Meanwhile, at the core of the Sun Moon Empire's army camp, inside the joint command tent of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Corps and the Evil Lord Soul Engineer Corps.
The atmosphere was somber and heavy.
Xu Tianyuan, the leader of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Corps, a middle-aged man with a dignified face and wearing a magnificent royal Soul Engineer robe, stood in front of a huge sand table.
His brows carried a regal air, tinged with a subtle arrogance.
As a prominent member of the royal family, wielding a force second only to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion, he has every reason to be proud.
The Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Corps serves only the overall interests of the royal family and remains neutral in the princes' struggle for the throne, which gives them a superior status.
Not to mention that he was Xu Tianran's cousin.
Sitting opposite him was Wang Yiheng, the leader of the Evil Lord Soul Master Corps and the Mad Bull Douluo.
He was exceptionally tall and muscular, like an iron tower even when sitting.
With a rugged face and fierce eyes, he exuded a wild and domineering aura, like an enraged bull.
"Commander Xu," Wang Yiheng said gruffly, his voice like muffled thunder, " the Heaven Dou Empire is on its last legs. Although their Soul Engineer Corps has made considerable progress in Soul Tool Technology, the gap between them and our Hand of National Protection is simply too great."
"Our vanguard Soul Cannon array is now ready. A single coordinated volley will surely tear a large hole in their core defense."
"At that time, the elite Soul Engineer of Huanglong and Evil Lord can advance unimpeded and take the pass in one fell swoop. Why wait any longer?"
Xu Tianyuan frowned slightly, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the sand table, his tone steady yet carrying the reserve of royalty:
"Commander Wang, please calm down. Although the Heaven Dou Empire's defenses have been severely damaged, its garrison still has some strength to spare. Moreover, the terrain inside the pass is complex. Although a direct assault can break through, the losses may exceed expectations."
"I have ordered the squad to conduct one last high-altitude reconnaissance to confirm the distribution of the defenders 'Soul Power nodes before launching a swift and decisive attack, aiming for the lowest possible cost and fastest speed..."
As he spoke, he gestured across the sand table, outlining what he considered the safest and most efficient offensive strategy.
Although Wang Yiheng was impatient, he had to admit that Xu Tianyuan's maturity and prudence were indeed reasonable, though he still looked somewhat impatient.
Just as both of them were focused on the sand table and battle plan, the Soul Tool Shield inside the tent was fully activated, and elite guards stood watch outside the door. At that moment, when they thought everything was foolproof...
A figure, darker than the deepest night, appeared without warning behind Wang Yiheng's broad back.
Not a trace of aura was leaked, not a single fluctuation of Soul Power was observed, and not even a slight breeze was stirred.
It was as if he had always been standing there, only emerging from the shadows.
The person who came was none other than Toji.
In his hand he held an unassuming, emerald-green dagger that exuded a faint aura of Life —the very Blade of Life's Watch.
At this moment, this seemingly harmless dagger possesses a terrifying sharpness capable of killing gods.
Toji's appearance aroused no suspicion from anyone, and no one was able to discover him.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand and swung the knife!
The movement was so fast that it exceeded the limits of vision; the arm became a blurry afterimage.
A faint, almost imperceptible sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.
The Blade of Guardian of Life, with its extreme sharpness and life-stripping power, sliced through the thinnest paper with ease, slicing across the neck of Mad Bull Douluo Wang Yiheng, which was as thick as an ancient tree.
Wang Yiheng's impatience froze instantly, and his fierce eyes suddenly erupted with extreme horror and bewilderment.
He didn't even have time to feel the pain; he only felt a chill on his neck, and then his vision began to spin and turn upside down uncontrollably.
He saw his own headless, burly body still sitting upright in the chair, hot blood gushing from his neck like a fountain!
Wang Yiheng, the infamous Mad Bull Douluo and a ninth-level Soul Master, died without even uttering a sound!
"???"
Xu Tianyuan's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints.
He didn't even see how the shadowy figure appeared; he only saw Wang Yiheng's head leave his body without warning.
