As the largest nation in terms of territory among the original three empires of the Douluo Continent, the Star Luo Empire is located in the southeastern part of the continent. The eastern and southern areas are coastal regions, while the northwest is primarily mountainous.
Star Moon City is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, backed by the steep Mingdou Mountain Range.
The terrain in the valley is relatively flat, and one can see several villages and small towns, all encircling the magnificent Star Moon City like the stars around the moon.
In terms of scale, Star Moon City is certainly not as grand as Shrek City, but it is not as underdeveloped as one might imagine.
Soul-guided street lamps dot the wide official roads leading to Star Moon City, and their soft light blends beautifully with the stars in the sky. Occasionally, villagers from nearby towns can be seen pushing carts laden with goods, their faces filled with satisfied smiles as they enter the city.
Ma Xiaotao looked surprised as she asked Dai Yaoheng, "Dai Yaoheng, I didn't expect such a peaceful city to exist here, at the junction of the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire."
Walking leisurely, everyone had mostly calmed down. Ma Xiaotao looked with interest at the passing villagers.
Dai Yaoheng held his chest high, pride in his eyes.
"With our Star Luo Empire's western group army stationed on the border, it's only natural that the security is stable. Our Star Luo Empire has always been the most powerful country on the Douluo Continent."
What Dai Yaoheng referred to as the Douluo Continent did not include the Sun Moon Empire. People from the original three empires of the Douluo Continent had always viewed the Sun Moon Empire as a foreign nation. Despite over 4,000 years having passed since the collision between the Douluo and Sun Moon continents, and despite the Sun Moon Continent's title no longer existing, replaced with the unified name of the Douluo Continent, the two sides still remained deeply divided.
"The power of the Star Luo Empire is indeed strong, but in terms of soul master talent, it pales in comparison to our Heaven Dou Empire," Chen Zifeng, who was standing nearby, smiled as he added.
"Not to mention, of the fourteen people in our main and reserve teams, the majority are from our Heaven Dou Empire."
"Xiaotao, me, Gongyang Mo, Xixi, Tianhuang, Bebe, Ning Tian, oh, and I remember Wang Dong, you're also from the Heaven Dou Empire, right?"
Wang Dong, who had been following the group silently, finally relaxed his stiff body a little. When he heard Chen Zifeng's question, he quickly recalled the matter and nodded in response with a relieved expression.
Xu Zhihuang, deep in thought, realized that Wang Dong was just like him—nervous, but without Xu Zhihuang's calm demeanor.
Chen Zifeng, unaware of Wang Dong's discomfort, continued to speak with a smile.
"Look, even just the ones I know make up more than half."
Dai Yaoheng wore an expression of helplessness.
"Well, what can we do? When it comes to the heritage of soul master lineages, our Star Luo Empire indeed cannot compare to your Heaven Dou Empire. A thousand years ago, when the seven great sects were famous across the continent, the top three sects were all located within the current territory of the Heaven Dou Empire."
What Dai Yaoheng didn't know was that, among the reserve team, besides Bebe and Ning Tian, Xu Zhihuang and Wang Dong were also descendants of those top three sects.
Xu Sanshi came from another ancient sect of the Douling Empire, and He Caitou carried royal blood from the Sun Moon Empire. The only one who could truly be considered of common birth was Jiang Nannan.
Not a single person among the main team was of common birth.
In a world like the Douluo Continent, where the future is determined by the soul, such a situation was inevitable.
"If only Junior Brother Yu was from our Star Luo Empire," Dai Yaoheng sighed from the bottom of his heart.
He stopped there, knowing it was not the right time to continue. He could clearly see that Xu Zhihuang was highly valued by Elder Xuan. If he continued speaking, it might look like he was trying to poach him in front of the Shrek Academy members.
Though he was deeply eager to bring Xu Zhihuang into their family.
Xu Zhihuang smiled without speaking, walking along with the others into Star Moon City.
Since Star Moon City is located on the border, entering requires a strict inspection, especially for foreign soul masters like them. However, with Dai Yaoheng, the heir of the White Tiger Duke, present, everything was easily taken care of.
Perhaps because the Mingdou Mountain Range acted as a natural barrier, Star Moon City was relatively prosperous compared to other border cities. After all, this city didn't directly border the Sun Moon Empire. Even if war broke out, it would be difficult for the Sun Moon Empire to attack without taking the Mingdou Mountain Range.
