In the Yuanlian Realm, on the borderlands under the jurisdiction of the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty, millions of formidable troops were amassed, stretched along a sixty-mile frontier. For three days now, the allied forces from the eastern nations had been slowly pressing towards this position.

Great Qian had been compelled to continuously funnel reinforcements to this critical juncture. This area was a plain, yet it possessed a geography reminiscent of a gourd’s neck.

Should this defense be breached, the allied eastern armies could sweep unimpeded into the heartland of the southwest. Thus, no matter how reluctant Zhuang Yu was, he had no choice but to concentrate all his available strength here.

Millions of armies faced off, countless powerful figures converged, causing the celestial energy here to surge skyward; the atmosphere was taut as a bowstring, the very breath of warfare reaching the high heavens. And Hong Jiuchen currently stood atop the battlements of Moyang City, gazing with full confidence at the vast armies gathered below.

This had initially been a minor city on the border, but since Mu Fang took charge, it had been transformed into a fortress over the span of just one year, explicitly for defending against Great Qian. Hong Jiuchen offered no spoken comment, though inwardly he had often secretly scoffed at Mu Fang's timidity.

When he once controlled the central plains of Yuanlian, he had never bothered to construct sturdy cities or imposing passes. Having millions of elite soldiers was sufficient to serve as his Great Wall.

However, recalling the ignominious rout he suffered retreating from the Yuanlian Realm a few years prior, he fell silent. Even with such overwhelming advantages, he had still been outmaneuvered by Zong Shou.

Decades of painstaking effort, ruined in a single stroke. If he were to oppose Zong Shou again, the outcome would likely be no better.

But he, Hong Jiuchen, had indeed returned today. And accompanying him were the most elite Dao Soldiers of the Jiudu Immortal Court!

A full sixty thousand Jiudu Twin-Halberd Slaves. Twenty thousand Jiudu Blood Archers.

And a total of twenty-four thousand Jiudu Tyrant Cavalry Guards. The sheer combat power of these one hundred thousand Dao Soldiers alone could crush all the millions of assembled troops currently deployed across the Yuanlian Tier!

Beyond these— Hong Jiuchen glanced with his peripheral vision toward his left and right flanks. The Xuanling Conclave and the Jiujue Immortal Court had also deployed tens of thousands of their own Dao Soldiers, equally battle-hardened elites whose auras were sharp and fierce.

The thirty thousand Yellow-Tier Dao Soldiers from the Tianfang Conclave, while slightly inferior, were nonetheless remarkable and possessed considerable strength. Hong Jiuchen observed them, yet he shook his head slightly, devoid of any genuine joy in his chest.

He surmised that this time, Fu Yue Sanren and Mu Fang had truly profited. For the Jiudu Immortal Court to claim sole dominion over the Yuanlian Realm, they would inevitably have to pay a far greater price than they had a few years ago.

They would need to surrender more Minor Thousand Worlds to placate their allies, and both Fu Yue Sanren and Mu Fang would directly benefit from this arrangement. Though both were masters of a realm, a barren Minor Thousand World held vastly different significance compared to a long-developed, prosperous territory!

Glancing sideways, he saw that these two individuals were indeed unable to suppress their obvious delight. Compared to their prior reluctance—and even their secret collusion with Zong Shou a few years ago—they were now like entirely different people.

They must finally be satisfied— Hong Jiuchen sneered disdainfully, yet a thread of unease followed in his heart. Given the immense price the Jiudu Immortal Court was paying, he wondered how the higher-ups would ultimately dispose of this realm.

His own ambition to become the Lord of Yuanlian Realm now seemed a near impossibility. Though many matters had not been explicitly stated from above, the subtle hints in their discourse were enough for him, Hong Jiuchen, to discern the unspoken message: They were telling him to be sensible and not demand anything excessive.

With a faint sigh, Hong Jiuchen managed to rally his spirits once more. He understood that even if the Jiudu Immortal Court seized Yuanlian Realm, he would receive compensation—which was certainly better than ending up with nothing at all.

