Who would have thought that the Dark Thunder Emperor was also just a chicken—a three-legged Dark Thunder Chicken, to be precise. Yet this was no ordinary chicken, but a True Spirit Realm battle chicken. Now beheaded in a single strike, it looked like a prepared dish served on a platter. What a delicacy! A chicken of the True Spirit Realm—Yi Tianxing had never tasted one before. This time, he was sure to feast to his heart's content. Absolutely perfect ingredients—just thinking about it made one's mouth water.
"How is this possible?"
"The Dark Thunder Emperor was a True Spirit Realm genius, incredibly adept at surviving in darkness. Killing him should be nearly impossible. As long as he survived the first strike, he could fully recover in moments. Not only was he unafraid, but he could also split into countless forms and vanish into the night. How could he be killed so easily?"
"Instant kill. Just one strike—and dead. That blade seemed like the god-slaying technique Emperor Yi once displayed on the Divine-Demon Battlefield. But even then, the Godslayer Blade back then wasn't this terrifying. With one strike, not even the Dark Thunder Emperor could dodge, and was slain instantly. This power... it's terrifying. Can we even hope to subdue him?"
The hearts of many Eternal Night geniuses trembled in fear. That one strike had shocked them to the core.
A blade that could kill the Dark Thunder Emperor... didn't that mean it could also kill them? If they appeared, wouldn't they be sliced apart like vegetables? The fear struck deep, and a heavy sense of dread filled their actions. Some even began to consider whether they should show their true forms and take action against Yi Tianxing.
But none could say what would happen if they truly stepped forward.
Many Eternal Night geniuses hesitated.
"Don't be afraid. As powerful as the Godslayer Blade is, it cannot be used without limits. I've already seen that to unleash this divine technique, Emperor Yi must focus his entire mind and soul. That means his defenses drop when he attacks. Moreover, the Godslayer Blade is a spiritual-soul transformation divine power that now also destroys the physical body. He can only strike one of us with full force at a time. When he does, that's our chance."
A voice echoed in the minds of the other Eternal Night geniuses, transmitted privately. It carried immense confidence and the commanding tone of a born leader. Each word filled the others with reassurance.
"It's the Seventh Son of the Heaven Demon Clan! Excellent! With a Heaven Demon Son here, the death of Emperor Yi is only a matter of time!"
Excitement lit up their eyes. They knew who had arrived—and his identity was among the top-tier in the Eternal Night World.
The Heaven Demon Clan was one of the true royal clans of Eternal Night. Even if one didn't know the clan, they'd surely know the name: Great Freedom Heaven Demon. Known across the Eternal World as external evil demons, inner demons—Great Freedom Heaven Demons. During tribulations, many cultivators encountered them. Even an ordinary Heaven Demon was a disaster if met—most never survived.
They could shift between illusion and reality, infiltrating desire and stray thoughts. The seven emotions and six desires were their perfect hiding places. As long as desire existed around them, killing them was nearly impossible. Their methods were bizarre, specializing in manipulating inner demons, corrupting hearts, and exploiting flaws. They were infamous in the Eternal World—loathed by all.
Let alone a royal of the Heaven Demon Clan. To be titled the Seventh Son meant this figure was one of the top monsters of his generation—so monstrous he could change the tide of war. His arrival steadied the nerves and morale of the Eternal Night geniuses. No one dared retreat now.
The Heaven Demon Sons were ranked by sequence. Whatever the number, that became their name. And it could change at any time.
The one before them was the Seventh Son, hence named Heaven Demon Seventh. If he rose in rank, his name would change. Becoming Heaven Demon First meant becoming the clan's true successor. Each rank came with vastly different resources and privileges—each number difference meant enormous disparities.
The Heaven Demon Clan encouraged the Sons to fight each other for resources. After all, they only needed the strongest.
"This Son holds a Heart Demon Substitute Puppet. I shall grant one to each of you. As long as you fuse your blood with the puppet, even if struck with a fatal blow, it will die in your place—saving you from death once."
Heaven Demon Seventh continued calmly.
"What? A Heart Demon Puppet?"
"That's a legendary life-saving treasure! The Son is actually giving them away? In that case, let's do it!"
"With a death-substitute puppet, what's to fear? Even if Yi Tianxing has three heads and six arms, we'll chop him to pieces and kill him here! Even if we lose, we'll suffer no loss. Let's go!"
"Let's go!"
The Eternal Night geniuses' eyes lit up. Where there was once hesitation, now there was fierce resolve. With a way out—no fear of death—why hold back? This was the perfect chance to test Yi Tianxing's power. Even if they couldn't kill him, probing his limits would be a major contribution to Eternal Night.
Such a good opportunity—how could they not take it?
Not taking it would be a crime against Heaven.
One by one, the Heart Demon Puppets appeared in the hands of the geniuses. With the Heaven Demon Clan's methods, distributing such items was effortless. The power of heart demons was everywhere.
Each genius quickly began refining their puppet. These life-saving treasures were too rare to pass up. In the Eternal Night World, the Heart Demon Puppets were known and recognized as incredibly valuable and precious.
With their lives now protected, the star gates—already in motion—accelerated their repositioning.
Unnoticed, the star gates had relocated to surround the area near White Crow City. They rapidly vanished from sight again. All this had happened within just a few breaths. Had the Dark Thunder Emperor not stalled Yi Tianxing, at least two gates would've likely been destroyed in that brief window.
Now, thirteen star gates hung high in the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
From the void, pillars of stellar light descended like ribbons. Each beam struck just outside White Crow City, enclosing it completely within a ring of astral energy.
From all sides, the city was now surrounded. No direction remained for escape.
ROAR!!
As the light pillars solidified, massive Eternal Night armies emerged from within. Each pillar spawned troops of different types.
From one gate poured out creatures resembling Western dragons, black-scaled and massive. On their backs sat armored riders with dragon-scale skin, wielding Dragonlance spears. Their auras perfectly synchronized with their dragon mounts, moving as one. It was seamless and terrifyingly efficient. Their combined strength surged in tandem.
These were the Dragon Demon Clan—born of dragon blood, born with the ability to bond with a demon dragon. From birth, they not only emerged themselves, but also produced a dragon egg. Once hatched, that demon dragon became their lifebound beast, sharing their life essence. If one suffered, so did the other; if one thrived, so did the other.
The strength of the Dragon Demon Clan was obvious—they were born warriors. As innate aerial cavalry, their synergy with their mounts was unparalleled. Different dragons meant vastly different powers.
Whenever they appeared, they were the kind of force that could change a battlefield's outcome.
This time, the number of Dragon Demons was staggering. A glance revealed over a million, swarming out in droves. Their dragon lineage was strong, and their reproductive ability was just as terrifying.
They were not as rare as imagined.
And they weren't alone.
From other beams came more Eternal Night troops:
The Griffin Tribe: lion-headed with eagle wings, standing upright in humanlike forms. Each gripped a war bow, firing arrows made from their own feathers. Each shot radiated kingly dominance, hard to block or deflect.
The Insect Tribe: countless and swarming like a tide.
Towering giants, each radiating terrifying bloodlust. Dozens, even hundreds of meters tall, carrying colossal weapons. Each step they took shook the earth and mountains.
The Eternal Night forces flooded around White Crow City.
Almost in unison, they surged toward the city in full assault.
Their speed was unmatched, their momentum unstoppable. Their eyes burned with hatred, as though White Crow City were their sworn nemesis.
"Emperor Yi, dare you face us in battle? Don't hide like some cowardly woman!"
From within the Dragon Demon forces, a tall Eternal Night genius stepped forward.