Heaven can bear witness—ever since they had arrived on the Eternal Continent, none of them had had a full meal. What they consumed daily couldn't even be called food; it didn't just fail to fill their bellies, it couldn't even achieve a fraction of satiety. It was only barely enough to stave off starvation. Yet that gnawing hunger tormented their bodies and minds every second, every moment.
Unable to die, yet unable to feel full. That kind of existence was more terrifying than any form of torture.
Now, as the fragrant scent of meat porridge wafted through the air, the sensation was simply indescribable.
Sounds of people gulping down their saliva echoed continuously.
Faced with hunger, regardless of age, gender, or former status, all pretense fell away, revealing raw human instinct.
"Brothers and sisters, there's no need to rush. This porridge is prepared for you. It won't be long before it's ready. Once you drink it, you'll quickly regain your strength. Don't worry—here in Xuanhuang Town, you're safe. There's no more danger here. From now on, we're all brothers and friends who will see each other often," said a Xuanhuang Town resident with a kind smile.
"Yes, the past doesn't matter anymore. Now that you've come to our Xuanhuang Town, you've been given a new life. There's no need to live in fear or worry about hunger. If there's one thing we have plenty of, it's food. You'll never have to worry about going hungry again."
"That's right. Focus on restoring your strength. From now on, we're all part of the same community. You'll come to realize just how fortunate it is to be a resident of Xuanhuang Town in a world as chaotic as this."
"Once you've recovered, you can register your household, then head to the Scripture Pavilion to receive cultivation techniques and martial skills. You'll become cultivators with the power to defend yourselves. Our human race is in no way inferior to beasts or other races."
Voices like these drifted to the ears of the newcomers.
In their hearts, an unexpected sense of gratitude and warmth emerged. This human compassion was something they had never experienced before. It warmed their once frozen hearts and subtly gave rise to a sense of belonging.
"Soldiers have died in battle!"
At that moment, the bodies of fallen warriors were brought out. Upon seeing their cold corpses and the horrific wounds upon them, the townspeople were struck with solemnity and looked on with reverence.
These were martyrs—heroes who had died fighting for the human race.
Even in death, the expressions on these warriors' faces were filled with killing intent. The impact of this was deeply stirring.
One body.
Two bodies.
...
Hundreds of corpses appeared, casting a heavy and oppressive mood over the town.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!!" Suddenly, a cry rose from among the people.
"Heaven's thunder as our drums, the earth our grave, a sky of blood lights our path."
"Savage wilds, frenzied foes—our human race has never been disgraced!"
"Our heads may fall, our blood may flow, but our iron will fights for the Nine Provinces!"
"Steel blade in hand, ninety-nine in count—until the foreign races fall, we shall not rest!"
A solemn battle hymn emerged from the mouth of a single townsman, filled with boundless conviction and respect for the fallen.
Then another voice joined in.
And another.
Soon, townsfolk across Xuanhuang Town spontaneously began to sing.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
"The beasts rampage, the foreign tribes are strong, but men wield blade and spear. Blades to behead, spears to slay gods. No matter gods or demons—once I have slain them, I am me."
"An eternal legacy, white bones stain the skies. For my people, I shall slay a million spirits."
"To live, be a hero; to die, be a noble ghost. With my undying soul, I fight for the world's peace."
"Today I cast off millennia of righteousness and honor, drink the blood of ten thousand races with a smile, tread on mountains of bones. Weakness has no place with me. I shall kill millions without regret. Better that all races hate me, than to die cursing my enemies in silence."
These battle hymns echoed throughout Xuanhuang Town—not loud and proud like on the battlefield, but filled with a sense of inheriting the fallen warriors' will. They were sending them off... with war songs.
A solemn air pervaded the atmosphere.
Every soldier's face was stern and respectful.
