To keep the operation hidden, Lion Douluo only brought a few high-level Soul Douluo. Even with Soul Masters from the Zhao and Qian families, their numbers were clearly not as many as those of the Star Crown Sect.
Their attacks were continuously blocked by the Star Guardian Array, which was jointly deployed by many Soul Saints and even Star Crown Soul Masters at the Soul Douluo level. They could not make any real progress.
However, only Xu Fangming, who was temporarily leading the Star Crown Sect, knew that although the Star Guardian Array was powerful, it consumed the soul power of the Star Crown Soul Masters.
Rather than waiting for their power to run out, it was better to act. Besides, their strength was not weaker than the enemy.
"Xiao Ya, go to the rear mountain training grounds immediately and awaken the two elders sleeping there."
"Two elders?"
"Yes. Just go to the rear mountain and shout that the Star Crown Sect is in crisis and ask the two elders to take action. Go quickly."
"Okay."
Xu Ya had never heard of this before, but she understood the urgency and knew her husband wouldn't joke about something like this.
As an agility-type attack system Soul Master, she was also the fastest present. In seconds, she flew into the sky above the rear mountain and shouted Xu Fangming's exact words.
Naturally, this movement couldn't be hidden from the high-level Soul Masters present. Except for the Star Crown Soul Masters who had some guesses, everyone else was confused.
The Soul Masters affiliated with the Star Crown Sect were overjoyed and cheered, for the sect still had two Titled Douluo elders. But a cloud of gloom hung over the Wuhun Empire team, especially the Zhao and Qian families who had deployed most of their family's strength.
Lion Douluo watched Xu Ya leave, and a shadow fell over his heart. The departure of a Titled Douluo at this moment was not a good sign.
Recalling what the grand priest had said earlier, that the Star Crown Sect, a great sect passed down for thousands of years, surely had backups, he decided to accelerate the attack immediately.
No matter what, Qingluan Douluo and Guangling Douluo had to be rescued, and the lifeblood of the Star Crown Sect had to be crushed once more to significantly reduce their strength.
"Accelerate! Work together to break this starlight barrier!"
"Yes!"
Qianjun and Jiangmo glanced at each other, and their two Panlong staffs combined. Two powerful soul forces surged and merged. A dazzling golden holy dragon flew out from the void and struck the Star Guardian Array.
After a moment of intense shaking, many of the Soul Saints within the array exhausted their soul power and vomited blood. They were carried away by disciples stationed in the rear.
The Martial Soul Fusion Skill of Super Douluo was terrifying. It was formidable against equals or even higher-level opponents, and crushingly powerful against weaker Soul Masters.
The fall of many Star Crown Soul Masters made the Star Guardian Array visibly more transparent. Lion Douluo no longer held back and unleashed his strongest attack at full power.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Lion King Roar."
Red energy was gathered by the phantom of the Fire Lion. Magma-like energy flowed through its body, continuously converging at its mouth.
In an instant, a blinding red beam shot out and hit the Star Guardian Array with unstoppable force, causing a massive explosion.
All Soul Masters under the Wuhun Empire were stunned by the energy, let alone the Star Crown Soul Masters facing the attack directly.
All the Star Crown Soul Saints vomited blood and collapsed. They were carried away with faces as pale as paper. Even nearly ten Star Crown Soul Douluos fell.
Elder Xu Chunhao, one of the core formation leaders, also suffered heavy losses. Most importantly, the link between his star power and the other Star Crown Soul Masters was severed under this powerful attack.
With a snap, the Star Guardian Array cracked and completely collapsed in an instant. Starfall Mountain was now exposed before the Wuhun Empire.
"Kill!!!"
Lion Douluo's eyes glowed gold. The formation was destroyed, and the Star Crown Sect was now lambs to be slaughtered. Qingluan and Guangling would owe him for this.
The powerful figures and Soul Masters of the Wuhun Empire followed closely behind. They had come to destroy the Star Crown Sect and were destined to be targets of the Star God Douluo. If they didn't take advantage now, when would they?
But just as they stepped into the gate of the Star Crown Sect, an unexpected event occurred.
Countless roots emerged from the ground and launched a vicious attack on the Soul Masters of the Wuhun Empire. The weaker members of the Zhao and Qian families at the rear were instantly pierced through.
The heads of the Zhao and Qian families tried to help, but two thicker roots struck at them. The force and speed were so great they were forced to retreat, watching their people being slaughtered.
"A plant-type Titled Douluo? No, even a Titled Douluo couldn't control so many roots at once. The soul power consumption clearly doesn't add up."
Lion Douluo, standing in the sky, smashed the roots attacking him with a punch and cautiously watched the movement below.
Suddenly, he saw a vine glowing with starlight rushing over at great speed. While offsetting all attacks, the falling starlight from it actually helped the Star Crown Soul Masters slowly recover their soul power.
"You humans are bold enough to attack the Star Crown Sect. Do you not know this is the domain of the heirs of the gods?"
The words from the ancient vine confirmed Lion Douluo's suspicion: the Star Crown Sect was protected by a 100,000-year-old soul beast—no, they were surely older than that. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to block his attack.
While entangled with the Star-Seeking Vine, Lion Douluo split his focus to observe the battlefield below and was shocked to find that Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo were completely caught by roots emerging from the ground.
The Star Tree, which had operated on Star Luo Mountain for thousands of years, appeared dormant on the surface, but had actually turned the entire mountain into its domain. Countless roots lay hidden below, and even the ever-present Star-Seeking Vines didn't know the exact number.
Under pressure from countless roots, Qianjun and Jiangmo were forced apart. Without their Martial Soul Fusion Technique, they posed little threat to the Star Tree.
In the battle among Soul Master experts, Xu Fangming and Dugu Bo joined forces against Chen Yan. Compared to the Wuhun Empire, they hated this fence-sitter who once leaned toward the Star Crown Sect even more.
Given the chance, they would exterminate the Chen family and ensure they could never survive in the Star Luo Empire again.
The Wuhun Empire had a slight advantage in Titled Douluo numbers, but this was Star Luo Mountain, the Star Crown Sect's territory, and the number of Soul Douluos on their side was nowhere near comparable to the Wuhun Empire's camp.
Seeing the battle grow increasingly intense, Lion Douluo's expression—while fighting the Star-Seeking Vine—changed again. He finally made a decision and used his ninth soul skill to drive the vine back once more.
Then he pulled out a flare from his soul guide storage, ignited it with his soul power, and a brilliant firework bloomed in broad daylight.
The end of the book is already on my Patreon [patreon.com/Devsen]