Sun Moon Camp, inside the commander's tent.
Ye Yulin sat alone behind the commander's desk, his right hand massaging his temple, his eyes tightly shut. Ever since he had returned to the camp, he had dismissed everyone and maintained this posture, terrified that if he opened his eyes, his vision would go black.
Because they had suffered a disastrous defeat in this battle! Moreover, looking back through the history of the Sun Moon Empire, it was the most catastrophic kind imaginable.
"Marshal."
Suddenly, an urgent shout came from outside the commander's tent.
Hearing this, Ye Yulin ignored whether his current mental state might cause him to faint, and his eyes snapped open. After all, the situation was critical, and he was still needed to take charge.
"Has the Star Luo Army launched a full-scale offensive!?"
"No, it's not."
The transmitting soldier took a heavy breath. After swallowing the dryness in his throat, he said, "The Star Luo Army has retreated."
"What did you say!?"
Ye Yulin violently pushed himself up, blood rushing to his head. But after forcefully suppressing it, his pupils uncontrollably shrank in disbelief.
If it were him, he would absolutely seize this opportunity to annihilate the enemy. After all, "a centipede dies but never stiffens"; if given even the slightest chance to catch their breath, who knew what would happen next.
But now he was being told that the Star Luo Army had retreated!
This didn't bring Ye Yulin joy, but doubt. Unprecedented doubt!
Even now, he had already developed a suspicion regarding Dai Hao's decision—wondering if "there was an ulterior motive this time." If that weren't the case, why would Dai Hao make such a move?
But soon, he had no time to dwell on this, as even more overwhelming matters arrived one after another. For instance, what followed...
"Quick! Pass the order, assemble the troops immediately! Furthermore, our army has suffered heavy losses. Even though the Star Luo Army has chosen to retreat, it is highly likely they will take advantage of tonight to raid our camp. Our defenses must be fully prepared!"
No one knew who leaked the news, but through the deliberate spreading by individuals with ulterior motives, the entire Sun Moon camp now knew that the rations in the valley were gone, and the whole army was in a state of food shortage.
And the news of the complete annihilation of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Group constantly struck the taut nerve in the soldiers' minds. Right now, the camp was filled with restlessness and panic.
To make matters worse, many soldiers had already incited mutinies; looting the remaining supplies in the camp was considered a minor offense. In addition, quite a few soldiers slipped out of the camp, discarding their armor and weapons to become deserters... It was absolute chaos at the moment.
Fortunately, the vast majority of those committing these acts were ordinary Sun Moon Empire soldiers. Many of them were just sons of commoners and peasant families drafted into the army to earn a living.
Therefore, when Ye Yulin decided to act ruthlessly, publicly executing the ringleaders of the troublemakers, he barely managed to suppress the situation.
But suppressing it was one thing; it was only on the surface. Once the morale within the legions collapsed, the declining momentum of the army could no longer be halted.
"Sigh—"
Ye Yulin looked at the blood-red setting sun and lamented.
Staying here any longer was already meaningless.
This current frontline... it was a chicken rib! Utterly a chicken rib! Tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.
But if he retreated, how was he supposed to explain this to His Majesty!? So many dead, even the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Group completely wiped out, with no strategic gains to show for it. They had even managed to turn the battle into a defensive war. And to top it off, there was a possibility that the Star Luo Army would directly invade the Sun Moon Empire's territory... He had become a sinner of the empire!
However, right at this moment, "Old Ye!"
Suddenly, Jing Hongchen rushed over frantically, the urgency on his face undeniable. This scene instantly raised a sense of dread in Ye Yulin's heart, and his brain twitched.
He could tell that Jing Hongchen's expression was no joke. Whatever could make him look like this...
"Speak quickly, what happened!?"
In a single stride, Ye Yulin lunged forward. At a glance, he saw the letter in Jing Hongchen's hand.
Without waiting for Jing Hongchen to speak, Ye Yulin snatched the letter away and scanned its contents. Such a brusque action did not cause Jing Hongchen any displeasure from being treated roughly or disrespectfully; instead, he wore the exact same expression of intense anxiety.
"Is this truly Her Majesty the Empress's handwriting!?"
After finishing it, Ye Yulin instantly felt blood rush to his head. He felt his vision go black, but relying on his cultivation as a Titled Douluo, he forcefully held on and didn't collapse.
Subsequently, Ye Yulin glared fiercely at Jing Hongchen, issuing a questioning demand, desperate to hear the word "no" from his mouth. But Jing Hongchen's next words drove Ye Yulin's heart completely into the abyss—the kind of abyss from which there was no pulling it back.
"It's true. It's Little Meng's handwriting. There's no mistake."
Jing Hongchen nodded, his face terribly pale.
