"Dean Xian, Dean Qian."
On the coast of Dongyang City, Chen Junting met with the reinforcements, Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo.
After a brief round of pleasantries, Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo shifted most of their attention to Zhang Lexuan and the others, while Chen Junting and his fellow Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples received Yang Zihan and Qing Lan.
"Aunt Yang, Aunt Qing."
"Not bad, Little Chen."
Qing Lan patted Chen Junting's shoulder in a carefree manner, her tone full of praise. "Your cultivation is almost catching up to ours."
"Cultivation is almost catching up, but your actual combat strength has truly and solidly surpassed ours."
Yang Zihan took over the conversation, but also brought this topic to a close, shifting instead to ask, "How do you plan to blockade the coastline next? You must know that Kong Deming absolutely will not just let this go."
"I know that."
Chen Junting nodded slightly. "If the dignified Silver Moon Douluo just accepted his fate like this, he wouldn't be Kong Deming. Therefore, we must strike a blow to him or the army's morale, making them completely despair."
Hearing him say this, Yang Zihan and the others immediately grew interested. Xian Lin'er even shifted her attention over and asked curiously:
"Then how do you—you all—plan to do it?"
Chen Junting didn't say much. He simply pointed a finger at the slightly rippling ocean and said, "Look there."
The next second, the surface of the sea instantly changed. This sudden scene, and the myriad of subsequent transformations on the water, immediately made Yang Zihan and the four others widen their eyes in shock.
"This is…"
...
Upon the vast sea, the waves surged.
The night was dark, the stars and moon dim.
On this boundless ocean, the Sun Moon Empire's warships sailed forward. On the leading warship, Kong Deming stood by the ship's rail, gazing out at the endless sea.
It wasn't that he enjoyed the feeling of the sea breeze battering him; it was purely because Kong Deming had no desire to sleep. He knew very well that if the letter's contents were true, the empire's situation would deteriorate to an unimaginable degree.
"Sigh—"
With a long sigh, Kong Deming walked toward the control room.
Not only did it house the control system for this warship, but the high-altitude surveillance of the surrounding waters could also be seen there at a glance.
Because the empire could no longer afford losses, to avoid a situation where they had pursuers behind and an ambush ahead, this retreat was like walking on thin ice; they had to be two hundred percent on alert!
"What's the situation?"
"No pursuers detected yet."
Kong Deming nodded, remaining silent.
He had roughly guessed what the Tian Hun Army was thinking. However, to say they had given up the pursuit was impossible.
The best opportunity for them would be when he was pushed into a desperate situation.
Thus, he issued a strict order in a severe tone.
"Watch for ambushes ahead. The closer we get to the coast of Dongyang City, the more alert you must be. As long as you detect the slightest abnormality, report it to me immediately. Remember! From now on, report every ten minutes!"
"Yes, sir!"
After giving his instructions, Kong Deming walked out of the control room.
He continued to stand by the ship's rail, gazing out at the sea.
Lonely, dark...
These were the main themes of the night sea.
Over the next six hours, the monitoring soldiers followed Kong Deming's orders, reporting every ten minutes. In the first few reports, there were still no pursuers behind and no ambush ahead. This continued until the sky gradually brightened, and a touch of fish-belly white rose from the sea...
"Marshal."
A soldier came running with the latest monitoring data. But this time, his steps were slightly panicked, and his breathing was somewhat short.
"Pursuers are here?"
It sounded like a question, but his tone was quite certain.
"They... they are here."
"Don't panic."
Kong Deming stood with his hands behind his back, appearing very calm.
"The Tian Hun Empire's soul tool technology is inferior to ours. With our warships' current forward speed, they won't be able to catch up."
Unless... there was an ambush ahead.
Kong Deming swallowed this last sentence, this highly probable possibility, keeping it to himself. He wanted to avoid spreading the word and making the already demoralized soldiers fear the battle before it even began.
"Notify the entire army to stay on alert."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier acknowledged and immediately left.
At this moment, Kong Deming turned around and looked once more at the distant light that was gradually dispelling the darkness. For some reason, Kong Deming suddenly felt a chill on his body. Given his level of cultivation, he shouldn't be feeling this sensation. But in reality, this feeling wasn't his first time. This chill...
Came from within!
And every time this happened, it meant two words—
"Disaster"!
Kong Deming's spiritual power immediately spread outward. At the same time, he whipped around and strode quickly toward the control room.
