Hu Liena received orders to provide support
Thousands of miles away in Spirit City, the Pope's Mountain was brightly lit.
Inside the magnificent and solemn council chamber of the Pope's Hall, the atmosphere was as heavy as the leaden clouds before a storm.
On either side of the thirty-six massive White Jade pillars engraved with reliefs of Six-Winged Angel, four cardinals and more than ten legion commanders knelt on one knee, not daring to utter a sound.
On the high and mighty Pope throne, Bibi Dong wore Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown, her exquisite and noble face shrouded in a layer of cold frost.
In her right hand she held the jewel-encrusted Pope's Scepter, while the left side, with its jagged, broken section, still bearing the fragments of the purple-gold armrest she had shattered during the day.
Below the steps, the military bishop in charge of intelligence was holding the second secret report, which had just been delivered by a fast-moving eagle, and was reading it aloud:
"... Your Holiness, according to the latest information relayed by the Heaven Dou City's spies: Xue Xing usurped the throne and set up a trap at the Taiji Palace, with Tang Hao and his son Tang San from the Haotian Sect, along with two titled elders, and Yu Luomian from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect all participating! Qian Renxue's disguise as the Judgment Elder has been shattered, and her two subordinate elders, Snake Spear and Porcupine, are critically injured and on the verge of death. In this critical moment, Su Chen, along with Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, stormed into the palace to rescue Qian Renxue and severely injured the Five-Ring Evil Soul King Tang San at the Meridian Gate; Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan sacrificed himself to protect Su Chen from Tang Hao's Great Sumeru Ring Explosion, burning his own essence to fight to the death! Subsequently, a mysterious silver-haired woman appeared and severely injured Tang Hao with a single shot. Su Chen has led Qian Renxue, She Long, Porcupine, and the main force of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to break through and head south, and has now safely entered the Southern Frontier Gateway, Glazed Tile City!"
Upon reading the secret report, a collective gasp filled the hall.
A burly, pro-war bishop of the legion suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, shouting, "Your His Holiness the Pope! The Clear Sky Sect and the Xue Xing False Dynasty have gone too far! They dared to kill His Holiness Chrysanthemum Douluo and severely injure the young master! I request that you immediately mobilize the Spirit City Hall Guardian Knights and the 100,000 troops of the Southern Territory for a full-scale northern expedition, to flatten the Heaven Dou Imperial City and slaughter the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan without leaving a single soul alive!"
"A full-scale Northern Expedition?"
On the throne, Bibi Dong spoke coldly, her gentle yet supremely authoritative voice instantly silencing the clamor in the hall.
She slowly descended the high platform, her purple papal robe trailing on the polished ground. Her gaze swept over the generals in the hall. "Between the southern border of Tiandou and my Martial Soul City lie several kingdoms and duchies, including Barak, Silvers, and Fasno, separated by mountains and rivers for thousands of miles! Not to mention, the Dai family of the Star Luo Empire to the west is stationed on the border, eyeing us covetously. If the main force of my Martial Soul Hall were to march north in full force, stretching our supply lines for thousands of miles, the Star Luo Empire could seize the opportunity to cut off our retreat from the flank. At that time, we would be attacked from both sides. Who could bear the responsibility for that?"
The bishop who had just volunteered immediately broke out in a cold sweat, lowered his head, and dared not speak again.
Upon hearing that Su Chen had not only severely injured Tang San in the fierce battle at the Meridian Gate, but also rescued Qian Renxue, and She Long from a desperate Ci Xue, Bibi Dong's tense nerves relaxed a little, and a complex decision flashed in her eyes.
Yue Guan died, killed by Tang Hao's Ring Detonation hammer. She would remember this blood debt more than anyone else.
But it is precisely at times like these that you must not act recklessly like a mad dog.
"Issue my order!"
Bibi Dong stopped in her tracks, her scepter slamming heavily onto the gold brick:
"First, order Platinum Bishop Salas to immediately mobilize the three major legions of the Western Territory to garrison key towns bordering the Star Luo Empire, construct a tight defensive line, and suppress any unrest among the Star Luo Empire!"
"Second, order the Spirit Hall's Southern Border Legion to immediately set off and advance in batches towards the borders of the Balak Kingdom and the Silves Kingdom to exert pressure and gradually open up supply routes and logistics for the northward advance. No lone troops are to be allowed to advance recklessly!"
At this point, Bibi Dong abruptly changed the subject, her gaze falling on a shadowy figure that moved like Gui Mei in the dim light of the main hall:
"Gui Mei!"
The shadows shifted, and the level 95 Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei, silently emerged, shrouded in thick black mist. His voice was hoarse and sinister. "Your subordinate possesses the blood of Old Ghost Yue Guan. Your subordinate will personally take it back from Tang Hao."
