The Tiandou Empire... Is Finished! / Soul-Guidance Devices Reappear
On either side of the tent sat the leaders of the various allied forces.
The newly appointed head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Dean the Blazing Fire Academy, the Dean the Skywater Academy, and several powerful nobles with considerable military strength... representatives from all sides gathered together, the atmosphere tense and tense.
At the far end of the long table, almost disappearing into the shadows of the tent, sat the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng. He kept his head down, his hands resting quietly on his knees, as if trying to minimize his presence. He had no power, his maternal clan had long since declined, and in this meeting that would decide the fate of the empire, he had no say.
Everyone in the tent knew that if it weren't for the agreement among the most powerful figures before the allied forces assembled to temporarily halt all internal strife before defeating the Spirit Hall Empire, this fourth prince, who had no power base, would probably have "accidentally" died on his way to Jialing Pass.
As for why Prince Xue Xing would spare no effort in supporting such a seemingly worthless prince, everyone present was shrewd and already knew the answer.
Is there a more perfect candidate for puppet emperor than a prince like Xue Beng, who is "weak" in character, lacks strength, and has no support from his maternal relatives?
Xue Beng sat quietly in the corner, the shadows concealing the fleeting, cold light in the depths of his downcast eyes, a light so different from his outward appearance.
They are truly weak, and truly ruthless!
·································
Inside the Jialing Pass, in the temporarily requisitioned council hall, the air was as thick and sticky as a swamp before a downpour. The long table was full of people, but every face clearly bore the word "irritable."
It's hard for anyone to stay calm when faced with something like this before a war starts.
This allied force was already cobbled together, with fragmented and chaotic internal power. This incident only made things worse. Everyone was wary of each other, fearing that a comrade might betray them on the battlefield, which would be fatal.
The second prince, sitting in the main seat, slammed his hand on the table, the solid wood surface groaning in pain.
"Internal strife! More internal strife! Don't those idiots from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan know that the Spirit Hall's sword is already at their throats?"
The people below remained silent, since the fact that the internal faction had already sided with the Spirit Hall, there was indeed no need to consider this issue.
"How much did they lose?" the Third Prince asked Bingbing, his fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest.
In the corner, a general in charge of intelligence swallowed hard. "At least three Soul Saint have been lost, and more than ten Soul King have perished. Most importantly, all the branches have defected and fled, and the defensive layout map of Jia Lin Pass has likely been leaked..."
A suppressed chorus of curses filled the hall. The representative of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect slowly shook his head. "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has always been a backbone of the allied forces. Now that they've cut off their own arm, how can they fight this battle?"
The fiery red-haired Dean of the Blazing Fire Academy slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly. "Now is not the time to assign blame! The question is, what do we do next? My students reported that a small group of troops withdrew from Jialing Pass without authorization last night!"
"Deserter?" A murderous glint flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes.
"They're not deserters, they're doing a 'strategic retreat'," the Dean Skywater Academy said sarcastically. "That's what they say."
Those guys' thoughts were easy to see; they simply believed that if the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up, and if the Heaven Dou Empire really lost, they could just surrender to the Spirit Hall Empire.
Prince Xue Beng at the end of the table shrank back, while Prince Xue Xing beside him squinted, thoughtfully observing everyone's reactions.
"We not only have to guard against the Spirit Hall now, but also against our own people!" a noble general roared. "Who knows who will be the next to stab us in the back?"
····························
The hall suddenly fell silent. This statement revealed the deepest fear in everyone's heart.
The allied forces were a hastily assembled product—they were wary of each other, the various academies and sects had their own agendas, and the nobles were calculating the distribution of spoils after the war.
Now that last fig leaf has been torn off, everyone is nakedly facing each other's distrust.
Ning Zeyuan, the current head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, took a deep breath. "The most urgent tasks are three: First, immediately stabilize the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and if necessary... replace the leadership. Second, reorganize the defense line, ensuring that the checkpoints they are responsible for do not fail. Third..." He looked around, "... establish a system of supervision and oversight."
"Supervise the battle? What do you mean?" A general suddenly stood up.
"What I mean is that you all need to place trustworthy people in your respective units," Ning Zeyuan said coldly. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly dangerous, the Second Prince spoke up to interrupt.
That's enough.
The Second Prince slowly rose, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall. He didn't look at the excited generals, but instead looked at Ning Zeyuan, nodding slightly. "Sect Master Ning says is exactly what I was thinking."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the heads of the already tense crowd.
