Within the Great Yi Immortal City, the Xuanhuang Barrier stood firm. Not only could it continuously draw upon the essence of heaven and earth to strengthen itself, but every citizen and cultivator within the city could simply touch the city walls and directly pour their cultivation and mana into the barrier. This collective empowerment increased its might exponentially.
In Great Yi, everyone cultivated. Everyone was like a dragon. Each citizen possessed cultivation, and very few were weak. Fear did not exist—only the will to struggle, to fight with all their strength, and seize even the slightest chance of survival.
Rumble!!!
Within every Immortal City were at least millions of people. Though on the battlefield their individual strength seemed negligible, when millions of cultivators combined their power, the entire Xuanhuang Barrier blazed with radiance, its brilliance multiplying several times in an instant.
As the descending divine weapons struck down, terrifying shockwaves erupted.
The Xuanhuang Barrier trembled violently. Its divine light dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, ripples surging outward as though it might collapse entirely at any moment. Yet, against all expectations, the barrier proved incomparably resilient.
"Rivers and Mountains, Society and State!!"
Yi Tianxing's sharp shout resounded at once.
With the empowerment of the Rivers and Mountains Sheji Map, every Immortal City's defense surged tenfold, even a hundredfold. Dimmed divine radiance once again erupted brightly, clashing furiously against the falling divine weapons.
Puh! Puh! Puh!
Within the city, many ordinary cultivators, their cultivation not high, could not withstand the violent backlash of such massive collisions. Mouthfuls of blood spurted forth as their faces turned pale. The pressure they bore was utterly terrifying. At that moment, they were one with the Immortal City itself.
Fortunately, the Xuanhuang Barrier did not collapse. It remained firm and unyielding.
The Great Yi Immortal City was not something that could be broken so easily.
But still, the coalition army of the Nine Heavens was already at the city walls, launching frenzied, relentless assaults, driving the Immortal Cities into an increasingly perilous, terrifying situation.
"Good heavens, Qing Tian… so you too are a demon."
Ming He's eyes gleamed with killing intent—and with a trace of wild excitement. He roared toward the skies:
"Qing Tian, you deserve death. Come forth—Blood God Warship!!"
At his words, the void rippled and twisted. In the next instant, dazzling scarlet radiance appeared as a massive heavenly warship descended from the void. The warship's entire body glowed crimson, as if forged from blood-crystal jade, with vein-like patterns etched along its hull.
It was a grand sailboat, its hull flowing with near-perfect curves. Huge sails hung high, and blood-colored ropes writhed like living blood-dragons, twisting through the air, menacing and terrifying.
At the prow, a savage, blood-colored ram jutted forward. Across its deck stood rows of blood-red cannons.
At first glance, it was clear—this was a peerless killing weapon.
"An Eternal Ark … and an Immortal-grade Eternal Ark at that."
Yi Tianxing could not help but reveal surprise upon seeing it.
This warship, at a glance, was unmistakably an Eternal Ark, and likely one that had survived from the previous era. An Immortal-grade warship—during the last epoch, it must have been a central pillar of war.
Logically, the master of an Immortal Ark would certainly be a Hunyuan-level powerhouse, or a saint-level existence. Why then was Ming He not? What had transpired? It was a mystery worthy of speculation.
Normally, the feedback from advancing to Immortal Ark would have shattered bottlenecks, elevating its master to unfathomable heights.
But regardless of how Ming He had obtained it, he was now the warship's master—this was undeniable.
The materials of this ship were clearly extraordinary: forged from Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Crystals, a supreme divine material capable of absorbing the blood essence of myriad beings to evolve. Not only indestructible, it could also rapidly repair itself.
"An Immortal Ark—how could you possibly have such a thing!?"
Qing Tian Dao Venerable's face twisted with shock and disbelief.
An Immortal Ark was no weaker than an Immortal Heavenly Demon God Weapon. The two were natural enemies, ancient foes on the battlefield. Whenever they clashed, it meant slaughter beyond imagination. These were irreconcilable supreme artifacts.
Without doubt, the Eternal side now had a weapon to match the Immortal Heavenly Demon God Weapons.
Ming He's body became divine light as he disengaged from the battlefield against Blood Heaven Dao Venerable. In the next instant, he reappeared atop the warship—the Blood God Warship. It was his greatest trump card, obtained by luck but entirely usable. This was the foundation behind his audacity to launch the Slaughter Heaven War.