"Quick, look! Have you found any abnormalities!?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the already busy control room became even more frantic. But the data they handed to Kong Deming told him, bit by bit, that apart from the pursuers behind them, there was still no problem in any other direction.
No!
There must be something wrong!
Kong Deming's face darkened slightly.
Ignoring the puzzled looks of the others, he turned and left the control room, coming out onto the deck alone. The next second, the spiritual power of a Class 10 Soul Engineer spread out, blanketing the entire sea area.
However, Kong Deming likewise didn't discover the slightest clue.
As time passed and the sky grew brighter, Kong Deming never relaxed his spiritual power detection. It wasn't until his spiritual power reached the shores of the Sun Moon Continent that he sensed several terrifying auras standing proudly by the sea, as if they had been waiting for them all along.
And at this moment, "Beep, beep, beep—"
Rapid alarms blared on every warship.
Clearly, the unrestrained might of Chen Junting and the others allowed the Sun Moon Army to detect them without Kong Deming needing to point it out.
Instantly, the soldiers on every warship sprang into action. The Fixed Mounted Soul Cannons equipped on each ship aimed at the coast, soul power gathered, and the cannonballs were ready to fire at any moment.
As the warships sailed forward, Kong Deming's expression finally changed drastically; he suddenly realized what had been feeling wrong.
There were absolutely no soul beasts in the surrounding waters!
None on the left, none on the right, and absolutely none ahead! And this absence was definitely not because of the powerhouses. Because their auras hadn't leaked out at all; they were merely detected. For this very reason, the waters ahead shouldn't be so "clean."
Meanwhile, on the coast of Dongyang City.
Huo Yuhao kept his Spirit Eyes open, relying on his spiritual power to monitor every move of the Sun Moon Empire's fleet. Once their fleet completely sailed into their predetermined waters, he immediately reported to the group: "The Sun Moon Empire's army has entered the designated waters."
As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Junting immediately commanded:
"Old Gu, Xiao Tian, make your move!"
Instantly, an invisible wave surged out from Gu Tianchen. As a red soul ring lit up, space distorted, and a slightly hoarse dragon roar erupted, "Roar—"
In a matter of moments, Gu Tianchen disappeared from sight.
Replacing him was a gargantuan Bone Dragon.
The Bone Dragon spread its wings, vanishing into the void, but an invisible spatial domain had already enveloped the surrounding waters.
Following closely behind were Chen Junting and Ning Tian.
First, on Ning Tian's body, armor faintly flashed on her four limbs. But when this illusory scene dissipated, four pillars of light shot into the sky, plunging into the firmament above.
As for Chen Junting, his sword intent soared to the heavens. Accompanied by four different types of sword intent rising, four streams of light shot out from his mind. The four great soul spirits, carrying the four sword intents, plunged into the deep sea!
At the same time, at the location of the Sun Moon Army, the surrounding air suddenly underwent a bizarre distortion, and alarms rapidly rang out!
"Not good! The surrounding space is suddenly fluctuating! We seem to be locked on and trapped in this sea area!"
"Activate the anti-spatial jammer!"
"It's useless! The effect is negligible!"
"..."
As commands were issued one after another, suddenly, "Bang—"
A violent tremor abruptly came from beneath their feet. Accompanied by a deafening roar that caused temporary deafness in anyone below the Soul Sage realm, it threw their bodies, along with the warships, fiercely into the air.
The calm seawater violently churned, creating terrifying waves. Four thick water columns, five meters in diameter, shot into the sky, bringing with it distorted air, becoming the culprits that shattered the smaller warships.
Many small warships, even with their iron-clad hulls, were reduced to splinters under the fierce impact.
At the same time, accompanied by this extremely intense shockwave, everyone below the Soul Sage realm fell into a dizzy stupor, plunging into the sea.
Once these people fell into the ocean, without immediate rescue or self-saving measures, they would perish here.
Fortunately, Kong Deming didn't hesitate in the slightest, acting immediately.
Buzz—
A silver shield suddenly enveloped the entire sea area where the warships were located, sealing off the sky above and the waters below. While saving the lives of these soldiers, Kong Deming also became highly alert.
Along with the shattering of many warships and Kong Deming's intervention, a thick layer of colorful radiance had floated up from all the surrounding seawater. Four different colors of radiance directly sliced through the entire sea area.
However, this bizarre transformation was not the end, but the beginning...
