At the central military camp of the Sun Moon Army, a massive command tent sat right in the middle of the encampment. The area around the tent was brightly lit, with soldiers constantly coming and going. Even though it was late at night, it remained bustling.
"What is the situation?"
Inside the command tent at this moment, Ye Yulin, clad in armor, sat in the main seat. The experts of the Sun Moon Empire were seated around him. Currently, they were listening to a messenger's report.
"Reporting to the Commander, that Lightning Sky Curtain has completely sealed off the Mingdou Mountain Range. If we force our way through, we can travel a short distance. But if we try to rely on defensive soul tools to cross the entire mountain range, we will be dead without a burial ground before we even reach the halfway mark."
Ye Yulin frowned slightly, a contemplative look on his face. The other experts did the same, trying to come up with a way to break it. After all, with the Lightning Sky Curtain blocking the way, although they, as Class-9 Soul Engineers, could force their way through using Class-9 defensive soul tools, the regular army couldn't. They would simply be annihilated by the lightning halfway through.
Ye Yulin stood up and paced back and forth inside the tent. A moment later, he finally stopped. "You may withdraw."
"Yes."
Once the messenger left, Ye Yulin's gaze swept over the crowd. "Let's wait for the results of the next test to see exactly how long this Lightning Sky Curtain can last. If worse comes to worst..."
A ruthless and decisive glint flashed in his eyes. "Then we will use human lives to build a path. We'll select the shortest route across the Mingdou Mountain Range and have the ordinary soldiers use defensive soul tools to install the base components of a soul tool defensive formation. That way, trading one life for every step, we can blast a path through the Mingdou Mountain Range."
The experts didn't make a sound, apparently agreeing in silence. After all, in this battle against the Star Luo Empire, the Sun Moon Empire was fighting for time right from the start. If Chen Junting and the other two hadn't intervened, the White Tiger Duke Dai Hao would have died long ago, the Mingdou Mountain Range would have completely fallen, and they would only be one city away—Yuming City—from conquering the entire southwest.
And as for Yuming City, without the White Tiger Duke's command and with the western part of Star Luo inevitably falling into chaos, it wouldn't hold out for long. Once Yuming City was breached, the western part of the Star Luo Empire would be wide open to them, allowing a direct march all the way to the Star Luo capital, Star Luo.
What a pity... what a pity!
But no matter what, they had to seize the time. At the very least, Dai Hao being severely wounded was a certainty. As long as he hadn't recovered, they could quickly take the Mingdou Mountain Range and fiercely attack the Star Luo Northwest and Western Army Groups. There was still a chance to capture Yuming City before Star Luo's reinforcements arrived.
But if Dai Hao recovered... based on his understanding of Dai Hao, with the army's morale restored, he would absolutely launch a counteroffensive to reclaim the Mingdou Mountain Range defense line. If that happened, his plans would inevitably be delayed.
"The main issue might not even be this."
At this moment, Jing Hongchen suddenly spoke up.
Ye Yulin paused slightly. "What do you mean?"
"That kid who rescued Dai Hao has incredible methods. Not only is his own strength terrifyingly powerful, comparable to ours, but based on my guess, Di Tian is probably standing behind him."
Di Tian?!
The name Di Tian, a few years ago, was still quite unfamiliar to the people of the Sun Moon Empire. After all, although he was honored as the king of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, he was merely a legend they had heard of. But these past few years were different. Breaking into the imperial palace, killing the Dragon Emperor Douluo... just this single event was enough to strike fear into their hearts.
That was a Limit Douluo! An existence on par with Old Kong. And he was killed by Di Tian just like that.
In the face of an expert of this level, they knew very well that if Di Tian truly made a move, the Sun Moon army currently stationed at the Mingdou Mountain Range would instantly lose its advantage.
"If that's the case, we must find someone to pin him down."
"Who?"
This question left the entire room in silence. Old Kong was currently stuck in the quagmire of the Tian Hun battlefield; who else could they find?
In the end, it was Ye Yulin who spoke up. "Let's go to them." He meant notifying the Holy Spirit Cult to cooperate with them. "Three days from now, we make our move. Then we'll press our advantage and fight all the way to Star Luo City!"
"We aren't waiting anymore?"
"No. If the curtain hasn't dispersed in three days, we fill it with corpses!"
"Right, tell them to bring the Death God soul tool."
Meanwhile, over at Yuming City.
All the soldiers stationed in the city had unexpectedly assembled, and all commanders above the rank of regiment commander were called in for a meeting. Even Chen Junting and his group were invited to attend.