His gaze sharpened as he looked across the field towards his opponents. Compared to his own potential gains, he cared far more about the final fate of the man across the way!

If it weren't for that boy, how could he have ended up in his current predicament? He had long since hated Zong Shou down to his very bones.

This hatred intensified when he heard a month ago that the Jiudu Immortal Court was tasked with taking Zong Shou's head! He felt fear alongside his rage, recognizing that Zong Shou was a Peak Realm disciple; even if he failed this time, his future prospects remained limitless.

If Zong Shou nursed a deep grudge against him and refused to let the matter rest, the consequences were unpredictable. At that moment, his lifelong aspiration crystallized: to personally witness Zong Shou’s downfall!

Ideally, a fate of ten thousand eternal damnations, never to rise again! That, too, would finally resolve his own hidden danger— Musing on this, Hong Jiuchen checked the time.

It was precisely noon. His eyes narrowed slightly, a look of expectation dawning on his face.

The half-day deadline given by the Jiudu Emperor Lord was now only an hour away. He wondered what decision the Great Qian forces would make?

Would they wisely withdraw from Yuanlian, ending this confrontation? Or would they stubbornly hold their ground, prepared to fight to the last man?

He hoped fervently for the latter. The Jiudu Immortal Court had deployed one hundred thousand Dao Soldiers, nearly a hundred Void Ships, and with the Xuanling Conclave and the Jiejue Holy Court, a combined total of ten Saint Realm experts gathered here.

They could utterly annihilate any force in the vicinity! Even Zong Shou, with all his supernatural abilities, would possess no power to resist today!

However, upon careful consideration, that outcome seemed improbable. Unless one was truly insane or an utter fool, no one would make such a foolish move.

The mobilization of the Jiudu Immortal Court’s massive army here was intended to achieve surrender without a fight. Just as he was thinking this, he heard a desolate blast of a horn echoing from the distance, reverberating across the entire landscape.

This was immediately followed by clouds of dust rising into the air. Hong Jiuchen, momentarily stunned, raised his eyebrows and looked into the distance.

He saw sudden activity erupting from the allied encampments dozens of miles away. Countless soldiers were pouring out of their defensive works, lining up in formation.

Uniform and orderly, they moved with practiced precision. In barely half a moment, the rudimentary shapes of various battle squares were visible on the city walls, in everyone’s sight.

“What are they doing? Are they preparing for a decisive battle?” As Hong Jiuchen remained puzzled, someone next to him voiced the question aloud.

“Their numbers are clearly inferior, yet they willingly abandon their defenses. I cannot comprehend it—” “Has the Lord of Great Qian truly gone mad?

Does he genuinely believe he can defeat our four-nation alliance?” “No, the Lord of Great Qian aside, Zhuang Yu is known as a capable general; how could he commit such an absurd act?” “Capable general? He’s just a local, never campaigning in the Outer Domains—what kind of general is that?

Perhaps his confidence is simply overinflated—” “There must be some hidden complexity to this! But it is also an opportunity to annihilate the Great Qian army entirely beneath these walls, showing our competence to the Venerables!” Hong Jiuchen equally failed to grasp the maneuver and suspected that Zhuang Yu was plotting something.

However, the one in charge here was not him. He glanced sideways toward the two central figures.

One was Gu Yue, and the other was a man in crimson armor, dressed as a general. This man was also at the Divine Realm, named Lie Que, a great general of the Jiudu Immortal Court.

He was one of the rare, peerless talents the Jiudu Immortal Court possessed; the Jiudu Emperor Lord had spent considerable effort to bring him into their fold in recent years. He arrived here three days prior and took command of all the millions of soldiers stationed here.

Lie Que also appeared puzzled, sinking into deep thought. After a long silence, he finally shook his head without expression: “We simply watch and wait—” Hong Jiuchen’s brow twitched, but he quickly calmed down.

He conceded that this was indeed the optimal response. No matter what trick the enemy employed, he would remain immovable as a mountain.

