"An empty city... it's actually an empty city." A strange light flashed in Yi Zixuan's eyes as he muttered inwardly, shocked. This was no small matter, and he felt no joy from it. This situation was far too unusual — it meant there was an unimaginable purpose behind it.
Something unnatural always hides a secret.
And this was undoubtedly a big secret.
"Contact the Qingyang Legion and ask for their status."
After a brief pause, Yi Zixuan gave the order.
"Yes, Commander!"An adjutant swiftly replied and immediately began communicating through special channels to determine the Qingyang Legion's situation.
Before long, the adjutant reported back, "Commander, the Qingyang Legion has responded. They also encountered a massive city of the Infinite Empire, but after breaching its defenses, they found it completely empty. Just like our case — an empty city. No people, not even a single corpse."
"As expected. Leave this place. Send half our soldiers to scout other nearby giant cities and report immediately once the situation is clear."Yi Zixuan issued swift instructions.
"Yes, sir!"
The adjutant waved his hand and led half the soldiers in another direction.
Yi Zixuan didn't delay either. With a flick of his hand, a massive Da Yi Immortal City appeared. This time, however, he didn't choose to crash it into the giant city in front of him. Clearly, he had no intention of destroying it directly.
The materials used in the construction of this city were clearly extraordinary. To simply demolish it would be a waste. In the future, it might still prove useful — maybe the materials could be repurposed. This kind of resource shouldn't be squandered.
Boom!!!
The Da Yi Immortal City descended, activating the Xuanhuang Barrier. Puppet soldiers took their places along the city walls, and the teleportation arrays lit up, waiting for other officials to arrive and begin the integration process — gathering fortune energy and turning the surrounding area into Da Yi territory.
Whether there were people here or not, occupying the Titan Realm was non-negotiable. It was part of the war strategy. Even if something fishy was going on, even if there were sinister plots involved, that didn't change a thing. Sometimes, fewer complications meant fewer casualties — it could even be considered a blessing in disguise.
Soon after, reports began flooding in.
Empty cities.
Empty cities.
Every single one they came across was abandoned. The nearby areas still had fierce beasts and predatory birds, but there were no actual citizens of the Infinite Imperial Dynasty anywhere. It was as if they'd vanished overnight.
"This doesn't feel right. The Titan Realm is seriously off. I must report this to the Pavilion Master and the Holy King."After surveying several more empty cities, Yi Zixuan made his decision. Something about the entire realm felt wrong. Whether it was a trap or something else, it was absolutely unnatural.
Still, reporting it was one thing — executing the occupation was another.
The deployment of Da Yi Immortal Cities never slowed. Every 3,000 kilometers, a new city was placed. The domain gates also opened up, allowing massive numbers of officials and civilians to enter. Each city received at least five million citizens. With that, Da Yi's national destiny surged — tiny fortune dragons formed above the cities, coiling in the air to protect them.
—
Inside the Xuanhuang Immortal City
Zhuge Liang received the intelligence immediately.
After reading it, he handed it off to the strategists of the Heaven Strategy Pavilion.
"There's definitely something odd about the Titan Realm. The Infinite Empire must be hiding something. They've evacuated all civilians without leaving a trace... This aura feels strangely familiar," Jia Xu said, frowning slightly.
"No matter what the reason, taking the Titan Realm is the simplest path. Nobody there? Even better. No battle, yet we gain an entire realm as if it were a gift. Thanos really is a generous man," Huang Chengyan said with a chuckle.
Meat that's already in your mouth — how could you not eat it? Once Da Yi occupies it, no matter how powerful the Infinite Empire is, they won't be able to take it back.
"Send word — we must occupy the Titan Realm as fast as possible. The faster we merge it with our current territory, the sooner it'll become an unshakable part of Da Yi. Once it's integrated, no one will be able to take it from us," Xun Yu said decisively.
"Thanos' schemes are truly difficult to predict. The agents we had embedded in the Titan Realm never managed to send back any intel. Either the entire Infinite Empire used some special method to block communications, or the events unfolded too quickly and too secretly for our spies to react," Liu Bowen said, visibly impressed.
"Should we notify the Holy King?" Xizi Cai asked.
