Battle at Grayglow Mountain

Grayglow Mountain.

This was a small mountain range in the western part of the Federation. Due to its harsh environment and year-round toxic miasma, the surrounding area was sparsely populated.

The Holy Spirit Cult had chosen this place as a stronghold and had been quietly operating it for many years. They had excavated intricate tunnels within the mountain, resembling a massive spider web.

It was currently the early hours of the morning, and the darkness of night shrouded Grayglow Mountain like a heavy curtain. The few sentry posts set up by the Holy Spirit Cult appeared like flickering lamps in the dark, looking precarious amidst the toxic miasma. Two underlings stood beside a sentry post, their figures appearing exceptionally thin under the dim light of the soul guidance lamps.

"Big brother, why would anyone come to this dump?" one underling muttered in boredom, his voice sounding particularly abrupt in the silent night. He wore a tattered black robe, his face etched with impatience and fatigue, and he occasionally slapped at the spots on his body bitten by the toxic miasma.

"Don't slack off! If Blood Crow sees you, watch out or you'll be sent to be cannon fodder!" the man beside him whispered a warning. His voice carried a hint of nervousness and awe, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness from time to time. He was a few years older than the underling and had a sturdier build, knowing full well the cruelty of the Holy Spirit Cult's punishments.

"That's true, you didn't see the last guy, he..." the underling had just started to say, but suddenly, his voice cut off abruptly. His throat felt as if it had been gripped by an invisible hand, unable to make a sound.

His companion waited for a while, but when he didn't hear the rest of the sentence, he felt a bit strange.

He turned his head in confusion, only to see the underling with his eyes wide open, a deep bloodstain across his throat. Blood sprayed out like a fountain, instantly dyeing the ground red. His body swayed, then he collapsed heavily into a pool of blood, the splashing blood appearing particularly jarring in the darkness.

The moment the underling fell, a black shadow emerged from the toxic miasma like a ghost. The shadow moved swiftly and silently, like a phantom in the dark night. His figure was tightly wrapped in a black cloak, revealing only a pair of cold eyes that flickered with a chilling light.

Before he could react, he was pressed to the ground, a dagger held against his throat.

The dagger in his hand was still dripping with blood, reflecting a cold glint in the dim light.

He heard him ask, "Where are the hostages you captured?"

"In... in the dungeon to the southwest. Don't kill..."

"Thud!"

A cold light flashed, and another figure fell to the ground.

The black shadow observed the situation around him, and after confirming that he had not attracted the attention of the stronghold's interior, his figure flashed and disappeared into the toxic miasma, sneaking toward the depths of the Holy Spirit Cult's stronghold.

Other sentry posts were also infiltrated and cleared by black shadows. This was the Western Legion's most elite infiltration unit, composed entirely of agility-type Soul Masters. At this moment, their captain, Wang Ye, was leading them personally to infiltrate, scout, and rescue the hostages.

"Report, the advance unit has sent word that the hostages have been located and are being evacuated! Please advise!"

When the report from the advance unit came through the soul guidance communicator, Dong Zi'an's eyes turned as sharp as an eagle's.

The adjutant beside him quickly converted the message into streams of flickering data, projecting it onto the holographic sand table suspended inside the command vehicle.

On the sand table, the green light representing the advance unit was moving rapidly toward the area where the hostages were held.

Dong Zi'an slammed his hand onto the soul guidance control panel in front of him, and the soul power light inside the entire command vehicle flared brilliantly. His voice, transmitted through a specialized soul guidance amplification device, rang out like a bell across the entire Western Legion: "All troops, listen! Accelerate!" At this command, the troops, who had been advancing in an orderly fashion, instantly increased their marching speed.

"Artillery, establish soul guidance artillery positions immediately!" Following his order, the artillery units went into action at once.

One soul guidance artillery vehicle after another stopped in the designated area, and the soldiers skillfully operated them, unloading and assembling the massive soul guidance artillery platforms from the vehicles.

The barrels of these artillery pieces glowed with a deep blue light, and the soul power circuits inside were charging rapidly. Every soul guidance cannon was equipped with an advanced targeting system capable of automatically adjusting its angle based on the target information on the holographic sand table.

"Mecha units and flight units, execute aerial strikes!" As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers of the mecha units quickly activated their mechas.

These mechas came in various shapes; some resembled steel beasts, while others were light and agile.

Their surfaces were embedded with various soul guidance devices capable of unleashing powerful attacks.

The flight units were not to be outdone, as one soul guidance aircraft after another roared into the sky, their wings loaded with various types of soul guidance missiles and energy weapons.

"Infantry, surround Grayglow Mountain completely. Once the battle begins, coordinate with the armored units to mop up the remaining bandits!" After receiving the order, the infantry dispersed rapidly, heading toward every direction of Grayglow Mountain.

