Ending, a new era.

The extent of the damage in the surrounding kingdoms from this war was about the same.

Many Giant Cities were captured by the Blood Legion, and the land was polluted; all of this required post-war reconstruction.

Of course, the Vilen Kingdom was the most severely affected.

The entire kingdom's territory, spanning thousands of kilometers, had been completely destroyed.

Blood and natural disasters ravaged the land in turns; it was no longer suitable for human habitation.

Beside him, the Kunad War King said, "Well then, everyone, let's head back for now."

"Although this great battle was difficult, it gave me some gains. Once I go back and digest them, I'll see if my strength can advance further."

"If we encounter such a crisis again, I hope we can all gather together once more."

Hearing this, the Gnome Legendary from the Gray Mist Kingdom hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Once is enough for this kind of thing!"

"I don't want to experience such a terrifying battle again; I almost lost my life."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

The Yōulán Queen beside him glanced at him indifferently, "Rest assured, even if something like this happens next time, it won't be your turn."

"With the speed at which this one grows stronger, we Legendaries will soon lack even the qualifications to be foils."

Hearing this, a dozen pairs of eyes turned in unison toward Cao Xing.

They did not know what Luo had said to Cao Xing at the end.

Nor did they know that Luo had gifted him the two most important things in his possession.

Expressions of admiration appeared in their eyes.

If it weren't for this Otherworld Lord, they wouldn't even have been able to defeat the Watchers in this great battle.

Let alone the series of events that followed.

Cao Xing shook his head and said with a smile, "It's not that serious."

"Without everyone's efforts, relying solely on the power of my territory, it would have been impossible to reach this point."

"I will need everyone's help in the future."

The kings exchanged glances, and smiles appeared on their faces.

The three Legendaries from the Gray Mist Kingdom stepped out from the crowd, and the Gnome Legendary said, "Everyone, we will be heading back first."

"The old former king cannot hold on for much longer. We are going back to see if we can let him live for another year or two."

"If that doesn't work, we'll just hold a funeral for him."

Everyone looked over again.

In the crowd, the decaying old man raised his head. The aura on him was indeed quite weak; he was like a candle in the wind, likely to be extinguished at any moment.

The Ice Crystal King said, "Take old Mr. Karen back. I hope that when I visit the Gray Mist Kingdom next time, I will still be able to see him."

The three powerhouses from the Gray Mist Kingdom nodded slightly, then turned into a mist and quickly left the place.

Including the Yōulán Queen, the Kunad War King, and others, they all took their leave one after another.

On the field, only the Lizardman Chieftain, the Ice Crystal King, and Cao Xing and his group remained.

"Ahem—"

The Lizardman Chieftain coughed twice and said, "Lord Cao Xing, I also need to go back and recuperate for a period of time."

"I will come find you in a month."

"Then we can discuss the conditions we agreed upon earlier."

Cao Xing's expression stirred, then he nodded and said, "Alright."

The Ice Crystal King also reminded him from the side, "Lord Cao Xing, when the world barrier was torn this time, some guys took the opportunity to escape."

"During this time, they might be lurking in some area, recovering their strength."

"I will do my best to send people to investigate. If I discover these places, I will have someone notify you."

Cao Xing's expression became serious; he knew that the guys the Ice Crystal King mentioned were existences like the Nightmare God Démǔ.

"I understand, thank you, Your Majesty."

The Ice Crystal King waved his hand and then left with the Lizardman Chieftain.

Soon, only Cao Xing and his group of Legendary powerhouses remained in this area.

At this moment, Cao Xing looked around.

For thousands of kilometers around, there were traces of the great battle everywhere.

The ground was covered with ten-thousand-meter-long cracks, and the air was filled with the lingering scent of blood.

A hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.

Subsequently, Cao Xing opened the necromancers bag and released all of his core combat personnel.

"Clatter."

Auras of powerhouses emerged.

As soon as everyone appeared, they all looked toward their Lord.

