"Strategist, don't you feel it's too quiet here? I'm worried there might be an ambush nearby,"Zhang Fei said with a slight frown.
As they advanced, something began to feel off. The surroundings were eerily silent—no insect chirps, no bird calls. Creatures that were normally highly sensitive to danger and auras had vanished. Instinctively, it felt wrong.
"Everyone be alert. We may have already stepped into a battlefield trap laid by the Myriad Beast Royal Court,"Jia Xu nodded solemnly.
There was no way such a checkpoint would be simple. Without prior intel, improvisation would be necessary. Only by clashing directly could they formulate a real response.
However, they did not become overly cautious. The Divine Crow Legion patrolled the skies while the Demonbreak Legion advanced on the ground. The two worked in perfect harmony, leaving hardly any gaps in their formation.
As they pushed deeper into the area, a wave of invisible danger suddenly surged like a tide.
"Something's wrong!!"
"There's something odd about those clouds!"
Suddenly, vast storm clouds formed out of nowhere in the sky, spreading rapidly. An ominous aura surged from the clouds, lightning flickered within, and thunderbolts streaked through the skies.
It felt like some terrifying presence was hidden within the clouds.
Crack!
Without warning, lightning bolts rained down like spears, targeting both the Divine Crow and Demonbreak Legions.
It was a nightmare.
Thunderbolts blanketed the battlefield, engulfing the entire army in a desperate thunder domain. Every bolt was directed with surgical precision at the Da Yi soldiers. Each carried tremendous force—enough to instantly kill a cultivator at the Life Aperture realm and severely wound even those at the Life Map stage.
"Defend!!"Jia Xu's face changed slightly as he shouted.
This lightning was clearly not natural—it was an attack from the Myriad Beast Royal Court.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Da Yi's soldiers, battle-hardened, responded instantly. Defense shields activated, true qi barriers formed, and talismans were unleashed rapidly, fusing into their bodies to bolster their protection.
Even the Divine Crow Legion's signature fire aura couldn't stop the lightning completely. Flames scattered in all directions as lightning struck, singeing feathers and armor. While the fire mitigated the impact, many soldiers were still battered and scorched, though few suffered fatal injuries.
The Demonbreak Legion fared worse, taking heavy casualties. The lightning was more powerful than expected.
"There are enemies hidden in the clouds—attack!!"
Mu Guiying reacted instantly. She gave the order, and the Divine Crow soldiers hurled throwing spears toward the clouds. Their speed was incredible, creating a dense barrage.
The spears tore through the clouds, exposing hidden figures—winged humanoids with bird beaks. These bizarre beings were half-human, half-bird, and clearly the source of the storm clouds. Every flap of their wings summoned a cascade of lightning.
As the spears closed in, lightning counterattacked, shattering them into dust with terrifying power.
More thunderbolts followed, even more overwhelming than before.
In this thunderstorm, these creatures looked like gods of lightning, invincible and dominant.
"The Shining Spirits! It's them!"Jia Xu's mind instantly recalled the name as he recognized their appearance.
"The Shining Spirit Clan," he said. "I never expected them to take part in this war."
In the grand hall of Da Yi, Lu Shi spoke solemnly,"The Shining Spirits have always been shrouded in mystery. For the Myriad Beast Royal Court to recruit them… According to the ancient records, their ancestors were born from the union of a Lightning God and a Lightning Roc. They possess a divine affinity for lightning and can control it with incredible mastery. It's in their blood."
Lu Shi had always had a fondness for ancient lore and spent much time in the Sutra Pavilion. Over the years, as Da Yi conquered various foreign tribes, they seized ancient texts, amassing a vast collection. Much of it was placed on the first floor of the pavilion and made easily accessible.
From those records came knowledge of the Shining Spirits.
They worship the Lightning God and offer the flesh of other races as sacrifices in his name. Because of this, few dared provoke them.
A sufficient number of Shining Spirit warriors could transform entire regions into thunder domains.
They were born warriors.
"No matter who or what they are—if they've entered the battlefield, they are our enemies. No need to hold back,"Yi Tianxing said, drawing a deep breath. "Shining Spirits or not—kill them."
On the battlefield, the Divine Crow Legion, enraged by the ambush, retaliated. They reformed the Heaven-Fire Crow Formation, pulling back their bows and launching a hail of flaming arrows. Each arrow transformed into a fearsome fire crow, bursting with heavenly flames as they surged into the clouds.
But strangely, these fire crows were disintegrated by the lightning, the clouds growing denser in response. The Shining Spirits' power was in no way inferior.
Amid the clouds, they saw it—an enormous golden tree, like a tree made of glass, its branches sharp like lightning claws, flickering with blinding light. It radiated constant electric pulses that bathed the Shining Spirits in energy, making them fight with endless vigor.
The tree was no ordinary plant—it was a divine treasure known as the Lightning Tree. It amplified lightning attacks, supplying constant energy and enhancing their destructive force.
At its base stood an elderly figure—also with wings, but exuding a far more powerful aura than any of the other Shining Spirits.
Seeing the Divine Crow Legion fighting back fiercely, the elder finally acted.
"Perish!!" he shouted.
He reached toward the Lightning Tree, and golden lightning surged out. In an instant, it coalesced into a colossal lightning spear, hundreds of meters long, sparkling with electricity.
The elder hurled the spear.
Boom!!!
The battlefield erupted as the golden spear crashed into the Heaven-Fire Tree of the Divine Crow Legion. Screams rang out. The flaming tree shattered, and both fire crows and soldiers were blasted away. Blood rained from the sky. Many bodies were charred black, pierced by countless lightning bolts. Some died instantly; others were gravely wounded.
Soldiers frantically swallowed all manner of healing pills, including the potent Yin-Yang Restoration Pill, which quickly stabilized even severe injuries.
"Boundless Heaven and Earth—Borrowing the Power of the Heavenly Soldiers!!"Mu Guiying shouted aloud.
"Drink!!"
Her call was echoed by every Divine Crow soldier in the air. In that moment, a mysterious link connected them, and their true essence and mana surged into Mu Guiying.
The energies did not conflict—instead, they harmonized perfectly, merging into her body with ease.
At the same time, tens of thousands of fire crows began to fuse into one, forming a massive Heaven-Fire Tree once again. Mu Guiying herself merged with the fire crow essence, transforming into a colossal fire crow, now reaching hundreds of meters in size.
Her wings spread wide, blotting out the sky, the fire around her scorching the heavens. The flames were so intense, they warped space itself.