There was nothing more ominous than the Green Emperor.
His bad luck was practically invincible. And bad luck was contagious—that wasn't entirely impossible.
"Utter nonsense! How could I, the Green Emperor, bring misfortune? I've always been blessed by the heavens, kissed by the Goddess of Fortune herself. I was granted boundless luck. How could it be bad luck? If you keep spouting nonsense, beware—I'll bite you!"
The Green Emperor's face turned a deeper shade of green. How could he possibly bring misfortune? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He was clearly shielded by fortune.
For a moment, his gaze toward Lu Zhishen changed.
"Oh Buddha above, why did I have to speak without thinking! I'm doomed! I've caught the attention of this cursed mutt. How am I going to survive from now on? If he blocks me and starts singing in my ear every day, wouldn't I be better off dead? This is a disaster, a total disaster!"
Lu Zhishen's expression shifted dramatically, inwardly wishing he could sew his own mouth shut.
He had messed up—royally.
With a bitter smile, he quickly tried to apologize, "Slip of the tongue, just a slip of the tongue! How could you bring bad luck? You're clearly a beacon of fortune and auspiciousness. A lucky dog!"
"Hmph!!"
Unfortunately, the Green Emperor didn't buy it at all. With a cold snort, he obviously bore a grudge.
"We were like frogs at the bottom of a well. We thought this was the God-Demon Battlefield, but it turns out it's just a pit. This battlefield is indeed extraordinary. But does that mean there's no way out of this God-Demon Sinkhole? I don't believe it. I trust the Bone Raven King will provide us with an answer."
Jia Xu turned to the Bone Raven King as he spoke, confidence and certainty flashing in his eyes.
The Bone Ravens had survived here, and even built a massive Bone City. Not only that, the Bone Raven King had openly admitted that this place was a God-Demon Sinkhole. Clearly, they understood this place well. Instead of attacking them, the king was extending terms. He clearly wanted something.
"You're clever."
The Bone Raven King looked at Jia Xu and said calmly, "There's no race that understands this God-Demon Sinkhole better than us Bone Ravens. Under normal circumstances, it's impossible to break through the barrier that separates this place from the outside world. Try to fly out, and once you reach a certain height, a powerful suction will drag you back down into the pit. Once you're in the pit, abandon all hope of escaping. This force is called the Pit Anomaly Force."
"There's no food here. At night, a lethal energy known as the God-Demon Miasma will be released. It's actually Corpse Miasma. Once it touches you, your body will be infected with Corpse Poison. The toxin is deadly—within moments you'll become a Corpse Fiend, your consciousness wiped away, driven only by the urge to kill. Eventually, your flesh will rot away and you'll be reduced to bones. Meanwhile, Corpse Fiends roam at night. They're impervious to blades, indestructible, capable of ripping dragons apart. They are ill omens. You won't survive here."
The God-Demon Miasma was a terrifying force unique to the sinkhole. Not even mighty cultivators or great beings dared let it touch them. Contact with it could mean certain death.
Even more dreadful were the Corpse Fiends—monsters nurtured by the miasma for who knows how many years. One of them alone could wipe out countless lives.
Yi Tianxing's expression turned grim upon hearing this.
"Senior Raven King, is there anything you can teach us?"
Yi Tianxing asked after a deep breath.
"If you enter Bone Raven City, you will be safe from the miasma and the Corpse Fiends," the Bone Raven King said plainly.
"With all due respect, how could I just walk into your city?" Yi Tianxing replied sharply.
Once inside, who knew what would happen? There were countless Bone Ravens in that city. If they were surrounded, the entire army would be doomed. Walking into their den without good reason was pure folly.
"You can try leaving the pit yourself."
The Bone Raven King showed no emotion.
"Your Majesty, Nine Lives is willing to give it a try!"
Nine Lives stepped forward to request permission.
"Good. If anything goes wrong, return immediately."