The armored units, with the cooperation of the infantry, advanced slowly.

At this moment, deep within the stronghold, Blood Crow sat on a throne piled with white bones, surrounded by a group of Evil Soul Masters, boasting about his glorious battle achievements.

Blood Crow wore a blood-red robe embroidered with a pattern of a blood crow spreading its wings to fly, which looked particularly hideous under the reflection of the eerie green light.

Thinking of the layout of the Western Legion, a smug smile played on his face, as if everything were under his control.

However, he did not know that a crisis was quietly descending.

Frontline Operations Command

An operations officer finished reading the latest report from the advance unit and walked up to Dong Zi'an, saying, "General, the advance unit reports that the hostages have been evacuated!"

Dong Zi'an's gaze passed over the pervasive toxic miasma and landed on the beast-like silhouette of Grayglow Mountain. His voice was low and dignified: "Notify the artillery, begin."

"Yes!"

After the order reached the artillery regiment, following the commander's command, the instruction to "unseal the soul guidance artillery platforms" spread like an electric current to every platform. The barrels automatically calibrated, and the massive cannons slowly raised, pointing toward Grayglow Mountain twenty kilometers away.

The loaders skillfully pushed the Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells into the chambers, and soul power runes flickered on the surface of the shells like burning flames.

"Regiment, listen! Target Grayglow Mountain! Fire at will!" With this roar, the artillery regiment instantly erupted with earth-shattering thunder.

One seventh-level Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shell after another streaked across the night sky like burning meteors, dragging long tails of fire as they lunged toward Grayglow Mountain.

Upon approaching the target, the shells suddenly exploded, and countless scorching fragments splashed out, scattering across the mountain forest like a meteor shower.

This caused terrifying casualties, and one Evil Soul Master after another attempted to ascend into the air to dodge.

But immediately after, the soul guidance shells launched by the anti-aircraft soul guidance artillery platforms whistled into the sky, drawing zigzagging trajectories in the air and accurately hitting the Holy Spirit Cult members who were trying to escape by air.

Finally, the ice-attribute soul guidance shells launched by the long-range suppression soul guidance artillery platforms released extreme cold at the moment of explosion, freezing the surrounding air into ice. The mobility of a group of Evil Soul Masters was greatly reduced, the hit rate of the artillery shells increased significantly, and those Evil Soul Masters who failed to dodge in time were instantly frozen solid.

On Grayglow Mountain, the Holy Spirit Cult members were caught off guard by this sudden artillery attack. Their soul guidance defensive arrays were teetering under the bombardment of so many Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells, and cracks spread across the surface of the arrays.

Three streams of light rose rapidly from Grayglow Mountain.

Looking at their soul rings, they were actually three Title Douluo. The soul guidance shells had difficulty posing a threat to them, and one powerful Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shell after another had little effect in front of them.

They looked at the tragic scene of corpses littering the stronghold and roared in anger, waving their hands in an attempt to use soul power to block and intercept the artillery attacks. However, in the face of the overwhelming artillery fire, the resistance of the three of them was merely a drop in the bucket.

When the Western Legion's Green-Faced Wolf Head Battle Flag fluttered on the mountaintop, that aura of majesty originating from a Limit Douluo pressed down on the Holy Spirit Cult members like a physical force.

They looked at the sea of steel and the high-spirited soldiers covering the mountains and plains, and despair surged in their hearts, realizing that the situation was lost.

The three Evil Soul Master leaders looked at each other, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in their eyes, and they were about to flee this battlefield that was about to be annihilated.

Just as their figures flickered and were about to disappear into the horizon, five brilliant rays of light suddenly flew out from the dome where the command post was located, accurately blocking the escape route of the Evil Soul Master Title Douluo.

These five streams of light gradually condensed into five tall and majestic figures; they were the five Title Douluo-level senior officers of the Western Legion.

Seeing that their escape was blocked, the three Evil Soul Master leaders had no choice but to make a desperate gamble.

For a time, both sides summoned their Three-Word Battle Armor and engaged in a fierce collision. The battle between Title Douluo had begun.

As the battle progressed, the energy fluctuations in the high altitude became more and more intense.

The roar of explosions followed one after another, as if the entire sky were about to be torn apart. The powerful energy impact caused the surrounding air to twist and deform, forming massive whirlpools.

The rocks on the ground were shattered, trees were uprooted, and the toxic miasma was blown away by this powerful energy.

Although the three Evil Soul Master leaders were not weak, they gradually fell into a predicament when faced with the joint attack of the five Title Douluo of the Western Legion.

Their defenses gradually disintegrated under the attacks of the five Douluo, and their bodies were covered in wounds. However, they were not willing to fail just like that and were still resisting desperately, trying to find an opportunity to break through.

