"Daughter of the Great Yi Emperor, Princess of the Immortal Phoenix—Yi Xianhuang."
"That's the Great Yi Emperor's son, Yi Ziyang. So many of them… it seems even the Emperor Yi Tianxing's sons and daughters will participate in this Chaos Heavenly Ladder. It is said that Emperor Yi himself will not take part—his identity, status, and cultivation have already surpassed the realm of Heavenly Prides, transcending their generation. Having his children enter the Ladder Battle instead may well be considered a continuation of his contention. I just wonder what their true strength is."
"Princess Xianhuang and the others are not weaklings. Each one has inherited the Emperor's bloodline and talent, their combat strength extraordinary. Moreover, with the vast resources of Great Yi, their cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds. It's said that each has gone through bloody battles, even entered the Demon Abyss to fight. The coming-of-age ceremony for Great Yi's imperial heirs is to personally step into the Demon Abyss and battle the Eternal Night demon army—slaying demons of their own rank, even those above them. Though not a mandatory rule, every heir follows it. Over time, it became tradition."
"In the Yi family, there are no useless heirs—every one of them is a Heavenly Pride. But this time, how many will actually return alive?"
Countless cultivators of all races watched the figures of Yi Xianhuang and the others stepping through the Heavenly Gate. Their eyes revealed both shock and gravity.
Originally, many thought that if Great Yi were to send participants, it would only be the Heavenly Prides from the Tongtian Pavilion who would fight on its behalf. But now, even the Emperor's own children were stepping forward—and they were not inferior to any.
Yi Tianxing had already broken past the shackles of the same-generation Heavenly Prides. And now, even his offspring had caught up, possessing the qualifications to contend with the strongest.
One had to admit—this was a frustrating reality.
For many Heavenly Prides watching, their hearts churned violently.
If not for the fact that this battle's main enemies were Eternal Night and Nightmare, the Eternal world's young geniuses would have already collapsed mentally. It was one thing to be unqualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yi Tianxing—a monster born once in an era. But to be forced to compete with his children? To fight them for supremacy? That was the kind of despair that could crush a person's heart just from imagining it.
In truth, even now, many had already begun to crack under the pressure.
Was it that they themselves were too weak—or was the Yi bloodline simply too monstrous?
"Will Huang'er and the others even come back alive?"
Cai Yan took a deep breath. Ripples flowed in her eyes—her worry was immense. Those were her own flesh and blood; how could she not worry? But even with such worries, she had been forced to hide them. She could not shed tears, lest she affect their determination.
"Clay pots break near the well, and generals die upon the battlefield. Accidents fill the world. Even walking down the road, one could be struck dead by a falling star, let alone in the middle of a battlefield. Yet once a decision is made, it must be followed through—even if one must crawl to the end, even if it means dying on the path itself."
"Of course, their chances of survival are far higher than ordinary Heavenly Prides. Before they departed, I gave each of them three Substitute Death Puppets. Unless their fate itself has truly ended, their chances of surviving are quite high. As for whether they can seize fortune—well, that depends on themselves."
Yi Tianxing spoke calmly.
This Heavenly Pride battle was their trial. Yet because Eternal Night and Nightmare had intervened, he still gave his children certain life-saving trump cards. After all—they were his own flesh and blood. How could he bear to simply watch them walk to their deaths?
The Substitute Death Puppets were his safeguard for them.
Three of them each. Even in the face of a death crisis, they could cling to life. But if, after such measures, they still fell—it could only be said that destiny had chosen so.
The Chaos Heavenly Ladder was this cruel.
"Let's hope so…"
The imperial consorts all revealed heaviness in their eyes.
But now—it was too late. The children had already entered. All worries were useless. The current Buzhou Mountain barred entry to all except participating Heavenly Prides. Especially cultivators above the Dao-Proving Realm—entry was forbidden.
No one outside could affect the battle.
Everything would depend on themselves.
"Come! I am Liu Xiu, Heavenly Pride of the human race. Heavenly Prides of Eternal Night—come face me!"
Heavenly Prides poured endlessly into the battlefield. Yi Xianhuang and the others caused a stir, but ultimately, it was still about strength. Status and background would no longer matter.
Among them was one human Heavenly Pride who caught Yi Tianxing's particular attention.