He looked at the impregnable fortress and the massive encampments guarded by millions on both sides. Could Zhuang Yu possibly break through that?

In the face of absolute power, any conspiracy would prove largely ineffective. Since the ultimatum’s final moment had arrived anyway, waiting patiently and conserving energy was certainly a viable strategy.

The hundreds of thousands of Great Qian troops completed their array in just twenty breaths of time. This caused the expressions of those atop the city walls to grow solemn.

They could discern that the sixty-four battle squares arrayed in the distance were all composed of elite soldiers, not to be underestimated. When advancing, they rarely needed to halt and reform their ranks.

The most eye-catching elements were the crimson-armored formations positioned at the very front. These were the Heavenly Gang Sword Soldiers of the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty!

Mu Fang, whose forces had frequently clashed with Great Qian’s armies over the past two years, was intimately familiar with them. He instantly sensed the difference and let out a cold laugh: “They are Yellow-Tier Dao Soldiers!” Although the former Heavenly Gang Sword Soldiers were strong, they hadn't reached this level.

It seemed the speculation was true: Zong Shou had the backing of the Asura Clan, secretly preparing true Dao Soldiers. “They are indeed superior, but there are only sixty thousand of them—still nothing special!” Tan Jing scoffed, having expected Zong Shou to employ some truly staggering means.

If it were only these sixty thousand Yellow-Tier Dao Soldiers, it was still far from enough! A vestige of wariness remained in his heart; he still found it hard to believe that Zong Shou would commit such a reckless act with no assurance of victory.

However, his underlying emotion was relief. Zong Shou could never have anticipated the sheer scale of the forces the Jiudu Immortal Court had mobilized this time!

Even he, Tan Jing, had never imagined the Immortal Emperor would make such a grand display. What he saw before him struck him as nothing more than a final, desperate struggle.

He turned, smiling, toward his colleagues: “I must congratulate Brother Mu and Brother Hong. Zong Shou has courted his own doom and is on the verge of annihilation.

Once this battle concludes, you gentlemen can become Realm Lords. Enjoy your freedom then, but don't forget Tan Jing!” “Naturally.

But your Tianfang Conclave stands to gain a great deal as well! You will have freedom of passage and trade within the territories held by the Jiudu Immortal Court—” Mu Fang laughed loudly, but his voice abruptly cut off.

His eyes widened in astonishment as he stared fixedly beyond the city walls opposite them. “What is that?” Suddenly, five hundred cultivators ascended from the midst of the myriad ranks, hovering in the void.

An esoteric formation instantly materialized. “It’s Dao Soldiers!

Earth-Tier Dao Soldiers!” It wasn’t just the others who were astonished; Lie Que’s eyes also opened wide, his expression uncertain and surprised. “What formation is this?

Why does it require five hundred people to align?” “I’ve never heard of it—” “Such immense power!” Hong Jiuchen and Mu Fang exchanged glances. First, they thought, as expected, but then they wondered: shouldn't Zong Shou be saving these Earth-Tier Dao Soldiers for use in the Outer Domains?

“Why fear them! We also have six hundred Jiudu Blade Feather Immortals accompanying us this time.” “This Dao Soldier formation is unfamiliar; its power must be merely average—” At that very moment, dozens of miles away from Moyang City, Zhuang Yu was also looking up at the sky.

As that grand formation began to activate, countless clouds suddenly converged above the area. “I hear it is the Grand Zhou Heaven Supreme Demon-Slaying Formation—” Feng Taiji said beside him, adding with curiosity, “I thought you would save the Earth-Tier Dao Soldiers for the final engagement.” “Dao Soldiers are precious!

Since the Sovereign intends to integrate the surrounding worlds, we cannot afford heavy losses among these troops.” As they spoke, the heavens and earth suddenly shuddered. A colossal sword aura violently swept out from the formation.

With a single sweep, everything turned to dust. The ground was cleaved with a ten-thousand-foot fissure, and instantly, a full quarter of the walls of that small fortress city in the distance collapsed!