At the western border of the Heavenly Soul Empire, dazzling light rose from the ground like a sun, illuminating the boundless snowy landscape as if it were broad daylight.
The sky "brightened."
The soldiers standing guard on the city walls didn't even have time to sound the alarm before they melted away like the accumulated snow on the ground, leaving no trace behind, nor any chance to enjoy the warmth inside their quarters again.
"Boom—"
Only then did a thunderous roar echo across the land.
In the sky, more than ten powerful auras soared through the air, clearly more than ten Titled Douluo.
Several of the Holy Spirit Cult's rarely seen offerings had all been brought to the front lines by Zhongli Wu.
Other Titled Douluo might have some reservations about slaughtering civilians, but for evil soul masters, this was a rare opportunity to "cultivate" in an open and upright manner.
It was as though an invisible layer of black mist spread from within the borders of the Sun Moon Empire; wherever it passed, not a single living soul remained.
Cities that had just shown a few points of light instantly fell silent. Countless corpses lying on the ground made the already frigid night feel even colder and more sinister.
Behind Zhongli Wu and his group came the vast and mighty army of the Sun Moon Empire. Wearing flying-type soul tools, they flew straight into Heavenly Soul Empire territory without pausing for a moment.
The Heavenly Soul Empire's thinking had actually been correct: advancing through snow would inevitably slow their march. But the Sun Moon Empire's army did not necessarily have to come by land.
"Front—line—great—victory—"
Inside Mingdu, a loud and resonant voice rang out, nearly spreading throughout the entire city. Pedestrians on the streets all stopped in their tracks. Upon seeing the situation clearly, they raised their heads one after another.
Flight was prohibited over Mingdu, but clearly, the current circumstances were exempt from that rule.
A soldier clad in armor had several beams of light shooting from the flying soul tool on his back, carrying his figure toward the imperial palace. He didn't fly very high, as though he deliberately wanted every person in Mingdu to hear this joyous news.
Although Mingdu was still very far from the front lines and could not hear the roar of soul tools or witness the brutality of the battlefield, once war began, even those far away in Mingdu could sense a change different from ordinary days.
Within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the Mingde Hall had been completely sealed off. No one was seen entering or leaving. No one knew what the teachers and students inside were busy with, or even whether they were still there at all.
Whether openly or underground, rare metals and certain strategic resources had completely vanished from the markets. Many shops selling soul tools were frequently out of stock.
Even ordinary people living in Mingdu could feel it: the Sun Moon Empire was waging a massive war.
Unknowingly, upon hearing the victory reports from the front lines, everyone's hearts couldn't help but relax a little.
Inside an underground casino, many frenzied gamblers seemed to be cheering for the Sun Moon Empire's victory as well.
Not far from this group, two figures blended into the crowd. After exchanging a glance, they soon drew close to each other.
"Elder Xuan, did you hear the commotion outside?"
At this moment, Xuanzi had changed into different clothes, though his body still bore some grime, making him look like one of the many gamblers here who had lost everything.
Glancing at Lin Huqun beside him, he lowered his voice slightly. "I heard it, but I can't confirm the specific situation."
"According to the information Huo Yuhao sent, the entire Mingdu is covered by devices called detection soul tools. Only by staying underground can one somewhat avoid detection. With our cultivation, the moment we appear on the surface, we'll be locked onto by the Sun Moon Empire's people."
"Sigh." Lin Huqun let out a sigh. "Shaozhe's whereabouts are unknown, and we can't easily gather information. We old fellows are actually relying entirely on a child like Yuhao to hold things together out there."
Xuanzi's expression didn't look good either. This trip had not only failed to rescue Huo Yuhao, but also the whereabouts of He Caitou and Wang Dong had been provided by Huo Yuhao. And now even Yan Shaozhe had gone missing.
He also knew that staying in Mingdu at this time was bound to be fraught with difficulties. But asking him to just leave like this, he really didn't know where to put his face.
"Huqun, you should follow the route Yuhao provided and go back first."
"Elder Xuan, what about you?"
"I… I'm going to stay here. Both Shaozhe and Yuhao are Elder Mu's disciples. Shaozhe is already missing; I cannot let Yuhao encounter danger as well."
"No!" Lin Huqun's expression changed. "When we left the academy, Elder Mu specially instructed me. He knew your temperament was stubborn, so he told me to keep an eye on you."
"A few days ago, you also heard what Xu Tianran said, that guy twisted right and wrong, pushing all the blame onto the three great empires. A continental war is already unavoidable."
"And just now you heard it too, another victory report from the front lines. Who knows how many soldiers died for their so-called victory? At a time like this, our Shrek Academy must stand up."
"I…"
Xuanzi slowly clenched his fist, his breathing becoming somewhat heavy. Countless thoughts surged in his mind, and the scene that had appeared before his eyes after being affected by Lin Xia's Chaotic Soul Melody that day seemed to resurface once more.
"Elder Xuan."
Just as he hesitated, a voice suddenly rang out in his sea of consciousness.
"Yuhao?"
Xuanzi slightly raised his head and looked around, but he didn't see Huo Yuhao's figure. "Yuhao, why did you come at this time?"
"Elder Xuan, it's extremely urgent. The victory report that just came in says that the Sun Moon Empire's army has already reached the Heavenly Soul Empire's capital, Tiandou City."
"What?"
Both Xuanzi and Lin Huqun changed color at the same time.
"Wasn't it just said that they had captured Tianming City? How did they suddenly reach Heavenly Soul Empire territory?"
"I don't know either, but this kind of easily verifiable information, the Sun Moon Empire shouldn't fabricate it on purpose. Moreover, the Holy Spirit Cult also received the same news."
"If not for two experts suddenly appearing in Tiandou City at the end, Tiandou City probably wouldn't have held. From their description, those two experts who appeared in Tiandou City should be from our academy."
Xuanzi's expression froze, and for a moment, he didn't speak. It was Lin Huqun beside him who quietly asked, "Yuhao, then why did you take the risk to come this time? Is there something important?"
"Elder Lin, you and Elder Xuan need to return as quickly as possible. The Sun Moon Empire has released a message: they want to arrange a challenge match with the experts of our Shrek Academy."
"A challenge match? What are the stakes?"
"Both sides select ten experts each for battle. If we lose, we must withdraw from Tiandou City and no longer provide aid to the Heavenly Soul Empire."
"And if we win?"
"They are willing to release the people imprisoned in the Sun Moon Empire." Huo Yuhao's voice paused for a moment. "Including… Dean Yan."
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