Something's wrong!
Something is terribly wrong!
This sudden turn of events set off alarm bells in Zheng Zhan's heart. He no longer paid attention to Wu Yan and Tai Yu, who were rapidly retreating, and shouted at the adjutant beside him, "Quick! Activate the detection soul tools and check from that angle to see what exactly is going on!?"
His long battlefield experience told Zheng Zhan that, judging from the angle Wu Yan was at in the air just now, he must have discovered something! Otherwise, he absolutely wouldn't have let slip such a golden opportunity right in front of him.
At Zheng Zhan's command, the adjutant immediately sprang into action. Soon, the relevant information was fed back to Zheng Zhan. The eastern, western, and northern city walls were as usual, but on the southern wall, a giant ten-headed snake was actually coiled atop it, flicking its forked tongue.
In an instant, Zheng Zhan's expression turned incredibly ugly.
*We're finished! Our base has been snuck!*
Realizing this, he immediately dashed toward the southern wall. Arriving above the southern wall, before he could even catch his breath, he saw a figure standing on the central head of the ten-headed giant snake. Dressed in a dark green robe, with that iconic dark green long hair, it made Zheng Zhan feel an immense sense of familiarity.
But it was precisely this familiarity that caused his heart to suddenly sink.
He naturally recognized this young man. Back when he served as the chief referee for the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, he had seen many exceptionally talented youths. However, very few had made him feel amazed and wary. But there was one young man who made the entire upper echelon of the Sun Moon Empire feel palpitations, even plotting how to get rid of him.
And this person was Dugu Xin. Because once this person was placed on the battlefield, he would become the most terrifying existence imaginable.
Dugu Xin looked up and spotted Zheng Zhan's presence.
Suddenly, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of pale white teeth.
It was this single smile that sent an icy chill instantly sweeping through Zheng Zhan's entire body. It made his limbs turn cold, his whole body couldn't help but tremble, and his mind went completely blank.
'Not good, he's going to use poison!'
A thought flashed through Zheng Zhan's mind.
As if to verify his thought, Dugu Xin's eyes turned green, his face bearing a sinister and ruthless expression. Both his hands made an upward lifting motion.
There was no deafening roar or awe-inspiring explosion; accompanying Dugu Xin's movements, the eyes of the Ten-Headed Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor glowed with a chilling light. Its snake maws opened, and a dense, swirling poison gas spewed out.
In merely a moment, the poison gas had practically spread to every corner of Dongyang City, looking utterly bizarre.
At first, the mist was still quite faint and didn't attract the attention of the Sun Moon Empire's soldiers. But, when the first tragic scream rang out, an even stronger commotion erupted than when Wu Yan's Red Dragon Avatar had charged into the legion.
The first to be affected were the ordinary soldiers. Without knowing when, they suddenly realized their hands had somehow turned green, and an icy sensation instantly spread from the position of their hearts. After bursting into screams in extreme terror, the poisoned individuals turned completely dark green. Before any other reaction could occur, these poisoned people had already collapsed.
They felt nothing, dying instantly.
Moreover, the severity of Dugu Xin's poison also carried a highly corrosive effect. Less than three breaths after a person fell, their corpse would melt into a puddle of pus, which then seeped into the ground.
As for the soul masters and soul engineers... although their physical resistance was stronger than ordinary people, the time they could hold out was naturally a bit longer. But this extra time was measured in seconds. For soul masters below level seventy, there wasn't much difference; they died together whenever the poison took them. For those above level seventy, for every five levels their soul power increased, they only lasted an extra half-second. As the dark green light flooded their bodies, all they could feel was even more terror.
It was just a pity that Ultimate Poison was this terrifying. As long as the body was tainted with the color of the deadly poison, they would immediately die from the toxin. Even those with higher soul power could clearly feel that icy aura spreading throughout their entire body. It was fundamentally not something soul power could block; the more they circulated their soul power, the faster their blood would flow, and the faster they died. The entirety of Dongyang City was covered in a layer of vibrant green gloss.
Looking at this scene right now, let alone the Sun Moon Empire personnel trapped inside, even the stealthily observing surprise attack squad felt a wave of horror, a chill running down their spines.
"Mother of God..." Wu Feng watched as the Sun Moon soldiers fell in droves like grass being mowed, swallowing dryly. "Is this Dugu's ability?"
He was only a Soul Saint!
Yet he had slaughtered an entire city of people. Even though they had anticipated it, the speed was just too fast!
Beside him, Zhang Lexuan frowned slightly. In her view, this move was too harmful to the harmony of heaven.
