors. His Majesty Maisiji has ordered us to directly attack the grasslands and destroy all the barbarian tribes we encounter!"
This time, not only was Barek surprised, but even Jason was frightened. "Is this going to be a war of annihilation? Will there be problems with the Golden Royal Court?"
Although Jason was unaware of the Golden Royal Court's trump card, as a descendant of orcs, his massacre on the Yulan Continent without incurring retaliation from the War God and the High Priest clearly indicated that he had something to rely on.
"I'm not too sure about that; I guess the Saint-level accompanying the army will find out something later."
Barek was worried about the situation in the empire. "Have other countries reacted? Does Father have a policy to deal with this?"
"All members of the family who had no hope of advancing to the Saint-level have been dispatched to various strategic locations. Those at level nine who are stuck at the Saint-level threshold in Bloodshadow Valley will also be sent to the front lines later."
Subsequent reinforcements arrived on the battlefield five days later.
To Jason's surprise, it was Edward who led the ten Saint-level.
Although Edward was very easygoing before, he was once the Emperor of the Rhein, Saint-level Limit powerhouse, and had a great reputation in the Rhine Empire and even the entire continent.
Inside a tent, Jason sat with ten Saint-level, all of Saint-level were members of the Rhine Clan; the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend was not among them.
Jason thought to himself, "Thankfully, the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend hasn't made a move, which means the situation isn't beyond saving."
Edward seemed quite happy, which reassured Jason had been on tenterhooks lately—he had only just begun to Fusion Profound Mysteries, and he didn't want any accidents to happen at this crucial juncture.
"Don't be nervous, it's a good thing." Edward saw through Jason's thoughts and also liked this gifted junior very much. "You haven't been in Bloodshadow Valley lately, and this news has already spread throughout the family's Saint-level —our ancestor has recovered his strength, and even reached a higher level!"
"Ancestor?" Jason thought of the legendary Deity-level being hidden in Bloodshadow Valley: "So, what level is our ancestor?"
"Dante is from the Violet-Eyed Family. He met that patriarch, who is said to be able to easily defeat the War God and the High Priest, but he can't defeat the king of the Dark Forest."
Dante is Ailin's father, and Edward is her contracted partner, as well as a Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend at the Saint-level Limit level.
"Deity-level who survived the great war five thousand years ago shouldn't be so impulsive as to go looking for trouble in the Dark Forest," Jason said, slightly relieved. "Then, does our ancestor intend to unify the Yulan Continent?"
Edward shook his head. "No, Lord Beirut's restrictions on the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend are still in place. The Ancestor's intention is to wait until he consolidates his strength before leading our entire clan's Saint-level to the Higher Planes!"
As for the recent wars, they were just a show of the family's strength, letting those petty scoundrels know that even though our ancestor is gone, the Rhine Empire is not to be trifled with."
Jason's heart leaped again. "Going to the Higher Planes? And with dozens of Saint-level in tow? Do you think you're Seven Star Fiend?! I'm not going."
Jason didn't know about other planes, but at least in the Infernal Realm and the Netherworld, without the strength of Highgod, it was difficult to even protect oneself. To lead dozens of Saint-level to venture into the Higher Planes, one would need to be at least Five-Star Fiend. Jason remembered that in the original story, the "something-something tribe" that Linley and his group first joined had a Six-Star Fiend as its leader, and also had another Highgod steward and a group of Midgod assisting them.
Jason didn't believe his ancestor possessed such power.
"Is going to the Higher Planes mandatory?" Jason asked tentatively.
"The Violet-Eyed Family will probably all go, as for the Rhine Clan, it depends on their individual wishes," Edward said with a smile. "Jason, you have excellent talent; you shouldn't waste your time on the Material Plane of the Yulan Continent. This is a great opportunity. I just heard you don't have children yet, and your wife will soon be in the Saint-level. You must seize this opportunity!"
Edward spoke earnestly, explaining that as a family elder, he had truly done his best to mentor Jason, Jason was even somewhat reluctant to let him go to the Higher Planes to his death.
"Ahem," said one of the Saint-level nearby, "Let's talk about dealing with those barbarians instead."
Edward nodded. "Yes, although our ancestor cannot attack the creatures on the Yulan Continent, he investigated and found that the Golden Royal Court relies on a ' Metal Puppet ' with power comparable to Deity-level. Our ancestor promised to suppress this puppet during the final battle. Our mission is to destroy the Golden Royal Court during this time, exterminate the orc race in this plane, and let other nations witness the strength of the Rhine Clan!"