Captives

Smoke hung thick over the walls of Star Luo City, and the Dai Family Royal Clan's White Tiger banners came crashing down amid the artillery fire. Solomon, now much taller and slender in build, wore white Holy Son robes and held the Contract Book in his hand, while the phantom forms of the Seventy-two Pillar Demon Gods flickered in and out among the clouds.

He sat atop the Winged Unicorn, the pressure of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast blanketing the entire battlefield! Not only that, Solomon had successfully reached the fifth ring, though he had deliberately suppressed his cultivation to do so. Five rings meant that he could contract five Soul Beast Pokemon.

Aside from the Hundred-Thousand-Year Winged Unicorn, the other four were the Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden Dragon Beast, Hundred-Thousand-Year Blazing War Tiger, Hundred-Thousand-Year Crystal Mammoth, and Jade Swan Bi Ji!

At this moment, the Ferocious Beasts had gathered, and the Titled Douluos had all emerged!

The Star Luo Empire had reached its end!

"Your Majesty!" Ghost Douluo knelt on one knee, holding the Star Luo Emperor's crown. "Dai Tianfeng burned himself to death in the imperial palace, but we found this in the secret passage." He waved a hand, and two Temple Knights escorted a blond-haired youth forward. "The Star Luo Crown Prince, Dai Weisi."

Through Solomon's eyes, Ye Su examined the blood-covered youth. The genius who should have shone brilliantly during the Spirit Master Competition in the original story now had a left arm twisted at an unnatural angle, yet he still held his head high in defiance.

"Interesting." Solomon suddenly chuckled and lifted the youth's chin. "Where is your younger brother, Dai Mubai?"

"Pah!" Dai Weisi suddenly lunged forward, only to be forced into the ground by the pressure radiating from the Demon God Pillar. "You lackeys of the False Gods! Maniacs trying to overturn the continent! You'll suffer retribution sooner or later!"

Solomon sneered. "Retribution? My lord will not let us suffer retribution."

At that moment,

Boom—!

A dazzling golden light suddenly erupted in the west of the city, and nine soul rings rose through the smoke like suns.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's cry came from afar. "It's the Clear Sky Sect! Tang Hao and the Seventh Elder have launched a surprise attack on the Medical Camp!"

Had the Clear Sky Sect finally been unable to sit still?

Ye Su's main body straightened slightly in Crystal Heaven. He spotted a figure in a rough hemp cloak slipping out of the city among the refugees. Those heterochromatic eyes unmistakably belonged to the fleeing Dai Mubai.

"System." Ye Su suddenly removed the block. "Dai Mubai is one of the main storyline characters. Can't I really kill him now?"

The host finally remembered! Host, do not attack the original storyline's main characters. Although the plot has already collapsed into this state... don't kill them. Once the storyline is finished, it won't matter even if they die.

The system had completely given up. It had gone from being furious at the beginning to this state now. Come to think of it, it seemed rather pitiful.

"Solomon." Ye Su issued an order to his avatar at the same time. "Dai Mubai escaped. Decide for yourself what to do."

According to the original timeline, Dai Mubai should have been living carefree in Suotuo City by now. Who would have thought that he was still in the Star Luo Empire?

But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. With the country about to fall, how could he possibly have escaped?

Hearing his main body's words, a playful glint flashed through Solomon's eyes. He lightly raised a hand, signaling Ghost Douluo to withdraw.

The Winged Unicorn spread its snow-white wings, whipping up a gale that blew away the smoke and dust from the city walls.

In the distance, the Titled Douluos of the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall were already locked in battle, multicolored soul skills exploding in brilliant flashes across the sky.

"Interesting. Truly interesting." Solomon stroked the Contract Book, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

He looked at Dai Weisi, who was pinned to the ground, and said softly, "Your younger brother is quite clever. He knew to flee amid the chaos. But it's only pointless effort." He turned toward the west of the city. "Now is not a good time to let him escape."

Before his words had faded, Baal of the Seventy-two Pillar Demon Gods suddenly manifested. The enormous phantom of a bull-headed, human-bodied figure covered half the sky.

Baal let out an earth-shaking roar, and a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, striking precisely along Dai Mubai's escape route. The youth was forced to halt and look up at the sky in terror.

"All troops, heed my command!" Solomon's voice spread across the entire battlefield through Soul Power. "Star Luo City has fallen. Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who stubbornly resist—"

He paused, a trace of cruelty flashing in his eyes. "Show no mercy!"

"For my lord!"

At his command, the Spirit Hall army erupted in thunderous cheers.

Several thousand spirit masters released their soul skills at once, and waves of multicolored light turned all of Star Luo City as bright as day. On the ground, hundreds of tamed soul beasts roared as they charged toward the remaining Star Luo defenders.

An eighty-thousand-year Iron-Armored Rhinoceros smashed through half a section of the city wall. Amid the flying rubble, the defenders' screams rang without end.

When the lightning shattered the road before Dai Mubai, the terrifying sight of the Seventy-two Pillar Demon Gods churning through the clouds was reflected in his heterochromatic eyes.

He staggered two steps back, only to be pressed into the ruins by a massive claw covered in black scales. Within the shadow of the Demon God incarnation, Solomon's teasing face emerged.

"Star Luo's little tiger." The Contract Book fluttered loudly in the wind. Solomon's gentle, tranquil face bore only a soft smile. "Before your father died, he used his Martial Soul Avatar to destroy the imperial palace. He did buy you time to escape. What a loving father he was."

Dai Mubai suddenly sprang up, his third soul ring lighting as he used White Tiger Vajra Transformation, but chains instantly pierced through his shoulder blades.

The youth coughed up bloody foam and roared, "You lunatics! Spirit Hall clearly promised not to interfere with the succession of empires! You openly invade another country like this—aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"No, let me correct you." Solomon said pleasantly. "It is now the Spirit Hall Empire, and we are purging the remnants."

"Spirit Hall enacted the Soul Beast Protection Law years ago, yet your Star Luo Empire refused to enforce it. That is undoubtedly defying the gods. We are merely purging the remnants."

"As for retribution?" The amusement in Solomon's tone grew stronger. "You really are cut from the same cloth as your brother. Both of you like using that word."

His incarnation gradually dissipated, replaced by Spirit Hall emissaries who hurried over to take Dai Mubai into custody.

The Soul Beast Protection Law was an important decree implemented several years ago. After Soul Beast Pokemon had been established, it had been enacted to encourage the continued adoption of the Soul Beast Pokemon system.

That was also why the Jade Swan had been willing to sign a contract with Solomon.

Jade Swan Bi Ji herself was an unwavering pacifist. Unlike most Ferocious Beasts in the Star Dou Forest, she had always advocated peaceful coexistence between humans and soul beasts.

However, the relationship between human spirit masters and soul beasts had previously been far too complicated. Peaceful coexistence had simply been impossible.

Yet the Soul Beast Pokemon created by Solomon truly made peaceful coexistence possible in the fullest sense.

That was precisely why Bi Ji had willingly chosen to follow Solomon.

Solomon's consciousness returned to his main body, and he strolled toward the Star Luo imperial palace.

Bi Ji accompanied him at his side, her eyes filled with compassion.

She seemed saddened by the casualties of this war.