Three months later, the border battlefield between the two countries, where the situation had already become clear, was suddenly thrown into turmoil again.
At dawn, the sky was clear and cloudless, with a gentle breeze.
The Star Luo Empire's nearly hundred-mile-long encampment, like an ancient behemoth, stretched across the plains before the mountains, exuding a tense and murderous aura.
But beneath this menacing facade lay an undeniable weariness and anxiety.
They were now at a significant disadvantage.
The Heaven Dou Empire's military strength was actually considerably weaker than the Star Luo Empire's; both the combat skills of their ordinary troops and the average strength of their Soul Master legions were extremely average.
However, with the secret support of the Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire had been suppressed and forced to retreat steadily, constantly shrinking their defensive lines.
Now, all they could do was hold their ground on the border, using the natural defenses to buy time, but they had no way to organize a counterattack.
Even though the renowned Title Douluo elders of the Spirit Hall couldn't directly intervene, some lesser-known figures could still appear on the battlefield, putting immense pressure on the Star Luo army.
Any Title Douluo-level combatant could significantly impact the local battle situation, not to mention that the Heaven Dou side had far more than one Title Douluo.
Furthermore, the Spirit Hall's large reserve of Soul Masters continued to be deployed, further amplifying their military strength to an astonishing degree.
Over the past few months, the Star Luo Empire's defensive lines on the plains had been rapidly crumbled and dismantled. Meanwhile,
the Heaven Dou Empire was steadily advancing, proving virtually unstoppable.
Fifty miles outside the Star Luo Empire's camp, after breakfast early in the morning,
the thunderous sound of war drums could be heard in the distance. Everyone knew that the Heaven Dou Empire had begun its invasion again.
One after another, square formations appeared outside the camp, each massive formation consisting of tens of thousands of soldiers.
As a series of orders were issued from the central army, hundreds of thousands of Heaven Dou Empire troops slowly advanced. These were ten heavy cavalry regiments, the entirety of the Heaven Dou Empire's heavy cavalry force brought this time.
Their advance was slow, but the overwhelming pressure made the earth tremble.
Following closely behind the ten heavy armored regiments were 22,000 Soul Masters assembled by the Heaven Dou Empire.
Then, ten more light cavalry regiments, composed entirely of Soul Masters, rushed out from the flanks.
This continuously divided the plains battlefield into numerous smaller battlefields, maximizing the effectiveness of the Soul Masters in each regiment.
With the combined efforts of tens of thousands of Soul Masters, fire and ice attribute Soul Skills were rapidly deployed across the battlefield.
As various support-type Soul Skills were used to enhance the heavy cavalry, the entire army's momentum increased significantly.
The overwhelming pressure made the Star Luo Empire's military commander's expression increasingly grim.
This kind of scene had been repeated countless times in the past three months.
In this situation, all they could do was rely on the terrain to barely cope.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Dou Legion wasn't in a hurry and had no intention of engaging in a war of attrition with the Star Luo Empire. Instead, they were slowly eroding the enemy's strength, gradually dividing the battlefield.
But everyone knew that this fragile balance wouldn't last long.
Zhu Zhuyun walked anxiously through the military camp.
Her soul power was exhausted. As a high-level Soul King, she had considerable freedom on the battlefield and could retreat to the camp to rest at any time.
However, she was alone, not with Davis.
On one hand, given Davis's status, he didn't have many opportunities to go to the battlefield, and he also had many affairs to attend to in the capital.
On the other hand, the two of them hadn't used their Soul Fusion Technique for a long time.
Since their conversation with Zhu Zhuqing years ago, a considerable barrier had gradually formed between her and Davis.
Moreover, while Soul Fusion Techniques had strong explosive power, they consumed a great deal of soul power. On the battlefield, they were far less effective than her solo combat, using the characteristics of the Netherworld Cat for assassinations and sneak attacks.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuyun's once bright and charming eyes were filled with confusion.
The current situation of the empire was deteriorating rapidly, and with her limited knowledge, she couldn't think of any way to break the deadlock.
But at this critical juncture, Zhu Zhuqing, the true core of the Zhu family faction, had suddenly disappeared, casting a shadow over her heart.
When she asked her father before, the only message she received was to wait patiently.
But how could she be at ease at a time like this?
Whether it was to seize power in the capital, to establish merit on the battlefield, or even to prevent being purged by the Heavenly Dou royal family after the country's destruction, she couldn't remain inactive.
If the borders couldn't be defended, then the demise of the entire empire would truly be only a matter of time.
