"Grandpa Xuanji?"
Seeing Xuanji Douluo stop him, Dai Yaoheng subconsciously halted his steps. But as he gradually recovered his senses, he roughly realized the general meaning behind Xuanji Douluo's interruption.
And it was precisely because he realized and understood... that the original joy on Dai Yaoheng's face turned into a look of struggle.
"Yaoheng..."
Xuanji Douluo stepped forward and patted Dai Yaoheng's shoulder. On his aged face and in his cloudy eyes, that trace of sorrow had vanished at this moment, replaced by anger.
"Hao'er was trapped deep in the enemy camp; escaping all by himself would have been incredibly difficult. Yet now he has appeared outside the tent, which clearly means something is fishy. Don't forget the cause of the previous turmoil in the Heaven Soul and Star Luo Empires."
That single sentence completely froze Dai Yaoheng in place.
The reason for that turmoil was naturally hard for ordinary people to know. But as the eldest son of the White Tiger Duke, he had naturally learned the inside story from his father. There were monsters and demons that could possess the bodies of ordinary people, a process known as "Seizure."
What Xuanji Douluo meant now was to suspect that Dai Hao was no longer the original Dai Hao, but a monster that had taken over his body.
Dai Yaoheng clenched his jaw, forcefully suppressing the emotions in his heart. "Grandpa Xuanji, we have a way to test for that, right?"
"We do."
Xuanji Douluo took out a jade-like yet non-jade disc from his storage soul tool. This was something every legion commander was required to be equipped with, specifically used to check if anyone had been possessed. After all, if such a thing happened to a legion, once war broke out, chaos in the rear would be a massive disaster.
"Then let's go test him. If my father has really been possessed..."
A trace of struggle flashed through Dai Yaoheng's eyes before being replaced by firmness. "I absolutely won't allow anyone to defile my father's corpse. Even if it means my father won't have a complete body to bury, I will destroy him!"
Saying this, he strode out of the tent. This time, it was no longer an excited welcome. It was more like... an interrogation!
Yaoheng has grown up.
The experts inside the tent, including Xuanji Douluo, looked at the nephew or grand-nephew they had watched grow up, sighed inwardly, and likewise walked out of the command tent.
But when they came outside the camp, facing the ecstatic soldiers whose morale had recovered significantly, Dai Yaoheng was the first to look out. He saw his severely injured father standing still amidst the cheers and encirclement of the soldiers. Even as the soldiers greeted him, he remained just as motionless.
Besides that, there were actually three people beside his father. Chen Junting, Gu Tianchen, and his third... brother... Huo Yuhao.
Seemingly sensing Dai Yaoheng's stagnant gaze, Huo Yuhao slightly raised his head, exactly making eye contact with him. But the eye contact lasted for less than a second before Huo Yuhao looked away as if he were just an ordinary stranger, saying something to Chen Junting and the others.
Seeing this, Dai Yaoheng felt a myriad of emotions. Hatred, bitterness... perhaps both were there. But deep down, there was more hope and joy.
Because the arrival of these three gave him a signal: his father hadn't been possessed; he had been rescued.
His junior schoolmate Chen Junting, plus Gu Tianchen with his spatial abilities, and Huo Yuhao's illusion techniques—if they cooperated, they were entirely capable of this.
At this moment, Dai Hao also cast his gaze over. The moment father and son made eye contact, Dai Yaoheng was about to step forward. However, right at that moment, a voice came from behind him.
"Yaoheng!"
"Grandpa Xuanji."
Xuanji Douluo, bringing people with him, arrived a step later. He glanced at Dai Hao, and a flash of joy disappeared in the depths of his eyes before he looked at Chen Junting and the other two. But before he could speak, Dai Yaoheng took the lead to explain: "Grandpa Xuanji, these three are core disciples of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Of the two with the highest cultivation, one has strength comparable to a Super Douluo, and the other specializes in spatial abilities. They even teamed up with the Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to kill the Holy Spirit Church's Sect Master, Zhongli Wu. As for the remaining one, he possesses a spiritual Body Martial Soul and the Ultimate Ice Martial Soul, and his illusionary arts are supernatural. With the three of them making a move, they are fully capable of rescuing my father."
Dai Yaoheng's words instantly brightened the eyes of the Star Luo Empire experts, led by Xuanji Douluo, filling them with joy.
Killing the Holy Spirit Church's Sect Master, Zhongli Wu. This news had spread throughout the Douluo Continent after the attack on the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Few high-ranking members of major powers doubted it, though some who didn't know the details harbored suspicions. But given the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's credibility, these doubts could only be considered minor.
