"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
"We soldiers of Da Yi pledge our flesh and bones to forge the Great Wall and protect our people!"
As countless Ironthread Corpse Worms drilled into the Iron-Blood Great Wall, all the defenders on the wall suddenly heard battle cries echoing from nowhere. Within the wall itself, ghostly figures of soldiers began to appear—these were none other than the spirits of countless Da Yi warriors who had fallen in battle. The lingering will of the fallen had condensed into Iron-Blooded Heroic Spirits, undying war souls.
The moment they appeared, these immortal spirits formed into regiments and charged directly at the invading corpse worms.
Inside the Great Wall, it felt as if another world existed.
Crack!
One by one, the Ironthread Corpse Worms were shredded and annihilated by the heroic spirits. Their mutilated bodies then fused into the wall itself, turning into blood-red bricks. Though ferocious, the worms were not immune to assimilation. Even in death, they were absorbed into the wall, strengthening it.
But the worms were monstrously aggressive. They bit back without hesitation, tearing into the heroic spirits. Their overwhelming numbers led to brutal scenes of carnage—Iron-Blooded Heroic Spirits ripped apart in gruesome fashion.
The battlefield became a bloodbath.
"Damn it! These heroic spirits are the will of our fallen comrades, still guarding us even in death—and now they're being devoured by these disgusting things!"
"What do we do now? There are just too many of them! Even though the heroic spirits are fighting back, the worms outnumber them massively. They can't hold on!"
From atop the walls, the surviving soldiers watched their fallen brothers—now heroic spirits—shatter into pieces. The pain was visceral, as if it were happening to them personally. These were not just strangers; they were comrades who had given their lives for Da Yi. Even in death, their bodies had been forged into the Great Wall to continue protecting the people. Seeing them desecrated like this ignited a rage that burned deep in the soul.
But rage alone couldn't change the battlefield dynamic.
The sheer number of corpse worms overwhelmed the heroic spirits. Although many worms were slain, many more spirits fell. Their numbers were quickly dwindling.
"Da Yi's army soul, return to us—heroic spirits do not perish, heroic spirits are eternal!!"
Just as the heroic spirits were on the verge of being extinguished, a mighty, ancient cry echoed through the Iron-Blood Great Wall.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
At that moment, new heroic spirits suddenly emerged—some with familiar faces—resurrected to join the fray. These were spirits who had just been shredded moments ago. Now, they returned, reborn to fight once more.
"What's going on?!"
"I'm not seeing things, right? That was Little Li—he just got torn apart by those worms, but now he's back!"
"I saw it too! Big Brother Zhang died earlier, and yet—there he is again, alive. What kind of miracle is this?!"
Soldiers on the wall stared in disbelief. They recognized many of the returning spirits—comrades who had died just days ago were now fighting once again. It was nothing short of divine.
"The Iron-Blood Great Wall holds the undying will of Da Yi's soldiers—their resolve to protect the people and the realm. That will has merged with the wall, giving birth to heroic spirits. As long as that will persists, the spirits will never die. The Great Wall will never fall. Even if slain, the spirits regenerate. These corpse worms can never break through."
Zhuge Liang smiled faintly.
This was the true might of a National Guardian Artifact—bound to Da Yi's destiny, it possessed unfathomable power. The heroic spirits were not souls in the conventional sense. The true souls had long returned to reincarnation. What remained was a concentrated manifestation of their battle will and love for humanity—a lingering essence, eternal and indomitable.
"Excellent! That means our heroic spirits are effectively immortal. No matter how many worms there are, they'll eventually be wiped out. On top of that, every corpse worm killed gets turned into bricks for the wall! This is poetic justice—luring the enemy into the urn!"
The generals couldn't help but break into grins.
This wasn't just good news—it was a strategic windfall.
The Iron-Blood Great Wall was expanding by the second, surging forward like it had wheels beneath it. It was absorbing the enemy and growing stronger. Compared to the so-called precious Ice Crystal Eggs, this was a feast too rich to resist.
"However," said Zhou Yu, "until the corpse worms are fully dealt with, the Iron-Blood Barrier cannot be activated. For now, the only defense we have is the physical toughness of the Great Wall. Without the barrier, we'll have to face the full might of the Ice Crystal army head-on. The next battles will be brutal."
With his sharp intellect, Zhou Yu already foresaw what was coming. The source of these corpse worms was obvious—they came from the Ice Crystal Race. On a battlefield like this, there was no such thing as fair play. Only results mattered.
One thing was certain—the Ice Crystal Race would not sit still. They would respond with relentless assaults to destroy the Iron-Blood Great Wall at all costs.
This would be the most grueling phase of the campaign.
But if Da Yi could endure it…
Victory would be theirs, and Snow Continent would be secured. That much was inevitable.
"Send the order. All troops prepare for battle. With the wall expanding this quickly, the Ice Crystal Race will definitely take action."
Zhuge Liang nodded gravely.
No mistakes could be afforded now. This was the critical turning point.
Outside the wall, atop a nearby hill, a massive Ice Crystal War Fortress hovered in the air. The face of Xuan Bing Yingjiang (Ice General Xuan Bing) was as dark as thunderclouds. Watching the Iron-Blood Great Wall rapidly expand, his expression was akin to someone who'd just eaten dung.
"This wall is cursed! My Ironthread Corpse Worms can't fully corrode it. It's protected by military spirits—undying, regenerating military spirits! I've suffered huge losses. All those corpse worms I raised are about to be wiped out!"
A black-robed cultivator from the Corpse Demon Hall spoke coldly beside him.
Their side had suffered a disastrous loss. They'd assumed the Great Wall would crumble under the worms—but instead, it had revealed an indestructible soul defense. The worms' phasing abilities were useless against these spirits. The result: total defeat, and the enemy grew stronger from it.
"No one expected Da Yi's Iron-Blood Great Wall to have such capabilities," Xuan Bing Yingjiang growled. "But that only means it must be destroyed. If it remains, it poses a threat to everyone—even to your Corpse Demon Hall. Your worms are completely countered by it."
"The Iron-Blood Barrier is currently disabled due to the infestation. This is our best shot to break the wall. Once the worms are gone, the barrier returns—and then we'll lose our chance. I'll make the worms scatter and evade death as long as possible. You must act now. If not, this battle may be lost."
The Corpse Demon cultivator's tone was grim.
This was their only opening.
"Fine. Send the command: Ice Crystal Army, begin the assault! Do not rest until the Iron-Blood Wall falls! Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
With that roar, the Ice Crystal War Fortress soared into the air, broadcasting orders across the battlefield.
All around, Ice Crystal warriors—already stationed and awaiting orders—immediately sprang into action.
BOOM—!!
The earth quaked.
Outside the Iron-Blood Great Wall, the land trembled like an earthquake had struck. Waves of killing intent swept in like tidal floods. Accompanying it came a howling blizzard—temperatures plummeted instantly to freezing levels.
The air itself became saturated with the sound of war.
Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.
It was as if ten thousand warhorses thundered across the battlefield.
And this wasn't open plains, but a rugged region full of hills and slopes. Yet the Ice Crystal warriors bounded forward like wild beasts, leaping from one hilltop to another—
The full-scale assault had begun.