Now, faced with the overwhelming pressure of national destruction, this emperor was actually taking the initiative to cast aside his pride and seek aid from his enemy. This was no longer just a desperate move; it was a total trampling of imperial dignity beneath his feet.
Yet, at this moment, no one dared to offer a word of protest. They knew that this was the sole, albeit slim, hope remaining. The Xuanwu Sect was, after all, a top-tier sect with ten thousand years of heritage and a profound foundation, boasting no shortage of Titled Douluo-level powerhouses.
However, the news they waited for was even more despairing. The Xuanwu Sect could barely save itself. Their sect was located within the borders of the former Heaven Dou Empire, which had already been completely occupied by the Sun Moon Empire. Under the Sun Moon Empire's massive war machine and all-pervasive surveillance network, they did not even dare to step outside their mountain gates, let alone openly defy the Sun Moon Empire by sending troops to aid Douling. That would be no different from seeking self-destruction.
When this news reached the Douling Imperial Palace, the last spark of light in the Douling Emperor's eyes was completely extinguished. He knew that the Douling Empire was finished.
While the Douling Empire was sinking into a quagmire of despair and the eyes of the entire continent were drawn to this seemingly one-sided war, the Star Luo Empire made a move that caught everyone off guard.
Star Luo Empire, Western Frontier, the Mingdou Mountain Range Frontline General Headquarters.
On a massive tactical sand table, every city, every defensive line, and every important military outpost of the Sun Moon Empire and the former Heaven Dou Empire were clearly marked. Lu Jingming stood with his hands behind his back, calmly observing the sand table. Beside him stood a group of the Star Luo Empire's highest-ranking generals, led by Ye Wuqing, who was dressed in military uniform and possessed a sharp, commanding aura.
"Regarding the Douling Empire, the latest plea for help has arrived. They request that we immediately dispatch troops to pin down the main force of the Sun Moon Empire," a staff officer reported.
The gazes of all the generals focused on Lu Jingming. This young man was now effectively the supreme military commander of the Star Luo Empire.
Lu Jingming ignored the letter for help. His finger gently traced an arc across the sand table. That arc bypassed the main battlefield where the Sun Moon and Douling Empires were clashing, crossed the treacherous Mingdou Mountain Range, and—like the sharpest of daggers—pierced straight into the deep rear of the Sun Moon Empire: New Ming City.
"Relay my orders."
Lu Jingming's voice was not loud, but it caused everyone's expression to turn solemn.
"Abandon all plans to assist the Douling Empire. Ordered: the First, Third, and Fifth Army Groups led by General Ye Wuqing—a total of three hundred thousand troops, carrying all the latest soul tool equipment—are to immediately cross the Mingdou Mountain Range and launch a full-scale offensive into the Sun Moon Empire's territory."
He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Target: New Ming City. I am giving you half a month. I want to drink the tea in Xu Tianran's palace."
Once the order was given, the entire headquarters fell into absolute silence. Every general sucked in a breath of cold air. Besiege Sun Moon to save Douling? No, this was a complete abandonment of the Douling Empire in favor of stabbing the Sun Moon Empire in the heart.
"Yes, sir!" Ye Wuqing did not hesitate for a second. He snapped his body straight, a fervent battle intent erupting in his eyes. He had waited for this day for far too long.
On the other side, the main legion of the Sun Moon Empire led by Ju Zi—which should have been the greatest obstacle for the Star Luo army—seemed to have suffered a collective bout of blindness. They remained oblivious to Star Luo's massive, undisguisable military maneuvers. Ju Zi herself had already personally gone to the Douling front, throwing her full effort into commanding the siege against Douling, leaving the entire Mingdou Mountain Range defense line almost nakedly exposed to the blades of the Star Luo Empire.
An epic war of grand proportions, characterized by a monumental backstab, thus began to sweep across the continent.
Sun Moon Empire, New Ming City, Imperial Palace.
Xu Tianran was listening to the victory reports from the Douling front with great satisfaction. In his view, the destruction of the Douling Empire was merely a matter of time. He had already begun planning in his mind how to march south after thoroughly annexing Douling to engage in the final battle with the Star Luo Empire that would decide the fate of the continent.