But seeing Ma Xiaotao excitedly clenching her fists and shouting "Well done!", Zhang Lexuan suppressed this sentiment. Even on second thought, the people below were combatants; there was no need for mercy. As this thought arose, she suddenly felt a sense of liberation!
Just as everyone's attention was focused on Dugu Xin's wanton slaughter, Chen Junting focused more of his attention on Zheng Zhan. Withdrawing his gaze, he turned to Ning Tian.
"Xiao Tian, I'm stepping away for a bit."
Ning Tian's eyes shifted slightly. "Zheng Zhan?"
"That's right."
Chen Junting nodded slightly, leaving behind the words, "I'm going to back Xin up, just in case," before vanishing from the spot.
Although Dugu Xin possessed Ultimate Poison, after all, he was only at the Soul Saint cultivation level. Coupled with his immense consumption, he might not be a match for Zheng Zhan, a veteran Class 9 Soul Engineer. Even if he were, they couldn't afford the slightest carelessness; it was best to ensure no "what-ifs" occurred.
Meanwhile, high in the sky far from Dongyang City.
The Old Heavenly Dragon slashed out with his blade, forcing the two Class 9 Soul Engineers back. But right now, these two no longer had any intention of fighting the Old Heavenly Dragon; they desperately dove toward Dongyang City below. Clearly, these two had also noticed the sudden change in Dongyang City.
The Old Heavenly Dragon, however, didn't immediately chase after them. Instead, his pupils shrank and he froze slightly. It wasn't until Wu Yan and Tai Yu in the distance cast their gazes on him that he snapped out of it.
The three exchanged glances, and the Old Heavenly Dragon said nothing. He merely attacked again, summoning a thunderstorm to trap the two.
However, he had clearly underestimated their resolve. One of them detonated a Class 8 Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonball, allowing the other to break free from the Old Heavenly Dragon's control and continue rushing to reinforce Dongyang City. He himself, on the other hand, turned around and chose to entangle the Old Heavenly Dragon.
But this meant little to the Old Heavenly Dragon.
As for the Class 9 Soul Engineer who had escaped the Old Heavenly Dragon's control, he didn't successfully reach Dongyang City either. Because right now, blocking his path were two Super Douluos—Wu Yan and Tai Yu.
This blockade instantly stirred up turbulent waves in the Class 9 Soul Engineer's heart, lingering for a long time. What merit or ability did he have to face them?!
Even though he thought this, he still charged forward.
As for the result...
"Old Fifth, did you see the look in the Old Heavenly Dragon's eyes?"
Wu Yan didn't even give the Class 9 Soul Engineer a proper glance; with a mere sweep of his claws, he effortlessly shattered the Soul Engineer's defenses.
"I saw it," Tai Yu replied while throwing a punch. A terrifying force blasted the Soul Engineer away!
"But let alone the Old Heavenly Dragon, even I feel wary of that Dugu kid..." He paused slightly before adding, "It's not a fear of death, but an instinct from life itself."
In the past Tian Hun battlefield, Dugu Xin hadn't shown this hand. He had only "simply" caused the Sun Moon Army to collapse and reduced their combat strength. Although he had made a remarkable contribution, it was just that.
But now, on this battlefield within the Sun Moon Empire, where basically everyone was a Sun Moon soldier, Dugu Xin fully unleashed his true ability—Ultimate Poison—bringing absolute nightmare and dread to both enemies and allies.
Furthermore, considering Dugu Xin's personality...
Cautious and meticulous;
Sinister and ruthless;
If he doesn't act, it's fine, but when he does, it's earth-shattering.
He could fully be said to possess the demeanor of his family's ancestor.
"In the future, the title of 'King of Group Battles' will probably be firmly pinned onto the Dugu family and their Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul."
King of Group Battles? Although that was Wu Yan's evaluation, Tai Yu gazed into the distance at the coiled Snake Emperor, thinking to himself: In the historical records of the future, his title probably won't be King of Group Battles, but Demon of Group Battles.
Perhaps matching the title of "Demon of Group Battles," screams rose and fell like a tidal wave throughout Dongyang City. Some soldiers who hadn't even engaged the enemy might have just picked up their weapons when they lost their lives without suspense under Dugu Xin's deadly poison.
At this moment, the firepower pouring from the city walls suddenly ceased.
Because no living being inside Dongyang City could escape the pervasive deadly poison. Great chaos had already erupted within Dongyang City; as long as they came into contact with even a little bit of the poison gas, their bodies would be eroded by the venom, leaving them with no chance at all. In their panic, they circulated their soul power, which only made the poison spread faster. Amidst the endless screams, more and more people collapsed into the pervasive poison mist.
As for those who wanted to run...
