"This is bad! There's more danger incoming!"
"What's going on? Who could wield such power that it directly descends into Great Yi's territory?"
"Alert all immortal cities—initiate emergency defensive protocols! All garrison forces—to the walls! Prepare for combat within the Battle Domain of the War Souls!"
The faces of Xun Yu and the others changed drastically.This was no ordinary disaster.This calamity was not just happening outside the borders—it had already breached the interior of Great Yi.
A dire omen—a great and terrible one!
"Something is seriously wrong," said Sanren, frowning as he stared at the dark clouds."This power... it blankets all of Great Yi. No ordinary foe could do that. And within the demonic cloud... there's the will of heaven. It's like the Heavenly Dao, but not quite. It feels… oddly familiar."
"No—it's the aura of the Demon-Heaven Dao Sovereign!"
"These demonic clouds are from the Heavenly Demon Realm!"
Lu Chunyang's expression changed completely.
He had once witnessed the Nine Dao Sovereigns, and this was the same power signature he had sensed before—undeniably from the Demon-Heaven Dao Sovereign.Even if it wasn't him personally, this power came directly from his dominion—it was his claw, his will.
This was essentially equivalent to him acting personally.
"The Demon-Heaven Dao Sovereign dares to go this far?"
"A Dao Sovereign—a being on par with a Saint—and he dares violate the heavenly taboos to strike at a fortune dynasty? Shameless!"
Longevity Dao Lord's face was ashen. His beard trembled with rage.
To act like this was to utterly disgrace the dignity of all Dao Sovereigns.
Saints were supposed to transcend worldly struggles.
If they casually took action, the entire cultivation world would collapse into chaos.
"What a convenient time for the Demon-Heaven Dao Sovereign to act," said Yaochi, eyes flickering with cold light.
"Just as Great Yi is attempting its ascension to Sacred Court, and facing its tribulations of heaven and man—the Heavenly Tribulation has passed, and now comes the man-made catastrophe. If Great Yi survives this, it will complete its transformation."
"By attacking now, the Demon-Heaven Dao Sovereign can claim he is acting in accordance with the heavenly flow.Even if he acts directly, he incurs little karmic backlash—a perfect excuse to destroy Great Yi."
A brilliant move—but one lacking in dignity.He had abandoned all sense of face—like a full-grown adult beating up a child.It might be "fair" by force, but it was deeply disgraceful.
And once reputation is lost, it is far harder to rebuild than to lose.
"No! The Demon-Heaven Dao Sovereign has lost all restraint—he's preparing to act directly!"
Ji Hongyue, Hu Yuniang, and Han Jiaojiao all turned pale.
They had never imagined he would go this far.
This was no mere act of war—it was a campaign of extermination.
He did not intend to leave Great Yi alive.
They had always tried to deceive themselves,but it was now clear:
the Nine Dao Sovereigns had never given up on crushing Great Yi.
Their own importance meant little in the grand scheme—they were mere pawns, useful or not.
The demonic clouds gave Great Yi no chance to respond.
After completely covering the territory, they began to churn and boil.From within the clouds emerged swirling black vortexes, one over each immortal city.
These vortexes were pitch black, horrifying,and filled everyone who looked upon them with instinctive dread.
"This is very bad," said Liu Bowen, eyes narrowing."Each vortex is precisely above a different immortal city.This is no accident—it's a coordinated attack."
Even Xuanhuang Immortal City was enveloped.
Every city in Great Yi was now within the strike zone.
"All immortal cities have their defensive barriers," said Huang Chengyan calmly."There are rune arrays, underground dragon veins supplying world energy,and even without the city lords present, the automatic activation of barriers can still occur."
"With the city lord present and wielding the City Lord's Seal, they can harness Great Yi's national fate to bolster defenses."
All city lords were on high alert and ready.The question now was:
Could the barriers withstand the coming attack?
Still, Great Yi had one final trump card—a supreme ace in the hole, capable of reversing any desperate crisis.
Boom!!
Suddenly, gigantic demonic claws burst out from the vortexes.
Each claw was tens of thousands of meters long, pitch black, covered in grotesque scales, claws like hooked blades.
On the scales, one could faintly see twisting, horrifying faces—eyes, mouths, ears—maddening to behold.
From these claws came a strange whispering chant,an eerie demonic murmuring that sent shivers into every soul.
"Ahh! My head!!"
"Blood—I see endless blood!!"
"My hand—what's happening to my hand?!"
"My hair—it's growing uncontrollably!"
"My legs are sprouting roots!?"
"No! My arms—they're growing leaves! That whisper—it's demonic sound!"
"Block it! Use the Sound-Suppressing Jade Cicadas! Cover your ears!"
Every immortal city saw citizens undergoing terrifying mutations:
Feet growing roots, anchoring them to the ground like trees.
Hair growing into writhing black snakes.
Arms growing leaves, becoming plant-like.
Skin turning to scales, limbs warping into demonic claws.
Limbs shrinking or becoming twisted.
These were spontaneous mutations triggered by demonic whispering—a passive magical aura from the claws, not even an active spell.
Fortunately, Great Yi's citizens were battle-hardened.If they could survive the Green Emperor's singing, they could endure this.
Every person was armed with Sound-Suppressing Jade Cicadas,and instantly stuffed them into their ears.
The moment the murmuring was blocked,and with cultivation techniques circulating true essence to cleanse the demonic influence,the mutations quickly began to reverse.
This happened within mere seconds—the citizens reacted with incredible speed and decisiveness.
But the real threat wasn't the murmuring—it was the claws themselves.
Each claw descended from the sky with earth-shattering force,aimed directly at the cities.
They came not to intimidate—but to annihilate.
The claw above Xuanhuang City was even larger—so vast, it looked like the heavens were collapsing.
"Activate the Xuanhuang Barrier!!"
All across Great Yi, city lords flew up from their mansions,each holding up their City Lord's Seal and shouting.
The seals shone with profound yellow divine light,resonating with the cities beneath them.
Countless runes lit up, forming massive barrier arrays.
Each Xuanhuang Barrier fused the city's energy with the underground dragon vein,creating a continuous flow of world essence to empower the barrier.
The light it emitted radiated a sense of stability and heaviness,like the unyielding earth itself.
"Citizens, remain calm!The Xuanhuang Defense Barrier is active.With our city's ward and our strength—we are safe!!"
One by one, the city lords spoke to reassure their people,trying to soothe the atmosphere and keep panic at bay.