Countless eyes in the camp turned skyward.
Everyone stared, stunned, at the epic battle.
Even Qian Renxue, who prided herself on being widely traveled and a master strategist, couldn't help but stand there dumbfounded.
Based on the intelligence they'd gathered, she'd already guessed that Chen Zidian wasn't the only powerful fighter on the other side.
But she'd never imagined that five more would appear, each one a Titled Douluo.
What was more, even the weakest among them looked tougher than Snake Lance and Pufferfish, which meant they were at least three levels beyond rank ninety-three!
"Six people, and not one of them has released a Martial Soul!"
Qian Renxue drew a deep breath, zeroing in on the crucial detail.
She was now convinced that Chen Zidian and the others weren't Soul Masters, but practitioners of a different cultivation system.
It sounded unbelievable, but once she considered things from that perspective, everything fell into place.
The key questions were where they had come from, why they'd appeared on Douluo Continent, and just how much power they held.
The more Qian Renxue thought about it, the worse her premonition grew.
As everyone watched the situation unfold, the battle continued.
In the original story, Fall of the Demon God was a Demon Hunter Squad. Lin Feng had unified them without disbanding the group.
They were made up of six classes: knight, assassin, warrior, mage, priest, and summoner.
Naturally, they performed in team battles on a level their opponents couldn't match. After just a few exchanges, the difference in teamwork was already plain to see.
Chen Zidian displayed a knight-assassin combination. Relying on his superior cultivation, he clashed head-on with Sword Douluo while his teammates ambushed Ning Fengzhi.
A level-seventy support Soul Master had no combat ability. How could he withstand a ninth-rank assassin? If Chen Xin and Yu Yuanzhen hadn't protected him with their lives, Ning Fengzhi would have nearly fallen.
The four Spirit Hall fighters weren't faring any better.
The twin brothers Qian Jun and Jiang Mo dealt heavy damage with their Coiling Dragon Staffs.
A ninth-rank warrior carried a giant shield and, with a priest's healing, held his ground and gave them no chance to escape.
As for the rank-ninety-three Pufferfish and Snake Lance, they were even more unlucky. The remaining mage and summoner were both downright broken opponents.
They summoned a pile of defensive magical beasts and hid among them while hurling spells. They could afford to miss countless times, but if they landed just once or twice, the two men would be badly injured.
Overall, Chen Zidian's Special Operations Team held a clear advantage.
Still, it would likely take more than a short while to decide the victor, let alone kill their opponents.
Fortunately, that hadn't been today's mission. They'd only needed to deliver a crushing warning and show the world their strength.
After assessing the situation, Chen Zidian decided there was no need to take risks. He secretly sent a message to his teammates, telling them to prepare to withdraw.
Once the Holy Demon Federation's army arrived on Douluo Continent in force, the number and quality of its ninth-rank powerhouses would overwhelm the opposition. Then they could simply sweep through everything.
"Everyone, let's call it a day."
Chen Zidian spoke with breezy ease as he forced Chen Xin back with a single strike.
As he spoke, he glanced at Ning Fengzhi, intrigued by the astonishing boost he could grant.
The Martial Soul system of this world wasn't without merit. Perhaps it could complement the six classes?
With that thought, he ignored everyone from the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall, kept his domain active, and led the others back toward the forest as a group.
"Hmph! Don't get too arrogant, sir! Just because our brothers couldn't handle you doesn't mean Spirit Hall has no one who can put you in your place!"
Qian Jun and Jiang Mo were panting. Their Martial Soul Avatars were fading, and their Soul Power fluctuated. They looked utterly spent.
They rebuked Chen Zidian with their words, but their bodies told a different story. As they watched him stroll away, they not only refrained from pursuing him, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The two of them still had trump cards they hadn't used, but as fellow powerhouses, their opponent must have had some as well. If the fight had continued, they were more likely to die.
"Haha, I believe that completely."
"But who told you that I'm all that powerful?"
Chen Zidian's playful, mocking voice drifted back through the forest from far away.
Qian Jun, Jiang Mo, and the others immediately looked even more grim, gritting their teeth as they stood there, awkwardly frozen.
They'd only been trying to get in one last tough-sounding line and give themselves an out in front of the countless people below.
They hadn't expected that bastard Chen Zidian to answer them in public. More importantly... his words seemed to hint at something else!
Was he really not that powerful?
What a joke. Their first reaction was disbelief.
Yet they couldn't help feeling uneasy, because it was obvious that the enemy hadn't withdrawn out of fear.
They simply thought wiping out their opponents might come at a cost, such as letting Qian Jun or Jiang Mo take someone down with them before dying.
They weren't willing to risk losing one of their own by continuing that clash. In other words, the power behind their opponents likely had less costly ways to deal with them.
"Elders, let's return to camp and rest first."
"Whatever else, we did drive the enemy away."
Just then, Ning Fengzhi stepped in to defuse the situation, forcing the tension to ease.
It was clearly meant as consolation, but it still gave them a way out. The four men nodded in agreement.
They followed Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Yu Yuanzhen as they flew back down to the camp in a sorry state, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
As for what came next—the bystanders' discussions and the possible consequences—they could no longer afford to care.
Each of them immediately sent a message back to their own side.
The Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family was shaken, and Spirit Hall was astounded.
Strangely, though, neither side reacted violently. Instead, both fell silent, as if a storm were about to break.
Meanwhile, as mercenary groups and lone Soul Masters carried the news to every corner of Douluo Continent, countless eyes began to focus on Sunset Forest. For a time, it attracted more attention than Star Dou Great Forest, as people across the world discussed the news.
The Heaven Dou Empire, together with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had lost to a mysterious force without being able to fight back!
Even the worship elder sent by Spirit Hall hadn't gained the upper hand. And unlike before, there had been no retaliation afterward.
All these signs sparked a tremendous sensation.
The news swept across Douluo Continent, perfectly accomplishing Lin Feng's plan.
While Chen Zidian and the other five made a commotion at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, keeping the outside world's attention fixed on them, Long Xingyu, in charge of another arrival point, was already taking the next step inside the decaying, dark City of Slaughter.
"Your Majesty, that's the situation. The spacetime coordinates have been inscribed, and the temporary teleportation array is almost ready."
"But the large-scale teleportation array still needs more work. It'll take at least another half month. I'm worried the other side won't give me that much time."
"Since my rank in the Hell Slaughter Field has gone up, the King of Slaughter has been keeping an eye on me from time to time. From the looks of it, he may have noticed something unusual."
"That's my fault, too. I never expected that creature's senses could faintly penetrate the concealment array. Luckily, I made the necessary repairs in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"
Inside a black stone house, Long Xingyu took a moment to report.
His face bore an apologetic expression, along with a trace of helplessness and self-reproach.
A shimmering curtain of light appeared before him, showing Lin Feng's imposing figure. His expression didn't change as he listened.
Although there had been a few unexpected complications and flaws in the operation here, they wouldn't affect its progress. It could still proceed as planned.
"It's fine. Under these circumstances, carving the large-scale teleportation array was always an idealized plan."
"If it works, all the better. If it doesn't, we can settle for the next best thing. For now, keep participating in the Hell Slaughter Field."
"Get your hundred consecutive victories as soon as possible and obtain the Divine Slaughter's Domain... Then activate the temporary teleportation array and bring the Demon God Vanguard Army over first!"
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