Spirit Hall.
"Star Luo and Sun Moon have started fighting?" Bibi Dong asked Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo below her.
"Reporting to the Supreme Pontiff, both sides have already arrayed six hundred thousand troops in the Ming Dou Mountain Range, and conflict could erupt at any moment," Chrysanthemum Douluo replied, cupping his hands.
"Six hundred thousand troops!" Hearing this number, Bibi Dong pondered. Although Spirit Hall's status in the Spirit Master's world was terrifying and its rallying power extremely strong, it didn't have such great rallying power among the common people.
No matter what, Spirit Hall couldn't raise an army of six hundred thousand.
"Have you found out why both sides suddenly started fighting?"
"We only know that the Sun Moon Empire's border apparently lost five hundred people, and the Sun Moon Empire is blaming Star Luo," a woman standing beside Bibi Dong said softly.
Her perfect figure, accentuated by luxurious attire, appeared even more graceful and charming, with a hint of allure in her delicate features.
It was Bibi Dong's disciple, Hu Liena.
Hu Liena was thirteen this year, and under Spirit Hall's intensive training, she had already reached level thirty-six, and was known as Spirit Hall's Golden Generation along with Yan and Xie Yue.
"Heh!" Hearing this, Bibi Dong sneered, "A clumsy excuse."
At her words, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo fell silent, and the hall became quiet for a moment.
"Have Lingluan and Tuobaxi lead a team to investigate. I want to know the Sun Moon Empire's strength clearly."
After a long silence, Bibi Dong slowly spoke. Regarding the mysterious Sun Moon Empire, although they had sent people to investigate its information from all aspects over the past year.
So far, the compiled information only allowed her to conclude that the Sun Moon Empire was a stronger country than Heaven Dou and Star Luo.
As for how strong, she couldn't ascertain. She naturally knew the enhancement that spirit tools provided to Spirit Masters, but it was also a fact that the Sun Moon Empire didn't have as many Titled Douluo as Spirit Hall.
Holding the most top-tier combat power in the World, even if the Sun Moon Empire was strong, Bibi Dong didn't believe it could threaten Spirit Hall.
This was a good opportunity to thoroughly assess the Sun Moon Empire's strength.
"Yes!" Hearing Bibi Dong's command, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo bowed and withdrew.
Lingluan and Tuobaxi were both Titled Douluo. With them there, there was no need to worry about being affected by the battlefield and suffering casualties.
"Teacher, with the Sun Moon Empire wielding spirit tools, the Star Luo Empire should not be their match." Hu Liena watched Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo's retreating figures, her beautiful eyes shifting, and said softly to Bibi Dong.
"spirit tools are very strong, but how strong exactly, this battle will provide the answer." Bibi Dong nodded, agreeing with Hu Liena's judgment.
"Then should we also go to the Sun Moon Empire to study?"
"Why should they teach us?"
"I've got it!" Hu Liena was stumped by Bibi Dong's question for a moment, then a flash of inspiration struck her, and she chuckled, "The All-Continent Soul Master Competition is in another year. Why don't we invite the Sun Moon Empire to participate as well? However, the people of the Douluo Continent haven't adapted to the changes brought by spirit tools yet, so we'll prohibit the use of spirit tools."
"If we only compete in Spirits, the Sun Moon Empire is definitely no match for Spirit Hall. This way, the Sun Moon Empire has the advantage in spirit tools, and Spirit Hall has the advantage in Spirit cultivation. We can then propose the idea of academic exchanges, and I believe the Sun Moon Empire won't refuse."
After hearing Hu Liena's idea, Bibi Dong looked at her disciple with surprise. This plan was completely feasible, and Hu Liena could come up with a countermeasure so quickly. She truly was her disciple.
Thinking of this, Bibi Dong's eyes were filled with gentleness as she looked at Hu Liena.
"This is a good suggestion, Nana, you've grown a lot. After this matter is concluded, Teacher will proceed with it."
"Thank you for the compliment, Teacher!" Hu Liena's eyes instantly curved into crescent moons upon receiving Bibi Dong's approval, like a little fox.
At the same time, she also secretly looked forward to it. The miraculous spirit tools, she also really wanted to understand them in depth...
"Everyone, the army has assembled. Let's discuss how to fight this battle." Inside the Sun Moon Imperial Palace, Xu Yunxiao stood in front of a giant map of Star Luo, looking at the dozen or so figures around him, and slowly spoke.
