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The black-robed First SwordSaint chuckled and said, "Hah, back when those madmen resurrected me, they once said this world is a giant arena where every race fights for survival. Only through constant innovation and progress can one seize the chance for a future—any adherence to outdated ideas is poison leading to ruin. Though they said it to persuade me to accept my undead form, the principle itself wasn’t wrong. My era ended long ago; my thoughts, ideals, and wisdom remain frozen eight hundred years in the past. In a world where even a Lion Tribe Emperor Martial can cast aside pride to wield the Saint Crest, only your generation’s relentless innovation can carve a path forward. As for me… I need only lay the groundwork."

"Ancestor…"

The undead First SwordSaint said no more and turned to leave. Yet beneath his black robe, a faint glimmer of light flickered—eight-colored, just like the Hero's Sword.

At the same time, the white-haired werewolf soaring atop a dragon through the clouds also received news of Catherine’s coup through magical channels.

"Hmph, good. Now let’s see what expressions Samantha's successors will wear in the face of this situation."

Heroic Werewolf Scroll, Chapter 155: Cutting Through Formations, Generals, and Kin

Combat is an instinct engraved in their blood.

In truth, among the hundred beastman tribes, eighty percent—regardless of gender—share the same trait: the moment they touch a weapon, their blood boils with excitement. This obsession is as innate as gems to dragons, art to elves, or power to humans—an inextinguishable fervor. It is this very zeal that makes it a laughable notion to expect tens of thousands of beastmen from two opposing factions, already arrayed for battle, to peacefully stand down.

Thus, despite Chen Xuanfeng’s earlier show of force and the officers’ desperate attempts to maintain order, the fragile ceasefire lasted only days before conflicts erupted once more across the frontlines. What began as skirmishes between mere dozens of soldiers quickly escalated into fierce clashes…

This, in effect, violated Chen Xuanfeng’s decree against civil war.

And this was precisely the excuse Chen Xuanfeng had been waiting for.

Three days after Catherine assumed the Lion Tribe’s chieftainship, Chen Xuanfeng declared punitive action against the Splitfang Clan’s forces under the pretext of defying the Beast King’s orders. Simultaneously, Catherine issued her own proclamation: the Lion Tribe would not partake in the alliance’s civil war. All Lion Tribe forces were to either return to their garrisons immediately or be branded traitors.

"This is blatant framing!"

"This is an open conspiracy!"

Every high-ranking beastman could see what the alliance’s most powerful—and illustrious—couple was plotting. Yet with the War God Pope remaining silent, none dared speak up for the clearly besieged Splitfang Clan. As for the common beastman warriors, a Beast King bold enough to wage war was far more appealing than a leader entangled in political machinations.

Five days after the declarations, Chen Xuanfeng rallied eighty thousand troops in Fontainebleau City and launched a punitive campaign against the Splitfang faction, now branded as Lion Tribe traitors.

Eighty thousand was hardly an impressive number—only thirty thousand were wolf cavalry, ten thousand yak warriors, while the remaining forty thousand were half-beastman soldiers. Though years of training had honed these half-beastmen into red-skinned elite warriors, their strength barely met the baseline of the five great warrior races. Yet Chen Xuanfeng harbored no concerns, for he had set the tone of this war from the outset: a blitzkrieg showcasing the might of Saint Masters.

With Chen Xuanfeng himself—the supreme Celestial Saint—as the vanguard, flanked by the light-aligned junior SwordSaint Jin Luosa and the frost-wielding Ice Valkyrie, bolstered by several Crystal Dragons and the six-winged Demon Dragon patrolling the skies, followed by tens of thousands of troops, such a formation could breach any defense or fortress in a single charge. No additional forces were needed.

Of course, this strategy wasn’t flawless. Blitzkriegs feared prolonged engagements—if they were truly invincible, the legendary "SwordSaint" Leinster and "WarSaint" Leimen would have founded their own kingdoms long ago. But Chen Xuanfeng was luckier than his predecessors. Both Leimen and Leinster had faced entire dominant races with inexhaustible resources, forcing them to avoid entanglement lest they be pinned down by dozens of Sword Emperors while millions of troops encircled them, supported by mages, priests, and Shamans weaving spell formations. Even a Great Devil King would perish under such relentless assault. Hence, Saint Masters without armies had always resorted to guerrilla warfare.

This time, however, was entirely different. By allowing the Lion Tribe to instigate civil war, Chen Xuanfeng had forced the Splitfang Clan to mobilize and scatter their forces across multiple fronts. Then Catherine’s sudden seizure of Lion Heart City severed the clan’s roots. Had the Splitfang Clan still held the Lion Tribe’s chieftainship, they could have rallied forty percent of the alliance’s strength using Samantha’s legacy. But stripped of legitimacy, their direct forces—though numerically unchanged—now lacked both reinforcements and momentum. In short, unless the Splitfang Clan achieved lightning-fast conquest, they would soon struggle to maintain their armies.

Thus, the Splitfang Clan now feared prolonged war more than Chen Xuanfeng did—while swift victory was his forte.

On the second day of the campaign, Fontainebleau’s forces crushed a Splitfang frontline in the southeast. Wielding the Sword of Divine Punishment, Chen Xuanfeng shattered three fortresses in succession, leading his army into the Golden Plains and plunging into the vortex where the Splitfang Clan clashed with the Eagle and Bear Tribes.

The first to engage Chen Xuanfeng’s legion was the Bear Tribe’s Marmot Corps. Though not famed as elite warriors, they were renowned for constructing massive fortifications mid-battle, grinding opponents down in attrition—earning them the title "Masters of Attrition Warfare." In this civil war, they had tied down three Lion Tribe legions single-handedly, cementing their reputation. Yet even they knew better than to face a legion led by a SwordSaint. Their commanders quickly sent emissaries, seeking negotiations—or even an alliance—with the new Beast King against the Lion Tribe forces.