Sun Moon Empire. A massive military assembly area outside Mingdu.
The oppressive atmosphere was almost tangible, making it hard to breathe.
On the high platform, Ju Zi, dressed in a military uniform, wore an expressionless face. Her once lively eyes were now like a frozen lake, reflecting the terrifying military formation below—enough to terrify any opponent.
The first thing that caught the eye was the uniform, metallic legion of soul masters.
Tens of thousands of soul masters, at least at the fourth-ring level, wore standard soul guidance armor and wielded the latest soul guidance ray guns or energy concentration cannons. They remained silent; their soul power fluctuations merged into an invisible force field that even caused the light above them to distort slightly.
This was the foundation upon which the Sun Moon Empire swept across the continent.
Now, with the technological catalysis brought by the Lord Ravager, the sophistication of their equipment and the synergy of their soul power had far surpassed any previous era.
Beyond this ocean of soul masters lay an even more awe-inspiring steel jungle—the mech legion.
Thousands of colossal structures, some over ten meters in height, stood majestically, their cold metal shells gleaming with a chilling luster in the sunlight. They came in various shapes and sizes; some carried giant cannons powerful enough to blast down city walls, while others had their arms modified into high-speed rotating chainsaws or massive alloy claws. A low hydraulic rumble emanated from their joints.
These war machines were the product of the fusion of soul guidance technology and otherworldly metallurgy. Each one possessed destructive and defensive power comparable to a high-level Soul Douluo, a mobile fortress born purely for destruction.
However, even more terrifying and unsettling were the antimatter legions that roamed the flanks of this great host, seemingly emerging from the abyss.
They were neither purely mechanical nor living beings, but bizarre entities composed of twisted energy and dark matter. Wherever they passed, even the air seemed to be eroded by some kind of negative energy, becoming cold and lifeless.
They were the vanguard of the Lord Ravager, pure messengers of destruction, whose very existence constantly dismantled the surrounding laws of matter and energy.
Above all of this was a massive, sky-obscuring fleet of floating warships.
Dozens of giant warships, each hundreds of meters long, hovered high in the sky. Their thick armor, towering cannons, and complex soul guidance runes flashing along their hulls proclaimed their unparalleled air superiority and devastating firepower. They were like moving steel mountains, casting shadows that covered most of the gathering area.
Even more unsettling were the enormous shadows looming and swirling around these floating warships in the clouds.
Those were Doomsday Beasts—massive biological weapons with dragon-like features. Their scales shimmered with a metallic sheen, their claws and beaks were strong enough to tear through the toughest armor, and ominous dark-red energy flickered at the corners of their mouths.
They were the fleet's most loyal and terrifying guardians. Their roars were like death knells, foreshadowing the coming end of civilization.
Ju Zi stood there, commanding this force capable of overturning the entire continental situation.
After the Holy Grail War ended, her contract with Celenova should have been terminated. That Lord Ravager was too powerful; the so-called contract could not bind her in the slightest. Ju Zi should have been like those assimilated people in the Fire Phoenix Douluo's forces, becoming a member of the Star Roar Destruction Army without any independent consciousness.
Strangely, Celenova did not do that.
Instead of abandoning or assimilating her, she allowed Ju Zi to sit on the throne of commander-in-chief of the Sun Moon Empire's three armies.
Ju Zi didn't understand why. In her view, she had already lost her usefulness to Celenova.
In another dimension, two transcendent beings were watching all of this.
"Your little toy seems quite puzzled," Phantylia said lazily, as if watching an interesting drama, a playful smile on her lips. Her eyes, which could see through people's desires and fears, easily captured the confusion and bewilderment deep in Ju Zi's heart.
"Ju Zi…" Celenova's voice was cold and flat.
She stretched out a finger and casually drew a line in the air before her. Space was torn open like a curtain, revealing the boundless starry sky and the Douluo Star that was undergoing subtle changes.
"She is 'his' person. Since 'he' wants to use us to advance his plans, then we will simply go with the flow and let him use us."
The Douluo Continent of today, after being transformed by Ruan Mei and having its status elevated, was no longer what it once was. Space was more stable, the material structure more robust, and the energy level had greatly improved. This planet was now capable of supporting the arrival of a god-like being without being rejected or collapsing under the will of the plane.
