In the distance, the first ray of light on the horizon had quietly emerged, heralding the arrival of dawn and signaling that a new day was truly about to begin.
The You Clan members efficiently finished organizing everything. The women, elderly, and children with limited mobility were placed inside the carriages, while outside were the clan's soul masters acting as guards. Almost all soul masters above the Soul Sect rank had voluntarily stayed on the outermost layer. Not a single person chose to be cowardly or retreat. Everyone's eyes were filled with unwavering determination. Harboring yearning and anticipation for a new life, they had almost forgotten their fear.
Shen Han Yu sat cross-legged in mid-air, his mood incredibly calm, almost to the point of having no ripples at all. His consciousness was infinitely emptied, and his entire being entered a state that was difficult to describe.
You Mengchu slowly approached his side, gazing at the rising sun that had already peeked out, and said softly:
"Everything is ready. We can set off."
Shen Han Yu gave a soft "Mm," then slowly stood up. A blue light flashed in his eyes, and then, like an unstoppable sword light, it sliced through the night sky. This astonishing scene was clearly visible even to the Star Luo army dozens of miles away. Many people fell into a complete daze because of it.
"Set off—"
Shen Han Yu said calmly. The wind of the Gobi Desert blew through his hair, clearly carrying his voice to everyone's ears.
The long procession began to move out. As the clan leader, You Yanshan looked at Shen Han Yu in the sky with a complicated expression. He had captured that brief spiritual power fluctuation just now. The other party's spiritual power was so powerful that it was beyond his imagination, dealing him quite a shock. He hadn't expected that in just a few short years, Shen Han Yu's current achievements would leave him without even the courage to take a glance…
You Mengchu followed behind Shen Han Yu and then said:
"Do you need my help? There are too many people in the army. If you want to resolve it in a short time, it might still be a bit troublesome…"
Shen Han Yu glanced at You Mengchu, waved his hand, and said:
"Such massive killing karma and the negative energy of resentment and hatred are not something a single Super Douluo can bear. Forget it. I'm afraid it might give birth to inner demons or impact your state of mind in the future. I'm different. I have no distinction between righteous and evil in my pursuit of power. In essence, slaughter is the path most suited to me."
You Mengchu pouted, then said with some disdain:
"A true powerhouse will not be swayed by the life and death of ants, let alone when they stand on the opposite side of me…"
Shen Han Yu raised an eyebrow and did not insist. He simply left behind a casual remark and flew straight forward.
…
At this moment, smoke was rising from above the Star Luo military camp. Almost all the soldiers had already begun their morning training. For a time, various battle cries shook the heavens.
On the high platform, Yao Hong stood shirtless, overlooking the scene below. On his chest were several ferocious wounds. The aura around him was somewhat unsteady. Clearly, even though the power of You Mengchu's ninth soul skill had been weakened quite a bit earlier, it had still caused him considerable injury. At one point, it had nearly sent him straight through the gates of hell.
Right now, the expression in his eyes was somewhat gloomy. Only after his deputy general repeatedly reminded him did he snap back to his senses.
"What is it?"
The deputy general looked at Yao Hong. He was clearly somewhat fearful of this marshal, who had always been hot-tempered and overbearing. In a somewhat hurried tone, he said:
"Scouts from the front have reported that those people have set off…"
Yao Hong's eyes darkened. The hand gripping his greatsword kept tightening. After a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"Have the army move out to resist them. At the same time, tell them to spread out their positions and be careful of that Imperial Feather Douluo's soul skills. We were too confident and reckless last time. I refuse to believe that with full preparations this time, we will suffer the same humiliation again…"
After pausing for a moment, Yao Hong continued:
"Also, send someone back to Star Luo City to report. Ask His Majesty to dispatch several imperial offerings to assist us. Remember, it must be fast…"
The deputy general nodded repeatedly, then trotted down the stairs and hurriedly arranged for the army's dedicated agility-attack system soul masters to rush to Star Luo City at full speed to deliver the message.
Just as Yao Hong stood up and prepared to descend the high platform to arrange some other matters, a burst of indescribable palpitation suddenly came from his heart. His consciousness also gradually became dazed in a short time. The intuition he had honed from long years on the battlefield made his pupils shrink violently. He was just about to roar a warning to the army below when he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
The numerous soldiers who had been training hard right under his nose had now turned into minced meat scattered across the ground. Amid the flying blood and flesh, it was incomparably bloody and terrifying.
Eight soul rings rose beneath Yao Hong's feet. A huge, majestic long blade suddenly appeared in his hand. The blade was extremely wide, with fine and dense patterns on it. Upon closer inspection, one could see that what was engraved was actually a ferocious giant tiger.
"Who!"