This meeting had only one agenda: to have all legions make preparations, and with the reserve legions inside the city acting as support, they would launch a counteroffensive at the Mingdou Mountain Range in three days. Failure was not an option!
After the meeting ended, Dai Hao held back Chen Junting and the other two, along with Xuanji Douluo and the other generals and experts.
Once the others had left the tent, Dai Hao's previously robust and energetic complexion suddenly collapsed, turning pale.
"Fa... Commander."
Seeing this, Dai Yaoheng hurriedly stepped forward to support him. But just as he reached out his hand, Dai Hao stopped him.
"I'm fine. Cough, cough—"
He coughed once and looked at Chen Junting. "Lord Junting, I'll have to trouble you to dispel the Lightning Sky Curtain in three days."
Chen Junting didn't nod. Instead, he asked, "Are you sure you don't want to keep the curtain up a little longer, until the Star Luo Empire's reinforcements and the Medicine Immortal Douluo arrive to heal your wounds?"
Dai Hao shook his head. "We don't have the time. I've crossed blades with Ye Yulin many times; their deployment this time is all about the word 'fast'. Three days is already the ideal scenario. If Her Excellency the Medicine Immortal Douluo can arrive in time to heal me, all the better. If she can't, I'll just have to take the field as I am. After all, the situation now is different from half a day ago. It's best if we can take back the Mingdou Mountain Range; relying solely on Yuming City is not a long-term plan."
"Furthermore, between the Tian Hun and Star Luo battlefields, at least one of them needs a breakthrough. We can't just stay deadlocked here forever."
Chen Junting understood Dai Hao's reasoning. If it dragged into a war of attrition, it would be bad for everyone. That was why, from the very beginning, whether it was the Three Great Empires wanting to swallow the Sun Moon Empire, or the Sun Moon Empire wanting to unify the continent, both sides had entered the war with the mindset of a quick, decisive victory.
It was just that right now, the Tian Hun battlefield had Kong Deming holding the line. With Du Busi heavily injured and unhealed, it was completely deadlocked, just like the quagmire Chen Junting had mentioned earlier. Because of this, the Sun Moon Empire wanted to increase their troop investment on the Star Luo side, turning what was originally a simple standoff into a second primary battlefield.
But if this place also turned into a quagmire... would they have to open a third battlefield?
Thinking of this, a thought struck Chen Junting. It actually didn't seem impossible. But if they were to open a third battlefield, they had to take the initiative, not be passive. And it absolutely couldn't be on the side of the original Three Great Empires; it had to be inside the Sun Moon Empire itself.
Perhaps... marching from that direction would be just right.
After walking out of the command tent, the three of them walked side by side. But when they reached a secluded spot, Gu Tianchen spoke up. "Old Chen, what were you thinking about in there just now?"
"What else could I be thinking about?" Chen Junting kicked a pebble on the ground and let out a long breath. "I was thinking that if the battlefield here falls into a stalemate, it's going to be troublesome. We need to find a way to open up a third battlefield."
"Stalemate again?" Gu Tianchen's footsteps paused for a moment before resuming. "Is the Sun Moon Empire really that strong? Even counting the Great Star Dou Forest?"
These words seemed like a question, but they were actually a reminder. However, all he got in return was Chen Junting slightly shaking his head.
Back when he first presented the artificial soul rings and artificial soul bones, Di Tian had already made a commitment, and naturally, Chen Junting hadn't forgotten. After all, soul beasts were a massive viable force; if they cooperated, it would mean adding a huge number of Soul Master legions to their ranks. But in the end, Chen Junting hadn't gone to them for help.
He did this for one simple reason: to hold it back as a trump card.
"A trump card?" Gu Tianchen frowned slightly. "What are you worried about?"
"Brother Junting is probably worried about those 'Seizure' masters," said Huo Yuhao, who had been acting as a background character up to this point. The moment he spoke, his words immediately won Chen Junting's agreement.
"You're right, but there's a slight discrepancy."
At this moment, Chen Junting's expression turned serious. "I am indeed wary of them. But not of the people themselves, but of the power behind them. The origins of this power are unknown, and it stands behind the Holy Spirit Cult. And in war, there are never true victors."
This world war essentially involved all Four Empires, with even the Dou Ling Empire providing logistics. The ensuing turmoil was entirely draining their national strengths. If they waited until all these factions were weakened and the power behind the Holy Spirit Cult bared its fangs, what then?
Pray to the gods? It was better to rely on themselves.
That was why the soul beast armies of the Star Dou Great Forest and the Extreme North, along with the undead legions of the Undead Demiplane, were the ultimate bottom line.