He had hidden it until now precisely to avoid alarming the enemy. Only once the Nine Heavens demons revealed their true colors could he strike decisively, using the warship as his killing edge.
The key was surprise.
"Qing Tian, today is the day you die!"
Ming He laughed coldly.
At his command, the warship unleashed dazzling bloodlight, surging forward like a ferocious blood dragon, ramming directly toward the colossal Ten-Thousand-Armed Demon God. The entire vessel exuded savage dominance, as though nothing in its path could remain intact.
The massive ram gleamed with destructive divine light.
"Die!!"
Qing Tian Dao Venerable roared, his countless arms striking at once. Waves of attacks, like a flood, crashed down upon the Blood God Warship, seeking to crush it instantly into fragments.
But the warship was monstrously fierce. Divine weapons and treasures were smashed aside, many shattered upon impact with the prow's ram, whose piercing force could break through anything.
Its brutality defied reason.
Many strikes were simply tanked head-on by the warship's body.
With a thunderous explosion, the Ten-Thousand-Armed Great Demon God and the Blood God Warship collided head-on. Terrifying divine light erupted, shockwaves sweeping outward. Even great powers retreated hastily, not daring to near the center of battle. To be caught in the clash of an Eternal Ark and a Demon God Weapon meant certain destruction of body and soul.
"Qing Tian! Xie Tian! So you two really are demons of Eternal Night… disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful!"
Blood Heaven Dao Venerable's eyes burned with shame and fury.
He had long dismissed the idea that the Nine Heavens harbored demons, or if so, only one at most. Yet now two had been revealed, trampling the reputation of the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables into the mud, inviting the contempt of countless beings across the Eternal World.
If he could, Blood Heaven Dao Venerable would have dragged Qing Tian out then and there and beaten him mercilessly.
"Good. With Ming He restraining Qing Tian, and wielding an Eternal Ark no less, Qing Tian will not escape so easily. That gives Xuanhuang City time to ascend and complete its metamorphosis."
Yi Tianxing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been considering what trump cards to reveal to confront Qing Tian. With Ming He in front, nothing could be better.
Xuanhuang City was already on the verge of breaking its shackles.
It was close—very close.
With the vast reservoir of Wish Power Pearls, its ascension was far swifter than expected.
Rumble!!
Not long after, a crisp, resonant sound echoed from Xuanhuang City.
The entire city erupted with boundless divine radiance, exuding an aura of sanctity and eternity, as though it had transcended worldly dust, detached beyond heaven and earth.
Xuanhuang City—ascended into an Immortal City.
Xuanhuang City—advanced to the Primordial Rank.
A Primordial Immortal City.
A Primordial Supreme Artifact.
A Primordial Eternal Ark.
"So fast! How can it be so fast? Is its foundation truly so profound? Already it shattered its shackles and ascended. Such terrifying depth!"
"An Immortal City! Great Yi has truly ascended to an Immortal Court. The Immortal City carries the Court itself—this moment seals it. Incredible… today we have witnessed the rebirth of an Immortal Court."
Countless great powers, citizens, and experts of myriad races looked on in awe, their expressions solemn. The speed of Xuanhuang City's ascension was staggering, as though entirely natural. The Eternal Night demons had been given no chance to intervene.
At the same time, an invisible pressure surged from Xuanhuang City, spreading like a tide in all directions. Yet almost instantly it was drawn back, calming like still water, fathomless and inscrutable.
Xuanhuang City had ascended to the Primordial Rank.
All the wondrous divine structures within began to evolve as well:the Rainbow Bridge, the Cosmic Cube, the Military Barracks, the Scripture Pavilion, the Universal Printer, the Immortal Academy, the Phantom Beast Hall… each underwent metamorphosis. Even the Cloud Realms received the city's feedback, infused with its origin power, transforming at their very core. Each Cloud Realm became increasingly extraordinary.
Though unseen by outsiders, it was clear—when an Immortal City ascends, all within it ascends as well.
This was the very meaning of: when one rises, all rise together.
Xuanhuang Immortal City—this was, in all the heavens and earth, the first true Immortal City to rise from nothingness. From a mere village, step by step, it had ascended to this peak.
This moment was destined to be etched into the cosmos, remembered for eternity, inscribed upon the river of history.
"Master! The sixth mysterious trait of Xuanhuang Immortal City has been born!"
At that moment, Ruyi Fairy's voice rang out, full of excitement.
(End of Chapter)