"My spear, my blade, forged from the people's fat and blood.My rations, my cloak, born from their labor and toil.My armor, my shield, crafted by their hands.My brothers, my kin, children of our people.We form an army to stand against tyranny.For the people's rights and freedom, we fight.Those who harm them—my blade shall drink their blood.Guard the land, protect the people—this is our eternal vow.If I fall in battle, bury me beneath the Iron-Blood Great Wall, to stand watch for eternity."
Soldiers sang in unison as they marched, carrying the bodies of their fallen comrades to be buried beneath the Iron-Blood Great Wall, fulfilling their final wish.
Each Scorpion Man corpse was also brought out. Seeing these alien bodies, the townspeople's expressions turned cold. These enemies were to be permanently sealed beneath the Iron-Blood Great Wall, turned into sacrificial offerings to heroic spirits.
Hundreds of fallen heroes extended the wall once more. With over twenty thousand Scorpion Man corpses, its length surged forward. The Iron-Blood Great Wall now stretched over 9,000 meters, nearing 10,000, each brick black and heavy with sacrifice.
The protected area expanded again.
Yi Tianxing stepped out from underground, appearing on the surface.
Seeing that the soldiers' bodies had already been buried within the Iron-Blood Great Wall, he felt a heavy weight in his heart—a weight of solemn responsibility.
Without lingering, he walked straight into his residence.
Once inside, with a thought, his body vanished, entering the Pool of National Fate.
What he saw inside was a massive transformation.
Originally, the Pool of Fate was only about nine zhang wide and nine meters deep. The entire fate-space had only spanned about fifteen to sixteen zhang, but now, it existed within an enormous new space—one that radiated an aura of mysterious Dao-rhythms. The Pool of Fate was just one part of it.
This is the core space of the Supreme Divine Artifact.A sacred zone used to forge the artifact's true origin core.
Here, one could forge a Thunder Pool, an Ice Pool, and other elemental cores that would become the energy heart of the Supreme Divine Artifact. Currently, the artifact was still in its embryonic stage, lacking a formed energy source—this place was still barren.
But now, a Pool of National Fate had manifested.
Within the pool, a phantom spring continually absorbed and released Fate Energy. Snow-white liquid now covered nearly three-fifths of the pool—this was Fate Water, condensed from boundless karmic fate. Every drop was made of fate itself. And this was the total national fate of Xuanhuang Town.
After the battle, absorbing the fate of the defeated foreign races caused the pool to swell dramatically.
A golden fish-dragon swam joyfully within it, basking in the waters with visible pleasure.
Then—
The spring began spewing Fate Water at an explosive rate. Drop by drop, it condensed rapidly into the pool, its level rising visibly.
"Public sentiment is national fate," Yi Tianxing mused. "It seems the hundred thousand new citizens are truly embracing Xuanhuang Town as their home. That's the only way the fate could rise this fast."
He felt a surge of joy.
Fate is the will of the people. Without a deep sense of belonging among the new residents, this spike in fate would be impossible.
Normally, accumulating such a pool would take years, even decades. A town's population is limited. But now, with over a hundred thousand new citizens added in one stroke—plus the fate seized from foreign tribes—the pool was almost full.
The time required had been shortened dramatically.
"The first step ahead secures every step after," Yi Tianxing murmured. This was his opportunity.
But—"To ascend to an Immortal City, I can't be hasty. Without a proper foundation, even promotion won't last. The forging of the Supreme Divine Artifact must begin immediately."
That determination took hold in his heart.
Most of Xuanhuang Town had been destroyed. He would never allow it to happen again.
The Supreme Immortal City must be forged.
"Let's start by testing the Willing Power Beads."
Though he had decided to use these beads to forge the Supreme Immortal City, whether it was feasible or not remained to be seen.
He took out a pure white Willing Power Bead.
Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing willed the bead to float in the air within the core space.
Suddenly, a phantom divine flame emerged from the void and wrapped around the bead. In an instant, the bead melted into a pool of white liquid, dissolving into the core space.
Then—
Yi Tianxing gave a bitter smile.
The embryonic Supreme Artifact showed only a tiny change at one of its edges under the bead's power.