Star Luo Empire, Ahakua Province, Rex County, Yier City
Banan Pass was the most famous passage on the continent. To the north lay the Balak Kingdom of the Heaven Dou Empire, and to the south lay the Southern Kingdom, a vassal state of the Star Luo Empire.
Yes, though it was called the Southern Kingdom, geographically it belonged to the northern part of the Star Luo Empire.
Ahakua Province lay between the Central District of the Star Luo Empire and the Southern Kingdom.
Yier City was the commandery seat of Rex County in the province's north. It stood on the main north-south road, with thriving commerce and convenient transportation, and was the province's largest city after its capital.
Two or three dozen li beyond Yier City, in the suburbs, stood a sect called the Demon Sheep Sect.
Its main inheritance was the Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Martial Soul of the Weiss Family, a Top-Tier Martial Soul of Seventh Grade.
The Demon Sheep Sect was a rising sect that had rapidly grown over the past fifty years. It had nearly a thousand Soul Masters, including no fewer than three Soul Douluo.
It was among the best of the medium-sized sects, a First Tier power. Any stronger, and it would be on the level of the Seven Great Sects.
Red Forest Mountain, Demon Sheep Sect
Inside the imposing, brightly lit hall, Sect Master Guido Weiss couldn't help wearing a bitter smile.
He said, "Third Brother, do you think what we did was right? Wan Yingyi from the Great Soul Arena still hasn't responded. There's been this strange silence, and nearly a month has passed..."
His Third Brother, Wilbur Weiss, said helplessly, "If we hadn't chosen wrong five years ago and run into trouble, and if the City Lord's Residence hadn't demanded so much and pressed us so hard, why would we have resorted to this? Tomorrow, have Second Brother keep a close eye on things in the city, and strengthen our defenses at the same time."
At that moment, in a small grove a few hundred meters from the Demon Sheep Sect's mountain gate,
a large group of Black-Clothed Men surrounded more than a dozen High-Rank Soul Masters in various outfits. The four Soul Masters at the head-three men and one woman-radiated an unmistakably powerful aura as they watched the Demon Sheep Sect. Chen Hong was at their head.
Chen Hong shook his head and sighed. "A dark night with high winds-the perfect time to kill and set fires. The ancients didn't deceive me!"
Chen Xun beside him picked up the thought. "Every so often, there's always someone who gets jealous of our Great Soul Arena. The local Great Soul City takes a thirty-percent cut, and that still isn't enough for them. Our final profit is only a little over thirty percent. They really are greedy snakes trying to swallow an elephant."
"Yier City is making the most noise. The City Lord's Residence is hard to touch, but this Demon Sheep Sect has been acting arrogant."
"This is the tragedy of a sect with shallow foundations." A slightly hoarse voice rang out, its metallic quality tinged with a volatile edge. The speaker was Ximen Rongcheng.
"Let's hope this time we kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, and get those fools to settle down for a few years."
Chen Xun said pensively, "It's really 'kill the monkey to warn the chicken.' Those tigers won't be shortsighted; they never enter the fray themselves."
Chen Hong sighed. "Ever since the calamity fifty years ago, too many powers have been reshuffled."
The female Soul Master, Yang Jingxue, continued, "The Elders' Council approved punishment for the Demon Sheep Sect this time because our Soul Fighting City hasn't drawn its sword and made a name for itself in a long while. Leave swords and blades sitting too long, and they'll grow dull."
Chen Hong nodded. "Jingxue, I didn't expect the person your Yang Family sent to be you. With you here, we're even more certain of success."
Yang Jingxue smiled faintly. "Mainly, I haven't been out and about in a long time, and I've hit a bottleneck. This is a rare opportunity, too."
Yang Jingxue looked to be in her thirties. She was tall, with an oval face and a straight nose. A few faint crow's-feet had crept up at the corners of her eyes, but they still held a lively, spirited gleam.
In fact, Yang Jingxue was already over seventy. She was of the same generation as Chen Yu, a Peak Soul Douluo at Level 89, from the Seven Extremes Bow Yang Family.
A Black-Clothed Man came over to report, "Elder Chen, all the hidden sentries on the perimeter have been cleared."
Chen Hong turned and asked, "Is everyone here?"
Cheng Nanxing, not far away, immediately replied, "Master Hong, all 255 members of the First Battalion of the Soul Fighting Legion are here. They're all elite Soul Masters at Soul King level or above. There's one Company of 50 on each of the east, west, and north sides. We have two Companies, 100 in all, attacking from our side. All personnel are present, and the Enshrined Elders and guest officials are all in position."
