"Roar—"
The Dragon swung its tail. Somehow, a Class 9 Disintegrating Cannon—the very one that had displayed such great might earlier—appeared in its maw. Firing a shot directly at Dai Hao's position, the dark green beam seemed to pierce through the void itself.
At such close range, Dai Hao found it difficult to evade.
However, having long equipped himself with quite a few soul tools, he naturally wasn't lacking in defensive measures. A flash of golden light swept past as an Invincible Barrier shielded his White Tiger True Body, holding firm until the attack dissipated.
Shattered Star Douluo (Suixing) and Xuanji Douluo naturally wouldn't let slip this window of vulnerability in Xu Tianyuan's defenses. The Xuanji Umbrella circulating above shed rays of flowing color; as they fell upon his Tyrant Dragon True Body, Xu Tianyuan was actually pulled upward into a hover, and his massive body rapidly shrank.
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Xu Tianyuan struggled violently.
However, Shattered Star Douluo pressed his palms downward.
The light of shattered stars that filled the sky rained down, passing straight through Xu Tianyuan's Tyrant Dragon True Body. Yet, in the next second, it abruptly changed direction, converging directly beneath the True Body.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
The resulting explosions and attacks constantly pushed Xu Tianyuan's Tyrant Dragon True Body upward, simultaneously weakening his struggles. It became a scenario where one pulled from above while the other pushed from below, leaving Xu Tianyuan completely overwhelmed. It looked as though his doom was imminent.
"Roar—"
A tragic dragon roar echoed. "Where are the reinforcements?! Where!?"
Four Titled Douluo!
They had led their army across the Ming Dou Mountains straight to the rear, yet not a single person in their Sun Moon Army had noticed this.
How was that possible!?
And what about their alarms!?
Ring, ring, ring...
Where the hell did they ring off to!!!
Up until this moment, the valley's alarms hadn't sounded at all.
At this moment, Xu Tianyuan realized that there was absolutely a Star Luo mole within their Sun Moon Army, and their position was definitely not low.
This wasn't him making excuses. Everything happening right now would be absolutely impossible to achieve without the help of an insider.
Currently, the battle in the valley had reached a fever pitch.
The Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Group, alongside the various soul master factions led by Bai Sheng, clashed with the Star Luo Empire's soul master and soul engineer squads, directly forming a miniature meat-grinder of a battlefield. Even the ordinary soldiers were fighting with no less brutality.
The two armies were locked in a chaotic melee, making it hard to tell friend from foe. Martial souls clashed, sending flesh and blood flying; soul tools roared in unison, accompanied by the wails of soldiers.
Dai Yueheng, serving as his father's personal guard commander this time, led the White Tiger Guards in a rampant charge through the Sun Moon Army. Wielding the Class 8 soul tool, the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber, he swept through the enemy as if entering an uninhabited realm.
The only ones capable of blocking him were Class 8 Soul Engineers.
"Hold the line!"
A vice-commander of the valley garrison, who was also a Class 8 Soul Engineer, roared himself hoarse. Seeing the Star Luo Empire's forces encircling them, his attacks became even more frantic.
It was precisely this shout that allowed Dai Yueheng to instantly lock onto him.
"Roar—"
A tiger's roar howled out!
"Buzz—, Buzz—"
As purple and black soul rings flashed in succession...
White Tiger Vajra Transformation!
White Tiger Demon God Transformation!
Dai Yueheng's aura surged instantly. Taking the lead, he slashed his blade horizontally, killing all the Sun Moon Empire soldiers blocking his path. With just one man and one blade, he was like a blood-soaked war god.
Just like that, he carved his way right in front of that Class 8 Soul Engineer. Raising the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber high, he brought down a vicious slash!
Seeing this, the Class 8 Soul Engineer also swung his blade to meet the strike.
Clang—
Accompanied by the ringing clash of metal, the advantage of a primary martial soul practitioner augmented by soul tools was fully revealed at this moment. Dai Yueheng, who originally possessed a top-tier assault-type White Tiger martial soul, easily overpowered the Class 8 Soul Engineer after pairing it with his Class 8 soul tool.
"Ah—"
The Class 8 Soul Engineer's eyes widened in fury and despair.
Just as he fought back with all his might, "Roar—"
Dai Yueheng let out another tiger's roar. Accompanied by a dazzling white-gold radiance and a streak of black light, Dai Yueheng's figure instantly expanded; he had clearly activated his Martial Soul True Body.
Gripping the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber in his jaws, he swiped down with a claw!
Rays of light instantly illuminated the Class 8 Soul Engineer as the defensive soul tools on his body were triggered passively, barely blocking the strike.
While the two sides in this sector of the battlefield were locked in fierce combat, the battle on Xu Tianyuan's side was clearly on the verge of reaching its conclusion.
Under the combined assault of three Titled Douluo, no matter what methods the commander of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Group possessed, he could not escape his fate of defeat and death.