The battle of the Title Douluo in the sky was grand, but the battle on the ground continued.

Some cult members tried to fly away from this mountain covered by artillery fire, but as soon as they showed their heads, some were directly hit by anti-aircraft artillery platforms, leaving not even a residue; others were directly intercepted and hunted down with precision by the air units and mecha units.

Still others hid behind bunkers, shivering as they watched the artillery shells falling continuously from the sky. Their faces were filled with fear and despair, and their once arrogant momentum had long since disappeared without a trace.

The roar of the Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells gradually ceased, and the battlefield was shrouded in a thick layer of smoke. The pungent smell of sulfur mixed with the foul stench of blood, making one feel nauseated.

One soul guidance armored vehicle after another drove slowly out of the pervasive smoke like steel beasts. The heavy tracks crushed everything in front of them directly, and thick trees were pushed over, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up large clouds of dust.

When they encountered huge rocks, the saws in front of the vehicles released powerful soul power fluctuations, instantly shattering the rocks into fine gravel.

The targeting sights of the soul guidance cannons on both sides captured the figures of the remaining Evil Soul Masters, and soul guidance shells whistled out, accurately hitting their targets.

The shockwaves generated by the explosions spread to the surroundings at a very high speed, blowing the Evil Soul Masters into pieces, with flesh and blood flying everywhere. Some of the Evil Soul Masters tried to cast soul skills and use soul guidance shields to defend, but in the face of the powerful soul guidance shells, all their defenses were like paper, instantly torn apart.

The soldiers of the ground units followed closely behind the armored vehicles. Under the cover of the vehicles' firepower, they dispersed and moved quickly and orderly across the battlefield.

Whenever they discovered a fish that had slipped through the net, they would quickly adjust their posture and pull the trigger.

The soul guidance guns fired at an extremely high speed, streaking across the night sky like meteors and instantly piercing the skulls of the Evil Soul Masters.

With tacit and close cooperation, the warriors could fire dense bullets in a short period of time, forming fire nets that enveloped the Evil Soul Masters.

One mid-level officer after another also met their respective opponents, relying on their numerical advantage to precisely surround and kill the Evil Soul Master leaders who were Spirit King level or higher.

The remaining Evil Soul Masters were driven into a desperate situation by the attacks of the armored vehicles and soldiers. They let out desperate roars, trying to organize a final resistance.

Some Evil Soul Masters joined forces to cast secret techniques of the Holy Spirit Cult, summoning a large number of vengeful spirits to pounce on the armored vehicles and soldiers. The vengeful spirits bared their fangs and brandished their claws, letting out sharp cries, and wherever they passed, the air became bone-chillingly cold.

However, the Western Legion had long since prepared countermeasures. The soul guidance shields on the armored vehicles were activated instantly, enveloping the surrounding soldiers so they would not be disturbed by the vengeful spirits.

Seeing this, Xie Jiayun also followed the plan and directly summoned his Martial Soul. Eight soul rings—black, black, black, black, black, black, red, red—circled around his body.

Immediately after, two soul rings lit up, and his sixth soul skill, "Life Light Rain," and his seventh soul skill, "Martial Soul Avatar," were activated simultaneously.

In an instant, a massive phantom of the Tree of Life enveloped the sky above the battlefield. The phantom was hundreds of meters tall, its branches winding and stretching, its leaves lush and green, and every leaf flickered with a soft light.

The trunk was thick and solid, with new buds on it, as if telling of the beauty of life.

With the appearance of the Tree of Life, a powerful aura of life permeated the area. The leaves swayed gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound, as if it were a movement of life.

One after another, light rain drifted down from between the leaves. These light rains were like crystal-clear crystals, flickering with the light of life.

As the light rain drifted down, it gradually converged into bright beams of light. These beams of light were like sharp swords, piercing through the darkness that permeated the battlefield.

When the beams of light touched the vengeful spirits, the vengeful spirits let out painful howls, their bodies began to dissipate gradually, and the originally eerie and terrifying aura was replaced by pure life energy.

Some vengeful spirits tried to avoid the purification of the light rain, scurrying around the battlefield, but the light rain followed them like a shadow, clinging tightly to them.

Under the illumination of the light rain, the bodies of the vengeful spirits became more and more transparent, eventually turning into dots of starlight and disappearing into the air.

Those Evil Soul Masters who were still putting up a desperate struggle lost their final trump card and could only surrender, hoping to save their lives, but for them, whose hands were already stained with the blood of innocent people, all that awaited them were cold gun barrels.

At this moment, the battle in the high altitude had also ended. In the end, the three Evil Soul Master leaders were besieged by the five Title Douluo of the military; one was seriously injured, and two died on the spot.

In this battle, the Western Legion won a great victory! They defended their dignity with their own fangs!

At the same time, it also set off a stormy sea on the continent!