Right now, he didn't know whether he should be happy or sad... But he could be certain that there was definitely a sliver of regret within him. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have exposed the valley's situation to the Star Luo Army to weaken his own side.
But now, there was no medicine for regret to be found.
"Old Ye, that letter!" At this moment, Jing Hongchen suddenly brought this up.
"I know."
Ye Yulin took a deep breath and retrieved a letter from his storage soul tool. The content recorded on it was none other than the one Chen Junting had Ning Tian write back then, about deploying personnel from the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul armies to launch a surprise attack on Ming Du.
At that time, upon learning the contents of this letter, Ye Yulin had decided to suppress the news. Other than Jing Hongchen and Xu Tianyuan, no one else was informed.
For no other reason than the fact that they couldn't determine the authenticity of the letter. As the commander-in-chief, he indeed had to be responsible to His Majesty the Emperor. But more importantly, he had to be responsible to the army and to the empire!
Ye Yulin's war experience was extremely rich, so he naturally understood the consequences if he allowed himself to be led by the nose by this letter. Therefore, faced with this dilemma, he decided to prioritize the Ming Dou Mountains battlefield and treat the supposed surprise attack on Ming Du as secondary. As long as no adverse news came from Ming Du, his mission was to capture the Ming Dou Mountains.
Who would have thought that he would now receive such news!!!
Ming Du had been attacked; the Sun Moon Imperial Palace had been destroyed; the Sun Moon Emperor Xu Tianran was dead!
One event after another, each striking blow making one's head spin.
"What do we do?"
This question was voiced by Jing Hongchen. But even as he asked, the answer was already self-evident.
"...Retreat, we can only retreat."
With this single sentence, the air in Ye Yulin's chest instantly deflated.
He gazed out at the Ming Dou Mountains, seemingly looking past the rolling peaks to see the Star Luo camp. "I finally understand why Dai Hao didn't send out his troops. Clearly, they already knew the news of the attack on Ming Du and His Majesty's death... They were waiting for exactly this opportunity."
He had to admit, they waited well. Once grasped, it would deliver a massive blow to them.
And this blow was absolutely inescapable. Because the Sun Moon Army was already in shambles, while the Star Luo Empire was riding the momentum of victory. Just think about it—would Dai Hao let such a perfect opportunity slip by?
"Sigh—"
Ye Yulin let out another long sigh.
"Assemble the troops, we're withdrawing. As for how many can actually make it out safely... we'll just have to leave it to fate. At this point in time, the news of His Majesty's death has probably already spread throughout the entire Sun Moon camp."
And the reality was exactly as Ye Yulin had predicted.
The turmoil he had just suppressed erupted once again!
This time, it wasn't just the ordinary soldiers; even many soul masters and soul engineers participated. Because the news of Xu Tianran's death crashed down on everyone's hearts like the sky was falling.
The current Sun Moon camp could be described in a single word:
Chaos!
Meanwhile, in the Star Luo camp.
"Everyone, the Sun Moon Army has already broken camp and is preparing to retreat, and they are in absolute chaos right now! Hahaha—"
"Excellent!"
"..."
Cheers of exhilaration rang out in the commander's tent.
Xu Jiujiu even came before Dai Hao, her delighted tone laced with sincerity. "Marshal, I was wrong to doubt you earlier."
"Your Highness, you do me too great an honor." Seeing Xu Jiujiu cup her fists and bow, Dai Hao quickly stopped her.
At this moment, the other generals who had misunderstood Dai Hao, along with the Star Luo Empire's worshippers and powerhouses, also repeatedly apologized. Even Du Busi decisively expressed his apologies to Dai Hao. He didn't put on any airs at all, showing none of the arrogance of a Limit Douluo.
However, the apologies were just a prelude; the important part came next!
"Marshal! Give the order!"
"Marshal! Give the order!"
"Yes! Give the order!"
"..."
Voices requesting orders and pleading for battle rose one after another.
Shing—
Dai Hao violently drew his battle blade, without the slightest hesitation.
"Everyone! March!"
In this battle, they were going to completely crush the Sun Moon Empire!
At this moment, the massive, ferocious beast that was the Star Luo Army fully mobilized. The major legions marched out together, with the soul engineer and soul master legions leading the way, followed closely by the other legions.
Attacking from both land and air, they crossed the mountain range. The mountains that had originally been blown apart by the Sun Moon Empire instead fueled the arrogance of the Star Luo Army. Crossing at top speed, the iron hooves of the Star Luo Army trampled the borders of the Sun Moon Empire, until they completely stepped foot into Sun Moon territory.
This time, they were going to slaughter the Sun Moon Army to the last man.
