"Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Guard, it is time for you to show your true edge."
Yi Tianxing looked with deep satisfaction at the Dao Soldiers within the Chaotic Soldier-Nurturing Pool.
These Dao Soldiers were, without doubt, a trump card in his hands.
In the outside world, they had almost never been revealed. Not during the God-Demon Battlefield, not during the natural disasters, not even during the confrontation with the Ice Queen. Sometimes, the timing wasn't right. Other times, the situation wasn't appropriate.
Moreover, he had intentionally kept them a secret—this hidden ace would only be played when it could change the course of battle.
Now, however, within the Nightmare World, there was no concern about exposure. Cultivators who could enter the Nightmare World were few and far between. Most feared it like venomous snakes, terrified of falling into it and being unable to escape.
So unleashing his Dao Soldiers here posed no risk. It remained a covert trump card.
Over the years, the number of Dao Soldiers had reached three thousand.
But Yi Tianxing had stopped increasing their number after that. The cost was simply too high. Were it not for the mass conversion of human puppets on the God-Demon Battlefield, he would never have used the people of the Great Yi Dynasty to refine Dao Soldiers.
He could not bring himself to act so ruthlessly against his own people.
"Come forth!!"
With a mere thought—
From the Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Map above his head, the image of the Chaotic Soldier-Nurturing Pool appeared. Inside, one Dao Soldier after another opened their eyes, their gazes sharp as blades.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Streaks of divine light shot from the pool to the ground, materializing in front of Yi Tianxing.
Only a hundred of them emerged.
"My lord! With our spears, we shall sweep away all enemies!"
The Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Guards bowed in unison, voices brimming with fanatical faith. In some ways, they were no different from fanatics and saints of divine nations—utterly devoted, willing to give everything, even their lives.
"Excellent. Kill all the zombies—leave not a single one alive!"
Yi Tianxing nodded, speaking resolutely.
"Yes, my lord!!"
The hundred Dragon Guards shouted in unison. The fighting intent radiating from their bodies had already reached a boiling point.
Yi Tianxing observed with satisfaction. This was the moment of truth—he wanted to test their true strength, to see if they were worthy of the title Dragon Guard.
Each one of them was over two meters tall, broad and imposing. At a glance, the scales on their skin gleamed, instantly morphing into Dragon Scale Battle Armor that covered them seamlessly, enhancing their majestic, fearsome aura.
They wielded Reverse Scale Spears, and cultivated the body-refining technique True Dragon Indestructible Body ("真龙不灭体")—the ultimate technique of the Dragon Clan. Once mastered, it granted the user a near-indestructible physique and the power of a true dragon.
Over the years, each of them had achieved considerable mastery over this art.
In terms of cultivation, they were Third-Tier Body Refiners, equivalent to the Life Diagram Realm, though their combat power far exceeded that realm.
Inside the Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Map, they had unparalleled advantages. They could draw upon true dragon power from the Life Diagram for cultivation. With a top-tier body refining technique, they advanced swiftly and powerfully.
"Kill!!"
One Dragon Guard, clad in yellow dragon-scale armor inscribed with glowing runes, took a step forward. That single stomp sent shockwaves into the ground.
The earth quaked—then, a burst of force exploded from beneath, toppling several zombies. If not for their sturdy bodies, they would've been crushed on the spot.
Moments later, piercing earth spikes glowing with yellow light shot up from the ground like eyes that never missed their mark. They impaled zombies clean through, some from belly to skull.
It was a gruesome scene.
Yet the zombies did not die.
But the Dragon Guard didn't stop. Striding forward, his Reverse Scale Spear pierced into a zombie's body, and as he withdrew the spear, the reversed scales along the shaft twisted, triggering a powerful disrupting force.
BOOM!!
With a loud blast, the zombie's body was torn to shreds, as if thrown into a meat grinder.
A Bucket-Zombie hurled Corpse Poison Water at him, only to see it blocked by an instant earthen wall. A Pole-Zombie dropped from the sky to attack from above, but was impaled mid-air by a lightning-quick thrust and torn apart by the Reverse Scale Spear.
Their spear technique was precise and lethal.
It was none other than the Coiling Dragon Reverse Scale Spear Technique ("逆鳞盘龙枪"), a top-tier art obtained on the God-Demon Battlefield. Wild and overbearing, every move evoked the power of a true dragon, with devastating results—especially in the hands of body refiners.
Combined with their strength, it was a perfect fusion of technique and power.
At this moment, the hundred Dragon Guards swept into the zombie horde like tigers into a flock of sheep, slaying everything in their path.
Each spear strike killed a zombie on the spot. No flashy tricks—only the most direct and efficient killing methods. Their battle instincts were honed to perfection.
No zombie could withstand them.
Everywhere they passed, zombies fell like wheat.
"As expected," Yi Tianxing nodded internally.
Their talent in body refinement was exceptional. Each of them possessed fleshly strength exceeding 90,000 jin (at peak First-Tier). They reached Second-Tier with 100,000 jin, and now at Third-Tier, each had over a million jin of raw power.
Their defensive power was equally terrifying.
A zombie slashed at one Dragon Guard's heart, only to find its claws shatter against the glowing Dragon Scale Armor. Flames burst from the scales, setting the zombie ablaze and reducing it to ash.
Some wore red armor, passed down from Fire Dragon bloodlines, allowing them to command Dragon Flame—an intense fire capable of burning the seas and skies. Their Reverse Scale Spears emitted fire with every thrust.
Others wore blue armor, of the Ice Dragon bloodline, freezing everything with a single strike.
All one hundred Dragon Guards fought as a synchronized force, obliterating the zombie horde.
Each fallen zombie left behind items. Some dissolved, others dropped materials: zombie blood, claws, fangs, or artifacts.
"Zombie Finger Blade: Forged from sharpened zombie nails. Extremely sharp and laced with corpse poison. Lower-grade artifact. Can be controlled mid-air to kill enemies."
Yi Tianxing examined a white finger-blade in his hand, eyes flashing.
It was clearly a true artifact, complete with runes and formations—not just a basic tool.
He had assumed only materials would drop, but this changed everything.
"Could it be… that in this Nightmare World, creatures can drop not just treasures, but actual artifacts? That dreams—dream power—are manifesting into real objects?"
Dream power was essentially wish power, obsession, a force of realization—turning nothing into something.
In dreams, anything was possible.
If true, then the Nightmare World was an inexhaustible treasure trove, where every hunt yielded tangible, valuable loot.
"It seems I must find a way to open a stable passage to the Nightmare World. If such treasure isn't secured for Great Yi, it would be a shame. It may even become a pillar of our rise."
The thought took root in Yi Tianxing's mind.
Still, many problems remained.
His ability to enter and exit the Nightmare World depended on the Dream Butterfly, Yunmeng. Without it, escaping would be nearly impossible. The realm was disorienting—there were no directions, no clear paths.
"The Dragon Guards are evolving."
Looking up, Yi Tianxing saw their auras growing stronger. With every battle, they absorbed bloodlust, sharpened their instincts.
Dao Soldiers are not complete at refinement—they must temper themselves in war. Only by enduring countless battles could they become top-tier troops. When unleashed, they must be invincible.
Only through bloodshed could they forge their killing intent.