"The main force's advance will take time, but Su Chen and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect cannot be without support in the heart of the Heaven Dou territory."
Bibi Dong commanded in a deep voice, "I order you to select three thousand elite black-armored agility attackers of level four or above, and immediately traverse the Balak Kingdom secretly northward to Glazed Tile Fortress City to establish an alliance with Su Chen! Tell Su Chen the Spirit Hall shares the Yue Guan feud with him at Yueguan Pass, and that the Pope's Hall will provide him with all the Soul Bone, medicines, and military supplies he needs on the front lines!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Bibi Dong turned her head and looked at a stunningly beautiful young woman standing behind the throne.
The girl wore a well-tailored crimson outfit that perfectly accentuated her breathtakingly beautiful curves, and her alluring eyes revealed a determination and sharpness far beyond her years.
Hu Liena paused slightly, then stepped forward and bowed to accept the order, "Teacher, now that the competition has been cancelled, I was just about to go to the front lines to gain experience! However... I heard that Qian Renxue is also in Glazed Tile Fortress City. Besides assisting Ghost Elder, does Teacher have any other instructions for me to go there?"
Bibi Dong took out a purple-gold box bearing the seal of the Death Spider Emperor from her bosom, slowly walked to Hu Liena, and personally handed it to her:
"True strength cannot be cultivated in a greenhouse. Su Chen is a few years younger than you, yet he has already fought his way through countless armies. Go and see for yourself what a true prodigy of your generation looks like. When you arrive in Glazed Tile Fortress City, personally hand this secret box to Su Chen."
Hu Liena accepted the heavy purple-gold box with both hands. The image of the legendary boy from the intelligence report—a boy not yet thirteen years old, possessing five completely black rings and a fifty-thousand-year -External Soul Bone— involuntarily surfaced in her mind. A strong curiosity and competitive spirit ignited in her alluring eyes.
"Your disciple obeys! I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
The next morning, as dawn broke, the morning mist still clung to the walls of the Glazed Tile Fortress City.
Inside the inner city council hall, Su Chen sat in the main seat, looking quite energetic.
After their intimate encounter at the Listening to Snow Pavilion Spring last night, Shui Bing'er changed into a brand-new ice-blue dress and stood behind him on his left. The cold and aloof demeanor between her brows had faded, replaced by a gentle and charming air of someone newly receiving his favor.
Rapid footsteps sounded outside the hall. Zhu Zhuqing, dressed in a black tight-fitting leather outfit, walked into the hall together with Ning Fengzhi was holding a secret report.
"Su Chen, urgent military intelligence just intercepted from the north!"
Zhu Zhuqing walked to the table and spread a dew-covered scout's urgent report next to the sand table. Her clear, crisp voice said, "Yu Luomian and the two elders of the Clear Sky Sect are wary of the city's defenses and dare not launch a direct attack. However, last night they dispatched an 84th-level Soul Douluo from a branch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, who, together with the vice-principal of the Thunder Academy who has sided with the false dynasty, led troops to blockade ' Windwatch Post, ' a key transportation hub fifty miles northwest of the city!"
Ning Fengzhi pointed solemnly to the Windwatch Post node on the sand table. "According to reports from scouts, the convoy from the Blazing Fire Academy, which originally planned to detour back to the Balak Kingdom via the western route, and the convoy from the Plant Academy, which consisted entirely of female students, were forcibly detained this morning upon arriving at Windwatch Post! The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has taken some of their accompanying teachers hostage!"
"Using students from various academies as cannon fodder for scouting, Yu Luomian has certainly played a clever game."
Su Chen swallowed the Spirit Fruit in his mouth and stood up. Windwatch Post is only fifty miles away from Glazed Tile Fortress City. Once the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan establishes a foothold there and integrates the combat power of various academies, the grain route on the west side of the heavy city and the Red Iron Ridge iron mine will be completely exposed to the enemy's advance.
Moreover, the Huo Wu from the Blazing Fire Academy and the girls from the Plant Academy shouldn't be allowed to fall into the hands of those beasts from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"Sect Master Ning, you, along with Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, Dugu Bo, and Qian Renxue, will remain to guard Chongcheng, to guard against a feint attack from the direction of the Imperial City."
Su Chen strode out of the hall, his voice cold and decisive, "Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Bing'er, Yue'er, the four of you come with me to Windwatch Post to meet that old dog Blue Lightning!"
"Yes!"
The four women responded in unison, and five lithe figures transformed into streaks of light, instantly leaping out of the west gate of the Glazed Tile Fortress City and speeding towards Windwatch Post, fifty miles away!