The Azure Armored Celestial Soldiers

The barbaric elephant trumpeted loudly. In Xiao Yi's mind, a colossal elephant stood tall, its trunk sweeping across the heavens and earth with an overwhelming force.

To visualize the image of the barbaric elephant meant to integrate its essence into one's flesh and bones, comprehending its divine presence. Only then could the true power of the Barbaric Elephant's Strength Manifestation be fully unleashed. At this moment, Xiao Yi immersed himself in the visualization, attempting to sense the 108 celestial meridians within his body. Finally, he gritted his teeth and began to stir his own blood energy.

It was as if celestial war drums were beating within him, his five viscera and six bowels resonating with an explosive force. The instant he activated his blood energy, the boundless essence of the dragon egg within his flesh surged violently. The golden jade-like essence swiftly coalesced.

His mind drifted into chaos, but Xiao Yi struggled to maintain focus, pouring all his efforts into the visualization of the barbaric elephant. In an instant, the azure-colored beast roared, coming to life within his mind. Its four limbs stomped down like celestial pillars, and its tusks, sharp as swords, pierced through the sky. A formless power spread out, gathering his scattered thoughts. Once again, his inner vision became clear.

What is this…?

Xiao Yi's heart trembled. He vaguely saw an ancient stone mirror rotating within his chest. Intricate, ancient patterns were etched across its surface, resembling countless minuscule cracks. At this moment, the essence of the dragon egg surged toward the mirror like rivers converging into the sea, rapidly being devoured. Within mere seconds, it had completely vanished. A profound sense of relief washed over him. He suddenly felt incredibly light, as if years of constraints had been lifted. Observing the mirror again, he noticed that one of the fine cracks had slowly healed and disappeared.

Before Xiao Yi could fully process this, the stone mirror rotated slightly, its stony surface glimmering with a faint light. A thread of golden blood energy, fine as a hair yet almost solid, was exhaled from it. The moment it emerged, Xiao Yi sensed a familiar presence.

Tyrannosaurus Rex!

A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes—or rather, it should be called the Seven-Star Desolate Dragon! This thread of blood energy contained the bloodline of the ancient dragon hidden within the egg's essence. However, compared to the vast energy previously contained in the egg, this strand was minuscule. Yet, its pure and flawless nature was on a completely different level.

"This stone mirror…!"

Xiao Yi's heart pounded. He ignored the pure dragon blood energy and instead focused entirely on the mysterious mirror, attempting to manipulate it. However, after half an hour of effort, the mirror remained unresponsive. Examining its surface more closely, he realized that the patterns on it were, in fact, cracks—evidence that it was broken.

A broken mirror!

Xiao Yi recalled how the mirror had absorbed the dragon egg's essence, seemingly healing one of the cracks. If all the cracks were to vanish, would the mirror regain its full power?

This was merely a conjecture, but Xiao Yi was certain that the shifting of time and space was closely linked to this stone mirror. No matter what, he had to restore it. After a brief moment of contemplation, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He had roughly counted the cracks—there were more than a thousand. The dragon egg's essence had only healed one. Restoring the mirror completely would be no simple task. However, for the first time, a possible path home stood before him.

Suddenly, the ground trembled ever so slightly. Xiao Yi's senses sharpened. Within a few breaths, the tremors intensified, causing the stone bed to shake. From outside the stone house, the clashing of metal rang out, and a thunderous roar echoed through the sky.

"The Celestial Clan!"

Xiao Yi was startled. He had heard from Old Man Shi that the Celestial Clan descended upon the human world by opening void passages. Despite the human race's efforts to suppress them, some of the celestial soldiers managed to escape and hide within the ancient forests and mountains. Within a thousand-mile radius of the Bloodstone Tribe, a unit of celestial soldiers had long been lurking, eyeing the tribe greedily. They had launched attacks before but were suppressed each time. Yet, with every defeat, more celestial soldiers regrouped, and the Bloodstone Tribe suffered greater losses. The last invasion had occurred three years ago.

The earth trembled violently, but this time, the disturbance originated from within the tribe. The warriors of the Bloodstone Tribe responded immediately, wielding their weapons as they rushed forth. From his stone window, Xiao Yi saw thousands of ancient warriors, their bodies strong and unyielding, moving fearlessly into battle. Even Old Man Shi, who carried a medicine basket on his back, strode forth like a meteor, showing no signs of frailty.