Yao Hong abruptly swung several slashes in all directions. Terrifying blade lights accompanied by tiger roars sliced open cracks in the nearby barracks and even the ground, finally crashing into distant rocks with a huge sound.
Chaotic footsteps accompanied by the clashing of armor rang out, along with the neighing of warhorses. Before long, soldiers from nearly all the nearby tents poured out, staring in shock and terror at the scene before them. From high above, the dense crowd looked like sesame seeds. The sheer number was unimaginable.
"Form up, all of you! Don't just stand there like idiots. If you keep doing this, you'll all have to accompany this old man to the grave today…"
Yao Hong roared. His powerful voice, combined with his near-Title Douluo aura, resounded in all directions for a moment. Only then did the gathered soldiers belatedly begin to form ranks.
Wiping away the blood that had just splattered onto his face, Yao Hong's expression was as gloomy as water. Hidden in his eyes was a trace of terror that even he himself did not dare to admit.
The morning sun was obscured by thick dark clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distant clouds, and pattering raindrops soon began to fall. In the Gobi Desert, such a thunderstorm might not occur once in several years, but this time it came unusually fast, as if it had come specifically to wash something away.
Rainwater gathered into rivers on the ground. For a time, almost everywhere was covered in mud.
A dull sound of footsteps came from behind. Yao Hong suddenly became alert and abruptly turned his head.
On the original high platform, a man and a woman stood side by side. The young-looking man had a playful expression. His eyes, which did not seem human, carried a faint smile, yet they made people feel a bone-chilling cold.
The woman's face showed no expression, but the way she looked at everyone below was like looking at corpses.
"Who are you?"
Yao Hong flipped his Tyrant Tiger Blade, nimbly mounted his black tiger steed, and asked in a deep voice.
Through the sparse curtain of rain, Yao Hong narrowed his eyes slightly and finally saw the woman's appearance clearly. His expression changed drastically, and he roared:
"That woman is the Imperial Feather Douluo! Brothers, kill her! Promotion by five ranks! His Majesty has personally promised enfeoffment of land and the title of marquis! Kill—!"
The surrounding soldiers looked at each other. Some of the bolder ones had already drawn their bows and arrows, but in the next instant, they suddenly froze in place.
Under the naked, terrified gazes of countless people, Yao Hong, along with the black tiger beneath him, was suddenly crushed into a ball of flesh under the pressure of a terrifying force. Then, accompanied by a loud bang, a red shockwave burst outward. Blood mist enveloped the area, and scattered pieces of flesh splattered onto the surrounding soldiers. Countless people stood stunned in place.
Just moments ago, the Star Luo Empire's number one military god, the Marshal, and a powerhouse with a notable name in the empire, had been blown into a pile of broken meat right before everyone's eyes using nothing but pressure.
Before they could recover from the shock and terror, in the next moment, their former comrades beside them began to self-detonate one after another, uncontrollably.
Explosions rose and fell one after another, along with incomplete screams, resounding all around for a time. Under the effect of the canyons on both sides, the sounds lingered endlessly, echoing in everyone's ears and infinitely amplifying the emotion of fear. For a moment, the originally neat and orderly formation became chaotic again.
Without the main general's command, the other deputy generals and even lower-ranking officers' commands could not exert any effect at all, nor could they effectively organize such a massive force for a proper counterattack.
However, there were also quite a few exceptions. Some relatively calm and silent veteran soldiers, as well as well-trained confidants, exchanged glances across the chaotic crowd, then quickly gathered together. Soul rings of various colors rose beneath their feet, and they swiftly condensed a huge, deep-blue array above. Many of the still-rational soldiers also came back to their senses and joined their formation.
A steady stream of soul power was poured into the huge, deep-blue array. For a time, its momentum actually approached that of a Title Douluo.
The commotion here momentarily calmed many of the originally panicked soldiers, who joined the martial soul fusion skill. More and more soldiers joined. Under the enhancement of this giant array, quite a few people regained clarity in their eyes.
"Condense!"
Everyone roared together. A massive mammoth elephant condensed behind them and let out a heaven-shaking roar toward Shen Han Yu and the other.
"Go!"
The temporarily leading deputy general raised his hands and pointed in the direction where Shen Han Yu and the other were. A blue light flashed in his eyes, and the mammoth elephant behind him began to stride forward with its massive hooves, charging straight toward the two.
"This military formation does indeed have some merit. Even without the main general and with a limited number of people performing it, it can still elevate their strength to the level of a ninety-second-ranked Title Douluo…"
A trace of interest flashed in Shen Han Yu's eyes.
You Mengchu nodded, a blue light flashing in her eyes as she said softly:
"This mammoth elephant not only fuses their martial souls and soul power, but the array above also borrows military might and killing intent to a certain extent. These three forces complement each other, which is how it achieved such power…"
"Never mind. I'll leave this to you. I'm going to clear the path…"
Shen Han Yu waved his hand, interrupting You Mengchu's words. Then his figure instantly disappeared from the spot, leaving only You Mengchu floating in mid-air with a face full of helplessness and amusement.