A bone-chilling cold instantly shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.
Oh no, it's an enemy attack!!!
Xu Tianyuan was, after all, a top-tier expert, and his reaction was extremely fast.
The moment Wang Yiheng's head flew off, his Soul Power erupted like a volcano.
A thick, level-nine Soul Shield, shimmering with dark gold dragon scale patterns, instantly popped out from the badge he wore on his chest, firmly protecting his entire upper body.
At the same time, his left hand swiftly reached for a scarlet emergency alarm button under the table.
His movements were fluid and swift.
This was already the limit of Level 9 Soul Engineer's power under a life-or-death crisis.
However, just as his sweaty fingers were about to touch the alarm button...
That figure, like the Grim Reaper, disregarded the distance in space, and in one step crossed the vast sand table, appearing before him.
What terrified Xu Tianyuan even more was that his proud level nine Soul Shield, which was strong enough to withstand the full force of Super Douluo's attack, shattered and vanished without a trace the moment it came into contact with the emerald green dagger, like a soap bubble in the sunlight. With a soft "pop," it couldn't even hold the shield for half a second before silently disintegrating.
It was as if that shield... didn't exist at all!
"No--!!!"
Xu Tianyuan's horror turned into a desperate roar, but before the sound could escape his throat, the emerald green blade, like the scythe of death, swept across without any obstruction.
Xu Tianyuan's left hand, which was reaching for the alarm button, was severed cleanly at the wrist.
The cut was smooth as a mirror, and fresh blood gushed out!
The excruciating pain and extreme fear made Xu Tianyuan instinctively want to let out a blood-curdling scream to warn the entire camp.
But a huge hand, as if cast from refined steel, with unparalleled strength, had already gripped his throat like an iron clamp before he could even scream.
"Heh... heh..."
All of Xu Tianyuan's voices were blocked in his throat, leaving only futile gasps.
His eyes were wide open, bloodshot, filled with boundless fear, resentment, and disbelief. He finally saw the face of the person before him.
It was a young, cold, and stern face, as if sculpted from ice. His eyes were calm and undisturbed, as if he had just crushed two insignificant insects rather than two top-tier experts.
Xu Tianyuan recognized him.
That nightmare that kept the entire Sun Moon Empire's top brass up at night...
Soul Engineer Killer?
Yes, it hasn't appeared for many years, but now it has appeared here without anyone noticing.
That was several years ago, when he single-handedly caused a great disturbance in Mingdu with the mobilization of countless Level 9 Soul Engineer leading the team, they couldn't find a single trace of him.
The other party was able to infiltrate the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy unscathed and leave triumphantly.
This terrifying being, now appearing on the front lines of the battlefield, is undoubtedly the mortal enemy of their Soul Engineer!
A chilling despair instantly overwhelmed him.
Toji's eyes remained unchanged, like the deepest, coldest pool, and he merely flicked his wrist, which held the Blade of Life's Watch.
The emerald green light flashed and disappeared in an instant, precisely piercing Xu Tianyuan's heart.
Xu Tianyuan's body stiffened abruptly, the light in his eyes quickly extinguished like a candle flickering in the wind, and all his struggle and fear froze on his face.
Toji go of her hand.
"Thump."
Xu Tianyuan's Life body, along with his heart that had just stopped beating and still carried the pride of royalty, collapsed to the ground.
Together with his severed left hand and Wang Yiheng's headless corpse, they formed a bloody and eerie scene.
The two supreme commanders of the Soul Engineer Corps, symbolizing the pillars protecting the Sun Moon Empire, were easily killed like lambs to the slaughter in just a few breaths within the heavily guarded core command tent.
Throughout the entire process, no guards were alerted and no alarms were triggered.
Toji's figure once again blended into the shadows, disappearing silently as before.
All that remained was the pungent stench of blood filling the tent, and two still-warm corpses, silently recounting the horrific assassination that had just occurred, one that could have overturned the entire battle.
The number one assassin on the mainland truly lives up to his name!