After finalizing the surprise-attack plan, Liu Yuan wasted no time.
He changed into a fitted black combat uniform, a dark-red tactical vest layered over it. Half an hour later, at a concealed airstrip on the outskirts of Bright Capital, several pitch-black flying spirit tools—coated with the Empire's latest stealth paint—stood ready.
Liu Yuan stood at the front of the formation. Behind him was the strongest combat force the Sun Moon Empire could currently assemble.
Kong Deming still wore his plain silver robe, but his eyes were sharp and profound.
Jing Hongchen had donned a heavy set of Mortal World's Blessing Armor, several massive cylindrical soul tool cannon barrels mounted across his back.
Though Ye Yulin had not fully recovered from his injuries, a night of rest had restored much of his color. The Starlight Wings flickered faintly behind him.
In addition, five Ninth-Rank Soul Engineers from the Enshrinement Hall followed closely.
"Xiao Yuan," Jing Hongchen stepped forward and spoke in a low voice, "the lower-rank Soul Engineer divisions have been deployed fifty miles to the rear as support. Are we really not bringing large-scale ground forces for this operation?"
Liu Yuan turned his head, gazing at the flying spirit tools gleaming with cold metallic light. His voice was calm and decisive.
"No need. The Holy Spirit Cult headquarters is layered with perception Formations designed specifically to detect large-scale lifeforms. Sending too many Spirit Masters would only turn them into burdens."
He continued evenly, "Against enemies of Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao's level, numbers are meaningless. They would only increase casualties. What we need is extreme destructive power—and the ability to withdraw instantly."
Kong Deming nodded. "Xiao Yuan is right. With just us, plus the long-range coverage of ninth-rank soul tools, it's enough to flatten any stronghold."
With a wave of Liu Yuan's hand, everyone boarded.
Several black warplanes became blurred afterimages, streaking through the stratosphere at an altitude of ten thousand meters, heading straight for the coordinates provided by Ye Guyi.
After two hours of high-speed flight, the spirit tools slowed and finally hovered over the outer perimeter of the Evil Demon Forest.
Ye Guyi stood beside Liu Yuan, pointing toward the abyss between two peaks shaped like demonic horns.
"It's beneath those two peaks," she said coldly. "The Holy Spirit Cult headquarters is called the Evil Demon Forest Crypt. It has massive defensive structures—and a gigantic Pool of Vengeful Spirits that supplies energy to all their core Formations."
Liu Yuan looked down.
Through the enhanced vision granted by Dynamax, he clearly saw the sinister canyon below, saturated with tangible black-red evil qi. Twisted runes were carved into the cliff walls, and faint, shrill screams echoed from the depths.
The warplanes landed behind a ridge roughly ten kilometers from the target.
Everyone disembarked and turned their eyes to Liu Yuan.
The scene was strange. Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, and the other renowned Titled Douluo of the Empire remained silent, all waiting for Liu Yuan to give orders.
Though Liu Yuan was the youngest among them, after the Imperial Palace Defense Battle, everyone had personally witnessed his ability to suppress a Limit Douluo head-on.
In their eyes, Liu Yuan was already the undisputed number-one combat force of the Empire. Seniority no longer mattered—among Spirit Masters, strength alone commanded authority.
"Xiao Yuan," Kong Deming spoke first, his tone carrying clear respect, "the defenses here are extremely tight. With Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao stationed inside, a frontal assault could turn into a war of attrition. What do you suggest?"
Liu Yuan stared at the black mist below and placed a hand over the soul core at his chest. A calculating glint flashed in his eyes.
"A frontal assault is the worst possible choice."
He turned to Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin. "I suggest we use the terrain and set up an ambush behind this ring of ridges. Grandpa Jing, all the ninth-rank fixed soul guidance artillery shells and long-range death-ray cannons you brought—deploy them now."
Pointing to several key Formation nodes on the map, Liu Yuan continued, "We'll deploy twelve ninth-rank long-range strike units at once. No need to conserve energy."
"Before the enemy even realizes we've arrived, we'll unleash a saturated bombardment."
