Standoff at Jialing Pass

The army marched south along the official road in a grand procession, and the journey was much faster than expected.

Roads within the Heaven Dou Empire were clear, and towns along the way had prepared provisions and campsites in advance as ordered, so there were no problems with logistical supplies.

By the time the outline of Jialing Pass appeared on the horizon, the procession had been on its way for a month.

Jialing Pass is the most important pass in the southeast of the Heaven Dou Empire. It is built against the mountain, and the city wall is made of thick, bluish-gray boulders, about a hundred feet high and more than several tens of feet thick.

The pass is flanked by rolling hills and mountains, densely forested and rugged, forming a natural barrier that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Five hundred meters ahead lies the open Lima Plain, a wide and flat plain with an unobstructed view, ideal terrain for the deployment of a large army.

Unlike the original story, Jialing Pass is still in the hands of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The Blue Hao Prince's Residence had long ago laid out its plans and firmly controlled Jialing Pass.

Although the Spirit Hall Empire had annexed the surrounding duchies, it had not yet had time to conquer this most important pass in the southeastern part of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Marshal Ge Long had led his regular troops to set up defenses here in advance. The fortifications on the city wall had been reinforced multiple times. A large crossbow was set up every ten steps on the city wall, and behind the arrow slits stood armored soldiers carrying guns.

On the side of the pass belonging to the Heaven Dou Empire, a steady stream of laborers transported supplies. The sounds of footsteps, wheels, and horses echoed through the city gate, creating a noisy yet orderly cacophony.

Tang San reined in his horse and stopped on a high ground in front of the pass. He looked up at the majestic pass and quickly calculated the next tactical arrangement in his mind.

The Jialing Pass was fortified with strong walls and a wide moat, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Although the Spirit Hall Empire had hundreds of thousands of troops, their numerical advantage was difficult to utilize in the narrow terrain of only 500 meters in front of the pass.

A large army cannot operate freely under the city walls and can only attack in batches. Heaven Dou's side, relying on the city walls and fortifications, is an impregnable fortress.

Tang San already had a clear strategy in mind: not to initiate large-scale field battles and not to fight a war of attrition.

Small-scale probing and harassment are permissible, but the main force must remain within the pass.

The deepest reason is that Bibi Dong is collecting the spirits of the dead and resentment to accelerate the Rakshasa God Trial's test.

Tang San was naturally very aware of this.

If the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall Empire were to engage in a large-scale open battle on the Lima Plain, the deaths and injuries of hundreds of thousands would generate a massive number of undead and resentful spirits, which would be exactly the result Bibi Dong wanted to see.

Large-scale conventional warfare would only accelerate her path to godhood, while Tang San's greatest threat now is Bibi Dong completing the Rakshasa Inheritance first.

After arriving at Jialing Pass, Tang San immediately organized a pre-battle meeting.

The theme of the meeting was "defense."

Defending a pass is not the same as fighting on a plain; the advantage of the Spirit Hall Empire's Soul Master Legion will be largely negated by the city walls and moats.

At that time, Bibi Dong will have no choice but to use her top-tier combat power to forcefully break through the defenses of the pass.

The Heaven Dou faction is not lacking in top-tier combat power. If the Spirit Hall Empire sends experts to challenge them, Tang San is confident that he can handle them completely.

In the end, Tang San's strategy boiled down to one word: delay.

Do not engage in battle or fight head-on; let them wear you down outside Jialing Pass.

Meanwhile, Tang San had his own plan: to use this standoff to find an opportunity to rescue Qian Renxue.

Bibi Dong will definitely keep Qian Renxue under her control; this is a rare opportunity for rescue.

Once Qian Renxue is freed and the Worship Hall is no longer under Bibi Dong's coercion, the Spirit Hall Empire will lose most of its top combat power.

At that point, you will have the initiative in your own hands.

The meeting ended half an hour later, and everyone went their separate ways to fulfill their orders.

Two days later, the army of the Spirit Hall Empire arrived outside Jialing Pass.

