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"As you command!"
The messenger from the Speed Clan darted out, transforming into a dark phantom as he rushed to relay the orders to the White Tiger Legion's thousand-commanders.
Meanwhile, under Yue Guan's leadership, the Spirit Hall forces finally reached the border valley of the Heaven Dou Empire.
After three grueling days and nights on the march, Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent," he chuckled. "We've finally reached the border valley! Once we cross this gorge, we'll be in the territory of Spirit City, and we'll be safe. Old Ghost, let's hurry. At our pace, we'll reach Spirit City by noon tomorrow at the latest."
"Agreed," Ghost Douluo responded in his raspy, cold voice, glancing behind them. His gaze seemed to pierce through space itself, spotting Dai Weisi leading the White Tiger Legion in pursuit.
"We need to leave this place at once. If Dai Weisi dares to pursue us this far, a battle is inevitable." Ghost's mind raced, trying to analyze Dai Weisi's intentions.
"If I'm not mistaken," he continued, "Dai Weisi has kept his distance these past few days to wear us down, preventing us from resting and recovering our spirit power. Now that we are so close to Spirit City, I expect he will launch an all-out attack, attempting to annihilate us in one fell swoop."
"You're right, Old Ghost." Yue Guan nodded, a cold, disdainful smile touching his lips. "Hmph. In that case, as long as we reach Spirit City first, Dai Weisi won't dare to touch us. Let's move!"
He raised his arm and shouted, "Brothers, let's get out of here! Just one last push and we'll be home! Not only will you get the rest you deserve, but Her Holiness, the Supreme Pontiff, will also reward you for your deeds! But we must hurry—if we move fast, we can be home by tomorrow morning!"
At the word "home," the eyes of the Spirit Masters instantly reddened. They were human, after all. They had set out in high spirits to avenge their comrades and win glory, only to meet with disaster. Of the more than ten thousand who had left, over five thousand were dead, and the survivors had been through hell. Having witnessed their comrades die before their very eyes, their longing for home was overwhelming, and tears began to fall.
Yue Guan's words ignited their last ounce of fighting spirit. The four thousand remaining Spirit Masters seemed to forget their pain and exhaustion, mustering all their strength to cross the valley toward Spirit City, their minds already filled with visions of reuniting with their families.
"Heh heh heh…"
Leading the column, Yue Guan scanned the cliffs on both sides of the valley, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Demon Bear Douluo, walking beside him, was puzzled. "Elder Chrysanthemum, what are you laughing about?"
"Hahaha! I laugh at the incompetence of Dai Pojun and the foolishness of Dai Weisi!"
Yue Guan gestured toward the valley. "This place—long and narrow—is the perfect location for an ambush. If I were Dai Pojun, I would have stationed troops here to attack us as we passed, regardless of whether we were returning victorious or in defeat. And if we were locked in a stalemate with the Clear Sky Clan, this would be the ideal spot to ambush reinforcements from Spirit City. For them to leave such a perfect ambush point unguarded… they are clearly nothing but fools!"
Demon Bear Douluo glanced at the pitch-black cliffs, a deep chill seeping into his bones. It felt like standing on the edge of an abyss at midnight, and his heart pounded with fear.
"It's a good thing they didn't set an ambush, otherwise we—"
WHOOSH—
Suddenly, a firework shot into the sky, exploding with a deafening bang that sent a jolt of panic through Yue Guan and his men. Could it be…?
In that instant, Lin Qiuyang's voice, amplified by spirit power, thundered from above. "Soldiers! The time to earn your titles and achieve glory is now! Fire! Do not let a single one of these traitors escape!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The moment his words ended, a relentless barrage of cannon fire erupted. The explosions echoed like thunder as countless shells rained down on the Spirit Hall forces like a torrential storm.
"Ahhhh!"
"Retreat! It's an ambush!"
"Elder Demon Bear, help me!"
The demoralized Spirit Masters were caught completely by surprise. The volley struck them without mercy, and screams of agony filled the air as they fell to the ground.
Less than a minute after Lin Qiuyang gave the order, hundreds of Spirit Masters were dead. Many were already heavily injured, and the exploding shells killed them instantly, leaving behind nothing but cold corpses.
"Damn it! I never imagined Dai Pojun and Dai Weisi were so cunning and deceitful as to set a trap here!" Yue Guan cursed under his breath, the memory of his own arrogant words still fresh in his mind. "Old Ghost, what do we do now?"
"Is there even a question?" Ghost Douluo snapped, unleashing his fifth spirit ability. Countless black hands erupted from the earth, forming a shield over their heads to block the incoming barrage.
But the storm of cannonballs was too dense. Ghost's defense couldn't hold for long.
"Dai Weisi's army is behind us! Our only option is to charge forward! We have to reach Spirit City as fast as we can!"
"It's the only way! Brothers, run! Elder Ghost and I will cover you! Eighth Spirit Ability: Myriad of Flowing Lights!"
SWISH—
Yue Guan released his martial soul, the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Its petals transformed into golden beams of light that shot upward, crashing into the relentless downpour of shells. His technique was similar to Dai Weisi's White Tiger Light Wave, but where the Light Wave was like a Gatling gun—a rapid-fire, single-target attack—Yue Guan's Myriad of Flowing Lights was like a volley of ten thousand arrows, a wide-area-of-effect assault.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of deafening explosions followed as the combined power of Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo intercepted and destroyed the incoming shells in mid-air.
Up on the cliff, a Spirit Sage-level adjutant asked anxiously, "Lord Gengjin, the traitors are breaking through! Should we move down to intercept them?"
Lin Qiuyang simply smiled and shook his head. "There's no need. If they think our only trap was on top of the cliffs, they are gravely mistaken."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Just as he predicted, after the Spirit Hall forces had charged forward for two or three minutes, a series of earth-shattering explosions erupted—not from the cliffs above, but from the ground beneath their feet.
Hearing the new wave of detonations, Lin Qiuyang smirked. "Let them have a taste of our minefield. Wouldn't you agree, Sect Leader Yang?"
"Indeed, Lord Gengjin," Yang Wudi replied with a nod and a smile. Now an eighty-first-ranked Spirit Douluo with attack power rivaling that of a Titled Douluo, he had naturally joined the campaign. The minefield had been his suggestion to Lin Qiuyang, an idea inspired by the incident two years ago when Yue Guan had nearly lost a leg in an explosion during his failed raid on the Apothecary Association.
Now, the minefield had proven a resounding success, dealing a devastating blow to the Spirit Hall forces.
(End of Chapter)