Amid the booming war song, the Demon-Slaying Legion was the first to clash with the non-human armies in close combat.
"Brothers—KILL!!"
Cheng Yaojin, covered in blood, let out a thunderous roar as he swung his twin-bladed battleaxe, cleaving a vampire ambusher clean in half.
The Demon-Slaying Legion, in both style and spirit, followed Cheng Yaojin's legacy—burly warriors wielding giant twin-bladed axes.With each swing, they hacked at the charging non-human soldiers.
"You puny humans dare compare strength with me, your ogre granddaddy?"
One towering ogre let out a hideous grin,gripping a massive spiked club, and brought it down on a Great Yi soldier.
The sheer power of that strike could crush a boulder into powder.
CLANG!!
But something unexpected happened.
The Great Yi soldier, unfazed, smirked and raised his axe.
Rather than being knocked away, the axe resisted the full force,even knocking the ogre's club back with explosive might.The ogre stumbled backward, completely off balance.
"Impossible! No way a mere human could match our strength in a magic-sealed zone!That power… came from pure physical strength, from qi and blood!How can this be?!"
The ogre stared in disbelief.
He had always seen humans as fragile prey—but now, this "weak" human was overwhelming him in raw strength.
But the Great Yi soldier gave no reply—he simply seized the opening and cleaved down with his axe.
CRUNCH!!
SPLASH!!
Blood erupted as the ogre was split from shoulder to waist,his organs scattering like shattered fruit.
Even in death, his eyes were full of shock and denial.
"Impossible…"
"Humans can't be this strong!"
"There's something wrong with these Great Yi soldiers!"
This sudden clash shattered the non-human expectations.
They had believed that once magic was sealed, the humans would be easy prey.
Yet, now they faced a stronger, more terrifying force.
"Those who thought Great Yi soldiers were physically weak—this is their funeral."
Jia Xu said calmly,
"Even in a no-magic zone, we walked in without hesitation.Because in every aspect, Great Yi does not fear you.
Heaven moves with power—so should men:
The Human Race grows through unceasing self-strengthening!"
Great Yi wasn't an ordinary human dynasty.
Within its territory was the Golden Crow Celestial Eye,which placed a curse on all its people:
Each day, they are scorched by divine Golden Crow fire, tempering their bodies.
This daily torment strengthened both flesh and spirit,serving as a built-in body refinement technique.
On top of that:
The military had open access to spiritual medicines
Veterans had fought on countless battlefields
Soldiers earned legendary body-tempering pills from the Divine-Demonic Treasury
All were dual cultivators—of body and magic
Over decades, the average soldier had reached 4th-rank body refinement, with some even stronger
The result:
No weak links.
No vulnerabilities.
Great Yi's soldiers were refined to monstrous levels—not even far behind their qi-cultivation.
In truth, the body-refinement teachings were embedded into the very military system:
The Heavenly Soldier Codex
The Heavenly General Codex
These two manuals contained comprehensive martial and physical training methods.
The result?
Even a regular soldier from Great Yi could face down elite non-human warriors in melee.
And it was showing.
At first clash, non-human corpses began to pile up—killed by the very humans they had scorned.
"They're too strong… terrifyingly strong…"
"So this is how Great Yi lasted twenty years in the Evernight battlefield!"
"Refinement rank four? Each with at least the strength of a dragon!? These are monsters!"
"Demons wearing human skin!"
The non-human elite were stunned, speechless.
They knew body refiners could battle above their realm,and now they were seeing it firsthand.
Even Nascent Soul cultivators might struggle against a Great Yi warrior.
"Very interesting… Great Yi, founded by the man who once gave me a heavy loss, hasn't disappointed."
Long Aotian muttered, his eyes narrowing.
Yes, he was surprised—but not afraid.
He knew Great Yi was unconventional.
But as long as he had enough trump cards, he could still win.
After all—
"Quantity changes quality. If the gap isn't enormous, numbers will decide."
But the Great Yi soldiers ignored the shock of their enemies.
They pressed the attack, weapons flashing and blood spraying.
Although the enemy had numbers, Great Yi's battle-hardened elites continued to dominate.
Still, it was war—some Great Yi soldiers fell.
But none retreated. None showed fear.
They would:
Fight with the pride of the Human Race
Kill with the bloodlust of warriors
Die with dignity and glory
They fought for Great Yi, and for their people.
"Sisters—KILL!!"
The Guxie Legion of female soldiers stood tall.
Archers rained death with pinpoint accuracy.
Saber-wielding women danced like butterflies, slicing enemies apart in flashes of crimson.
They fought as fiercely as any man—proving once more: women were not inferior to men.
Despite the overwhelming non-human numbers,the Great Yi soldiers showed no fear.
They had survived the Evernight Battlefield—what threat could this possibly pose?
More importantly, Great Yi's army fought with flawless coordination:
From basic Three-Talent Formations to Grand Formations
Multi-unit tactics and multi-branch coordination
Synergy far beyond what the chaotic non-human alliance could achieve
A single squad of three could stand against over a dozen enemies thanks to formation techniques and battlefield support.
With snipers providing cover,Kirin War Chariots rampaging,the battle became a sea of blood.
Both sides suffered,but the momentum belonged to Great Yi.
Above the carnage, one thing never stopped:
The battle drums
The war songs
The roaring, echoing spirit of the human race
The entire valley was drenched in killing aura and blood mist.
All of it was being absorbed by a single focal point:
The light pillar that empowered the Innate Demonic Treasure was growing stronger,its rune formation accelerating.
"Send the signal."
Zhuge Liang watched the battlefield, nodded slightly.
The armies were locked—neither could retreat.
"Yes, sir!!"
A subordinate obeyed.
WHOOSH!!
A blood-red smoke signal soared into the sky.
Outside the valley, Jiang Ni saw it and nodded.
"The signal is up."
With no hesitation, he raised a glowing Mountain-Driving Whip.
Upon it, mystic runes shimmered, forming mountains and rivers.
"By decree: Geomantic Shift, Gourd Drain, rise!!"
He lashed the ground at the gourd's mouth of the valley.
CRACK!!
With a clear snap, the ground began to shift.
The wind's direction changed,and invisible runes began twisting through the earth.
A powerful suction force began to emerge at the gourd's mouth.
"We request Your Majesty's support."
Jiang Ni bowed toward Yi Tianxing.
"Of course."
Yi Tianxing nodded.