Large flakes of snow, like goose feathers, drifted down from the sky, carrying a biting chill. Dragon City stood proudly in this vast expanse of white.
Mu Xue commanded the most elite squad in the archer legion. Though it numbered fewer than sixty people, every single one was at least a four-ring soul master. In addition to being equipped with large quantities of Thunderfire Arrows, they also carried various soul tools.
With the assistance of flying soul tools, this squad possessed extremely high mobility. In the previous battles, it had repeatedly achieved remarkable results.
At this moment, the squad stood in orderly intervals atop the southern city wall of Dragon City, each gripping a standardized silver Windbreaking Bow, vigilantly watching the Sun Moon Empire military camp in the distance.
When Wei Na and Mu Xue formed this elite archer squad, they had gone through rigorous selection. Without exception, every soldier possessed eagle- or falcon-type martial souls, excelling particularly in speed and long-distance reconnaissance.
This was to better maximize the advantage of the Thunderfire Arrows. After all, Thunderfire Arrows specialized in long-range strikes rather than frontal combat.
After retreating to defend Dragon City, Mu Xue had proactively approached the city lord of Dragon City, requesting that her elite archer squad take over reconnaissance and vigilance duties.
Dragon City's defenses were already thinly stretched, so the city lord welcomed such a request from Mu Xue. Moreover, Mu Xue had a very close relationship with Princess Wei Na of the Heavenly Soul Empire, making her fully trustworthy.
Thus, Mu Xue naturally took on this responsibility and led her archer squad onto the city wall.
In addition to Mu Xue's elite archer squad, countless ordinary soldiers shuttled back and forth transporting supplies on the wall, along with soul master powerhouses dispatched from the various major sects within Dragon City. This effort was led by the two great sects, Heavenly Dragon Sect and Earthly Dragon Sect. Although the smaller sects in Dragon City each had their own thoughts, with the Heavenly Dragon Sect and Earthly Dragon Sect taking the lead, they did not dare show any overt opposition.
The leaders of the various major sects were currently discussing defense strategies against the Sun Moon Empire's assault with the Dragon City lord. Those gathered on the wall were mostly the younger generation from the sects.
For example, the Heavenly Dragon Sect team and Earthly Dragon Sect team had previously participated in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition in Mingdu. Their leaders were precisely Yu Tianlong and Nan Qiuqiu.
Though young in age, the weakest among them had soul power at the Soul King level. And the strongest, Yu Tianlong, had recently obtained his seventh soul ring and officially advanced to the Soul Saint realm.
Gathered together, these people undoubtedly formed a powerful new force.
Most admirably, at a time of such national crisis, all of them were willing to contribute their strength to the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Even the usually aloof and cold Mu Xue, upon seeing Yu Tianlong, Nan Qiuqiu, and the others arrive, offered them a genuine smile of goodwill. That sincere smile, paired with her flawless and exquisite features, seemed to dim even this icy, snowy world.
Yu Tianlong was momentarily stunned, then nodded toward Mu Xue and led the elites of the Heavenly Dragon Sect's younger generation to stand to one side. Elders and other mid-tier powerhouses from the Heavenly Dragon Sect and Earthly Dragon Sect were also stationed along the southern wall of Dragon City.
Unlike the stern-faced and steady-aura Yu Tianlong, Nan Qiuqiu was far more lively. Having not personally witnessed the brutality of war, she showed no trace of nervousness and instead appeared eager to give it a try.
Nan Qiuqiu clasped her hands behind her back and cheerfully walked over to Mu Xue's side.
"Sister Mu Xue, when do you think the Sun Moon Empire will attack?"
"Qiuqiu, war is not a game." Mu Xue's expression suddenly paled considerably. Her delicate brows furrowed tightly as she spoke gravely.
"War is extremely cruel. Once war breaks out, it means countless innocent people will be implicated."
She had just withdrawn from the front lines. Although her archer squad had not participated in direct combat and had mainly provided fire support and assistance from the rear, she had still fully witnessed the ferocity of war. Even Soul Saints, Soul Douluos, and even Titled Douluos could not guarantee 100% survival once caught up in it.
