As the Xingluo naval commander silently prayed, the Federation main fleet had already accelerated to its maximum speed. Three Red-Grade Motherships, like three floating steel beasts, steadily and unstoppably pressed toward the Xingluo coastline.
On the decks, troops were fully assembled and ready. All soul tools had entered combat readiness.
"Commander, the Xingluo coastline has at least five divisions defending, equipped with extensive defensive soul tools."
"Commander, coastline defense capability exceeds projections by forty percent."
"Commander, thermal sensors show over three thousand Xingluo mecha units on the coastline, with eleven Title-level experts, exact ranks unknown."
Xiao Lingshuang stood with hands behind his back at the bridge window, listening to the reconnaissance reports, his expression unchanged.
Prepared or not—it just meant a bit more effort. He'd seen Xingluo's navy; now he'd see what their army could do.
"Commander, the Xingluo defense line is entering firing range," the adjutant reported.
Xiao Lingshuang nodded, his tone calm: "All ships prepare for combat. Fighters prepare for launch. Follow procedure—send a surrender ultimatum first."
Though it would likely be useless, procedure still had to be followed.
The adjutant acknowledged and departed. Soon, the ultimatum echoed across the Xingluo coastal defense line in the sea breeze.
The result was as expected. The Xingluo defenders responded with a dense salvo from their coastal batteries; the shells landed in the sea, sending up massive columns of water.
A golden beam shot skyward, streaking toward their mothership.
The piercing alarm had already sounded; the Red-Grade Mothership's shields had automatically activated. A layer of blue energy barriers instantly enveloped the entire ship.
"That's the Tang Sect's Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus series—a Level 9 fixed-type shell, provided to Xingluo by the Tang Sect."
The adjutant recognized it immediately. After Shrek Academy's destruction, relevant intelligence had fallen into Federation hands, including the weapon types supplied to Xingluo. He'd done his homework.
Xiao Lingshuang's gaze turned icy cold, his voice sharp as frozen steel: "The Tang Sect... Shrek... damn them."
Before he finished, footsteps sounded behind him. Sensing a familiar spirit power fluctuation, he turned.
Yun Ming was approaching, but hearing his words, he paused mid-step.
The two faced each other in silence. Finally, Xiao Lingshuang cleared his throat and spoke first: "Lord Yun Ming, about Shrek—"
"I understand." Yun Ming raised his hand to interrupt, sighing. "I'll correct that mistake."
"I'll leave it to you then," Xiao Lingshuang nodded.
As they spoke, neither paid much attention to the incoming Level 9 shell.
A single Level 9 shell couldn't even breach the mothership's defenses—let alone reach it.
And indeed, as they conversed, beams of light shot from the Federation fleet, weaving an impenetrable interception net in the air, layering defenses against the golden streak.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted hundreds of meters before the mothership as the golden light collided with the intercepting fire, forming a blinding fireball.
The sky turned gold in an instant, raining light fragments onto the sea like the embers of a shattered golden rainbow.
The shockwave carried a wave of heat; the sea rose in a wall of water dozens of meters high. The mothership's shield rippled faintly, holding steady against the aftermath.
That explosion became the signal for battle.
Xiao Lingshuang no longer hesitated. He swept his right hand down: "All ships, free fire! Launch fighters!"
Out at sea, the Federation's main fleet unleashed its full firepower. The side gun batteries of the Red-Grade Motherships fired in sequence, raining blue energy beams down on the Xingluo coastal defenses. Hundreds of escort ships followed, their fire weaving a deadly net stretching dozens of kilometers.
Supersonic fighters were launched, howling toward the coastline to strike the Xingluo defenses.
The Xingluo defenders were clearly prepared. Massive soul tool barriers rose along the coast. Automated interception towers locked onto incoming fire simultaneously, dense interception beams precisely targeting and downing most attacks midair. Explosions lit up in a continuous chain, like a burning curtain between sea and sky.
But some attacks still reached the Xingluo defenses.
Those soul tool barriers couldn't withstand the Motherships' continuous assault. After taking several main cannon shots and dozens of other shells, they shattered, pale gold energy fragments scattering like glass.
Then, blue beams pierced through the gaps, precisely striking shore batteries behind. The batteries' soul tool arrays chain-exploded, engulfing operators in blue-white flames.