Because he suspected that the power behind them came from another plane. This wasn't impossible. Besides, the moment those 'Seized' souls appeared, they were sanctioned by the laws of this world. This situation was equivalent to being caught while smuggling. Since the mastermind behind the scenes dared to make such a move, it meant they were either stupid, unafraid of this world and its gods, or confident they could deceive the heavens, the earth, and the deities of the God Realm.
One had to be prepared for a rainy day.
"In that case, we really do need to hold something back. And not just one thing." Gu Tianchen narrowed his eyes, his expression revealing sixty percent cunning and forty percent ruthlessness. "This war needs to be quick and decisive too. The Sun Moon Empire, which might hold us back, needs to be destroyed! And destroyed fast! The Holy Spirit Cult needs to be destroyed too! And destroyed ruthlessly!"
"What do you plan to do?"
Chen Junting didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Huo Yuhao and asked, "Yuhao, how much longer until you break through to Level 80?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback for a moment, then pondered briefly before saying, "Three months. I only need three months."
The firmness of his tone made Chen Junting clap his hands in praise. "Good! Then three months it is."
Saying that, Chen Junting lifted the curtain of the tent in front of them and walked inside, leaving Gu Tianchen deep in thought and Huo Yuhao connecting the dots.
...
Three days later, the four gates of Yuming City swung wide open. The Star Luo army marched out at this moment, heading straight for the Mingdou Mountain Range.
The moment they arrived at the mountain range, the soldiers looked at the Lightning Sky Curtain stretching across a thousand miles, feeling an indescribable sense of shock.
Dai Hao, who appeared healed but was actually still heavily injured, looked at the sky curtain. After ensuring the army's logistics and attack deployments were in order, he turned to Chen Junting and said, "Please dispel this curtain."
"Alright."
Chen Junting didn't bother asking any nonsense like "Are you sure?" He formed a hand seal, and array runes instantly appeared in the sky.
However, at this moment, Dai Yaoheng walked up to his father. "Commander, you shouldn't take the field personally this time."
"Shut up!" Dai Hao glared at him fiercely. "Have you forgotten how I taught you? A general, a commander, should not fear death, and even more so, should lead from the front. These mere injuries aren't enough to kill me!"
Under his father's strictness, Dai Yaoheng could only swallow his words of concern. He knew his father's stubborn temper all too well. He couldn't persuade him, and there was no way to do so.
Right at this moment, the dark clouds in the sky churned. The sky above the Mingdou Mountain Range suddenly changed, showing signs of clearing up, while the thunder continuously weakened until it dissipated into nothingness.
In this exact second, Dai Hao flourished his war blade!
"Full army, charge!"
Under Dai Hao's command, the entire army moved. However, this movement wasn't a massive swarm rushing over the mountains to directly crash into the Sun Moon camp. Instead, based on the deployments made over the past three days, they moved to capture the strongholds of the Mingdou Mountain Range and wrestle control of it away from the Sun Moon army.
As for whether they would suffer a crushing defeat like last time... at least this time, they were prepared. It wouldn't end like it did three days ago.
Just as the Star Luo army surged up the mountains and their aerial forces prepared to seize air superiority, high-explosive shells were fired from the Sun Moon side, continuously exploding across the mountain range!
Seeing this, Gu Tianchen directly took action. However, he didn't defend against the attacks; he used their own methods against them.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
Void Gates opened one after another, swallowing the sky full of high-explosive shells. With a pause of Gu Tianchen's hand, the opened Void Gates instantly slammed shut.
And the moment they closed—Boom! Boom! Boom!—Violent explosions rang out on the other side of the mountain range.
"Old Chen, they were already guarding against me."
This single sentence conveyed a lot of meaning. First, Gu Tianchen's spatial abilities were being interfered with in the Sun Moon camp; second, after being interfered with, he couldn't directly return the attacks to the Sun Moon Empire, only redirect them.
"I understand. Keep going!" Chen Junting's expression was cold as he pointed his fingers like a sword.
At this moment, in the sky above the Mingdou Mountain Range, the Sun Moon Empire's aerial forces had already taken to the air, engaging in combat with the Star Luo aerial forces. Countless soul guidance rays and soul tool artillery lights rampaged across the sky, whipping up massive energy storms.
Huo Yuhao's eyes instantly lit up. His Spiritual Detection spread out like a massive net. To prevent his spiritual power from being shredded by the energy, he intentionally bypassed the fiercely contested airspace.
Immediately after, his Spiritual Sharing function directly connected to the minds of the Star Luo legion commanders and Marshal Dai Hao. Instantly, the situation on the Mingdou Mountain Range became clear at a glance.
This maneuver instantly lit up the eyes of Dai Hao and the others.
What a divine skill!
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