Chapter 364: Driving the Wolf to Devour the Tiger First, Then Watching the Tigers Fight from the Mountain?
"The fall of Luoxia Pass means the outer barrier has been broken; Heaven Dou City will be directly exposed to the brunt of the military force. Three hundred li is merely a day or two's journey for a forced march by a Soul Master legion."
"Now is not the time to discuss how to resist the enemy outside the national borders, but how to ensure that the capital... no, the Empire's final core strength, is not crushed in a single blow!"
"The enemy's momentum is at its peak, carrying the prestige of consecutive victories, with Soul Masters as their main force. They possess high mobility and extremely strong siege capabilities. If we hold a solitary city and take a beating passively—given the current panic in the city, scattered troops, and Soul Master strength far inferior to the enemy—falling is only a matter of time."
Marshal Ge Long also rushed over at this time, his armor still covered in dust. Hearing this, he said in a deep voice:
"What School Master Ning says is absolutely correct. Although the garrison in the city claims to be a hundred thousand strong, less than half are truly capable of fighting, and morale is low. In a field battle outside the city, we are by no means a match for the Spirit Empire's Soul Master legion. But if we defend the city to the death... the opponent's Soul Master methods are unpredictable. Destroying walls or creating internal chaos would be as easy as turning a palm; simple city walls cannot stop them."
Hearing these words, Xue Beng's expression changed again, and he said in a hoarse voice:
"Could it be... could it be that we are to abandon the city and flee? Our ancestors' legacy!"
Despite his words, fear had already surfaced in his eyes.
"Abandoning the city is the worst possible plan, a last resort not to be taken unless absolutely necessary." Just then, Dugu Bo's emerald pupils swept over everyone as he spoke up to interrupt.
"Abandoning the city is equivalent to announcing the complete collapse of the Heaven Dou Empire. At that time, the morale of the army and the people will be lost, and an exiled government will find it even harder to achieve anything; it will only be hunted to death by the Spirit Empire."
He paused and voiced a bold idea.
"Not only can we not flee, but instead we must... actively meet them!"
"Actively intercept?" Marshal Ge Long was startled and said in disbelief, "Senior, this... the disparity between our strengths is huge. Isn't an active strike like hitting a rock with an egg?"
Dugu Bo waved his hand impatiently and said:
"I'm not telling you to let these ordinary armies go head-to-head with the Soul Master legion! My meaning is to concentrate all the Soul Master forces we can mobilize, raise the Emperor's banner, put on a posture of a personal imperial expedition and resistance to the death, and advance to Iron Wall Pass, a hundred li from Heaven Dou City! The terrain there is hazardous; it is the last decent pass leading to Heaven Dou City."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered as he quickly understood Dugu Bo's intention. He said solemnly, "Poison Douluo, do you mean... to integrate our forces, advance to hold the position, build up momentum, and stall for time?"
"Exactly!" Dugu Bo nodded and continued, "First, gather all the Soul Masters who can still be contacted and are willing to fight for the Empire, regardless of whether they are from families, academies, or are Loose Cultivators. They will be under the unified deployment and command of this old man and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Even if the quantity and quality are far inferior to the Spirit Empire, gathered together they are a force that cannot be ignored. Relying on the hazardous terrain of Iron Wall Pass, we can at least stall them for a period of time."
"Second, the kid Xue Beng will lead the imperial expedition personally. Even if it's just for show, it can greatly boost the morale of the front lines, show the World the Heaven Dou Empire's determination to resist to the end, stabilize the hearts of the people in the rear, and... also attract the main attention of the Spirit Empire, making them focus their offensive on the direction of Iron Wall Pass, buying more time for Heaven Dou City's defenses and preparations."
"Third, and most importantly. This is to buy time for that kid Tang Chuan to rush back! As long as we can hold out until he returns, with his strength and methods, the situation might take a turn! The core purpose of all our actions now is—to stall! Stall until a variable appears!"
This plan was quite risky, placing the Empire's Emperor and the remaining Soul Master elites in a dangerous position on the front line, but there seemed to be no better choice at the moment.
