"Kill!!"
Oda Nobunaga wasn't surprised in the slightest. He had already witnessed with his own eyes how Xuanhuang Immortal City had rammed into an Innate Demonic Treasure. The power displayed was indeed tyrannical and awe-inspiring. The Blood Moon Demon Bull General he controlled still couldn't surpass Xuanhuang Immortal City in scale. This was an Emperor City, a Supreme Artifact, and an Eternal Heaven Ark—a fusion of three divine existences.
Not only was the city body incomparably solid—virtually indestructible—it was massive enough to shatter the firmament.
This slash did indeed pose a threat to the Immortal City. Around the city, divine images of the zodiac suddenly manifested—True Dragons, Divine Tigers, and more. These weren't ordinary bloodlines either. After Xuanhuang Immortal City had undergone its evolution, so had these beasts. They were the Zodiac Array Spirits born from the Twelve Zodiac Array Diagram.
The dragon was a Sunlight Shadow Dragon.
The tiger, a White-Browed Gold-Cracking Tiger.
The others included:
Long-Eared Light-Stabilizing Rabbit
Radiant Sunlight Golden Rooster
Earth-Splitting Golden Ox
Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python
White-Feather Heavenly Dragon Horse
Red-Tailed Horse Monkey
Ground-Tearing Gold-Touching Rat
Immortal Moon-Gazing Boar
White-Jade Exorcising Sheep
Darknight Howling Sky Dog
These twelve exotic zodiac beasts simultaneously appeared outside the Immortal City and instantly formed a brilliant halo around it. This was the Zodiac Guardian Halo, derived from the Twelve Zodiac Array—a formation of unparalleled defense. As one seamless whole, it had no flaws. The twelve zodiac signs represented the twelve two-hour periods of a day.
In other words, time itself.
The zodiac guardians represented a Time Protection Halo.
That radiant ring was like a long river of time, endlessly circulating. Each of the twelve zodiac beasts appeared within the flowing halo. Unless one could sever the long river of time, this guardian halo was the most perfect defense under heaven. Before the power of time, no force could penetrate. Every attack would be worn down by the current of time.
Each full rotation represented twelve years.
Unless an external force could instantly obliterate all twelve zodiac beasts, any power would be worn down and dissolved over time.
One could see countless blade lights trying to enter the halo, traveling within the long river of time, attempting to slay the twelve zodiac guardians. If successful, the halo would collapse and Xuanhuang Immortal City's defense would be broken. However, the moment the blade light entered the halo, it was instantly split into twelve parts, and then further subdivided into 4,380 strands—a weakening factor equivalent to the number of hours in a year.
In an instant, the blade light's power was reduced by 4,380 times.
Those blade lights were extinguished instantly in the face of the twelve zodiac beasts. The scene was terrifyingly swift and absolute.
This was the real reason why the Blood Moon Demon Bull General's devastating slash had failed to penetrate Xuanhuang Immortal City's defense.
"Such terrifying defense… Twelve Zodiac Guardians? They're actually capable of dividing my blade light into twelve parts… and then into 4,380 strands. Twelve hours in a day, 365 days in a year—so that's how the Zodiac Halo works. Frightening!"
"But if you can block one slash, let's see if you can stop tens of thousands more."
Although shocked, Oda Nobunaga did not despair. Instead, his battle spirit surged.
He slashed again, this time with unrelenting madness and unparalleled speed. In an instant, no one could count how many blades he had struck—all they saw were countless blade shadows layered upon one another.
Ten thousand slashes.
In that split second, fueled by the might of the Blood Moon Demon Bull General, Oda Nobunaga unleashed ten thousand consecutive strikes. They converged together into one monstrous barrage, covering Xuanhuang Immortal City like a storm of divine steel.
At the very moment the blades reached the Zodiac Halo, they all converged into one—Ten Thousand Blades into One—a single slash of unimaginable might capable of destroying heaven and earth. Even a Dao Platform Realm cultivator would be instantly slain.
The halo could divide all energy—then he would combine countless slashes into a single overwhelming blow. Even if it was divided again, the power would still be enough to kill the guardian beasts.
"Impressive. To combine ten thousand slashes into one... What kind of being is this?"
Standing atop the Emperor Palace, Yi Tianxing observed calmly. Since the Blood Moon Demon Bull General's emergence, his eyes had been fixed upon it. He could clearly feel that this presence was not even in the same league as the Innate Demonic Treasure from earlier.
