Years passed, and the Oasis City Walls stood arrayed before the hundred domains, like reefs ceaselessly withstanding the onslaught of the gray fog tide.
Wear and tear were inevitable.
However, after the oases of various domains migrated within the city walls, the Oasis City Walls were not the limit; they still had room for improvement.
With Xin Huo's relentless efforts, most Great Oases had been promoted to Super Oases, and several Level Eight Oases, through concentrated resources and the gathering ritual of popularity, had advanced to Level Nine Oases.
And Level Nine Oases were already considered the cornerstone of the Oasis City Walls.
Furthermore, Xin Huo continued to fine-tune the positions of these major cornerstone oases, using them as nodes to construct rituals.
A ritual formed by nine cornerstone oases was located at the core;
A ritual formed by thirty-six cornerstone oases was fitted into the inner ring;
A ritual formed by one hundred and eight cornerstone oases was inlaid into the outer ring;
These three layers of inlay greatly enhanced the stability and defense of the Oasis City Walls!
When these rituals were fully activated, the giant waves of gray fog could no longer batter the city wall’s sky curtain, and the insidious filth that permeated everything dissolved under the radiant divine light.
"Xin Huo has prepared backup plans? We are saved!"
This was the cry of awakened experts, overcome with joy.
"The previous Oasis City Walls were not yet complete? Or perhaps, Xin Huo has made them even stronger over these past few years?"
Some ancient ones exclaimed in astonishment.
The sheer scale of constructing such a colossal ritual spanning a hundred domains, with oases as its foundation, was breathtaking.
However, the ancient one 'Myriad Phenomena Elder' possessed extraordinary insight. Unlike most arrogant and stubborn old fellows, he was willing to shed his pride and learn knowledge and techniques from humans and other races.
He was a master blacksmith, a master alchemist, a master of rituals… Over his long years, he had learned almost every technique. His abilities were not so great as to design and manufacture god-slaying weapons, but as a top professional in his field, Myriad Phenomena Elder could immediately spot the flaws in the Oasis City Walls at this moment.
"A legendary ritual covering a great city consumes a considerable amount of strange crystals and divine crystals when operating at full power."
"And now, this ritual created by Xin Huo, its grade is perhaps above the Demigod-Demons level. It indeed possesses infinite power, but how long can it be sustained?"
...
"Of course, it cannot be sustained for long."
At the front lines, within a Level Nine Oasis serving as headquarters, wisps of divine consciousness converged, transforming into the figures of presiding demigods, high-level beings, and ancient ones.
Upon hearing Fang You's words, they were momentarily stunned.
But that was the truth!
To maintain the operation of a ritual on the scale of a hundred domains, even if Xin Huo utilized over a dozen Infinite Boxes, it could only substitute a portion of the energy consumption.
Strange crystals and divine crystals—Xin Huo's inventory had always been scarce.
He spent money like water.
Resources only had meaning when spent and transformed into power.
Given the current situation, he estimated it could only last for a year, perhaps a year and a half.
Other factions were not wealthy either; they had already invested vast resources into weapon manufacturing and cultivating strong individuals over the years. Even if they provided strange crystals and divine crystals for free, it would at most extend the maintenance period to two and a half years.
Lingering for two and a half years? That was meaningless, of course.
Because his goal in building the Oasis City Walls was not to merely survive. He merely wanted to ensure that the rear area would not be annihilated with a mere glance from the evil gods while they dealt with them.
If humanity were wiped out and their homeland destroyed, what would be the point even if he could slay the evil gods?
"Our objective is to take the initiative."
"The situation is now clear: as long as the evil gods are not eliminated, ordinary beings like us will have no space to survive."
He said, his gaze sweeping across the powerful beings present.
Human high command, experts from the Myriad Beast Territory and the Elemental Court, and several invited ancient ones.
Xin Huo's ability to mobilize was limited to the Human Alliance. His influence extended to the Myriad Beast Territory, the Elemental Court, and a few ancient ones, but it was limited.