Defending Heaven Dou City was waiting for death, and abandoning the city to flee was seeking self-destruction. Only by actively advancing to a dangerous location and putting on a posture of a fight to the death with their backs to a hazardous pass could they possibly gain a sliver of life.
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment. He looked at Marshal Ge Long and said solemnly, "Marshal Ge Long, how are the fortifications at Iron Wall Pass? Are the provisions and equipment sufficient?"
Ge Long immediately replied:
"Iron Wall Pass was originally the second fortress for defending against Star Luo. Although it hasn't experienced a major battle in years, its foundation is solid, the terrain is hazardous, and it is easy to defend but hard to attack. The reserves of provisions and equipment can still support us for several months. If we reinforce it urgently and deploy enough Soul Masters for defense, it is indeed an ideal interception position."
After listening to everyone's analysis, the panic on Xue Beng's face finally receded slightly, replaced by a ruthlessness born of being pushed into a corner.
He knew that although he was a Puppet Emperor, he also had no way out.
Once Spirit Hall fought its way in, he feared he wouldn't even be able to be a Puppet Emperor anymore.
"Good!" Suddenly, Xue Beng stood up, a trace of imperial ruthlessness finally igniting in his eyes. He shouted, "Then we shall follow the plan of Senior Dugu and School Master Ning! I shall immediately issue an imperial decree announcing a personal expedition and calling upon the World's Soul Masters to face the national crisis together! All resources will be prioritized for Iron Wall Pass!"
"Marshal Ge Long, you will lead fifty thousand elite infantry and cavalry to follow me to Iron Wall Pass first to reinforce the city defenses! School Master Ning, Senior Dugu, the matter of integrating the Soul Masters will be fully entrusted to you two! You must bring all the forces that can be assembled before the enemy army reaches Iron Wall Pass!"
A few hours later, outside Slaughter City, in an unnamed forest.
The cold morning dew dampened Hu Liena's cheeks, waking her from a brief slumber. Immediately, she sat up abruptly, her cold gaze quickly scanning the surroundings.
Ancient trees reached for the sky, morning mist flowed through the woods, and sunlight cast mottled spots of light through the gaps in the leaves.
Birds chirped, and the air was fresh, carrying the scent of earth and vegetation.
For Hu Liena, this was a long-awaited feeling of the normal World.
However, her surroundings were empty. That blue-haired figure wearing a ghost god mask, calling himself Xiao Yan and holding a golden dragon spear, who had led her out of Hell Road with an almost crushing posture, had already disappeared, as if he had never appeared.
Only the fluctuations of the Slaughter God Domain on her body, which had not yet completely settled, and the brief but deep memory of their journey together in her mind proved that it was not an illusion.
In the next second, an indescribable sense of loss, mixed with the complex emotion of relief, surged into Hu Liena's heart. She looked at the empty woodland and said with a trace of melancholy she hadn't even noticed herself, "Did he... did he leave secretly by himself?"
Indeed, how could such a mysterious, powerful person with unpredictable goals entangle himself further with her? They were originally strangers who had come together temporarily because of Hell Road!
Now that the road had been finished, they naturally went their separate ways.
"Sigh, what a pity. I was even going to persuade him to follow me back to Spirit Hall." After sighing again, Hu Liena was just about to get up to discern her direction and return to Spirit Hall alone to report her mission.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures as swift as black smoke silently glided down from the high canopy, landing like ghosts a few meters in front of Hu Liena.
They then knelt on one knee, their posture respectful as they said:
"Greetings, Holy Maiden! We are under the orders of the Pope... no, Her Majesty, and have been waiting here for a long time. We have finally seen you!"
The newcomers were both dressed in Spirit Hall elite-level black tight-fitting clothes, with masks covering most of their faces, revealing only a pair of eyes with restrained sharpness. They were clearly quite strong and skilled in concealment and tracking.
"Her Majesty the Pope? Teacher, she...?" Hu Liena was first taken aback, then she keenly caught the change in the other's form of address, and an ominous premonition rose in her heart.
