Not long after.


    [Your descendants, the third generation ckwood and Luna, along with the ancient Ralph, used a technique that affects the soul''s essence to weaken Abbot David, stripping him of his spiritual sinews, bones, and relics...]


    Despite being a highly enlightened monk, the controlled and bloodied Abbot David reverted to his usual demeanor. Even covered in wounds, he remained calm.


    He simply lifted his head, gazing at the Ghost Eye Demonic Gate''s barrier, the demonic ckwood, and the mad sorcerer, uttering a single word.


    "Amitabha, Cloudview County has be and of demons."


    "Today, I head to the hell of warriors, waiting for the demonic ckwood. The day hell empties is the day I attain enlightenment."


    Ralph frowned, "Abbot David, don''t others know you? Haven''t I always known? Over a thousand years ago, you loved killing, taken in by the monastery, thereafter killing in the name of Buddha. A millennium has passed, and countless innocents have died by your hand.


    "Among them were greedy viins, reckless scolds, and decadent schrs... but they were all ordinary people. You weren''t ying demons or evil; you were just satisfying your own desires under the guise of Buddha!"


    "Amitabha." Abbot David continued his chant.


    "If you were truly a Buddha, how could Luna and I have influenced your spirit? You''re less than a demon."


    "Amitabha..."


    "Amitabha, it''s annoying to hear."


    Before Abbot David could finish, under Ralph''s shocked expression, Luna grabbed Abbot David''s shoulders, and a dagger pierced through his jaw, burning away his Competent Force with soul fire, much like she used to bleed pigs, casually cing a basin on the ground to catch Abbot David''s blood.


    During the previous battle, Abbot David had bled profusely, which pained Luna to see. Now, this Competent Force-infused blood, whether sent to Julian for crafting special gear or to Amelia for concocting potions, was an excellent resource.


    "Cough, cough, Luna, that was clean and efficient."


    Ralph twitched his lips as he watched the blood gush from Abbot David''s neck, the sound of it dripping into the basin crisp and clear. ncing at Luna''s calm eyes, he inexplicably shivered.


    "Thank you for your help, Elder Ralph."


    Luna smiled slightly, genuinely pleased. She had long heard that her descendants practiced both demonic and Buddhist arts, consuming the flesh of Buddhas on a throne of blood. A Competent Force corpse was indeed a great supplement.


    Old ckwood was going to prosper again.


    "You''re wee."


    Elder Ralph took a deep breath, looking around, "Now that Abbot David is dead, I have no more concerns in Cloudview County. With that, I''ll prepare for the uing disaster."


    "May the Ghost Eye Demonic Gate endure forever."


    Luna''s expression was solemn.


    Elder Ralph slightly smiled and nodded at Luna before soaring into the sky.


    Leaving behind a wish.


    "May ckwood shine for eternity."


    As their conversation ended.


    Luna finished draining Abbot David, storing his body in the Storage Ring.


    On this snowy day, the Lord of Frenzied Blood and the third generation ckwood stood quietly behind her, and Drunken Fool, surprisingly, did not mor to desecrate the corpse. They were in the now-ruined Golden Forest.


    In the distancey the towns of Cloudview County.


    They heard the town''s warning bells.


    "The Azure Cloud Pavilion orders, civilians to evacuate with their valuables at top speed!"


    "The Duke''s Mansion has dered martialw? He''s after your lives!!!"


    "Retreat immediately, and you may survive!"


    Gratitude Vige.


    ckwood Residence.


    At this moment, Nichs, Donna, and two monks had returned to their homnd.


    They gazed upon the peaceful Gratitude Vige, their emotions aplex tapestry. When they had left, they were but naive children, prone to tears and tantrums. Now, they had grown, following in the footsteps of their elders.


    Nichs wondered what his older siblings might think.


    To him, Gratitude Vige seemed smaller now. The familiar faces of the vigers, once so well-known, now seemed strange, making him hesitant to speak, so much so that he avoided meeting his old friends.


    Small, yet warm. Returning to the family grounds, they visited the ancient Blood Tree, the forebearerhall, and the Silver Iron Forest.


    A sense of unprecedented safety washed over him, bringing him close to tears.


    While wandering,


    a figure caught his eye—it was... Helen, his betrothed!


    Helen still bore her beauty and now wore a white robe simr to Dennis''s, guarded by experts from the Cloudrise Oceanview Pavilion.


    "Nichs!"


    "Helen!"


    Upon seeing Helen, Nichs ran to her without hesitation, embracing her openly, something he would have proudly dered as a manly act in the past.


    Now, he simply held her quietly, feeling her tremble with excitement. "Helen, I''m back."


    "In broad daylight, really?" Donnamented, rolling her eyes at their public disy. But with family around, she refrained from harsh words, only warning, "Don''t get ahead of yourself, kid. Some things are meant for after you''re married. Just don''t follow in your brother''s footsteps. Hugs and kisses, and a little touch here and there should suffice for now."


    With that, she left with the two monks, heads bowed, chanting scriptures.


    "..."


    Nichs twitched a smile, grateful at least that Donna hadn''t called him ''useless brother.''


    Helen, stunned, watched Donna''s retreating figure. "What''s gotten into Donna? Has she... been possessed?"


    If he remembered correctly, Donna was timid when she left, her voice soft and pitiable. Now, she spoke her mind freely, much like the straightforward grandfathers of legend.


    "Cough, cough."


    Nichs touched his nose. "Donna''s been hanging out with some rough crowds; you get used to it."


    The two sat beside the ancient Qiuchun tree of Nichs''s childhood, but now, he no longer wished to climb it, preferring to watch quietly, recalling the days when Grandpa Dennis and Helen would push him on it, his cheers lost in the wind.


    Nichs shared his adventures, Helen gripping his hand tighter with each perilous tale.


    When he spoke of his victories at the Azure Cloud Martial Pavilion, even defeating the renowned Yi Xian, Helen wept with joy. "Grandpa Dennis always said Nichs would return with honors worth boasting about."


    But their joy was short-lived, falling into silence.


    After a while, Nichs said, "Helen, I''m sorry, we haven''t found Grandpa Dennis. Grandma has been using Dawn to search everywhere, even the Azure Cloud Pavilion."


    "It''s okay. As long as we keep looking, we''ll find him one day," Helen whispered softly.


    That day, the day Grandpa Dennis left ckwood to find a ce for his final rest and leave his legacy to the Cloudrise Oceanview Pavilion, was thest anyone saw of him.


    Investigations revealed he had met with Stephen, the former head of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, now known to be a member of the mysterious Oracle Chamber, his true intentions unknown.


    As they sat, heads bowed,


    a member of the Cloudrise Oceanview Pavilion arrived hurriedly by sword, his expression a mix of astonishment and confusion.


    "Miss Helen, the Pavilion Master... he''s returned, just outside Gratitude Vige!"


    "What?!!"


    Surprised and hopeful, Nichs and Helen rushed to the outskirts of Gratitude Vige.


    After many years,


    their Grandpa Dennis stood not in meditation but upright at the vige gate, his expression somber as he looked upon everything within.


    As his most cherished approached,


    he took a deep breath and dered, "Notify the Cloudrise Oceanview Pavilion, notify the elders of ckwood, they need toe back immediately. They..."


    "Areing!"