Battle at Grayglow Mountain

Grayglow Mountain

This was a small mountain range in the western Federation. Due to its harsh environment and year-round poisonous miasma, few people lived nearby.

The Holy Spirit Cult had chosen this place as a stronghold and had secretly operated here for many years. They had carved an intricate network of tunnels through the mountainside caves, like a gigantic spiderweb.

It was just before dawn. Night's darkness hung over Grayglow Mountain like a heavy curtain. Several sentry posts set up by the Holy Spirit Cult were like lone lamps in the dark, seeming ready to topple amid the poisonous miasma. Two lackeys stood beside one of the posts, their figures looking especially frail under the dim Soul Guidance lights.

"Boss, who would ever come to this damn place?" one lackey muttered idly, his voice particularly jarring in the silent night. He wore a tattered black robe, his face filled with impatience and exhaustion. Every so often, he slapped at places where the poisonous miasma had bitten him.

"Don't slack off! If Lord Blood Crow sees you, he might send you off to be expendable material!" the person beside him warned in a low voice. His voice carried a trace of tension and reverence, and his eyes kept sweeping over the surrounding darkness. A few years older and sturdier than the lackey, he understood the Holy Spirit Cult's cruel punishments all too well.

"That's true. You didn't see what happened to that guy last time, he..." The lackey was about to continue when his voice abruptly cut off. It was as if an invisible hand had seized his throat, leaving him unable to make the slightest sound.

His companion waited for a moment but heard no continuation, and began to find it strange.

He turned back in confusion, only to see the lackey staring wide-eyed, a deep bloody gash across his throat. Blood sprayed out like a fountain, instantly staining the ground red. His body swayed, then crashed heavily into the pool of blood, the splashing crimson especially glaring in the darkness.

The instant the lackey fell, a black figure emerged from the poisonous miasma like Gui Mei. The figure moved swiftly and silently, like a ghost in the night. He was tightly wrapped in a black cloak, with only a pair of cold eyes exposed, glimmering with an eerie chill.

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

Blood still dripped from the dagger in his hand, reflecting a cold gleam in the faint light.

He asked, "Where are the hostages you captured being held?"

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

Thud!

A flash of cold light streaked past, and another figure collapsed to the ground.

The black figure surveyed the area. After confirming that he had not alerted anyone inside the stronghold, he flashed away into the poisonous miasma and infiltrated deeper into the Holy Spirit Cult's base.

Other sentry posts were likewise infiltrated and cleared out by black-clad figures. This was the Western Legion's most elite infiltration unit, all Agility Attack System Soul Masters. Their captain, Wang Ye, was personally leading them on this reconnaissance mission to rescue the hostages.

"Report! The advance unit has sent word. They have located the hostages and are evacuating the civilians! Requesting instructions!"

When the report from the advance unit came through the Soul Guidance Communicator, Dong Zi'an's gaze instantly sharpened like an eagle's.

The adjutant beside him swiftly converted the information into flashing data and projected it onto the holographic sand table floating within the command vehicle.

On the sand table, green points representing the advance unit were rapidly moving toward the area where the hostages had been held.

Dong Zi'an slammed his palm against the Soul Guidance control panel before him, and the Soul Power glow inside the entire command vehicle flared brilliantly. His voice boomed through a specially made Soul Guidance amplification device, spreading throughout the Western Legion like a great bell. "All troops, heed my command! Advance at full speed!" At this order, the troops, which had been advancing in orderly formation, immediately quickened their march.

"Artillery, quickly establish Soul Guidance Artillery positions!" At his command, the artillery units immediately sprang into action.

Soul Guidance artillery vehicles stopped one after another in designated zones. The soldiers skillfully unloaded the enormous Soul Guidance Artillery from the vehicles and assembled it.

The barrels of these artillery pieces glimmered with a deep blue light, their internal Soul Power circuits rapidly charging. Each Soul Guidance Cannon was equipped with an advanced targeting system capable of automatically adjusting its angle according to target data from the holographic sand table.

"Mecha units and aerial units, commence air strikes!" The moment he finished speaking, the mecha soldiers swiftly activated their mechas.

The mechas came in all kinds of forms. Some resembled steel behemoths, while others were light and agile.

Their surfaces were embedded with various Soul Guidance devices capable of unleashing powerful attacks.

The aerial units were no less impressive. Soul Guidance aircraft roared into the sky one after another, their wings carrying various Soul Guidance missiles and energy weapons.

"Infantry, completely encircle Grayglow Mountain! Once the battle begins, coordinate with the tank units and wipe out the remaining bandits!" Upon receiving the order, the infantry rapidly dispersed and headed toward every direction around Grayglow Mountain.