If they were not all in the same boat, so many high-level beings would not be present.
The powerful beings gathered here had all resolved to confront the evil gods, but many high-level ones still hesitated to take the offensive.
Perhaps, if they waited a little longer, the evil gods would destroy each other?
The ancient one 'Lady of the Moonlit Night' sneered, "Foolish. Do you still think we have a choice? The armies of the evil god faction are already heading towards the Oasis City Walls."
They could hesitate, but if the armies of the evil god faction broke through the Oasis City Walls, they would lose their last refuge.
Above the gray fog, the evil gods were still locked in combat.
So were the factions of the evil gods.
Crimson Moon vs. Eternal Night Nether Lord;
Twisted River vs. Gloomy Shadow;
However, the infighting among the evil god factions was chaotic, long ago obliterating great domains and spreading across hundreds and thousands of domains. To many servants and attendants of the evil gods, the Oasis City Walls, such a place of life, was an act of defiance.
They sought to eradicate it.
And the vile creatures, acting on instinct, continually assaulted it.
War had long since begun, and beings like humans could not remain uninvolved.
The ancient ones understood this as well. Even if some were arrogant and did not wish to obey human commands, they spontaneously headed to the front lines of the city walls to fight against the surging tide of vile creatures.
"Hmph, this venerable being fights only for itself. Humans, do not presume to command me."
The ancient one manifested its true form, towering ten thousand feet high. With a sweep of its claw, it crushed the approaching gray-black tide into oblivion.
This single strike annihilated tens of millions of vile creatures.
But the number of vile creatures was immense. With the awakening of the evil gods, these creatures became stronger, and their numbers increased by several hundredfold compared to before.
The defensive line of the Oasis City Walls was also extremely long. Even if the main defense was focused on the forward fortresses, there were dozens of battlefields.
The power of an ancient one was like a drop in the ocean.
The power of the ancient ones was also being constantly depleted.
"Activate the pre-buried attack rituals."
"All defensive structures open fire."
"All units, open fire at will."
"Strange Crystal Cannons, open fire at will."
With production maximized over several years, Xin Huo had long since made every front-line fortress as strong as iron.
Cannons capable of killing a Level Seven vile creature with a single shot numbered in the hundreds at each fortress.
There were even higher-grade weapons, the Law Weapons, qualified to kill High-Level vile creatures!
Against High-Level beings like attendants of evil gods, the effect of large-scale war machines was indeed inferior to ancient ones, but against the mindless and numerous vile creatures, energy weapons were king.
Under the saturation fire, the light of humanity illuminated everywhere!
Many ancient ones were dumbfounded.
Most of them were either recluses focused solely on cultivating power, or hedonists indulging in daily pleasures. They had never witnessed such terrifying saturation fire!
They prided themselves on being at the forefront of the Oasis City Walls and felt they could not hold on for long.
This continuous, fierce saturation fire had already annihilated more than one High-Level vile creature.
Of course, being intelligent beings, they did not foolishly charge into the destructive energy like the vile creatures.
But it was still shocking.
"The various weapons prepared by me, Xin Huo, are sufficient to deal with the tide of vile creatures. However, when the attendants of the evil gods make their move, it will require your esteemed selves to intercept them."
The Xin Huo Demigod in charge of commanding this sector spoke.
He was merely a demigod and was somewhat worried that the arrogant ancient ones might not heed him. He did not care how the ancient ones viewed him, but he feared delaying the battle. If the defense line were breached due to miscommunication, he would be a sinner for eternity!
"That is only natural. Leave the vile creatures to us, and the attendants of the evil gods to you. This is reasonable."
"Rest assured, young friend. As long as we are here, the attendants of the evil gods will not dare to take a single step beyond this line!"
Xin Huo Demigod: "???"
Were the ancient ones so amiable? Was the rumor wrong?
