"Hmph, we're not afraid. Our Ice Crystal Race fears no war. Over the years, our warriors have matured. Male or female, as long as they come of age, they are the best fighters in the world. When it comes to war, we've never backed down from anyone. The corpse poison from the Corpse Demon Hall may be potent, but it can't infect us. It can't turn us into zombies or corpse slaves. It only affects other races. As long as we don't give them the chance to create corpse slaves, no matter how powerful the Corpse Demon Hall is, it will be destroyed before our army."
The Crystal King spoke with unshakable confidence.
The Ice Crystal Race wasn't just named for their crystalline appearance. Their bodies were innately immune to poisons and corruption. Like flawless crystals, their forms were untouchable by toxins. The corpse poison, which infected bloodlines, had little effect on them. Though the Corpse Demons were terrifying, they held no fear—only the corpse cultivators within the Corpse Demon Hall posed a true challenge, being notoriously hard to kill.
These four major factions were all hard bones to chew.
Coupled with the scattered tribal forces across the wilderness, unifying the entire continent would not be an easy feat.
"Divine descent has changed the situation. Perhaps it would be better to wait a bit longer to avoid any unexpected developments. With a few more years of growth, given our reproductive capabilities, we can easily sweep across this continent," the High Priest suggested thoughtfully.
The Ice Crystal Race had an alarming self-replication ability. Back in Eternal Year 0, their numbers on this land were barely a million. Now, just a decade later, their population had exploded to a terrifying 30 to 40 billion. Such exponential growth was horrifying to imagine.
A few more years, and they could easily reach hundreds of billions. With every adult being a born warrior—each one stronger than most Fate Aperture Realm cultivators—even stronger in some cases—no force could withstand their overwhelming numbers.
No matter how mighty, faced with a tide of such sheer quantity, they'd be crushed and drowned.
From the High Priest's perspective, the Ice Crystal Race's greatest advantage was this insane proliferation. They simply needed to keep multiplying. Occupy more land. And turn the world into their private backyard.
"The more people we have, the more territory we take."
"The entire realm will become the Ice Crystal Race's garden."
"But I don't want to wait anymore," the Crystal King said coldly.
He was aware that now was the best time in the Eternal World. The Heavenly Dao Seal had grown stronger, which meant that all those ancient monsters were locked away. This gave them a critical advantage. If those old monsters returned, mere numbers would mean nothing. One divine spell could slaughter millions.
A single thought could shatter the heavens, upend the seas.
That kind of power would make expansion impossible.
He didn't know who had strengthened the Heavenly Dao's seal—but deep down, he was grateful. With the ancients locked away, it gave younger powers like them a chance to rise.
And in truth, he wasn't alone. Across the Eternal World, countless minor factions that had clawed their way up from obscurity quietly thanked Yi Tianxing. What the Great Yi Dynasty faced, they all faced.
If those great powers returned, they could be crushed in an instant. Their empires destroyed before they had a chance to stabilize.
Now, with time and space to grow, all of them had the same idea:
Use this rare window to grow stronger.
The Great Yi thought this way. So did the Crystal King Court. That's why the Crystal King was so eager to dominate the land.
Time waits for no one.
Let us turn to the endless sea, where a mysterious space lay deep beneath the waves.
In this hidden realm stood a massive pagoda, emanating overwhelming dragon might. At its pinnacle sat a colossal dragon head, gazing proudly into the heavens. The surface of the tower shimmered with countless multi-colored dragon scales—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—interwoven like a living being.
It towered ten thousand zhang high, with forty-nine levels, radiating an ancient, crushing pressure. Even a Yang God Realm cultivator would be crushed to powder merely by standing near it. That's how terrifying its aura was.
This wasn't some ordinary place—it was the Dragon Clan's core sanctuary, the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest. And that pagoda?
The Ten Thousand Dragon Heaven-Deriving Pagoda—the Dragon Clan's ultimate artifact.
This was a treasure of the Heaven and Earth Relic level. Crafted using secret techniques, it had been infused with the Ten Thousand Dragon Heaven-Deriving Divine Seal, and forged using the remains of true dragons. Each dragon corpse fed the pagoda, making it stronger with every sacrifice. Their souls, too, fused into the tower.
From the moment of its birth, this pagoda had become the totem of the Dragon Clan's fate. The sacred artifact that protected their destiny. Only the highest-level dragon cultivators were allowed to cultivate within.
Even domain rulers like the Hanhai Dragon King were unworthy to enter. That's how high the bar was. Hidden within were only the Dragon Clan's great sages and grand sorcerers.
But currently, only around thirty levels were fully materialized. The remaining ones still floated in illusion, clearly requiring time to finish forming.
Inside the tower, several divine senses had gathered in rapid discussion.
"Fellow elders, with the unexpected shift in the Heavenly Dao Seal, our original plan must be adjusted. Let us discuss the path forward," a commanding voice said.
"We can't change the seal. Until someone in the mortal world reaches the True Spirit Realm, we can't escape. This could take years, decades, or centuries. But our plan doesn't require escape to begin. It's a public strategy—a righteous one. Even if the other races know, so what? We're fighting for destiny. Only by gathering enough of it can we bring back the Ancestral Dragon."
"In that case, we begin. The first phase must move forward. Once the seal breaks, we'll fully unleash our power. Everything we do now is preparation."
"Agreed!"
"Seconded!"
"Approved!"
"Then so be it. Send the signal to all dragon clans. Commence the plan."
The consensus was reached.
No one wanted to wait decades or centuries. For cultivators, time passed in seclusion. But the world was changing too fast. In ten short years, countless factions had risen. Give it another few decades, and some of them would become giants.
Once that happened, it would be too hard to step in.
After all, even the Dragon Clan couldn't dominate the entire world.
But it wasn't too late to take the initiative.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
A crisp chime echoed through the sacred space—and vanished in the blink of an eye, as though it had been swallowed by the void.
Hanhai Dragon Palace.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Suddenly, the Jade Bell suspended in the crystal palace rang out.
"This is... the Tide Sound Bell."
The Hanhai Dragon King appeared instantly, eyes sharp with caution.
This was no ordinary bell. It was called the Tide Sound Bell, and every dragon palace was required to have one. It was a symbol of legitimacy, a treasure used exclusively by the Dragon Clan for communication.
Its chime moved at terrifying speeds, able to transmit signals across the world to all other Tide Sound Bells. Because of this, the bell was never rung lightly—only when something of great consequence occurred.
"The plan... has begun."
The Hanhai Dragon King exhaled deeply.
This was a signal that echoed throughout the entire Eternal World. Every dragon palace across the vast seas heard it.
In each, dragon kings and elders appeared with solemn, eager expressions.
"At last. After so many years, this world will belong to the Dragon Clan."
"Once the plan succeeds, we'll stand above all. No one will dare challenge us."
"This world... was always meant for us."
Excitement surged in the hearts of every Dragon Clan powerhouse.
They had feared the recent change in the Heavenly Dao Seal would ruin everything.
But now—they saw their destiny returning, exactly as planned.