Chapter 243: The Caged Bird
At each of the cardinal directions, four booming voices rang out simultaneously, followed by towering columns of spirit power that shot up into the sky. Within mere moments, a vast white cube of soul energy surrounded and sealed the entire Heaven Dou Imperial City, spanning hundreds of miles. The sight was so awe inspiring and unexpected that everyone within the city was left reeling, watching in shock and terror.
In the wake of Ye Wen's Divine Trial and the years of rigorous training, the once revered Seven Great Titled Douluo had all reached level 99. Each of them now donned a piece of personalized five word armor crafted by Ye Wen, pushing their power to a god officiate level. The barrier surrounding Heaven Dou was a modification of the arena's protection field, reworked by Ye Wen and sustained by four god officiate level fighters, making it impassable by anyone below a third level god.
This time, the array was activated by four of the Seven Titled Douluo Qianjun, Jiangmo, Guangling, and Qingluan all of whom, despite being the lower ranked of Ye Wen's officiates, were more than capable of holding the barrier in place.
Inside the Heaven Dou Palace, Emperor Xue Ye was in an uproar. Having been preparing for an evening with one of his concubines, he was blindsided by the sudden upheaval. The palace's inner guard, who had been specially trained to protect the emperor, were instantly at his side, but Emperor Xue Ye's face turned pale as he witnessed the spectacle. He was no more than a Spirit Elder, possessing just four spirit rings.
One of his guards, a level 78 avian Spirit Saint, attempted to fly up to inspect the barrier. But, as soon as he touched the barrier, flames engulfed him, and he was incinerated in an instant, falling to the ground as ash.
"Th this...!" Emperor Xue Ye stammered, wide eyed.
Heaven Dou, lacking even a single Titled Douluo due to Ye Wen's interference, had long been weakened. The Emperor's knowledge of high level spirit power was limited, having rarely seen power beyond what could decimate a battalion. His mind struggled to process the raw might displayed before him. His own best bodyguard, a warrior capable of holding his own against a Spirit Douluo, had been reduced to dust in seconds.
Outside the city, Ye Wen stood with his forces, seizing the opportunity of the Emperor's disarray. His elite force of 1,000 soldiers was handpicked for this operation, each soldier at least at the Spirit Emperor level and equipped with Ye Wen's custom two word armor, the Crimson Blaze Armor. With this gear, they were each raised to the level of Spirit Douluo a terrifying force by any standard.
"First squad, advance," Ye Wen ordered calmly.
With swift, disciplined movements, the squad descended upon the imperial city like a pack of wolves, moving purposefully toward pre identified targets. Over the last two years, Ye Wen's forces had meticulously scouted every corner of Heaven Dou City.
Ye Wen turned to Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen, his allies for this operation. "The next phase is yours."
Both men nodded, saluted, and led the second squad toward the imperial palace.
Though his troops were mighty, Ye Wen adhered to a strict principle: he would not intervene directly in battles between mortals. Even a thousand men was overkill for a weakened imperial force like Heaven Dou's, but Ye Wen wanted to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and to prevent mass panic.
Within the city, his thousand troops had been reinforced by local supporters, bringing their numbers to over ten thousand no small feat on the continent where the spirit master population was capped at 150,000. Under their combined assault, Heaven Dou's outer defenses fell quickly.
As they advanced, Ye Wen gave clear orders to avoid needless killing. Resources were precious, and nobles could be useful either as forced labor or as disposable fighters. Attacking civilian areas was strictly forbidden, and the troops adhered to these rules with discipline.
"To reshape the soldiers of this era into a force with true discipline and purpose," Ye Wen mused, "it's a tough task, one that requires more than just strength." He admired the ideals he had seen in another life, knowing they couldn't be forced into existence overnight.
Within the palace walls, Emperor Xue Ye stood at the palace gates, his face twisted in rage and fear as he beheld the army of spirit masters assembled outside.
"Ning Fengzhi! Do you mean to seize my throne?" Xue Ye's voice thundered, his outrage barely concealing his desperation.
Ning Fengzhi looked at him impassively. The master of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had shattered the limits of his martial spirit, breaking into the ranks of Titled Douluo, though only recently. With his strength now bolstered by the four word Crimson Storm armor Ye Wen had crafted for him, Ning Fengzhi could wield the strength of a half god. Xue Ye, an emperor but no spirit master, was as insignificant to him as an ant.
With a sweeping gaze, Ning Fengzhi observed the guards assembled around Xue Ye, including three Spirit Douluo. Not a large force, but far more than most emperors could boast.
"Yield, Xue Ye," Ning Fengzhi said calmly. "Your resistance will bring you nothing but ruin. The lord has decreed that if you surrender now, you and the Snow family will be spared."
Emperor Xue Ye, though keenly aware of his vulnerability, was no fool. The scale of this assault was far too large, far too coordinated to be the sole work of Ning Fengzhi.
"Who...who is it that plots against the Snow family's millennia long legacy?" he demanded, despair creeping into his voice. Even with three Spirit Douluo by his side, the emperor felt completely helpless. He knew they could barely stand against one half god, let alone the wave of power that surrounded him.
This was the beginning of the end.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10