Chapter 0377 – Blood-Forged Elixir
Cai Yan's Phoenix Call of a Hundred Birds had a natural advantage in group combat, especially in restraining fierce avian beasts. On the battlefield, she alone could hold the line as if commanding an army of a hundred thousand. Over the past few months, her comprehension of the melody had deepened, not only mastering the first movement, "Hundred Birds in Chorus", but also gaining insight into the second, "Phoenix Beckoned by the Parasol Tree."
In the face of a beast tide, her support was nothing short of miraculous.
"I'm going too. I've been training in a cultivation technique these past few days, and with ample resources, my strength has improved quite a bit. I want to personally experience what true battle feels like," said Mu Guiying.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement, showing no fear—only eagerness. Born in a mountain stronghold and trained in martial arts from a young age under her father, she cared little for needlework and refined skills. Weapons and combat were her forte. Hearing of an imminent battle, she was naturally itching to join.
"Let's go. To the wall!"Yi Tianxing glanced at Mu Guiying and gave no objection. With decisive words, he strode toward the Iron-Blood Great Wall, his steps like a dragon's advance, powerful and unyielding.
Ascending swiftly via the stone steps, he stepped atop the towering wall—nearly three zhang high. It radiated a thick, imposing aura, with a spirit of protection embedded deep within. The wall surrounded the entire town of Xuanhuang like a fortress. Soldiers atop the ramparts were already in position, undaunted by the transformation of the wall.
This Great Wall was forged from the blood, flesh, and bones of fallen human warriors—heroes of the past. To the soldiers, walking on it brought no fear, only a deep sense of peace and burning battle will. They were here to protect the town and its people.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
As the Great Wall retreated into place, vast numbers of fierce beasts and savage birds surged over the ravine and surrounded the area.
From the wall, archers unleashed their arrows without hesitation. Each bolt shimmered with cold, lethal light, slicing through the air. Waves of fierce beasts and birds fell, skewered or pinned to the earth.
In their crazed eyes was only one goal: storm Xuanhuang Town at all costs.
It was terrifying madness.
Tens of thousands of beasts surged forward. While individually weak, the overwhelming numbers generated immense pressure. Yet, these scattered, low-tier beasts could not overcome the dense rain of enchanted arrows and bolts. Tier-one beasts fell like leaves before the wall.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At Yi Tianxing's command, regimented military formations marched from the camps. Under their respective commanders, they scaled the Iron-Blood Great Wall in well-drilled order and quickly took up their defensive positions. Eyes cold, they watched the wave of incoming monsters without a shred of fear—only burning fighting spirit.
As soldiers, they now understood:The military didn't just follow the Nine-Rank Military System. Yi Tianxing had also proposed a hidden path: exceptional soldiers could choose to forgo normal promotions, accumulating ten times the required merits to advance instead.And not only that—they had to face nine challengers of the same rank in combat and emerge undefeated.This trial was known as the Heavenly Soldier Tribulation (天兵劫).
Only soldiers between the first and third ranks (Spirit Sea Realm) could attempt this.
For instance, advancing from First-Rank to Second-Rank required 100 military merit points.The tribulation path demanded 1,000.
From Second to Third Rank: normally 1,000 → tribulation: 10,000.
From Third to Fourth Rank (stepping into the Fate Aperture Realm): normally 10,000 → tribulation: 100,000 merit points—a nearly hopeless number.
Thus, the first rank was the best time to attempt the Heavenly Soldier Tribulation.
Success would unlock the secret technique known as the Heavenly Soldier War Codex ("天兵战典")—an elite combat manual. It encompassed methods for all realms and vastly surpassed Iron-Blood Fiend Qi in terms of raw power. It was said to be the cultivation manual of heavenly soldiers and celestial generals.
Once cultivated, it would fundamentally transform a soldier's strength and battle power.
Upon learning this, countless soldiers resolved to walk the difficult path. In their eyes, this was the true road to becoming a heavenly soldier. Anything else was a false title.
They burned with ambition to accumulate the necessary merit and pass the Heavenly Soldier Tribulation.
Though battlefields were perilous, they were the fastest path to merit. Even at the cost of life, they would not retreat. Their bodies burned with fighting spirit.
Of the 100,000-strong army, 90,000 now manned the Great Wall. The remaining 10,000 remained in reserve within Xuanhuang Town.
Cold steel gleamed. Crates of enchanted arrows were positioned along the wall, ready for endless supply. Talisman bombs and other weapons were likewise distributed.
The sky grew dark with war clouds.
After months of relative peace, Xuanhuang Town finally bared its fangs.
This might seem like a long process, but it happened within moments. The entire defense was in place before most townsfolk had even reacted.
"What's going on? Why is the army suddenly up on the walls? There's a chill of war in the air. Even the Great Wall has encircled the town."
"Ten thousand troops just rushed out! Are we under attack?"
"There are fierce beasts and birds outside. Normally they don't dare approach. Something's definitely wrong. Is this… a beast tide?"
"It must be! And by the looks of it, this one's massive. This will be a brutal war."
"Get to the wall! Even if we aren't soldiers, we're cultivators now. We've trained these past months—we're not helpless. We'll fight to protect our town!"
The townsfolk were in an uproar. With a single call, countless citizens grabbed their weapons and headed for the walls.
These days, anyone with coin had purchased proper gear. Weapons were not forbidden in Xuanhuang Town—they were encouraged. Many earned money by hunting beasts in the wild. In truth, the entire town had become a civilian army.
When battle called, few hesitated.
Men and women rushed to the walls.
"Only in Xuanhuang Town would you see such a sight," someone from another village whispered.
"Their ruler is truly noble—granting all citizens a chance to cultivate. That's no small feat."
Outsiders looked on with admiration and envy.
They too had a chance to enter the Sutra Pavilion—but they could only read mundane scrolls, not cultivation techniques. For them, the pavilion was but a library. They could only envy those truly of Xuanhuang.
The town's core members had all reached the wall.
They looked at the beasts being shot down below—but no one relaxed.
Everyone knew: this wasn't the beast tide.This was only the forewarning.
The true battle had yet to come.
"Lord, look—when those beasts fall, a strand of blood energy is drawn from their bodies and vanishes into the sky," said Lu Shi, frowning.
"How interesting," murmured Huang Chengyan, eyes narrowing. "That must be the treasure that caused the Green Emperor and Golden Roc to clash. The blood is being drawn upward."
He looked to the sky.
One could see strands of blood-colored energy rising, as if drawn by some unseen force. They were converging on a shape—a phantom pill suspended in midair.
Though illusory, it exuded an awe-inspiring power, naturally absorbing the blood essence.
As thousands of blood strands entered it, the phantom began to solidify, becoming increasingly real.
"A pill… a terrifying one," muttered Jia Xu, eyes gleaming. "At first, it was a mere illusion. But as it absorbs the blood of these beasts, it takes on form. It's forging itself from countless lives—this is no ordinary elixir."