The one who spoke was Qian Jun.
Since Qian Renxue was currently in disguise,
he deliberately changed how he addressed her and spoke under the guise of representing Spirit Hall, making a seemingly unreasonable demand.
In truth, he was covertly warning his young lady that the enemy was far too powerful, and there was no need to risk themselves for the Heaven Dou Empire.
"What do you all think?"
Hearing this, Qian Renxue furrowed her brow and glanced around.
Although she agreed with Qian Jun's suggestion completely, she was still wearing the identity of Xue Qinghe.
She had to at least pretend to hesitate before abandoning her own legion, and shift the blame to Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen.
"Though it may sound harsh, it would indeed be better to make some sacrifices. Your Highness, please put the greater good first!"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered as he was the first to agree. Dozens of Soul Masters from his sect were in the legion, and naturally he didn't want anything to go wrong.
"I agree. Ordinary soldiers can always be recruited again, but Soul Masters aren't so easy to cultivate. The cost of losing them would be far too great!"
When it came to making excuses, almost everyone present except Chen Xin was an old hand. Yu Yuanzhen hurriedly nodded; he hadn't wanted to fight for his life either.
"Very well. We'll do that."
Qian Renxue sighed, pretending to be regretful.
Then she quickly issued orders to redeploy the troops.
Before the legion belonging to the Holy Demon Federation arrived from within Sunset Forest, she separated out the Soul Master squad.
The strange arrangement caused a small commotion, but fortunately, the troops stationed here were elite forces of the Heaven Dou Empire. They didn't immediately collapse into chaos.
Meanwhile, on the other side,
the vast army had also completely emerged.
They approached the camp and stopped several hundred meters away, leaving space for the cavalry.
An imposing old man in silver armor, his hair and beard entirely white, rode a Unicorn to the head of the formation and gazed into the distance with deep-set eyes.
"So that's our enemy? The intelligence said they were elite troops specially dispatched by that so-called Heaven Dou Empire. This is it?"
Han Qian's voice brimmed with contempt.
The enemy was right in front of them, and their formation still wasn't ready.
If the opposing commander were in the Holy Demon Federation, he wouldn't even qualify as third-rate.
What's more, the several thousand troops in sight had few cultivators and no fighting spirit or killing intent to speak of.
"A rabble!"
That was Han Qian's final verdict.
By sheer coincidence, it was exactly the same thing Yu Yuanzhen had said earlier when complaining about the independent Soul Masters.
Beside him, a much younger-looking man rode over on horseback. Hearing this, he grinned.
"This continent is split among three powers and can't even achieve unification. Their so-called elites are probably only this good."
This man was Sheng Lingxin, father of Sheng Cai'er, the assassin of the Dawn of Light squad. He currently served as a deputy legion commander.
"That's true, but we can't afford to let our guard down."
"I hear the Demon Race has already completed His Majesty's mission."
"We're half a step behind, so we can't allow ourselves to stumble in a ditch. I want everyone at full alert!"
"I refuse to let some mistake nail us to history's pillar of shame. All troops, listen up! Prepare to attack!"
Though Han Qian spoke dismissively, he acted with great caution.
He quickly relayed his orders, and the First Legion prepared for battle.
As the mage formation behind them gathered immense spiritual power, they launched destructive magic first.
The war of Divine Seal invading Douluo fired its "first shot." Dazzling energy attacks thundered down into the camp.
Suddenly, another violent "earthquake" shook the area.
The Summoners attacked in unison, sending their cannon-fodder magical beasts charging wildly.
They plunged into the camp, where the sounds of slaughter and screams immediately rang out, making the scene even more chaotic.
This was the most basic battle strategy of the Human First Legion, designed to minimize soldier casualties.
The mages swept the field with magic, and the beasts attacked. After those two waves, even the Demon God Legion would be thrown into confusion and disarray.
The elite troops of the Heaven Dou Empire ahead of them were far weaker to begin with. Just those two "appetizers" looked ready to rout them.
"All troops, heed my command! Charge, for the glory of His Majesty Lin Feng!"
Han Qian barked, clamped his legs against his Unicorn, and galloped forward.
The thunder of enormous hooves echoed along the edge of the forest once more, with hundreds of knights close behind.
Above them, the Pegasus Knights worked together, scouting and providing support to keep the army's view unobstructed.
Farther back, even greater numbers of warriors advanced in orderly squads, their runes blazing as they roared into battle.
Some of the assassins continued guarding the rear, while the others slipped into concealment and fought alongside their comrades from the shadows.
Han Qian was giving it his all, eliminating every possible risk. That way, even if the Heaven Dou Empire had deliberately hidden a trump card or laid a trap, he would still be able to respond calmly.
But the facts proved that he really had been overthinking it.
No trump cards, no traps—just sheer incompetence.
When the first knights charged into the enemy ranks, the so-called elite legion of the Heaven Dou Empire proved utterly incapable of fighting back.
They didn't even hold out until the warriors behind them joined the battle. Roughly half the soldiers were killed, while the other half surrendered without hesitation. It was like punching cotton.
That was it...?
Not just Han Qian—the soldiers were just as confused.
Before they had descended into this world, they had received rigorous training and learned about Douluo Continent.
They knew that the world was currently controlled by Spirit Hall and the two great empires, making just three powers in total.
In theory, even if Heaven Dou ranked third, its elite troops shouldn't be this pathetic. Its ranks were filled with untrained ordinary people.
After all, even the foot soldiers of the Holy Demon Federation's First Legion were at the sixth rank. Even ordinary legions didn't fill their ranks with commoners.
"If this is truly all Douluo Continent has to offer, conquering it will be effortless!" Han Qian gazed deeply at the battlefield, sounding both relieved and disappointed.
"Old Han, don't look so unsatisfied. This is a good thing! At least our losses will be small." Sheng Lingxin came over, looking especially pleased.
The two chatted casually, their eyes settling on the prisoners.
A brief interrogation revealed that the enemy's powerful fighters had already fled.
The soldiers left behind were all cannon fodder, tasked with holding them off and buying time. The cultivators known as "Soul Masters" had left ahead of them.
That at least made some sense. Han Qian was about to build a defensive line on the spot and inscribe formation patterns to contact Lin Feng when scouts suddenly flew down from above.
"Marshal, we found large numbers of ordinary people and low- to mid-rank cultivators on a distant hillside."
"They appear to be independent practitioners who stayed behind to watch the battle. Should we eliminate them or drive them away?"
Han Qian thought for a moment, then casually waved his hand.
By conventional reasoning, he certainly shouldn't let them leave.
But he hadn't forgotten that Lin Feng wanted a propaganda campaign—to win through strategy.
These unofficial witnesses would help spread word of the Federation's strength, making it easier to carry out their next plans.
"Leave them be. Send a few people to warn them to go. As long as they don't interfere with the troops, we don't need to bother with the rest."
"The urgent matter is to use this camp as a base and rebuild our defenses, with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well forming the other point of a pincer."
"The Heaven Dou Empire may not be powerful, but it is still an empire. After suffering such a heavy loss, it may well come back..."
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