Chapter 367: My Strategy of 'Driving Tigers to Devour Wolves', Are You All Satisfied?
Upon hearing this, Hu Liena was both shocked and enraged. She had no idea what the Slaughter King was talking about. It seemed she had just barely escaped Hell Road alive, only to be inexplicably accused of such a crime!
"Teacher, I didn't! I don't know what he's talking about at all!" Hu Liena urgently explained to Bibi Dong, "What poison? What contaminating the bloodline? I just came out of Slaughter City, barely surviving, how could I have the presence of mind to do something like poisoning?! You're slandering me!"
Her words were the truth.
But to the Slaughter King, it was nothing short of adding fuel to the fire, a cunning denial!
"Still daring to argue?!" The bloody light in the Slaughter King's eyes almost burst forth, his voice distorted by extreme fury, saying, "The scent of that poison is clearly from the same source as the lingering smell on your body! This King followed that scent all the way here! You have already obtained the Slaughter God Domain, yet you left behind such insidious means to destroy my Foundation and slaughter my people. Now you still dare to deny it?!"
The Slaughter King seemed to give Hu Liena no chance to explain further.
Or rather, he had already concluded that Hu Liena was the one who did the poisoning!
"Since you refuse to hand over the antidote, then pay with your life!"
With a fierce roar, the Slaughter King's scarlet cape behind him suddenly billowed. He no longer entangled himself with Bibi Dong's Aura, his figure transforming into an extremely fast dark-red afterimage, instantly bypassing Bibi Dong from the front and lunging directly at Hu Liena behind her!
The next second, a pale, sharp claw, covered in viscous bloody light and seemingly capable of tearing apart the Soul, swept towards Hu Liena's face with a piercing shriek!
Before the claw wind even arrived, the terrifying pressure it contained had already caused Hu Liena's breathing to stop, as if her entire Soul was about to be frozen and torn apart!
"How dare you!"
An icy roar, like a clap of thunder, suddenly erupted!
Just as the Slaughter King's blood claw was about to touch Hu Liena, a purplish-black evil light barrier, like a death flower blooming instantly, suddenly appeared in front of Hu Liena!
"Boom—!!!"
The blood claw slammed fiercely onto the purplish-black barrier, emitting a deafening explosion!
Violent energy ripples burst forth in a ring, distorting the surrounding space, and the already ravaged ground of the large camp below was ploughed into a deep gully by the aftershock!
At this moment, Bibi Dong's figure had already appeared like a ghost, blocking in front of Hu Liena.
The scepter in her hand, inlaid with a huge purple gem, steadily resisted the Slaughter King's blood claw! The purplish-black light of the gem at the scepter's tip flowed, emitting an evil Aura that seemed to devour all vitality and light, fiercely clashing with the bloody light on the Slaughter King's claw!
"Slaughter King! My Disciple is not for you to dictate! If you want to fight, I will accompany you to the end!" Bibi Dong's blood-red eyes spun wildly with purplish-black vortices as she coldly roared.
No sooner had her voice fallen than the scepter in her hand suddenly vibrated!
Immediately, the purplish-black gem at the scepter's tip suddenly erupted with a dazzling light, followed by countless distorted, wailing, Soul phantoms filled with endless resentment and pain, surging out like a breached dam, overwhelming the nearby Slaughter King!
These vengeful Souls were not corporeal, yet they struck directly at the Soul, able to stir the darkest negative emotions deep within the target's heart, eroding their spirit and gnawing at their Soul Power!
"Spirit Hall, don't think I'm really afraid of you!"
Seeing this, a hint of solemnity flashed in the Slaughter King's blood-red eyes, but more so, he was enraged by the provocation. He snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, as the dark-red light of his Slaughter Domain suddenly converged and solidified around him, as if plating his body with an armor of blood crystals!
The next second, the torrent of vengeful Souls crashed against the blood-crystal armor, emitting a grating sizzling sound, like hot oil splashing on snow. A large number of vengeful Souls shrieked and dissipated upon contact, forcibly purified and annihilated by the pure Killing Intent and blood Qi!
However, some tenacious vengeful Souls caused the blood-crystal armor's light to fluctuate slightly.
Seizing this opportunity, the Slaughter King's free left hand clenched into a fist and slammed towards Bibi Dong's chest. A phantom of a dark-red demonic sword flashed across the fist's edge.
"Presumptuous! This is not Slaughter City!"
With an angry shout, Bibi Dong's right hand's five fingers curled like hooks. Purplish-black Rakshasa Divine Power condensed into five purplish-black fingernails with evil runes flowing along their edges, meeting the incoming fist without yielding!
"Clang—!!!"
Fist and claw met, producing a colossal clang like metal striking metal!
Purplish-black evil power and dark-red Killing Intent clashed and exploded wildly, forming a transient energy annihilation sphere that simultaneously forced both back several steps!
