If it ever came to that point, whether Xianyang City had walls or not would no longer matter. A wall might delay destruction, but it could not prevent it. Likewise, having no wall wouldn't make any difference to the inevitable outcome.
City walls are both a form of protection and a form of limitation.
Without the wall, it meant there were no more constraints—expansion without bounds. The broader the heart, the broader the wall.
Back then, Qin Shi Huang held a notion in his heart: the Great Wall itself was Xianyang's city wall. As vast as the Great Wall stretched, so too did Xianyang's territory. Everything within the Great Wall was Xianyang, was the realm of Great Qin. His ambition was for the influence of Great Qin to extend across the entire world, subtly expressing a vision where all people under heaven would be treated equally.
Unfortunately, history did not see it the same way. His grand vision was destroyed. Great Qin fell after only two generations—a tragedy that remains lamentable.
Now, the Imperial Capital of the Great Yi Dynasty also had no city walls. It was a statement of confidence, yet not without its risks. Without walls, there were no checkpoints—could it truly withstand infiltration, assassination, and sabotage from the outside?
The implication was also troubling. After all, the last one to do this—Great Qin—was destroyed. Would Great Yi face the same misfortune? That would be a tragedy.
"What a vast Xuanhuang City. And above it—that must be the National Fate Sea of Luck of Great Yi. It even looks like there's an Immortal Palace inside."
Zhuge Liang raised his eyes, a strange light flashing in them.
The vast Sea of Luck could be seen even with the naked eye. Normally, it remained hidden in the void, visible only to special cultivators. But now, it appeared of its own accord, sensing Yi Tianxing's return, radiating an aura of joy. Great Yi's fate was entwined with Yi Tianxing's life. They were no different from one another—their lives were one.
Just from this Sea of Luck, one could see the immense potential of Great Yi: a booming dynasty, full of vitality and growth, with the potential to become even stronger.
"So this is Great Yi. This is Xuanhuang City. It feels like I'm witnessing the peak of humanity. Is this really the world in chaos? It's so lively… And every citizen here seems to be a cultivator—none of them weak. Unbelievable."
The Divine Marquis and four others stepped out from the Gate of Gods and Demons, gazing upon Xuanhuang City's complete infrastructure and the endless stream of human citizens. The joy on people's faces was fundamentally different from what they'd seen elsewhere—this was a change in spirit, a change of heart.
It was as if the people here were the true essence of humanity, radiating vitality and hope.
This—this was the most important thing.
From the very first glance, their hearts were drawn to this place.
It was truly a paradise for mankind.
They couldn't help but feel a desire to protect this beauty forever, to ensure it never suffered destruction.
And it wasn't just them—those arrogant talents of the human race who had come along were all similarly shaken. They never imagined Great Yi could protect its citizens to such a degree. It was far beyond anything they had dreamed of—a land of miracles.
Then came the moment the five great legions marched out from the Gate of Gods and Demons, standing proudly before the Commander's Platform. War flags fluttered in the wind, each army appearing as if it had risen from the depths of hell. The sight stunned the crowds into awed silence.
In five short months, the million-strong army had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty! Welcome back, soldiers—glorious return!"
At that moment, officials like Huang Chengyan and others stepped forth from the city, hurrying toward the returning army, bowing to Yi Tianxing with excitement written across their faces.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty! Welcome back, soldiers—glorious return!"
The citizens of Xuanhuang City echoed in thunderous cheers, their faces full of zeal.
"Soldiers… We have returned home!!"
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath, gazing solemnly at the million-strong force before him. Many were newly enlisted, but many others had fallen on the battlefield. Their bodies now lay in the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
As he finished speaking, with a wave of his hand, countless corpses began to appear in the sky. Held aloft by an invisible force, they hovered silently, never touching the ground.
The crowd's excitement gave way to silence and solemnity. There was no joy anymore—only reverence, deep respect in their eyes for the fallen heroes.
Originally, seeing the full army, they thought there had been no casualties, hence their joy. But now, seeing this reality, they realized the truth. The number of fallen exceeded fifty to sixty thousand.
On the battlefield, there is no such thing as a war without casualties. Even with the most elite equipment, under the endless assault of the Eternal Night Legion, death was inevitable.
The fact that the number of casualties was so minimized was already a miracle. Yet seeing it with their own eyes made people understand just how brutal war truly was.
None of the fallen had intact bodies. From their remains alone, one could imagine the horrors they faced.
"Send… the martyrs home!!"
Yi Tianxing spoke solemnly.
Suddenly, in the sky, a gigantic projection of the Iron-Blood Great Wall appeared.
That was the Iron-Blooded Great Wall.
Whoosh!
On the wall, bloody divine light burst forth, spanning across the world and enveloping the corpses, gently drawing them into the wall.
"Farewell, comrades. May your journey be smooth. May your bodies become bricks of the Great Wall. Death will not destroy your souls—your heroic spirits will endure forever!!"
The soldiers saluted in unison, sending off the martyrs with military honor.
To die and be buried in the Iron-Blooded Great Wall—this was the dream and the faith of every soldier. Even in death, they could guard the borders, protect the people of Great Yi. This death—they did not fear!!
The ritual was swift. In the blink of an eye, all the bodies had been absorbed into the Great Wall. Brick by brick, blood-red city walls formed anew.
"Let the corpses of billions of Eternal Night demons send off our martyrs!!"
Yi Tianxing waved his hand.
Suddenly, endless piles of Eternal Night demon corpses appeared, stretching far beyond the eye could see. "Piled like mountains" no longer sufficed—the corpses filled the entire sky.
The citizens of Xuanhuang City were dumbfounded. The scene was too shocking—beyond belief.
All sorts of Zerg, countless puppets, and corpses of every race imaginable—each species seen here had a matching equivalent in the Eternal World, down to identical bloodlines.
"Is this what our king and soldiers fought against? These… Eternal Night demons—do they really exist? Why do they look exactly like the races in our own world?"
"So many… How could there really be billions of corpses? Just how terrifying were the enemies they faced?"
"This is… a funeral ritual. But with so many corpses offered to the Great Wall, will it truly expand to encompass all of Great Yi's territory? If so—that's unbelievable!"
Now, the Iron-Blooded Great Wall already projected over the entire territory of Great Yi. However, much of it was still illusory, lacking physical defense. Its real power was limited.
But with these offerings, those phantom regions began solidifying at incredible speed, becoming real walls rooted in the earth. And these walls—black as night.