After one or two years, the Northern Barbarian Coalition completely failed in its Southern push. They wasted resources and lives for nothing. Finally, they retreated Northward in sorrow and shame, but they had left behind an irreparable threat: the force opposing the alliance between the Forest Gods and the Jewel Kingdom.

  They had joined hands with the Ratfolk Tribe from the far North—a harsh, unforgiving land unsuitable for Ratfolk development. The vegetation there was sparse, the weather unpredictable, scorching hot during the day and frigid at night, forcing the Ratfolk to live in hiding underground with no chance for expansion.

  The leader of this Ratfolk Tribe was Ng?c Tuy?t Anh, a Female Immortal of the Nascent Soul (S-rank) stage. In her human form, she was exceedingly beautiful, dressed in white robes, with fair, rosy skin. She rode upon a terrifying brown, bat-winged, two-legged, fire-breathing dragon named a Wyvern. Around her waist hung a jade flask containing perfume and petroleum, a formidable magic artifact with a massive capacity called the Jade Oil Flask. In her hand, she held a jade flute, the artifact Jade Bamboo Tone, which created music capable of mental manipulation, known as Enchanting Sound Art (M? ?m Thu?t). Her entire body constantly exuded a pleasant, almost hypnotic fragrance that compelled others to obey her, an ability called Enchanting Scent Art (M? H??ng Thu?t).

  With the cooperation between the Northern Barbarian Coalition and Ng?c Tuy?t Anh, an extremely terrifying power was created. The Ratfolk Tribe shifted its direction from the North, moving southward into warmer lands, where vegetation was lush and food abundant. The main adversaries of the Ratfolk Kingdom were the Forest Gods and Druids, which conveniently freed the Northern Barbarian Coalition to deal with the Jewel Kingdom.

  The Ratfolk expanded continuously, capturing many forests, yet their ambition did not stop there, continuing to push deeper southward. This forced the Forest Gods to retreat, as most of them were only at the Core Formation (A-rank) stage and could not directly confront higher-ranked opponents. However, some Forest Gods and Druids resolutely refused to leave, for this was the place they were born, raised, and had lived their entire lives—their ancestral homeland.

  Aeris was originally a general of the Jewel Kingdom, commander of the Flying Horse Knights, with over 1,000 members. His primary responsibility was to maintain connection with the Forest Gods, as he himself was a Druid.

  On one occasion, he led a squad of Flying Horse Knights to a forest named White Wood Grove, because all the trees there had strikingly beautiful white trunks, a sight to behold. But the Ratfolk army had tightly besieged the East, coercing the Forest Gods and Druids to retreat and surrender the land to them. Naturally, no one accepted the demand to leave.

  Aeris came here to fulfill a promise: to escort the children of the White Wood Tribe away. Those who remained would fight a battle of life and death against the invaders. Aeris had a friend here, White Wood Medicine God Druid (Druid Th?n B?ch M?c). The Druid spoke to the children of his tribe: "Children, follow my friend. He will take you to a safe place. Fighting and defending our dignity is our responsibility—the adults' responsibility, not yours." But the children refused, demanding to stay and live or die with their family.

  The White Wood Medicine God Druid patted their heads and said, "It is good that you have such spirit, but now, sleep." He took out a small incense burner and gently blew the fragrant smoke towards the children. They instantly fell into a deep slumber. He turned to Aeris and said, "Thank you, my friend. Please help me care for the little ones and take them to safety. Besides them, some women and a few men will also go with you. They will handle the education for our future generations."

  Aeris sighed and replied, "I understand. Rest assured."

  The White Wood Medicine God Druid added, "Ah, one more thing. Among these children is a boy named Trung H?u (Loyal Honest). He is not of our tribe but was adopted by us. He collapsed near the forest from hunger and exhaustion. He has suffered greatly; he lost his parents early and was raised by villagers, then was captured to work as a construction worker and nearly died before escaping. His entire life has been lonely, truly pitiful. He carries a dark fate, belonging to the Starseed group, the Lethal Lone Star (Thiên Sát C? Tinh). I have tried everything to suppress this fate, but failed."

  Aeris nodded, responding, "It will be alright, I can handle it." He walked a few steps away, then turned back with a look of regret and asked, "Must it end in death like this? You can just leave; you will have a chance to reclaim this land later."

  The White Wood Medicine God Druid shook his head and said, "Do not persuade us further. This is who we are: we would rather die than retreat." He grimaced unhappily, which caused Aeris to stop talking and turn away.