The Third Prince then spoke, his voice laced with sarcasm. "General Wang, why are you so agitated? Is there something you're hiding? Or... is there some shady arrangement being made with your troops?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "arrange," which made the general surnamed Wang turn pale instantly.
The two princes, speaking in unison, publicly expressed their support for Ning Zeyuan. At that moment, everyone realized that the supervisory system was no longer just a proposal from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, but rather the common will of the highest levels of the allied forces.
Although the Second and Third Princes disliked the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which had once supported the First Prince Xue Qinghe, they had to admit that it was the best solution at present.
The only problem is that these warlords must be extremely trustworthy and would never betray them.
The Second Prince surveyed the crowd, his voice steady and powerful. " With the Spirit Hall's army pressing in, if we continue to fight individually and distrust each other, it will be tantamount to courting our own destruction. Supervising the battle is not for surveillance, but to ensure the smooth flow of military orders and to ensure that everyone fights for our common cause."
The expressions of the people below remained unchanged. The warlord was only doing this to monitor them; he was just deceiving himself.
The Second Prince paused, his tone turning cold. "If anyone feels this is inappropriate, they may leave Jialing Pass now. I will not stop them."
A deathly silence fell over the hall. To leave Jialing Pass? That would be tantamount to cutting oneself off from the entire Heaven Dou Empire.
With the Heaven Dou Empire gone, what will become of their family fortune?
Naturally, no one left.
Under the rare joint pressure from the two princes, the system of supervising the war was forcibly implemented. The leaders of various factions, with varying expressions, accepted the order and began to arrange the selection of supervisors.
Chapter 250 The Heaven Dou Empire... is finished!
The two armies faced each other, the atmosphere tense and deadly.
Unlike the heavy, metallic-gleaming traditional plate armor and chainmail worn by the Heaven Dou Empire garrison, the soldiers of the Spirit Hall Empire were equipped with revolutionary gear.
They were wearing Soul Tool Armor, developed independently by Soul Engineer and Craftsmen through the concentrated resources of the Spirit Hall Empire!
These armors are not made of pure metal; they are engraved with fine and complex soul-guiding patterns, and the material is lighter and tougher. They are not only much lighter than traditional heavy armor, but their defensive strength also far exceeds that of the standard equipment of the Heaven Dou Empire.
More importantly, these armors can be activated by the soldiers' own Soul Power! Although the amplification effect is far inferior to that of advanced Soul Tool ten thousand years later, it can still provide basic soldiers with significant boosts in speed, strength, and even endurance. This gives the ordinary soldiers of the Spirit Hall Empire an absolute advantage in physical fitness, mobile combat, and sustained combat capability.
Starting from scratch, in just over a decade, the Spirit Hall not only made groundbreaking progress in the research of Soul Tool, but also achieved the mass production and deployment of this rudimentary Soul Tool armor to the troops!
This level of achievement is already quite impressive.
It's a bit of a pity that Qian Xunji didn't draw mechanical research Yu Xiaogang like Master Luban or Mozi.
············································
The cold, Soul Tool Armor formed a metallic sea beneath Jialing Pass, reflecting a chilling light and the unstoppable ambition of the Spirit Hall Empire. On the city walls, the generals of the Heaven Dou Empire Guard gripped their sword hilts tightly, their knuckles white, solemnly gazing at the grim army outside the pass, preparing for a brutal siege battle built with Soul Skill and flesh and blood.
However, the anticipated scene of Soul Ring shining and the legion charging did not occur.
The Spirit Hall Empire's military formation was unsettlingly steady. Behind them, several colossal figures were being slowly pushed forward to the front lines. They were still far away, and in the rising sunlight, they were just a few blurry moving black shadows.
"What is that?" A lieutenant squinted, straining to see into the distance, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
As the distance closed, the outline of the object gradually became clearer. The city's commander, a seasoned veteran, suddenly contracted his pupils.
They were massive, jet-black cannons, their metal barrels gleaming with a cold, hard luster under the sunlight. Inscribed on them were incredibly complex, winding soul-guiding patterns that seemed to possess a life of their own. Several grooves were clearly visible on the cannon barrels, their shape and size perfectly matching the Soul Power crystals used when awakening one's Martial Soul!
Beneath the heavy base, specially designed axles rolled over the ground with a dull thud, slowly aiming their terrifying, dark cannon muzzles—large enough to fit an adult—at the majestic gates and walls of Jialing Pass.
