Compared to other races, the human race was nearly at the brink of despair when the Myriad Worlds merged. Death loomed constantly, and to the other races, humans were so weak they could be crushed effortlessly. Surviving alone was already difficult—yet to grow, evolve, and reach the current stage? The Great Yi Dynasty was truly an anomaly. And without a doubt, Yi Tianxing played a pivotal role in that.
Otherwise, in this Eternal World, there are plenty of human factions—some have even founded dynasties and imperial courts—but none have achieved the heights of Great Yi. And now, it had forced even the Myriad Beasts Royal Court into a desperate corner, compelling the various races to cast aside pride and unite. To resist together.
At this point, there was no turning back.
"This Emperor has merely done what needed to be done. There was no deep-seated hatred between us to begin with—our only conflict lies in our race, in our stance. I stand for the human race, for the Great Yi Dynasty; you for the beastmen, for the Myriad Beasts Royal Court. There's no right or wrong in that. But in the face of racial survival, neither of us has a choice. In these chaotic times, if I don't strike against your Royal Court, then should your power surpass mine one day, you'd leave behind hidden dangers for Great Yi. We are both without fault, and yet we must settle this, with victory or death."
Yi Tianxing spoke calmly after a brief silence.
Right or wrong, excuses or justifications—none of it mattered at this point.
This was soldier against soldier, general against general, king against king—life and death would decide everything.
"Very well. But if you think you can easily destroy my Myriad Beasts Royal Court, then you're gravely mistaken. Even if we die, we'll make you pay a price. Besides, victory isn't yet decided. No one knows how this will end."
King Behemoth responded coldly, his expression without a trace of fear.
Who was he? He was King Behemoth, the Golden Behemoth King, king of land battles under heaven. As long as he stood on solid ground, no one could easily suppress him.
"Good. Then let us fight."
Yi Tianxing nodded.
No matter how fierce the words, in the end, everything would be settled by war. All bravado was meaningless in the face of defeat. Losers would only be ridiculed.
"War!!"
King Behemoth shouted without hesitation.
"All troops, prepare! Fierce Beast Legion, stand ready!"
On the side of the Myriad Beasts Royal Court, a cold middle-aged man clad in leather armor stood tall atop a prepared observation tower—clearly built for commanding the battlefield.
He was a strong serpentfolk general, naturally talented in the art of war. Though his methods were often laced with cold-blooded ruthlessness and unorthodox tactics—unwelcome among the orthodox schools of warfare—he was undoubtedly capable.
His name was Yin Kui.
"Strike the war drums!!"
Yin Kui bellowed the order.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive war drums thundered as soon as his words fell.
Atop a massive platform stood a giant silver Behemoth, wielding colossal drumsticks as it pounded on an ancient war drum. With each beat, divine light flashed upon the drum's surface—a thousand beasts roared, fierce beasts and divine beasts alike howling as if summoned by the sound.
This power swept in all directions, turning into a surge of blood-red light.
Everyone covered in that blood light—beastmen and beasts alike—saw their aura soar, their bodies surging with violent strength, their combat power skyrocketing in an instant.
This was the War Relic – Ten Thousand Beasts Blood-Spirit Drum (万兽血灵鼓).
Every beat released a Ten Thousand Beasts Blood-Spirit Curse (万兽血灵咒) that made the soldiers' blood boil, empowering their bodies and increasing combat strength by at least 10%. More than that—they became fearless, frenzied, with glowing blood-red eyes.
Yet they retained their sanity. They weren't mindless berserkers—just completely enveloped in bloodlust.
Wolves, beasts, jackals, savage dogs—dozens of feral creatures began scraping the ground with bloodshot eyes, leaving deep claw marks, hungry for the kill.
Boom!!!
As the war drum thundered, the vast army of beastly fodder surged forth like a tide. An ocean of fur and claws, charging endlessly.
"The army stands ready. Shenji Crossbows—prepare for open fire!"
The twelve legions of Great Yi held formation, calm and disciplined. Each soldier was armed with a Shenji Crossbow, now standard-issue for Yi warriors. These weapons were easy to operate and devastating in mass combat.
Facing the beast tide, every soldier raised their crossbows.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Arrows shot through the sky like dazzling comets, slicing the air in droves. For every beast, there was an arrow. The barrage darkened the sky, a wave of deadly rain.
Yet the beasts showed no fear, still charging madly.
Suddenly, from within the beastmen army, figures leaped into the sky—each one carrying a massive box on their backs. From their hands, they pulled out long cylindrical tubes.
Mysterious runes flickered along the surface of these tubes. In the next moment, an immense suction force erupted, and a swirl of black light formed a spinning vortex.
A black vortex—twisting with terrifying force—appeared in midair.
Then, the shocking sight unfolded: the sky-darkening arrows were pulled toward these vortices, dragged off-course and devoured by the spinning whirlpools, disappearing entirely.
"That thing again. You beasts really came prepared."
Yi Tianxing frowned, staring at the massive contraptions. These boxes were even larger than the ones previously encountered. Their devouring force was far more powerful—and that posed a lethal threat to Great Yi's arrow-based tactics.
Originally meant to rain death on the battlefield, the crossbows were now partially neutralized. Only a few scattered arrows made it through, exploding into flame or ice or poison—but the bulk of the damage was gone.
These strange machines were indeed nemeses to the arrow rain strategy.
"You didn't think we'd start this war without preparations, did you?"
King Behemoth sneered. "These were created by the goblin race, designed to counter your Shenji Crossbows. They're called Arrow-Devouring Treasure Chests (吸箭宝箱). Crude as they may be, they're enough to tip the battlefield."
These treasure chests had one purpose—devouring projectiles. Unless Great Yi abandoned crossbows entirely, they would always be countered.
After all, in full-on frontal assaults, a distance of thousands of meters could be closed in seconds. In most cases, crossbow troops would only get three volleys before hand-to-hand combat began. And those three could often decide the outcome.
But now, with the treasure chests eating half the barrage, Great Yi had essentially lost a crucial arm.
"Is that so?" Yi Tianxing remained calm. "These boxes already appeared once before. You think Great Yi wouldn't prepare? That would be underestimating us. Besides, they're unfinished prototypes—imperfect weapons."
They had long studied how to counter this weapon. The best method: destroy it.
And it wasn't difficult. These chests had limits—once exceeded, they would explode on their own.
"Rune Bombs—Throw them in!!"
General Jia Xu acted immediately. Upon seeing the Arrow-Devouring Chests, he issued his order.
In an instant, black rune bombs were mixed in with the volley of arrows, aimed directly at the chests. Precision wasn't needed—the vortexes sucked in everything, indiscriminately. They even pulled in the rune bombs.
And that was a fatal mistake.
With a deafening boom, the once-stable boxes exploded violently.