However, with the great enemy at hand, Mu Xue did not wish to overly dampen the confidence of Nan Qiuqiu and these young soul masters, so she stopped there.
Seeing Mu Xue's serious expression, the smile on Nan Qiuqiu's face vanished instantly. Especially that inexplicable look in Mu Xue's eyes, it instinctively sent a chill through her heart. The gaze of someone who had witnessed brutal war was completely different from that of an ordinary person; it could be distinguished at a glance.
"I'm sorry, Sister Mu Xue. I didn't mean any disrespect toward the frontline soldiers and our compatriots. I just thought that with the support of our two great sects in Dragon City, even if the Sun Moon Empire attacks the city with full force, we should be able to hold it easily."
"Dragon City is the foremost major city on the northern border of our Heavenly Soul Empire. Of course, we cannot let the Sun Moon Empire breach it."
Mu Xue forced a slight smile and continued along with Nan Qiuqiu's words, but in her heart, she secretly sighed.
Having seen the various powerful soul tools of the Sun Moon Empire on the front lines, she no longer harbored the same blind confidence as Nan Qiuqiu. To put it discouragingly, even with the full support of the Heavenly Dragon Sect and Earthly Dragon Sect, Dragon City was likely doomed.
Thinking of this, Mu Xue could not help but glance toward Yu Tianlong beside her.
Sensing Mu Xue's gaze, Yu Tianlong slightly turned his head, and their eyes met.
Mu Xue leading her archer squad in retreat to Dragon City was no coincidence. They had been targeted by a highly mobile soul engineer squad from the Sun Moon Empire and were forced to flee in this direction.
The leader of that Sun Moon Empire soul engineer squad was a powerful eight-level soul engineer. The ten team members under him were all six-level soul engineers or higher.
The Sun Moon Empire had dispatched this soul engineer squad specifically to intercept and kill Mu Xue's archer squad.
Just as Mu Xue and the others were driven into a desperate situation, they happened to encounter Yu Tianlong and the others returning from hunting soul beasts to obtain soul rings. The leader from the Heavenly Dragon Sect side was the current sect master Yu Yeran, a Titled Douluo with soul power as high as level ninety-three.
Yu Yeran led the Heavenly Dragon Sect members to intervene in time, annihilating the Sun Moon Empire's soul engineer squad. Afterward, Mu Xue followed the Heavenly Dragon Sect people to Dragon City.
Originally, Mu Xue's elite archer squad had numbered one hundred people. It was precisely because of this incident that fewer than sixty remained. The losses had been devastating.
After their eyes met, Yu Tianlong once again looked toward the distant Sun Moon Empire military camp, a pensive look appearing in his eyes.
The scale of the Sun Moon Empire military camp was not large, only a few soul engineer legions were stationed there.
At first glance, this seemed normal. After all, ordinary soldiers could hardly adapt to Dragon City's severe cold and would instead become a burden. However, if the Sun Moon Empire intended to use elite soul engineer legions to capture Dragon City, the most suitable method should have been a surprise assault rather than issuing an open final ultimatum to Dragon City as they were doing now.
Such abnormal behavior strongly suggested they had other intentions.
Mu Xue had also considered this earlier, but neither she nor Yu Tianlong had yet found the key to uncovering the true essence of the matter.
Among the three, only Nan Qiuqiu was truly carefree and playful. Unwilling to continue such a heavy topic, she simply began wandering idly on the city wall, her red lips pursed.
"So boring—"
…
Sun Moon Empire military camp.
A massive tent sat at the very center of the camp. Unlike the other tents, this one, made entirely of tanned oxhide was dark red, as though dyed in blood.
Although it was daytime, the deep winter sky over Dragon City remained overcast and dim.
Yet around this large tent, lights blazed brightly.
In the center of the tent stood a graceful figure. A suit of red armor perfectly outlined the alluring curves of her body. A rose-red cloak draped behind her. On the chest of the armor was a red phoenix pattern, its wings spread as if about to take flight.
The woman's skin was extremely fair, with a lustrous sheen flowing across it. Her stunningly beautiful face was exceptionally captivating.
