The mountain wind howled through the eastern Mingdou Mountain Range, sweeping through the dense forest.
At the Star Luo border, a squad of border soldiers pursued a band of fleeing outlaws suspected of being Evil Soul Masters through the woods.
Several fierce Soul Skills crashed down. The outlaws did not dare meet them head-on and turned to flee desperately toward the border. The soldiers gave chase, staying hard on their heels.
"Captain, the border's just ahead! We can't go any farther!" a sergeant called urgently from behind.
The captain frowned and replied in a low voice, "It's fine."
"Hold steady, men. Whatever you do, don't cross the border."
"As long as we're still on our own soil, the Sun Moon Empire won't dare make a move. Keep after them!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a cold detection beam swept down from a distant mountain and locked precisely onto the pursuing squad.
The soldiers looked up, their faces turning deathly pale.
The next instant, blue light flashed across the Sun Moon Empire's border positions as row upon row of Soul Cannons finished charging.
A dense barrage rained down without warning, slamming into the forest!
Deafening explosions erupted. Flames shot skyward, uprooting great swaths of trees.
Caught completely off guard, the Star Luo soldiers hastily channeled their Soul Power to defend themselves. Their formation fell into chaos, and casualties mounted at once.
Word of the disturbance at the border spread in moments.
Du Leisi, a deputy corps commander under Dai Hao, hurried over when he heard. His face darkened.
"What happened? Why did the Sun Moon military suddenly open fire?"
A personal guard reported at once, "Sir, one of our squads was clearing out bandits near the border. They never crossed it, but the enemy launched a surprise bombardment."