"Where are the dogs? I'm going to slaughter a few today. I want dog meat for dinner,"
"One thing's for sure—from now on, dog meat is a staple in my diet. Dogs are my sworn enemies, the race I hate the most," roared an ogre with a twisted grin. His expression was filled with utter hatred, as if he were talking about a blood feud.
His ferocity was unmatched.
He looked as if he would devour every dog in the world on sight.
"That green mutt, so bizarre-looking, came with the humans. It's obviously a ploy by the humans to humiliate us after we denied them entry. They left that disgusting beast behind on purpose. How insidious and vicious!"
Some among the other races remembered clearly that the Green Emperor had arrived with Yi Tianxing and his group.
And when they left, they conveniently left the Green Emperor behind.
To anyone with eyes, it was clearly intentional.
Just thinking about it made them grind their teeth in hatred. If the human army were still outside, many of the alien races would probably have charged out in rage and started a war right then and there.
At this point, no one in the city wanted to lay eyes on the Green Emperor again. It was like seeing a devil. A nightmare.
Achoo!!
Suddenly, a loud, abrupt sneeze echoed across Rock City. It thundered through the air like muffled lightning. And that sneeze was only the beginning—more followed in rapid succession, booming across the sky like claps of thunder.
"What's going on? Isn't that one of the winged warriors from earlier? How could he be sneezing like this? At their level of cultivation, bodily control is absolute. A sneeze shouldn't even be possible!"
"Something's wrong. These sneezes aren't stopping…"
Several alien cultivators quickly noticed that the sneezes came from the same winged race powerhouse who had attacked earlier.
Which made the situation even more bizarre—sneezing was unheard of among high-level cultivators.
…
Meanwhile, Yi Tianxing and the others remained unaffected.
Once the decision was made, they immediately selected a location near the Evergreen River to build a city.
Twenty thousand soldiers grabbed massive buckets and fetched water from the river, carrying the full buckets to an open plot of land.
"Pour it!"
With a unified command, the buckets tipped over in unison. The water didn't scatter but was restrained by true energy, forming into a giant block—like a massive brick of water.
"Freeze!"
As soon as the shape was set, a Frost Talisman was activated. It turned into a stream of light and drilled into the water. In the blink of an eye, frigid cold burst forth and froze the water solid. A huge ice brick formed instantly—hard as steel—and emitted intense cold energy. Even cultivators could feel the chill.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Brick after brick was produced and stacked. The city walls rose visibly by the second. With over ten thousand soldiers working together, the city was being built at astounding speed.
Soon, towering walls appeared in every direction.
Unlike typical cities that had four walls, this Ice City was built with eight connected walls, forming the pattern of an eight-trigram array. Together, they created a strange and unique structure.
Each wall was nine zhang high—not particularly tall—and the area covered was about three li in diameter. It wasn't large, but perfectly suited to house the 20,000 soldiers.
The ground inside the city was also doused with river water, which was then frozen into a crystal-clear sheet of ice. It was not only solid, but also seamless and smooth—perfectly crafted.
No buildings were constructed inside. It was never meant for living—it was a temporary fortress, a place to rest in tents, not homes.
The outer walls were doused with more river water, freezing the gaps between ice bricks and fusing everything together. No seams remained—it became a single, impenetrable body.
In just a few hours, the Ice City was complete.
It had eight walls and eight gates, each inscribed with ancient glyphs bearing a unique name:
Kai (Open Gate)
Xiu (Rest Gate)
Sheng (Life Gate)
Shang (Injury Gate)
Du (Obstruction Gate)
Jing (Scenery Gate)
Jing (Shock Gate)
Si (Death Gate)
These were the Eight Gates of the Qimen Dunjia.
New concept introduced: Eight Gates of Qimen Dunjia (奇门遁甲)Derived from ancient Chinese metaphysics, these gates correspond to directions in the I Ching, used to determine fortune and misfortune, yin and yang. Each gate influences the flow of qi and battle formations.
Subtly, the entire Ice City had become a mystical Qimen formation.
It stood firm amid the heavens and earth, drawing in threads of natural spiritual energy.
"By using the Eight Gates and selecting this site through Qimen Dunjia, the entire Ice City has become a formation unto itself. Combine that with the Eight Gates Locking Gold Formation, and the city's defense power skyrockets. If we integrate the formation diagram fully into the city, it could become a supreme killing array," Jia Xu explained with confidence.
New technique introduced: Eight Gates Locking Gold Formation (八门锁金阵)
A legendary military formation that dramatically amplifies strength and suppresses enemies. When integrated with terrain or a fortress, its power multiplies.
"With the Ice City as our fortress and the array to back it, even a force ten times our size would struggle to breach our defenses. This place could become a graveyard—a pit of death that devours life," he added.
Having served as a military strategist, Jia Xu was intimately familiar with the army's capabilities. He had personally studied the Eight Gates Locking Gold Formation, which was one of Xuanhuang City's trump cards.
He had once seen it tested against an elite force ten times larger, and within minutes, that superior force had collapsed—without even realizing how they lost.
And that was in open battle.
Now, with the city's walls as an additional layer of defense, its power was far greater.
"Who cares if no other races help us? Even alone, the human race will carve out its glory. Let them see—we are not to be trifled with," Yi Tianxing said with quiet conviction as he gazed at the completed city.
This insect disaster would be a stage for the rise of the human race.
"Milord, the city is complete. What are your orders?" asked Wang Dahu, arriving promptly.
Though the city appeared empty, it was more than enough. It was not a home—it was a fortress. A bulwark against the insect tide.
"Milord, though the insect tide isn't here yet, and we're waiting, one of our goals here was to establish contact with the other races. Even though we were turned away at Rock City, not all races are hostile. And there's one thing—one universal truth—that no one can resist," Jia Xu said, his eyes glinting with cunning.
Yi Tianxing smiled, already guessing. "You mean… profit?"
"Exactly," Jia Xu replied smoothly. "Profit is irresistible. Even enemies can become partners if enough is on the table. We don't need to ally with other races. But we can definitely trade with them."
Yi Tianxing nodded. "You're thinking of a market of races—mutual trade for rare items and mutual benefit."
"Correct. The alien races have abundant resources. But in terms of skill—pill refinement, equipment crafting, runes, or formations—the human race excels above all. Many techniques we possess are things they lack entirely."
"For example, if someone swallows a raw herb, only half the effect takes root. But if we refine it into a pill, the effect could be multiplied tenfold."
"All of this is Xuanhuang City's advantage."
If they could open up an inter-racial trade market, Xuanhuang City would thrive. Many items could only be crafted by humans. The profit margins would be immense—and entirely under their control.
Even currency would be handled using Eternal Coins, offering endless opportunities for manipulation.