  He called after him, his voice softer and gentler. He placed a Gourd Wine Flask (Bình R??u H? L?)—an empty Wine Artifact (Pháp B?o T?u Bình) capable of holding a small river—into Aeris’s hand. "Thank you, thank you very much, my good friend. I have nothing else to give, so take this. It contains the wine I have aged for over a year."

  Aeris accepted the precious artifact, yet not a single smile touched his face; he only sighed from the beginning to the end of their meeting. Aeris mobilized his entire Flying Horse Knights squad to carry all the necessary people out of the White Wood Grove.

  A smooth, alluring, yet resolute and powerful voice belonging to Ng?c Tuy?t Anh, sitting atop her flying dragon, echoed from the sky: "The ceasefire is over. Have you made your decision? I allow you to retreat peacefully; there is no need for a meaningless sacrifice. Go now."

  The Forest God was a pair of gigantic white snakes—a husband and wife—who, when transformed, had human upper bodies and snake lower bodies. They held a mage's staff and were known as the White Serpent Couple Forest God and River God (as a river flowed through the forest). They spoke up, saying: "This forest was planted by us, this river was channeled by us. Why should we surrender it to you? Relying on strength to bully the weak, yet calling yourself a Great Immortal? You are merely a street-corner bully, nothing more than a robber!"

  Ng?c Tuy?t Anh laughed heartily, her voice still gentle. She said, "Alright, you have a point. I will not participate in this battle; I will only watch from the sidelines. My descendants will fight this battle for me, to make an example of stubborn ones like you."

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  She turned to look at the Rat King (Core Formation cultivation) on her left and commanded, "You will fight in the forest. Swiftly and decisively."

  She turned to look at the Rat King (Core Formation cultivation) on her right and commanded, "You will fight in the water. No need for a quick advance; proceed slowly and steadily, protecting your brother's flank. If you see your brother at a disadvantage, shift to provide support."

  The two young Rat Kings immediately deployed their armies. The old Rat King remained behind, awaiting orders.

  The Forest God and River God began their spellcasting, summoning Wood Spirits (M?c Linh - Wood Element) and Water Spirits (Th?y Linh - Water Element), invisible to ordinary eyes. They merged with the trees and water, transforming them into:

  Trees stood up, turning their roots into legs and branches into arms. They were called Dendroid Guards. If they struck someone, the tree would wrap around them, binding them tightly, using branches to stab directly into the opponent's face, eyes, nose, and mouth, or crushing smaller enemies underfoot.

  Water columns solidified like jelly, without legs. They had human-like heads and hands that shot out incredibly powerful water bullets, called Water Snipers. These water bullets were no different from incredibly sharp metal shards, capable of piercing multiple opponents. Sometimes, the water bullets would churn with venom, containing potent toxins that killed on contact. Some toxins were highly volatile, spreading over a wide area, causing anyone who inhaled them to collapse.

  The Druids surrounding the White Serpent Couple transmitted their energy, helping them continuously summon Wood and Water Spirits. The number of Dendroid Guards and Water Snipers surged from a few hundred to several thousand, forming a veritable large army arrayed against the enemy.

  The free Druids also entered the battle directly. They climbed onto the Dendroid Guards, which were tens of meters high, and continuously cast spells, controlling leaves and weeds, making them sharp, wrapping them around enemies' legs, creating natural traps, or firing spells at opponents.

  The Rangers in their white and green uniforms also climbed trees, found suitable positions, and unleashed volleys of arrows. These arrows were tipped with potent poison. They swung from branch to branch to collect more arrows and continued firing. When surrounded and unable to retreat, they would draw their poisoned daggers and fight. Before dying, they would make sure to take a few enemies with them.

  Initially, the Ratfolk army was surprised by the appearance of the colossal Dendroid Guards and the rich, diverse magic. The Ratfolk Infantry and the Ratfolk Wolf-Riders were pushed back, both being repelled out of the forest. The Ratfolk Naval force was subtly and silently trying to flank them, seeking a way to survive, but was blocked. The Dendroid Guards seemed almost infinite, as did the Water Snipers; they were endlessly replaced. If one tree fell, another appeared. Water Snipers were even harder to deal with because they were virtually invisible in the water, making it impossible to distinguish the water environment from the Water Snipers themselves.

  Throughout that day, the Forest God and Druids of White Wood Grove were completely victorious. The sound of their shouts of victory echoed throughout the forest.