"I want the first wave to destroy at least half of the headquarters' buildings and defensive Formations—or better yet, directly annihilate the Pool of Vengeful Spirits. Once the dust settles, we move in to clean up. That's the safest way to avoid their Formation traps."
Jing Hongchen's eyes lit up. He slapped the cannon barrels on his back. "Excellent! This is how Soul Engineers are meant to fight! Once we crack open their turtle shell, the remaining Evil Soul Masters are nothing but meat on the chopping block."
Ye Yulin nodded in agreement. "Duke Liu Yuan's judgment is precise. Their defensive Formations are powerful, but most are designed for internal threats and require activation time. Long-range coverage is indeed the most cost-effective approach."
With consensus reached, everyone moved immediately.
Under Liu Yuan's direct supervision, twelve massive ninth-rank long-range soul tool batteries were assembled in the shadows of the ridge. Kong Deming personally took command at the center, using his vast mental force to lock onto targets and synchronize all units.
Jing Hongchen retrieved twelve ninth-rank fixed soul guidance artillery shells from his storage ring, each radiating dark-golden light. Every one of them was a strategic weapon worth a fortune—enough to level a city.
"Everyone, input your spirit power," Liu Yuan ordered softly.
More than ten Titled Douluo, including Liu Yuan himself, simultaneously extended their hands, pouring pure spirit power into the charging cores.
For an instant, the ridge behind them blazed like daylight. The terrifying energy fluctuations were forcibly suppressed within a hundred-meter radius by Kong Deming's space-shrouding Formation.
"Ready—"
Liu Yuan's gaze was ice-cold as he stared at the deathly silent crypt below.
"Fire!"
At his command, twelve star-blue death-ray beams shot out first, slicing cleanly through the headquarters' spatial blockade. Immediately after, twelve ninth-rank fixed soul guidance artillery shells followed, tearing through the air like meteors and plunging into the abyss.
Boom—!
Violent explosions erupted at the heart of the crypt.
The entire Evil Demon Forest trembled violently.
The lead-gray fog that once shrouded the canyon was instantly vaporized by the extreme heat, replaced by a colossal fireball rising skyward. The simultaneous detonation of twelve ninth-rank shells rivaled the full-power self-destruction of twelve Super Douluo.
Bone towers painstakingly built over centuries disintegrated like rotten wood under the energy torrent. Deep underground, the Pool of Vengeful Spirits reacted violently upon contact with the inferno, triggering a chain explosion that ignited the dark-red evil qi into a raging sea of fire.
Meanwhile, deep within the headquarters' council hall—
Ye Xishui, Long Xiaoyao, and Zhongli Wu were discussing how to use Xu Tianran as leverage against the Sun Moon Empire.
Before any agreement could be reached, the hall began to shake violently.
"What's happening?!" Zhongli Wu sprang up from his bone throne, his face draining of color.
The next instant, the ceiling collapsed, and a terrifying wave of heat surged toward them.
The moment Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao sensed the attack, their expressions changed drastically. But the bombardment had come from over ten kilometers away, precisely calculated and synchronized by Kong Deming. By the time they attempted to erect defensive barriers, the shockwaves had already torn through the outer defenses.
"It's ninth-rank fixed soul guidance artillery shells—at least ten of them!" Ye Xishui shrieked in fury, her crimson robes whipping violently as she unleashed blood-soul power to shield the core members nearby.
Long Xiaoyao let out a deep roar as his Dark Holy Dragon Martial Soul erupted forth, desperately blocking falling debris. Staring at the headquarters reduced to ruins and flames, his eyes turned blood-red.
"The Sun Moon Empire… Kong Deming!" Zhongli Wu watched the foundation he had nurtured for decades vanish in mere seconds, rage choking his chest. "You actually dare to use weapons of mass destruction so brazenly!"
None of them had expected the Empire's retaliation to arrive so swiftly—or in such an utterly ruthless form.
As Evil Soul Masters screamed and were incinerated in the sea of fire, the fury of the three peak powerhouses reached its limit—along with a deep, involuntary dread born of absolute suppression.
On the ridge, Liu Yuan calmly observed the inferno below and waved his hand indifferently.
"That's enough."
He turned to the others.
"Now—it's time to go down and clean up."
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