After confirming that he was alright, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Ever since that Blood Commander with only half a head devoured Aetius, Cao Xing had put them into the necromancers bag.

They were unaware of what happened afterward.

Inside the necromancers bag, they were extremely anxious but helpless.

Now that they were out and saw the scene before them, they understood the outcome of this great battle.

Cao Xing smiled slightly and said loudly, "Everyone, as you can see, we have won again."

"This time, we concentrated the top-tier power of the entire territory and slew a demigod."

"This is an honor that belongs to us all!"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes turned red, and a surge of hot blood welled up in their hearts!

There is no need to say how powerful a demigod is.

Once, such an enemy was an existence that was unreachable to them.

But now, they had jointly slain one; this was simply an unprecedented event!

Cao Xing continued, "Moving forward, everyone's strength will continue to improve."

"In the near future, more Legendaries, and even demigods, will appear among us!"

"As long as we work together, we will defeat all enemies!"

On the field, this group of powerhouses clenched their fists and cheered loudly!

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

The sound shook the heavens and earth, as if it would overturn the very sky!

Cao Xing looked at his brave and battle-hardened subordinates with satisfaction, then waved his hand.

"Then now, everyone return to the territory!"

"Whoosh!"

Immediately, the sound of Wind Wings flapping rang out.

A group of powerhouses flew in mid-air, heading in the direction of the Gale Snowfield.

However, before leaving, Cao Xing also took along the pair of a little boy and a little girl whom he had protected under the ruins.

Soon, the backs of this group gradually disappeared into the moonlight.

On the way back, a message appeared before all the Survivors.

[The tide of blood receded, the bloodiness shrouding the world dissipated, and the night sky of the kingdoms returned to tranquility.]

[That group of Watchers in the darkness completely exited the stage of history; the Blood Legion that ravaged the land also turned into dust in the torrent of history…]

[This was a fateful battle spanning a thousand years, and a life-and-death choice concerning the survival of the world; now everything has settled…]

[Every surviving Survivor is a brave warrior who has experienced the test of blood and fire, proving your tenacity and strength!]

[All Survivors have unlocked the achievement: Silver Warrior.]

[Silver Warrior: Reputation +10,000, Territory Population +1,000.]

Seeing this notification, the Survivors were stunned for a moment.

Then there was an uproar!

"Holy crap! We actually unlocked an achievement. Wow, this is the first achievement we've unlocked since coming to this world!"

"Indeed, it seems this world also has an achievement system, it's just that the difficulty to unlock them is very high!"

"Hahaha, this achievement reward is really good! It actually gave 10,000 reputation points. I only have a little over 2,000 reputation points so far; it increased by several times in an instant!"

"The 1,000 population increase is also not bad. I've taken in a large number of refugees these past few days; just as my territory's population was running low. 'Silver Warrior' sounds very cool!"

Just as everyone was excitedly discussing, system information continued to appear.

[However, although the Blood Legion has fallen, the truth of the world is far from being revealed.]

[More powerful and evil existences are hiding in the shadows, eyeing you and this world covetously.]

[The exit of the Watchers ended the strife of one era and also unveiled the prelude to another era…]

[In the near future, all Survivor lords will participate in even greater strife; you need to continue to improve yourselves and the strength of your territories.]

[Hint: In that ocean covered by ice all year round, a silent death storm is brewing…]

When Cao Xing returned to the territory, it was already past one o'clock in the morning.

Cao Xing did not check the pile of rewards he had obtained; instead, he returned to his room, held Liu Muxue, and had a good sleep. He was indeed quite tired.

A few months ago, after learning the news that the Blood Legion was about to descend, he had started making preparations to deal with it.

The appearance of the enemy made him even more tense, trying every way to improve the strength of his territory members.

Now, it was completely over.

He could also relax.

Including all the staff in the entire territory, they also drifted off to sleep.

Seven consecutive days of high-intensity combat had left them exhausted.

The territory was completely quiet. The next day, after the system notification, Cao Xing still hadn't gotten up.