Not only Zhu Zhuqing, but Su Cheng had also been missing for some time.
Over the years, because of Zhu Zhuqing, she had become quite familiar with Su Cheng and knew some of his background.
Compared to her increasingly dazzling younger sister, Su Cheng, although not well-known, was not to be underestimated, and was even a notch stronger in cultivation.
Most importantly, Su Cheng often had unexpected and ingenious ideas, yet they always hit the nail on the head.
Even a few words of guidance from him could help her gain many new insights.
She even inexplicably felt that Su Cheng's understanding of the Netherworld Cat Martial Soul surpassed that of the Zhu family.
She had a persistent, inexplicable intuition that if these two were present, even if they couldn't turn the tide, they would definitely play a crucial role.
Moreover, the Martial Soul Fusion Technique they used was completely different from hers.
That strange Netherworld White Tiger, aside from being slightly inferior in soul power, was definitely no weaker than an ordinary Title Douluo in terms of raw strength.
Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard exclamations.
"...What is that?!"
"It's the Netherworld White Tiger!"
"It's the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Technique unique to the royal family and the Zhu family!"
"..."
Zhu Zhuyun heard the noise and suddenly turned around.
She saw a white tiger phantom, tens of meters in size, sweep across the sky like a whirlwind.
But she was increasingly surprised, even unconsciously parting her red lips slightly.
Zhu Zhuyun, who was extremely familiar with this Martial Soul Fusion Technique, could tell that it was not the Martial Soul Fusion Technique Netherworld White Tiger.
It was a person's true Martial Soul form!
"How is this possible..."
The enormous white tiger soared through the air.
Its transparent wings, formed by a hurricane, whipped up gusts of wind, instantly covering hundreds of meters and plunging into the center of the battlefield!
There, a Title Douluo-level expert from the Heaven Dou Empire was relentlessly unleashing various soul skills, slaughtering the Star Luo Empire's soul master army.
The next moment, he suddenly felt a terrifying killing intent sweeping towards him from behind.
Immediately afterward, a gust of wind swept past, and as he turned, a sharp claw slammed down.
The Netherworld White Tiger's Eighth Soul Skill—Divine Wind Slash!
This soul skill, attached to her mutated 100,000-year soul ring, allowed Zhu Zhuqing to channel all her power into a single claw, maximizing her strength and speed—her strongest single-target attack skill.
The Title Douluo, whose soul power was already more than half depleted, was instantly enveloped by the aura of death and hastily attacked in defense.
Although she successfully used her soul skill to defend, she still couldn't withstand its power. A huge claw mark pierced through her body, and her aura instantly weakened and dissipated.
After its attack, the giant white tiger moved with lightning speed, without stopping.
It leaped across the battlefield, a whirlwind sweeping across as it pounced on another battlefield, killing another Title Douluo who was displaying his might with a single claw strike.
Then, the domineering Netherworld White Tiger began to rampage across the battlefield.
Its Wind God Wings flew wildly, using its absolute power and speed advantage to reap the rewards from the high-level soul masters of the Heaven Dou side.
By the time they reacted and sent several more Title Douluos to join the battle to hold them off, they had already suffered heavy losses.
At this time, Zhu Zhuqing's soul power was almost depleted. Seeing that the enemy had new combat power, she didn't continue to entangle them.
After using two group attack soul skills, she quickly retreated back into the Star Luo Army formation.
Title Douluos were not so easy to kill.
Despite her swift and decisive attack that killed two powerful enemy figures, Zhu Zhuqing's speed was simply too great, and the Heaven Dou side hadn't anticipated such an unexpected turn of events.
Those two Title Douluos had already expended a significant amount of soul power in their previous battle, while Zhu Zhuqing had immediately unleashed her full power, using a powerful soul skill in her Martial Soul True Body state to achieve her victory.
Replicating that result in the future would be virtually impossible.
But it was enough.
For a time, the Star Luo army's morale soared, showing signs of gaining the upper hand.
However, the Heaven Dou Empire's ordinary troops actually suffered few casualties.
Zhu Zhuqing hadn't focused her attention on these mortals.
Her soul power was limited, and her first appearance had to be as effective as possible; excessively wasting soul power on these people was pointless.
With over a million soldiers from both countries, even if the enemy stood still, she couldn't kill them all, not to mention that the enemy also possessed high-level combat power. Prolonging the conflict would only put her in danger.
Besides, she disdained doing so.