Facing the sharp claw swung by Dai Hao, who was still in his White Tiger True Body state, it seemed Xu Tianyuan could only brace his neck for the slaughter...
"If I'm going to die, none of you are going to have it easy either!"
Xu Tianyuan was already driven to madness. An intense feeling of impending doom instantly surged in the hearts of Dai Hao and the other two.
"Defend! Fall back!"
Shattered Star Douluo directly activated his Martial Soul True Body. Under his strongest amplification, the power of shattered stars surged and its light shone, constructing the strongest defensive measure he could muster. Dai Hao and Xuanji Douluo did the exact same.
Furthermore, defensive soul tools were constantly thrown out, completely enveloping Xu Tianyuan's surroundings and forming an absolute blockade.
Immediately after, rays of light ignited across Xu Tianyuan's Tyrant Dragon True Body. The next moment, terrifying high temperatures instantly skyrocketed across this sector of the battlefield, followed by a earth-shattering explosion!
Boom—
A mushroom cloud billowed up from the valley.
But almost immediately after, a second mushroom cloud rose into the air.
This second cloud was not the work of anyone else; it was Xu Tianya, who had been trapped in Bai Sheng's Sky Star Furnace and had his flames constantly siphoned to burn the Sun Moon Army's rations. He had made his choice.
Rather than being trapped in someone else's martial soul and becoming an accomplice, it was better to self-detonate along with a Class 8 Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonball, damaging his captor and giving Qiu Yu a chance to catch his breath.
Although Xu Tianya did exactly that, and things indeed developed as he had hoped—damaging Bai Sheng's martial soul, causing a significant backlash, and giving Qiu Yu a moment of respite—
However—
Bai Sheng was a defense-type Super Douluo. Even with his martial soul damaged, he could completely withstand it. On the contrary, Xu Tianya's action completely freed Bai Sheng from holding back, as he no longer needed to divide his attention to set fires.
Thus, he summoned his own soul spirit to temporarily repair his damaged martial soul. Following that, he used the Sky Star Furnace as a hammer and viciously smashed it toward the Class 9 Soul Engineer, Qiu Yu.
...
Meanwhile, although the valley was embroiled in a blazing battle, the Sun Moon camp—rendered blind and deaf by the mole Jing Hongchen—remained completely oblivious to what was happening.
It wasn't until two mushroom clouds billowed up from the valley that the massive commotion finally alerted the Sun Moon camp.
Without waiting for a sentry's report, Ye Yulin and a host of powerhouses and generals woke from their sleep, immediately donned their armor, and rushed out of their tents.
Looking from afar to the due south, though nothing could be seen at present, the soul tools in the camp had detected the disturbance.
Disregarding everything else, Ye Yulin urgently summoned everyone to assemble.
"What the hell is going on!?"
"Why aren't we receiving the valley's alarms!?"
"Why did our personnel detect nothing about how many, or which, Titled Douluo the Star Luo Empire dispatched!?"
Ye Yulin was furious, but the matter could only be set aside for now; the most important thing was to discuss dispatching troops for a rescue.
However, they first needed to know exactly which Titled Douluo had gone to raid the valley, so they could determine how to conduct the rescue.
Among the crowd, Jing Hongchen concealed the glint in his eyes.
Earlier, he had already lifted all his shielding measures, allowing the Sun Moon camp's soul tools to operate normally. Therefore, it was quickly analyzed who exactly had attacked the valley.
Thus, when some of the generals heard that Dai Hao had personally led troops to raid the valley camp, they eagerly volunteered: "We, your generals, are willing to lead our troops to reinforce the valley and capture the raiders!"
That was Dai Hao!
The dignified Marshal of the Star Luo Empire.
If they could capture Dai Hao alive or kill him, the merit would be unprecedented; astronomical rewards and titles of nobility were an absolute certainty.
Furthermore, the valley was a crucial location for hoarding rations. If they didn't send troops to lift the siege, and the rations were destroyed, they would be doomed—unless they could completely wipe out the Star Luo army tonight.
Consequently, four Class 9 Soul Engineers cupped their fists together and said, "We are willing to lead the troops together. We can certainly relieve the valley's crisis! At the same time, we will capture Dai Hao to comfort the spirits of our fallen soldiers in heaven."
Ye Yulin naturally wouldn't refuse.
Firstly, the rations were indeed of paramount importance; secondly, Dai Hao was in the valley. Capturing him would deal a massive blow to the Sun Moon Empire, no less than a great victory in the war itself.
Therefore, just as Ye Yulin agreed and was about to let the four lead troops to relieve the valley, Jing Hongchen shook his head from the side and said, "If we do this, we'll fall completely into their rhythm."
As soon as these words were spoken, they drew a lot of agreement.
"True."
"Exactly."
"..."
There were quite a few generals who shared Jing Hongchen's perspective, and his next words swayed the others even more.