A chilling sense of dread, stemming from the unknown, instantly gripped the hearts of every soldier guarding the city wall.
·····································
"What... is that?" someone murmured, their voice trembling almost imperceptibly.
Without giving them any time to react, the Soul Master from the Spirit Hall Empire's rear precisely embedded the Soul Power crystals, brimming with immense energy, into the grooves. The next moment, a buzzing sound rang out—
The intricate patterns on the cannon seemed to come alive. Starting from the grooves, a deep blue Soul Power, like surging blood, rapidly flowed and filled every groove! The immense energy was frantically extracted and compressed, converging at the muzzle into a heart-palpitating blue-white sphere of light. Even from such a distance, the terrifying energy pressure made the defenders on the city wall feel their scalps tingle and their breathing become labored.
"Stay calm! Use your defensive Soul Skill!" the veteran roared hoarsely, trying to suppress the shock in his heart.
But it was too late.
"Boom--!!!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several deafening, unnatural explosions suddenly erupted! Like the roars of giants, they instantly drowned out all other sounds on the battlefield.
Several incredibly thick blue-white energy beams, like lightning tearing through the sky, slammed into the massive city gate of Jialing Pass, known as the gateway to the Heaven Dou Empire and having stood for thousands of years, and its connected thick city walls, at a speed beyond the reach of the eye!
Rumble--!!!
The earth shook violently! Smoke and dust billowed into the sky, instantly engulfing nearly half of the fortress wall! The hard boulders shattered, crumbled, and vaporized the moment they came into contact with the beam of light! Countless fragments of rock rained down, smashing into the defenders behind them, causing them to bleed profusely and scream in agony.
As the billowing smoke and dust were slightly dispersed by the gale, the Heaven Dou Empire garrison on and around the city walls, including the battle-hardened veteran general, fell into a deathly silence and unbelievable despair.
The formidable Jialing Pass, on which they placed their hopes and on which they depended for survival, a strong city gate and a large section of the city wall that were strong enough to withstand the relentless attacks of an army of 100,000 for days, were torn open by this first round of bombardment, leaving a huge and shocking gap!
The Spirit Hall Empire didn't even lose a single soldier before brutally kicking open the gates of the Heaven Dou Empire.
·······································
Sunlight pierced through the lingering smoke of battle, casting dappled patterns on the ravaged land before Jialing Pass, and also illuminating the massive cannons of the Spirit Hall Empire that still radiated the lingering heat of death.
At the muzzle, wisps Sisi blue-white electric arcs snaked and vanished like venomous snakes, emitting a faint but teeth-grinding "sizzling" sound.
This sight sent chills down the spines of all the Heaven Dou Empire defenders, and an indescribable sense of despair spread like a plague across the city walls.
Many soldiers' hands trembled slightly as they gripped their weapons. Their eyes were vacant as they stared at the city gate, shattered by a single blow, and the massive breach in the wall. How could flesh and blood withstand such a weapon, so beyond comprehension, so like divine punishment? Was there any point in continuing this battle?
"Monster...monster..." A young soldier collapsed to the ground, muttering to himself in a daze.
Panic spread like ripples.
Standing atop the highest point of the city wall, the Third Prince and the Second Prince, who should have been stabilizing morale and directing the overall situation, were completely stunned.
The color drained from their faces instantly, turning them deathly pale. The second prince even involuntarily took a half-step back, his lips slightly parted, yet he couldn't utter any commands.
They stared intently at the enormous, seemingly all-consuming gaping hole, their pupils contracting violently in utter terror. Only one thought echoed wildly in their minds:
It's over!
The Heaven Dou Empire... is finished!
Chapter 251 The Reappearance of Soul Tool
The Heaven Dou Empire... is finished!
This desperate thought spread like a plague across the city walls. Their proud, millennia-old natural barrier proved as fragile as a sandcastle built by a child before the Spirit Hall Empire's few menacing soul-guided cannons.
"No... impossible..." The Second Prince's voice was hoarse, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat. All his ambitions and schemes were utterly shattered at this moment by the cold, metallic gleam of death.
He whirled around to the pale-faced messenger beside him, practically roaring the order, his voice distorted with fear. "Block it! Quickly! Send men to block the breach! All reserves, push forward! We absolutely cannot let them get in!"
This incoherent command completely exposed his inner panic, and his usual composure was nowhere to be found.