Pressure!
It surged like a tidal wave, enveloping the entirety of Great Yi.
Countless people felt as if they were caught in a tempestuous sea, on the verge of capsizing at any moment. That aura of death clashed against every person's mind and will. In the eyes looking toward the void, terror and dread surfaced. No one could imagine just what kind of existence that blood-red face belonged to.
"Hmph!!"
Yi Tianxing's expression turned cold as he witnessed the scene. With a wave of his hand, he, along with Queen Mother of the West and Wang Zhaojun, returned to Xuanhuang City. The very next moment, the Xuanhuang Immortal City manifested out of the void.
Outside the enormous Immortal City, endless divine light flowed, accompanied by boundless prayers and heavenly chants of blessings. All of it surrounded the city, making it appear even more sacred. A trace of immortal aura emanated from the city—its imposing presence was not the least bit weaker than the blood-red face in the sky.
Instantly, the oppressive force weighing on the people of Great Yi lessened significantly.
"It's our Xuanhuang Sacred City!"
"So powerful! I've heard that the Sacred City floats in the void, constantly patrolling all of Great Yi's territories. Wherever the Sacred City moves, it represents Great Yi's sovereignty. It holds unfathomable power and is our Great Yi's greatest foundation!"
"This is great! With the Sacred City here, we have nothing to fear!"
At that moment, throughout all thirteen domains of Great Yi, countless citizens looked toward the void with reverence in their eyes. Their gazes were filled with a strange light, brimming with absolute confidence.
"Blood Heaven Dao Venerable, you've crossed the line."
Yi Tianxing appeared above the Xuanhuang City, clad in a Chaotic Battle Dragon Robe, with real dragons coiling around his body. He coldly stared at the blood-red face in the void, confronting it directly. The aura he exuded was not inferior in the slightest. The momentum of all heaven and earth within Great Yi converged on his body. He alone embodied the power of heaven and earth, capable of altering the heavens themselves.
Within Great Yi, Yi Tianxing feared no one.
At the very least, in terms of aura, no one could suppress him.
Not even Saints.
Let alone the fact that Xuanhuang Sacred City was of the Immortal tier—it stood shoulder to shoulder with Saints in terms of level.
The aura emitted from the blood-red face clearly belonged to none other than the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable, one of the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables.
"Crossed the line? What a joke. Under the heavens, Saints reign supreme. All beneath Saints are but ants. As one of the Nine Heavens, I may go anywhere in the Eternal World and rule wherever I go. Your Great Yi Holy Court is no exception. I can come and go as I please. Talk of borders is meaningless drivel. Yi Tianxing, you're merely a slightly larger ant. The only reason you've lived till now is because we couldn't act directly. But your good days are coming to an end."
Blood Heaven Dao Venerable sneered, his voice filled with unrestrained killing intent.
He had come here to intimidate, and he wasn't planning on hiding that intent.
"What a joke! In Great Yi, we don't worship Buddhas, don't kneel to gods, don't envy immortals, don't fear ghosts, don't dread demons, and never cower before monsters. We stand tall and proud, striving constantly for strength. If you call Great Yi a nation of ants, then all under heaven are ants. Even if you treat us like ants—we, the people of Great Yi, will remain human to the very end. Man triumphs over heaven. With me—invincible. If the heavens seek my destruction, then I will slay the heavens!"
Yi Tianxing shouted toward the sky:"Citizens of Great Yi, do you dare to follow this Holy King… to slay the heavens?!"
His voice echoed across the entirety of the Great Yi domain.
At that moment, countless citizens felt their blood boil. The fear they had toward the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable was completely wiped away by that surge of burning spirit.
"Fight!!"
"We dare to fight!!"
"Slay the heavens! We shall follow the Holy King to slay the heavens!!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
Innumerable people across the immortal cities of Great Yi roared to the sky, faces flushed red, fists raised, eyes filled with bloodlust. A torrent of fighting spirit erupted. Great Yi's people were steadfast in their belief: Man can overcome heaven.
Even Saints would not suppress them.
