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The loss of Luoxia Pass meant that our outer defense was broken. Heaven Dou City was now directly exposed to the enemy forces. A distance of three hundred li was only a journey of one or two days for a fast march by a Spirit Master army. Now was not the time to talk about how to fight the enemy outside our borders. We needed to think about how to save the capital.
We had to make sure that the final strength of the Empire was not destroyed in a single blow. The enemy had high morale because they won many victories. Their main force was made up of Spirit Masters who moved fast and were very good at attacking cities.
If we stayed in one city and just took the attacks, we would lose. The people in the city were panicking, our troops were scattered, and our Spirit Master strength was far weaker than theirs. Falling was only a matter of time.
Marshal Ge Long ran into the room at that moment. His armor was covered in dust from his long journey. He heard the words and spoke in a deep voice. He said that what School Master Ning said was completely true. He explained that the city guards claimed to have one hundred thousand men, but less than half of them could actually fight.
Their morale was very low. In an open field battle outside the city, they could never beat the Spirit Master army of the Spirit Empire. But if they defended the city to the death, it would also be hard. The enemy Spirit Masters had strange and unpredictable methods. They could easily destroy the walls or cause trouble inside the city. Simple city walls could not stop them at all.
When Xue Beng heard these words, his face turned pale again. He asked in a rough voice if they truly had to leave the city and run away. He wondered if they had to give up the legacy of their ancestors. Even though he asked this, everyone could see the deep fear in his eyes.
Dugu Bo looked at everyone with his green eyes. He interrupted the conversation and said that leaving the city was the worst possible choice. He explained that they should not do it unless they had no other options left. Giving up the city would mean the complete end of the Heaven Dou Empire. At that time, the soldiers and the citizens would lose all hope.
An exiled government would find it even harder to do anything. They would only be hunted down and killed by the Spirit Empire. He stopped for a moment and then shared a very brave idea. He said that they could not run away, and instead, they had to go out and meet the enemy actively.
Marshal Ge Long was very surprised. He spoke in disbelief and asked if an active strike was like hitting a rock with an egg. He reminded them that the difference in strength was too large.
Dugu Bo waved his hand with impatience. He told them that he did not mean sending the regular army to fight the Spirit Master legion head-on. He explained that his plan was to gather all the Spirit Master forces they could find.
They would raise the flag of the Emperor and act as if the Emperor was leading a personal war to fight to the death. Then, they would move to Iron Wall Pass, which was one hundred li away from Heaven Dou City. The land there was very dangerous and steep. It was the last good place to stop the enemy before they reached the capital.
Ning Fengzhi eyes showed that he understood the plan quickly. He spoke seriously and asked if the Poison Douluo meant they should combine their forces, hold the position, build up their spirit, and buy more time.
Dugu Bo nodded his head and said that this was exactly what he meant. He explained three reasons. First, they would gather all the Spirit Masters who were still willing to fight for the Empire. It did not matter if they came from clans, schools, or were just independent cultivators.
All of them would be under the command of Dugu Bo and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Even if their number and quality were much lower than the Spirit Empire, they would still be a strong force when gathered together.
By using the dangerous ground of Iron Wall Pass, they could stall the enemy for some time. Second, the young Emperor Xue Beng would lead the army himself. Even if it was just a show, it would give the soldiers a lot of courage. It would show the world that the Heaven Dou Empire would fight until the end.
This would calm the people in the back and make the Spirit Empire focus all their attacks on Iron Wall Pass. This would give Heaven Dou City more time to prepare its defenses. Third, and most importantly, this plan would buy time for Tang Chen to come back.
As long as they could hold the pass until he returned, his great power and methods might change everything. The main goal of everything they did now was to delay the enemy until a change happened.
This plan was very dangerous. It put the Emperor and the last group of strong Spirit Masters in a risky position on the front line. However, there was no better choice at the moment. Staying in Heaven Dou City was just waiting for death, and running away was destroying themselves. The only way to find a small chance of survival was to move forward to a dangerous pass and fight with their backs to the wall.
Ning Fengzhi thought about it for a moment. He looked at Marshal Ge Long and asked about the defenses at Iron Wall Pass. He wanted to know if they had enough food and weapons.
Ge Long answered immediately. He said that Iron Wall Pass was built to defend against the Star Luo Empire. Even though there had been no big wars there for many years, its base was very strong. The land was steep, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. The food and weapons stored there could last for several months. If they repaired it quickly and sent enough Spirit Masters, it would be a perfect place to block the enemy.
After listening to the analysis, the fear on Xue Beng face began to disappear. It was replaced by a strong determination because he was pushed into a corner. He knew that even though he was a puppet ruler, he had no way to retreat. If Spirit Hall took over the capital, he would lose everything. He stood up suddenly, and his eyes showed the anger of a king.
He shouted that they would follow the plan of Dugu Bo and Ning Fengzhi. He said he would issue a royal decree to announce his personal war and call all Spirit Masters to face this danger together. He ordered all supplies to be sent to Iron Wall Pass first.
He told Marshal Ge Long to take fifty thousand elite soldiers to reinforce the pass defenses. He also told Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo that the task of gathering the Spirit Masters was given to them. They had to bring everyone before the enemy arrived.
A few hours later, in a quiet forest outside Slaughter City.
The cold morning dew fell on the face of Hu Liena, waking her up from a short sleep. She sat up quickly and looked around with sharp eyes. Tall trees reached toward the sky, and morning fog moved through the woods. The sunlight shone through the leaves, creating spots of light on the ground. Birds were singing, and the air smelled like wet earth and plants. For Hu Liena, this felt like the normal world that she had missed for a long time.
