The Tian Dou Empire's million-strong army erupted with formidable combat power, especially in their seamless coordination between different troop types and their overall command. Despite numbering in the millions, the army was not the least bit chaotic — it moved in perfect order.
This was the bearing of a great nation, something the Spirit Empire — a state thrown together in haste — could never possess. The Spirit Empire's establishment had relied entirely on Spirit Hall's formidable power and influence, on a foundation of over sixty percent of the continent's Soul Masters, and on a campaign of coercion and inducement. Added to that were the kingdoms and principalities, which had sensed the threat from the two great empires and had no choice but to pledge allegiance to the Spirit Empire. Undoubtedly, when it came to Soul Masters, if the Tian Dou Empire had not produced a Tang San, they wouldn't have stood the slightest chance. Even the reappearance of the Clear Sky School would have been far from enough to close that gap.
Tang San's greatest contribution to the Tian Dou Empire was not his personal strength, but his Tang Sect hidden weapons. It was the Tang Family Army, equipped with those hidden weapons, that had truly become a lethal threat to the Spirit Empire. If the disparity in Soul Masters was vast, then the gap between the two sides' ordinary soldiers was even greater — though this time, the balance of strength had been completely reversed. The Tian Dou Empire's army bore an imposing air, was expertly deployed, and morale was sky-high. When orders were given, they were carried out as effortlessly as moving one's own arm. So long as the Spirit Empire's Soul Master corps couldn't gain a decisive advantage at the very outset of battle, their ordinary forces would stand no chance against the Tian Dou Empire. Even with Jialing Pass fortifying their position, resistance would be extremely difficult.
Whether Qian Renxue or the Second Grand Elder, Golden Crocodile Douluo, neither of them was a born military commander. Their individual strength was formidable, but neither possessed any particular talent for commanding armies. In their view, Jialing Pass's defenses were so formidable that even if the Tian Dou Empire's army wanted to breach them, they would inevitably have to launch a siege assault — first overcoming the battlements, and even if they tried to attack the gates, their Soul Masters could rain attacks down from the walls.
When the battle first commenced, that was indeed the case. The Tian Dou Empire's experts had chosen to launch a direct assault on the battlements. But the actions of the Tang Sect's Strength Hall and Defense Hall disciples immediately threw the Soul Masters up on the battlements into a panic. Everyone knew that once the gates were breached, the garrison inside Jialing Pass would face the full, relentless, no-holds-barred charge of a million-strong army. A Soul Master's Soul Power was finite — even if they killed with all their might, how many could they take down? Killing ordinary infantry was one thing, but cutting down those heavily armored soldiers in full plate required Soul Skills of considerable power.
Originally, the Spirit Empire's Soul Masters and soldiers had been quite confident in their newly forged, thick gates. After all, those gates were five meters thick, forged from pig iron, and weighed well over a hundred thousand jin. But when they saw the battering ram being carried aloft by the disciples of both Tang Sect halls, every shred of that confidence evaporated. It was the first time any of them had seen such a colossal battering ram, and no one could say with certainty how long the gates would hold.
What was even more fearsome was the joint assault launched by the Tang Sect and the Tian Dou Empire's Soul Master corps. The Tian Dou Empire's Soul Master corps served primarily to shield the Tang Family Army — their position was precisely at a distance from Jialing Pass's battlements where the vast majority of Soul Masters' attack methods couldn't reach. Only a few Soul Masters skilled in long-range attacks could rain their assaults down upon them. Though the Tian Dou Empire's Soul Masters were far fewer in number, defending against these distant attacks posed no real problem. After all, the Spirit Empire's most powerful Soul Masters were all tied down by the Tian Dou Empire's experts led by the Shrek Six Devils and the brothers Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.
Soul Masters' attacks couldn't reach extreme distances, but the custom Zhuge Divine Crossbows wielded by the Tang Family Army soldiers had no such limitation. In order to increase the power of these crossbows while reducing their material requirements, under Titan's supervision, the mechanisms of these crossbows had been built far larger than the originals. Despite being made with somewhat inferior materials, their offensive power had actually increased — after all, the larger size meant the mechanisms were proportionally bigger, as were the bolts. Though the bolts' range couldn't match that of regular bow and arrow, these custom Zhuge Divine Crossbows could maintain their terrifying lethality within four hundred meters.
A single volley from ten thousand Tang Family Army soldiers was enough to pin down over ten thousand Spirit Empire Soul Masters on the battlements, keeping their heads down. Casualties mounted immediately. Though this volley couldn't compare to the previous one enhanced by Flying Mushroom Sausages, keeping the Soul Masters on the battlements suppressed was no problem at all.
