"What happened?"
Since Gu Tianchen excelled in spatial abilities—making back-and-forth travel effortless—Chen Junting had sent him to scout Mingdu's outskirts for granaries or military camps.
Clearly, he'd uncovered something major.
Chen Junting already had a guess: most likely, departing tournament teams had been ambushed by Sun Moon Empire forces.
And as it turned out, his suspicion was spot-on.
"I just spotted a Sun Moon military encampment to the east," Gu Tianchen reported, his voice growing grave. "A sect that had left Mingdu was attacked."
He paused, then added with chilling certainty, "I suspect… there are troops stationed in all four directions."
"Sun Moon wants to trap us like fish in a barrel—wipe us all out at once," Huo Yuhao said, instantly grasping their strategy. He wasn't surprised; before arriving, the sect elders had warned that this trip to Mingdu was fraught with peril. One misstep, and they could all be eliminated.
"Don't worry—they won't catch us," Chen Junting said confidently, brightening Huo Yuhao's expression.
"The Titan Gryphon!"
"Exactly." Chen Junting confirmed without hesitation. "At its 70,000 year cultivation level, the gryphon flies so high that even Sun Moon's soul engineering detectors can't track it. Our chances of breaking through are excellent."
"But shouldn't we intervene?" Gu Tianchen asked pointedly.
Chen Junting understood his meaning—and shook his head. "We can't. Even if we tried, your spatial ability is too anomalous; they'd detect interference immediately. Any rescue attempt might spook them and alter their plans."
"Besides," he added coldly, "most sects probably won't be killed outright. Xu Tianran's goal isn't mass slaughter."
His words carried unmistakable indifference.
"Then it's a shame," Gu Tianchen sighed. If saving them was impossible, he wouldn't force the issue.
"Though the sect I saw… they're likely doomed. Their leader's fiercely stubborn—a woman, yet ready to die fighting to the last."
"Oh?" Chen Junting raised an eyebrow. "Which sect?"
"Seems to be… the Earth Dragon Sect."
—
Over 100 kilometers east of Mingdu…
A middle-aged beauty stood armored in translucent pink scales, her body gleaming like crystal. Eight soul rings circled her, radiating blazing pink flames.
This was Nan Shuishui, Sect Master of the Earth Dragon Sect.
Her team had faced their longtime rivals—the Heavenly Dragon Sect—on the tournament's very first day. Though formidable among the 167 teams, they were still outmatched and forced to concede defeat.
After lingering a day or two, they decided to return home.
But barely 100 kilometers out, they were ambushed by a Sun Moon soul engineer squad—and behind them loomed an entire soul engineer legion.
Now Nan Shuishui understood: this entire trip to Mingdu was a trap. Sun Moon intended to eliminate all foreign talent in one stroke, clearing obstacles for their coming war.
Refusing to surrender, she chose to fight to the death.
As soul-engineered beams streaked toward her, Nan Shuishui stood unflinching. From her palm shot a pink beam that instantly erased the incoming fire upon contact.
The squad leader's eyes narrowed—he recognized her soul power's unique "annihilation" property.
Seeing the rest of the Earth Dragon Sect also resisting fiercely, he abandoned plans to capture them alive. After all, their orders were clear: minimize noise, avoid alerting teams still in Mingdu.
He signaled the rear legion for backup.
Meanwhile, the squad kept their weapons trained on the sect—but held fire, maintaining a tense standoff.
The Earth Dragon disciples dared not move.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Nearby, Nan Qiuqiu crept to her mother's side, her once-beautiful face now smudged with dirt and ash. She scanned the carnage—many sect members already lay dead.
"Mom… what are they planning?" she whispered, voice trembling.
"They're here to kill us," Nan Shuishui replied grimly, her eyes softening with anguish. Her daughter was barely twenty—now destined to die with her.
"Qiuqiu… are you afraid?"
Nan Qiuqiu met her mother's gaze, resolve hardening her features. "As long as I'm with you, I'm not scared."
"Good." Nan Shuishui's expression turned fierce. "If they want our lives, we'll make them pay. Though I'm no Title Douluo, our annihilation attribute can unleash Title-level power!"
She turned to her remaining disciples.
"Brothers and sisters! Sun Moon means to slaughter us all—but no coward walks among Earth Dragon Sect! I failed to lead you to safety… forgive me!"
"Sect Master, don't say that!"
"We'll take them with us! One for one is fair—two is profit!"
Roars of defiance erupted from every throat. They'd all accepted death.
Meanwhile, the soul engineer squad received reinforcements.
Their captain sneered at the sect's bravado. "Still mouthing off? Since you refuse capture… vanish completely."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannon fire shattered the silence.
From the legion's rear, countless muzzle flashes erupted like wildfire. White streaks clawed into the sky, turning the gloomy heavens blindingly bright—as if sunlight pierced storm clouds.
No!
That wasn't sunlight.
It was an endless storm of soul-engineered beams—dense as locusts, shrieking through the air, converging on the Earth Dragon Sect like a net of death.
Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.
"ROAR—MARTIAL SOUL TRUE FORM!"
A colossal Rouge Dragon materialized on the plains, shielding the survivors. Nan Shuishui unleashed her Eighth Soul Skill—Annihilation Storm!
Her eighth ring blazed. As the dragon, her maw gaped wide, spewing crystalline pink orbs that detonated midair, sealing off the entire blast zone—and the soul engineer squad ahead.
Terrifying annihilation energy repelled every beam, then surged forward. No matter how the squad defended, disciples were swallowed whole—vanishing without a trace.
Panicked, the captain called for urgent backup.
Reinforcements arrived swiftly—including the legion's deputy commander, a top-tier Grade 8 soul engineer. Capturing Nan Qiuqiu would be trivial.
The Earth Dragon Sect crumbled under the onslaught. Disciple after disciple fell, until only mother and daughter remained.
As the deputy commander moved in for the killing blow—
"Hold!"
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