Had they not ventured across the wilderness to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's high ground, they would never have encountered the Eternal Night forces here. They wouldn't have known that Eternal Night was also planning to cross through the wilderness to strike their high ground and destroy their crystal. Just thinking of the consequences made many people's hearts tremble with lingering fear. How dangerous it was! Fortunately, they chose to brave the wilderness.
Otherwise, they might have ended up in a completely passive position.
At this moment, they truly felt the massive threat posed by the Eternal Night—a force filled with aggressive and overwhelming intent.
"This is bad! My husband is still in the middle of the river. Across from him are the Eternal Night's prodigies. There's no way they'll let him set foot on land," Lianxing exclaimed in panic.
"Don't panic. I'm sure he'll be fine," said Yaoyue.
Though her words were meant to reassure, the concern on her face was undeniable. Besides, worrying now was pointless. Yi Tianxing was in the most awkward position—right in the middle of the river. He could neither advance nor retreat. To retreat now would render all their earlier efforts meaningless. More critically, without crossing the Tongtian River, they would lose the chance to attack the crystal, aborting their assault before it even began.
But now, with both armies facing off, this had become a standoff where neither side could afford to back down.
If either side retreated, they risked letting the other cross the Tongtian River, traverse the wilderness, and strike the crystal directly.
Clearly, this was a scenario no one was willing to allow.
Eternal Night would not retreat. Nor would the Human Race.
"King Yi, return at once! We must rethink our strategy!" Zhuge Liang shouted.
Yi Tianxing was the first to notice the Eternal Night prodigies appearing on the opposite bank. He knew very well that he had only two options: One, return immediately. With his power, he could do so easily—no one could stop him if he chose to retreat. The other option was to charge across the river and complete the construction of the iron chain bridge, which would allow Human Race prodigies to follow behind continuously.
But trying to reach the other side while Eternal Night's top prodigies were guarding it?
The difficulty of that was hell-level. There was no way they would sit by and watch Yi Tianxing step onto their side. Letting him succeed would be no different from allowing him to trample their dignity.
If all of them failed to stop Yi Tianxing, the humiliation would be unbearable. Their reputations would be ruined.
If Yi Tianxing really attempted to cross, the likes of Clown and the other Eternal Night prodigies would undoubtedly go all out to stop him—even to the point of killing him on the spot. The pressure he'd face would be unimaginable.
Everyone could see that.
Zhuge Liang, more than anyone, wanted Yi Tianxing to retreat. Better to avoid unnecessary risks than face unpredictable consequences.
Yi Tianxing was a top-tier combatant—losing him here would be foolish.
"Today, I, Yi Tianxing, shall cross this Tongtian River. Let's see who dares to stop me. Kill!!"
His eyes flashed with determination—he had no intention of retreating.
To abandon this direct assault across the wilderness would mean resorting to far slower and more dangerous alternatives.
As he spoke, he took a decisive step forward.
Each step stirred ripples beneath his feet, wave after wave expanding outward from the river's surface.
"Perfect. The Eternal Night has 3,000 prodigies here—2,000 standing before me, and the other 1,000 likely blocking Stone Emperor and the others from reaching the tower. If I bury all of you in this Tongtian River today, then the crystal will be left defenseless. Once you're dead, we'll have almost certainly won this war. Kill!!"
Yi Tianxing's voice rang with unwavering confidence. Fighting spirit surged around him as waves of immense blood essence emanated from his body. Walking across the river, he resembled a peerless water deity.
"Yi Tianxing! What arrogance! You think your ragtag band of Human Race cultivators can bury all of us here? Dream on! If you want to drown us in the Tongtian River, then let's see you survive first! You're all alone—do you really think we're just a bunch of weaklings?"
Clown's smiling mask now twisted with fury.
Yi Tianxing's solo charge was nothing short of an insult.
How could Eternal Night's proudest prodigies endure such open provocation?
All of them were furious. That fury turned into killing intent.