Their army advanced slowly across the southern plains, surging in like a tide from the horizon.

The procession of hundreds of thousands of people stretched out, their banners blotting out the sky, the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps blending into a deep, rumbling sound that made the ground tremble slightly.

Military camps sprang up rapidly on the flat land outside the pass, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Tang San stood atop the city wall, gazing at the sea of tents, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The next morning, horns sounded throughout the Spirit Hall Empire's military camp, and hundreds of thousands of troops marched out and lined up on the Lima Plain.

Battle flags fluttered in the morning breeze, and the Soul Master Legion stood in neat square formations at the forefront of the army.

Bibi Dong stood on the command platform, dressed in imperial robes, holding the Pope's Scepter in her hand, her face calm as she gazed toward the direction of Jialing Pass.

Hu Liena stood beside her, her short orange hair fluttering gently in the wind, her gaze also fixed on the majestic pass.

However, the Heaven Dou Empire remained silent.

The city gates were tightly shut, and there was no sign of troops coming out to form ranks.

The drawbridge over the moat was raised high, and the barricades and antlers outside the city gate were arranged in layers, surrounding the entire pass like an iron barrel.

Bibi Dong's brows furrowed slightly.

She originally thought that given Tang San's sharp and outspoken personality, he would surely come out of seclusion to fight.

But Tang San clearly disappointed Bibi Dong.

If the enemy remains holed up and refuses to come out, how can this battle be fought?

No matter how elite the Soul Master Legion is, it's impossible for them to fly directly over the hundred-zhang-high city wall and the wide moat.

But Bibi Dong remained silent for only a moment before immediately ordering an attack on the city.

The Spirit Hall Empire's regular army launched the first probing attack.

Tens of thousands of infantrymen advanced towards the city walls under the cover of shields.

However, the moat at Jialing Pass was too wide, several hundred meters long, and after the bridge was raised, it was impossible to cross it by foot.

The infantrymen stopped at the moat. Some tried to fill the river with sandbags, while others set up temporary pontoon bridges. However, progress was extremely slow under the dense rain of arrows and crossbow fire from the city walls.

Bibi Dong ordered the Soul Master Legion to attack.

Thousands of Soul Masters simultaneously took to the air, crossed the moat, and rushed towards the city wall.

Most of them possessed the ability to fly short distances, or temporarily gained the ability to stay airborne through their Soul Skills, attempting to break through the Heaven Dou Empire's defenses directly from the city walls.

But Tang San was prepared.

The Heaven Dou Empire relied on its fortifications to launch a counterattack, with archers and crossbowmen taking turns firing from behind the battlements, forcing back the Soul Masters who attempted to approach the city walls.

The personal guards of the Blue Hao Prince's Residence were deployed at various positions on the city wall, each armed with Zhuge Repeating Crossbow. Sixteen crossbow bolts were fired simultaneously, forming a dense net of arrows that completely blocked the charging routes of the Soul Masters.

The attack lasted all morning. The Spirit Hall Empire racked its brains and suffered thousands of casualties, but it couldn't even touch the edge of the city wall.

Bibi Dong's expression darkened slightly, but her voice remained calm. "Lingyuan, Ghost Leopard, Demon Bear, Pufferfish Spear, Snake Lance, Sacred Dragon, the six of you will lead the assault team of Soul Masters up the city walls and destroy the fortifications."

Six figures rose into the air from the command platform and flew towards Jialing Pass.

The simultaneous attack of the six Titled Douluo created an oppressive atmosphere, like six mountains pressing down from the sky, making even the air on the city wall feel heavier.

Tang San stood on the city wall, watching the six figures rapidly approaching, and sighed inwardly.

They're all old acquaintances.

The Snake Lance and the Pufferfish were Qian Renxue's former protectors, and the Holy Dragon Douluo was the sect leader of the Holy Dragon Sect.

The other three were three of the five Titled Douluos who had once hunted him down. The other two, Chrysanthemum and Demon, had already perished.