Standing above the mountain of the Icy Scorpion Sect, the last remaining Grand Elder oversaw their defensive formation. Although there were two living Grand Elders, only he could use his full power without any drawback.

Behind him were several figures. They dressed in a bluish robe, holding their different treasures. Although the internal struggle between the Elders was intense, in the face of the external danger, they would gladly set aside their grudge to unite and protect their sect.

"Sect Leader, the Life Lantern of Elder Frozen Chain had already extinguished. None of the Elders that accompanied him had survived." One of the Elders spoke with a hint of grief and panic in his voice. With the death of the Elder Frozen Chain and his team, they could deduce that the mastermind had united more than one of their nemesis.

"Let us wait no longer. From this moment onwards, we, the Icy Scorpion Sect, shall enter out battle-ready state!" Although his voice was overflowing with confidence, the Elders knew that their situation was dire.

Without any desire to continue, the meeting concluded after a simple discussion about the internal resource distribution. Most of the Elders bid their farewell as they hurried into their side, gathering their faction to address the upcoming disaster.

After everyone except the Sect Leader left, he let out a sigh before sitting back onto his seat, looking over into the landscape of the frozen forest. Because the meeting room was at the top of the mountain, he could see almost the entirety of the Icy Scorpion Sect.

Picking up a feather pen, he wrote a simple letter detailing the content of the meeting and the general issues about the Icy Scorpion Sect. However, after finishing the mundane topics, he also wrote about his feelings, detailing how he wished the event would turn out.

By tapping his hand lightly, the letter sealed itself before flying off into the distance, moving towards a secluded cave that his friend was residing.

"Ancestor, please bless us and let our sect live through this war." Holding a spherical orb in his hand, the Sect Leader began to pray to the revered Founder, the Frost Ancestor.

Although there had never been any reply back, he felt somewhat at ease every time he did so.

...

Unable to control his emotion, Glacies smiled as he sighed a chill breath of relief. He watched as the bloody formation expanded and covered every part of the wildness, enveloping everyone including Abicel who was at the edge of the battlefield.

In the final moment, Glacies managed to hold against the continuous assaults from Ocelia. By using every bit of his sorcery and willpower, he managed to gain time for Avidas.

At the edge of the chaotic wind system, the vine-covered Abicel put down her flute as she revealed a pure, childlike smile. Although vines and flowers made her appearance non-human, her charm instead increased after the conversion into a tree fairy.

While one side relaxed their mind, the other felt as if a dark cloud had just concealed the last sunray from the sky, and the darkness soon descended.

Forus, with his feeble strength, jumped towards Ocelia and pushed her away from the spot. At that moment, a pool of blood manifested beneath her, and a strange crimson hand crawled out of it. It grasped at her robe and tore it apart with its sharp nails.

Although Ocelia came out unharmed, the hand did not stop its momentum and continued to move upwards, grazing Forus' skin as its nails darted past him. The open-wound did not cause any permanent damage, but the crimson blood from the hand had sneaked into his body.

The crimson blood made its way into his bloodstream, eating away his lifeforce and swelling his muscles. The infected skin inflated and turned into a pore-like organ that continued to vomit out the crimson blood. If the corruption did not get treated in time, its lethality would increase exponentially.

Fortunately, the crimson blood could only rampage as it wished for a little while before the greyish soul sensed the annoyance and processed to devour it as if it was just a snack. Although the all-corrupting blood was powerful, it was no match for the Taboo Existences.

Witnessing the strange occurrence, Ocelia felt her body going numb as she exerted herself to cast a flaming spell to dissipate the blood beneath her. Even Glacies and Abicel expressed their anxiety as they turned their attention to the silent Avidas. He did not utter anything since the completion of the formation.

"At long last, I'm back once again." As if he had gone insane, Avidas chuckled and smiled to himself. His movement and manner changed from the timid and boot-licking servant into a confident and narcissistic master.

"Sir, who might you be?" Sensing the subtle change, Glacies frowned before asking him politely. After all, this Avidas was the one who controlled the gruesome formation. If he accidentally offended such person, he might not live past this isolation barrier.

"As I expected, the takeover did not stabilize yet." Mumbling to himself, Avidas took a glance at Glacies before he smiled, confusing the young master.

"Don't worry, young man. I only have a simple request for you." Lifting his finger and pointing it towards Glacies, Avidas widened his smile into a wicked degree. The black light manifested on his fingertip and snapped onto Glacies.

"Die for him." The instant Glacies perceived the black light, a sensation of despair overwhelmed him, drowning him under the pressure of death. Before he could move, the death's grip arrived in front of him, stabbing into his heart.

The air around Glacies froze as a silhouette of a grail manifested in front of him. It shook and let out the milky liquid. The liquid moved to intercept the light, sticking onto it and pulled its momentum down. However, despite its unique power, the black light disintegrated all of it and seeped into Glacies' realm of consciousness.

Avidas watched as the young master of the Ninguis Family dropped onto his knees, showing blank expression as his body decayed into a greyish statue.

