Chapter 487: The Star Luo Empire Chosen as the Breakthrough Point
Over the following days, Yu Tianlin began clearing out the western coastal region of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The numerous Sea Spirit Beasts that had gathered there under the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's orders were all dealt with by Yu Tianlin.
Some of these Sea Spirit Beasts could still be recruited to his side. After being examined by Xiaobai, two more 100,000 year Spirit Beasts, an electric eel and a jellyfish, chose to join Yu Tianlin.
Their clans, together with the clans of Iron Claw and Old Gai, were stationed at several important river mouths along the western coast of the Heaven Dou Empire.
With these Sea Spirit Beast clans serving as a buffer, along with the support of several Sea Spirit Masters, they should be able to resist even if the Deep Sea Demon Whale King led a massive army to attack.
Moreover, after Yu Tianlin's cleansing operation, the Sea Spirit Beasts that had gathered along the Heaven Dou Empire's western coast had almost completely disappeared.
It would not be easy for them to gather such a large force again in a short period of time, so there should be no major problems for now.
Yu Tianlin's attention was now focused almost entirely on the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's movements.
That fellow was refining the Sea God Trident day and night. Yu Tianlin did not know when he would succeed, nor what he planned to do once the Divine Artifact was completely under his control.
Yu Tianlin had considered rushing directly to Sea God Island and killing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King before he could master the Sea God Trident.
However, after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea.
Sea God Island was surrounded by the ocean, and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had already become a God. Even if Yu Tianlin could suppress him by relying on the eight-colored dragon horn, he would certainly be unable to kill him instantly.
The moment the Deep Sea Demon Whale King sensed danger, he could immediately flee into the ocean.
Once that happened, even Yu Tianlin would be helpless.
Therefore, the only way to deal with the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was to wait until he took the initiative to attack the continent and moved away from the sea.
Alternatively, Yu Tianlin could break through to the Divine Rank and crush him with absolute strength.
Although Yu Tianlin already had some clues regarding how to achieve that breakthrough, he had no idea how long it would take.
Under the current circumstances, that option was clearly unreliable.
With this plan in mind, Yu Tianlin remained in Vast Sea City, conserving his strength and waiting for the Deep Sea Demon Whale King to launch his attack.
He intended to remain steady and respond only when the enemy made his move.
Yu Tianlin believed that given the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's hatred toward him, the creature would certainly be unable to restrain himself once he completely mastered the Sea God Trident.
However, Yu Tianlin was wrong about this.
After fully gaining control of the Sea God Trident, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King did not immediately rush toward the northern Heaven Dou Empire to seek revenge on Yu Tianlin.
Instead, he headed directly toward the southern region of the Douluo Continent, targeting the western coast of the Star Luo Empire.
In the past, the Star Luo Empire's national power and military strength had far exceeded those of the Heaven Dou Empire.
However, after the Heaven Dou Empire formed an alliance with the two great Sects, the gap between them gradually disappeared. The Heaven Dou Empire had even begun to surpass the Star Luo Empire slightly.
The current Emperor of the Star Luo Empire had emerged victorious from fierce imperial competition. Naturally, he would not simply stand by and watch the Heaven Dou Empire overtake his nation.
Because of this, the Star Luo Empire had introduced numerous policies in recent years, greatly increasing its investment in cultivating Spirit Masters and strengthening its overall national power.
However, none of this meant anything to the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, who had already become a God.
After receiving the warning from Sea God Island, the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire treated the matter with extreme seriousness.
During this period, he continuously mobilized troops and concentrated the empire's defenses throughout the western coastal region, focusing especially on several important river channels.
By now, the Star Luo Empire had gathered more than five hundred thousand soldiers and five thousand Spirit Masters along the western coast.
This force represented only half of the Star Luo Empire's total military strength.
The Star Luo imperial family maintained an extremely high degree of control over the nation. As a result, there were fewer independent Sect forces within its territory, while the state itself directly controlled a large number of Spirit Masters.
If the empire mobilized everything, it could deploy as many as ten thousand Spirit Masters.
The same was true of its military.
If necessary, the Star Luo Empire could field an army of one million soldiers.
Since that was the case, why had it deployed only half of its total strength to the western coast?
Naturally, the remaining half had been stationed in the north to guard against the Spirit Empire.
The threat from the ocean was indeed severe, but in the eyes of the Star Luo Emperor, the ambitious Spirit Empire was equally dangerous.
He would not abandon the northern defenses merely because of the Sea Spirit Beast crisis.
If the Star Luo Empire transferred all of its forces to the western coast, what would happen if the Spirit Empire suddenly launched an invasion from the north?
Would the Star Luo Empire not immediately fall into a desperate situation?
Therefore, maintaining its defenses against the Spirit Empire was essential.
In a certain sense, this decision would later prove unexpectedly fortunate, preserving a considerable portion of the Star Luo Empire's strength.
At that moment, a military conference was being held inside the main encampment along the Star Luo Empire's western coast.
Over the past few days, the number of Sea Spirit Beasts gathering offshore had continued to increase.
If they were allowed to accumulate further, the danger facing the Star Luo Empire would only become greater.
Because of this, the supreme commander intended to use offense as the best defense. He planned to reduce the number of Sea Spirit Beasts in advance and ease the pressure on the defensive lines before the true battle began.
However, just as the supreme commander and the high-ranking generals were discussing their next course of action, they suddenly received an urgent report.
The Sea Spirit Beasts, which had previously shown no obvious aggression, had begun to move.
They were gathering in enormous numbers near the river mouths.
The meaning behind this movement was already clear.
It was the prelude to war.
The supreme commander's expression immediately turned solemn.
He ordered all the generals to return to their respective forces at once, organize their troops, and enter a state of full combat readiness.
It had to be admitted that the Star Luo Empire's military mobilization capability was exceptionally strong.
Not long after the order was issued, the army of five hundred thousand soldiers began moving in an orderly manner.
Defensive lines were quickly established along both banks of the rivers near the estuaries. Large numbers of troops were also stationed atop the main dam spanning the river, with the five thousand strong Spirit Master corps positioned at the center of the defense.
Even if the riverbanks were breached by the Sea Spirit Beasts, the consequences would not be too severe.
The true key was the dam across the river.
If the dam fell, the Sea Spirit Beasts would be able to advance upstream and penetrate deep into the empire's interior.
Although the Star Luo Empire had constructed several additional dams farther inland, their defensive strength was ultimately inferior to the one at the river mouth.
As long as this position could be held, they would never retreat.
Dai Yuan, the supreme commander of the massive army, had personally given his word to the Emperor.
Since he had made that guarantee, he would not allow any accident to occur.
At this moment, Dai Yuan was dressed in full military attire, patrolling the dam with a solemn expression.
The densely packed Sea Spirit Beasts filling the river channel ahead placed enormous pressure upon him.
However, the vast army gathered behind him also gave him tremendous confidence.
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