During the time she was in Slaughter City, what had happened outside?
One of the Men in Black raised his head, his tone carrying a trace of pride and excitement as he quickly explained, "Reporting to the Holy Maiden, during the time you were away, the continental landscape has already changed drastically! A few days ago, Spirit Hall officially changed its name and established a nation, called the Spirit Empire!"
"Her Eminence the Pope has followed the mandate of heaven and has been crowned as the first Empress of the Spirit Empire! Now that the Empire's territory is initially settled, it is a time when people are needed. Her Majesty missed the Holy Maiden and specifically ordered us to receive you here. Please return to Spirit City quickly to discuss the Empire's great plans!"
Spirit Hall... has established a nation? Teacher, she... has become Empress?
Even though Hu Liena had a resilient mind, hearing such earth-shattering news suddenly, her mind couldn't help but be shaken, and her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.
She had only been in Slaughter City for over a year, yet the outside World had turned upside down to this extent! Spirit Hall had stepped from behind the scenes to the forefront, directly transforming into a massive Empire competing for hegemony with the two great Empires!
Amidst the shock, a strong sense of mission and belonging also surged up.
She was her teacher's Disciple and the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall. Now that the Empire was newly established, it was the time for her to show her skills, repay her teacher's kindness, and realize her ambitions!
"Teacher... how has Her Majesty been lately?"
Hu Liena quickly suppressed the waves in her heart and asked in a deep voice, her tone also quietly changing.
"Her Majesty's health is excellent, and her majesty grows daily. She is currently coordinating the overall situation in Spirit City. Before long, the Empire should completely annex Star Luo and Heaven Dou," the Man in Black replied respectfully.
"Good, I understand. Lead the way; we shall return to Spirit City immediately." Hearing this, Hu Liena slowly stood up, patted the dust and grass from her clothes, and her gaze became firm again. The pride and bearing belonging to the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall quickly returned.
"Yes!" the two Men in Black responded in unison, standing up to lead the way.
However, neither Hu Liena nor the two Soul Masters ordered to receive her noticed that not far from them, behind the gnarled trunk of a giant tree that would take several people to encircle, a blue figure was standing quietly as if merged into the environment.
It was indeed Tang Chuan, who had not gone far.
He did not deliberately hide his Aura, but simply reduced his presence to an extremely low level. Coupled with the cover of the forest environment, even Hu Liena and the others who were close by had not discovered him.
At this moment, Tang Chuan's brow under the mask furrowed slightly, and a trace of cold killing intent flashed in his eyes. He had heard every word of the Man in Black's speech.
"Spirit Hall... your movements are truly fast."
"How long has it been since I left? You've already directly established a nation and begun to annex the two great Empires..."
This news was both a surprise and somewhat expected for him.
With Spirit Hall's ambition and accumulation, reaching this step was a matter of time. It was just that this timing happened to coincide with the period he left Heaven Dou City and entered Slaughter City, which seemed somewhat clever.
"Bibi Dong becoming Empress... the Spirit Empire... It seems the chessboard of the continent has been completely overturned. At this moment, Dugu Bo and Ning Fengzhi over at Heaven Dou City probably face immense pressure."
He had originally planned to deal with the matters of the Asura Demon Sword and the Slaughter King after coming out of Slaughter City, then return to Heaven Dou City to integrate forces and plan slowly.
Now it seemed that the Spirit Empire's sudden offensive had disrupted his rhythm.
"However... although the Spirit Empire seems to have surging momentum, as a newly established nation, internal integration and the hidden dangers of a multi-country patchwork will not be few. At the same time, fighting on both northern and southern fronts is a great taboo in military strategy. As long as the initial fierce attack is withstood and the basic foundation is stabilized, there might not be no chance..."
Thinking of this, his gaze once again turned toward the direction Hu Liena had left.
"The Holy Maiden of the Spirit Empire... Slaughter God Domain. That old fellow Tang Chen should chase his way out within a few days. I might be able to make some use of Hu Liena."
