Joining Da Yi means obeying Da Yi's summons. The sects within the Shushan realm are not entirely stable factors—the number of Dao soldiers they possess is simply too astonishing. Although they are now compelled by the overall situation to join Da Yi and accept its rule, their pride remains too high. Summoning their sects' Dao soldiers serves two purposes: one, to bolster the strength needed to resist the invasions of other realms; and two, to cultivate recognition and awe for Da Yi—even if they don't accept it, they must learn fear.
"Transmit my order. Post a special golden-ranked mission in the Tongtian Pavilion—those who participate in the national war may earn military merit. It will follow the military merit accounting system: whoever kills powerful enemies earns merit."
"Post a golden special mission in the Hunter Hall. Bounty hunters may go to the Iron-Blood Great Wall and participate in its defense. Civilian cultivators are not restricted in joining the defense, but it is not encouraged—it will be on a voluntary basis."
After a brief contemplation, Yi Tianxing continued.
The citizens of Da Yi do not fear war. Thus, asking them to hide within the Immortal Cities and passively watch the war unfold is not realistic. In previous wars, Da Yi citizens, driven by hot-blooded patriotism, had rushed to the walls and plunged into the battlefield, fighting alongside the army, drenched in blood, and even wrapped in their own corpses. No one ever retreated. That is Da Yi's tradition—Da Yi's bloodline.
They are ready to stain rivers and mountains with their blood.
Now that the flames of war have spread across the land, with smoke rising from all directions, the people of Da Yi fully understand that the empire is under foreign attack—war has begun.
If one were to look now, they would see that large groups of bounty hunters across the Immortal Cities are already prepared and heading toward the teleportation arrays, ready to be sent to the Iron-Blood Great Wall.
"Send word: any cultivator heading to the border battlefield at the Iron-Blood Great Wall may use the teleportation arrays free of charge. Anyone who dares to collect fees—execute them on the spot."
Yi Tianxing followed up with another order.
This is wartime.
Everything must yield to the demands of war. All resources must serve it. Transport—whether of materials or personnel—must proceed at maximum speed.
"Now, move out to the battlefield. In this war, this Holy King wants to see all six major realms brought under Da Yi's control."
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
With a wave of his hand, one could see images flicker in the great hall—real-time scenes from the northern battlefield. The Four-Directional Celestial Gold Cauldron was locked in a furious struggle with the Iron-Blood Great Wall. Barrier clashed against barrier; fortune against fortune. The powers of both sides were in deadlock. Although the Celestial Gold Cauldron had yet to pose a true threat to the Iron-Blood Great Wall, it was tenacious and unrelenting.
From the moment the beacons were lit to the court assembly in Xuanhuang Immortal City, only a few brief moments had actually passed.
The war had only just begun.
"That Four-Directional Celestial Gold Cauldron is the Golden Empire Dynasty's national treasure. Using it now means they're gambling everything. That Jin Gang Emperor can wait no longer," Huang Chengyan said.
"I also see the other five realm rulers. As expected, they've joined forces. They're combining their might to breach the Iron-Blood Great Wall," Jia Xu said meaningfully.
"No rush—let's keep watching. The Iron-Blood Great Wall isn't something they can breach so easily. If they want to invade Da Yi, they'll pay with their lives," Liu Bowen said with a calm smile.
Da Yi is no longer what it used to be. Its foundation deepens by the day. Its fortune flows endlessly, giving rise to countless talents.
Xuanhuang Immortal City moved fast. With its void-traversing power, it appeared above the Iron-Blood Great Wall in an instant, hovering over the battlefield. Yet due to its own mysterious nature, it remained hidden in the void, between reality and illusion, undetectable even when present. People within the city could observe the outside world, but outsiders could not see within.
At that moment, many citizens of the Sacred Xuanhuang City peered out toward the battlefield, eyes gleaming with battle intent, seemingly ready to charge out at any moment.
They stared at the Four-Directional Celestial Gold Cauldron, eyes filled with hostility.
But it was also clear: a single treasure cauldron could not break the defensive barrier of the Iron-Blood Great Wall.
"Look—what's that?"
At that moment, someone pointed to the sky and shouted.