"At the moment, the Holy King is fighting Thanos directly. We must not distract him. Whatever trick Thanos has up his sleeve will eventually fall apart. And even though this is the main battleground, we've had a flood of invaders enter Da Yi's territory. Destruction is easier than construction — we must prevent too much damage. Yes, we're using this war to temper our people and let them feel the baptism of blood and iron, but civilian casualties must be kept under control," Xun Yu said seriously.
Throughout Da Yi's lands, war raged. Teleportation arrays had transported billions of troops from the six major realms. Countless ferocious beasts and birds of prey caused localized beast tides. Without the strength of Da Yi's cities and weapons, holding the lines might have been impossible.
"The strength of the princesses is impressive — they're able to fight emperors to a draw. Still, if they're pushed too far, there might be danger. We must stay vigilant and prepare for emergency extraction. Under no circumstance can anything happen to them," Huang Chengyan added, eyes fixed on the battlefield.
At that moment, all eyes remained locked on the ongoing battle.
—
In the Void
The clash between Thanos and Yi Tianxing continued. Spear light pierced the heavens. Blade light tore through space. Every strike threatened to split the world and shake the sun and moon.
Suddenly — with no warning — a pitch-black gourd appeared out of thin air. Mysterious dark runes covered its surface.
The moment it emerged, a beam of deep, sinister black light burst forth from the gourd, engulfing Yi Tianxing like a silk ribbon. That black light contained an indescribable power.
Within an instant, it pulled Yi Tianxing toward the gourd. It was like resistance was futile — he was forcefully sucked in.
"Not good!!"
"Outrageous! The Holy King is in danger!"
"Where did that gourd come from? Quickly, destroy it!"
The ministers and generals watching the battlefield were instantly horrified. Fury and fear gripped them. No one could have anticipated such a terrifying turn of events mid-battle.
As they roared in anger, countless attacks flew toward the gourd.
Sharp tongues, domineering blades, terrifying divine techniques — all crashed toward the area where the magic gourd had appeared.
Boom!!!
The void exploded with cataclysmic force.
But the black gourd eerily slipped through space and reappeared elsewhere — now held by a cloaked figure in black.
"HAHAHAHA!! So this is the so-called supreme monster of the Eternal World! The greatest luck dynasty master in all of Heaven and Earth! You slaughtered your way through the Eternal Night Battlefield for decades — and now? You've fallen right into my hands. Once I kill Yi Tianxing, I'll ascend as the Supreme Demon God. That massive bounty will be mine! I'll be the number one hero in the war against the Eternal World!"The figure holding the gourd laughed maniacally.
This gourd was no ordinary item. It was a supreme dark treasure of the Eternal Night World — the Abyssal Demon Gourd.
Inside it burned the flames of purgatory and the power of the abyss. Even a demon god would be incinerated within moments. The agony was unending. Even if it didn't kill instantly, the abyssal force would corrode the soul forever.
In the Eternal Night World, this gourd had a fearsome reputation. It had earned countless merits on the battlefield and was known for its unmatched dark power.
"Excellent, excellent! The Myriad-Evil Hall really lives up to its fearsome reputation as a rising force in the Eternal Night. As soon as they accepted the task, they dispatched the notorious Abyssal Dark God and even found a way to breach the realms. That Abyssal Demon Gourd is truly unstoppable. According to legend, once it captures someone, there's no escape. Yi Tianxing is finally dead."At the edge of the battlefield, within a hidden space, a figure in black robes burst into hysterical laughter.
Hiring the Myriad-Evil Hall was clearly the right choice — more than worth it.
The Abyssal Dark God was infamous in the Eternal Night — known for ambushes and dark assassination tactics. No one could count how many had died by his hand. The Abyssal Demon Gourd was said to be an innate-grade treasure. It had suffered some damage in the past, so its power had weakened slightly, but it remained a terrifying force. No one had expected him to join the Myriad-Evil Hall.
"It's our turn now. Let's break Da Yi. The Hydra organization will make a name for itself today!"The figure in red robes laughed as well.
"Open the Demon Abyss — let the Eternal World witness the power of Eternal Night!"The one in green robes spoke coldly.
Boom!!
On the battlefield, terrifying pressure descended from the sky. A colossal Demon Abyss appeared, surrounded by endless rolling black mist...