Four muffled roars of different pitches and timbres rang out from the firmament above, sending massive soundwaves crashing down from the heavens. These four sounds were a dragon's roar, a phoenix's cry, a tiger's howl, and a turtle's bellow.
So, the moment Kong Deming abruptly looked up, the twenty-eight stars that should have only appeared at night actually manifested now, as if overriding the laws of nature.
Different curves sketched out among the stars, transforming into four different silhouettes. The sounds from earlier were emitted by them.
At the same time, the four waterspouts connecting the sea to the sky dissipated.
The four sword intents surged fiercely, transforming into four precious swords. Snow Empress, Mad King, Tyrant, and Evil Emperor—each soul spirit held a sword, directly setting up the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation within this sea area!
The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and the Four Symbols Star Constellation Formation shone in magnificent harmony.
Yet beneath this brilliant harmony lay boundless murderous intent.
Suddenly, a drop of cold sweat slid down Kong Deming's temple.
Before he could even come up with a countermeasure, the several figures on the coast made their move. And when they moved, they held nothing back.
Several long howls rang out from the front!
The howls were distant yet vigorous, like a surging torrent that captivated the soul. On this battlefield of tens of thousands, the moment these howls appeared, they seemed to suppress the aura of the Sun Moon Army. The rolling soundwaves were like thunderclaps ringing out one after another in the sky.
Each figure stood towering in the void, blocking off their routes.
"Sun Moon, do you really think you can escape!?"
As the shouting question fell, all the Titled Douluo-level experts unleashed their Martial Soul True Bodies! Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Soul-Breaking Spear, Blue Phoenix... and finally, led by Chen Junting's Seven Kill True Body, amplified by Ning Tian's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, they fiercely pressed down their aura!
The Sun Moon fleet was just about to fire when the dual formations shifted!
As the saying goes, when heaven unleashes its murderous intent, the stars shift and constellations change. Under the roar of the Four Symbols, four terrifying pillars of starlight bombarded Kong Deming's shield.
The moment it held the impact, before it could even shatter...
Buzz—
The four swords chimed in unison, and streaks of sword qi crisscrossed outward!
In less than a breath's time, "Crack—"
Kong Deming's shield shattered completely. And being trapped within the formation, the sword qi and starlight continued their undiminished assault, raining down relentlessly.
Facing this scene, the many Titled Douluos struck out together. Morale, at this very moment, plummeted to its absolute lowest point.
The soldiers' eyes lost their former resolve, replaced by endless confusion and fear. Many soldiers even collapsed to the ground, their weapons slipping powerlessly from their hands.
The generals' faces were also pale, their hearts filled with despair.
They never imagined that the empire's war situation would deteriorate to such a state in less than a few years.
Kong Deming stood rooted to the spot, his eyes filled with grief.
Once, carrying a sense of responsibility and loyalty to the empire, he had led this army to charge into battle, but now, everything had turned to bubbles. The entire Sun Moon Empire seemed to only have this one seemingly intact, yet actually panic-stricken, fresh army left.
"Elder Kong, please make a decision!"
The general beside him urged anxiously, his eyes full of expectation and helplessness.
Under the artillery fire, many casualties occurred in just a single second.
Kong Deming's lips trembled, but for a moment, he couldn't speak. Just then, a somewhat familiar voice rang out.
"Kong Deming, surrender!"
Everyone was stunned, and Kong Deming's body shook violently.
At this moment, he seemed to have been drained of all his strength.
Kong Deming slowly raised his head, looking in the direction the voice came from. He saw Ye Xuanji dressed in a white robe, standing tall and upright. Though his appearance was somewhat aged, his aura at this moment was like a banished immortal in his twilight years. Clearly, while the Sun Moon Army was trapped in the formation, he had already rushed over from the Tian Hun Army behind them.
He stood calmly in the distance. "Kong Deming, you have no way to escape. Look at the soldiers behind you; they have lost their will to fight. If you continue to resist, it will only be a meaningless sacrifice."
The voice drifted in the sea breeze, reaching everyone's ears.
"Elder Kong, what... do we do?"
A general asked in a low voice, his tone carrying a plea.
Kong Deming remained silent for a long time. Finally, as if exhausting all the strength in his body, he slowly said:
"Surrender... surrender to them."
With the addition of a Limit Douluo, unless they fought to the death, they absolutely had no chance.
But the empire was already in such a state; if they continued to resist, would they just let everyone die here?
If that really happened, it would truly be the end.
So choosing to surrender... ultimately, was just an unavoidable act of last resort.
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