  The two brother Rat Kings had to retreat to preserve their forces, avoiding unnecessary attrition.

  This time, the Rat King father entered the battle with the most elite force of the Ratfolk Kingdom. Early the next morning, as the army and people of White Wood Grove were celebrating, a flock of Rat Bats flew over, completely obscuring the newly risen sun. They looked up in confusion, wondering what was happening, when thousands of oil packets were dropped throughout the forest by the Rat Bats. Immediately afterward, the Rat Bats flew back, rousing everyone from their confusion.

  From a distance, large and small fireballs rained down upon the White Wood Grove. They combined with the dropped oil, incinerating the forest and causing the defenders to panic and focus on extinguishing the flames. The Ratfolk Mages, whose magical potential was not high and who could only cast a few spells before needing rest, concentrated into a large squad. They focused their attacks on designated areas, such as the granary or militia gathering points, using the oil to spread the fire. The main objective was to soften the battlefield, attack the bark layer of the trees, and reduce the defense of the opponents. The focused spells were intended to churn the earth, destroy some enemy troop concentrations, based on intelligence gathered from the two brother Rat Kings.

  Following that was the advance of the colossal Rat Giants (3 to 5 meters tall), clad in full armor (a gift from the Northern Army), charging forward, wielding battle axes. If they saw a large tree, they would chop it a few times. If those trees turned into Dendroid Guards, they would become crippled ones. The Rat King father did not use the fast-paced strategy of his two sons but rather a slow-and-steady tactic: wherever he went, he occupied it, eliminated threats, and established temporary defensive bases. The Rat King father commanded the battle like a wealthy general, sparing no spell or effort, using full force to crush the opponent. If he saw trees, he cut them down; if he saw a river, he built a bridge; if he saw a stream, he filled it, encroaching bit by bit. This gradually pushed the White Wood Grove militia back, losing ground every single day.

  The White Wood Grove militia had no air force. Apart from the two flying Forest Gods, everyone had to travel on foot. When Rat Bats flew over, they could only watch helplessly as oil was dropped on their heads. Most archers were powerless; only a few agile enough to climb the highest treetops could score a hit, but the Rat Bats usually appeared unexpectedly. By the time they climbed up, the Rat Bats had flown far away. They appeared almost every day, immediately followed by a rain of fire, and then retreated.

  The Druids also possessed very high magic, but their numbers were too few. They only taught the talented and the best, leaving the majority untrained, thus unable to form an army like the Ratfolk Kingdom.

  These elite Druids, including the White Wood Medicine God Druid, became a special forces unit operating alone or in groups of two or three, launching surprise attacks on enemy bases to regain the advantage. The White Wood Medicine God Druid was a master of staff fighting, also possessing potent magic to control poisonous vines that automatically fired toxic seeds at surrounding enemies, named Happy Seeds. Another type of vine acted as a trap, completely hidden underground, shooting up to tightly bind and spray poison on anyone who came near, called the Vine Trap . Additionally, there was the Protective Vine, which only needed to be slammed onto the ground to grow vines that protected himself and his teammates, or formed a cage to imprison enemies. Combined with his ability to run fast and cast spells, he became a terrifying fear for anyone who dared to chase him. Despite the best efforts of the special forces, they could do nothing against an army so overwhelmingly dominant in every aspect.

  The main problem of the White Wood Grove began to become apparent: they were surrounded. The war was too sudden, and there was no thorough preparation. The militia started to go hungry. The surprise attacks by the Rat Bats on the granaries began to take effect. Starvation brought with it other problems, such as loss of morale and exhaustion, and a lack of energy to support the Forest Gods in their spellcasting, leading to a noticeable reduction in the number of Dendroid Guards and Water Snipers. The two younger Rat Kings found an opportunity to launch an attack.

  Ultimately, the White Serpent Couple Forest God and River God were slain. The Druids and Rangers fled upon the Forest God's command. Some were killed on the spot, but the majority escaped, though wounded or crippled. They transformed into wild animals and disappeared. The White Wood Medicine God Druid transformed into a large white snake, hiding deep in a cave, awaiting a chance to avenge the Forest Gods.

  Ng?c Tuy?t Anh ordered the entire forest to be razed, turning it into a timber production factory for the Ratfolk Kingdom. The wild animals were exterminated, not a single one spared. This was a "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" measure to force all other Forest Gods to understand: they should not resist her. It was best to retreat quietly, or they would be annihilated exactly the same way. From then on, the Ratfolk Kingdom advanced without any hindrance.