After a frenzied slaughter, the Golden Crocodile Douluo gradually weakened. At this moment, the soldiers of the two great empires, who had been besieging the headquarters of the Spirit Hall for so long, finally broke through its defenses and charged inside.
The greatest advantage of the Soul Master Corps lay in mid-to-long-range combat. Now that the imperial cavalry had closed the distance, they instantly lost that advantage.
Soul masters with slightly stronger soul power could still hold their own, but those with weaker soul power—particularly support-type soul masters—became easy targets. Outnumbered several times over, they were nearly wiped out in a single charge by the soldiers of the two empires.
The remaining soul masters hastily retreated deeper into Spirit Hall territory, attempting to establish a second line of defense.
However, the commanding generals of the two empires understood their intentions perfectly. While leading their cavalry in pursuit, they also ordered archers to cut off their escape.
The once-mighty Soul Master Corps, which had numbered over ten thousand, was now reduced to fewer than three thousand. Forced to withstand both the frontal assault of the imperial cavalry and the relentless hail of arrows from the two empires, their morale collapsed, and they scattered in all directions.
From afar, the Spirit Hall's Title Douluo saw their Soul Master Corps routed. Three of them immediately broke away to provide support, while the rest continued their fierce struggle against the Heaven Dou Empire's forces.
By this point, the soldiers of the two empires had suffered over fifty percent casualties, and the Spirit Hall had also paid a heavy price. Even among the Title Douluo—the highest-tier combatants on both sides—nearly half had lost the ability to fight.
With the support of the three Title Douluo, the remaining Spirit Hall soul masters managed to retreat into Spirit City, barely preserving a fraction of their fighting strength. After circling the area several times, the soldiers of the two empires gradually withdrew.
Seeing the battle reaching its conclusion, the Title Douluo on both sides began to consider retreat.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Tang Xiao were both heavily injured, but Qian Daoliu refused to let them go. In his eyes, only by killing at least one of them today could he vent his fury.
It was at this moment that Fang Chang once again activated his telepathy—but this time, his target was Tang Xiao. "The Clear Sky Sect has been annihilated."
"Huh?" Hearing this, Tang Xiao froze mid-motion, his gaze involuntarily darting toward the far-right flank of the battlefield.
The soul masters from the major sects supporting the Heaven Dou Empire were mixed within its army, and the several hundred soul masters the Clear Sky Sect had brought were stationed in this very sector.
That single glance chilled his heart. Though the situation wasn't as dire as the voice had claimed, the right flank of the Heaven Dou army had suffered exceptionally heavy losses, seemingly singled out for special attention by the Soul Master Corps. The clansmen he had brought with him had likely lost seventy to eighty percent of their numbers.
Then, Fang Chang transmitted another message: "The hundred or so clansmen and two elders you left behind in the sect have also been wiped out."
"Who are you?" Tang Xiao suddenly roared, startling even Qian Daoliu.
He then abruptly disengaged from the battle, scanning the battlefield. Only a handful of people knew about the clansmen they had left behind in the Clear Sky Sect.
Moreover, since this person knew the exact deployment of their forces within the sect, he must have been present during the discussions at the Clear Sky Sect that day—or he was one of the sect's elders.
Tang Xiao's eyes swept across the battlefield. Of the elders who had accompanied him, only one remained. The voice couldn't have come from him.
Bone Douluo was already dead, leaving only the elder from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family and... the Spider God's Envoy.
His gaze shifted toward the distant expanse of dark energy, his expression growing increasingly uncertain.
The moment that voice had echoed in his mind, Tang Xiao had sensed something was wrong. If the speaker had such precise knowledge of his sect's internal arrangements, it was entirely possible that his remaining clansmen had indeed been slaughtered, just as claimed.
In his moment of distraction, Qian Daoliu deflected Sword Douluo Chen Xin's attack and flickered several meters forward, his Angelic Holy Sword slashing down at Tang Xiao with deadly force.
A gruesome wound tore open from Tang Xiao's right neck all the way down to his left shoulder, blood gushing forth. Thus, the mighty Sky Howling Douluo met his end.
"Sect Master Tang!" Sword Douluo shouted urgently, clashing blades with Qian Daoliu once more.
His eyes burned red, his breath ragged, but he quickly steadied himself. With a silent sigh, he retreated toward the Heaven Dou Empire's forces.
Qian Daoliu made no move to pursue the retreating Sword Douluo. Instead, he turned, grabbed the Golden Crocodile Douluo—who had reverted to human form—and flew back toward Spirit City.
"Shouldn't we wrap things up on our end as well?" This time, Bibi Dong's voice carried a faint trace of amusement, laced with something sinister.
She had witnessed everything Fang Chang had done. She knew full well that he had used some method to disrupt both the Golden Crocodile Douluo and Tang Xiao, causing them to act so erratically mid-battle.
These two were her sworn enemies—one a staunch supporter of the Angel Faction, the other the leader of the Clear Sky Sect. Now, one was dead and the other blinded. Ironically, she was the one who benefited most from their downfall.
"Pleasure doing business," Fang Chang replied without hesitation, clasping his hands in a salute and flashing a wicked grin. The surrounding Spider God's Domain began to dissipate.
Bibi Dong turned away but suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. She vanished from the Spider God's Domain, streaking toward Spirit City.
Meanwhile, Fang Chang clutched his chest, dropping to one knee. His breathing was labored, a streak of crimson staining the corner of his lips.
But he was in no hurry to leave. With a mental command, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, which had been lying in wait, charged onto the battlefield, heading straight for the last remaining Clear Sky Sect elder.
The elder, already severely injured and low on soul power from the earlier battle, was caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance of a soul beast. After a brief struggle, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger knocked him unconscious.
Then, the beast clamped its jaws around the elder's neck and scooped up two other heavily injured, unconscious Title Douluo from the battlefield before soaring westward toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The elite fighters on both sides, exhausted from the prolonged battle, reacted sluggishly. By the time they realized what had happened, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was already far away.
They were about to give chase when Fang Chang struggled to his feet and bellowed after the fleeing beast, "Wretched creature, don't you dare escape!"
Then, blood-red wings unfurled from his back as he took off in pursuit. The others exchanged glances but ultimately chose to stay put.
They were all badly injured, and none of the three captured Title Douluo were close allies. Seeing Fang Chang already in pursuit, they saw no need to follow.
Thus, the great battle finally came to an end. On the surface, it was unclear who had truly won.
The Spirit Hall had lost most of its soul masters and was forced to retreat into Spirit City, but both sides had paid a steep price.
Without the confidence to breach Spirit City's defenses, the two empires could hardly claim true victory.
The losses among the Title Douluo were especially devastating...
On the Heaven Dou Empire's side, all four of the Clear Sky Sect's Title Douluo had fallen. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's Bone Douluo had also perished, leaving only Yu Yuanzhen, Chen Xin, and Fang Chang.
The Spirit Hall, meanwhile, had lost six Title Douluo, and the Golden Crocodile Douluo had been blinded, robbing him of at least half his combat prowess and all of his former imposing aura.
After careful consideration, the two empires announced a temporary withdrawal, and the major sects returned to their respective territories with their surviving clansmen.
By then, Fang Chang had already followed the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger back to the Star Dou Great Forest.
As per their prior agreement, the two soul beasts divided their captives—two for Fang Chang, one for the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
Unbeknownst to the world, they had emerged as the greatest beneficiaries of this war.