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Jialing Pass was the main battlefield on the frontlines between the Tian Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall Empire, and it was widely regarded as the decisive battleground that would determine the outcome of the war.
Since the establishment of the Spirit Hall Empire, in recent years, it had launched attacks on two fronts simultaneously, confronting both the Tian Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire with immense strength.
Initially, the Spirit Hall Empire had absorbed all the vassal principalities of the Tian Dou and Star Luo Empires and occupied two provinces from each empire. In terms of land area, it now rivaled the Star Luo and Tian Dou Empires. However, due to its relatively short history of military development, its total army numbered only slightly over a million soldiers.
Emperor Xue Ye of the Tian Dou Empire and Emperor Xing Luo of the Star Luo Empire had agreed to form an alliance. Although the Spirit Hall Empire sent Title Douluo to launch surprise attacks, the three great sects were well-prepared. Bone Douluo, Tang Zhan, and Niu Gao led their respective sects' soul masters to repel the Spirit Hall Empire's ambush, even causing significant losses to their forces.
After Emperor Xue Ye and Emperor Xing Luo met, they confirmed a strategic partnership between the two empires to jointly resist the Spirit Hall Empire. Both empires simultaneously launched attacks against the Spirit Hall Empire.
The Tian Dou Empire's battlefield was centered at Jialing Pass, while the Star Luo Empire focused its efforts on the distant Tianmen Pass. By attacking from two fronts simultaneously, they ensured the Spirit Hall Empire could not defend both sides effectively.
The Spirit Hall Empire also mobilized its troops, deploying different strategies for the two battlefields.
To counter the Star Luo Empire's assault, they dispatched a large army to guard Tianmen Pass, supported by a legion of ten thousand soul masters and hundreds of thousands of regular troops stationed at the pass.
Tianmen Pass was naturally defensible and difficult to attack. Although the Star Luo Empire's military strength was formidable, it lacked true Title Douluo-level experts. Despite the deployment of millions of troops on both sides, neither side could decisively break the stalemate.
The Spirit Hall Empire did not station any Title Douluo at Tianmen Pass but instead sent a large number of top-tier Soul Douluo, ensuring the pass remained secure.
In contrast, the situation at Jialing Pass was far more challenging.
With the support of the three great sects, the Tian Dou Empire fielded a significant number of Title Douluo. Emperor Xue Ye personally led the campaign, rallying the major sects to assist the Tian Dou Empire and offering substantial rewards to maximize the empire's strength.
In terms of Title Douluo alone, nearly ten had been sent to Jialing Pass, including six from the Hao Tian Sect, led by Tang San, Tang Hao, and Tang Xiao.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect also sent two Title Douluo—Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo—as well as Ning Fengzhi, the continent's foremost auxiliary soul master. The Body Sect contributed four Title Douluo, along with Feng Xiaotian and his group.
Additionally, Dugu Bo, a guest elder of the Tian Dou Imperial Family, was present, though he remained relatively low-profile among the Title Douluo. Despite being known as invincible in group battles, once on the battlefield, he would undoubtedly become a target.
In total, the Tian Dou Empire fielded thirteen Title Douluo, surpassing the Spirit Hall Empire in numbers.
Bibi Dong understood that this war could be extraordinarily brutal. She personally led the campaign, accompanied by the four remaining Title Douluo and six elders, excluding Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue. All elite forces were mobilized.
Although Bibi Dong technically lacked the authority to deploy all the elders, the gravity of the situation compelled the Elder Hall to cooperate. If Jialing Pass were to fall, the Tian Dou Empire's main forces would likely advance directly toward the Spirit Hall City, potentially leading to the collapse of the newly established Spirit Hall Empire.
As for the number of soul masters, Bibi Dong deployed nearly forty thousand, accounting for seventy percent of the Spirit Hall Empire's total soul master force—a massive investment.
When Emperor Xue Ye and his entourage learned of the size of Bibi Dong's soul master legion, they were stunned.
A well-trained soul master could potentially defeat a hundred ordinary soldiers in battle. Forty thousand soul masters equated to the combat power of several million regular troops.
In contrast, the entire Tian Dou Empire had only eight thousand soul masters, with the three great sects contributing over three thousand. The rest were cultivated and recruited through various means by the Tian Dou Imperial Family over the years.
While individual soul masters might not seem formidable, when organized into soul master legions, their combined strength could multiply exponentially.
For example, the Spirit Hall Empire's renowned soul master legions—including the Elephant Armor Legion, the Holy Dragon Legion, and the Angel Legion—were exceptionally powerful.
The Elephant Armor Legion was like an impenetrable wall, primarily composed of members from the Elephant Armor Sect and numerous defensive-type soul masters. Even hundreds of thousands of troops would struggle to breach their defenses.
The Holy Dragon Legion was highly offensive, led personally by Holy Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi. Its core consisted of over a thousand White-Armored Holy Dragon soul masters, supplemented by numerous beast-type soul masters, bringing the total legion size to over ten thousand.
The Angel Legion, though smaller in number, consisted entirely of angel-type soul masters capable of flight. Their mobility made them deadly on the battlefield.