Run? How could they run? What ability did they have to escape?
As long as they were in Dongyang City, they would come into contact with Dugu Xin's deadly poison. And as long as they were tainted with even a fraction of it, they would immediately become a source of poison, and then the venom would attack the heart, causing sudden death in an instant!
Facing this scene, even though Dugu Xin himself maintained his composure and remained coldly indifferent, his heart was still shaken by the horrifying sight.
However, this did not make him let up or show mercy. Because he was very clear about his intention: to rely on his deadly poison to annihilate the enemy with all his might. He wanted to bury every single one of the Sun Moon Empire's soldiers in this city of Dongyang.
Seeing the Sun Moon Army suffer such devastating casualties in less than three seconds, Zheng Zhan's face had already turned pale.
"Cough—, Pfft—"
A mouthful of blood fiercely spurted from his mouth.
He knew: It's over, everything is over!
When he saw Dugu Xin smile at him, when he saw the Ten-Headed Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor out in the open, not hiding at all, he knew this war would end, and they would suffer miserably!
The number of Sun Moon Empire soldiers killed by the Tian Hun Empire over so many days combined couldn't compare to Dugu Xin's ultimate slaughter this time.
As people constantly fell and the number of corpses melting into pus continuously increased, the deadly poison in the entire city of Dongyang grew thicker and thicker, completely reducing the city to a dead zone!
Now, even Zheng Zhan himself didn't dare to get close. Even at such a distance—one in the sky and one on the city wall—he could sense that he was being affected by the deadly poison, forcing him to release his soul power outside his body to block the invasion of the venom.
But now, he had no other choice.
Either abandon the army and flee, or...
In a flash, Zheng Zhan's eyes became resolute and unyielding!
Fight to the death!
Suddenly, a Class 9 Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonball was aimed at the direction of the Ten-Headed Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. This cannonball, no matter what, was not something Dugu Xin, a Soul Saint, could dodge or endure head-on.
Dare to take it? Then wait for death!
Whoosh—
A Class 9 Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonball was fired. The reflection formed by the trailing firelight was reflected in the snake eyes of the Ten-Headed Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, yet Dugu Xin didn't show the slightest panic.
There's another powerhouse!
Suddenly, this thought appeared in Zheng Zhan's mind. But the cannonball had already been fired and couldn't be retrieved.
Just then, Hum—
A fierce sword light abruptly slashed out, seemingly just grazing past the Class 9 Fixed Mounted Soul Guided Cannonball. But in reality...
Boom—
A violent explosion rang out, shaking the entirety of Dongyang City. Terrifying high temperature radiated downward, instantly destroying all the buildings within the radius below, with many evaporating in the intense heat. Anyway, under the rampage of Dugu Xin's deadly poison, there were basically no living souls left in the city, so Zheng Zhan naturally didn't need to hold back.
But before the shockwaves of the explosion could dissipate, "Shing—"
A sword aura slashed out, directly tearing apart the residual shockwaves. Wherever it passed, the air was instantly extracted, evolving into a vacuum; space trembled slightly, ripped open with quite a few spatial fissures.
Zheng Zhan, whose expression had drastically changed, immediately raised his hand, and the Unbreakable Divine Shield rapidly flew out. With the shield as the center, a large area of distorted light quickly boiled and spread outward, instantly propping up a white barrier, wanting to block the sword aura's path. However, that fierce sword aura pierced through the barrier almost instantly, without any reduction in speed or sharpness.
Tearing that layer of white barrier to shreds, it struck the Unbreakable Divine Shield, erupting into a metallic clashing chime. The white from the clash and the white of the shield reflected each other.
Buzz—
With a mournful cry, the Unbreakable Divine Shield flew backward.
Zheng Zhan looked down and was horrified to discover that a visible crack had appeared in the very center of his Unbreakable Divine Shield.
Subconsciously looking up, his pupils suddenly shrank.
Right in front of him, a white figure stood quietly. The nonchalant expression on his face showed that the move just now was merely a casual strike, yet it had torn through the defense of his Unbreakable Divine Shield.
"It's you?!"
Zheng Zhan recognized Chen Junting's identity at a glance.
But very quickly, that astonishment turned into anger.
"Brat! Does your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect feel no shame!? Because of your people's deadly poison, the city has been plunged into a living hell. As the culprits, aren't you afraid of divine retribution?!"
Chen Junting's expression didn't change; he only calmly replied, "This is a war."
And war was inherently a meat grinder.
As for the divine retribution Zheng Zhan spoke of...
He wouldn't choose to argue.
How this great poisonous massacre would be viewed in the eyes of posterity... he would leave that for future generations to judge.
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