Everyone present was a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, with no one's spirit power below level eighty. They were the backbone of the Sun Moon Empire.
"Your Majesty, the people of the Douluo Continent have not witnessed the suppression spirit tools can exert on the battlefield. We can adopt an encirclement tactic, and under a barrage of firepower, completely annihilate Star Luo's four hundred thousand troops," an old man with a youthful face and white hair, dressed in a Soul Engineer's robe, stepped out and said with a murderous aura.
"Hehehe, what a ragtag bunch the Star Luo Empire is. Let those bumpkins experience what a saturation strike is."
"Your Majesty, I also agree with this plan. Our side has an absolute advantage in firepower; we can completely push through."
"Me too..."
"..."
Inside the hall, almost ninety percent of the people believed that a direct push would suffice, without needing any fancy maneuvers.
Xu Yunxiao did not make a decision. He looked at Xu Tianyang, who was silently staring at the map on his left, and asked softly, "What are the Crown Prince's thoughts?"
Instantly, all eyes in the hall fell upon Xu Tianyang.
Hearing Xu Yunxiao's question, Xu Tianyang raised his head, met everyone's gaze, and without ceremony, stood up, walked to the front of the map, and gestured, "I believe the Ming Dou Mountain Range route should be a feint, to attract the attention of the Douluo Continent's forces."
"Then dispatch an elite unit along this line, directly striking Star Luo City."
"While the Crown Prince's plan is good, it's too troublesome. With our army's strength, it's completely unnecessary," a tall, burly man said in a booming voice.
Xu Tianyang looked around, and many people showed expressions of disapproval. Why bother with complicated maneuvers when they could simply push through?
An elite unit penetrating deep into enemy territory was good, it could cause chaos in the Star Luo Empire's rear, but to a certain extent, it also put themselves in danger.
"Tell me your reasons?" Xu Yunxiao did not deny it, but calmly looked at Xu Tianyang and said.
"There are three reasons." Xu Tianyang nodded, extending three fingers, "First, this battle is not to annihilate the Star Luo Empire, but to deter the forces of the Douluo Continent. If we cripple the Star Luo Empire, the original power structure of the Douluo Continent will inevitably collapse, and they will secretly be wary of us, which is unfavorable to us."
"Second, the forces of the Douluo Continent will not stand idly by. Once the Star Luo Empire shows signs of weakness, they will come to its aid. At that time, should we fight or not? The Empire currently does not have the strength to challenge the entire Douluo Continent alone."
"Third, widespread slaughter will inevitably deepen the hatred between the common people of the two countries."
"In summary, we must strike with lightning speed, reaching Star Luo City before all the forces of the Douluo Continent can react, forcing the Star Luo Empire to submit. This way, the initiative will be in our hands."
"It can also avoid exposing too much of our army's true strength."
There was one more thing he didn't say: increased hatred between the people of the two countries would be detrimental to the unification cause. Regarding the goal of unification, to avoid it spreading and alerting the Douluo Continent's forces, currently only Xu Yunxiao, Xu Tianyang, and a few others knew.
Looking at Xu Tianyang, who spoke with logic and evidence, everyone's expressions varied, with thoughts flashing in their eyes from time to time.
Xu Yunxiao secretly nodded. Xu Tianyang's judgment was similar to his. This battle had to be swift, absolutely no delays.
"Tell me, what do you think of the Crown Prince's proposal?"
"This old minister agrees with the Crown Prince's proposal!"
"Agree..."
"Agree..."
Who among those present wasn't a shrewd individual? His Majesty clearly favored the Crown Prince, so they wouldn't object. Moreover, after Xu Tianyang's reminder, they also realized that those people from the original Douluo Continent would never stand by idly.
Since the outcome was already foreseeable, it was time to consider how to achieve the greatest benefit with the smallest cost.
"Ming City will be guarded by Dugu Bo and the Empress. The main army will hold the attention of the various forces from the front. I will personally lead Lord Xie and the Fire Phoenix Soul Guidance Group directly to Star Luo City." After reaching a consensus, Xu Yunxiao immediately issued the order.
Mu Mengyu was already level ninety-three, and with the aid of spirit tools, she was comparable to a level ninety-five Super Douluo. With her and Dugu Bo stationed in Ming City, it could prevent chaos in the rear.
"By your command!"
