“No worries, let me do it. I'm in desperate need of some nourishment right now.”
Qimeng stepped forward with a beaming smile, walking past the bird girls of the White Feather Clan.
The Thunder Eagle Grand Elder's face was ashen. He stared at the seemingly harmless girl in front of him. Judging by the White Feather Clan's deep respect for her, he had already deduced that the dramatic transformation of these little bird girls was entirely thanks to her.
“You... what kind of monster are you?!”
“Why didn't my Thunder Eagle Clan ever get such an opportunity?!”
Even if the Grand Elder refused to admit it, he knew the battle was lost. He prepared for a final, desperate struggle, intending to activate the territory's self-destruction formation.
Qimeng didn't like to waste words. She struck immediately.
All-Things Deconstruction and the Pupil of the Instant Scene were activated simultaneously!
These two abilities truly complemented each other perfectly.
Qimeng instantly saw through the Grand Elder's intentions. A massive tree root surged forward, cutting off his path of retreat.
The pitch-black root prioritized destroying the core of the formation.
Under the Grand Elder's horrified gaze, Qimeng stopped holding back as rich Wood attribute mana erupted from her body.
“Wood Spell: Demon Tree Prison Burial!”
Rumble!
An obsidian-black giant tree erupted from beneath the grand hall's floorboards!
Upon the giant tree, thousands of pitch-black blades sprouted!
Qimeng coated every single blade with the power of Zero Friction frost!
Splat! Splat! Splat! Splat! Splat!
Defense?
In the face of the Zero Friction frost that could cleave through anything, the Thunder Eagle defense force—including the Grand Elder—were instantly skewered into bloody sieves!
“Absorb!”
Qimeng opened her small hands, and her roots shot out to pierce them. A powerful suction force devoured the Grand Elder and all the guards!
In the entire Thunder Eagle Castle, not a single living soul remained.
Five thousand members of the Thunder Eagle Clan had been reduced to numbers in Qimeng's source energy reserve.
Qimeng wouldn't feel even a shred of pointless pity for a cruel race that survived by leeching off weaker tribes.
To be merciful to one's enemies was to be cruel to oneself.
Afterward, Qimeng returned to the Wind-Thunder Magic Marrow once more.
She took out the six-layer Sacred Spirit that Yinzhi had gifted her earlier...
“Hehehe, let's try this.”
Qimeng funneled all the life source energy she had just gathered into the six-layer Sacred Spirit!
Hum!
The six-layer Sacred Spirit erupted with a dazzling, holy radiance!
It continued to sublimate under the infusion of life source energy.
One moment it contracted, the next it condensed!
Finally, a brand-new, brilliant pattern bloomed across its surface!
【seven-layer Sacred Spirit】!
Just like that, a great sacred relic recorded only in the ancient texts of Wood Elf history was born in Qimeng's hands!
“What incredibly powerful life force... It would be such a waste to just eat it directly.”
Qimeng didn't treat it as food. Instead, she pressed the seven-layer Sacred Spirit directly into the Wind-Thunder Magic Marrow!
Next, she cut her finger.
She dripped three drops of her own demonic blood, which carried her very essence, onto it.
“If my hypothesis is correct...”
“...then this should be able to nurture a Wind or Thunder Spirit!”
“I can't wait.”
After completing all of this, it would require a long time to wait for the incubation process.
Qimeng returned to the upper levels of the castle.
By now, the White Feather Clan had successfully rescued their imprisoned companions. They were cheerfully cleaning up the battlefield and sorting through the spoils of war.
“Lady Qimeng!”
Ninike jogged over, pointing toward the entrance of a nearby underground passage as she hesitantly asked for instructions.
“In the escape tunnel... we blocked off the remaining female eagles and hatchlings of the Thunder Eagle Clan. May I ask how we should handle them, Lady Qimeng?”
Qimeng glanced at the shivering Thunder Eagle hatchlings.
“Hmm, they don't have much mana value. Devouring them won't provide much source energy either.”
Qimeng's usual style would be to simply clean them up on the spot to save trouble, ensuring that no roots were left to sprout later.
But when she noticed the trace of reluctance in the eyes of Ninike and several young bird girls beside her, she changed her mind.