On the battlefield, victory wasn't always decided by strength alone — morale and mindset were equally critical. The Tang Family Army had once left an extremely "deep" impression on the Spirit Empire's Soul Masters. Though not all the Soul Masters on the battlements had experienced that firsthand, those who had fought in the previous battle were far from few. Stories of the Tang Family Army's incomprehensible methods of attack had long since spread through the Spirit Empire's Soul Master corps, one person telling ten, ten telling a hundred. Now, facing the Tang Family Army for real, their hearts were filled with dread. No one wanted to be the first to clash head-on with them. They fell back across the battlements. How could they possibly mount an effective defense against the Tang Sect disciples launching their assault below?
A handful of Soul Masters' attacks posed no threat whatsoever to the Defense Hall disciples' protection. With the tower shields in their hands and their sturdy bodies, they escorted the Strength Hall disciples all the way to the foot of Jialing Pass, battering ram in tow.
A thunderous boom rang out almost simultaneously. The Strength Hall disciples began their charge less than twenty meters from the gates, focusing every ounce of their strength into their limbs as they sprinted at full tilt. The battering ram on their shoulders unleashed its most devastating force.
The conical ram head slammed into the pig-iron gates with a bone-jarring impact. The blow was so powerful that even the Strength Hall disciples, with their terrifying strength, were sent stumbling backward. A few of the weaker disciples had their palms split open by the shock. But their strike had not been in vain — a massive dent had appeared in the gates, and the surrounding stone was riddled with enormous cracks.
A weight of five hundred thousand jin was truly terrifying. Even a single blow from it was enough to shake one to the core.
"Hold the gates! Soul Master corps, attack with everything you have! Troops below, brace the gates!" Golden Crocodile Douluo had barely managed to crawl free of the wall, only to be knocked flat again by the concussive force of the battering ram's blows. The Nether White Tiger's offensive power had been truly horrifying — under the effect of the Firm Golden Fly, this century-old Douluo's body had suffered unprecedented damage. He barely gathered enough breath to pull himself up, and with a furious roar, he couldn't help but cough up several mouthfuls of blood.
Over a dozen Spirit Empire support-type Soul Masters channeled their augmentation abilities onto Golden Crocodile Douluo. His complexion improved slightly, but the glow of his Soul Rings had dimmed to the barest flicker. Golden Crocodile Douluo couldn't help but sigh inwardly — time spared no one! As his body's functions declined, his recovery speed after injury had diminished accordingly. But at this moment, he knew he absolutely could not retreat. The Tian Dou Empire's first wave of attack was the most ferocious. If they could hold against this onslaught, they could peacefully await the outcome of Qian Renxue's battle with that Sea God. Before the young miss returned, he had to hold this battlefield.
Golden Crocodile Douluo turned his head to survey the state of the battlefield. Under his command, the Spirit Empire's Soul Masters had quickly reorganized and launched a fierce assault on the Tang Sect disciples below the walls. And this happened to be the lull after the Tang Family Army's first volley had ended. Under the barrage of chaotic Soul Skill attacks, the Strength Hall and Defense Hall disciples began to falter, retreating swiftly behind their tower shields and falling back for the moment behind the moat.
However, the Tian Dou Empire's archers never ceased. Each volley launched sixty thousand arrows, and the slightest lapse in attention would result in Soul Master casualties.
Only then did Golden Crocodile Douluo realize his oversight. He hurriedly ordered the Spirit Empire's archer corps up onto the walls and had them man the giant defensive crossbows stationed there. Before the two sides had engaged in close combat, archers were actually more effective than Soul Masters.
After issuing a string of orders and with the aid of the support-type Soul Masters, Golden Crocodile Douluo finally caught his breath. He had no intention of rejoining the fight. At this moment, commanding the overall battle was what mattered most.
The fighting on Jialing Pass's battlements had reached a fever pitch. After being devastated by the Peacock Plume and then subjected to Xiao Wu's close-range assault, the Third Grand Elder became the first of the Spirit Empire's six Grand Elders to fall in battle. When Golden Crocodile Douluo caught sight of him, his body had been twisted into something barely recognizable as human. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu had already waded into the cluster of Soul Douluo and launched an all-out assault. Her Instant Transmission showed its greatest utility at this moment. Backed by the reserves of her ninety-sixth-rank Soul Power, the single-target attacks of these eightieth-rank Soul Douluo couldn't possibly land a hit on her, and they didn't dare use area attacks for fear of hitting their own people. In just that brief span, four more Soul Douluo had fallen to Xiao Wu's Soft Technique.