However, there was no one around her. The blue-haired man who wore a mask, called himself Xiao Yan, and held a golden dragon spear was gone. He had helped her get out of Hell Road easily, but now he vanished as if he was never there. Only the power of the Slaughter God Domain in her body and her memories proved that it was real.
She felt a deep sense of loss and relief at the same time. She looked at the empty space and wondered if he had left by himself. She realized that they were just strangers who helped each other in Hell Road. Now that they were out, they went their separate ways. She felt bad because she wanted to ask him to come with her to Spirit Hall. She prepared to get up, find her way, and go back alone.
Suddenly, two figures moved fast like black smoke from the trees. They landed like ghosts right in front of her. They knelt down on one knee and spoke with respect. They said they were ordered by Her Majesty to wait for her here. They were very happy to see her. The men wore black clothes used by the elite forces of Spirit Hall. Their faces were covered by masks, showing only their sharp eyes. They were very good at hiding and tracking.
Hu Liena was surprised to hear them say Her Majesty. She noticed the new title and felt something bad had happened. She asked what happened while she was inside Slaughter City.
One of the men raised his head with pride and excitement. He explained that the world had changed completely while she was away. A few days ago, Spirit Hall changed its name and became a country called the Spirit Empire. The Supreme Pontiff became the first Empress of this new empire. The country needed strong people now. The Empress missed her and ordered them to bring her back to Spirit City to talk about their great future plans.
Hu Liena was shocked to hear that Spirit Hall became a nation and her teacher became the Empress. Her mind was shaken, and she could not believe it. She had only been away for a year, but the whole world had turned upside down. Spirit Hall was no longer hidden; it was now a giant empire fighting against the other two empires. She felt a strong sense of duty. She was the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall and the student of the Empress. She wanted to help her teacher and achieve great things. She calmed herself down and asked how her teacher was doing.
The man in black replied that the Empress was very healthy and powerful. She was managing everything in Spirit City and planning to take over the Star Luo and Heaven Dou empires soon.
Hu Liena said she understood. She told them to lead the way back to Spirit City immediately. She stood up, cleaned her clothes, and looked confident again as the Holy Maiden. The two men stood up and started walking.
None of them noticed that a man in blue was standing quietly behind a very large tree nearby. It was Tang Chen, who had not left yet. He did not hide his power completely, but he kept his presence very low. The trees helped him stay hidden, so Hu Liena and the guards did not see him. Tang Chen frowned under his mask, and his eyes showed cold anger. He had heard everything they said.
He thought to himself that Spirit Hall moved very fast. They had already built an empire and started attacking others since he left. This news was a surprise, but it also made sense. Spirit Hall always had big ambitions. Their attack happened just when he was away, which was a bad timing for his friends. He knew that Bibi Dong becoming Empress meant the political map was destroyed. Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo must be under a lot of pressure. He had planned to fix other things first, but this attack changed his plans.
However, he knew that a new empire would have internal problems. Fighting two enemies at the same time was a bad mistake in war. If Heaven Dou City could stop the first attack, they would have a chance. He looked toward the direction where Hu Liena went. He thought about her Slaughter God Domain. He knew that the old Tang Chen would come out of Slaughter City soon. He thought he could use Hu Liena to lead Tang Chen to Bibi Dong. This would make them fight each other, and he could wait until they were both hurt to take advantage of the situation.
A few days later, at Iron Wall Pass on the front line of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The old and strong Iron Wall Pass had become a terrible place of blood and death. On top of the high walls, the stone blocks were broken by many different spirit abilities. There were cracks everywhere, and some parts of the wall were completely destroyed. The soldiers used bags of sand, wood, and stones to fill the holes quickly. Outside the pass, the view was even worse. The wide ground was torn apart by powerful attacks, leaving deep holes. Broken weapons, damaged armor, and bodies were scattered everywhere like a scene from a nightmare.
The sky belonged to the Spirit Master army of the Spirit Empire. Thousands of Spirit Masters flew in the air like a huge cloud of insects. They were organized into different groups based on their elements or clans. The Spirit Masters from the Elephant Armored Academy were at the front line. Their Diamond Mammoth spirits created a strong shield of light to protect the others from the attacks coming from the wall. The Sacred Dragon Sect Spirit Masters breathed fire and used pressure to hit the defenders. The Wind Sword Sect Spirit Masters moved fast like green lights to kill the captains on the wall. Other clans like the Fire Leopard Sect and Black Tiger Sect attacked from the sides with great speed.
The soldiers on the wall suffered a lot. Ordinary soldiers were killed easily by the heavy spirit abilities. Even the Spirit Masters of the empire could barely hold on because they had fewer numbers and weaker strength. They only survived because of the high walls and their bravery. Many people were hit and fell from the walls.
Xue Beng stood on a safe platform in his golden armor. He was protected by his guards and Marshal Ge Long, but his face was white from fear. Soldiers ran to him with bad news. They said that the eastern wall was broken by the Elephant Armored Academy, the western towers were destroyed by the Wind Sword Sect, and many Spirit Master teams had died.
Xue Beng felt complete despair. He wondered if his empire was going to be destroyed. Iron Wall Pass was their last hope, but it was falling apart. At that exact moment, when everything seemed lost, a bright light appeared.
A large and soft seven-colored light shone from the sky behind the pass. It moved through the dark smoke and covered the broken wall perfectly. The tired and hurt soldiers inside the light suddenly felt strong again. Their pain went away, and their spirit power started to return. It was the power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Right after that, a cold and green poison fog came from behind the pass. It spread fast across the ground and covered the low-level Spirit Masters of the Spirit Empire who were preparing to attack. Shrill screams came from the green fog as the enemy soldiers felt their power disappear and their skin burn. The army of the Spirit Empire instantly fell into a state of total confusion and chaos.