However, Celenova and Phantylia—these two Lord Ravager who had witnessed the birth and death of millions of worlds—were unwilling to set foot on it easily.
They had seen through the planet's true nature at first glance—it had been transformed into an enormous celestial computer. Under the shadow of that almost limitless computing power, once they stepped onto Douluo Star, whatever they did would be like moving pieces on a chessboard that had already been laid out. Every move they made might be calculated, deduced, and even incorporated into the opponent's plan.
This feeling of being under someone else's control made them unhappy and filled them with vigilance.
Therefore, their decision to evacuate Douluo Star was already an unspoken agreement between them.
But before leaving, their agreement with Xu Tianran still needed to be fulfilled. Helping him launch this war of conquest that would sweep across the continent was both the fulfillment of a promise and an… interesting experiment.
They wanted to see where Xu Tianran and his human empire would ultimately go after gaining power far beyond their era. Would it lead to ultimate destruction, or would some unexpected new life be born from the ruins?
Regardless of the outcome, the process itself would always bring something of value—perhaps data, perhaps enjoyment, or perhaps just a fleeting spark called "possibility."
Celenova's gaze returned to the assembled army of destruction below. Her icy voice echoed through the alternate dimension:
"Let's begin. Let's see what kind of future this blade we personally handed over can cut open."
Ju Zi's voice, amplified through the soul guidance loudspeakers, coldly reverberated throughout the entire gathering area. It was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if she were merely reading a notice unrelated to herself:
"All troops, listen to my command—target: the original Three Kingdoms of Douluo. Advance!"
There was no rousing speech, no promises of glory—only a simple yet brutal order.
However, this cold command was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting this ocean of steel and destruction.
"Buzz—!"
The soul guidance engines of the floating warship fleet emitted a deep, earth-shaking roar. The massive hulls began to move slowly, like ancient behemoths awakening, pressing towards the eastern horizon surrounded by countless Doomsday Beasts.
On the ground, the soul master legions marched with uniform, heavy steps. Their metal boots struck the earth, raising clouds of dust. The towering mech legions advanced in lockstep, causing the ground to tremble. The sounds of hydraulic systems and metal joints grinding together merged into a symphony of destruction.
The distorted antimatter army spread forward silently, like ink dripping into clear water, leaving withered vegetation and extinguished life wherever it passed.
On the edge of this massive and despair-inducing legion, a particularly conspicuous force silently followed.
They were not human, but wolf-headed, human-bodied creatures exuding a cold and bloodthirsty aura. The leaders among them radiated particularly terrifying presences—they were none other than the Titled Douluo-level elders and retainers of the Holy Spirit Cult.
The alliance between the Holy Spirit Cult and the Sun Moon Empire had not been broken by the death of the former cult leader, Zhongli Wu. For Emperor Xu Tianran, it didn't matter who led the Holy Spirit Cult. As long as this powerful force could be used by him, as long as it could become a sharp dagger to tear apart the enemy's defensive lines, that was enough. Whether it was Zhongli Wu or Huo Yuhao who controlled it was merely a change of dance partner.
…
Deep within the Great Star Dou Forest, in the dark main hall of the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya stood in front of a huge projection screen that clearly displayed the terrifying scene of the Sun Moon Empire's army setting off.
A torrent of steel, ferocious monsters, warships that blotted out the sky… all of this made the two people who had grown up in the original Three Kingdoms of Douluo feel incomparably heavy, as if a huge boulder was pressing on their hearts.
Tang Ya shifted her gaze from the screen to Bei Bei's calm side profile, her eyes filled with unbearable guilt and pain.
It was precisely because she had been trapped in darkness and controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult that Bei Bei had been willing to betray Shrek Academy, which had nurtured him, and even throw himself into the lair of evil soul masters, just to protect her.
Feeling her gaze, Bei Bei turned his head and met Tang Ya's self-reproachful eyes. He could only smile helplessly and reach out to gently hold her cold hand.
