Fiery Highlands (15 months later)
'Vigor'
He multiplied the strength up to 90x. His body was filled with muscles everywhere and it looked like it could burst any moment.
"I can feel the explosive strength. But, it'll get harder if the muscles expand anymore."
"I wonder if there are any other improvements."
He examined his body and was delighted to see that his level had increased from entry-level to mid-level of the dominion realm.
"Not bad. Not bad. Let's check if I can reach the 30-meter mark."
He advanced toward the gem.
Unlike before, he took one step at a time.
40.. 39.. 38.. 37.. 36.. 35..
30.
The temperature at the 30-meter mark was around 3800° C(6872° F). As usual, he could only stand for a few seconds before retreating while being cooked alive.
His schedule of body enhancement started again.
***
The Forbidden Forest.
Guo Min was in front of the cave.
Guo Min made a report. "Lord, our spies have sent a detailed report of the sects and their current condition."
The Wyvern said. "Very well. Go on."
Guo Min stated. "According to our spies, three sects from each alliance have abandoned their sect and migrated near the alliance territory. The three sects are the 'wolf' sect, the 'windgrass' sect, and the 'longfen' sect."
The murmured. "That explains why we couldn't find a single soul in all three sects previously."
The wyvern asked. "What about the other sects?"
Guo started detailing. "The remaining three sects from each alliance have allied on their own and migrated to one of the member sects. For example, the remaining sects from the 'Martial' alliance have migrated to the 'Dryvein' sect, the 'Flammog' sect in the 'Merchant' alliance, and the 'Lion' sect in the 'Beast' alliance."
The wyvern praised Guo Min. "Very well. You have done well."
Tch!
The griffin was envious of Guo Min. It had worked under the wyvern for god knows how many years, but never received its praise. However, a human who hadn't worked for more than a year received its praise.
The wyvern relayed an order. "We'll attack the 'Dryvein' sect in the following year. So, be prepared for the invasion."
Stolen story; please report.
"Yes, Lord."
Both Guo Min and the griffin bowed in response and left the cave.
***
The griffin was waiting outside for the human.
As soon as Guo Min arrived, the griffin attacked him. But the attack was just a gesture, so Guo Min was unharmed.
"I've been with the supreme one before you were even born. Don't try to act smart in front of the lord."
The griffin warned him and flew away.
Tch!
"It's not like I want to be his slave."
Guo Min snickered and returned to his settlement located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of the cave.
He lived in a wooden manor made by the citizens.
The next day he assembled everyone and briefed them about the wyvern's upcoming plan.
The citizens became bitter because they would have to battle against their kind in a year.
***
Guo Min started recruitment immediately.
He recruited one male from every household, and a female if there was no male.
He managed to recruit 10,000 men and women. Afterward, he started their training immediately.
The civilians were given weapons training and physical exercise, while the cultivators were given weapons training and the time to cultivate.
Thus, the harsh life as a soldier commenced for 25% of the population of the former 'Moon' sect.
Sometimes, the griffin would also arrive and monitor the progress.
***
A Year Later.
It was the day of the invasion.
Guo Min assembled the soldiers from his side, and the griffin assembled the hordes of beasts from his side.
Both went to the cave to report.
The wyvern spoke. "I hope you have assembled the troops."
"Yes, Lord."
Both replied in unison.
"Very Well. Let's depart."
The wyvern soared out of the cave.
The beasts and soldiers kneeled in response.
The wyvern yelled. "Let's depart."
Roarrrrrrr!
The beasts roared in response but the soldiers were quiet.
***
Dryvein Sect, Twenty Days Later
The 'Dryvein' sect got its name from the fact that it was built over the dry vein that was spread across 150 kilometers(93.2 miles).
Despite the name, it had one of the highest Qi concentrations in the world. The Qi was 2x more abundant as other sects.
The sect was bustling with higher activities than usual thanks to a recent migration from the other two sects, the 'Sunfeng' sect, and the 'Thunder' sect.
Three people from the mansion were observing the people down below while playing a game of mahjong.
They were Fang Meng - Sunfang sect leader, Lian Bai - Thunder sect leader, and Cheng Hua - Dryvein sect leader.
Fang Meng said. "I wish people could always live peacefully like this."
Cheng Hua remarked. "Me too brother Fang. But we all know it's not possible."
Sigh!
They all sighed at once.
Bang!
Suddenly, an explosion occurred at the gate entrance releasing a cloud of smoke.
All three leaders turned toward the direction of the explosion.
"Let's go."
They all took off.
***
Pulverizing the entrance gate had become a signature move for the wyvern.
The wyvern commanded. "Go and destroy everything."
The hordes of beasts and soldiers advanced.
Ahhhh!
The screams echoed as the beasts pounced on them.
However, the soldiers were hesitant about the attack.
The wyvern noticed their behavior and roared. "If you don't kill them. I'll kill you. It's either you or them."
The scared soldiers had no other choice. So they started attacking their kind.
Their sudden attack confused the defending army and created even more chaos.
The defending army yelled. "They're with the beasts. Kill them too."
Soon, a desperate struggle commenced.
***
Cheng Hua was the first to arrive at the scene.
He started eliminating the beasts the moment arrived. The two sect leaders joined him in a few minutes.
The beasts were no match for the trio and got wiped in a couple of minutes.
"Sect leader."x100
The citizens cheered for them. However, they had their eyes set on the enemy soldiers.
Sensing their gaze, one of the citizens shouted.
"Sect leader, they have betrayed us. They are with beasts."
The other citizens also agreed.
"Yes, sect leader. They attacked us."x50
The soldiers tried to retreat. But, the trio wouldn't let them go.
'Lightning Domain'
Cheng Hua ordered. "Keep one alive. We'll interrogate him later."
The reverse massacre started.
[Evo points left: 1,244,750]