Rocks continued to fall incessantly. On one side of the mountain path was a sheer cliff, on the other a precipice. The constant "rumbling" sounds relentlessly stimulated the nerves of all the soldiers and their mounts.
Dai Hao occasionally turned back to launch attacks, shattering the tumbling rocks. His personal guards followed suit, but amid the dense barrage of stones, two were still caught off guard, one soldier and his mount tumbling together off the cliff, vanishing without a trace.
Dai Hao gritted his teeth. He leaped into the air, his soul power already fully accumulated, but when he looked up, the sky in the direction of the Sun Moon Empire remained a vast expanse of green; the assault clearly had not yet ended.
If he wasted too much energy on these falling rocks now, he might lack the strength to withstand the subsequent attacks.
As he hesitated, more mud and soil from the cliff face swept two others down the abyss. The military camp was no longer far away, yet for Dai Hao, the distance had never felt so endless.
After a moment of thought, his gaze hardened, and he made his decision.
He no longer held back any soul power. Dazzling white light burst from his body, and an icy, weapon-like killing intent radiated outward, instantly shattering the continuously falling rocks.
The "rumbling" in his ears abruptly ceased, replaced only by the "rustling" of sand and soil sliding down the cliff face. The overhead threat seemed to vanish completely in that moment.
But just as Dai Hao finished releasing his soul skill and was adjusting his soul power, the Sun Moon Empire's attack, as if it had been lying in wait, plummeted straight down from directly above him.
"Duke!"
The personal guards beside Dai Hao naturally noticed the change in the sky. A seven-ring soul master guard soared upward to block above Dai Hao. Yet in merely a few breaths, he was completely melted away under the Sun Moon Empire's assault.
"Damn it!" Dai Hao's heart surged with anxiety. He cursed aloud, but the Sun Moon Empire's attack showed no sign of stopping. A second level-eight fixed soul cannon shell was already descending.
"Boom—"
The enormous sound brought a piercing ringing to Dai Hao's ears. The personal guard before him seemed to be shouting something, but he could hear nothing, only a splitting headache. Something seemed to smash into his body, leaving him momentarily unable to react.
His soul power fell into complete chaos. Watching the White Tiger's personal guards continue to plummet off the cliff, his already furious mind darkened. A powerful force seemed to strike him, and before his eyes, there was nothing else, only a blinding, ghastly green that appeared to shroud the entire world.
Despite suffering such heavy losses, from beginning to end, the Star Luo Empire never even saw what their attackers looked like.
In Dai Hao's mind, only one thought remained: the entire Star Luo Empire had gravely underestimated the level of the Sun Moon Empire's soul tools.
Then, he lost consciousness.
"How were the results? Was it successful?"
Dozens of li away, two ninth-rank soul engineers huddled together, staring intently at the soul screen in their hands.
"According to the data transmitted by the high-altitude reconnaissance soul tool, the target has fallen into the abyss. It's probably a success."
"Good." One of them nodded. "You contact the others to proceed with the next step. I'll go report to the Marshal."
On the other side, within Sun Moon Empire territory at the base of the Ming Dou Mountain Range, the city established there had already lost all trace of ordinary civilians. Everyone coming and going wore armor, soldiers only.
The city lord's mansion had long been converted into a military headquarters. Beside a sand table, a somewhat slender figure leaned slightly forward, brows tightly furrowed.
"Report—Marshal!"
"Speak!"
The figure abruptly raised her head; it was none other than Ju Zi, who had vanished from Xu Tianran's side.
"The front line reports that the target suddenly changed direction and avoided the trap we had prepared in advance."
"What about the follow-up attacks?" Ju Zi's expression remained calm.
As the White Tiger Duke, commander of the Star Luo Empire's western border, if anything happened to him, the entire western defense line would fall into chaos. Thus, from the moment war began, her primary target had been the White Tiger Duke.
She had made numerous plans for this. Merely avoiding a pre-set trap was far from enough to surprise her.
"Report, Marshal: after locking onto the target with high-altitude reconnaissance soul tools, the soul cannon positions launched several continuous attacks, all blocked. After subsequently deploying two level-eight fixed soul cannon shells to pin the target down, he was knocked off the cliff. His current status and location remain unknown."
Ju Zi paused slightly upon hearing this, unsure for a moment what she truly felt inside.
Though she constantly spoke of him as her enemy, hearing that the White Tiger Duke had fallen into the abyss did not bring her much relief. Perhaps she had long known that her true enemy was not just the White Tiger Duke alone… or perhaps…
Steadying herself, Ju Zi raised her head again. "Pass down the order: instruct the vanguard forces to enter the Ming Dou Mountain Range. Their priority is to clear out the Star Luo Empire's anti-air positions. They must complete preparations for the assault on Heavenly Dou City before dawn tomorrow."
"Yes!"
"Additionally, after occupying the Ming Dou Mountain Range, send a cleanup team down to the base of the cliff to confirm the target's status. We want to see him alive, or his corpse if dead."
"Yes!"
Watching the messenger leave the room, Ju Zi stepped away from the sand table, walked to the side, and gently sat down. She raised a hand to press her brow.
Two days ago, when the three great empires had attacked Xu Tianran, she had been dispatched here, ready at any moment to launch the offensive.
Others might not know Xu Tianran's true condition, but she understood it perfectly well. His two days of absence were merely a deliberate act to feign injury, for the sole purpose of providing a perfect justification to declare formal war on the three great empires.
Though Xu Tianran's personality was far from pleasant, no one could deny his capability. In his view, the Sun Moon Empire's previous failure stemmed precisely from lacking such an ideal opportunity.
After arriving here, Ju Zi had been constantly mobilizing troops and devising plans. She had not closed her eyes even once. The moment she sat down, a wave of exhaustion surged over her.
Yet just as she caught her breath, the footsteps of another messenger sounded outside.
"Report, Marshal."
"What is it?" Ju Zi forced herself to rally.
"Reinforcements sent from Mingdu have arrived."
"Reinforcements?" Ju Zi paused, suddenly recalling something. "Let him in."
"Yes."
Soon, accompanied by several footsteps, Lin Xiao's figure appeared in the room.
Along the way, Lin Xiao had already seen many things.
The Sun Moon Empire moved with extreme speed. The moment Xu Tianran announced the declaration of war in Mingdu, operations here had already begun. Moreover, judging from the soul tools equipped on the surrounding soldiers, in the short time since his return to the Sun Moon Empire, these soul tools seemed to have advanced yet again.
"You're here?"
Seeing Lin Xiao enter, Ju Zi finally relaxed completely, letting her body lean back into the chair.
"Mm." Lin Xiao nodded. "The State Preceptor has already taken the others to the military camp near the Heavenly Soul Empire, following your original plan."
"No rush. Let's first wait and see what reaction the three great empires will have."
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