The group merged with the crowd as they entered Star Moon City, without attracting much attention.
Wang Yan, along with Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng, went to gather intelligence. The rest of the group went to the Star Moon Grand Hotel in the center of the city to rest.
Each person had their own room, and they even reserved a spacious meeting room.
After a day of travel and more than two hours of torture from Elder Xuan, even though they were all powerful soul masters, they were inevitably tired.
Xu Zhihuang had just finished a hot bath and was drying his hair with his soul power when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Xu Zhihuang said, still drying his hair.
The door opened, and Bebe's head poked through the gap, reminding him, "Tianhuang, Teacher Wang Yan and the others are back. We need to go to the meeting room immediately."
"Alright, I'll be there soon." Xu Zhihuang responded, changing into clean clothes and following Bebe.
Inside the spacious meeting room, there was an oval table. Wang Yan sat at the head, with Ma Xiaotao at the left, and below her were Dai Yaoheng and the other inner academy disciples.
The right side was for the reserve team. At this moment, only Bebe and Xu Zhihuang had yet to arrive.
Bebe and Xu Zhihuang sat down in the first and second seats on the right side, respectively.
Wang Yan faced everyone, his expression serious as he spoke, "Just now, I, Xiaotao, and Dai Yaoheng gathered information. A large caravan entered the Star Moon Grand Canyon early this morning. At the current pace, they should be nearing the Mingdou Mountain Range. If the Death God's Messenger bandits want to act, this caravan would be a suitable target. After dinner, we'll rest for an hour and then head into the Mingdou Mountain Range. If anyone has objections, speak now. Otherwise, we'll adjourn. We need to be in the best shape for combat."
Everyone's faces were grim, but no one raised any objections.
For the inner academy disciples, tasks like this were routine. Bebe, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Xu Zhihuang were all fine with it. They had a strong mental fortitude and quickly adapted to such situations.
Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong's expressions changed slightly, while Ning Tian, the auxiliary soul master, remained much calmer.
An hour of meditation cleared away their fatigue.
Time was tight, and the advanced soul master academy battle was fast approaching. After a simple dinner, they set off immediately.
The entrance to the Star Moon Grand Canyon was not far from Star Moon City. With the detailed map of the Mingdou Mountain Range they had obtained earlier, they quickly headed into the depths of the Mingdou Mountain Range along the Star Moon Grand Canyon.
"Dai Yaoheng, Chen Zifeng, you guys lead the way in front, ten meters apart. Xixi, you and Jiang Nannan go ahead to scout the surroundings. Control and auxiliary systems, stay in the back. Tianhuang, you and Ning Tian take the main control."
After witnessing Xu Zhihuang's powerful restrictive soul skills, Ma Xiaotao did not hesitate to assign him to this task.
"Understood, Senior Sister Xiaotao," Xu Zhihuang responded readily, moving to the center of the main team.
He stood next to fellow control system soul master, Ling Luocheng, who had no objections to Ma Xiaotao's arrangements.
Because Xu Zhihuang's strength was formidable.
"Alright, let's go!" Ma Xiaotao nodded in satisfaction.
The main team led the way, with Wang Yan and the reserve team following behind as they rapidly advanced through the Star Moon Grand Canyon.
The Mingdou Mountain Range is a complex forest area, but the naturally formed Star Moon Grand Canyon is relatively flat. The width of the canyon is about fifty meters, with gravel covering the ground, and steep cliffs on both sides.
It's a sight that makes one marvel at the wonders of nature. Though the Star Moon Grand Canyon does not horizontally cross the Mingdou Mountain Range, once war breaks out between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, this area would undoubtedly be the front line.
Shadows flitted past, and the sound of footsteps echoed eerily in the canyon.
Because they needed to be ready for any emergencies, they couldn't rush like they did during the day, instead maintaining a steady pace. At this pace, even the reserve team would not feel strained.
Now, everyone was equipped with Shrek Inspector gear.
In the center of the group, Xu Zhihuang's eyes had quietly transformed into a dazzling golden color. With his Golden Eyes martial soul, the darkness had no effect on his vision.
Using the dynamic vision provided by his Golden Eyes, he could clearly see the figures of Xixi and Jiang Nannan up ahead. The two were like fleeting shadows, moving swiftly through the mountains.
At the end of the Star Moon Grand Canyon, deep within the Mingdou Mountain Range.