In Dai Hao's words, he had previously given the soldiers of the Sun Moon Army a window of opportunity—a time limit of half a day.
During this half-day, those who felt there was no future in staying, those who were afraid of death, and those who wouldn't dare to pop up or resist after the Star Luo Empire occupied the Sun Moon Empire's territory in the future, had mostly already fled. The troops who were still following the main force to retreat were undoubtedly the most loyal soldiers to the Sun Moon Empire.
Since that was the case, there was no need to take these soldiers as prisoners. Otherwise, if they spared their lives, once the Star Luo Empire occupied the Sun Moon Empire, they would become the most stubborn resistance force, making it incredibly difficult for the Star Luo Empire to completely wipe them out.
Therefore, these people had to be completely annihilated!
And this was the cold ruthlessness of the White Tiger Duke.
"Fire!"
Boom, boom, boom—!
As a furious roar fell, the voice was instantly drowned out by the symphony of artillery fire. Countless soul tool beams and cannon shells spewed fire snakes across the horizon, raising the brightness of the approaching dusk sky to an entirely new level.
The sky wailed, and the earth wailed with it...
As for the weeping and screaming of humans, they were completely obscured.
However, this was not the end.
On the Star Luo Empire's side, several streaks of light shot out from the main army formation. They leaped over the countless spitting flames of fire, targeting the frantically retreating Sun Moon Army below. Soul rings lit up one after another, appearing incredibly dazzling amidst the sky-filled artillery fire.
The next second, a host of Titled Douluo unleashed their divine might!
"Ninth Soul Skill—Shattered Star Stream-Breaking Crown!"
"Ninth Soul Skill—Mountain Shaker!"
"Ninth Soul Skill—Myriad Phenomena Encompassment!"
"Ninth Soul Skill..."
"Ninth Soul Skill—Underworld Jade Star Fall!"
The final move was Du Busi's ninth soul skill.
Many Titled Douluo struck at the same time, all for the sole purpose of completely burying this Sun Moon Army, along with the powerhouses leading them.
They intended to cause a total generational severance for the Sun Moon faction!
Meanwhile, within the Sun Moon Army.
"Where is 'Zhongli Wu'!!??"
Ye Yulin's eyes were bloodshot to the point of tearing, having completely lost the composure expected of the Sun Moon Army's marshal, a Class 9 Soul Engineer, Starry Sky Douluo.
It was impossible for them to block this attack. Even if these two old bones risked their lives to block it, it wouldn't be enough.
Under these circumstances, they could only place their hopes in the Limit Douluo, "Zhongli Wu." However, he had vanished at this very moment. After the Sun Moon Army was defeated, this Limit Douluo—who had been titled the State Preceptor of the Sun Moon Empire by Xu Tianran—had completely abandoned the Sun Moon Empire and disappeared. Even the evil soul masters he had brought as reinforcements had done the same. This directly wiped out half of the Sun Moon Army's high-end combat power, completely pulling the rug out from under them.
But now, it was no longer the time to worry about that.
Looking at the attacks raining down on them, Jing Hongchen didn't hesitate in the slightest. He propped up a defense while grabbing Ye Yulin's wrist, roaring, "They can't be saved! The army is completely wiped out! Ye Yulin! As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood! Retreat!"
Facing Jing Hongchen's pulling, Ye Yulin didn't resist. Whether it was because Ye Yulin was entirely stunned and dazed, or because he chose to acquiesce... at the very least, Jing Hongchen was already dragging him away by force, completely vanishing from the spot.
The very next instant after they left,
Boom, boom, boom—!
The attacks of the Titled Douluo thoroughly detonated right where they had been standing!
In a fleeting moment, the once relatively flat land was utterly ravaged beyond recognition.
In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the artillery fire had ceased. The entire battlefield was devastated, with barely a living soul in sight.
As for those who managed to escape from the Sun Moon Army... aside from Jing Hongchen, Ye Yulin, and a handful of Class 9 Soul Engineers, the rest of the Class 9 Soul Engineers, the soul engineer legions, and the other soldiers of the Sun Moon Empire were entirely wiped out here by the Star Luo Army and the Titled powerhouses.
Were there any survivors?
Just look at this earth; it was likely that not a single soul was left alive.
Dai Hao stepped onto this scorched earth, looking at the afterglow of the setting sun, yet his gaze remained as cold and ruthless as ever.
Absolutely devoid of any pity for life.
"Break camp, attack the cities!"
Without giving his own soldiers a moment to catch their breath, Dai Hao issued his next command, intent on pursuing the victory.
Since the Sun Moon Empire was defeated, now was the time to seize the cities that would belong to Star Luo within the Sun Moon Empire's territory!
If not now, then when!?
"March!"
Expanding their territory began today!
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