The great war had begun.

Just as many had predicted, the Sen Yue army began its invasion of the Minghai Race’s eastern territories.

From the very start, the army advanced with unstoppable momentum.

They swept through everything in their path, advancing from one victory to the next.

Throughout the territories of the Dongfang Race and Changkong Race, opportunists emerged in droves, hoping to make a killing from the war.

It was as if everyone had already decided it would be a landslide victory, believing the Minghai Race was a fish on the chopping block, ready for the slaughter!

...

"What? The White Feathered Eagle tribe is still at their post, holding the rear? They didn’t follow the main army?"

Sen Seming’s eyes flew open. He shot to his feet in disbelief.

BOOM!

It was as if a volcano had erupted in his heart.

Confusion and fury filled his chest, threatening to make him explode.

’How could this be? How dare they? On what grounds?’

Across from him, Sen Sele had a helpless look on his face. "Yes. I don’t know what’s going on either."

After all, in every corner of the Sen Yue territories, everyone was caught up in a war frenzy. The mere mention of battle brought joy, and people were desperate to go all out, riding this wave to carve up the Minghai Race for themselves.

Moreover, the vicious trap they had set was extremely covert.

Logically, there was no way Fang Yang could have discovered it.

And yet, the White Feathered Eagle tribe, along with Fang Yang, had withdrawn to the rear.

"That lowly bastard. He must have some damn good luck. Hmph."

Sen Seming took a deep breath, suppressing his frustration. "There will be other days. We’ll settle the score with him when we get back. Let’s go."

The group abandoned their previous plan against the White Feathered Eagle tribe.

They led their men and followed the main army, ready to achieve great things and earn their glory.

Right now, their Eight Banner Army held a massive numerical advantage over the Minghai Race.

With such an overwhelming advantage, it was impossible to imagine defeat!

The banners fluttered.

Dust and sand filled the sky.

Water-Winged Wolves, Wind Chasing Wolves, Water Snake Wolves...

Various wolf beast packs, obeying Chang Ruhui’s commands, ran and flew through the Taihang Mountains, following him to the front lines to join the great war.

Fang Yang stood atop Luoyun Mountain, watching the scene unfold before him, his heart shaking with awe.

The wolf packs were like a passing flood, a surging hurricane.

They brutally occupied every mountain path, every inch of the sky.

What was even more astonishing was that this massive horde of wolves advanced in perfect, distinct formations.

It was incredible.

Even elite soldiers, mobilized in such a hurry, would inevitably have accidents.

Yet, Fang Yang saw no such mishaps among the wolf beast packs!

"So this is a Master of the Slave Path... truly remarkable."

’No wonder there’s a saying on the battlefield: ’Above all else, kill the Slave Path user first.’ These Cultivators of the Slave Path are certainly no ordinary foe.’

A glint appeared in Fang Yang’s eyes.

’I’m not greedy. With the Hundred Eagle Souls, it’s not too much to ask to be able to control a hundred Flying Eagles in battle, right?’

Of course, with the war underway, Fang Yang was even more expectant that the Spiritual Object [Thunder Carp Essence] would appear on the war merits board.

That way, he could exchange his merits for it, refine the [Thunder Carp Essence] Spiritual Object, and transform into a Grade A Spirit Body in one fell swoop, drastically improving his own aptitude and foundation!

「An hour later.」

The howls of the wolves faded, and a long-lost tranquility returned to the Taihang Mountains.

But the heavily trampled and ravaged mountain paths and forests were a testament to the frenzy of the wolf packs that had passed through.

Night slowly fell, and a bright moon hung in the sky.

Fang Yang looked up and noticed that while the moon wasn’t full yet, it was rounder than it had been the day before.

’The night of the flawless full moon isn’t far off,’ he thought.

Fang Yang quickly averted his gaze and returned to the main tent, followed by a Black Water Eagle.

「The Main Tent.」

The lamplight flickered, casting a mixture of light and shadow.