The roaring sound from behind was already close at hand. You Mengchu calmly turned around, then slapped downward, directly blocking the mammoth elephant's trampling. The terrifying force even made her retreat several steps, and the many generals maintaining the array were also affected, involuntarily letting out muffled groans.
"Increase soul power output! Brothers, only by killing this woman will we have a chance to survive today! Don't hold back—!"
The leading general roared. The towering soul power light pillar around him became even larger and more solid. The others, receiving the instruction, seemed to have truly taken it to heart. No one chose to hold back anymore; they were almost all going all out.
The mammoth elephant was surrounded by blue and red colors, its eyes gradually turning blood-red. Its aura rose further. For a moment, it was almost comparable to an ordinary ninety-third-ranked Title Douluo.
The only difference was that the soul masters supporting this martial soul fusion skill had too great a disparity in strength, causing its aura to be slightly unstable, fluctuating between the peak of ninety-second rank and ninety-third rank. However, it showed no signs of collapsing overall.
You Mengchu slightly raised an eyebrow. Nine soul rings rose beneath her feet, and a trace of impatience flashed in her eyes. It seemed she did not want to entangle with this thick-skinned, big fellow for too long.
"Second soul skill! Unfolding Wings!"
You Mengchu lightly shouted. The second soul ring beneath her feet lit up. Golden light shadows quickly swirled around her body, with wings flying horizontally. For a moment, it was impossible to tell where her real body was.
"Defend!"
The leading general saw that the situation was bad and made adjustments again. With a change of his hand movements, a layer of thick armor enveloped the mammoth elephant that had lost its target.
"Too late!"
You Mengchu's voice came from above. In the next instant, the golden light shadows rapidly converged and transformed into a massive Imperial Feather Falcon. Golden flames ignited around its body as it fiercely collided with the mammoth elephant.
Accompanied by a loud bang, the mammoth elephant let out a mournful cry and then staggered backward, crushing all the soldiers who had failed to retreat in time into meat paste. At the same time, the soul power around its body began to show signs of collapse.
The people maintaining the martial soul fusion skill also suffered considerable backlash. They all spat out a mouthful of blood, and their auras weakened quite a bit. Yet not a single one dared to abandon the maintenance of the martial soul fusion skill…
You Mengchu's figure reappeared. Looking at the chaotic scene below, she let out a soft sigh. Then the third soul ring beneath her feet rose. Golden airflow continuously gathered in her hand and finally turned into a light pillar shooting into the sky. In the next moment, You Mengchu's figure appeared in front of the mammoth elephant. With one strike, the mammoth elephant's massive body twitched a few times. The faint, mournful cries were ignored by You Mengchu as she directly left the area.
"Ge… General, we seem unable to control the mammoth elephant anymore, and… this thing… seems like it's about to explode…"
One of the people maintaining the martial soul fusion skill said in a trembling voice. The terror in his eyes was almost unconcealed. Then, disregarding the backlash, he directly canceled his support for the martial soul fusion skill and fled desperately into the distance, regardless of anything else.
"Bastard!"
"Canceling control now will definitely cause the mammoth elephant to lose control and explode! A mammoth elephant that has condensed so much soul power—if it explodes, not to mention us, nothing within a radius of several hundred meters will survive! You bastard, do you want to kill us all?!"
The leading general roared, his expression frenzied, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.
"N… not good… it's losing control… With just us, we can't suppress these rampaging soul powers at all…"
"I don't want to die… I really don't want to die!"
With one person taking the lead to escape for his life, naturally, more followers appeared. Before long, the number of people struggling to break free and fleeing desperately had already exceeded ten. The soul power within the already collapsed mammoth elephant was becoming increasingly unstable, and the remaining people were already exhausted and powerless to turn the tide.
At the final moment, the leading general used his last bit of soul power to roar, wanting to notify the nearby soldiers to retreat. Yet he despairingly discovered that the surroundings had, at some point, already turned into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Everywhere was blood and severed limbs. Even the sky had turned a fitting blood-red. Where was there any living person left…
You Mengchu glanced lightly at the few of them, put away the golden longsword in her hand, then took one step and completely left the area.
Behind her, a towering mushroom cloud rose conspicuously in this blood-colored world, incinerating all the nearby corpses into ashes. Afterward, the wind would probably carry them to the next place. As for where, no one would probably ever know…
…
On the other side, Shen Han Yu stood on a mountain peak and also noticed the legion that had already finished assembling below.