However, an urgent military alarm, encrypted at the highest level, was like a bucket of ice water poured over him, chilling his dream of eternal hegemony to the bone.
"Report—!!! Your Majesty, three hundred thousand Star Luo troops have broken through the Mingdou Mountain Range defense line and are rapidly advancing into our hinterland! Their vanguard is less than a thousand miles from Ming City!"
"What?!" Xu Tianran bolted upright from his throne, the triumphant smile on his face instantly freezing, replaced by shock and disbelief. "How is that possible?! What about the Mingdou defense line? Where is Ju Zi?! What is her main legion doing?! Such a massive military operation—is she blind?!"
Xu Tianran's roar echoed through the empty hall like that of a wounded beast.
"Re... Reporting to Your Majesty..." The official delivering the news was scared out of his wits, kneeling on the ground and trembling. "According to... according to the news from the Southern Frontier Legion, Marshal Ju Zi... she is currently at the Douling front commanding the siege... she has no... no time to spare..."
"No time to spare?!" Hearing this answer, Xu Tianran was stunned at first, and then he began to laugh out of sheer rage. That laughter was filled with fury, cold killing intent, and the madness of being betrayed.
"Haha... Hahahaha! A fine 'no time to spare,' Ju Zi. Truly fine." He suddenly kicked out, sending a solid gold table beside him tumbling away, scattering documents and ornaments across the floor. "The enemy is practically at our front door, and she, the Marshal of the Three Armies, is completely unaware?!"
He didn't believe it. He didn't believe that with Ju Zi's military genius, she wouldn't have anticipated this move from Star Luo. She was absolutely doing this on purpose. That wench... she has betrayed me.
Xu Tianran's chest heaved violently, his eyes turning bloodshot. He wanted nothing more than to order Ju Zi's immediate execution. But just then, another emergency report shattered his last shred of hope.
"Large-scale, high-energy military units have been detected gathering in the direction of the North Sea. Their target... their target is our capital, Ming City."
"Confirmed unit designations: the Fatui Legion, the Iron Cavalry, and the Midnight Rangers."
"All resistance along their march has crumbled instantly. They are advancing toward Ming City with irresistible force."
Boom—!!!
Xu Tianran's mind went blank as his head hummed. If Star Luo's offensive only made him angry, then the mobilization of Sea Abyss City filled him with a bone-deep fear. He knew better than anyone how terrifying the combat power of those monsters from Sea Abyss City was.
"Quickly, quickly!" Xu Tianran's voice became sharp and distorted. "Where is the Holy Ghost Cult? Tell the people of the Holy Ghost Cult to go! Tell them to stop the Star Luo army—no, tell them to stop the units from Sea Abyss City!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Meanwhile, on a desolate plain within the Sun Moon Empire.
Huo Yuhao was leading several thousand core members of the Holy Ghost Cult, marching toward the front line at a moderate pace. These evil soul masters each had a bizarre aura, their faces wearing bloodthirsty and cruel smiles. They believed they were headed to the battlefield to enjoy a feast of slaughter and souls. They were completely unaware that within the eyes of their revered young Sect Leader, hidden in the shadows of his hood, there was no excitement—only indifference.
Just then, on the horizon ahead, a row of neat figures appeared, looking like silver statues. They wore full-coverage, silver-white humanoid mecha with sleek, powerful lines and thrusters on their backs resembling insect wings. Their bodies were wreathed in eternal flames that emitted a terrifying aura capable of incinerating the soul.
The Iron Cavalry.
The leader among them had a slightly different, more ornate mecha, and the burning flames were a unique emerald green. Firefly—or rather, SAM at this moment—floated quietly in mid-air, coldly scanning the group of evil soul masters below who radiated a foul aura.
"Target confirmed: the main force of the Holy Ghost Cult," SAM's synthesized, emotionless voice rang out across all Iron Cavalry communication channels. "Mission objective: Annihilation."
"Copy that." Several hundred Iron Cavalrymen responded in unison.
The evil soul masters of the Holy Ghost Cult also noticed the uninvited guests. They were stunned at first, but then they broke into cruel, mocking laughter.
"Jie jie jie... Where did these tin cans come from? They look quite expensive."