Fang Yang sat cross-legged on his bed, silently practicing the Slave Spirit Skill Technique, hoping to one day reach the state where he could command a hundred eagles as he pleased.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed. ’It’s not my fault. It’s this Black Water Eagle. This Black Water Eagle can’t suppress the other Flying Eagles at all!’

In a flash of insight, he seemed to understand why Fierce Beast packs had Hundred Beasts Kings, Thousand Beasts Kings, and Ten Thousand Beasts Kings.

He also understood why Chang Ruhui had taken the Vermilion Flame Wolf Thousand Beasts King and Hundred Beasts King with him, rather than leaving them at Luoyun Mountain.

"This is a bit tricky... I can’t just recall the White Feathered Eagle, can I..." Fang Yang lowered his eyes.

He turned and stared darkly at the Black Water Eagle before him, causing it to shudder.

...

The roar of the cannon brings a fortune in gold.

While Fang Yang was in seclusion on Luoyun Mountain, focusing on his cultivation, one young prodigy after another rushed to the front lines to temper themselves.

Some shone brightly in an instant, while others made a swift exit from the stage.

Overall, the situation remained the same: the Sen Yue army held the upper hand, advancing triumphantly.

But a world-shaking change was already upon them!

The sky grew dim.

Dark clouds gathered.

The monarch of the Minghai Race, "Minghai Difficult Crossing," finally made his move.

He struggled to activate a legendary Sacred Artifact, unleashing its divine might.

This Sacred Artifact had the appearance of a cyan vase.

In that instant, a brilliant Cyan Aura erupted across the sky, coalescing in the blink of an eye into a Dharma Aspect: an ancient, vigorous tree that blotted out the heavens!

The roots of this ancient tree pierced through heaven and earth, anchoring themselves in the void. Its countless branches trembled, sending leaves fluttering down like tens of thousands of divine spears of Cyan Aura, their power overwhelming.

Faced with the Sacred Artifact, even Dao Seed Level prodigies like Qingkong, Jiang Venerable Sword, Chen Kui, and Dongfang Mobai were unable to resist it head-on.

"I can’t accept this..." Li Yang was filled with unwillingness as he died.

He had never once managed to truly defeat Fang Yang, and now he was to perish alongside his comrades under the divine spears of Cyan Aura.

Li Yang, Cheng Ningjin...

Under such an assault, prodigies and powerful experts fell one after another.

Even Sen Sele, a disciple of the Sen family, was completely annihilated!

"No—"

Sen Seming’s face twisted in fury as a heart-wrenching scream tore from his throat.

He couldn’t accept that his clan brother, Sen Sele, had been obliterated into a bloody mist right before his eyes.

His heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a python, the pain growing until he could barely breathe.

’Why is this happening?’

Sen Seming didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand at all.

’Why would Minghai Difficult Crossing dare to use a Sacred Artifact? Wasn’t he afraid someone would steal it, that he’d lose it forever?’

’This is a Sacred Artifact we’re talking about.’

’A supreme treasure capable of turning cultivation partners against each other and making fathers and sons kill one another!’

Besides, one of the main reasons so many Saints were making their moves in the Xuan-Yu War was precisely for a Sacred Artifact!

Not to mention, in the current world, there were many Saints but few Sacred Artifacts.

A single Sacred Artifact could increase a Saint’s power by at least thirty percent and help them overcome all sorts of tribulations.

How many Saints coveted a Sacred Artifact but were unable to obtain one, still forced to fight their enemies with ordinary Elemental Artifacts?

Therefore, every single Sacred Artifact was exceedingly precious!

But no matter how terrified and uneasy Sen Seming felt, it had already happened.

「That day.」

The Sen Yue army was forced to halt its advance, having suffered devastating losses.

When the people in the rearguard heard the news, it was like a giant boulder had been thrown into a calm lake, creating a thousand-foot wave of shock and uproar!