However, believing was believing, and rejoicing was rejoicing. For the sake of the bigger picture, and to be responsible for the massive army behind them, what needed to be done still had to be done, and the inspection still had to be carried out. This was strict military discipline!
Xuanji Douluo and Dai Yaoheng stepped forward, with Xuanji Douluo taking the lead, seemingly shielding Dai Yaoheng behind him. He first cupped his hands toward Chen Junting and the other two, and said sincerely, "Thank you three for saving the Commander. However..."
He held up the disc, his tone sincere yet firm. "To the three of you, and to the Commander, please forgive the offense."
Chen Junting looked at the disc. Since he had proposed the concept, provided the method, and supervised its creation, he nodded to show his understanding. Gu Tianchen and Huo Yuhao did the same.
As for Dai Hao, there was no need to mention it. After a loud laugh, "Hahaha! Good, bring it on! That's exactly how it should be."
Hearing Dai Hao say this, Xuanji Douluo and Dai Yaoheng, who understood him quite well, became even more convinced that he was fine. But believing was believing; the inspection still continued.
The disc was held high, and soul power was injected into it. A flash of golden light passed, and an array descended to cover them. When the four of them were entirely enveloped, it was as if their bodies were coated in a golden glow, but it didn't reveal the slightest anomaly.
By the time the array dissipated and the disc returned to Xuanji Douluo's hands, Dai Yaoheng could no longer suppress the urgency in his heart. He darted forward in a single stride to stand before Dai Hao.
"Father!"
His eyes welled up with tears, filled with joy.
"Enough! Don't act like a little girl!"
Although Dai Hao scolded him, he didn't hide his gratification in the slightest.
Chen Junting didn't go over to join in the excitement. However, Xuanji Douluo walked over to them. "I thank the three of you once again for saving the Commander's life. Gentlemen, please, come inside."
"After you."
Chen Junting gestured with his hand, and the four of them entered the camp together.
Afterward, Xuanji Douluo asked about the circumstances of how they rescued Dai Hao. Chen Junting and the others didn't hide anything and told them the whole truth. At the same time, they detailed the extent of Dai Hao's injuries, stating bluntly that if he didn't spend some time resting and fully recovering, his injuries would likely relapse. By then, even a god might not be able to save him.
"Please rest assured on this matter."
Xuanji Douluo's tone was quite confident. "Our Star Luo Empire has a Worship who is the continent's number one healing Soul Master. Commander Dai Hao is not only the leader of the Northwest Army Group and the Empire's Marshal, but his title as White Tiger Duke also shares the lifespan of the nation itself. The Empire will agree to it."
"You're talking about Senior Medicine Immortal Douluo, Wang Xian'er, right."
Xuanji Douluo nodded gently.
Wang Xian'er, with her Healing Angel martial soul, was the undisputed number one healing Soul Master in the world. Even Elder Zhuang Yusen from the Sea God Pavilion, who possessed the Tree of Life martial soul, was junior to Wang Xian'er in terms of seniority, and he openly admitted this fact himself.
After all, in terms of cultivation speed, it was much harder for auxiliary Soul Masters like healing and food types to reach the Title Douluo level compared to combat-oriented Soul Masters. Combat often stimulated a Soul Master's potential more easily, whereas healing and food-type Soul Masters rarely participated in battles. They could only rely on bitter solo cultivation and experience to slowly improve. Therefore, those who could reach the Title Douluo level were extremely rare. As for Super Douluo, that was even more impossible.
And the Medicine Immortal Douluo Wang Xian'er that Xuanji Douluo spoke of was an incredibly rare healing-type Super Douluo. With her abilities, she could be said to be one of the Star Luo Empire's most important trump cards.
A few years ago, she had been the Vice Hall Master of the Imperial Enshrined Hall, her status second only to the already deceased Elder Xu of the Star Luo Empire.
Let alone the fact that Dai Hao could already move now. Even if he couldn't, as long as he still had a breath left in him, with the Medicine Immortal Douluo around, it wouldn't be easy for him to die even if he wanted to.
As for right now... it wouldn't be simple for him not to recover quickly.
Soon, Xuanji Douluo led Chen Junting and the other two to a tent.
"Gentlemen, please rest here for the time being."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Xuanji Douluo waved his hand and said, "It is we who should thank you three. If you need anything, just have a soldier come and report it. However, conditions in the military are simple. If you require any fine food or supplies, we might not be able to satisfy you. Please forgive us."
"No need to trouble yourselves."