In the first round, Bibi Dong and the Slaughter King were evenly matched!
But this was only the beginning!
After the Slaughter King stabilized his figure, the bloody light in his eyes intensified. He no longer held back, his hands grasping an empty space, and the dark-red demonic sword that had been hidden beneath his cape finally revealed itself completely!
This sword was over ten feet long, entirely dark-red like solidified blood, and immediately caused the Killing Intent of the entire battlefield to surge several times over, even making Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Divine Power feel a slight suppression!
"To be able to take a punch from this King, you are stronger than those wastes! But that's all!" With a cold sneer, the Slaughter King held the sword with both hands, raising it above his head. The entire dark-red sky seemed to droop with it, and endless Killing Intent and blood Qi furiously converged onto the sword body!
"Blood Prison Sky Butcher!"
The next second, the dark-red demonic sword slashed down ferociously. There were no fancy sword moves, only a torrent of dark-red Sword Qi that spanned the heavens and earth, as if splitting the night sky in half!
Wherever the Sword Qi passed, space groaned under the unbearable pressure, leaving behind persistent black cracks. The ground below was ploughed into a terrifying, bottomless chasm by the invisible sword pressure, and countless surviving tents, soldiers, and even Soul Masters were silently annihilated in the Sword Qi's aftershocks!
Meanwhile, atop the Iron Wall Pass, which had been ravaged by war but was now unusually silent.
Dugu Bo, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and Marshal Ge Long, who had just returned from inspecting various parts of the defense line, were all drawn by the astonishing sight in the northwestern night sky and gathered here.
Even tens of miles away, the terrifying energy fluctuations, interwoven with dark-red and purplish-black, tearing the night sky and shaking the earth, were still clearly perceptible!
A dull rumble, like rolling thunder, faintly drifted over.
Even here, it made people's hearts pound.
In the night sky, destructive light spheres occasionally erupted, briefly illuminating half the sky, while Soul-shaking evil pressure spread like a tide, making even the weaker cultivators among the city's defenders feel breathless and weak in the knees.
"Is that... the direction of the Spirit Empire's main camp?"
Marshal Ge Long gripped his sword hilt, his face extremely grave, pointing at the sky shrouded in bizarre light. As a military man, his perception of energy was not as keen as a Titled Douluo's, but such destructive commotion could never be caused by regular sieges or drills.
"No doubt about it."
Nodding, Dugu Bo's emerald pupils narrowed into slits. He stared fixedly into the distance, his voice filled with surprise and doubt: "What terrifying evil Auras! One is filled with bloodthirst and pure Killing Intent, the other is cold and venomous, with a desire to devour everything."
"The cultivation of the combatants... is extremely high!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze like a sword, seemingly able to pierce through the distance, saying:
"One of the Auras is from the same source as Empress Bibi Dong, who appeared during the previous siege, but it's more violent and profound. The other... is unheard of, but its Killing Intent has completely solidified. Neither of these can be compared to an ordinary Titled Douluo."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong's face was grim, and the space around him subtly fluctuated as he wondered, "Are they infighting? Or... has a third party attacked the Spirit Empire's main camp?"
Ning Fengzhi held the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, its body constantly flickering with flowing light, seemingly trying its best to analyze the energy aftershocks from afar. He frowned deeply and said:
"It doesn't look like infighting. That Killing Intent is vastly different in attribute from Bibi Dong's evil power, and it's full of hostility. It's more like... two different forces, both reaching some extreme, are fighting to the death. Moreover, judging by the commotion, this is definitely not a test, but a true life-and-death struggle!"
This judgment sent a shock through everyone on the city wall.
What kind of existence could force the Spirit Empire Empress Bibi Dong to personally take action and cause such earth-shattering commotion? And what kind of existence possessed such terrifying Killing Intent?
"Marshal! Sect Master Ning! Seniors!"
Just then, a young general in armor, unable to restrain himself, stepped forward, his face filled with excitement and eagerness, saying:
"This is a heaven-sent opportunity! Regardless of who is fighting, the Spirit Empire's main camp must be in extreme chaos and lightly defended at this moment! This humble general is willing to lead an elite cavalry unit to launch a night raid, directly penetrating their camp's hinterland. Even if we can't defeat them in one fell swoop, we can burn their grain, destroy their military equipment, and severely cripple their morale!"
"No!" Another older, more cautious Vice Commander (Vice General) immediately objected. His face was tense as he sternly said, "The situation is unclear. How do we know this isn't a trap set by Spirit Hall? They might be deliberately creating such a commotion to lure us out of the pass to pursue, then ambush us with heavy troops and annihilate us in one go!"
"Don't forget, that woman Bibi Dong is full of schemes, and her methods are impossible to guard against! We've finally stabilized our defense line; rashly attacking would be too risky!"
