Volume 45, Chapter 611.3: The True Mastermind

The Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire were clueless about that, and they could only develop their soul tools as much as possible with Shrek Academy’s help so that they could attempt a fight to the death with the Sun Moon Empire in the future.

One year ago.

The Sun Moon Empire had suddenly launched a fierce attack from the Ming Dou Mountain Range against the Star Luo Empire without any warning, and they mobilized twelve soul engineer legions with more than five hundred thousand soldiers. Thy only kept four soul engineer legions and two hundred thousand soldiers at the Dou Ling Empire’s side, relying on their high-energy compression array soul tools for defense.

The Star Luo Empire suffered continuous defeats. The White Tiger Duke was a renowned commander of his generation, but his army’s strength was at an absolute disadvantage, and he couldn’t do much to retaliate. The Sun Moon Empire used but a month to conquer vast patches of land in the Star Luo Empire’s western territory, and more than half of the Star Luo Empire’s territory ended up in their enemy’s hands.

Shrek City’s three soul engineer legions and Shrek Academy’s powerful individuals arrived in the nick of time, and they brought new soul tools that the Tang Sect had invented and improvised. They were barely able to block the Sun Moon Empire’s ferocious invasion in the end.

But nobody expected that, at a time like this, a single army with a few hundred people appeared inside the Dou Ling Empire like they had torn through space.

More accurately put, there were three hundred people. However, these three hundred had a legendary reputation: they were the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Legion! They were the Hand that Protects the Nation’s thumb, and the only emperor-ranked soul engineer legion across the entire continent. Every one of them was equipped with a human-shaped soul tool, and each individual could reach a Class 8 soul engineer’s standard. Four Class 9 soul engineers were at the helm, and they dealt the heaviest blow to the Dou Ling Empire’s defending armies.

This diversion wasn’t that impressive, but because their overall strength was at an absolute advantage, this simple tactic achieved excellent results.

Ju Zi made use of the Dou Ling Empire and the Star Luo Empire’s inertial thinking. From everyone’s perspective, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Legion was a formidable and intimidating force, but their most important job was the protect Radiant City. But nobody considered the fact that Radiant City no longer needed protection with the current situation that the continent was in. Ju Zi discreetly mobilized the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Legion under such circumstances, and she deployed the legion onto the battlefield.

They accomplished their mission, and with the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Legion at the helm of several soul engineer legions stationed inside the Dou Ling Empire cooperating with them, and in addition to the Sun Moon Empire’s two hundred thousand soldiers, they pushed the Dou Ling Empire’s armies back irrevocably. The Dou Ling Empire’s armies could no longer stop the Sun Moon Empire’s forward march.

The Sun Moon Empire’s greatest advantage had always been their control over surveillance and intel. They relied on their absolute dominance in high altitude aerial surveillance soul tools. The Star Luo Empire and Shrek Academy only received this news a month later, and less than a hundred thousand of the Dou Ling Empire’s remaining armies retreated out of the Dou Ling Empire under Xue Lingxun’s leadership, entering Shrek City’s territory. Only then did the Sun Moon Empire’s armies stop their pursuit.

Ju Zi had been keeping her promise to Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao’s one-versus-ten challenge seemed to give everyone an extremely deep impression, and no matter how the war had developed, Shrek Academy was never attacked. This time was no exception, either. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering chased the Dou Ling Empire’s remaining armies out of their own territory, and they conquered the entire Dou Ling Empire before they immediately withdrew their forces and returned to the Dou Ling Empire. They stationed their forces near the borders and constructed soul tool fronts. At this point, the Dou Ling Empire was no more; the Sun Moon Empire had completely conquered the Dou Ling Empire.

The entire Star Luo Empire was devastated when they heard that nightmarish news. The Dou Ling Empire’s destruction meant that the Sun Moon Empire was about to concentrate all their strength against them. How could the Star Luo Empire fight the Sun Moon Empire with their current strength? Their nation’s destruction was but a matter of time.

What happened subsequently proved that fact. The Sun Moon Empire paused their invasion after conquering the Dou Ling Empire, and it was evident that they were accumulating strength while consolidating their conquered territories.

The Sun Moon Empire also began to change their tactics. They no longer launched frontal assaults, but they started to disperse their armies as they surrounded the Star Luo Empire from the Sun Moon Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire, and the Dou Ling Empire’s borders. The Sun Moon Empire didn’t want to conquer the Star Luo Empire in one go, but they continuously assimilated and ate into the Star Luo Empire’s territory.

The Star Luo Empire’s overall strength was considered to be the strongest among the three native empires, but how much of their strength could they display under such circumstances?