Xiao Yi leaped from the stone bed. His chronic ailments had vanished, leaving him feeling light and refreshed. The refinement from the dragon egg's essence had even strengthened his physique. Although he was still weaker than these ancient warriors, his physical strength had increased significantly—perhaps enough to arm-wrestle a ten-year-old child in the tribe.

The stone door opened with little effort. The air in the tribe was thick with tension. Warriors rushed past him, carrying wooden bows, stone knives, and iron spears, their muscular bodies bare. They moved with the speed of galloping horses. In the Bloodstone Tribe, nearly every individual had unlocked one or two celestial meridians, their blood energy burning fiercely. The weaker ones were like embers, while the strong ones radiated heat like newly ignited furnaces. Among them was a battle-hardened warrior clad in dark green armor, gripping a bone spear. His eyes burned red, and his weapon hummed as he strode toward the battlefield like a shooting star.

Suddenly, a crimson light shot up from the center of the tribe. A fiery red pegasus, with brilliant flaming wings, spread its aura across the land. Its powerful blood energy resembled the rising sun, illuminating all in its path. Seated atop the beast was a middle-aged man clad in crimson armor, his frame imposing, his black hair shimmering like obsidian. In his grip, a black iron staff pulsed with fiery radiance, its heat palpable even from hundreds of meters away.

"The Chieftain!"

A deafening cry erupted from the tribe, their eyes filled with reverence. In the next instant, the pegasus soared, its fiery wings propelling it a hundred meters in a blink. Within mere breaths, it reached the outskirts of the tribe.

Xiao Yi's pupils constricted. This was a celestial steed! Old Man Shi had mentioned that such beasts were the symbols of elite warriors. Only the strongest fighters possessed them. Within the Bloodstone Tribe, only Chieftain Shi Zhixuan commanded a one-star celestial steed.

The battlefield was set. The enemy had arrived.

Far away, a dense white mist shrouded the heavens, engulfing miles of land. Within the fog, vague silhouettes emerged, and an eerie purple aura spread. A rhythmic drumbeat echoed, shaking the sky. An oppressive force loomed over the land.

"Kill!"

Tens of thousands of warriors roared. A pillar of blood energy, three thousand meters high, surged forth, striking the mist. The celestial soldiers, clad in azure armor, were revealed.

So these are the Celestials…

Xiao Yi's pupils contracted sharply.

Before him was an army of thousands of soldiers clad in azure armor, their bodies enveloped in an ethereal mist, gripping blue-steel spears in their hands. The skies above them churned with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, as if they carried the very wrath of the heavens. Leading the thousands of celestial warriors, three figures adorned in the same azure battle armor rode upon mystical beasts—creatures resembling kirins, their bodies shrouded in a perpetual mist of water vapor, radiating auspicious energy.

For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Xiao Yi felt no awe nor reverence at the sight of these legendary heavenly soldiers. Instead, a profound sense of repulsion welled up within him, an instinctual rejection so deep it unsettled him. His brows furrowed.

"So this is the Immortal Race, one of the great clans of the Hundred Realms—the mortal enemy of our Human Race."

A familiar voice rang beside him. Xiao Yi turned his head to see Master Shi, who had appeared at some unknown point.

"You feel it, don't you?" Master Shi continued, nodding slightly. "That's the rejection of bloodlines."

His words resonated with something within Xiao Yi. This wasn't merely personal sentiment—it was ancestral memory, the deep-seated enmity carved into the very fabric of his bloodline.

Master Shi did not linger. He offered no warnings, no attempts to dissuade Xiao Yi from whatever path he was about to walk. Instead, after uttering those words, he turned and left, rejoining a group of elderly tribesmen. Each of them carried a medicinal basket upon their backs, dispersing into the vast crowd of tens of thousands of their kin.

Then, the war drums began to sound.

The three thousand azure-armored celestial warriors stepped forward in unison, their movements like the relentless pounding of heavenly war drums, causing the very earth to tremble beneath them. Their eyes, cold as the depths of winter, swept over the Bloodstone Tribe's warriors with a gaze devoid of any emotion or mercy.

Above the two thousand human warriors, atop his celestial warhorse, Shi Zhixuan sat with an imposing presence. In his hands, he wielded a black iron staff, its surface scarred from countless battles. His piercing gaze locked onto the enemy forces, his expression ice-cold, his killing intent surging.

And then, without hesitation, he let out a single, thunderous roar—

"Kill!"