"Master, that is a Heaven Demon God Weapon. According to the legacy within my bloodline, this weapon originates from the Evernight World. It is said to be a war machine forged using Abyssal Demon Seeds born of the Abyssal Demon Mother. In the last era, they clashed with Eternal Heaven Arks and inflicted mutual casualties. They are mortal enemies.
Heaven Demon God Weapons come in several types: Divine Metal Type, Blood Demon Type, and Hybrid Type. This one is clearly a Divine Metal Type, forged from countless demon-forged divine metals. Incredibly savage. Unless the Abyssal Core inside is destroyed, it can fight indefinitely. But according to what I know, these weapons must be controlled by a host to unleash their full power. If we kill the host, we can suppress the entire weapon."
Fairy Ruyi appeared beside Yi Tianxing, explaining swiftly.
Through her inherited memories, she knew exactly what she was facing. To the Eternal Heaven Ark, this was a natural nemesis. Upon encountering one, a fight to the death was inevitable. The instinct to kill surged from the depths of her soul.
"Hmm, it seems Evernight's infiltration into our Eternal World runs far deeper than expected. They've even smuggled in Heaven Demon God Weapons—and now one appears here, targeting my capital, trying to cripple the Great Yi Dynasty. What a pity—they didn't realize the Emperor Capital of a dynasty is always defined by its impenetrable defense. Xuanhuang Immortal City merges with the Emperor Capital, Supreme Artifact, and Eternal Ark. Breaking it is no easy task. Let's see what this Heaven Demon God Weapon is truly capable of."
Yi Tianxing remained composed, unshaken.
The Emperor Capital of a fate dynasty had always been defined by defense. Without overwhelming solidity and strength, it would never qualify as the political core of a nation—let alone carry its fate. Any flaw could spell disaster.
Now, the Zodiac Guardian Halo served as the city's impenetrable shield.
Clang!!
The One Slash of Ten Thousand Blades pierced into the halo. As it did, the halo spun, and the power of time immediately fragmented the devastating blade light. Once again, it was divided into twelve, then 4,380, then again into 52,560 streams of light—further diluting its strength. In an instant, the attack was shattered and suppressed by the twelve zodiac beasts.
The halo remained brilliant and indestructible.
Xuanhuang Immortal City stood proudly in the void like a silent mountain in the wind, immovable. No matter how fierce the divine arts or how varied the attacks—if you couldn't breach its defense, it was all meaningless.
"Impossible…"
Oda Nobunaga's expression twisted. Even the condensed might of ten thousand slashes couldn't break this defense. What kind of monster was this city? What kind of defense was this?
"I don't believe it! Kill! Kill!! Kill!!!"
Mad with rage, Oda Nobunaga hacked wildly at the Zodiac Halo. Slash after slash, each one more vicious than the last.
Each one looked capable of splitting heaven itself.
But it was all in vain.
Each strike was blocked. Every attack was deflected.
"Watch my Invincible Ox-Lice!"
Oda Nobunaga let out a furious roar. Suddenly, the Blood Moon Demon Bull General began to shudder violently. In the next moment, countless blood-colored ox-lice shook loose from its body, transforming into streams of light that surged toward Xuanhuang Immortal City.
These ox-lice were clearly fierce creatures. Their metallic luster was laced with a dark red glow and a terrifying abyssal aura. Even worse, they had wings.
They swarmed like a tide, blotting out the sky. It was impossible to count them.
In the blink of an eye, they descended upon the Zodiac Halo. Each of them had mosquito-like proboscises—sharp, hollow, and capable of draining blood in an instant. Brutality incarnate.
As they landed on the halo, their mouthparts pierced through the defense and began draining temporal power—trying to destroy the halo at its source.
The sucking power was overwhelming. The halo's light began to flicker and dim, its glow unstable.
"Not good! These lice carry Abyssal power! The Abyssal Demon Mother can devour and bury everything. Her seeds inherit the same ability. All energy becomes nourishment—even time is no exception!"
Fairy Ruyi's face changed drastically.
This was an utterly horrifying tactic. Silent, invisible—and utterly lethal.
"Activate Wujian !"
Yi Tianxing frowned slightly and spoke decisively.
A mysterious trait—Wujian —was triggered.
In an instant, Wujian activated naturally. Xuanhuang Immortal City shifted from physical to illusory, becoming a mirage—like a flickering bubble...