Martial Ancestor.
Within the Divine and Demonic Battlefield's countless ancient tomes stored in the Treasuries of Gods and Demons, there were many that recorded this legendary figure. The Martial Ancestor was a peerless powerhouse—one bold enough to launch an expedition into the Eternal Night Realm. It was said that in the previous era, he commanded legions of elite cultivators and vast armies, forging a path of conquest deep into the lands of Eternal Night. That campaign lasted not a mere century, but a full hundred thousand years. One after another, countless top-tier powerhouses followed the route opened by the Martial Ancestor and stepped onto the battlefield.
The Expedition into Eternal Night—It marked the most glorious age of the entire era.
But despite the brilliance of that campaign, the foundation of the Eternal World still fell short compared to Eternal Night. The war was brutal beyond words. The Eternal forces faced countless apex enemies, each step of their expedition paid for with bones and blood.
In the end, no matter how powerful two fists were, they couldn't fend off a hundred hands. The expeditionary army faltered. The war escalated into a full-blown clash between both realms, with both sides suffering catastrophic losses. This chain of brutal conflicts ultimately triggered a terrifying calamity:
The Chaos Tide.
All worlds exist within chaos.
Beyond the boundaries of every world lies an endless sea of primal chaos. The war between the Eternal and Eternal Night realms stirred this vast chaos into a tide that swept across existence, bringing destruction to both realms. The devastation was so severe that it brought the war to a halt and forced the end of that epoch.
Yet the grudges, the bloodshed—they never ceased.
The current war, in truth, is nothing but the continuation of the previous era's unfinished struggle. For both realms, this is a war that ends only with one side's total annihilation. No retreat, no peace. Only extinction.
However, the apex powerhouses of the last era did not all perish. Those ancient titans—capable of mounting an assault on the Eternal Night Realm—possessed methods and depths of power that defied reason. Their strength was never inferior to Eternal Night's.
And among them, the Martial Ancestor was undoubtedly one of the strongest.
The Martial Ancestor's legacy…Its allure was unimaginable. It transcended race, cultivation level, and allegiance. It was a temptation no one could ignore—a force that drew even the proudest geniuses like moths to a flame.
Shua!!
Suddenly, the massive stone stele vanished into the void. It seemed to have once again slipped into the endless river of time and space, waiting for the aura of the Evil-Eyed Corpse Emperor to surface—ready to strike a fatal blow.
This was the divine ability of a supreme existence: Even across immeasurable time and space, through the passage of eras, such a force could remain eternal and undying. As long as its purpose was unfulfilled, it could lie in wait for ages.
Simultaneously, countless streaks of divine light shot across the sky, chasing after the twelve descending beams that marked the Martial Ancestor's legacy. Even the void rippled with movement as Eternal Night prodigies pursued it.
This legacy was not exclusive to the Eternal World—it tempted the Eternal Night's geniuses just the same.After all, legacies did not distinguish between factions. Whoever obtained it, owned it. Every such inheritance was a priceless treasure.
Compared to that, even the duel on the Void Arena became secondary.Masses of powerhouses abandoned the arena in pursuit of the legacy.
Yi Tianxing could only shake his head at the sight. He had expected more battles today, but clearly, there would be none. Not today, and perhaps not for days to come. With the Martial Ancestor's legacy at stake, no top-tier genius would bother with the Void Arena now. And besides, the treasures on the arena only became accessible after 3,000 matches—it wasn't urgent.
But the Martial Ancestor's legacy… once it fell into someone else's hands, finding it again would be nearly impossible.
Still, Yi Tianxing didn't walk away empty-handed. With three consecutive wins, he had advanced from the first Heaven Stair to the fourth, standing far above the competition and dazzling the entire field with his performance.
Without hesitation, he exited the Void Arena and returned to White Crow City, appearing at the side of his wives.
"Why did you come back, husband?" asked Yao Yue. "Aren't you interested in the Martial Ancestor's legacy?"
"It's not that I'm not interested," Yi Tianxing replied calmly. "But rushing over now would be meaningless. Since this is the Martial Ancestor's legacy, it will naturally seek its destined inheritor. Besides, legacies like this aren't taken easily. Going there might not yield results. Besides—my Heavenly Emperor Dragon Sovereign Scripture might not be stronger, but it suits me better. Why chase after someone else's path?"