The tank units advanced slowly under the infantry's coordination.

Deep within the stronghold, Blood Crow Douluo sat upon a throne piled from white bones. A group of Evil Soul Masters surrounded him as he boasted about his glorious achievements.

Blood Crow Douluo wore a blood-red robe embroidered with a Blood Crow spreading its wings to take flight. Bathed in an eerie green glow, it looked especially sinister.

Thinking of his arrangements within the Western Legion, a smug smile appeared on his face, as though everything were under his control.

However, he had no idea that a crisis was quietly descending.

Frontline Combat Command Headquarters

After reading the latest report from the advance unit, a combat staff officer stepped before Dong Zi'an and said, "General, the advance unit reports that all hostages have been evacuated!"

Dong Zi'an's gaze passed through the spreading poisonous miasma and settled upon Grayglow Mountain's beast-like silhouette. His voice was low and imposing. "Inform the artillery. Begin."

"Yes!"

Once the order reached the artillery regiment, the command to "unlock the Soul Guidance Artillery" spread through every artillery position like an electric current at the commander's command. The artillery automatically calibrated itself, and enormous barrels slowly rose, aiming at Grayglow Mountain twenty kilometers away.

The loaders skillfully pushed Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells into the barrels. Soul Power runes flickered across the shells' surfaces like burning flames.

"All regiment personnel, heed my command! Target: Grayglow Mountain! Fire at will!" With that furious roar, the artillery regiment erupted in earth-shaking thunder.

Seventh-grade Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells streaked through the night sky like burning meteors, dragging long tails of fire as they hurtled toward Grayglow Mountain.

As they approached their targets, the shells suddenly exploded, scattering countless blazing fragments that rained down upon the mountain forest like a meteor shower.

The devastation was terrifying. Evil Soul Masters tried to take flight to evade the bombardment.

But immediately afterward, Soul Guidance Shells launched by the anti-air Soul Guidance Artillery whistled into the sky, tracing twisting paths through the air and accurately striking Holy Spirit Cult members attempting to flee upward.

Finally came ice-element Soul Guidance Shells fired by long-range suppression Soul Guidance Artillery. The moment they exploded, they released extreme cold, freezing the surrounding air solid. A group of Evil Soul Masters saw their mobility greatly reduced, while the shells' accuracy sharply increased. Those who failed to evade in time were instantly frozen.

On Grayglow Mountain, the Holy Spirit Cult disciples were caught utterly off guard by the sudden artillery barrage. Their Soul Guidance defensive array teetered on the verge of collapse beneath the bombardment of so many Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells, cracks spreading across its surface.

Three streams of light shot rapidly into the sky from Grayglow Mountain.

Judging by their Soul Rings, they were astonishingly three Titled Douluo. Soul Guidance Shells could hardly threaten them, and even powerful Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells did little against them.

Seeing the base strewn with corpses, they roared in fury, waving their hands and trying to use Soul Power to block and intercept the shells. But before the overwhelming barrage, the resistance of three people was little more than a drop in the ocean.

When the Western Legion's Green-Faced Wolf Head Battle Flag snapped in the wind atop the mountain, the majestic aura of a Limit Douluo bore down upon the Holy Spirit Cult members with tangible force.

Looking at the steel tide covering the mountains and the high-spirited soldiers, despair welled up in their hearts. They understood that the situation was beyond saving.

The three Evil Soul Master leaders exchanged glances, ruthlessness flashing through their eyes as they prepared to flee this battlefield on the verge of destruction.

Just as their figures flickered and they were about to vanish beyond the horizon, five brilliant streaks of light suddenly flew from the sky above the command headquarters, precisely blocking the Titled Douluo Evil Soul Masters' escape routes.

The five streaks of light gradually condensed into five tall, imposing figures. They were the Western Legion's five senior officers at the Titled Douluo level.

With their escape routes blocked, the three Evil Soul Master leaders could only make a desperate final gamble.

In an instant, both sides summoned their Three-Word Battle Armor and clashed fiercely. The battle between Titled Douluo had begun.

As the battle continued, the energy fluctuations high in the sky grew increasingly violent.

Explosions boomed one after another, as if the entire sky were about to be torn apart. The powerful energy impacts twisted the surrounding air into massive vortices.

Rocks on the ground were shattered into powder, trees were uprooted, and even the poisonous miasma was blown away by the overwhelming energy.

Though the three Evil Soul Master leaders were formidable, they gradually fell into difficulty against the combined assault of the Western Legion's five Titled Douluo.

Their defenses steadily crumbled beneath the attacks of the five Douluo, and their bodies were covered in wounds. Yet they were unwilling to fail like this. They continued fighting desperately, trying to find a chance to break out.