Cheng Nanxing was an 84th-level Soul Douluo, a member of the Chen Clan's Retainer Families, an Azure Shadow Divine Eagle Soul Master, and one of the Deputy Legion Commanders of the Soul Fighting Legion.
The Soul Fighting Legion was Soul Fighting City's most elite armed military force of Soul Masters. They were all Soul Masters trained by Soul Fighting City from childhood, with the city's Elder Families and their Retainer Families forming its backbone.
The First Battalion that had come this time was also the strongest battalion, an ace unit.
By establishment, each squad had ten people, including a Squad Captain and Deputy Squad Captain, both at Soul Emperor level, while the squad members were all Soul Kings.
Five squads made a Company. Fifty people were led by one Company Commander and four Deputy Company Commanders, each commanding one squad-that is, a Squad Captain.
Five Companies made a Battalion, with one Battalion Captain and four deputy Battalion Captains, all Soul Saints.
That made five Soul Saints, fifty Soul Emperors, and two hundred Soul Kings, for a total of 255 people.
Chen Hong said in a low voice, "To the north are Fang Yuan, that old bastard, and his longtime partner Gui Changhao. As soon as we send the attack signal from our side in the south, they'll seal off the entire Demon Sheep Sect."
"To the east are Ma Zhibin and Long Wenkai of the Long Family. To the west are Zhong Kui, that brat, and Xue Tianming. They'll enter the Demon Sheep Sect with us. We'll surround it on all four sides and finish this quickly."
"Jingxue, your Yang Family will lead the first wave."
Chen Hong and Fang Yuan were leading this operation. Chen Hong would attack while Fang Yuan sealed off the sect. Their roles were clearly defined, and he briefed Yang Jingxue, who had just arrived, on the situation.
"Yang Family members, step forward! Ten Thousand Arrows Pierce the Clouds-three volleys!" Yang Jingxue cried out, and more than a dozen Soul Masters appeared behind her.
Yang Jingxue extended her left hand. A magnificent wooden longbow, set with seven gemstones in gold, green, blue, red, yellow, azure, and purple, appeared. They represented the Seven Attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder, and were also the origin of the name Seven Extremes Bow.
"Seven Extremes True Body!"
Her eight Soul Rings-two yellow, two purple, and four black-began spinning rapidly around her. A Soul Power arrow glittering with seven colors appeared on the bow.
With the bow in her left hand and the arrow in her right, Yang Jingxue's stance as she drew the bow was like a beautiful painting. It gave people a sense of serenity and lofty distance.
Chen Hong waved a hand and said, "Ning Ze, Chen Jingyao."
Two Soul Masters stepped out from the group of more than a dozen and answered, "Yes, Elder Hong."
"Seventh Soul Skill-Seven Treasures True Body. Seven Treasures Turn to Glaze: First: Strength, Third: Attack, Fifth: Soul, Sixth: Boost."
Ning Ze's Soul Rings expanded along with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, each one growing to more than ten meters in diameter.
His first, third, fifth, and sixth Soul Rings-yellow, purple, black, and black-shone brightly. With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda itself glowing a deep blue from top to bottom, they formed a dazzling, resplendent glazed pagoda.
The other Soul Master, Chen Jingyao, also began to use his Soul Skills. "Medicine Ends the Life Wine Gourd, Fourth Soul Skill-Wind Eye, Fifth Soul Skill-Thunderclap."
As the Soul Incantation rang out, a huge black-and-white gourd spat out a blue droplet and a purple droplet, which fell onto Yang Jingxue.
There was no need to mention the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. The other Martial Soul, the Mysterious Heaven Gourd, was also a Top-Tier Support Martial Soul.
Yang Jingxue's Soul Power and aura surged almost in a straight line, breaking straight through to Titled Douluo level. Everyone looked grave. At that moment, all things waited for the arrow to fall.
"Ha..."
The bow curved like a moon laurel, the arrow like a new moon. With one sweep, heaven and earth changed color.
"Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa..."
The bowstrings continued snapping back after the arrows were released. With the support of the other Support Type Soul Masters, the Yang Family's other Soul Masters launched their attacks in turn.
A long arrow dozens of meters in length shot through the air toward the Demon Sheep Sect. Halfway there, it became seven arrows of different attributes-gold, green, blue, red, yellow, azure, and purple. One became seven, then seven became forty-nine, and then they split again and again...
By the time they reached the sky above the Demon Sheep Sect, they had divided into more than two thousand arrows, then split once more into over sixteen thousand.
With the Yang Family's other Soul Masters following up, two or three tens of thousands of arrows rained down.
Dark clouds loomed over the city; the city was on the brink of collapse!
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