Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

The war came without warning.

It was a grayish-yellow morning, and the dust in the sky was thicker than usual, even obscuring the dark red mountain outlines in the distance in the yellowish mist.

Chen Fan had just finished feeding the Netherworld Beasts and was squatting by the herb field, adding soil to the newly planted Bloodthorn Vines, when a low and urgent horn sound came from the central square of the tribe.

The horn was made from the horn of a giant horned beast unique to the ancient demon star. Its sound was deep and muffled, like muffled thunder rolling from the depths of the earth. It sounded three times in a row, causing the bone trim on the stone house to tremble slightly.

Chen Fan raised his head.

Having lived in the Black Rock tribe for almost two years, he had heard this bugle call before.

The horn would only sound in one situation: when war broke out. He put down the bone shovel, wiped his muddy hands on the animal hide, and stood up.

The tribe was already in an uproar.

The soldiers rushed out of their respective stone buildings, clad in bone armor and wielding various heavy weapons. Their faces showed no fear, only barely suppressed excitement.

The ordinary tribesmen quickly gathered the elderly, weak, women and children in the central council hall of the tribe, which was the most solid building in the Black Rock tribe, built from a single piece of black rock, enough to withstand ordinary spiritual energy bombardment.

Over at the Netherworld Beast Pen, several beast slaves were frantically putting reins on their warhorses. The giant beasts, sensing the impending battle, thrashed restlessly in the water, emitting low growls.

"Beast slave!"

A loud voice came from behind.

Chen Fan turned around and saw Tie Gu striding towards the stone house.

The clan chief was fully armed today, with a thick layer of bone armor covering his chest and a giant battle axe that was half a head taller than him on his shoulder.

The axe blade was dark red, a mark left by bloodstains that seeped into the metal's texture after countless battles, stains that could not be washed away.

Iron Bone was followed by a dozen soldiers, each of them burly and imposing, their scales gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the grayish-yellow sunlight.

"You're going to battle today too." Tie Gu's gaze fell on Chen Fan.

Since Chen Fan's bloodline broke through to the upper third grade last time, Tie Gu has quietly changed his address for him from "beast slave" to calling him by his name.

Although it is still mostly just a brief "you," it is a world of difference compared to the previous general term.

"The Blood Rock Tribe has invaded, and their numbers are considerable. You haven't been on the battlefield since your bloodline breakthrough, so today you'll follow behind this clan leader," Iron Bone said again.

Chen Fan paused for a moment, then nodded.

He knew this day would come sooner or later.

In the Black Rock Tribe, every member whose bloodline breaks through to the upper three ranks must go to the battlefield.

This is the tradition of the ancient demons, and also the duty of the warriors.

The tribe gave you shelter and resources, so you should repay them with battle. This logic may be crude, but it's quite fair.

He turned and walked back to the stone house, taking out a bone sword made from the leg bone of a Netherworld Beast from the corner of the wall. The sword was over three feet long, with a dark yellow blade. Its surface was rough but its texture was solid; he had sharpened it himself during his spare time over the past few months.

Although it wasn't October 1st, it still felt quite substantial in my hand.

Tie Gu glanced at the bone sword in his hand, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately turned around and waved his hand: "Let's go."

The Blackrock tribe's army assembled on the wasteland outside their tribe.

Chen Fan roughly counted them; there were about three hundred soldiers, plus an equal number of ordinary clansmen serving as logistics and auxiliary troops.

For a small tribe with a population of only a few thousand, this was an all-out effort.

The soldiers were arranged in a loose formation, with the Netherworld Beast warhorses on both flanks. The huge beast bodies gleamed with a dark, cold light in the grayish-yellow sunlight, and the riders on the beasts held long spears, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.

Ironbone stood at the very front of the group, a giant battle axe slung diagonally over his shoulder, his dark red eyes sweeping across the faces of every warrior.

"The Bloodrock Tribe has crossed the border and is invading, trying to seize the Blackrock Tribe's mineral veins." Ironbone's voice echoed across the wasteland, each word like a war drum bursting from the depths of his throat. "By the ancient demon ancestors above, today we will let them know that the Blackrock Tribe's possessions are not to be touched by just anyone!"

Three hundred soldiers simultaneously unleashed a deafening roar.

The roar, mixed with the vibrations of bloodline power, dispersed some of the gray-yellow dust overhead.

Chen Fan stood not far behind Tie Gu, not shouting along, but simply tucked the bone sword into the leather belt at his waist and quietly gazed into the distance.

The Blood Rock Tribe's army has appeared on the horizon.

Their numbers were roughly the same as the Black Rock tribe, around three hundred.

Leading the group was the chieftain of the Blood Rock tribe, a giant whose size was no less than that of Iron Bone, covered in dark red scales, and wielding a pair of heavy chain hammers.

The two chain hammers had heads larger than human heads, their surfaces covered with jagged spikes, leaving two deep furrows in the ground as they dragged. Behind him were the warriors of the Blood Rock Tribe, their formation similar to that of the Black Rock Tribe, with Netherworld Beast cavalry positioned on both flanks and a square formation of heavily armed warriors in the center.

The two armies stopped a hundred paces apart.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, his gaze quickly sweeping across the battle formation of the Blood Rock Tribe.

The enemy had several more Netherworld Beasts than the Black Rock Tribe, but their soldiers' armor was generally thinner, clearly indicating that they hadn't had time to don heavy armor during their long march.

The cavalry formation on both flanks was also somewhat loose, with a gap of about three zhang between the left flank and the center.

If his true self were here, this distance would be nothing, but for these ancient demon soldiers who only have the strength of Foundation Establishment and Core Formation, the crudeness of the command also means a flaw.

Of course, Chen Fan didn't say it aloud.

Right now, he's just a beast slave new to the battlefield behind Iron Bone, and there's no need for him to overstep his bounds.

"kill!!!"

Without any negotiation or shouting on the battlefield, at Tiegu's command, the soldiers of the Black Rock Tribe charged towards the Blood Rock Tribe like a flood bursting its banks.

At the same time, the Chainhammer Chieftain of the Bloodrock Tribe also roared an attack.

The two torrents collided violently in the middle of the wasteland. The sounds of clashing weapons, shattering armor, roaring beasts, and tearing flesh exploded at the same moment, shaking the ground slightly.

Chen Fan followed behind Tie Gu, his bone sword still sheathed. His gaze was calm to the point of being indifferent, like two still, ancient wells on the chaotic battlefield.

This scene might be a once-in-a-lifetime battle for the other soldiers of the Blackrock Tribe, but for him, facing a sea of ​​carnage was an army of millions of undead.

That overwhelming resentment, that never-ending sea of ​​bones, that inescapable blood-red sky.

Compared to that, the tribal conflict between three hundred people against three hundred people is nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Chen Fan did not let his guard down because of this.

This ancient demonic body was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and even after its bloodline broke through, it was only around the Great Perfection stage. In the eyes of Chen Fan, who was at the Nascent Soul stage, it was as fragile as paper.

He had to be careful and achieve the greatest results with the least amount of effort.

He was all too familiar with this kind of battle where the weak defeat the strong.