The battle between the Titled Douluo in the sky was spectacular, but the battle on the ground continued.

Some disciples tried to fly away from the mountaintop engulfed in artillery fire, but the moment they emerged, some were directly struck by anti-air artillery, leaving not even scraps behind. Others were precisely intercepted and hunted down by the aerial units and mecha units.

Other disciples hid behind cover, trembling as they watched shells continuously fall from the sky. Their faces were filled with fear and despair, and their former arrogance had long since vanished without a trace.

The thunder of Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells gradually subsided, and a heavy layer of smoke blanketed the battlefield. The pungent smell of sulfur mixed with the rotten stench of blood, making one want to vomit.

Soul Guidance Tanks rolled slowly out of the billowing smoke like steel behemoths. Their heavy tracks crushed every obstacle before them, knocking down thick trees and smashing them to the ground, sending clouds of dust rising.

When they encountered massive boulders, the serrated blades at the fronts of the tanks released powerful Soul Power fluctuations, instantly shattering the rocks into tiny fragments.

The sights on the Soul Guidance Cannon ports along both sides caught the figures of surviving Evil Soul Masters, and Soul Guidance Shells screamed out and struck their targets with precision.

The shockwaves from the explosions spread outward at tremendous speed, blasting the Evil Soul Masters apart and sending flesh and blood flying. Some Evil Soul Masters tried to use soul skills and Soul Guidance Shields to defend themselves, but before the powerful Soul Guidance Shells, all their defenses were like paper and were instantly torn apart.

Ground troops closely followed behind the tanks. Under the cover of tank firepower, they spread out and moved swiftly yet orderly across the battlefield.

Whenever they found anyone who had slipped through the net, they immediately adjusted their stances and pulled the triggers.

Soul Guidance Guns fired at incredible speed, streaking through the night like meteors and instantly piercing the Evil Soul Masters' heads.

Through close, seamless coordination, the soldiers could fire dense volleys in a short time, forming nets of fire that enveloped the Evil Soul Masters.

Mid-level officers also engaged their respective opponents, relying on their numerical advantage to precisely surround and kill Evil Soul Master leaders at the Spirit King level and above.

The remaining Evil Soul Masters were driven into desperation under the attacks of the tanks and soldiers. They let out hopeless shrieks and attempted to organize one final resistance.

Several Evil Soul Masters joined forces to perform a Holy Spirit Cult secret technique, summoning vast numbers of resentful spirits that lunged toward the tanks and soldiers. The spirits bared their fangs and claws, emitting piercing cries. Wherever they passed, the air turned bitingly cold.

However, the Western Legion had prepared for this. The Soul Guidance Shields on the tanks activated instantly, enveloping the nearby soldiers and protecting them from the resentful spirits' harassment.

Seeing this, Xie Jiayun followed the plan and directly summoned his Martial Soul. Black, black, black, black, black, black, red, red—eight Soul Rings circled around his body.

Then two Soul Rings lit up. His sixth soul skill, Life Light Rain, and seventh soul skill, Martial Soul Avatar, activated simultaneously.

In an instant, a massive phantom of the Tree of Life enveloped the battlefield overhead. The phantom stood hundreds of meters tall, its branches winding outward and its leaves a lush emerald green, every leaf shimmering with a gentle glow.

Its trunk was thick and sturdy, new shoots sprouting from its branches as though telling of life's beauty.

With the appearance of the Tree of Life, a powerful life aura spread through the area. Its leaves swayed gently in the breeze, rustling like a symphony of life.

Streams of light rain drifted down from between the leaves, each drop like a crystal clear gem sparkling with the radiance of life.

As the light rain fell, it gradually gathered into bright beams that pierced through the darkness blanketing the battlefield like sharp swords.

Whenever the beams touched the resentful spirits, the spirits let out agonized howls and their bodies began to disperse. Their originally sinister, terrifying aura was replaced by pure life energy.

Some resentful spirits tried to evade the purification of the light rain, fleeing in every direction across the battlefield. Yet the light rain followed them like shadows, clinging tightly to them.

Under the illumination of the light rain, the resentful spirits' bodies became increasingly transparent until they finally turned into specks of starlight and vanished into the air.

The Evil Soul Masters who stubbornly resisted lost their final trump card. They could only disarm and surrender, hoping to preserve their lives, but with the blood of innocents already staining their hands, all that awaited them were cold gun barrels.

By then, the battle high in the sky had also ended. In the end, under the siege of the military's five Titled Douluo, one Evil Soul Master leader was severely injured and the other two died on the spot.

The Western Legion won a sweeping victory in this battle! They had defended their dignity with their own fangs!

At the same time, it stirred up a storm across the continent!