The dense hordes of ferocious beasts and birds began to disperse.They broke off into small groups and scattered across different regions of the Battlefield of Gods and Demons. However, unlike before, the Eternal Night armies of the various races didn't retreat through the Stargates. Instead, they lingered on the battlefield, loitering outside Sunset City.
Though they didn't launch direct attacks, the dangerous aura they exuded made it clear—they were still very much a threat. It was as if they had entered a state of hibernation.In the daytime, their ferocity and bloodlust seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force. As long as they weren't provoked or approached, they wouldn't initiate combat.
This strange behavior caused a stifling atmosphere across the otherwise empty battlefield. Life seemed to return, yet traces of the Eternal Night legions were everywhere.
"What's going on? Why haven't the Eternal Night legions returned to Eternal Night through the Stargates like they usually do during the day?"
"This is bad. If they no longer retreat, could this signify a change in the battlefield's rules? If the Eternal Night legions stay, the battlefield will become infinitely more dangerous. Just venturing out will risk deadly encounters!"
"They're trying to completely isolate the cultivators and strong warriors of all races, trapping them within the war citadels. From now on, the land outside the citadels will become the most treacherous of death zones!"
"The battlefield is undergoing a massive change. War is no longer confined to the night. The battlefield is no longer just about Eternal Night versus Dawn. This is the true beginning of all-out war. The carnage starts now!"
On the city wall, the expressions of everyone turned grave.
The sudden change in battlefield rules caught everyone off guard. It had come so abruptly that it was hard to accept, and it would fundamentally alter the future of the war.All previous plans were now essentially scrapped.
Moving between citadels had suddenly become incredibly difficult. The Eternal Night legions had partitioned the battlefield into separate, isolated zones. Coordinating between them would be far more challenging.Even attempts to explore surrounding areas would now be ten times harder than before.
Roaming the battlefield without enough strength now meant certain death.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"Yang Ye and other generals looked to Yi Tianxing, burdened by the growing pressure.
Yi Tianxing remained calm.
"If soldiers come, we meet them with generals. If floods come, we block with earth. As long as the Eternal Night legions don't attack directly, we don't need to worry too much. Leave enough soldiers to guard the walls. The rest will rotate in shifts, resting or replacing others as needed.Even if the battlefield is sealed off, that doesn't matter. As long as we have Sunset City, we have a place to stand. That means we have the foundation to survive."
His voice was steady and unshaken.
The Battlefield of Gods and Demons was massive.For most cultivators, a single war citadel was already the entirety of their activity area. The battlefield was full of enemies—there would never be a shortage of battles. So it didn't really matter where you fought. It was all the same.If that's the case, then the Eternal Night's occupation of the battlefield didn't affect them too much. Just be more careful during the day, ready to respond to possible assaults or sieges at any moment.
"Everything proceeds as usual. All soldiers should strive to advance in cultivation. The Heavenly Soldier Codex and Heavenly General Codex are military cultivation manuals—on the battlefield, training with them yields twice the results for half the effort. They absorb iron-blooded baleful energy, which is the best nourishment."
Yi Tianxing gave the order and turned to leave.
To soldiers, the battlefield was the greatest cultivation ground.Without it, the Great Yi's troops could never have grown so rapidly or become so strong in such a short time.
Back in the Lord's Mansion, Yi Tianxing entered a secluded chamber to go into closed-door cultivation.With a thought, he entered the Heavenly Emperor Tower.
Inside, the human puppets taken from the battlefield and imprisoned in the tower still screamed in agony. The process of purification wasn't something that could be completed overnight—even with an entire world's power, it took time.Still, after just one night, the black miasma on their bodies had significantly diminished.The screams, though still miserable, were more bearable now.
There were nearly four to five hundred thousand of these purified Eternal Night human puppets.Yet even that number was only a tiny fraction of the Eternal Night's forces.
"Good. These soldiers, once fully purified, will be completely loyal to me—no doubt in their hearts. They're the perfect candidates to become Dao Soldiers."
Yi Tianxing's eyes lit up.
🔹 New Concept: Dao Soldiers (道兵)
Dao Soldiers are the cultivation world's equivalent of death warriors in the secular world.They are completely loyal, unwavering even in the face of death. In essence, brainwashed to serve their master unconditionally.
Dao Soldiers possess unique powers and characteristics. They can form armies and function as formation-based units, achieving astonishing levels of power when fighting together.
They're not just common troops. They are refined cultivation weapons—soldiers of the Dao.
Whereas secular warriors might form a group of thousands, Dao Soldiers are arranged according to mystical systems:
One Origin, Two Forms, Three Talents, Four Symbols, Five Elements,
Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces, Ten Extremes,
Twelve Earthly Branches, Twenty-Four Heavens, Twenty-Eight Constellations, Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits, and more.
Their power manifests through spiritual energy convergence and spell synergy, whether fighting one enemy or a thousand.
Yi Tianxing had studied many ancient cultivation manuals and Dao Soldier doctrines.Some sects use spiritual beasts or monsters as Dao Soldiers, since they can withstand the cruel refining process better than humans. Their bodies are stronger and more resilient, and cultivating humans this way is frowned upon.
But these particular Eternal Night puppets—no longer fully human—had no such moral complications. They were perfect subjects for refinement.
"Refining Dao Soldiers usually requires a specific cultivation technique tied to a sect's legacy, matching the sect's spiritual energy and methods. These techniques are typically secret and never shared. I didn't possess one before. But the Battlefield of Gods and Demons provides such opportunities."
Yi Tianxing had already exchanged for many Dao Soldier methods, including:
Yellow Turban Lancers ("黄巾力士")
Seven-Star Soldiers ("七星道兵")
Heavenly Gang Soldiers ("天罡道兵")
Fire Crow Soldiers ("火鸦道兵")
Flame Soldiers ("烈焰道兵")
Bronze Monk Soldiers ("铜人僧兵")
Yin-Yang Dao Soldiers ("阴阳道兵")
Water-Fire Dao Soldiers ("水火道兵")
Each had formidable strength.But which one to refine—Yi Tianxing hadn't yet decided.
With a thought, a Dao Soldier manual appeared before him. He opened it, studying it carefully, comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each type, and delving into the true mystery of Dao Soldiers.
"Dao Soldiers are linked by formation, refined by Dao principles, and tempered like puppets—until they become part of one's very being.Refining Dao Soldiers requires one's Life Apertures and Laws to be fused into the soldier's core.They are stored in the Life Chart, and the chart must be fully formed to house them.The Dao Soldier becomes a part of the cultivator's personal Dao."
— Excerpt from a Dao Soldier Manual
Only cultivators who have reached the Perfected Life Chart Realm (命图境大成) can refine Dao Soldiers.
More importantly, the type of Life Chart determines the kind of Dao Soldier one can refine. If the Dao Soldier's essence doesn't match the Life Chart's nature, they will be incompatible and ineffective.
"So it all comes down to the Life Chart," Yi Tianxing mused."My Life Chart is the Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Command Chart (天帝御龙图)—one of a kind in heaven and earth.It holds countless Life Apertures, including the five elements, yin-yang, and other core sources.That means I can refine Water-Fire Dao Soldiers, Yin-Yang Dao Soldiers, or Fire Crow Soldiers."
But these were still too simple to match the full potential of the Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Command Chart.
"If I'm going to refine Dao Soldiers, I will forge the strongest, most perfectly compatible, and truly supreme Dao Soldiers—ones worthy of standing beside me in conquering the four directions."
Yi Tianxing's gaze burned with conviction.