"It's not dead! That dragon turtle still isn't dead!"
"Such terrifying defense! This level of protection has clearly surpassed its cultivation realm. It must be a fifth-tier sea beast, but its defensive power rivals that of the sixth tier!"
"Fifth tier is equivalent to the Nascent Soul realm. If its defense reaches sixth tier, that's the Yang God realm—we'd need Yang God-level strength just to pierce its shell!"
On the city walls, not only were there bounty hunters of Great Yi and common citizens, but also cultivators from various sects who had rushed over.
Powerhouses from the Qingshan Immortal Sect, the Righteous Manor's Young Master Xu, and experts from the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect—all of them came intending to help repel the beast tide, to show their stance and align themselves with the Great Yi Dynasty. However, before they even made a move, the sudden appearance of the Blue Legion had already crushed the beast tide's momentum with overwhelming force.
It was pure domination.
What worried them more, though, was the dragon turtle. Even two rounds of the Celestial Ark Divine Power hadn't managed to kill it—instead, it looked completely unscathed. This was terrifying. The dragon turtle was clearly the ringleader of this beast tide. If it couldn't be stopped, the destruction it could cause might be unimaginable—even Expedition City could fall.
Its potential for devastation was simply too immense.
Hard to kill meant hard to deal with.
"What a fine dragon turtle," Zhou Yu smiled. "His Majesty loves tasting exotic delicacies. Let's make this beast a tribute from this campaign—it will surely be a most delicious offering."
In Great Yi, everyone knew that Yi Tianxing was a gourmet—a connoisseur who delighted in rare and exquisite dishes. Because the emperor adored fine cuisine, so did the people of Great Yi. Food was given the utmost importance. It wasn't unusual for someone to see a strange creature and immediately wonder, Can it be eaten? How should it be cooked?
This dragon turtle was the finest of ingredients.
"Soldiers! Activate the Blue Sky Warship Divine Power: Sea God's Trident — Descent of the Sea God!!"
Zhou Yu gave the order.
Immediately, the just-recovered soldiers poured their true essence and mana into the arks without reservation, fully unleashing their divine power.
As power surged into the sails, the Sea God's figure on the fabric solidified and then, incredibly, stepped out from the sail, wielding a trident. Standing upon the sea, his feet connected with the waves, his presence instantly blending with the ocean itself.
Then, another Sea God materialized—identical in form and aura.
The second Sea God stepped forward and merged into the first. With that fusion, the Sea God's body rapidly grew larger—from a thousand feet to twelve hundred feet, and his divine pressure surged even more fiercely.
And it wasn't just these two.
From the other celestial arks, more Sea Gods stepped forth—fifty arks, fifty Sea Gods.
The Sea Gods merged one by one, until finally, a single titanic Sea God stood towering at three thousand feet high, a colossus of the ocean, fused entirely with the sea. The entire ocean became his domain, under his complete control. Every gesture could trigger catastrophic tsunamis and storms.
RUMBLE—!!
The Sea God rode a tsunami, trident slashing down mercilessly at the dragon turtle. The strike was like the ocean itself collapsing upon it. The dragon turtle instinctively withdrew into its shell, radiant divine light flaring to repel the blow.
DING—!!
A crisp clang rang out. A burst of blood erupted from the massive shell. A mournful cry followed. The dragon turtle's head and limbs re-emerged, its body covered in countless lacerations, shocking to behold.
In the next instant, its entire head exploded, reduced to bloody pulp.
The dragon turtle fell—dead in a single strike.
"To fight the Sea God in his own waters," Zhou Yu shook his head, "is nothing but a death wish. The sea belongs to him. Water, soft as spring rain, can infiltrate anything—grinding all to pieces."
With the dragon turtle's death, the beast tide was completely suppressed. The remaining beasts fled, vanishing back into the sea. A few stragglers remained, but they no longer threatened the outcome.
"Citizens and bounty hunters of Expedition City may now enter the battlefield to collect sea beast corpses and beast souls. Seventy percent must be turned over to the Great Yi Dynasty. The remaining thirty percent may be kept for personal use or sale."
Zhou Yu's voice echoed to the city.
The battle was over—time to clean up. The battlefield was strewn with corpses. The sea had been dyed red with blood. If the remains weren't harvested soon, they would become food for other sea beasts.
The Blue Legion only numbered five hundred thousand. It would be far more efficient to let the bounty hunters and civilians handle cleanup—putting every resource to optimal use.
The announcement sparked cheers across the city walls.
"Hurry! Let's gather the loot!"
"Move, move, move! Thirty percent is still a huge haul. We've struck gold this time. This is fortune! This is opportunity! With these resources, we can all advance our cultivation to higher realms!"
Countless bounty hunters rushed out, pulling out storage bags to collect meat and bones. Others took out dark pouches, which they opened over the sea, sucking in ethereal lights—beast souls being harvested one by one.
These were no ordinary pouches.
They were called Soul Capture Bags, magical artifacts inscribed with soul-capturing arrays, capable of seizing beast souls and even malevolent spirits—so long as the user was powerful enough to control them.
Since the Illusion Beast Hall had opened, Soul Capture Bags had become a universal necessity for cultivators. They allowed hunters to collect beast souls after battle and sell them to the Hall for considerable profit.
While the bounty hunters worked, a seven-colored divine beam fell from the sky, enveloping the Blue Legion. In a flash, they disappeared—returned to the War Soul Battlefield.
In the Palace – Zhixing Hall
Yi Tianxing sat with Jia Xu and other top ministers. A water mirror before them displayed the entire battle with perfect clarity—nothing was missed.
"Excellent. The Blue Legion has brought glory to Great Yi," Jia Xu said with satisfaction. "This will send shockwaves through neighboring realms—even the dragon race will think twice now."
This battle was strategically perfect—a show of force that would deter enemies and raise Great Yi's prestige.
"I suspect this beast tide was just a test from the dragon race," Zhuge Liang added. "Had we failed to contain it, they likely would've escalated into a full-scale invasion."
This was a probe from the Vast Sea Dragon Palace—a trial of strength between them and Great Yi. The outcome would shift the balance of future negotiations.
"No matter," Yi Tianxing said calmly. "If they bring soldiers, we'll bring walls. If they bring waves, we'll bring mountains. Within Great Yi's borders, we allow no beast tide to run wild. Inside our domain, we are supreme. And the longer they hesitate, the better for us."
A year had passed since the Blue Legion's creation—if they couldn't grow rapidly with such support, they were unworthy of the investment. Not to mention they had the Blue Sky Warship.
Then Yi Tianxing asked:
"When do you all believe it would be best for Great Yi to ascend to the Imperial Dynasty level?"
Yes—Dynasty Advancement.
This was now a major concern. Every step in the Path of Fate Dynasties represented a different realm of power and fortune. It would fundamentally transform the entire structure of Great Yi—from civilians to officials.
Now, having fully stepped beyond the Yi Continent and occupying the Xue Continent and numerous islands, with a population nearing ten billion, the time had come.
They had the foundation.
After a year of recuperation and consolidation, all preparations were in place. Yi Tianxing had begun to contemplate the timing of their promotion.
"The Way of Dynasties demands either forceful advancement or patient accumulation," Jiang Ni said. "Too soon, and the roots won't hold. Too late, and morale falters. The key, above all else, lies in depth of foundation. Once we begin, we will become the target of all."