"Kill them! Pull out their souls and turn them into my soul banners!"
One elder, an evil soul master at the Soul Douluo level, directly released his martial soul—a massive black mist composed of countless vengeful spirits—and roared as he pounced toward the Iron Cavalry.
However, he was answered by a sky-blanketing rain of fire. Hundreds of Iron Cavalrymen raised their arms simultaneously, and high-energy beam cannons mounted on their arm-guards fired lethal flames.
The battle—or rather, the slaughter—erupted in an instant. At this moment, the evil soul masters of the Holy Ghost Cult discovered to their horror that the evil soul skills they took pride in, their vengeful spirits, and their curses were utterly fragile before those crimson flames. Those flames seemed to be the bane of their evil power.
The moment a vengeful spirit touched the fire, it let out a piercing shriek and turned into green smoke. Black poison mists were ignited by the flames, causing violent explosions. What made them even more desperate was that the combat power of every "tin can" was unimaginably strong.
One Iron Cavalryman, facing a combined assault from three Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters, didn't even bother to dodge. He let their attacks strike his mecha, then simply reached out and easily crushed one evil soul master's head. Turning with a kick, he pulverized another into meat paste. Finally, the thrusters on his back flared, slamming him into the last fleeing evil soul master and turning him into a cloud of blood.
Every Iron Cavalryman, once equipped with their mecha, possessed combat power no inferior to an average Titled Douluo. And there were five hundred of them in this unit. The Holy Ghost Cult's line collapsed in an instant. This was a total, one-sided crushing.
Huo Yuhao stood quietly in the distance, watching it all with a cold eye. He did not intervene, nor did he issue any orders. He simply watched his nominal subordinates being cleanly slaughtered one by one. Beside him were only a few people, including the Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Zhang Peng.
Zhang Peng's face was filled with shock and fear. He didn't understand why the Sect Leader would stand by and watch the members being massacred.
"Sect... Sect Leader... we..."
"Watch." Huo Yuhao said only one word, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
At that moment, the most ornate mecha in the sky—SAM—moved.
"Protocol initiated," Firefly's voice was calm and steady.
The thrusters on SAM's back erupted with brilliant emerald light. It was like a meteor flying in reverse, soaring straight into the clouds. Upon reaching an altitude of several thousand meters, it stopped. The next second, countless meteors trailing crimson fire poured down like a torrential rain, covering the entire battlefield.
The moment these meteors touched the ground, violent explosions occurred. The flames merged to form a burning, crimson sea of fire. Within that sea, any surviving evil soul masters didn't even have time to scream before being completely engulfed, purified, and consumed by the soul-burning flames. Not a single trace of residue remained.
The few remaining Titled Douluo elders of the Holy Ghost Cult, who were offering a final, futile resistance, looked at the apocalyptic scene of a natural disaster with eyes full of despair. They wanted to flee, but SAM's figure appeared before them like a ghost.
A burning mechanical palm easily seized a Titled Douluo. Amidst the other party's terrified screams, it suddenly tightened.
Bang!
The other hand transformed into a flaming blade, easily severing the head of another elder.
The battle happened quickly and ended just as fast. When the sea of fire gradually died out, not a single living Holy Ghost Cultist could be seen on the desolate plain, save for the Iron Cavalry, Huo Yuhao, and his few companions. The air was thick with the scent of scorched earth.
Firefly deactivated the SAM state and slowly landed in front of Huo Yuhao. "Your mission is over. You may leave." Her voice had returned to its youthful, clear tone.
"Understood." Huo Yuhao nodded in response.
He turned around and glanced at the pale-faced Zhang Peng and the others. His voice remained cold. "From this day forth, the Holy Ghost Cult no longer exists in this world. You will join the Impermanence Court to undergo reorganization and vetting by Sea Abyss City. Remember, you only have one chance."
After speaking, he ignored the Holy Ghost Cult enshriners. With a flash, his figure vanished into the distance, leaving behind only the scarred battlefield and a group of staring Holy Ghost Cult enshriners.
"Follow me. Or do you want to fight me?" Firefly looked toward the group led by the Holy Ghost Cult's Great Enshriner, the Blood Sickle Douluo. Her expression was solemn, as if she might transform back into SAM at any moment.
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