Xu Tianyang's eyes flashed. The Sun Moon Empire still had too few Titled Douluo combatants. Xu Yunxiao had to personally intervene in everything, and for a supreme ruler of a country to reach such a point was not conducive to stability.
It seemed it was time to add a few Titled Douluo to the Sun Moon Empire.
Xu Tianyang's gaze fell on the marching route he had just drawn on the map; the route, from a strange angle, went straight into Star Luo City, passing only two cities in the Star Luo Empire along the way.
These two cities were not major cities in the Star Luo Empire and were inconspicuous, but they housed Xu Tianyang's ultimate targets for this campaign:
The Speed Clan!
The Breaking Clan!
...Ming Dou Mountain Range!
This mountain range, which separated the two Empires and lay on their border, was now in an extremely oppressive state.
The Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire had both deployed heavy troops along the border.
When people numbered in the tens of thousands, they were boundless, let alone the six hundred thousand strong army here; the dense crowds stretched as far as the eye could see, horns blared from camp to camp, and cold steel armor gleamed, the army spread out like a tide, wave after wave.
From a high altitude, one could almost see the entire battlefield; compared to the Star Luo Empire's somewhat 'ordinary' battle formations composed of cavalry and infantry working together,
The Sun Moon Empire's side was filled with a sense of high technology, with dense high-altitude detection spirit tools filling the sky above the Sun Moon Empire's army.
The scale of the battlefield could definitely be described as vast and magnificent, exuding an extremely oppressive aura.
Star Luo Army camp, main headquarters.
This time, the Star Luo Empire had almost mobilized half of its military strength, showing the level of importance it placed on the Sun Moon Empire.
The camp was filled with generals, at least a hundred of them, all powerful individuals at the Spirit Emperor rank or above.
At the head was a middle-aged man, around forty years old, who was the supreme commander of the Star Luo Empire's three armies.
Dai Wei, the current Star Luo Emperor's younger brother; when Dai Tianfeng was competing for the throne, he was too young to participate in the brutal imperial competition, and by the time he grew up, the outcome of the throne competition was already decided.
Therefore, as a Prince, he was highly regarded by the Emperor and was now the supreme commander of Star Luo's three armies; he himself was an eighty-fourth rank Spirit Douluo, and at his age, he had hopes of breaking through to Titled Douluo in the future.
Not all Imperial Princes of the Star Luo Imperial Family in each generation were qualified to compete for the throne; they not only had to meet the requirements of their talent and age at the right time, but most importantly, every generation of competitors had to possess a Martial Soul Fusion Technique with a woman from the Zhu family.
The Hell White Tiger was the foundation of the Star Luo Emperor's secure hold on the throne.
Under these preconditions, the number of Imperial Princes in each generation who met the conditions was extremely small.
Otherwise, if one person ascended the throne and all his brothers of the same generation were executed, where would the Imperial Family get the power to govern such a vast territory?
Many powerful individuals gathered in the tent, but the atmosphere in the main camp was still very heavy.
"Gentlemen, the Sun Moon Empire has been confronting our army for over half a month. Do any of you have a strategy to defeat the enemy?" Dai Wei said slowly, his expression solemn, looking at the sand table of the Ming Dou Mountain Range in front of him.
"Marshal, over the past half-month, the Sun Moon Empire has launched more than thirty small-scale attacks. Relying on the advantage of their spirit tools, we often have to pay three or four times the price to eliminate one enemy. This war… is not easy to fight!" A general from the Star Luo Empire said with hesitation.
Over the past half-month, in this Ming Dou Mountain Range, the Sun Moon Empire had launched about thirty attacks; each time, the Sun Moon Empire dispatched small units, ranging from dozens to hundreds of people.
They manipulated various spirit tools, using methods that the others did not understand, causing heavy casualties to the armies sent to confront them.
Although the Star Luo Empire repelled them each time, the cost involved was immense.
In this half-month, they had truly opened their eyes and witnessed the enhancement that spirit tools brought to warfare; many generals even regretted not purchasing more spirit tools and questioned why they had gone to war with the Sun Moon Empire.
The Sun Moon Empire was like a small knife carving meat, slowly depleting the Star Luo Empire's effective strength.
"Damn it, do you think I don't know it's hard to fight?" Hearing this, Dai Wei instantly flared up in anger, scolding, "Right now, I want to know what methods we have to defeat the enemy, not reasons why we can't win."
Saying that, Dai Wei's sharp gaze swept across the generals in the tent, "Anyone who dares to speak of cowardice again will be executed!"