It was a rare occasion that he slept until twelve noon before slowly opening his eyes.

Liu Muxue had already gotten up and was currently patrolling the territory.

"It is time to get up." Cao Xing chuckled.

Then, he sat up on the bed and stretched.

After putting on his clothes and his robe, he walked toward the first floor.

"Creak—!"

As he pushed open the gates of the Lords Castle.

Beams of sunlight spilled onto his face, causing him to involuntarily squint.

"It has actually cleared up." Cao Xing muttered to himself, his tone filled with a hint of emotion.

Since the Blood Chaos expansion pack began, the sky had either been shrouded in blood clouds or was a dreary grey.

Everyone hadn't seen the sun for a long time.

At this moment, sunlight was scattered across every corner of the territory.

Although, in this frigid world, even the sunlight didn't carry much warmth.

But it still brought a long-lost sense of hope and warmth.

Cao Xing walked through the central plaza, passed through the second ring area of the territory, and went by the residential area, work area, Tailor Shop, canteen, and other places—

Along the way, he encountered many busy territory residents.

After the recruitment over the past few days, the population of the entire territory had exceeded eight thousand people.

Upon seeing Cao Xing, these workers stopped and greeted him.

"Lord, may you be well—"

"Lord, may the Goddess of Hope protect you—"

Cao Xing smiled and nodded in response, his gaze sweeping over everything before him, feeling a sense of peace and satisfaction in his heart.

The workers in the territory were busy.

The soldiers were conducting combat training in an orderly fashion.

Transport vehicles loaded with large quantities of ore were returning, and smoke was rising from the chimney of the canteen. Everything before him appeared so peaceful and harmonious.

Cao Xing walked to the buffer zone of the territory, contemplating what he needed to do next.

"Currently, the Blood Chaos has ended, and there should be a long period of stability ahead."

"Next, I can complete the next step of the plan, proceed with the third round of territorial expansion, and develop in the direction of a Giant City!"

"Besides that, the territory's trade system also needs to be established."

After a pause, Cao Xing continued to reflect: "And after the territorial expansion is completed, I must find a way to recruit more management talent to help me manage the entire city."

"In addition to that, I also need to expand the farmland so that the territory's food can be self-sufficient."

"And then there is the commercial system of the Giant City. It can be said that to build a Giant City, he still has a lot of work to do."

However, Cao Xing was not in a rush; he would just take it one step at a time.

"Before that, let me first check the rewards obtained last time."

This time, his harvest could be described as terrifying.

Besides the two things Luo left for him.

There was also the 200,000 Reputation reward for ending the Blood Chaos expansion, as well as 10 [Pure Fragments], 54 million War Merits, and a [Random Legendary Equipment Chest].

In addition, there were the rewards for the first kill of a demigod: [Dream Library (Legendary)], [Random Demigod Skill Book], and 100 [Divine Power Shards].

And this was just the reward given by the system.

You have to know, he had killed a demigod and eight Legendary beings this time!

A large amount of loot had also dropped from these powerful beings.

Thinking of this, he softly called out.

"Sarah."

The moment his voice fell, a slender figure appeared by his side.

"Lord, please give your orders."

Sarah bowed slightly.

Now, she was becoming more and more like Cao Xing's shadow.

She had no presence in daily life, but whenever there was a battle or when she was needed, this assassin would appear at the first moment.

Cao Xing nodded slightly, "Give me everything obtained this time."

"Yes."

Sarah stepped forward respectfully and handed over a backpack.

Cao Xing transferred everything inside into his own backpack.

[Obtained: Blood Source Divine Fire * 1]

[Obtained: Heart of Legend * 5]

[Obtained: Blood Myriarch's Sovereign-level Soul * 2]

[Obtained: Blood Myriarch's Commander-level Soul * 1]

[Obtained: Blood of the Strong * 26]

[Obtained: Blood Crystal * 1075]

"Good heavens, I've obtained so many things again!"

"In this way, there are a few more things to check."

Cao Xing was filled with emotion.