He scratched his head. Regardless, it was a good thing. As a disciple of the Grand Instructor, he did not care about these details. As long as communication was fine and the defense line could be held, that was all that mattered.
...
After a few waves of assault from the vile creature tide, the defenders of the Oasis City Walls soon welcomed the attack from the evil god faction.
Countless claws of the evil gods, hidden within the tide, sought to scale the Oasis City Walls.
More servants of the evil gods launched sneak attacks, aiming to destroy the terrifying war machines installed on the walls.
Attendants of the evil gods, too.
They were frenzied, fearless of death, constantly chanting praises, but they also understood tactics!
With the same strength, attendants of the evil gods were far more difficult to deal with than High-Level vile creatures, especially on such a battlefield.
The ancient ones acted as promised.
"The power of the attendants of the evil gods has grown stronger, as have the High-Level vile creatures."
"Is it the influence of the evil gods?"
"It is the influence of the evil gods! You who have stayed within the confines of the Oasis City Walls probably don't realize how harsh the environment outside is. If we were fighting outside, the power of the attendants of the evil gods would increase severalfold, while we would have to divide our attention to suppress the filth, unable to exert even three tenths of our strength.
"Outside, we wouldn't be able to fight at all. Fortunately, the Oasis City Walls have blocked the filth, creating conditions for us to fight!"
The battlefield environment still leaned towards the evil god faction, but the ancient ones could also enjoy the benefits of the ritual, and the overall gap was not significant.
At the beginning of the war, the ancient ones held a considerable advantage, even killing some attendants.
However, as time passed, the intensity of the siege faced by fortresses across various regions grew higher, even simultaneously facing fierce assaults from multiple evil god factions.
This was not because the evil god factions had cooperated.
They were still fighting each other, and their battles were even more brutal, but this did not prevent the attendants of the evil gods from targeting the Oasis City Walls, seeking to eradicate the last bastion of life in the entire universe.
"It's the Molten Volcano Divine Lord! He has been corrupted, and has already crossed into the Tenth Realm!"
An ancient one shouted and was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ritual's light curtain.
"Leave him to me."
A stronger ancient one intervened, blocking this great enemy.
It was the Lord of Myriad Whispers. Had he also entered the Tenth Realm? It was rumored that the Lord of Myriad Whispers was a disgrace to the ancient ones, having always worked for Xin Huo of humanity, but unexpectedly...
"That's right. I have cultivated diligently for many years and have finally reached the supreme realm."
The Lord of Myriad Whispers proclaimed triumphantly but soon his expression turned grim.
He had been too high-profile and naturally attracted attention. Two pseudo-Tenth Realm subordinates then attacked. The Lord of Myriad Whispers fought and retreated.
Simultaneously, more experts from the evil god faction appeared.
And they were faces quite familiar to the ancient ones.
"It's the Dragon Elephant Venerable!"
"The Thunder Divine Lord!"
"The Lord of White Mist!"
"The Tri-Phase Lord!"
The Tri-Phase Lord was the unified self of the Lord of Creation, the Lord of Destruction, and the Lord of Equilibrium—a being renowned within the ancient one circles.
However, this being had also been corrupted and had fallen under the dominion of the evil gods!
*Boom—*
The Lord of Earth, having regained its peak strength, was at a disadvantage from the very first exchange.
The Lord of Earth was also among the top tier of ancient ones, but after the Tri-Phase Lord's corruption, its power had grown by a notch.
"Is this the terror of the evil gods?"
"If believing in evil gods didn't mean losing one's self and dying in a spiritual sense, perhaps I too would be tempted."
"No, reinforcements, we need reinforcements!"
"But where are there any more reinforcements?"
Other fortresses were also facing dire situations.
The adjacent battlefield saw the Great Sun Divine Lord fighting two top-tier fallen ancient ones alone, barely managing to maintain the battle.
In another battlefield, the Lord of Stars was holding off over ten subordinates of the Tenth Realm, also with great difficulty.
Ancient ones were numerous, with dozens in a single battlefield.