Yi Tianxing had to die. Their pride would not allow anything less.
"You're courting death! You shot down a Prodigy King with a single arrow before—but I refuse to believe that was your own strength. There's no way you can use that kind of arrow again so easily. Now, standing on water and holding that iron chain, let me see you try archery again. I'd like to see how you dodge this arrow."
A tall and slender Eternal Night cultivator stepped forward. Though slim, he exuded solid strength. In his hand was a longbow—not an ordinary weapon, but one that shimmered with silver brilliance, engraved with lunar emblems, lifelike and vivid as the moon itself. Even from a distance, it radiated dense lunar energy.
This was one of the Eternal Night's top prodigies, from the Star-Moon Clan—a peak bloodline in the Eternal Night realm, as dazzling as stars and moons in the dark. Renowned for their archery, the Star-Moon Clan had an ancient tradition of bow arts, passed down through generations. Every prodigy they produced was a deadly archer.
They possessed a supreme ancient scripture known as the Star-Moon Archery Sutra, famed for its boundless power. In Eternal Night, few dared face them in archery. Their arrows inspired instinctive dread.
The prodigy drew his Star-Moon Warbow. Even without an arrow nocked, as he pulled the bowstring, a shaft of starlight condensed on its own—a Star-Moon Arrow, forged entirely from celestial energy, yet as solid as a real arrow.
Whoosh!!
The bow twanged, and the Star-Moon Arrow exploded forth like a meteor. Blinding and impossibly fast, it tore through the sky. The very fabric of space seemed to vanish before it.
"What speed! This arrow is faster and more lethal than even the Star-Moon Dual Fate Diagram used by Yaoyue and Lianxing. It draws upon both moon and stellar forces—this arrow moves at the speed of light! A true star-killing arrow capable of crossing the void in an instant!"
Yi Tianxing's heart tensed.
What defines a deadly arrow?
Speed.
Only speed can make a shot truly lethal—swift enough to kill before reaction is even possible.
Even the riverbank's distance meant nothing to this arrow. It closed the gap in less than a breath.
As the Star-Moon Arrow locked onto Yi Tianxing's aura, a sense of inevitable death took hold. There was no escape. Even if he fled to the ends of the earth, the arrow would find him.
A true kill arrow.
Boom!!
In a flash, the arrow was upon him.
"Kill!!"
Yi Tianxing's entire body erupted in divine light. Blood essence churned around him like a blazing sun. His body gleamed like colored glass. Within him, two great cauldrons rotated, each one filled with blood essence like molten fire. Within one of them, a golden imperial seal floated and spun, roaring with golden dragons and divine elephants.
In an instant, that golden seal appeared in his hand.
"I am emperor—my will shall suppress the four extremes!"
The moment he gripped the seal, golden light exploded outward, transforming the world into a sea of brilliance.
This was none other than Yi Tianxing's fleshly body divine ability—
Heaven-Sealing Suppression Seal (镇狱印).
The seal glowed brighter as three stars shone on its surface, exuding incredible Daoist energy.
Without hesitation, the Heaven-Sealing Suppression Seal flew into the air and smashed down upon the Star-Moon Arrow.
The three stars pulsed simultaneously.
The dragons and elephants engraved on the seal came to life, letting out a heaven-shaking roar.
Space itself froze. All things were immobilized.
Boom!!
The two powers collided. Starfire and golden light exploded across the heavens, covering the entire Tongtian River in blinding light. The waters burst into massive waves, as if the whole river was boiling.
Under the crushing might of the Heaven-Sealing Suppression Seal, the Star-Moon Arrow shattered inch by inch, until it vanished completely.
The seal, dimmed slightly but still intact, flew back into Yi Tianxing's hand.
Golden light enveloped his body. Standing on the river, the space around him frozen solid, he radiated a suppressive force that silenced all motion.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Without pause, he strode forward step by step. Each footfall stirred massive ripples on the river, thundering like a giant walking across the land.