He looked closely—it was a young man in embroidered robes, exuding grace and refinement. His looks were striking, but even more so was the fact that as he walked across the void, clouds of auspicious qi naturally formed under his feet, carrying him upward. Behind him, radiant light shone, making him look like a divine being descended. To outsiders, it might seem like he conjured this display intentionally, but true experts could see—this phenomenon was completely natural. He had not expended the slightest bit of power.
"Liu Xiu… what a Xiu'er indeed."
Yi Tianxing's eyes flashed with a peculiar light, and he muttered softly to himself, feeling a faint sense of expectation. This Xiu'er entering Buzhou Mountain… just what kind of transformation might occur? That was worth watching.
"So lively… If not for the fact that I still have a whole group of concubines desperately needing my love, I would really want to go in and take a stroll myself."
A strange voice came from beneath Yi Tianxing's feet.
It was none other than Green Emperor.
Swaggering, brimming with shameless confidence, he looked as though the peak of the Ladder Battle belonged to him alone.
"If that's what you want, then I shall grant it."
Yi Tianxing's eyes shifted slightly, and with a sudden kick, he launched the Green Emperor through the air like a cannonball. A streak of green light traced a beautiful arc toward the Heavenly Gate.
"Noooo, my flower maidens—!"
The Green Emperor's wails echoed through the void.
"Perform well. Otherwise, all your flower maidens will belong to someone else."
Yi Tianxing's voice was calm, as though that kick had nothing to do with him.
"Master, take care of my flowers! Whoever dares touch my flowers—I'll make sure to green their whole family!"
The Green Emperor's cry faded as the streak of green shot through the Heavenly Gate, entering Buzhou Mountain.
"Wasn't that… a bit much?"
Chang'e asked in surprise.
"Don't worry. With that rascal, even if all the Heavenly Prides inside died, he still wouldn't. Sending him in is simply giving Xianhuang and the others an extra trump card." Yi Tianxing chuckled.
Rumble!
As the Eternal Heavenly Gate opened, receiving the Eternal Heavenly Prides, a pitch-black demonic gate simultaneously appeared above Buzhou Mountain. The Gate of Eternal Night.
From within, whirlpools spun, and shadows surged outward like a tide.
They were the Heavenly Prides of Eternal Night.
"Haha! Finally, the battlefield is open! These Eternal-world natives are nothing but walking elixirs!"
"At last we can slaughter to our heart's content. Let's see what qualifications the Eternal world had to fight us to a standstill in the last era. Today, we will annihilate their Heavenly Prides, destroy their future! I am the Saint Son of the Void Demon!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
Eternal Night's Heavenly Prides surged forth, each one radiating dreadful auras—enough to make all beings tremble, as if they could, at any moment, exterminate all life in heaven and earth.
Their goal was clear.
They had come to slaughter Eternal's Heavenly Prides.
To kill until none remained.
And they had the strength to believe they could.
"With Dao Platform Realm as the majority, they stand at the very threshold of proving the Dao. Only a few in True Spirit Realm. Their overall strength surpasses ours. The situation looks grim."
"This battle—you must hold the line. We are all watching."
All races of the Eternal world felt a chill in their hearts.
Even though they had prepared for this moment, the sight of Eternal Night's Heavenly Prides was still shocking beyond words.
"Zerg… Demon Ghost race… Fallen Demons… Five Elements Demons… the God-Eater race…"
Yi Tianxing's eyes narrowed, recognizing the bloodlines of many top-tier Eternal Night races. Each one possessed deep foundations, unmatched combat strength, and terrifying innate gifts.
Eternal Night's races had devoured world after world. They were strange, diverse, and terrifying.
Suddenly—
Streaks of dreamlike stars appeared in the sky, falling like meteors into Buzhou Mountain. Each one carried an aura of dreamforce, blurring the line between reality and illusion.
"The Nightmare World's Heavenly Prides… have entered Buzhou Mountain."
Xi Wangmu's eyes tightened as she spoke.
The starfall had not ended since it began—each meteor represented a Nightmare Heavenly Pride. Their number was no less than those of Eternal Night or Eternal. Worse still, they carried a strange, unsettling aura that made one's heart uneasy.
Now it was truly a three-way war.
No one knew where the Nightmare Heavenly Prides would stand—ally, enemy, or something in between. Their choice could easily tip the balance. They were the greatest unknown.
The Heavenly Pride entry lasted less than an hour.
Then—the Heavenly Gate vanished.
Buzhou Mountain became shrouded in mist, its internal scenes hazy and indistinct, yet still faintly visible to the countless beings of Eternal Night, Eternal, and Nightmare alike.