"Leading Tang Chen to find Hu Liena and Bibi Dong, driving the wolf to devour the tiger first, then watching the tigers fight from the mountain—this counts as a decent plan. When the time comes, I'll wait until they are both injured..."
...A few days later, at the Heaven Dou Empire's front line, Iron Wall Pass.
The once hazardous and majestic Iron Wall Pass had now turned into a meat grinder of flesh and blood.
Atop the pass walls, the originally solid battlements were pockmarked from being blasted by Martial Soul Abilities of various attributes. The wall structure was covered in cracks, and some places were even directly pierced by powerful forces, revealing sandbags, wood, and stones hurriedly filled behind them.
Outside the pass walls, the scene was even more terrifying.
The open ground in front of the pass, several li wide, had long been plowed over and over again by various terrifying Martial Soul Abilities.
The ground was cracked and filled with deep pits. Broken weapons, shattered armor, and countless unidentifiable severed limbs were scattered across the land like decorations from Hell.
The sky was the home field of the Spirit Empire's Soul Master legion.
Thousands of Soul Masters, like a swarm of locusts blotting out the sun, hovered in the air in front of Iron Wall Pass. They were not disorganized but were faintly divided into several phalanxes, categorized by Martial Soul attribute or Sect.
The Soul Masters of the Elephant Armored Academy were at the very front. The thick phantoms of Diamond Mammoths emitted an incredibly solid halo, shielding their companions behind them from the sporadic counterattacks from the pass walls.
The Soul Masters of the Sacred Dragon Sect continuously spat out scorching dragon breath or released dragon pressure, striking the pass walls and the Heaven Dou Soul Masters who attempted to take to the air to intercept them.
The Soul Masters of the Wind Sword Sect were agile, transforming into streaks of green sword light specifically to assassinate the garrison commanders or defense nodes exposed on the pass walls. There were also Soul Masters from the Fire Leopard Sect, Black Tiger Sect, and others constantly launching assaults from the flanks, using their speed and attack power to tear at the defensive line.
Atop the pass walls, the Heaven Dou Empire's garrison had already suffered heavy casualties.
Ordinary soldiers were harvested like wheat stalks under such dense Soul skills strikes.
Even the Soul Master garrison, under the double disadvantage of quantity and quality, could only rely on the geographical advantage of the pass walls and their determination to die to barely hold on. People were constantly hit by stray Martial Soul Abilities, falling screaming from the city walls or being directly consumed by explosions.
Xue Beng, clad in golden armor, stood on a relatively safe command platform under the desperate protection of his personal guards and Marshal Ge Long, but his face was already as pale as paper.
"Your Majesty! The third defensive point of the eastern wall has been broken! The Elephant Armored Academy Soul Masters are breaking in!"
"All western arrow towers have been destroyed! The Wind Sword Sect Soul Masters are expanding their gains along the breach!"
"Our Soul Master teams, the third team, the seventh team... they have all died for the country!"
Bad news came one after another.
"Could it be... is heaven going to destroy my Heaven Dou..." Xue Beng looked at the Spirit Empire's Soul Master legion pressing closer like a mountain, and endless desolation surged in his heart.
Iron Wall Pass, this final barrier that had been given high hopes, was about to be completely torn apart today. Just at this critical moment when the Iron Wall Pass defense line was about to collapse completely.
Buzz—!
A vast and soft seven-colored pillar of light suddenly lit up from the horizon behind Iron Wall Pass, then sliced through the pervasive gunpowder smoke, accurately enveloping a breach in the wall that was about to fall!
The remaining garrison enveloped by it immediately felt their Martial Souls lift. Their fatigue and pain seemed to lessen, and their Soul Power even recovered a sliver!
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?!
Immediately after, a cold, overbearing, and death-filled emerald-green poison mist swept from behind the pass, spreading rapidly along the ground. It instantly enveloped a phalanx of low-level Spirit Empire Soul Masters in front of the pass who were assembling to launch a final charge!
"Ah—!"
"What poison is this?!"
"My Soul Power is dissipating! My skin is ulcerating!"
Shrill screams erupted from the poison mist, and the Spirit Empire's army fell into instant chaos.
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