Under the contrast of the magnificent armor and cloak, she appeared both valiant and heroic yet dignified and noble.
It was none other than the current empress of the Sun Moon Empire, Juzi. Just as in Xu Zihuang's memories from his previous life, she had been forcefully appointed by Xu Tianran as the commander-in-chief of the Sun Moon Empire's three armies.
Moreover, Juzi was gradually earning recognition from the upper echelons of the military through her outstanding military talents and repeated battlefield achievements.
At that moment, a fiery red figure suddenly appeared inside the tent. The newcomer was an old woman of about seventy years, her silver hair piled high. Her rare red eyes flashed with sharp light.
"Grandma Fire Phoenix, how is the situation?" Seeing the arrival, Juzi rose and walked over to the old woman.
This old woman was originally the commander of the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion. Since Juzi's arrival, she had shifted to the position of deputy commander. Her strength surpassed even that of the Mad Bull Douluo Wang Yiheng. She was one of the oldest and most senior nine-level soul engineers in the Sun Moon Empire.
Level ninety-four, Titled Douluo, just one step away from becoming a Super Douluo.
Her title was Fire Phoenix. Unfortunately, her martial soul was not a true fire phoenix but a Fire Phoenix Sword.
Fire Phoenix Douluo Luan Feng, this name had once shaken the Sun Moon Empire. In terms of seniority and strength, she ranked among the top five nine-level soul engineers in the Sun Moon Empire, on par with the Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin.
Fire Phoenix Douluo's expression was slightly grave as she said, "The people from the Holy Spirit Cult have already taken their positions according to the plan. As soon as the Heavenly Soul Empire's reinforcements head to support Dragon City, they will be ambushed by those evil soul masters on the necessary route. Should we take this opportunity to capture Dragon City?"
Juzi smiled and shook her head.
"Grandma Fire Phoenix, our main goal this time is to severely wound the Heavenly Soul Empire's main force, especially the powerhouses from the Body Sect. There are many ways to seize Dragon City; there's no need to use such a hard-fought method. With the Holy Spirit Cult blocking and cutting off the Heavenly Soul Empire's reinforcements, Dragon City falling into our hands is only a matter of time. If things don't go smoothly on the Holy Spirit Cult's side, we suffer no loss and can still advance or retreat as needed."
Fire Phoenix Douluo's eyes lit up at these words.
Although the Holy Spirit Cult was now in a cooperative relationship with their Sun Moon Empire, she and the other nine-level soul engineers of the Sun Moon Empire had never trusted these evil soul masters.
The current situation was that only the Holy Spirit Cult bore the risk. They only needed to continue confronting Dragon City like this to achieve their objective.
And though the Holy Spirit Cult knew this, they were happy to go along with it. Massacring soul master powerhouses and large numbers of soldiers could greatly enhance their strength.
According to the agreement with the Sun Moon Empire, they had to restrain themselves in captured cities. This was a rare opportunity.
But there was one thing Juzi had not mentioned: she had planned all this purely out of personal reasons; she did not want to destroy the city where Yu Tianhuang was born.
While Juzi and Fire Phoenix Douluo were privately discussing in the tent, Xu Zihuang, who had been rushing at full speed, suddenly halted.
The five streaks of light that had been flashing past not far to his side also froze in that instant, looking toward Xu Zihuang in surprise and uncertainty.
Within those five streaks of light appeared five figures. Leading them was a tall old man with long, ink-green hair draped behind him. Somewhat comically, he had no hair on the top of his head. Despite being bald, he insisted on keeping long hair.
This stark contrast left a deep impression.
The old man's identity was obvious: he was none other than the Body Sect Master, Du Busi.
Among the other four besides Du Busi was one Xu Zihuang knew. It was a thin, middle-aged man with an unusually large head, somewhat resembling a big-headed child. Yet when his eyes opened and closed, they shot forth dazzling light like bright lamps.
Spiritual Brain Douluo Lang Ya, a mind-attribute titled Douluo, and also Wei Na's teacher. Xu Zihuang had met Lang Ya twice, once in Star Luo City and once on the Lingbei Great Grasslands in the northern Dou Ling Empire.