"Very well. Did you hear that, Blood Heaven? If you dare to descend to this land, I, the Holy King, will dare to slay you."
Yi Tianxing stood tall in the void and looked directly at the blood-red face, his voice resolute.
"Blood Heaven, come on then!"
His voice thundered through the skies.
Blood Heaven Dao Venerable nearly lost control of his rage. He had come to intimidate, yet somehow Yi Tianxing had flipped the situation, riling up the entire nation. This was outright humiliation.
"Very well. Very well indeed. Today, I've come to deliver the decision reached by the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables."
Blood Heaven Dao Venerable coldly announced:"Great Yi Holy Court—disrespectful of the Heavenly Dao, irreverent to the Nine Heavens, and defiant of the Dao Venerables—has violated cosmic law and natural order. The Nine Heavens have jointly decided: Great Yi is a Sinful Nation. Its people are Sinful People. In a hundred years, we shall bring Armageddon to Great Yi—cleansing this sinful land and erasing the Sinful Nation. If you wish to survive, then submit. Worship us. Pray day and night. Seek repentance for your sins. Otherwise, when the day of destruction comes, you will vanish into dust."
"Tremble!"
"Repent!!"
The Dao Venerable's cold voice spread across heaven and earth, entering everyone's ears. One could feel the killing intent without the slightest concealment. This was a true extinction decree.
Their intention was clear—unless worshipped and offered prayers, they would descend and annihilate all of Great Yi.
"What?! They're declaring us a Sinful Nation? Us, Sinful People?"
"Bastards! Slay the heavens! Let's slay these Nine Heavens Dao Venerables. Since when were we sinners? Who gave them the right to say that?!"
"We don't accept this! We are Yi people, not sinners!"
"Offending the heavens? Then damn the heavens! Slay them all!"
"If the Nine Heavens dare to come, we dare to fight! Even if we all die, we will never yield! Great Yi has no cowards! We'll fight until our blood runs dry!"
Anger.
Pure, raging anger.
All of Great Yi's citizens were instantly incensed.
Yi Tianxing had just stirred their blood to boiling, and now the Blood Heaven Dao Venerable delivered a declaration of sin against the entire nation. That was pouring oil onto a bonfire.
Even if the heavens themselves blocked their way, they would battle to the last breath.
The very spirit of Great Yi was one of unyielding will, forged from the beginning—self-confident, proud, self-reliant, never self-deprecating.
Now, to be labeled as "sinners" for no reason? That was intolerable.
"Hmph. A bunch of sinners dare to speak of slaying the heavens? Then let me show you what it means to have sinned against the heavens."
Clearly enraged, Blood Heaven Dao Venerable shouted:
"In the name of Blood Heaven, one of the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables, I issue a divine edict—Great Yi shall receive no rain for the next one hundred years!"
As the words fell, an invisible law rippled across the heavens, spreading throughout all of Great Yi. It was as if a chain had wrapped around the world.
As a Dao Venerable, Blood Heaven possessed part of the Heavenly Dao's authority. Compared to ordinary Saints, he was far more intimately connected to the fabric of reality. His words could directly affect the laws of nature.
Under his decree, the natural laws of heaven and earth in Great Yi would no longer generate rainfall.
No natural rain. Not for a hundred years.
A single year of drought could devastate a nation—withered crops, famine, death. A hundred years would turn verdant lands to desert. Mass extinction. Total ruin.
"Pray for our mercy."
With a final cold laugh, Blood Heaven Dao Venerable vanished from the void.
The crushing pressure vanished with him.
But all of Great Yi erupted in rage. The people cried out in fury. The edict of "no rain for a hundred years" was a death sentence.
This was power. A single command could condemn an entire world to die.
"The Nine Heavens really don't know when to stop. It seems they won't rest until one side lies dead. But they want to destroy Great Yi with just a single decree? Fools. Dreamers. Great Yi will never bow."
Yi Tianxing gazed into the void for a long moment, then let out a cold laugh.
With a wave of his hand, he disappeared into the air.