"Vice-General Wang, you are mistaken!" The young general retorted, "Such a large-scale energy collision cannot be faked! If it were a trap, the cost would be far too great! Look, the night sky is torn apart, and the camp below is ablaze. How much would they lose?"
"If it truly is a third-party attack, wouldn't we be missing a great opportunity by standing by? What if the attackers are defeated, and the Spirit Empire recovers? Tomorrow's offensive will only be more ferocious!"
"General Li is being too adventurous! Our forces are already at a disadvantage, and the Iron Wall Pass is our Foundation! If we fight recklessly outside the pass and suffer a loss, the pass will be in danger! Who will be responsible then?" Vice-General Wang refused to yield.
"A military opportunity is fleeting! As soldiers, how can we be timid and hesitant!"
"That's reckless bravery, disregarding the safety of the entire army!"
The two generals grew more and more agitated, arguing on the city wall, their voices gradually rising.
The surrounding soldiers exchanged glances; some felt General Li was right and eagerly rubbed their fists.
Others thought Vice-General Wang's considerations were thorough and nodded secretly.
"Enough!" Marshal Ge Long roared in a deep voice, interrupting the argument.
At this moment, his face was ashen, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the distant, apocalyptic battle scene and his two subordinates, his heart also in a fierce struggle.
As a commander, Marshal Ge Long deeply understood the importance of military opportunities and the bottom line of steadfastly defending the pass. This sudden turn of events plunged him into a difficult choice.
The next second, he looked at Ning Fengzhi and the three Titled Douluo beside him: "Sect Master Ning, three Seniors, what do you think? Is this... a trap, or a real opportunity?"
Dugu Bo, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong also looked at Ning Fengzhi.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi fell silent for a moment. He looked at the distant, still ongoing, and even more intense energy collision, then at the arguing generals beside him and the soldiers below, who were ready for battle but equally bewildered. He slowly began to speak:
"The possibility of it being a trap cannot be completely ruled out. But a performance of this scale would come at an unimaginable cost, and Bibi Dong doesn't seem to need to lure us out of the pass this way; she already has a greater certainty of forcefully taking Iron Wall Pass."
"I think the possibility of a third-party attack is... higher. And the strength of this third party is probably stronger than we can imagine, perhaps even... not weaker than Bibi Dong."
"But no matter what the truth is, one thing is certain—at this moment, the Spirit Empire's main camp absolutely cannot maintain its normal defense and command system."
"My suggestion is not to fight recklessly outside the pass, but we can take advantage of the chaos for limited harassment."
At this point, he suddenly looked at Marshal Ge Long, "Marshal can immediately select several hundred of the most elite Soul Masters and cavalry mixed teams, skilled in stealth and speed, led by generals familiar with the terrain. Instead of directly assaulting the main camp, they should outflank it from the sides, specifically attacking its perimeter patrols, supply lines, and scattered camps, burning any grain and supplies they see, to create greater chaos and panic. Strike and retreat, never lingering in battle, and certainly not delving into the core combat zone."
"At the same time, the entire army of Iron Wall Pass must enter the highest state of alert, strictly guarding against the Spirit Empire acting desperately, or either of the warring parties suddenly turning to attack us. Send out all aerial reconnaissance Soul Masters to observe closely, but maintain a safe distance, and be sure to gather more information about the combatants!"
"This way, we can seize the opportunity to strike the enemy, amplify their chaos, and minimize our risks. We can advance or retreat as needed."
Ning Fengzhi's plan balanced aggression and conservatism, appearing more stable and feasible.
Upon hearing this, Marshal Ge Long's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded:
"It shall be as Sect Master Ning says! General Li, Vice-General Wang, you two immediately select your personnel. General Li will lead the harassment mission, remember Sect Master Ning's instructions: strike and retreat! Vice-General Wang, you are responsible for strengthening the defenses of the four gates and various passes of the Iron Wall Pass; there must be no mistakes!"
"This humble general accepts the order!"
Although the two generals still had differences, the military order had been issued. They immediately cupped their fists in acknowledgment and hurried away.
Just as Marshal Ge Long finished issuing his orders, and everyone on the city wall watched the terrifying, seemingly world-ending battle in the distance with various thoughts, a faint blue stream of light silently appeared in mid-air in front of the Iron Wall Pass city wall, as if precipitating from the night, without any warning, only about a hundred meters from the city wall.
The stream of light receded, revealing a tall and slender figure in a blue robe.
"It's not a trap; it's a scheme I set up to make that old fellow Tang Chen and Bibi Dong... fight each other like dogs. We can hold off for now, and when they are both severely injured, we can step in to clean up the mess. Are you all satisfied with my 'Driving Tigers to Devour Wolves' strategy?"
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