"In my view, since Dai Hao personally led troops to raid the valley for rations, and they also have the Star Luo Empire's Xuanji Douluo and Shattered Star Douluo, plus the Super Douluo reinforced by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, along with quite a few elite troops mobilized under their command, their Star Luo camp must be weaker than ours right now. Even their high-end combat power will be more depleted."
"The benefits of sending troops to save the valley and capture Dai Hao are indeed substantial. But don't forget, the military supervisor of the Star Luo camp is the Star Luo Empire's princess—Xu Jiujiu. She is the most beloved younger sister of the Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei, and also the most talented member of the Star Luo royal family."
"Once we capture her, it will be even more advantageous than capturing Dai Hao. Moreover, if we dispatch troops to strike the Star Luo camp first and capture Xu Jiujiu, Dai Hao will definitely turn his army around to rescue her once he finds out. After all, given his status at that point, would he dare not to return and rescue her?"
This was undoubtedly the stratagem of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao.'
And Jing Hongchen's goal was to force Ye Yulin into launching a hasty decisive battle, steering the war in the direction he desired.
"Impossible."
The generals who supported the rescue mission quickly retorted.
The rations hoarded in the valley concerned their remaining food supply. If they didn't go save them and failed to take down the Star Luo camp as a result, wouldn't they lose all their strategic advantage?
By that point, they would be completely screwed!
In everyone's eyes, this was a multiple-choice question.
Either save the valley, or dispatch troops to launch a decisive battle.
One battle to determine the outcome!
But what the generals supporting the rescue didn't know was that their very arguments cemented Ye Yulin's resolve—anyway, in another month, their rations would be exhausted and they would have to fight a decisive battle anyway. They might as well treat the present as a month later and launch the decisive battle early, taking advantage of the Star Luo camp's depleted strength!
Thus, one battle would decide life and death!
Of course, troops still had to be sent to the valley.
That guy Xu Tianyuan couldn't hold the valley; he deserved to die!
But him deserving to die didn't mean the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Group deserved to die.
Thus, under the extremely urgent military situation, Ye Yulin made up his mind without further hesitation and issued his order:
"Luo Fen, Luo Yuan, take command!"
The two Class 8 Soul Engineers acknowledged in unison, "Sir!"
"Tell Xu Tianyuan, Qiu Yu, and Xu Tianya that Dai Hao led elites to sneak attack the valley. Their failure to hold it means that, according to the military pledges they signed, they deserve execution! But with the battle at a stalemate right now, order them to abandon all rations and serve as the rearguard, covering the retreat of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Group and the other soul engineer groups! If they don't die in battle, they are to return and join the main fight. If they can't hold out, they are to self-detonate using the Class 9 Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonballs on their persons!"
Slam—
Ye Yulin smashed his fist onto the commander's desk.
"Before you die, drag a few of the Star Luo Empire's Titled Douluo down to the grave with you! Don't you dare die for nothing!"
This...
Hearing this command, Luo Fen and Luo Yuan were both stunned.
But the battlefield is cruel. Even if you are a Class 9 Soul Engineer, once war breaks out, your life is no longer your own.
Shortly after, Ye Yulin issued his second command.
"The rest of you, listen up!"
"Yes, sir!" ×N
"The entire army is to gear up and march on Star Luo!"
...
At this very moment, in the valley.
In this place, every single person was drenched in blood. As far as the eye could see, the ground was littered with severed limbs and dismembered bodies. Blood flowed like a river, as if the very earth and waters had been dyed red.
The valley garrison relied on their superior numbers, while the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Group relied on their elite status; both clung fiercely to Dai Hao's forces.
When one person fell, another took their place.
At this point, Dai Hao's personal guards had suffered heavy casualties.
As for the rest... if it weren't for the support of several powerful soul masters, the Star Luo assault squad would have likely collapsed already.
On the other side, "Cough, cough, cough—"
Accompanied by a bout of violent coughing, the Vajra Tiger Soul Spirit Soul propped up Dai Hao—whose Martial Soul True Body had been shattered—as he slowly climbed to his feet.
Dai Hao was covered in injuries from head to toe. In a similar state, naturally, were Xuanji Douluo and Shattered Star Douluo.
After all, Xu Tianyuan's deathbed struggle was nothing short of terrifying; he had actually detonated every single soul tool and Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonball on him that could explode!
If it weren't for the fact that the grand decisive battle was currently underway and the situation on the front lines was even more dire—which had forced him to donate the majority of his Class 9 Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonballs to the vanguard, leaving him with only a few on his person...
Dai Hao and the others would likely have been killed on the spot by Xu Tianyuan's final counterattack alone. The entire valley would have become their grave, and everyone here would have been buried alongside him.
Looking back now, a cold sweat broke out just thinking about it.
It was only by exhausting every last defensive measure at their disposal that Dai Hao and the other two had managed to save their lives by the skin of their teeth.
But as a result, they were heavily wounded.
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