But Xiao Lingshuang showed no joy—he frowned instead. The first engagement's results fell short of expectations. The Xingluo defense line's resilience surpassed his estimate: not only did they intercept most of the Federation's attacks midair, but the soul tool shields were also far tougher than he'd imagined.
"This defense system and the corresponding soul tools—were they also provided by the Tang Sect?" He looked at his adjutant, his peripheral vision on Yun Ming.
Yun Ming: "..."
How could that be? Shrek was ultimately just an academy.
This coastline-wide interception system was a comprehensive military defense project—from detection, calculation, to fire allocation, everything interconnected. A militarized, systemic defense network.
Where would Shrek have the energy, capability, and space to research such things?
Shrek wasn't a scapegoat for everything.
Xiao Lingshuang also thought it unlikely. After the adjutant shook his head, he observed carefully for a moment, his heart tightening.
"This system... seems to bear the Federation's own style."
Beyond the technological gap, many design concepts, fire allocation logic, and even turret layout density resembled certain Federation legions' defense systems.
"The Possession Demons!" Xiao Lingshuang's face darkened as he guessed the culprit.
Given the possessed individuals' positions in the Federation, they must have stolen more than just intelligence. Strictly controlled strategic soul tools might have been untouchable, but technical data and less-restricted soul tools were another matter. In fact, the Federation had indeed had researchers and military personnel fall victim to Possession Demons.
It was all the Possession Demons' fault!
No wonder Xingluo was so committed to cooperating with the Holy Spirit Cult. Spirit Souls, technology, even using the Federation's strength to build their own power—who wouldn't welcome such benefits?
Xiao Lingshuang's expression darkened. "Load the Level 10 shell—Rift Sky."
Those nearby held their breath.
Level 10 fixed-type shells were the Federation's second-most-powerful strategic weapons, below only Level 12. Choosing to use one now showed genuine fury.
The order flew down the chain of command.
With a dull roar, Rift Sky launched from the ship's belly, breaking the sound barrier instantly, trailing a blue-white plume straight at the Xingluo defense line.
Xingluo's interception system reacted instantly. Interception beams and artillery fire covered the shell.
But at the moment of impact—Rift Sky's casing flared with blinding light.
A spatial barrier instantly unfolded around the shell, enveloping all energy within three hundred meters. The interception beams' energy was drained; the violent spirit power remnants in the air were all swept in.
Then the barrier collapsed, and the shell vanished before everyone's eyes, as if it had never existed.
The interception beams swept through empty space; even the radar lost its signal.
But the next instant, a terrifying explosion erupted directly on the Xingluo position.
A white-hot fireball three kilometers in diameter rose into the sky. The shockwave swept outward, shredding everything in its path.
Rift Sky was equipped with the Douluo Federation's most advanced spatial soul tool technology. When struck, it could generate a spatial barrier that collapsed for a brief spatial jump, amplifying the power of incoming attacks in the process—perfect for breaking through interception lines.
When the explosion settled, a three-kilometer-wide, hundred-meter-deep crater gaped in the coastal defense line. Empty. Defenders, fortifications, mecha units, even Three-Word Battle Armor Masters—all vaporized in that single strike, not even debris remaining.
Even some Federation soldiers witnessing a Level 10 shell's power for the first time were shocked. Yun Ming, too, felt a chill of relief.
This shell's power surpassed an ordinary quasi-divine's. Thank goodness the Federation hadn't used such strategic weapons on Shrek—otherwise, Shrek City would have been reduced to nothing.
If even the Federation's own soldiers were shaken, Xingluo's reaction was even more extreme.
The horrifying sight terrified many Xingluo defenders.
The Xingluo defense line wasn't densely populated, but that shell still claimed thousands of lives—along with the Xingluo army's fighting spirit.
"What kind of joke is this? How can the gap be this huge? What kind of monster are we facing?"
Fear spread like a plague. Some collapsed; others thought of fleeing—and some acted on it.
But with experts holding the line, it didn't descend into full-scale rout.
Still, morale had plummeted to freezing point, impossible to rally.
The Xingluo Southern Corps Commander understood completely.
Facing an attack that could vaporize Three-Word Battle Armor Masters and entire units in an instant—from ordinary soldiers to Title Douluo, no one could remain unafraid.
He was no exception.
"What the hell was the navy doing, just letting these enemies through?!" He muttered curses under his breath, his clenched fist trembling.
