While most baby worlds were disorganized and paralyzed from the huge changes , some were quite dangerous . There were many anecdotes of new planets resisting and even sometimes completely massacring all the different invaders .
Of course , it was usually the forces behind the other incursions on the planet that were the real enemies , rather than the weak natives .
In any case , he wasn’t about to stick his neck through a portal before increasing his odds of survival , even if it was considered cowardly .
His seven elder brothers had been heroic warriors , always charging into the fray , leading any charge in skirmishes . And now they were all food for the maggots . Some were killed by their enemies , and some died from machinations of their own clan members .
The path to power was ruthless , and even among kin benefits preceded loyalty . There had been a large amount of dissatisfaction towards his branch of the clan for a long time . His great grandfather was originally a normal soldier who managed to rise to his great power through a few lucky encounters .
His prowess had allowed his progeny to enjoy great benefits and resources , even matching that of the main branch’s youth . Ogras suspected that was why his siblings kept dropping dead one after another . He had voiced such concerns to his ancestor , but being a warrior for the clan his whole life his thought patterns had become rigid . He had bled and fought for the clan for over a thousand years , and couldn’t imagine that they would backstab him and his kin like that .
That’s why only the two of them were left , not counting his great aunt who disappeared to become a wandering warrior two hundred years ago . That was also why he kept this ridiculous persona going , pretending to have become a pampered wastrel not interested in cultivation . The fewer of his clan members believed that he was a threat , the lower was the chance that he’d wake up with his throat slit .
That’s why he walked around in his gaudy outfits and surrounded himself with useless sycophants . It was another type of armor . And if he could further his ambitions while it looked like he was just being spiteful and stupid , then all the better .
He had almost laughed out loud when the news of the death of Kevoran arrived at his desk . That little prick from the main branch was one of his largest contenders for any potential goodies that would be found on this planet .
While Kevoran was afraid of his ancestor , only the youths and unevolved were able to go through the portal . So his attitude had progressively gotten worse with each day since they arrived . Ogras had used a snide remark as a basis for ordering him to go with a scout’s squad to canvas the whole island , in order to solidify his position while Kevoran was gone .
Who knew the idiot actually would get himself killed? It was a bit of a shame with Kaela dying as well , as her scouting abilities were top notch among the youths in the clan . But the death of Kevoran more than made up for it . Ogras could kiss the assailant on the mouth if he found him . Just before decapitating him , of course .
Ogras wasn’t overly concerned about the little rats that were hiding on this or some neighboring island . He estimated the number of enemies to be somewhere between 10 to 20 , judging from the number of beasts killed . They certainly had to be some elites on this world to be able to kill even his imps and two scouting parties this soon after their world changed , but it didn’t matter .
He was well aware of the rules by which The Ruthless Heavens worked . As long as he stayed safe in his palace , then his mission would be a success in roughly two months . The portal would stabilize , and the area would be within his jurisdiction .
The native’s group would have to infiltrate his army base , kill their way through the army , and then kill him in order for their quest to succeed . No matter how strong they were they still were only weak natives , and such an assault was suicide .
If they had actually been truly strong they wouldn’t have been forced to use trickery to kill his poor Vul . They would simply have slaughtered all his four pack leaders and stopped the invasion before it even started .
Therefore he would simply stay in the base . Even if everyone thought he was a coward he didn’t care . He had already planned everything out . He didn’t plan on staying for too long in this world .
Initially , he had planned to stay here for a long time , protected from his clan by the limitations of the gate . It was an advantage for him that he could finally cultivate in peace here without anyone finding out , as the suppression would keep his real prowess hidden in any case .
But something had changed this . The mountain contained treasure .
More exact , it contained a Nexus Crystal mine . Even Ogras had been shocked when he heard the news . Of course , it was only a small F-Grade mine , but still , the wealth it contained was staggering . It could at least rival the whole accumulated fortune of some of the elders in the Clan .
With that kind of wealth he could obtain a Fruit of Ascension . It would save him decades on his cultivation time and would leave his competitors among his generation in the dust . Normally , for a clan of their limited power , using such a luxurious treasure on an F-grade cultivator would be considered far too extravagant . But for him it was a matter of life and death .
The supreme elders and clan leader usually turned a blind eye to killings within the clan as they believed it created stronger and more ruthless members among those who survived .
But if someone showed enough promise they would protect their seedlings from the shadows , as they were potential future powerhouses that could bring their clan to greater heights .
And if he just so happened to pilfer enough crystals for him to cultivate in solitude for a decade or so he could come back one advancement , maybe even two , stronger . Then he’d be the hunter instead of the hunted .
Ogras was giddy as he looked over the report containing yesterday’s haul from the mine . Hesitated a bit and then with a swipe removed a few lines of the report , and added back a new tally . This time the extracted amount of crystals printed were 1000 lower compared to before .
Unfortunately , he wasn’t the only one who had this kind of idea . There had been quite a few children with good heritage that had come with him into the incursion . Everyone was hoping to find the lucky break which would allow them to stand out among the masses .
It was tacitly approved by the elders that the young elite would have a feeding frenzy when they arrived at the new world , as some healthy competition was good for strengthening . As long as enough benefits were lugged back they did not really care that some didn’t make it all the way .
As Ogras was pondering about his next steps the door to his temporary study opened , and a man decked in an extravagant armor entered .
This time Ogras was angered for real , as such conduct was a blatant disregard for his authority . Still , he wouldn’t break character for something minor like this .
Insolence! How dare you enter my chambers like his! I will have my grandfather flog you when we return! - Ogras roared as soon as the man was inside the door .
My apologies - the man answered with a face that spoke of no regret . - I wonder what steps you have taken to capture those responsible for my cousin’s death . -
The man in front of him was Rydel Arh’Rezak , one of the heirs to the main branch just like the departed Kevoran . Different from him though , Rydel was one of the most heavily nurtured youths in the clan , and also one they had spent the most Nexus Crystals to allow to retain as much power as possible when going through the incursion .
The more power you retained in an invasion to a baby world , the better your survival rate would be , and the better your position would be when contending for resources on this new world . But The Ruthless Heavens never just gave anything for free . It charged an exorbitant amount of Nexus Crystals if one wanted to keep more of their strength when passing through . And of course there was a limit , or the purpose of the incursions would be lost .