The appearances and builds of the remaining three were also distinctive. The most normal-looking was a lean old man floating to Du Busi's right: Golden Body Douluo Jin Peng. He had participated in the operation to assassinate Xu Tianran and had met Xu Zihuang several times.
Of the last two, one was even taller and more massive than Du Busi, likely over three meters in height. No ordinary human could naturally grow to such a size. Strangely, his fair skin was covered in dense silver patterns.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize those were actually the outlines of his bones etched across his body. His deep, hollow eye sockets resembled black holes. If not for the complete absence of any sinister aura from him, he might easily be mistaken for an evil soul master.
This eerie appearance was almost more terrifying than that of an actual evil soul master.
The final person was a pale-faced, handsome young man. The blood-red color of his eyes and the thick scent of blood emanating from him caused even Xu Zihuang to furrow his brows.
However, Xu Zihuang could also confirm that this young man was definitely not an evil soul master. His appearance was likely related to his martial soul.
While Xu Zihuang was observing Du Busi and the others, Du Busi also recognized Xu Zihuang. The wariness and surprise in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a meaningful glance at the demonic patterns on the surface of the black dragon wings behind Xu Zihuang.
"So it's you, little fellow. Eighty-level soul power and flight speed surpassing that of a Super Douluo, it seems you've had quite the fortuitous encounter during this time."
"It's the external soul bone ability of the Darkfiend Evil God Tiger," Xu Zihuang replied calmly and frankly, with no intention of concealing it.
"Darkfiend Evil God Tiger external soul bone?!" The pupils of Du Busi and the other five contracted sharply.
Du Busi's eyes were filled with regret, his expression one of utter frustration.
"I really regret it so much!"
"Senior Du, you should be heading to reinforce Dragon City, right?" Xu Zihuang did not wish to delay here and immediately changed the subject to the main issue.
"I want to act together with you. The situation is urgent, so we can discuss anything else on the way."
Du Busi calmed down slightly. Ever decisive and swift in action, he gave a low shout.
"Move out first!"
The six of them continued rushing toward Dragon City.
Golden Body Douluo Jin Peng, Spiritual Brain Douluo Lang Ya, and the others looked at Xu Zihuang with great closeness and approval. Those who possessed body martial souls had always been regarded by them as part of the Body Sect. If not for Elder Mu back then, Yu Tianhuang would have long been taken into the Body Sect for careful nurturing.
During the journey, Xu Zihuang once again used his fourth soul skill to imprint Tianmeng Iceworm's Simulation soul skill, concealing everyone's presence.
They inevitably noticed Xu Zihuang's terrifying soul ring configuration of six red and one gold. Their gazes converged on him, unable to look away for a long time.
Xu Zihuang was not trying to show off; he was simply being cautious.
Ever since leaving the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect en route to Dragon City, he had vaguely felt an ominous premonition. Combined with his memories from his previous life and his understanding of Juzi, he judged that the Body Sect's operation to reinforce Dragon City this time would not go smoothly.
Golden Body Douluo Jin Peng smiled and glanced at Xu Zihuang, suddenly speaking up.
"Little fellow, I heard from the sect master that you possess an Innate Immaculate Body, truly blessed by the heavens. But if you wish to advance further, you will need to use our sect's secret method. Our sect's secret method can temper your physical body to the true divine level. Only by elevating your body to the divine level, that is, achieving Body Becoming God, can you withstand the energy of so many high-quality soul rings in the future."
"As long as you are willing to join our sect, I can personally teach you this secret method and immediately announce you as the sole candidate for the next Body Sect Master." How could Du Busi possibly let such an opportunity slip? He hurriedly interjected.
Xu Zihuang turned to meet Du Busi's gaze. He did not deny feeling tempted by this secret method. But just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed drastically.
"Stop first!"
While rushing at full speed, Xu Zihuang had been continuously using his Void Pupil to probe the path ahead. In the vision of his Void Pupil, seven figures had abruptly appeared.
Leading them was none other than the Holy Spirit Cult Master, Zhongli Wu!
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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