The Netherworld White Tiger was indeed extremely bloodthirsty, but she enjoyed the thrill of battle, not pointless slaughter.
Slaughtering mortals would only erode her will, doing more harm than good.
At her current level, further advancement required deeper understanding, not simply accumulating resources.
Unless it was a special resource beyond this world's level, such as a divine inheritance.
This battle not only shocked the Heaven Dou Empire but also completely stunned their own people in the Star Luo Empire.
Zhu Zhuqing had almost single-handedly reversed the current situation.
Now, with the Netherworld White Tiger martial soul in hand, Zhu Zhuqing, though only just entering the peak Douluo realm, was already a formidable opponent even for those level 96 peak Douluos.
Even the Spirit Hall, unable to offer its own offerings, was temporarily helpless against her if they didn't want to expend a large number of lives in a direct confrontation.
Not long after, the Heaven Dou Empire chose to withdraw its troops.
However, it's foreseeable that in the next battle, those world-renowned peak Douluo from the Spirit Hall will likely make their move.
After returning to the military camp, Zhu Zhuqing immediately deactivated her Spirit True Body state and went to Zhu Zhuyun's side.
At this moment, her face was so pale it was almost transparent.
In just a short while, her soul power was almost depleted.
The short-term burst power of the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul was almost unreasonable, but the rate at which its soul power was consumed was equally absurd.
"Zhu Qing, you've finally arrived."
The dark clouds covering Zhu Zhuyun's heart instantly dissipated.
Her eyes immediately brightened.
But amidst the joy, a hint of hesitation was still faintly revealed.
She glanced around and teased with a smile, "Where's your little follower? I remember you two were always inseparable, weren't you?"
"..." Zhu Zhuqing paused slightly before saying softly, "You mean Su Cheng? He can't come for the time being."
"I see..." Zhu Zhuyun nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Zhu Zhuqing, "But how come you've suddenly become so strong? And that was the Netherworld White Tiger just now, right? But your Martial Soul...?"
"Well, my Martial Soul underwent some mutation, and that's why my strength broke through."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't explain further.
In fact, with her current strength, she no longer needed to explain anything to anyone.
But Zhu Zhuyun was ultimately different to her.
"Mutation?" Zhu Zhuyun's smile froze.
Then she quickly regained her sweet and gentle demeanor.
"I really envy you, Zhuqing. I wish I could be like you." She sighed softly.
"With your current strength, you can finally completely control your own destiny. You can easily get rid of people like Dai Mubai. And you have a friend like Su Cheng who stands by your side wholeheartedly. He's strong, speaks nicely, and is very comfortable to be around."
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned upon hearing this, turned to look at Zhu Zhuyun, and asked in astonishment, "You think so?"
"What?"
"...Su Cheng is my friend, and it's very comfortable to be around him."
"Isn't that what you think?" Zhu Zhuyun's smile was hard to maintain. "In your eyes, Su Cheng is just a tool?"
Her soft cheeks were now slightly stiff, looking very unnatural.
"Zhuqing, perhaps you really have changed. No, you changed more than a decade ago, but I just didn't want to admit it." Zhu Zhuyun sighed.
"Actually, sometimes I really feel fortunate. My abilities are insufficient, my strength is weak, and I have no value to others, which at least proves that your feelings for me are genuine."
Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at Zhu Zhuyun, her already pale face growing even paler.
She hadn't expected that in her sister's eyes, Su Cheng was such a person.
Was it because she had been with him for so long that she had taken his sacrifices for granted?
Outsiders, however, saw things more clearly.
Or perhaps it was because he never pretended in front of her, often revealing his cold, ruthless, and cynical side, while always being polite, gentle, and humble to others.
Which one was the real him?
Perhaps she was wrong.
The side he showed to her was a facade.
But why…
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly realized that after more than twenty years with Su Cheng, she didn't understand what kind of person he truly was.
How had she spent all these years?
She cultivated tirelessly day and night, ruthlessly vying for power and profit.
Perhaps, as Zhu Zhuyun said, she only saw him as a tool? Or even treated everyone around her as tools?
No, that wasn't it.
Both Su Cheng and Zhu Zhuyun were extremely special to her.
Perhaps she had indeed changed.
She could easily be ruthless towards others.
But when she first learned she could seize Su Cheng's bloodline, she was vehemently opposed.
"You're wrong, sister," Zhu Zhuqing said, looking at Zhu Zhuyun, each word distinct. "I never saw Su Cheng as a tool."