These little bird girls were still too kind-hearted after all. Despite having been tormented so terribly in the past, they could still feel compassion.
Then again,
a group of hatchlings who had lost their protectors posed absolutely no threat to her. She might as well do them a small favor.
After all, this was also a necessary tactic for managing subordinates, wasn't it?
“Since you caught them, you decide what to do with them.”
Without the protection of the Wind-Thunder Mountains and the Thunder Eagle Clan, they likely wouldn't survive long if released. If the tribes previously oppressed by the Thunder Eagles found them, taking revenge would be the least of their worries.
Ninike and the others let out a sigh of relief and said respectfully,
“Yes, my Lady! In that case, we will exile them to the outskirts of the Genesis Forest and let them fend for themselves.”
“Do as you please.”
“However, while you can release those who pose no threat, the Thunder Eagle Chief and the one thousand elites he took with him cannot be spared. They are still a major threat.”
“Please rest assured, my Lady! They are the true culprits behind the Thunder Eagle Clan's evil deeds. We will show absolutely no mercy!”
A cold glint flashed through Feifeier's eyes.
“Then I'll leave it to you.”
“Yes! I have already arranged for scouts to keep an eye on them. Once we gather the spoils of war, we will immediately set up an ambush on their return path. We will ensure they are wiped out completely—not a single one will escape!”
“Mhm, very well.”
The next few days were spent happily taking over the territory.
Qimeng finally got to lie down on a massive, luxurious bed she hadn't seen in ages!
Those fellows from the Thunder Eagle Clan certainly lived in luxury, comparable to human nobles.
Aside from their hygiene habits, which left much to be desired, there were no complaints.
Qimeng directly ordered the White Feather Clan to perform a thorough spring cleaning, replacing every single used curtain, decoration, carpet, and bedsheet inside and outside the castle.
“Whew... much better!”
Still, the castle felt a bit too suffocating. Qimeng ended up choosing a forest garden outside the castle as her temporary residence.
A wooden cabin close to nature was far more comfortable than a castle piled with cold stones.
Over the next few days, Qimeng nestled in her forest cabin, sipping flower tea while counting the spoils of war that the White Feather Clan continuously brought in.
She didn't care for ordinary weapons and equipment at all, so she rewarded them all to the White Feather Clan.
But as for the mountainous piles of magic stones, rare magic materials, and alchemical magic plants, Qimeng accepted every single one of them!
With this influx of resources, the strength of her territory could take another giant leap forward!
To be safe, the news of the White Feather Clan conquering the Wind-Thunder Mountains was strictly sealed off, keeping the outside world temporarily quiet.
Thunder Eagle Castle had now undergone a complete change of ownership.
The falcon emblem atop the castle was smashed to pieces, replaced by a massive stone plaque carved with demonic vines and pure white wings.
It was inscribed with "White Feather Tribe," with a side engraving that read: "Tree Court • Wind-Thunder Mountains • Outpost."
On the terrace, Qimeng held her flower tea and took the opportunity to explain the impending descent of the Tree Court to the White Feather sisters.
“In other words, this place is the very first cornerstone of Lady Qimeng's Tree Court territory, right?!”
Ninike's eyes sparkled.
“Please rest assured, my Lady! Sister Feifei and I guarantee we will fulfill our mission! If anyone dares to try and snatch it, I'll skewer them all!”
“Ninike, mind your manners.”
Feifeier knelt on one knee before Qimeng.
“The entire White Feather Clan swears to protect the Tree Court Outpost with our lives, waiting for the descent of the Tree Court at any moment!”
“Mhm, you've got great spirit.”
“Yes!”
However, just as the White Feather Clan was fully prepared to ambush the returning forces of the Thunder Eagle Chief,
Qimeng had no choice but to first return to her territory in the Genesis Forest.
This was because Yinzhi, who had stayed behind to guard their home, had transmitted an urgent report through a Space Fruit growing on the main tree.
“Lady Qimeng!”
“The demon tower to the south has suddenly erupted with a sky-piercing magical light! The phenomenon is astonishing. I fear all the factions across the continent have already noticed it!”
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