The night was deep, with clouds drifting in the wind. The starlight and silver moonlight reappeared, gently illuminating the surrounding mountains, which appeared draped in silver veils.
However, the eerie beauty was shattered by the bloodstained corpses scattered on the ground.
The carts had overturned, with goods spread all over, mixed with limbs and blood.
The stench of blood filled the air. At least three hundred bandits were here, rejoicing as they looted money and supplies. Their cheers and screams echoed, utterly inhumane.
The chilling scene sent a shiver down one's spine.
A thin figure stood on a cliff, looking down on his subordinates. He was the leader of the Death God's Messenger bandit group.
His face, like that of a skeleton, was eerie, with only a thin layer of skin covering it. His eyes, emitting a faint green glow, were filled with madness.
At that moment, a fiery red figure suddenly flashed across the other end of the Star Moon Grand Canyon. In the next instant, like a flaming meteor, it appeared in the middle of the bandits.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings shone brightly in the firelight. It was Ma Xiaotao, who had arrived.
Among the main team, Xixi's martial soul sense was extremely sharp. She had sensed the overwhelming smell of blood from a distance. After receiving this information, Ma Xiaotao rushed here at full speed, but still arrived late.
"You bastards!" Ma Xiaotao's pink eyes had turned into the golden-red color of Phoenix Fire as she shouted in fury.
Her six soul rings flared, and the intense gold-red flames erupted from her body like a geyser.
The golden-red wings on her back stirred, and the bandits closest to her, who had not reacted, were instantly turned into corpses.
"Who dares to oppose me?!" the leader of the Death God's Messenger shouted in a shrill voice, his eyes filled with surprise and anger.
When he saw the six soul rings around Ma Xiaotao, his pupils constricted. But he showed no fear.
"Attack together! Kill her and turn her into a corpse slave."
The bandits, their eyes bloodshot, charged toward Ma Xiaotao as if they had lost their minds. Among them were several soul masters, including three Soul Kings.
On the other side, Xu Zhihuang and the rest of the main team arrived. They immediately sprang into action, summoning their martial souls to join the fight. The first to charge forward was Dai Yaoheng, his face darkened with barely contained rage.
The bandits who had been brutally murdered were his fellow countrymen. As the heir to the White Tiger Duke, he had been raised with the responsibility of protecting the citizens of the Star Luo Empire.
Meanwhile, the reserve team, including Xu Zhihuang, Bebe, He Caitou, and Xu Sanshi, were fine, but the others turned pale.
"Ah!" Jiang Nannan screamed, trembling violently. Wang Dong's reaction was even worse; he couldn't stop gagging.
Though Ning Tian's face was also grim, he managed to remain calm.
As the leader, Wang Yan knew it was time to give direction.
"Everyone, focus! We join the fight now! These are heinous criminals—none shall escape!" Wang Yan's command jolted Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong, shaking them out of their nervousness.
Bebe, usually gentle, now had anger in his eyes as he shouted at his comrades.
"Xu Sanshi, we're going too. He Caitou, use the soul-guided weapons for fire suppression. Tianhuang, help us when you find the opportunity."
With that, Bebe unleashed his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, following Wang Yan into the fray. Xu Sanshi and He Caitou did not hesitate and rushed into the battle circle.
Xu Zhihuang, observing the situation calmly, seemed indifferent to the lives of the main team, but he was still thinking about how to act next.
Bebe's words gave him the perfect excuse to stand by and watch.
The main team was crushing the enemies effortlessly, with Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng demonstrating terrifying individual power, sweeping through the bandits without resistance. Chen Zifeng and Xixi covered a wide area, while Ling Luocheng's all-around control with her ice-blue cold waves was proving incredibly effective in this group battle. Gongyang Mo and Yao Haoxuan were each using their skills to assist the others.
In the face of opponents with only two or three soul rings, the Shrek inner academy disciples were utterly overpowering.
The latest additions to the battle, Wang Yan and Bebe, were equally unstoppable.
Xu Zhihuang and Ning Tian, now composed, also used their soul skills to support the team.
The bodies piled up quickly.
As Xu Zhihuang had predicted, the corpses on the ground were rapidly increasing, turning a deep red.
"Be careful!" Xu Zhihuang shouted in a tone of urgency, his second and third soul rings flashing simultaneously.
"Boom, boom, boom…"
At that moment, a deafening explosion rang out. The terrifying blast sent blood and flesh flying in all directions, and the noise lasted for several seconds before finally quieting down.
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