However, the battlefield wasn't all bad news for the Spirit Empire. As the battle wore on, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Nether White Tiger could finally hold out no longer. Its massive form dissolved into points of light, and Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing reverted to their true forms. The enormous drain of the Nether White Tiger had left both of them looking somewhat pale — after all, they had taken a fair number of hits during their earlier attack on Golden Crocodile Douluo.
They had previously been holding off the Fourth and Fifth Grand Elders. These two Grand Elders were formidable opponents. Though the Nether White Tiger's power was extraordinary, they had still managed to hold their ground against its assaults, retreating step by step while preserving themselves. Now that the pressure had suddenly vanished, with the balance shifting decisively in their favor, the two Grand Elders exploded into action, lunging savagely at Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
Golden Crocodile Douluo saw this and a glimmer of delight crossed his face. His dark gaze was filled with hatred. It was this pair who had used their Martial Soul Fusion Technique to wound him gravely. This time, let's see what chance they had. The balance of the battle would inevitably shift once they ran out of steam. Once they were killed and two Grand Elder-level fighters joined the fray, the tide of the entire battle would surely turn.
Just as Golden Crocodile Douluo was calculating the relative strength of both sides, he suddenly noticed that in the eyes of the pale-faced Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, there was not the slightest trace of panic. If anything, there was a hint of joy. An ominous premonition instantly surged through Golden Crocodile Douluo's heart. Without hesitation, he shouted: "Watch out!"
The Fourth and Fifth Grand Elders had launched their attacks at full power. Their strikes were about to land on Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai. Though they heard Golden Crocodile Douluo's voice, they didn't realize he was warning them. After all, at this moment their spiritual energy had already fully locked onto Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. As Grand Elders of the Spirit Empire, they had spent their entire lives studying various Martial Souls. They naturally knew what weakened state Soul Masters fell into after a Martial Soul Fusion Technique ended. Moreover, at this moment, they had received augmentation from several Soul Douluo-level support-type Soul Masters at their backs. Their offensive power had reached its absolute peak. Forget about resisting — Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai didn't even appear to have a chance to flee.
But what they failed to see was that outside the walls, by the moat, at the very instant Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul Fusion Technique ended, the augmentation light from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda enveloping Ning Rongrong had suddenly paused. Oscar, Xiao Wu, and Ma Hongjun all temporarily lost Ning Rongrong's augmentation. At the same time, the crimson ninth Soul Ring orbiting the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda blazed to life on the battlefield for the very first time. Two beams of golden-red radiance shot forth, silently ascending Jialing Pass and landing on Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing almost simultaneously.
In that instant, both Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were enveloped in a dazzling golden-red radiance. And in that same second, the attacks of the two Grand Elders struck them.
The Fourth and Fifth Grand Elders felt a brief surge of triumph, but they quickly sensed something was wrong. Their attacks, launched as ninety-sixth-rank Titled Douluo, were devastatingly powerful — yet when they struck the two enemies before them, the force they unleashed vanished as if swallowed by the sea.
The golden-red light disappeared the instant their attacks had been fully unleashed. At the same time, the six augmentation beams from Ning Rongrong descended upon Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing simultaneously.
A ball of white light and a ball of black light erupted almost in unison, seizing the split-second opening the moment the Fourth and Fifth Grand Elders' attacks had been fully committed.
In their pursuit of speed, neither Dai Mubai nor Zhu Zhuqing used their most powerful Soul Skills. Zhu Zhuqing's body transformed into a wisp of ethereal black light, silently plunging into the Fifth Grand Elder's embrace — Nether Possession combined with Nether Hundred Claws. This was the fastest attack she could muster. As an agility-type Titled Douluo, she completed the Nether Possession augmentation in virtually an instant. Countless razor-sharp claw shadows erupted explosively within the opponent's body.
Dai Mubai's attack was far simpler. A massive character for "kill" materialized upon his pair of golden tiger claws — his sixth Soul Skill, White Tiger Annihilation Strike.
The Fourth and Fifth Grand Elders had never imagined that having survived Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Nether White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Technique without being defeated, they would capsize in the shallows at this moment.
With piercing screams, the two Grand Elders' bodies were sent hurtling backward almost simultaneously. Blood sprayed through the air like a fountain, though in the final moment they had done everything possible to channel their Soul Power into protecting their bodies. But one must not forget — the opponents they faced were Titled Douluo-level powerhouses as well. Moreover, at this moment, they weren't facing just two Titled Douluo. They also had to contend with the continent's number one support-type Soul Master, the Nine-Colored Douluo Ning Rongrong. And it was precisely those two mysterious beams from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda that had turned the tide of the entire battle. The difference was, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had known all along that Ning Rongrong's aid would arrive in time, but these two Grand Elders had been completely in the dark. As a result, not only was their protective Soul Power shattered, but both of them sustained horrific wounds.