The great dragon coiled and twisted, transforming into a colossal meat grinder. Within the formation, blood rained down and shattered corpses flew in every direction.
Gaps were opened "inadvertently" here and there, releasing demon armies from the Coiling Dragon Great Formation to be dealt with by the legions stationed in the rear.
Of the Star Realm's fifty-five armies, only half were operating the Coiling Dragon Great Formation. What was the other half doing? Naturally, they were positioned outside the formation, waiting to pounce the moment the enemy broke through—fierce, head-on attacks! This had long been planned by the forces at Seven Misty Sea.
Wave after wave of demon armies, varying in size, fled out from within the Coiling Dragon Great Formation. The pressure on the formation eased considerably, and the great dragon, which had been on the verge of collapse, gradually stabilized. The dragon and the numerous legions guarding the perimeter were slaughtering the invading demons in an extremely efficient and safe manner.
Strictly speaking, this was the first truly large-scale frontal clash between the Star Realm's forces and the invaders from the Demon Domain.
Twenty years ago, the passage between the two realms had opened for the first time, and the demons had invaded their homeland while everyone in the Star Realm was caught completely off guard. The major Sects in the Western Region, along with countless warriors, crumbled at first contact. Vast territories were lost. Although the Star Realm had rallied an effective counteroffensive with remarkable speed, they still struggled against the demons' soaring morale and were forced to retreat step by step. At the most critical juncture, the entire Western Region had nearly fallen. The Star Realm's armies had been driven all the way to the border between the Western and Southern Regions.
Had it not been for the Battle of Zhou Tian being of paramount importance—forcing all the Demon Saints to recall every Half-Saint back to the Demon Domain—the Star Realm would have had no chance to catch its breath. Later still, Yang Kai returned from the Demon Domain, sealed the inter-realm passage, and left the demons stranded on the Star Realm's side without reinforcement, where they were gradually devoured to the last.
Now, more than twenty years later, the passage between the two realms had opened once again, and the demon armies swarmed through.
Though the Star Realm was not yet fully prepared, it was far from the utter defenselessness of that first invasion. Fifty-five armies had assembled here, committing nearly half the Star Realm's total strength, to collide and clash with the forces from another world.
The demons suffered devastating casualties and were badly beaten. Although a steady stream of reinforcements still poured out of that black hole to replenish their losses, it could not conceal the truth of the demons' decline.
Bolstered by the dual enhancements of Life Chains and Bloodlust, every warrior wielded power far exceeding their normal limits. The great dragon continued to coil around the inter-realm passage, and each revolution ground countless demons into dust. Whenever Li Wuyi sensed the formation approaching its limits, he would order his personal guard to wave their flags, opening gaps to relieve the pressure.
The Star Realm's armies, at this moment, were tightly interconnected, functioning as a single organism, methodically slaughtering the demon-tainted aliens.
The situation looked excellent. If the battle could continue like this, no matter how many demons came through the passage, the end result would be their total annihilation.
Inside the great formation, every warrior had fought themselves into a frenzy, their eyes glazed red with bloodlust, their expressions radiating an otherworldly excitement.
Yet Li Wuyi felt a vague stirring of unease. The demons were not fools—how could they continue fighting so fearlessly despite knowing how badly things had gone? They were fierce and fearless, certainly, but they would not throw themselves away in meaningless sacrifices.
Moreover, this time it was the Demon Domain that had initiated the opening of the inter-realm passage. Ten Demon Saints had descended upon the Star Realm. There was surely some ulterior motive behind it all.
But Li Wuyi could not fathom what the Demon Saints were truly scheming. Their conspiracy was something only the Great Emperors could hope to thwart. On this battlefield, his only course was to lead the armies, slay as many enemies as possible, and annihilate as many demons as he could—to lay a solid foundation for victory in the war between the two realms.
He shook his head, casting the stray thoughts from his mind. Li Wuyi's heart settled into perfect stillness. Within the great formation, he orchestrated the grand scheme.
To the southeast of the inter-realm passage, at the position defended by the Jiazi Army, over three hundred thousand soldiers stood in immaculate formation, their morale blazing, fists clenched and ready, awaiting orders with solemn anticipation.
Yao Si commanded the central army. Eagle Guard scouts arrived in constant succession, reporting the latest battlefield conditions and allowing him to maintain a real-time picture of the situation.
Learning that the Star Realm held an overwhelming advantage, Yao Si was delighted—though also somewhat surprised. Unlike Yang Kai, who had barely participated in the first war between the two realms, Yao Si had fought the demons for years on end. He knew firsthand how tenacious and vicious they could be. He had expected a grueling war, yet here they stood with their side firmly in the ascendant. Just like Li Wuyi's unease, Yao Si too had caught a whiff of conspiracy—but if even Li Wuyi couldn't spot the flaw, how was Yao Si supposed to figure it out?
As he frowned in thought, a personal guard came to report: "Sir, Xi Lei, Commander of Fire Bull Town, requests an audience!"
Military discipline was strict. Especially now, with Yang Kai absent and Yao Si in command of the Jiazi Army, and with the war between the two realms freshly underway—even Xi Lei had to go through proper channels to see him. Had Yang Kai been here, Xi Lei would have simply walked straight in without all this formality.
At the news, Yao Si furrowed his brow. He couldn't imagine why Xi Lei would leave his own post at Fire Bull Town to come here instead. Fearing it might be something urgent, he nodded: "Let him in."
The guard acknowledged and withdrew.
Moments later, Xi Lei strode in with the bearing of a dragon and the gait of a tiger. He cupped his fist and bowed: "Greetings, Sir."
Yao Si nodded. "What is it?"
Xi Lei smacked his lips, flashed an ingratiating grin, and rubbed his hands together: "Sir, the thing is—I've been hearing from the lads that the other armies are going wild out there. I just wanted to come ask when we get to join the fight. Sitting around here doing nothing isn't doing anyone any good." He snapped back to attention and saluted formally: "As for the Jiazi Army's inaugural battle—my Fire Bull Town is willing to serve as the vanguard. We'll show everyone what the Jiazi Army is made of!"