The alien races had never been easy to deal with. Any tribe that managed to survive in the wilderness naturally possessed formidable and unique strengths. They were by no means docile livestock awaiting slaughter. Their methods had always been anything but simple. Nor were they fools — fools wouldn't have survived this long.
How could they not recognize that Da Yi's army was highly trained and, when launching an assault, struck with the ferocity of a violent storm?
Despite the large numbers of alien warriors, they couldn't compare in coordination or cohesion — the hallmark of a disciplined elite army versus a ragtag militia. Against an elite force, even ten or dozens of times the numbers would struggle to prevail. The only viable strategy was to sow chaos and strike amidst disorder.
On the battlefield, facing such organized ranks, only a fool would charge headlong. Under the dense barrage of arrows, even the boldest would feel dread.
But in the cover of darkness, if they could obscure the army's vision and plunge the battlefield into pitch-black chaos, the alien warriors could launch surprise attacks and inflict devastating casualties on Da Yi.
In warfare, one must seize any and every advantage. And if there is none, then one must create one — never allow the battlefield to bend to the human race's will.
The Dark Night Canopy was a technique deployed by the Dark Night Elves to grant themselves the home-field advantage.
In an instant, darkness enveloped the entire plain.
"I can't see a thing. The night is too thick — it's blinding us."
"I've got Eagle Eye Pupils, but even that's limited under this Dark Night Canopy. Visibility is heavily compromised."
"Watch for sneak attacks. Don't get caught off guard!"
The soldiers quickly realized their vision was greatly hindered.
"All troops, hear me! Deploy the Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation — form up!"
Yang Ye issued a decisive command.
The Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation was a top-tier battlefield formation, derived from the famed Eight Trigrams Formation, but with its own unique might. It had long since been promoted across the military. Every army under Da Yi had access to its training. In fact, it was required knowledge — every soldier had drilled this formation countless times.
However, to fully unleash the power of the Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation on the battlefield, one needed a battle formation diagram. With the diagram, the formation reached its peak strength. Without it, it could still be deployed, but the power would be significantly reduced — though still formidable. It could amplify the army's strength by several or even a dozen times.
This formation had already become a standard for Da Yi's elite forces.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As orders continued to ring out from Yang Ye and Qi Jiguang, the soldiers of each legion sprang into action.
Their formation training had become second nature — even under the black shroud of the Dark Night Canopy, their bodies instinctively began to shift into position. Qi flows surged from the soldiers, weaving together in the air to form an ancient, illusory battle formation diagram. Though intangible, the formation synchronized with the soldiers' auras, merging seamlessly with the world itself.
A thick, white mist began to surge forth at frightening speed, engulfing each legion's position and expanding outward dozens of times. It carried an aura of mystery and chaos — impossible to pierce with the naked eye or magical vision.
"Eight-Gate Golden Lock — Gate of Rest, open!!"
A crisp shout rang out within the fog.
A golden ancient gate appeared within, flickering through the mist. On its surface gleamed a massive character — 'Rest' (休) — exuding a profound Daoist rhythm.
"Eight-Gate Golden Lock — Gate of Life, open!!"
"Eight-Gate Golden Lock — Gate of Shock, open!!"…
One after another, golden gates manifested in the mist — each emanating a sense of peril, life and death hanging by a thread. They were eerie and unpredictable.
In the blink of an eye, the entire army vanished from view, replaced only by dense white fog and eight flickering ancient gates. The Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formations now dominated the Thornplain battlefield.
The fog generated by these formations couldn't be dispelled even by the Dark Night Canopy. Alien spellcasters attempted dispelling techniques, but they were instantly suppressed, their magic rendered useless.
The golden gates floated ominously within the mist — ancient, cold, and deadly, like gaping maws ready to devour everything.
In moments, the fog from these formations had sealed off the entire Thornplain.
"Attack!!"
Large numbers of alien warriors, without time to react, charged into the fog — into the ancient gates. In an instant, they vanished.
Even those who wished to retreat found it impossible. The Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation was not static — it could move, and did. The formations roved across the battlefield, sucking in alien warriors like a meat grinder, killing them instantly within.
"Don't go in! That's the Da Yi's Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation! It's extremely dangerous — once trapped inside, survival is near impossible!"
Fan Wencheng shouted in alarm, his face pale.
He knew of the formation's reputation. Precisely because of that, he felt an overwhelming dread — as if staring death in the face.
Many alien races had met their end at the hands of this battle formation — their casualties horrific.
But it was too late.
As soon as the formations fully deployed, countless alien warriors were pulled inside. From within, cries of agony rang out as they were shredded alive. The formation resembled a massive, terrifying meat grinder.
"You're courting death!!"
The Ogre Chieftain, watching all this unfold, trembled with fury. Without hesitation, he summoned a bizarre artifact: a pitch-black cooking pot.
Yes — it was literally a black pot.
Upon appearing, it rose into the air and rapidly expanded, growing to cover the sky like a giant cloud.
"I'll stew you all in one pot!"
The Ogre Chieftain roared. The pot flipped upside-down and plunged toward Zhang Fei's Demonbreaker Legion.
Everything turned black. Reality twisted.
"What the hell is this?!"
Zhang Fei cursed, instantly sensing his entire legion being forcefully pulled away by some bizarre force. Though the battle formation hadn't broken, he clearly felt the Demonbreaker Legion had been swallowed by that black pot.
"Damn it — Zhang Fei, a hero all my life, getting eaten by a pot?! I refuse to carry this blame! If word gets out in Da Yi, I'll be laughed at for the rest of my life!"
Zhang Fei's face darkened. Sure, his face was already dark, but this was too much — being literally crushed by a black pot. This was insult added to injury.
"Once you're in my pot, there's no escape. Whether you want in or not — you're in! Don't even dream of getting out!"
The Ogre Chieftain laughed coldly as the pot hovered ominously overhead. This black pot was his clan's sacred relic, a supreme weapon he rarely used due to the immense energy cost and the difficulty in fully wielding its power.
"Ogres! Come — let's stew this entire human army. Tens of thousands of elite human soldiers — we cook them all, and it's worth it!"
With manic laughter, he poured his battle energy into the pot.
Boom!!
Black flames erupted on the pot's surface, inside and out, turning it into a sea of shadowy fire.
More ogres arrived, grim-faced and eager, channeling their power into the pot, aiming to boil Zhang Fei's entire legion alive.
This was no ordinary flame.
It was a strange, terrifying cold flame — known as Black Pot Cold Flame (黑锅冷焰). Like the pot itself, once it latched on, it was nearly impossible to shake off. The most terrifying part: it wasn't hot — it was freezing cold.
Once it touched the body, it would freeze flesh and bone alike. Over time, spirit, energy, and essence would all be extinguished. The body would shatter like ice, completely obliterated.