Alas, the attendants of the evil gods were even more numerous!
They could only rely on their own strength to hold on.
"Where are the human powerhouses?"
"Humans excel at manufacturing war machines. In terms of personal power, humans need to cultivate and improve slowly from a minuscule realm, unlike us."
"However, humans do have top-tier powerhouses, like that Xin Huo leader."
Where was the Xin Huo leader?
"The Mentor is preparing means to deal with the evil gods and is indisposed from intervening."
In the command center, An Jianyou replied.
The ancient one whose divine consciousness had descended to seek reinforcements looked grim, but he clearly understood that if the Xin Huo Mentor had not appeared, he must be handling something of greater importance. Moreover, the Xin Huo Mentor alone could not change the tide of the battle.
He thought.
An Jianyou then said, "But we will intervene."
The Lord of Netherworld—An Jianyou—also had considerable renown among ancient ones.
There were also the Immortal Warlord and Burning Sky Flames, all powerful beings.
However, their numbers were too few.
"Yes, we Xin Huo powerhouses are not many, only a dozen or so. However, we will do our best to provide support. We hope you can hold on."
Battlefield Number Seven was the most dangerous of them all.
The Lord of Earth, facing the Tri-Phase Lord, was retreating steadily, and in the distance, over a dozen subordinates of the evil gods appeared.
The great waves of the Black River surged, bringing with them infinite despair.
"Reinforcements have arrived!"
The space rippled.
Several figures then appeared.
They were humans! Human powerhouses had arrived.
"Let's strike together and block the Tri-Phase Lord!" the Lord of Earth called out to a human powerhouse he recognized, the Lord of Netherworld, who was of considerable strength.
He stood firmly on the ground, manifesting his towering divine body of ten thousand feet.
But before him, three massive light wheels, one white, one black, and one yellow, lined up in a row. Within each light wheel, a mighty human figure resided.
The first one attacked, and the Lord of Earth's arm trembled.
The second one appeared, and the Lord of Earth could not stand steady, retreating hundreds of kilometers.
The third, however, abandoned the Lord of Earth and, with terrifying might, lunged towards the distant fortress.
"Trouble!"
A human stepped out.
One step, his divine body ten feet tall.
Two steps, his divine body a thousand feet tall.
Three steps, his divine body ten thousand feet tall!
The ten-thousand-foot divine body radiated dazzling divine radiance, as if a blazing sun resided within, emitting a fierce roar.
He strode forward, directly withstanding the killing blow, his arms closing to capture the Tri-Phase Lord, as if embracing a world.
*Boom—*
Divine blood splattered, and the space shattered into cracks hundreds of kilometers long. The blood-stained ten-thousand-foot giant did not retreat an inch, still firmly holding the opponent.
He showed no fear, grinning.
A petite figure simultaneously appeared above the massive body of the Tri-Phase Lord.
On her hand, a claw glove emanated faint dark red luster.
She suddenly swooped down.
The Tri-Phase Lord seemed to have sensed something, and the three light wheels around him pulsed with brilliance.
The white light of creation, the black light of destruction, the yellow light of equilibrium, each layered upon the other.
"Slaughter!"
"Demigod Blood Burn!"
"Weakness Creation!"
In her pupils, only a bloody world woven from strokes and lines remained.
At its center was the Tri-Phase Lord, encased in the triple light wheels.
The white light of creation shattered like glass!
The black light of destruction was extinguished like a candle flame!
The yellow light of equilibrium was also torn apart in an instant like fabric!
Crimson Yama pierced through!
From the three mighty giant figures, blood lines simultaneously spread, like a spiderweb.
Then...
They shattered with a bang!
Like a collapsing dam, filthy divine blood surged out, pouring down like a torrential rain in the sky, splashing onto the ancient ones who suddenly froze.
In their eyes, the world was reduced to a single figure.
A petite figure in dark red, standing amidst divine remains, bathed in divine blood.