Godslayer Crossbows, Demon-Slaying Arrows, and the Yin-Yang Annihilation Bomb—these were all upgraded versions of previous military weapons. Without a doubt, once equipped in the army, they would multiply the military's strength several times over. These divine weapons were capable of threatening even cultivators at the Dharma Form stage. In the realm of cultivation, Dharma Form experts were already considered the backbone of the world, true powerhouses. Breaking through to this stage had never been easy.
Even after a thousand or ten thousand years, the Dharma Form realm would still not be considered weak.
Only a rare few could advance from the Dharma Form stage to the Nascent Soul stage.
Hence, these newly forged divine weapons were undoubtedly the most elite battlefield tools in existence today. It was foreseeable that once they appeared on the battlefield, they would deliver a devastating psychological blow to the enemy.
Only former rulers like Zhang Xianzhong and Hua Rong could truly appreciate the deep heritage that Great Yi possessed. Weapons of this caliber were typically hoarded and treasured, never revealed lightly. But here, they were being prepared for mass deployment across the entire army of the Great Yi Emperor Dynasty.
We're talking about billions of soldiers. If all of them were equipped with such weapons, just the thought was enough to inspire fear. In terms of equal numbers, this meant absolute domination.
"Joining Great Yi was the right decision,"Hua Rong thought to himself, eyes flashing with resolve.
"This is the stage of the true strong. Great Yi—undoubtedly the number one Human Destiny Dynasty,"Zhang Xianzhong silently mused.
"Excellent. This is the Emperor Dynasty worthy of my loyalty,"Yang Zhi whispered internally.
Those who had just emerged from the recent martial examinations and entered the court of Great Yi were all inwardly awestruck. Their loyalty to Great Yi deepened further, along with a profound reverence. Only after entering the court could one begin to grasp the true depth of Great Yi's foundations—something the outside world could never imagine.
"Test the Yin-Yang Annihilation Bomb,"Yi Tianxing instructed.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gongshu Lin did not hesitate. He hurled the Yin-Yang Annihilation Bomb at a distant Arhat puppet.
Boom!!
Just as it struck the puppet, the entire device exploded, releasing an overwhelmingly terrifying force. Black and white divine light interwove, instantly annihilating the puppet—completely disintegrated, not even a trace remaining. The explosion covered an area nearly half a kilometer wide, fully within the blast radius of the Yin-Yang Annihilation Bomb.
Compared to the old rune bombs, this was not just one or two times stronger—it was tenfold or more.
"What a marvelous weapon! With this on the battlefield, who knows how many soldiers' lives it could save? Whether for siege or expansion, it's a supreme instrument of war."Jia Xu clapped his hands in praise, also bowing to Master Lu and Gongshu Lin, expressing heartfelt thanks for their contributions."Such merit is immeasurable."
"Your Majesty, please take a look—this is a Horse-Slaying Saber forged from Yin-Yang Steel."Gongshu Lin presented another weapon.
The saber was long, almost exaggerated in size, about as tall as a grown man. The blade was black, the edge white, glimmering with cold light.
He then brought out an older model standard saber used by the military—same design, different materials.
Two craftsmen held a saber each and struck at one another with a shout.
Clang!
Crack!!
A crisp fracture sounded.
The standard saber had been cleanly sliced in two—like tofu under a knife. Meanwhile, the Yin-Yang Steel saber remained completely intact, its edge as sharp as ever, flashing with lethal brilliance.
"Now that's a real blade!"Cheng Yaojin picked up the saber, his eyes gleaming in awe."With weapons like this, our troops would be unstoppable. Break your enemy's blade in a clash—break his courage. Excellent, truly excellent."
He looked like he was caressing a lover, much to the discomfort of those around him, even if they too admired the weapon.
"Very well. Master Lu and Minister Gongshu—your contributions are unparalleled. Rewards shall follow. But for now, we still need to forge even more weapons. With Yin-Yang Steel, I'm confident we'll soon complete a full military reequipment. Great Yi belongs to us all—this emperor strives forward alongside all of you."Yi Tianxing smiled in satisfaction.
