On the battlefield, only the lingering fluctuations of Soul Power and the pervasive smell of gunpowder and blood remained, silently telling the story of the fierce battle that had just ended.
With the departure of the three powerful figures, the area finally returned to a rare tranquility, with only the sound of the wind whistling across the empty plains.
Golden Crocodile Douluo led a group of the Spirit Hall Titled Douluo back to the camp. As soon as they landed, he asked in a deep voice, "Investigate! How exactly was Heavenly Star Pass lost? They were fighting fiercely just half an hour ago, how come the flag has changed so quickly?"
Several Soul Douluos in charge of intelligence dared not delay and rushed back a moment later with the message, reporting with pale faces, "Your Majesty, it's... it's Poison Douluo Dugu Bo from the Heaven Dou faction!"
" Dugu Bo?" Golden Crocodile Douluo raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"According to the remnants of the Star Luo Empire army who managed to escape, Dugu Bo unleashed a wide-range poison technique using the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison outside the pass. The poison was extremely potent; the defending troops inside the pass fell almost instantly... in droves, even Soul Master were not spared. The entire interior of Heavenly Star Pass became a poisonous domain." The intelligence Soul Douluo swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "Afterwards, Yu Tianheng led the Divine Martial Army of Heaven Dou and stormed in almost effortlessly, taking control of the pass."
"A ruthless traitor..." Qian Jun Douluo snorted angrily, "That old poisoner really dared to use lethal force! Star Luo Empire had deployed at least 100,000 troops inside the pass, and just like that..."
Golden Crocodile Douluo's face was terribly gloomy. "What a Dugu Bo, what a Yu Tianheng, what a Heaven Dou Empire! Taking over Heavenly Star Pass with such insidious methods saved them a lot of effort, but caused us to lose so many Soul Master for nothing!"
The atmosphere inside the tent instantly plummeted to freezing point, and the Titled Douluo of the Spirit Hall all wore unfriendly expressions.
They had expected the Heaven Dou army to fight the Star Luo Empire head-on, but they did not expect the enemy to use such a despicable method to quickly win the battle. The casualties they suffered, on the contrary, became the stepping stones for Heaven Dou's success.
Fortunately, Golden Crocodile Douluo was not particularly angry.
He slowly stood up, looked in the direction of Xingguan, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
"Forget it, we are ultimately allies with the Heaven Dou Empire. The Star Luo Empire hasn't been destroyed yet; there's no need to fall out over such a trivial matter!"
Others might feel indignant that the Spirit Hall had suffered a hidden loss, but Golden Crocodile Douluo knew perfectly well that the seemingly glamorous emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe, was actually Qian Daoliu Renxue, the granddaughter of Great Enshrined Qian Renxue, a child he had watched grow up.
After this battle, the Heaven Dou Empire gained face and benefits, but in the end, didn't these benefits ultimately fall into Qian Renxue's hands? Rather than saying that the Heaven Dou Empire won, it would be more accurate to say that the Spirit Hall Empire's assets were simply moved to a different location.
"We shouldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders. This continent is being fought over all the time, and it all belongs to the Spirit Hall." Golden Crocodile Douluo muttered to himself, his previous anger long since dissipated. He turned back to his seat and never mentioned Yu Tianheng again, let alone went to him for an explanation.
As a retainer second only to Qian Daoliu, he could distinguish between what was important and what was not; he understood this perfectly well.
The air inside the council hall of the Star Luo Empire palace seemed to freeze.
Star Luo Emperor clenched the urgent report in his hand, his fingertips turning white from the force. His already stern face was now so dark it seemed to drip water. " Heavenly Star Pass... has fallen?" His voice was not loud, but it carried an uncontrollable chill, causing the officials standing in the hall to fall silent, not daring to even breathe.
Heavenly Star Pass was the first line of defense for the Star Luo Empire in the south. It was an iron wall built by the empire with countless manpower, material resources, and financial resources, and its importance was self-evident. It not only concerned the safety of thousands of miles of territory in the south, but also served as a key node to resist the northward advance of the Heaven Dou and Martial Soul Allied Forces. In order to defend this place, the empire emptied nearly 30% of its national treasury, and all the generals and soldiers were the elite of the elite.
But now, this urgent report is like a resounding slap in the face, striking everyone hard across the cheek. The seemingly impregnable fortress had been breached so easily?
The emperor slammed the urgent report onto the imperial desk, the dull thud echoing sharply in the silent hall. He stood up, paced a few steps, his brow furrowed with barely concealed anxiety and unease. "It's over... this is a huge problem," he muttered to himself, his voice heavy with worry.
With Heavenly Star Pass breached, the southern gateway is wide open, and the allied forces could be advancing into the heart of the empire at any moment. How should the next battle be fought? The very foundation of the empire may be truly shaken.
The fall of Heavenly Star Pass was like a breach in a dam, completely shattering the southern defenses of the Star Luo Empire. Just as the emperor had feared, the allied forces of Heaven Dou and Martial Soul surged in like a tidal wave, with no further obstacles.
The allied forces trampled over the broken passes and advanced northward. Wherever they went, the cities of the Star Luo Empire either surrendered without resistance or fell after a brief period of resistance. The once-solid city defenses and well-trained armies seemed to become fragile paper decorations in the face of the unstoppable allied forces.
In just six months, almost all of the fertile lands in the south of the Star Luo Empire fell into the hands of the allied forces, and even several important towns in the central region were captured one after another. The territory was forcibly torn apart, and most of the land was covered by the banners of Heaven Dou and Martial Soul. The empire's territory shrank dramatically, leaving only a corner in the north struggling to hold on.
Every day, news of the city's fall arrived at the imperial court, causing widespread panic among the officials, who had lost their former composure.
The Star Luo Emperor sat on his dragon throne, gazing at the incomplete map of his territory before him, his eyes empty and sorrowful. Everyone understood that the Star Luo Empire was now a flickering candle in the wind, and its destruction was only a matter of time.
Inside the allied camp, the campfire crackled as the generals huddled around the sand table, rehearsing their final offensive, their faces beaming with confident ease. The remaining forces of the Star Luo Empire had been compressed into a corner of the northern border, and their annihilation seemed as easy as lifting a finger—even the patrolling taximen in the camp were less vigilant, waiting only for the day they would celebrate their victory after the city fell.
However, on the morning of the third day of the Allied offensive, the situation on the battlefield suddenly reversed.
As the vanguard entered the valley prepared by the Star Luo Empire Army, a strange mechanical sound suddenly came from the opposite position. Before the Allied Soul Master could react, hundreds of black shadows pierced through the morning mist, whistling through the air with sharp whooshing sounds. It was a lotus-shaped artifact that had never been seen before. The moment it landed, thousands of sharp blades burst forth like a sudden rain, golden light and cold glint intertwining to form a net of death.
"Pfft--Pfft--"
Screams rose and fell as hordes of Soul Master collapsed in the light. Even Soul Douluo- level powerhouses could not escape unscathed from the indiscriminate, dense attacks, their defenses torn apart in an instant.