Above the Great Wall, a massive cloud had appeared in the sky. It flickered with crimson-red light like a vast inferno. After appearing, the cloud began to expand at an astonishing speed, engulfing the sky. It looked like a boundless sea of flames.
It was the World-Destroying Heavenly Fire Cloud—the national treasure of the Heavenly Fire Empire.
Wooo! Wooo!!
A terrifying aura burst forth from the cloud—world-ending might that struck fear into the soul. Anyone who looked upon it could feel it clearly.
Frightening. Terrifying.
Death was certain.
It was an overwhelming sense of doom.
Then, with an eerie howling sound, blazing fireballs emerged from the cloud, plummeting like meteors toward the Iron-Blood Great Wall. The sky seemed to rain fire—the scene looked like the end of the world. Fireballs, like a torrential storm, aimed to obliterate everything.
BOOM! BOOM!!
The massive fireballs struck the Iron-Blood barrier.
Ripples spread instantly. The barrier twisted, flickered, its light dimming and brightening unpredictably. Each impact drained its power. Every fireball exploded upon contact, erupting into heavenly fire, violently eroding and burning the barrier, as if trying to set the entire thing ablaze.
It was savage and brutal.
"Lion Emperor Bell!!"
The Lionheart Emperor waved his hand, and a giant golden bell appeared in the sky. Its surface was carved with depictions of various beast races worshiping a golden supreme Lion Emperor—an aura of nobility arose.
ROAR!! ROAR!!
As the Lion Emperor Bell rang, the sound was not like a normal bell but resembled a lion's roar. One could see a supreme lion roaring to the heavens—golden soundwaves blasted in all directions.
These sonic waves bombarded the Iron-Blood Great Wall.
The barrier trembled again, rippling under the shock, its brilliance visibly dimming. It looked like the barrier was on the verge of collapse, as if one more attack would shatter it completely.
"Dragonbone Sky Ladder!!"
When the Dragon Emperor saw that the barrier had been weakened enough, his eyes gleamed. With a wave of his hand, over a thousand ladders made of dragon bones appeared out of thin air.
Each one resembled a bridge of white bones—ghastly and fierce, like skeletal dragons. They soared toward the Great Wall.
At the top of each ladder was a savage dragon horn. When it touched the Iron-Blood barrier, a strange power pulsed from it, and the barrier began to dissolve and collapse.
The dragon heads opened their jaws, biting into the wall. Claws gripped the bricks tightly.
The ladders fused into the Great Wall, as if they had always been part of it.
Using these ladders as anchors, holes were torn open in the barrier, allowing enemy troops to charge up the ladders and directly onto the Great Wall—bypassing its defense completely.
Each ladder was hundreds of meters wide and extremely long.
Over a thousand of them now spanned the Great Wall.
It was terrifying.
The wall's greatest strength—its impenetrable defense—had just been broken.
Before, enemies couldn't enter, but defenders could still attack them. Now, that advantage was gone.
"How interesting. They came prepared. Three national treasures, three fortune-bound artifacts used to suppress the Iron-Blood Great Wall, weakening its protective barrier to the limit. These Dragonbone Ladders have the power to break boundaries. That horn isn't ordinary—it's a treasure in itself. To take out a thousand of these... their desire to destroy Da Yi runs deep."
Yi Tianxing narrowed his eyes, sneering coldly.
They had planned this well.
But he wasn't surprised. To launch an attack on Da Yi, they had to be prepared. Otherwise, it would have been a joke.
Now, the first barrier had been breached.
What awaited Da Yi was hand-to-hand, blood-soaked battle—a truly brutal war.
"Dragonbeast Army—ascend the Dragonbone Sky Ladder and storm the Iron-Blood Great Wall! Invade Da Yi! Kill!!"
The Dragon Emperor waved his hand and opened a passage between the Dragonbeast Realm and Da Yi.
Countless ferocious beasts roared and charged forth.
BOOM! BOOM!!
Beasts and birds covered the sky, racing across the sea toward Da Yi. Strangely, they ran on the ocean's surface without sinking, as if the sea were solid ground.
Among them were massive dragon beasts, leading the charge.
They stormed up the Dragonbone Heavenly Ladders—rushing toward Da Yi's lands.