The emergence of Yin-Yang Steel had solved a critical bottleneck in Great Yi's development. It meant that, in the battles to come on the God-Demon Battlefield, Great Yi would be equipped with the tools to survive—and win.
"We shall die for Great Yi, die for the Emperor!"The officials responded in unison.
Witnessing Great Yi's rising strength filled them with pride and purpose.
"For the army, I want to see every soldier in the primary battle regiments reach the level of Ninth-Rank Celestial Soldiers within the next ten years. Moreover, we need to foster a large number of war generals. Only those at Ninth Rank and above will qualify to enter the God-Demon Battlefield and fight for Great Yi—for humanity!"Yi Tianxing's voice was firm as he looked at the gathered generals.
The Nine-Rank Military System was a deeply ingrained rule, present at every level of the military.
Ninth-Rank Celestial Soldiers covered three cultivation realms: Divine Sea (1st–3rd rank), Life Aperture (4th–6th), and Life Diagram (7th–9th). Those above Life Diagram, entering the Dharma Form realm, were War Generals.
The Nine-Star Heavenly General system remained unchanged:
Dharma Form realm = 1-star to 3-star generals
Higher stages: Nascent Soul and Yang God = 4-star and beyond
Thus, to even qualify for the God-Demon Battlefield, one needed to be at the peak of Life Diagram realm.
Such requirements would be considered outrageous by any other faction—almost unimaginable.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Our troops shall not fail you,"Zhuge Liang replied confidently.
For years now, the military had received priority access to all cultivation resources: spirit grains, pills, materials—nothing was lacking. After so many battles, if they still couldn't advance, they'd be worse than pigs.
Ten years was more than enough. In fact, it might take less than ten to meet all goals. There would even be new prodigies rising.
"Good. Go make your preparations,"Yi Tianxing said, scanning the ministers and nodding before dismissing the court.
Afterward, Yin-Yang Steel brought sweeping changes to every corner of Great Yi. The military saw the biggest transformation: using the Universal Printer, they mass-produced equipment—Godslayer Crossbows, Demon-Slaying Arrows, Yin-Yang Annihilation Bomb, and Demon-Slaying Sabers—rapidly equipping the primary regiments.
Unknowingly, they had entered Eternal Year 17.
From then on, Great Yi entered a long period of stable development.
Outside, the three beast races continued their savage war. Though it was their subordinate avian, beast, and scale-armored races fighting, the devastation was still shocking. Corpses filled the land daily.
Outside the Ironblood Great Wall, massive numbers of bodies were consumed and refined by the wall. Nothing was left behind.
However, the wall no longer expanded, nor did it provoke the three races. Though the strategy seemed like hiding one's head in the sand, none of the major forces dared to mess with Great Yi at this time. As long as Great Yi stayed quiet, they would be left alone.
While the three beast races continued their brutal fight, all the other myriad races of the heavens turned inward, consolidating power and preparing for the God-Demon Battlefield. They ignored the war on the continent, knowing it wouldn't affect them once the battlefield opened.
Let them fight.
Let them all die.
And this year, Great Yi changed again.
Population exploded. Children grew rapidly and began cultivating. Academies overflowed with students. Cultivation fever swept the land. Tianmu Island was fully integrated into Great Yi, its foundation now unshakable.
With the sea's retreat, the floating Immortal Cities returned to land, and the terrain resumed its original state.
Eternal Year 18: Strange demons and spirits began appearing across Great Yi—especially in the wild. These were caused by changes from the Imperial Dew Nectar , mutating vegetation, some of which had begun to demonize.
It brought trouble to the people.
Eternal Year 19:…
The years slipped by quietly.
Every year brought change.
In that time, the women of the imperial palace all entered closed-door cultivation. They were preparing to enter the battlefield alongside Yi Tianxing. He did not oppose it—stronger allies were always welcome. With their talents and abundant resources, once they began cultivating in earnest, their progress was swift.
Unknowingly, the end of Eternal Year 25 had arrived.
Year 26 was just around the corner.
And that was the ten-year deadline set by the Heavenly Dao.
For cultivators, time was both precious and worthless. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye—for many, just a single closed-door session.