The statue captured the dignity of Glacies, displaying his cold and unfeeling expression. Although he was kneeling, his attitude remained unyielding and determined. If not for the bloodstains that covered the ground, one could mistake this statue for the work of a master craftsman.

Abicel trembled at the sight of the demise of Glacies. Although she had no feeling for him and his well-being, watching his swift death instilled her with profound terror.

She hurriedly raised her flute and blew her soft breath into it, forgoing any side effects and ordered the moving trees to guard her. However, as she turned and tried to run, the overflowing blood pool spurted out the crimson hands that dragged everything into the abyss. Within a mere moment, Abicel lost all connections with her trees.

"Fret not, girl. I have no desire to kill you. However, continued testing my patience won't end well for you." With his words, Abicel ceased her movement and silently stood behind a tree, leaning onto it as she held her breath in anxious.

"We meet again, at long last." Avidas turned his ghostly pupils towards Forus and chuckled. Although Forus had never heard this voice before, he felt a certain familiarity within the remarks.

As Forus tried to sense the Elements within the air, his soul suddenly stirred as his perception locked onto an old rusty ring on Avidas' hand. Although Forus could not see the ring itself, he could feel the strange and mystical force that the ring continued to emit.

The invisible yet inviting fragrance of the Death Aura caused his soul to grow unrested, as well as reminding him of the source of such thing.

"As expected of a Taboo Existence, your perception over Death Aura was as great as ever." Witnessing the change in expression, Lord Phasma smiled as he let out even more Death Aura from his ring, trying to lure Forus in.

Although Forus could control himself, he could not predict what the greyish soul would do. Upon discovering a large amount of Death Aura, his soul began to go out of control as the tendrils crept their ways out from his realm of consciousness.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm right here." A delicate yet firm hand grabbed hold of Forus', pulling him into her warm embrace that gained him the strength to control everything. A simple hug had calmed his mind and repressed the tendrils.

"Very interesting. You manage to overcome your urge." Glancing at Ocelia, Lord Phasma willed and created the crimson hands, sending them flying towards Ocelia.

"Wait!" Before Ocelia and the crimson hands could begin their lengthy battle, Forus shouted at Lord Phasma and interrupted his concentration. As if he had already expected the shout, the swarm of blood came to a halt instantly.

"If your objective is my body, leave her out of this." From their previous encounter, Forus had already deduced what Lord Phasma wanted to accomplish.

Although Forus and Ocelia were strong, they could not contend against the current Lord Phasma who controlled the deadly formation. Any suspicious actions would lead to their immediate annihilation.

"Your deal couldn't sway me, young man." With a wave of his hand, Lord Phasma ordered the stationary crimson hands to continue in their path to seize Ocelia.

Sensing the abnormality, Ocelia pushed Forus away and attempted to evade. However, due to the excessive consumption of sorcery energy from the earlier battle, she could not exert herself anymore. As the swamp of blood closed in, she resigned herself and stopped her struggle.

Although the act was abrupt and violent, the hands did not cause any damage to her body. Instead, as long as Ocelia did not resist, they would gently hold her body like a precious gem.

"Let me tell you something, young man." Lord Phasma extended his hand outwards and caressed the maiden's cold, emotionless face. His face formed a subtle smile as he admired the quality of her body.

"Your girl's body is what I want." As his mouth twisted into a grin, Lord Phasma thrust his hand and stabbed onto Ocelia's chest, creating a hole that reached to her pulsating heart.

The pain crept onto her face as her brows frowned into a curve-like shape. However, although sweats formed on her forehead, Ocelia did not utter any scream or wail. Her eyes only locked onto Lord Phasma's face in silent.

At the same time, the pool of blood manifested beneath Forus' feet and spurted out more hands, grabbing onto his legs and infecting him with the corrupting bloodstains. Although he could use his Ice Element to freeze the blood, he could not move from his spot due to the overwhelming quantity of the hands.

"Young man, watch as I devour her soul and take over her mind." As his words echoed the isolation barrier, Forus could hear the intense anger and frustration within the speech. Lord Phasma had never forgotten that moment where his fragmented soul got devoured by the greyish soul.

As the waves of laughter continued, Forus decided to disregard his injuries and break out of the stalemate by letting the crimson hands pierced his body. Surprisingly, on his path towards Ocelia, Lord Phasma did not summon any obstacles to block him.

Although the wounds were small, the corruption of the bloodstain turned his appearance disfigured and radiate pain all over his body. Coupled with the rampaging tendrils that emerged from his realm of consciousness, his appearance resembled monster from the abyss more than a regular human.

Holding a beating heart in his hand, Lord Phasma watched as its systemic pulsation slowed down. The aromatic fragrance had stirred his mind, inviting him to take a mouthful bite and taste the unique flavour of a novel heart.

Little by little, the stagnated hands of the skeleton clock trembled. After a long time of peace, the clock of fate began to tick, moving towards the twilight of life that was midnight.