After settling the three of them, Xuanji Douluo left immediately. Needless to ask, as the commander of a legion within the Northwest Army Group and a core figure of the army, with Dai Hao returning heavily injured, he needed to pacify the army's morale while maintaining coordination and dispatches. More importantly, Dai Hao currently needed to rest, so the legion's affairs had to be managed by Xuanji Douluo. This included ordering the army to retreat to Yuming City and using it as their new defensive line.
Chen Junting sat down on a chair inside the tent, while Gu Tianchen and Huo Yuhao gathered beside him. Gu Tianchen was the first to ask, "Old Chen, since the war is about to break out, why didn't we bring Dugu Xin along? With the current state of the war, his presence would undoubtedly give us the greatest advantage."
"There's no need."
Chen Junting shook his head, then took out a porcelain bottle from his storage soul tool. "That catalyst is stored inside this bottle. When the war starts, we just need to scatter it."
"However..."
"However what?"
Chen Junting tapped the porcelain bottle and flipped his palm to put it away. "People might not fall into the same trap twice in a short period, let alone a massive machine like the Sun Moon Empire."
Hearing this, Gu Tianchen and Huo Yuhao seemed to suddenly realize something. "You're saying they'll have countermeasures?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it a countermeasure. But at the very least, they won't be caught completely off guard and take a massive loss like Kong Deming did."
Gu Tianchen and Huo Yuhao nodded in understanding. In other words, once the barrier of the Lightning Sky Curtain at the Mingdou Mountain Range completely dissipated, a tough battle would have to be fought.
"What do we do next?"
"What do we do? Prepare yourselves, we're moving out."
"Where to?"
"To Yuming City, of course."
Just as Chen Junting said, in less than an hour, the Star Luo Empire's Northwest Army Group and Western Legion began to move out, gradually retreating in the direction of Yuming City.
...
Yuming City was located in the northwest corner of the Star Luo Empire. As an important strategic location, it was less than a hundred kilometers away from the Mingdou Mountain Range, and only five hundred kilometers from the Heaven Soul Empire's border. It was not only a vital stronghold for the Star Luo Empire to resist the Sun Moon Empire but also one of the most critical supply cities for the frontline camps.
Two reserve legions were stationed here. Reserve legions generally had fifty percent more personnel than regular legions, and just like regular armies, they had to undergo rigorous training. Once the frontline regular legions suffered casualties, they would draw troops from these reserves to replenish their numbers.
The two reserve legions at Yuming City were both at full strength. Because the Marshal of this army group was the strictly disciplined White Tiger Duke, and they faced the Sun Moon Empire's army that could appear at any moment, no one dared to engage in graft and corruption in this place.
Therefore, the two reserve legions stationed at Yuming City were at full capacity, totaling fifteen thousand men. As long as the frontline battlefield needed them, they could be deployed to supplement the forces within two hours.
Furthermore, Yuming City was also one of the important granaries for the Western Army Group. Not only were its walls thick and sturdy, but its defenses were incredibly tight. It had always been managed by the subordinates the White Tiger Duke trusted the most.
Recently, with the Sun Moon Empire launching the war, the Star Luo Empire had long since extended the term of military service and used extremely high benefits to retain veterans who had seen combat. However, the troops of the original two reserve legions had been continuously funneled to the frontlines, resulting in the gradual attrition of veterans. This forced the two reserve legions to aggressively recruit new soldiers and continuously conscript more.
But because the border situation was so severe, many families in the border cities were unwilling to let their children enlist. Joining the army meant potentially going to the battlefield, and on the battlefield... human lives were treated as mere numbers!
So, from a certain perspective, the conscription work wasn't going smoothly. However, being a soldier naturally had its perks. Earning military merit was the best stepping stone to promotion. Furthermore, with the nation in a time of crisis, there were still some physically fit and hot-blooded youths who came to the recruitment offices to enlist.
The two reserve legions were stationed on the east and west sides of Yuming City. The recruitment offices faced the direction of the city gates, so they could be clearly seen when walking out of the city. As for coming in from outside the city...
Sorry! Due to the severe current situation, Yuming City was now operating on a strict "no entry, only exit" policy. Moreover, once new recruits joined the military, they were immediately assigned to the two reserve legions, standing strictly at attention outside Yuming City.
Ready to march to the battlefield at any moment!
Even if... most of them would become cannon fodder.
But there was no helping it; that was just the nature of war. Human lives were just numbers, after all.
However, right at this moment, a series of massive booming sounds came from the distance beyond Yuming City. The two reserve legions instantly went on high alert!
But when they saw the White Tiger banner...
"The Commander has returned to the city!"
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