"Darkness Immortal-Annihilating Cannons, fire!!"
On the Eternal Night side, the order was given without hesitation. Dense beams of annihilation light burst forth once more. The annihilation rays and the obliteration beams clashed violently in the void, exploding with deafening booms. The resulting force of obliteration made the void within the Well of Gods and Demons even more chaotic, fragments of space-time appearing everywhere. Some fragments were shattered further under the bombardment, breaking into even smaller pieces.
The scene was utter madness.
The Space Annihilation Cannons unleashed from within the Well of Gods and Demons were no weaker than the Darkness Immortal-Annihilating Cannons, their power evenly matched. Unless a perfect opportunity was found, it was nearly impossible to directly destroy the opposing fortress with these war weapons alone.
"Stop!!"
"Cease fire!"
Zhi Thirteen and Zhuge Liang, frowning at the sight before them, both issued commands at the same time.
Firing cannons was never without cost. In the mortal world, it was said: "Every shot of a cannon costs ten thousand taels of gold." In the cultivation realm, cannons consumed energy even more precious and rare. Since no decisive strike could be made, halting fire was not an unreasonable choice.
Soon, both sides found themselves in a tense standoff once more.
"Lord of the Great Yi Immortal Court, Emperor Yi Tianxing, would you be willing to step forward for a meeting?"
Zhi Thirteen stood tall before the Demon God Battlefortresses and raised his voice toward the Great Yi side.
"What guidance does the sage of Eternal Night wish to offer?"
Yi Tianxing calmly drove the Nine-Dragon War Chariot to the front of his army.
"To rise to such heights within such a short time of this era… I must admit, even I feel a sense of admiration. Your talents are truly astonishing. Since the birth of Eternal Night, you are only the second person to directly invade our homeland. For this alone, your name, Yi Tianxing, will be remembered throughout the ages. It is only a pity that we are enemies. Were it otherwise, we could sit together, drink, and speak as friends."
Zhi Thirteen smiled faintly.
"The Way differs, so no common cause can be found. Between our two worlds, there has long since been no room for reconciliation. Words are meaningless. Speak—why do you wish to meet me here?" Yi Tianxing's voice was steady, lacking even the slightest inclination for idle talk.
"This is the Well of Gods and Demons. You know better than I what kind of place this is. If we wage war here recklessly, the space within will only grow more unstable, birthing devastating storms of space-time. Such calamities would be unfavorable to both sides. So let us make an accord: neither side shall employ our war fortresses or ultimate battlefield weapons. Instead, let the endless space-time fragments be our battlefield. Our strongest may enter these fragments and fight. Life and death will be left to fate. Victory will be decided within. What do you think?"
Zhi Thirteen tone was calm, as though life and death were nothing but trifles unworthy of attention. In his eyes, death—whether of ally or foe—was already commonplace. Only final victory or defeat mattered. Numbers of casualties were merely statistics.
"If you wish for battle, how could my Great Yi not accompany you? On the battlefield, life and death are decided freely."
Yi Tianxing's voice was deep, carrying no hint of retreat.
"I am the butterfly, or perhaps the butterfly is me. I, the Daoist Zhuang Zhou, request Eternal Night's guidance."
Zhuang Zhou, exuding a carefree and transcendent aura, stepped forward with a smile. His body transformed into countless multicolored butterflies that fluttered gracefully into a space-time fragment, vanishing in an instant.
"Zhuang Zhou, I shall kill you!"
A mighty Blood Demon cultivator sneered, then transformed into a streak of blood light and rushed into the same fragment.
Immediately, inside that fragment, waves of blood light flickered, while dreamlike murmurs echoed. The fragment revealed a boundless and magnificent world—sun, moon, stars, myriad beings—so lifelike it was indistinguishable from reality.
"Marvelous, Zhuang Zhou. This must be his ultimate divine ability—Immortal Dream of the Butterfly. Within it, one's mind is deceived. If one cannot find his true presence, escape is impossible. He becomes all things of heaven and earth, the embodiment of nature itself. Fail to transcend it, and you will sink into eternal slumber, dreaming as an immortal. Unless one's cultivation surpasses him, entering his world means never escaping."
Lu Dongbin sighed in awe.
