The backlash came exactly as Vahn expected.
Azure Dragon Sect did not scream in rage publicly. They did not declare war with banners and trumpets. That was not how a top tier sect survived for tens of thousands of years. Instead, they acted like a wounded serpent.
Quietly. Precisely. And with lethal intent.
Three days after the disappearance of the Black Dragon calamity, a notice spread across Astralis Border Seven, carried by imperial message arrays, mercenary guild boards, and sect communication mirrors.
It was simple.
Cold.
And absolute.
Bounty Notice Target: Crimson Hawk Mercenary Group
Crime: Harboring and aiding a Primordial Void Devourer
Reward: Open-ended
Authorized by: Azure Dragon Sect
Status: Extermination Approved
There was no number attached to the reward.
That alone told everyone how serious it was.
An open-ended bounty meant Azure Dragon Sect was willing to bleed resources endlessly until Crimson Hawk ceased to exist. It was not a hunt. It was a purge.