The overall commander of the Spirit Hall Empire's forces was Bibi Dong, with Jin E (Golden Crocodile) Douluo as her deputy. Both were Level 98 top-tier experts.
Under the personal command of Emperor Xue Ye, the Tian Dou Empire's forces were strong, but even the Title Douluo felt apprehensive when facing the true might of soul master legions.
The Spirit Hall Empire's Title Douluo were no novices—they were rigorously trained fighters with exceptional combat capabilities.
Moreover, while a soul master might prevail in a one-on-one fight against an opponent of equal rank, in a one-versus-five scenario, they might not even have a chance to resist.
In the camp outside Jialing Pass, all key ministers were present except Emperor Xue Ye, including Ning Fengzhi and Yu Xiaogang.
The Body Sect was represented by Lin Gong, who brought several Title Douluo and Oscar, the nominal vice-leader of the Body Sect and the sole food-system Soul Douluo.
Over the years, under Tang San's recommendation, Yu Xiaogang had assisted the Tian Dou Imperial Family in cultivating soul masters, playing a significant role and earning the position of chief instructor.
However, as everyone stared at the massive sand table before them, their expressions were grave.
Jialing Pass was an imposing fortress, with walls reaching a hundred meters in height. The Spirit Hall Empire had long prepared for this battle, constructing numerous defensive fortifications in advance. Ordinary armies would need several times their current numbers to breach the pass.
Now, attacking Jialing Pass would require sacrificing countless lives, but the Tian Dou Imperial Family had only a million troops—not enough high-level soul masters to endure such losses.
Emperor Xue Ye spoke solemnly: "Everyone, we are now at a critical juncture. The Star Luo Empire has already tied down part of the Spirit Hall Empire's forces. If we fail to breach Jialing Pass, the situation on the battlefield will become extremely unfavorable. Moreover, if the war drags on, our resource consumption will far exceed theirs."
"Furthermore, the Spirit Hall Empire's mobility far surpasses ours. Our supply lines have been repeatedly attacked, and the situation ahead will likely worsen."
At these words, everyone fell silent. Ning Fengzhi and others were not particularly skilled in military command.
Even Tang San appeared somewhat subdued. Though he had reached Level 96, he lacked the overwhelming dominance he possessed in the original story when wielding the Sea God Trident.
Moreover, Tang San no longer had the support of the Tang Sect or the title of Lan Hao King, leaving him with a lower status than in the original timeline.
Tang Hao had only recently reached Level 95 after years of recuperation, but without the medicinal herbs from the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, his strength had not advanced further to Level 96.
Among those present, the strongest individuals were Sword Douluo, Tang Xiao, and Tang San. Sword Douluo was the sole Level 98 Title Douluo, while Tang Xiao and Tang San possessed extraordinary combat prowess.
Seeing the lack of response, Tang San finally spoke.
"Your Majesty, I, Tang San, am willing to lead a team to protect our supply lines and ensure the logistical support of our main forces. However, I hope for everyone's cooperation."
Emperor Xue Ye replied: "Tang San, state your requests freely. We will do our best to accommodate them."
Tang San continued: "The Spirit Hall Empire has many elite soul masters and superior mobility. Each time they attack our supply lines, the number of attackers is relatively small—no more than thirty—but they are always led by Soul Douluo-level experts."
"I request the assistance of Elder Bai He. The detection abilities of the Agility Clan are unparalleled, allowing us to monitor enemy movements during surprise attacks."
All eyes turned to Bai He.
After a moment of thought, Bai He responded: "Your Majesty, there is no longer an Agility Clan—only the Body Sect remains. The Body Sect can assist in scouting enemy movements, but that is all."
Bai He's attitude was clear—he wanted no involvement with Tang San or the Hao Tian Sect.
Though Tang San was slightly irritated by this response, he refrained from saying anything in front of the group.
Ultimately, Bai He arranged for the Body Sect to monitor the entire supply line, while Tang San led a portion of the Hao Tian Sect forces to counterattack the Spirit Hall Empire's own soul masters.
As for the former members of Shrek Academy, most had their own responsibilities. Only Yu Tianheng, Dai Mubai, and a few others could accompany Tang San. The rest had their own sects and affiliations, avoiding deeper ties with the Hao Tian Sect.
Emperor Xue Ye suddenly remembered something: "Elder Lin Gong, Elder Yang Wudi, where is the current leader of the Body Sect? Could you invite him to join us at the Jialing Pass frontlines?"
Clearly, Emperor Xue Ye had already assessed Yang Xiong's strength and hoped this expert would assist, given that the leaders of both the Hao Tian Sect and Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were already present at the frontlines.
Lin Gong replied: "Your Majesty, our sect leader is currently engaged in a decisive battle with the granddaughter of the Spirit Hall's Grand Worship at Twin Peaks Mountain. We have not received any news of him."
"However, all matters within the sect have been arranged. Most of the Body Sect's elite forces are already here to assist the Tian Dou Empire."
Upon hearing this, no one spoke further. Though they might not have personally seen Qian Renxue, they were all aware of her talent and strength. If Yang Xiong could defeat Qian Renxue, it would significantly boost their morale, as she was the legitimate heir of the Spirit Hall Empire's angelic lineage.
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