"Damn it!" A general, unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere, couldn't help but stand up and curse, "Marshal, let's fight them to the death."
The Sun Moon Empire's combat power was superior to Star Luo's, and their losses over these days had not been small.
"Fight? Fight with what?"
"That's still better than being so cowardly!"
"If both the Sun Moon and Star Luo Empires suffer heavy losses, wouldn't that benefit Heaven Dou?"
"…"
The large tent instantly erupted into a chaotic argument, making Dai Wei's temples throb with pain.
"Rumble!"
A long roar swept in, carrying rolling sound waves, followed by earth-shattering battle cries that echoed through the sky.
Everyone in the large tent changed their expressions simultaneously; the next second, a soldier rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, and reported, "Reporting to the Marshal, a small team of several hundred from the Sun Moon Empire has launched another attack."
"These bastards!" Dai Wei gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with fury; he slammed his hand on the table and stood up indignantly.
"Issue my military order: all powerful individuals at the Spirit Ancestor rank and above in the army are to attack! This Marshal must eliminate these persistent pests!"
"Yes, sir!" All the generals saluted in unison… At the same time, inside the Sun Moon Empire's command tent, a messenger rushed straight in.
"Reporting to the Marshal, the Star Luo Empire has dispatched nearly a thousand Spirit Masters, heading directly for the Soul Guidance Group we sent out."
The Sun Moon Empire's reconnaissance spirit tools almost covered the entire Ming Dou Mountain Range; every move of the Star Luo Empire was under the Sun Moon Empire's control.
Inside the large tent, nearly a hundred fierce figures stood; they were all at least legion commanders leading five thousand people, uniformly Spirit Emperor powerhouses or sixth-rank Soul Engineers.
The one referred to as the Marshal was a middle-aged man with hair like steel needles, exuding a powerful aura, and a pair of tiger eyes that gleamed brightly.
The middle-aged man's name was Xu Chen, Xu Yunxiao's cousin; his Spirit was the Sun, an eighty-seventh rank Spirit Douluo and an eighth-rank Soul Engineer, highly regarded by Xu Yunxiao, holding a high position and power, and possessing immense prestige in the military.
Xu Chen's gaze had been fixed on the map on the table; only after hearing the messenger's words did he slowly withdraw his gaze, a smile of interest appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"They've finally made a move. This time, although our army here is only a feint, the main route is not with us, but since we've gone to all this trouble to come here, wouldn't it be in vain if we don't achieve something?"
"Marshal, I request to fight!"
"I request to fight!"
"…"
After hearing the messenger's words, everyone in the command tent was like sharks smelling blood, their eyes revealing a bloodthirsty glint.
"Issue the order…"
"The First and Second Soul Guidance Groups are to attack; the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Soul Guidance Groups will serve as reserves and remain stationary for now. All other units are to advance towards the Star Luo army in a pincer movement."
"All reconnaissance spirit tools are also to be dispatched; I want to constantly monitor the movements of the Star Luo army."
Xu Chen looked at the eager generals, nodded, and seeing that morale was high, immediately began to deploy, his voice rough and possessing an unquestionable authority.
This time, the Sun Moon Empire dispatched two hundred thousand troops, of which only ten thousand were composed of Spirit Masters and Soul Engineers, forming five major Soul Guidance Groups, each with fifteen hundred people; the remaining twenty-five hundred served as general commanders, leading one hundred ninety thousand ordinary people.
Xu Chen's deployment of three thousand people at once showed his serious consideration of this Star Luo Empire attack; according to the intelligence they had gathered, only six thousand of the Star Luo Empire's four hundred thousand troops were Spirit Masters.
For these one thousand Spirit Masters of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Chen directly dispatched three times their number, showing his emphasis; he wanted to succeed in one fell swoop and wipe out this unit.
"I want to devour this unit in one go, so quickly that Star Luo has no time to react. Can you do it?" Xu Chen asked the commanders of the First and Second Soul Guidance Groups, his tone serious.
"Marshal, rest assured, we will surely achieve immediate success in this battle. If any accident occurs, this subordinate is willing to atone with his death." The two Soul Guidance Group commanders, upon receiving their mission, showed excited smiles and thumped their chests loudly.
With these words, the two excitedly led their subordinates out, while the disappointed members of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Soul Guidance Groups, under Xu Chen's unquestionable gaze, could only reluctantly follow, preparing for their roles.