After that one outburst, he fell silent. Because more than anyone, he knew—the navy wasn't incompetent; the Federation's strength had simply exceeded their limits.
Could Xingluo really hold back the Federation's assault?
The question crept into his mind like a cold needle.
But he was a Corps Commander. He had no right to crumble before his soldiers.
He bit his tongue hard. The metallic taste of blood refocused his mind. Taking a deep breath, he turned to grab his communicator, ready to issue orders regarding the breach.
Just then, his gaze froze.
A figure was walking through the air from the direction of the Federation mothership. The two sides' attacks raged on, but they couldn't touch that figure.
The Xingluo Southern Corps Commander stared at the approaching figure, a hint of despair in his eyes.
That was... Atlas Douluo, Yun Ming?!
The former number one of the Douluo Continent, the legendary expert who had supposedly ascended to true godhood?
When that figure stepped into the defense line, an invisible divine consciousness enveloped the area. His lips dry, only one thought remained:
It was over. This defense line was completely finished.
BOOM!
With the final thunderbolt falling, Huo Yuhao's cultivation had reached Level 98, and his body had undergone a heaven-defying transformation!
His perfect, flawless aura was as solid as a mountain. The golden halo behind him was perfectly round and subdued.
At the same time, a terrifying blood energy erupted, deep as an abyss, distorting and groaning the air around him.
Heaven-born and earth-nurtured—Flawless Golden Body, achieved!
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, feeling the surging power within. His blood energy was like an ocean; every inch of flesh held explosive energy.
From now on, even experts below the divine level would find it difficult to harm him, even with divine artifacts.
Beyond the physical enhancement, achieving Flawless Golden Body also granted him immunity to all negative states and toxins, purifying his body and converting all forms of energy into nourishment.
Though he'd already had some of these abilities, they were now fundamentally different.
This was a sublimation of his very essence.
After experiencing the Flawless Golden Body's various abilities, Huo Yuhao didn't stop cultivating.
Achieving Flawless Golden Body wasn't the end.
Though it rivaled a divine body, it fell just short of true perfection.
He would forge a true divine body.
Huo Yuhao looked inward. The Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King bloodlines he'd acquired, nurtured over the years, had grown immensely—especially after the massive infusion of life energy, which had greatly benefited both.
He could now achieve the Dragon God Bloodline.
This was his intuition.
After all, the bloodlines left by powerful beings were essentially fragments of the laws and powers they'd mastered. In other words, they were steeped in law essence.
And he had mastered all the laws the Dragon God had wielded: the seven elements, time, even destruction and creation. Combined with the Silver Dragon King and Golden Dragon King bloodlines, condensing the true Dragon God bloodline was now possible.
Would he take the Dragon God bloodline as his path?
With the true Dragon God bloodline, he would qualify to inherit the Dragon God's divine seat—the benefits were obvious. But...
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and began to merge the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King bloodlines with various law powers to condense the true Dragon God bloodline.
The process went surprisingly smoothly.
Days later, a terrifying aura capable of intimidating countless spirit beasts erupted, making the undead spirit beasts feel fear.
This wasn't a simulated Dragon God pressure—it was the true Dragon God bloodline pressure!
Colorful radiance shimmered around Huo Yuhao, his affinity with the elemental forces reaching an extraordinary level. The Dragon God bloodline's enhancement pushed the Flawless Golden Body further, reaching true divine body level.
But just then, Huo Yuhao enveloped himself with the Reincarnation Domain. Crimson Gold Mysterious Flame began to burn over his entire body—even within—slowly returning the Dragon God bloodline to its origin, converting it into a foundation for elevating his bloodline and physical essence.
At the same time, the Yin-Yang Chaos origin he'd gained during the Undead Plane's birth gradually surfaced within him, while endless Chaos Power converted from his Chaos Soul Core and Eternal Eye.
Leveraging these forces, combined with the foundation from the Dragon God bloodline and his various law comprehensions, Huo Yuhao began to reshape his true body. Strands of Chaos aura began to spread around him.
Become the Dragon God?
No—he would use the Dragon God bloodline as his foundation to surpass the Dragon God!
(In Soul Land V, the Chaos Dharma Body does exist. Though Huo Yuhao's current version likely can't compare to Tang San's, with the Dragon God bloodline as its foundation, its potential is extraordinary. And Crimson Gold Mysterious Flame truly is a versatile ability.)
***
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