A faint smile appeared on his face, his brows full of confidence.
He walked the path of the Emperor. The Martial Ancestor's path was that of Martial Might. They were different. At most, the legacy could serve as a reference—not something he could integrate into his core foundation. That would be gaining the small and losing the great.
His own Dao, once fully realized, would be no less brilliant than any other.
That was the source of his unwavering confidence.
"Husband may not care, but others surely will," Mo Xue said softly. "The Divine and Demonic Battlefield is only going to become more chaotic. We must be prepared."
"All of this is manageable," Yi Tianxing said. "What's more puzzling is whether the Martial Ancestor is still alive. What really happened in the previous era? And what does this Eternal Era represent? Where are the top-tier powerhouses from the past? When will the unfinished war of the previous epoch reach its climax?"
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath.
These were questions others might ignore—but he could not.The Eternal World was too fragile to withstand all-out war right now. The Great Yi Dynasty still needed time to grow. But he suspected Eternal Night lacked the strength to initiate a full-scale war either. They must be wary of the Eternal World's surviving ancient powerhouses.
"What should we do next?" Nie Xiaoqian asked curiously.
"Stay the course," Yi Tianxing said. "Stick to our war strategy. Defend at night. Attack during the day. Bombard enemy strongholds and rescue human slave soldiers from Eternal Night. Cleanse them and convert them into the backbone of Great Yi."
It was still daytime.The Void Arena had been meant to draw attention, but now everyone's focus was on the Martial Ancestor's legacy. The duels would fade. Top-tier contenders had all vanished in pursuit.
Still, the fights continued.On the arena, geniuses from both realms took the stage—mostly of different races.
Their strength was no joke.Even with the battlefield suppressing Eternal Night's powerhouses, the duels remained intense and evenly matched. Both sides suffered casualties. Eternal Night prodigies fell. So did those of the Eternal World. One by one, new names rose in fame with every electrifying duel.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
White Crow City continued its advance.Every time it spotted a gathering of Eternal Night fiends, it unhesitatingly rained Yin-Yang Annihilation Thunder upon them. Roars and explosions followed, entire battalions of fiends wiped out.
Meanwhile, bone-white deathcrows swept down, devouring the fleeing souls, their glowing crimson eyes full of satisfaction and glee.
Whenever human slave soldiers were found among the Eternal Night forces, Great Yi's troops immediately subdued and captured them, storing them in the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower to be purified. Once cleansed, they became the most loyal warriors of Great Yi.
As night fell, the Eternal Night forces launched yet another massive assault.
Wave after wave of enemies surged forward. War cities came under siege. Many warriors perished. Some war citadels even fell under overwhelming assault, entire battalions slaughtered in the chaos.
Slaughter and madness reigned across the battlefield.
Adding to the chaos was the competition for the Azure Lotus Sword Codex inheritance, throwing the entire region into utter disarray.
Day and night blurred together in endless bloodshed.
Everywhere, divine arts and martial techniques painted the skies with deadly brilliance. Each one left hearts trembling in awe.
And without notice, a full month passed.
Throughout the month, Yi Tianxing took the stage on the Void Arena each day, winning two to three battles easily. He never fought at full strength. He always appeared as a challenger, not a reigning champion—otherwise, no one would dare face him.
But his earlier taunt—that Eternal Night geniuses would only run away from him—had left its mark. Even those who knew they would lose still gritted their teeth and fought him rather than lose face. If they had a substitute-death treasure, they used it. If not—they died with honor.
Even so, the number of Eternal Night prodigies who perished at Yi Tianxing's hands had reached several dozen.
His place on the Heaven Stair climbed with each victory—he had now reached the fifty-sixth stair, placing him among the very top.
Many other geniuses also began to rise, making names for themselves on the battlefield.
Then one day, as Yi Tianxing sat dining with his wives, chopsticks in hand, his expression suddenly shifted.
An odd glint flashed through his eyes.
"Interesting," he murmured.