Now that the war between the two countries had eased somewhat, Zhu Zhuqing didn't linger on the border battlefield. After informing the central army commander, she returned to the Star Luo Imperial Capital with Zhu Zhuyun.
The army commanders were naturally reluctant to see them go.
Such a powerful force, if stationed at the border, could, to some extent, turn the tide of the war.
But in terms of both status and strength, they clearly had no right to change Zhu Zhuqing's decision.
They could only let the two of them leave.
Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, Zhu Zhuqing did not go to see Zhu Hongtao. Instead, she casually chatted with Zhu Zhuyun in the courtyard about the current state of the empire and their future plans.
As for Zhu Hongtao, Zhu Zhuqing didn't really want to see him.
Although, logically, she should have gone immediately.
After all, her current strength was largely due to her father's guidance over the years.
However, after spending so much time together, she was no longer the naive girl she once was.
How could she not have doubts about the inconsistencies in their interactions?
It was just that everything he had done was genuinely helping her.
In fact, one could say that Zhu Zhuqing should be most grateful to Zhu Hongtao for her success.
From teaching her how to conduct herself in the world to providing her with
cultivation techniques and medicines, and finally,
the bloodline acquisition, he had practically guided her step by step to the pinnacle of power.
But it was precisely because of the bloodline acquisition that her emotions became more complex.
Although she knew she couldn't blame Zhu Hongtao for this, and the choice was hers,
that's just how human nature is.
Even with the most objective perspective, it's always difficult to ignore the underlying reasons after the initial regret.
It's perfectly normal to feel resentment towards others under extreme emotional states.
It's precisely because Zhu Zhuqing is clearly aware of this that she doesn't want to go now, to prevent herself from losing control of her emotions.
Regarding this father, Zhu Zhuqing has some doubts, but undoubtedly feels more gratitude.
After all, in the normal understanding of this world, there is no such heaven-defying skill as perfectly disguising one's appearance, physique, or even martial spirit aura as another person.
It might take a 100,000-year-old soul bone technique to achieve that.
But if such a thing existed, Zhu Hongtao wouldn't have been unable to break through to the Title Douluo realm for so many years.
In fact, Zhu Zhuqing had always suspected that there might be other forces behind Zhu Hongtao.
But what the hidden truth was, it wasn't the time to investigate now.
After all, the empire was currently beset by internal and external troubles, and the future of the Zhu family was equally uncertain. It would be pointless to concern oneself with irrelevant matters.
Before long, the two unknowingly arrived outside Zhu Zhuqing's room.
"Come in and sit for a while?" Zhu Zhuqing said casually.
"Sure." Zhu Zhuyun smiled slightly, "It seems like I haven't been to your room since you were six years old."
Saying this, she felt a little sentimental.
Zhu Zhuqing's room hadn't changed much since Su Cheng came, clean and tidy as ever.
Although she now held great power, she wasn't a pleasure-seeker and had never thought of changing her residence.
The two walked from the front hall to the main hall. Zhu Zhuqing went to the table and poured two cups of tea.
Zhu Zhuyun took the opportunity to look around.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the furnishings in Zhu Zhuqing's bedroom. She couldn't
help but exclaim in surprise, "Oh, you have this doll too?"
"What?" Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback and walked closer.
"It's that one." Zhu Zhuyun pointed to the teddy bear doll on the table, "A
doll my father gave me when I was little, before I awakened my martial soul. Sigh, that seems to be the last time he saw me alone. Heh, royal bloodline..." After her sigh, a smile returned to her face, "But it's alright, Zhuqing, you'll soon be able to change all of this."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't listen to what she said after that and went into the room to take out the teddy bear doll.
"You just said... that was the last time Father saw you alone?"
"Yes, is there a problem?" Zhu Zhuyun sensed that something was wrong with her expression and asked cautiously.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head but didn't explain anything further.
The two didn't stay in the room for long.
After drinking two cups of tea, Zhu Zhuyun prepared to leave.
Mainly, she felt her younger sister's mood seemed off, making her feel inexplicably depressed.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't try to stop her.
At this moment, she was only outwardly calm; inwardly, a storm was raging, countless memories churning within her.
After seeing Zhu Zhuyun out of the room, Zhu Zhuqing silently stared at the doll in her hand for a moment.
Then, she gently tossed it away.
"Bang—"
Zhu Zhuyun, who hadn't gone far, heard the sound and turned back in astonishment.
She saw the tattered teddy bear doll explode in mid-air, turning into countless dust particles that scattered in the wind.
.......
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(End of Chapter)