Western Continent.
As the beast tide ravaged the continent, something unexpected happened: the sky split open.
It didn't roar. It didn't crack. It just opened—a clean ripple of light above the battlefield.
Dozens of wide formation gates appeared in the clouds like mirrored holes in the sky, spinning quietly as energy pulsed outward.
From those gates, the Unified Army arrived.
At first, the beasts didn't react. Some paused mid-charge. Others slowed their pace, confused by the sudden shift in the atmosphere. They had heard whispers of reinforcements. But not this.
They hadn't expected flying ships lined in formation.
They hadn't expected spirit-guided battalions descending in perfect grids.
And they certainly hadn't expected thousands of cultivators falling like drops of water—uniformed, silent, and sharp.
Down below, near what remained of the city of Xuanling, the Western defenders looked up.
For a moment, they couldn't speak.