Yi Tianxing nodded.
Awooo!!
Nine Lives urged the Golden Scale Bird beneath him to soar into the sky. The bird, inheriting the speed of both the Golden Roc and Windwing Dragon King, shot upwards like a golden whirlwind, gaining height rapidly.
Within moments, it had ascended tens of thousands of feet.
But once at a certain height, a terrifying force suddenly surged upward—an immense suction from below, as if the world had become an enormous magnet and they were iron filings.
That force allowed no resistance.
The Golden Scale Bird gave a mournful cry as it was dragged straight down, despite frantically flapping its wings. It couldn't control its descent. The force was simply too great.
It wasn't until they dropped to about a thousand feet that they regained control and landed.
"Reporting to Your Majesty. There really is an immense pulling force above. Once a certain height is reached, there's no way to resist it. Escaping by flight is nearly impossible," Nine Lives reported solemnly.
The experience had been terrifying. For a moment, he'd thought he was going to die from the fall.
But it proved the Bone Raven King hadn't been lying.
"What do you want in return?"
Yi Tianxing turned back to the Bone Raven King and asked directly.
"Souls. I want a vast number of souls. If you can provide them, I can grant you anything—even a way out. Sign the contract, and you can all leave this sinkhole. I want you to go to the battlefield and harvest more souls. Bring death to the world," the Bone Raven King said coldly.
Souls were both food and power for the Bone Ravens. The more souls they had, the stronger they could become.
"If it's souls you want, with your strength, hunting them yourself shouldn't be hard. Why send us?" Jia Xu frowned.
Unless, of course, there was some restriction.
"There are rules in the God-Demon Battlefield. At present, we are not allowed to intervene or fight."
The Bone Raven King was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"I see."
Yi Tianxing understood. The Bone Ravens had been there all along, but they had never acted—only emerging to devour the souls of the dead. If not for some restriction, their destructive potential would be terrifying.
"How do we leave the sinkhole?"
"Enter Bone Raven City. From there, we can fly out of the pit. But you must pay—one million souls," the Bone Raven King said.
"You're using our people's souls as a bargaining chip," Yi Tianxing said solemnly.
There were over a million soldiers in the army. The Raven King's condition clearly equated one soul per soldier. A direct exchange. One for one. A fair trade.
"It's fair. If you refuse, you'll all become my food anyway. I'll get a million souls regardless. One soul for one life. Cooperate with us, and you'll gain benefits. This is a war among ten thousand races—but your enemies aren't just other races. The dangers ahead are beyond your imagination. Work with us, and you might survive," said the Bone Raven King coldly. "Refuse, and with nightfall, the Miasma will surge. Corpse Fiends will emerge. None of you will live. I'll be waiting for your souls."
One way or another, he would get what he wanted. The only difference was whether those souls came through a deal—or by death.
"Fine. We'll enter Bone Raven City."
Yi Tianxing glanced at the darkening skies. A threatening aura surged in the darkness. The danger was real—the Raven King had spoken no lies. There was no real choice.
He had to leave the sinkhole. That was the core issue.
Even if they could resist the miasma and the Corpse Fiends, being trapped here meant eventual doom.
"A wise choice. Truly worthy of being a lord of a Destiny Dynasty," the Bone Raven King nodded approvingly.
Yi Tianxing frowned slightly. He was certain he had never mentioned being the ruler of a Destiny Dynasty. For the Bone Raven King to know it—this one clearly had extraordinary vision or special abilities.
"Enter the city!!"
Yi Tianxing gave the order with a wave of his hand.
The Nine-Dragon War Chariot took the lead into Bone Raven City.
On the city walls, countless Bone Ravens watched, their eyes chilling and eerie. Walking in felt like lambs entering a den of wolves.
The city was massive.
No smaller than Xuanhuang City, but every structure here was made entirely of bone. Some of the bones clearly came from massive beasts. One could even see a tower built from enormous tusks.