Zhuang Zhou's Dao was the dream of the butterfly: a dream spanning a thousand autumns, a dream of freedom, a dream returning to immortal wanderings.
Since he entered the fragment first, his Dao fused with the space-time fragment itself. The entire fragment became his domain, his dream realm. Within, he was the supreme ruler, like a god. Any opponent entering would first face a clash of Dao against Dao. Unless their Dao transcended Zhuang Zhou's, their mind would be veiled, their spirit clouded, and they would sink into the butterfly dream.
It was suppression at the level of the Dao. Terrifying—once suppressed, one might not even know who they were, and ultimately perish in the dream.
On the fragment's surface, the blood light quickly faded, replaced by dreamlike phantasms. Clearly, the Blood Demon powerhouse had failed to break free from Zhuang Zhou's Dao and had been dragged into the dream realm.
Victory here seemed inevitable.
The Eternal Night side understood this as well, but since they had made the pact, they could no longer interfere.
Battles between mighty cultivators were far more dangerous, for they were struggles of Dao against Dao.
Defeat could mean the very collapse of one's Dao.
"Hmph, I am Blood Scythe of the Blood Demon Clan! Who dares face me?"
Another Blood Demon powerhouse stepped forth, his body transforming into a streak of blood light as he entered a blank space-time fragment. At once, the fragment turned crimson, its aura corrupted by Eternal Night.
"The Dao Realm cultivators of both sides are equals—none weaker than the other."
White Lotus Celestial Maiden laughed softly. Lotus blooms unfolded beneath her feet as she stepped into a fragment. At once, that fragment radiated sacred immortal light. Heavenly hymns resounded as her Dao pillar fused into the fragment. The fragment became like a ship sailing through the void, colliding against the blood-red fragment.
The two fragments merged, their borders fusing seamlessly. Inside, blood light and holy light clashed fiercely, staining one another. The two Daos were locked in battle.
"Splendid! This is how true battles should be fought. Who decreed that only Eternal Night can invade Eternal, while we cannot retaliate? Such logic never existed in heaven and earth. If there is any truth, it is that of the strong devouring the weak. If you wish for war, then let the sword decide life and death!"
Lu Dongbin laughed heartily, drank a mouthful of immortal wine, and leapt as a sword beam into another fragment.
"This battle—I would never miss it!"
"Haha! Even if I fall today, my name shall live in history forever!"
One after another, figures stepped forth from the Great Yi War Fortress, each radiating the aura of the Dao Realm, their oppressive might flooding the void. They entered space-time fragments, fusing their Daos into them.
The Eternal Night side did not retreat.
They had no reason to avoid battle. In their hearts burned confidence—for in equal duels, Eternal Night had always held the advantage. They feared nothing.
Let battle decide life and death.
If they could annihilate all the Great Yi's Dao Realm powerhouses here, Great Yi would suffer devastating losses, while Eternal Night's glory would rise immeasurably.
In an instant, over a hundred Dao Realm cultivators from both sides entered fragments.
At the same time, vast armies flooded into countless space-time fragments, each fragment serving as a vessel. When fragments collided, armies within clashed in brutal combat.
War erupted into full intensity.
With every breath, countless soldiers fell.
Dao Realm duels within the fragments filled the Well of Gods and Demons with waves of Dao resonance and endless manifestations.
"Hahahaha!!"
No one knew how much time had passed when wild laughter erupted from a fragment. A vicious Evil God emerged, clutching a severed head. The head's expression still carried fury and unwillingness.
"In the end, I am stronger! Eternal natives are nothing more than natives. How could you ever hope to rise against us?"
The Evil God sneered.
Boom!!
But the very next moment, the head in his hand exploded violently. For an instant, a vision of an altar shattering flashed, followed by a terrifying divine light engulfing the Evil God. Within the light surged incomparably deadly poison. The Evil God's body dissolved rapidly as he roared in rage.
"That was the Heavenly Poison Holy Mother. She attained the Dao through the path of venom, her poisons unmatched. Who would have thought her temperament so fierce? Even in defeat and death, she detonated her own life altar, dragging an Evil God to the grave with her."
A green-robed Daoist appeared beside Yi Tianxing, speaking with deep emotion.
(End of this chapter)