Because of the large number of people and the limited terrain nearby, these tens of thousands of troops were not actually stationed in a single location. However, they had also sensed the commotion earlier. At this moment, the general of this army was arranging subsequent matters. Although there was some urgency and a dangerous atmosphere in the ranks, overall, they were still relatively calm.
Gazing at the dense crowd below, Shen Han Yu's mood did not fluctuate in the slightest. Nine soul rings rose beneath his feet. The fourth-ranked red soul ring was infinitely enlarged under his guidance. The glaring red light immediately attracted everyone's attention.
In the next moment, the red soul ring suddenly contracted. In Elemental City, the Ice Empress, who had been slacking off, suddenly reacted. She grabbed the nearby Tian Meng and shook him awake, then patted her own chest and said with some relief:
"Good thing, good thing…"
"Scared this grandma to death. I thought something had happened…"
Tian Meng looked at the Ice Empress with clear, foolish eyes, seemingly unaware of what had happened.
Seeing that Tian Meng was still like this, the Ice Empress clenched her fist and decisively dropped it. Tian Meng, crying and shouting, was thrown off the roof and turned into a meteor disappearing into the horizon…
"I, Tian Meng, will definitely come back—"
"Ice Ice! Wait for me!…"
…
Strands of cold air rose from the ground. Unlike the sultry heat of daytime, this cold air slowly attached itself to every person around, staining every inch of land. In the next moment, countless ice spikes shot up from the ground. Many people didn't even have time to react before they were turned into "meat skewers." A small number of people, even if they noticed, could only watch helplessly as their lives slipped away due to the soul skill's speed being far too swift…
The second soul skill, Extreme Ice Purgatory, is derived from the Ice Empress's soul ring. Although its specific effects leaned toward control and weakening the opponent's combat power, for these ordinary soldiers with generally low strength, it was already a dimensional suppression. Like You Mengchu's weakened version of the ninth soul skill, it was an excellent choice for clearing out small fries.
Gazing at the countless shattered ice sculptures and those terrified faces, Shen Han Yu chose not to act again. With a single strike like this, with these people's strength, they couldn't even withstand the extreme ultra-low temperature, let alone survive inside the soul skill…
You Mengchu appeared behind Shen Han Yu. Looking at the scene before her, her eyelids twitched. Then she said softly:
"I didn't expect you to have quite the potential to become an ice sculpture artist…"
Shen Han Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He then replied:
"Feasible. After I become a god later, I might as well open a small ice sculpture shop in Elemental City to live out my remaining years. What do you think?"
You Mengchu rolled her eyes at Shen Han Yu, then said slowly:
"You can slack off, but you can't ignore everything, otherwise things will get chaotic…"
Hearing this, Shen Han Yu spread his hands, indicating that he was very innocent, while also genuinely feeling a sense of helplessness.
"Forget it, I won't talk to you anymore. I'm going to meet up with Grandpa and the others. I'll leave the rest to you. Anyway, you have zero psychological pressure when doing this kind of thing, and I'm too lazy to get involved…"
You Mengchu rose and headed toward the position of the rear canyon while speaking.
Shen Han Yu watched You Mengchu's figure disappear, then paused for a moment. Space fluctuated, and his figure also vanished…
…
On the other side.
On the roof of the first carriage where You Yanshan was seated, he vigilantly watched the surroundings. When he saw the large pit where the raging fire was still burning, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. He secretly cursed:
"These two little brats really are ruthless. Not a single survivor left, and they even scattered the ashes…"
"Pah! They really do have some of this old man's style from back in the day…"
By the end, the old man couldn't help but praise himself narcissistically.
You Mengchu suddenly appeared beside him. At the same time, she looked at her own grandfather with a somewhat strange gaze. After a long while, she said:
"Shen Han Yu has gone ahead to clear the path. Grandpa, I think we probably won't encounter any more obstacles on this journey…"
You Yanshan nodded, then sighed and said:
"How did we end up owing this kid such a huge favor again? Once we reach that Elemental City, the food, drink, and supplies will still have to come from them. At this rate, even if I sell you, Grandpa still won't be able to repay the debt…"
You Mengchu had a head full of black lines. Then she reminded him:
"Grandpa, don't forget, I am the vice dean of Skywater Academy and one of the highest authorities in Elemental City. It's not as troublesome as you say. If you really feel bad about it, you might as well contribute your strength to his goals in the future…"
You Yanshan paused, then patted You Mengchu on the head and said loudly:
"Good! Let's do that! This old man has never liked owing others. In the future, whenever this kid needs anything, this old man will go all out to help him achieve his goals…"
You Mengchu covered her head, feeling somewhat aggrieved, but she didn't dare to say anything more. She simply sat on the edge of the carriage, swinging her long legs, quietly watching the convoy advance…
Now, all her concerns were by her side. She was doing what she loved, accompanied by family and close friends, and had things to care about. For You Meng Chu, this was already enough…
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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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