Without the slightest hesitation, Crimsonflame Demon Lord barked out his order.
Yi Tianxing's name had long been engraved on Eternal Night's kill list, and near the top at that. There was no room for negotiation—only death.
It was either him or them.
That was the most naked, unfiltered law of survival.
Since Yi Tianxing had appeared here, the Blood Demon Clan had no excuse not to fight.
Their clan's strength lay in blood-based arcane arts and supernatural techniques.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, countless blood demons unleashed killing intent. Red light flashed as scarlet bloodwhips emerged and lashed the ground with eerie clarity.
This was the Blood Demons' innate divine ability—the Bloodlash Whip. Any strike with it would inflict unrelenting agony, forcibly extract blood from the victim's body and drain their life force. The whips were erratic, eerie, and terrifying—like writhing red tentacles.
Worse still, flickering blood flames ignited along their lengths, making them even more nightmarish.
"Spatial Gate!!"
Perched atop the Nine-Dragon War Chariot, Yi Tianxing stood firm, completely unfazed by the storm of attacks barreling toward him.
With a calm voice, he uttered those two words.
Space twisted violently.
Ripples tore across the air, and in a blink, a silver-white gate emerged from the void.
This wasn't a simple technique—it was a connate spiritual treasure of incredible power. The gate distorted space itself, suppressing the surrounding void with a crushing aura.
"What is that?"
The sudden appearance of the gate sent waves of unease through the Blood Demons.
From its depths, they could sense a terrifying danger lurking, like a beast about to pounce.
"War! War! War!!"
"The Might of Great Yi—Invincible With Me!"
Suddenly, a unified war cry echoed from within the gate, tearing through the air and shaking the battlefield.
The blood demons felt a chilling battle intent blast outward. Even the mindless slave demons recoiled instinctively, sensing a predator had arrived.
"Your Majesty, I request to deploy the Divine Crow Legion. Heavenly Fire is the bane of blood demons—it will burn them to ash."
The voice of Zhuge Liang echoed from the gate—calm and precise.
"General Mu Guiying requests battle. I will lead our forces to annihilate the Blood Demons and raze Bloodflame City!"
Her voice burned with determination.
This was the first battle of their expedition into Eternal Night. A successful strike here would be immortalized in the annals of history, celebrated by future generations.
It was a chance to prove that women could rival men on the battlefield.
She had waited for this day far too long.
"Very well. Take the military token. The Divine Crow Legion shall deploy. Slaughter the enemy—annihilate the city."
Yi Tianxing nodded without hesitation.
Against the Blood Demons, the Divine Crow Legion held a natural advantage.
As his words fell, a glowing military token appeared and passed through the gate.
The soldiers watching from the other side of the gate looked on with envy. Everyone longed to be the first to set foot into the Eternal Night realm. But only those selected by the Emperor—and by Zhuge Liang—could go. No one dared interrupt.
Receiving the token, Mu Guiying's voice rang out:
"Divine Crow Legion, heed my command—form ranks! Deploy!"
Caw! Caw! Caw!!
Shrill cries echoed through the void.
Countless Divine Crow Legion soldiers mounted flaming ravens and soared through the gate behind their commander.
Each raven burned with fiery brilliance—a crimson sea of wings.
From the gate, a full million-strong army surged forth.
"No! He didn't come alone—he brought an army!"
"They're powerful! These flaming Crows have auras like Tier-3 peak magical beasts—some even rival Tier-4!"
"The warriors riding them... their strength has reached the Life Map Realm, and many have already broken through to Manifestation Realm!"
"The one leading them... she's at the Peak Nascent Soul Realm! How?! This is the power of the Great Yi Dynasty?!"
The blood demons stared, faces twisted in horror.
The response came quickly.
Bloodwhips lashed out toward the airborne army.
At the same time, the bodies of countless blood demon slaves shimmered with blood-red light—
—then exploded into a cloud of blood-red bats.
These bats were monstrous—glowing red eyes, fanged mouths, clawed limbs. Each blood demon had transformed into thousands.
As long as one bat survived, they could regenerate.
Even more horrifying was their ability: Bloodburst.
These creatures could self-destruct, unleashing catastrophic destruction. The stronger the demon, the more powerful the explosion—capable of leveling cities.
In an instant, the sky became a sea of crimson bats—screeching and swarming like a plague.
The air itself seemed to scream.
There were not just millions of blood demons in the city—tens of millions remained, constantly replenished even as others were deployed outside.
This was a force that could not be ignored.
Every soldier in the Divine Crow Legion was a woman.
Where men would flinch at such horrors, these female warriors stood stone-still, utterly fearless.
In the army of Great Yi, orders were absolute.
Without command, even if a tidal wave loomed overhead—they would hold the line.
"Heavenfire Annihilation Formation!!"
Mu Guiying's eyes flashed with cold brilliance.
She had waited long enough for this moment.
With a sharp shout, a crimson formation diagram flew into the air.
Above it stood a fiery tree—the Heavenfire Tree. Though faint and illusory, it radiated terrifying power.
"War! War! War!!"
"The Might of Great Yi—Invincible With Me! Divine Crows, Burn the Sky!"
The moment they saw the formation, the Divine Raven soldiers shouted in unison and merged into the formation, becoming part of the ritual.
Each flaming Crow fused into the formation, reinforcing it—
The Heavenfire Tree grew more solid, more vivid with every breath.
From its branches danced the crimson Crows, absorbing divine flames, becoming stronger.
As the full might of one million soldiers converged—
The Heavenfire Tree became a towering inferno, looming over the entire Bloodflame City.
"Solar Heavenfire—Raining Firestorm!!"
Atop the blazing tree, Mu Guiying raised her hand.
A rain of fireballs descended—each one a miniature sun, splitting into countless fragments mid-air until they covered the sky like a fiery downpour.
The blood bats shrieked in terror.
But there was no escape.
There were too many. Too tightly packed.
The flames devoured them.
Screams echoed as the bats ignited—burned to ash before they could regenerate.
The sky became a sea of fire.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Some blood bats exploded—massive bursts of blood energy fighting against the Heavenfire.
Blood splashed, trying to extinguish the flames.
But Heavenfire was the bane of blood demons.
Their strength was suppressed to the extreme.
The firestorm rained down into the city itself—setting buildings ablaze.
"No! Curse it all!!"
Crimsonflame Demon Lord howled in rage and despair.
There were defensive barriers around the city, but they were built to fend off external attacks.
Now, the flames had erupted within—and the formation couldn't activate in time.
Heavenfire poured from the sky, reducing Bloodflame City to an inferno.
Even he, surrounded by flames, could feel his blood igniting from within.
He tried to flee—but there was no escape.
It was too fast.
The Divine Crow Legion's battle formation was overwhelming.
The firestorm never ceased—burning everything.
Not even an ant would survive.
"Yi Tianxing… you'll die here. Someone will avenge us! You've entered Eternal Night—this place will become your grave!"
Crimsonflame Demon Lord screamed as the flames consumed him—his voice lost in the storm of fire.