He had said countless times that he had never regretted his choice. The glory of Shrek Academy and the revival of the Tang Sect were insignificant in the face of Tang Ya's safety and smile. As long as she was safe and well, as long as he could stay by her side, he would be willing to fall into eternal darkness.
At the very top of the main hall, on the throne symbolizing the highest power of the Holy Spirit Cult, Huo Yuhao stared indifferently at the army on the screen.
In his arms, he carefully held a swaddled newborn—his and Xiao Wu's child.
Looking at the massive army that was about to trample his homeland, a cold sense of satisfaction flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
He had waited far too long for this day.
The man named Dai Hao—his biological father—had been away from home for many years, stationed at the front lines in defense of the empire. It was this very absence that had indirectly led to his mother's tragic fate and death. It had also caused Huo Yuhao to experience the world's coldness from an early age, never once feeling a father's love.
Since that was the case, he would personally destroy the faith Dai Hao had protected his whole life, and shatter the beliefs and achievements he cherished like his very life. He wanted that high and mighty duke to watch as everything he had sworn to defend crumbled before his eyes in the face of absolute power.
However, when he lowered his head and his gaze fell upon the pure, innocent, sleeping face of the baby in his arms, his icy killing intent and blazing flames of revenge would involuntarily soften a little.
The arrival of this child was like a faint but tenacious ray of light shining into his heart filled with hatred, allowing him to regain a sliver of reason that had almost been completely extinguished.
It was because of this little life that he had prevented Bei Bei and Tang Ya from participating in the impending bloody war. He needed to secure a relatively safe future for himself and for this child—for their uncertain and perilous road ahead.
He had to storm the Realm of the Gods to rescue his mother, but the future was unknown and fraught with danger; he could not possibly take his young son with him. Now, the only people he could trust were Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
Also because of the birth of this child, his original obsession with killing his father and massacring everyone in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had quietly changed.
Utter destruction might only bring emptiness.
What he wanted was for Dai Hao to feel a deeper and more lasting pain—to watch the country he protected fall into war, to watch the honor he cherished be trampled, to watch all his efforts turn into nothingness, yet remain utterly powerless to change anything.
Huo Yuhao gently rocked the baby in his arms, his gaze returning to the screen.
"Go… destroy, plunder, bring despair."
He justified himself, a cruel smile curving his lips.
"Dai Hao, watch closely and see what kind of end awaits everything you cherish."
The war began in the most brutal and direct way.
…
On the border of the Sun Moon Empire, hundreds of super-heavy soul guidance cannons—enhanced by Antimatter Legion technology—had already been calibrated. As Ju Zi, overseeing the rear, calmly waved her hand and gave the order, these ferocious war machines let out a deafening roar.
Their target was the Mingdou Mountain Range, the natural barrier upon which the Star Luo Empire relied to maintain its border security, and the most elite Northwest Army Group stationed there—personally commanded by the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao.
What arrived first was not ordinary artillery fire, but strategic weapons capable of altering the terrain itself—level-nine fixed-installation soul guidance shells.
Several streaks of light, trailing blazing flames like falling stars, tore across the sky at supersonic speeds and struck precisely at the core area of the Mingdou Mountain Range's defense line.
In that instant, time seemed to stand still.
Then came extreme light and heat—and an explosion that annihilated everything.
"Boom!!!!!!!!!!"
An unprecedented roar instantly robbed everyone of their hearing.
Huge fireballs rose simultaneously from the main peak of the Mingdou Mountains and several critical passes, soaring straight into the sky as if the earth had opened a giant mouth to spew flames.
The terrifying shockwaves spread wildly in all directions, crushing hard rock into powder like brittle biscuits and turning dense forests into charcoal and ash in the span of a heartbeat.
The mountains wailed—they crumbled.
A mountain hundreds of meters high was blasted in half. Boulders mixed with soil poured down like a waterfall, instantly burying the camps, fortifications, and defensive soul tools below.
The earth itself was torn open, leaving deep, bottomless ravines—hideous scars across the surface of the continent.
For the soldiers of the Northwest Army Group, this was undoubtedly the end of the world.
Many soldiers did not even see the enemy before they were instantly vaporized by the extreme heat, disappearing without a trace along with their armor and soul tools.