There were so many items that he didn't even know where to start looking.

After a pause, he thought to himself: "Let's take it one by one."

"Before checking these rewards, let's first exchange all the remaining War Merits."

Cao Xing glanced at his remaining War Merits.

[War Merits * 176 million.]

"To think I have nearly 180 million War Merits again; this is quite satisfying!"

"With so many War Merits, I can exchange for quite a few good things again!"

Thinking of this, a smile couldn't help but appear on Cao Xing's face.

"However, currently in the War Merit Shop, I have almost finished exchanging for everything that needs to be exchanged."

"The only remaining important things are [Master-level Heart of Power], with 619 left to exchange, which will cost about 123.8 million War Merits to exchange all of them."

"Then there are four Master-level Proficiency Emblems, which require 12 million to exchange all of them."

"Besides that, there are three types of recruitment scrolls, totaling 16,000, which require 35 million War Merits."

"These add up to 171 million War Merits."

"In other words, after exchanging all of these, I still have about 5 million War Merits left to splurge."

After thinking for a moment, Cao Xing made a decision in his heart.

"Since that's the case, let's use all the remaining War Merits to exchange for Blood Crystals."

"Currently, I have 6,600 Blood Crystals on hand, counting the one Destroyer Tower built previously."

"It's just about enough material for me to build three Destroyer Towers."

After making the decision, he opened the War Merit Shop directly and clicked on the [Items] tab.

[Confirm spending 176 million War Merits to exchange for Master-level Heart of Power * 619, Master-level Proficiency Emblem…]

"Yes."

[Exchange successful!]

[Obtained: Master-level Heart of Power * 619]

[Obtained: Master-level Proficiency Emblem * 4]

[Obtained: Corrupted Blood Barbarians Recruitment Scroll * 10,000]

[Obtained: Curse Blood Mage Recruitment Scroll * 3,000]

[Obtained: Bloodwing Cavalry Recruitment Scroll * 1,000]

[Obtained: Blood Crystal * 500]

After Cao Xing clicked confirm, all War Merits were exhausted.

Looking at the hundreds of Hearts of Strength, the Proficiency Emblems, and the more than ten thousand recruitment scrolls in his backpack.

A look of satisfaction couldn't help but appear on Cao Xing's face.

"Not bad, this will allow my territory's strength to rise another level."

He did not immediately use these scrolls for recruitment.

One reason was to reserve enough population to prepare for the upcoming city construction.

Second, because there were no major events recently, even if all these troop types were recruited, it wouldn't be able to rapidly improve his strength.

Moreover, if all these ten thousand plus troops were summoned, the daily food consumption would skyrocket many times over.

So, it was better to keep them in the backpack for the time being.

After consuming the War Merit rewards, next, it was time to check the loot dropped by that Blood Commander and Myriarch.

"Whew."

A cluster of dancing flames suddenly appeared in Cao Xing's hand.

The flame flickered slightly in the air, containing a kind of deep power within it.

"Why is this Divine Fire red?"

There was some confusion in Cao Xing's eyes; after all, the Divine Fire he had obtained last time was pure white.

Then, he looked at the attributes.

[Blood Source Divine Fire]

[Quality: Unknown]

[Item Description: A Divine Fire condensed from vigorous Blood Divine Power, which can ignite the inner Divine Fire for Legendary beings who have mastered the Divine Power of Blood.]

[Item Effect 1: Legendary beings who have mastered the Divine Power of Blood, upon reaching level 150 and meeting the Divinity requirements, can ignite this Divine Fire and have a chance to break through to the Demigod realm.]

(Note: Because this Divine Fire contains pure Blood Divine Power, if absorbed by a Legendary being of the same attribute, it will increase the probability of breaking through to a Demigod by 20%. If a Legendary being of a different attribute absorbs this Divine Fire, it will decrease the probability of breaking through by 20%.)

[Item Effect 2: Can directly absorb the Divine Fire to replenish 1,000 points of Divine Power.]