Shrek Academy was supporting them as much as they could, but the academy’s strength was limited. They could defend a city, but protecting an entire nation was just too difficult.

Three years had gone by as the war progressed, ever since Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong went missing. Much of the Star Luo Empire’s southern lands ended up in their enemy’s hands, and circumstances were similar for the empire’s other regions. The only area that was still within the Star Luo Empire’s control was the area around Star Luo City, as more than eighty percent of the empire’s territory ended up in the Sun Moon Empire’s hands.

Everyone knew at this point that the Sun Moon Empire’s position to unite the entire continent was irreversible, but the Star Luo Empire was still hanging on by a thread as much as they could, and they were unwilling to give up even if there was but a single ounce of hope left.

The Sun Moon Empire finally completed their encirclement, which was the current situation, half a month ago, and they finally launched their third ferocious invasion.

Soul tools had become mainstream on the battlefield after so many years of war. The Sun Moon Empire’s research had already enabled them to use soul tools without soul power, and even normal soldiers could be equipped with soul tools in the near future. This was a byproduct of high-energy compression array soul tools and their ability to utilize sunlight.

A war with soul tools was a war of attrition, and a war of how many soul tools and reserves both sides could afford to lose. The Star Luo Empire could defend themselves temporarily, but they were but a single city in their current situation, but they were up against the entire continent!

The Sun Moon Empire’s armies were at the gates, and Star Luo City’s millions of citizens were mired in a stifling atmosphere every day. The Star Luo Empire was left with four hundred thousand soldiers, the rest had either been annihilated or had deserted to become part of the Sun Moon Empire. On the other side, the Sun Moon Empire had surrounded Star Luo City with a million soldiers, and their forces included the Hand that Protects the Nation, which comprised the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Legion, the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, the Evileye Tyrant Soul Engineer Legion, the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion, and the Terrorclaw Soul Engineer Legion. Their main forces on the battlefield consisted of eighteen soul engineer legions.

The Sun Moon Empire had already established many soul tool fronts, and there were eight miniature high-energy compression array soul tools among them. They had been charging and storing sunlight over the past two weeks, and they were preparing to deal the heaviest possible blow to Star Luo City.

Inside Star Luo City’s royal palace.

The great hall was deathly quiet.

The Star Luo Empire’s Emperor sat on the throne, but his face was ghastly pale, and his eyes were vacant. Everyone could see the kind of burden and pressure he was under from his dry, cracked lips, and the dark circles under his eyes.

There were people who were seated beneath him, and one of them was Shrek Academy’s Elder Xuan.

Elder Xuan’s expression was calm, but his eyes were very dim and gloomy. Shrek Academy’s individuals were seated beneath him, and the elders from the Sea God’s Pavilion all had a seat.

The Tang Sect’s strongest individuals stood behind these elders. Bei Bei took the lead as Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Ye Guyi, Ji Juechen, Nan Qiuqiu, Jing Ziyan, and even Xuan Ziwen and Gao Dalou, along with the Soul Tool Hall’s other individuals, were all present. Shrek Academy’s elites were almost all gathered in this place.

The Star Luo Empire’s subjects and officials sat on the other side, and the White Tiger Duke sat at the helm. Princess Jiujiu was clad in armor as she sat beneath him.

Princess Jiujiu’s expression was equally pale, and she was overwhelmed with fatigue. The war had continued for almost two years, and she had witnessed her enemies assimilate her country’s territory continuously. It wasn’t hard to imagine the pressure she was feeling.

The White Tiger Duke was evidently a lot older and frailer than before, and his hair and beard had turned white. He was only a little over fifty years old, and he was also a Titled Douluo. According to normal circumstances, he should be in his prime!

“Haih…” The Star Luo Empire’s Emperor heaved a long sigh as he slowly stood up from his throne.

“Your Majesty!” The various subjects and officials bowed, and their voices quivered as they spoke.

The Star Luo Empire’s Emperor, Xu Jiawei, waved his hand and said, “Let us not kid ourselves anymore. Star Luo City’s defeat is but a matter of time. My beloved subjects, you have contributed much to the empire beside me over the years. Our defeat in this war is a result of the changing times. I consider myself industrious, but there is a gap which has resulted because of our stubbornness and refusal to advance with the times over a few thousand years. We have discovered this problem, but we are no longer able to change the situation. I am Emperor to a nation, so let me take responsibility for these mistakes. At ease, my dear subjects. Take as many family members as you can, leave the Star Luo Empire, and submit to the Sun Moon Empire. I will never fault you for that.”

“Your Majesty!” An elderly white-haired official howled agonizingly as he went onto his knees with tears rolling down his face. “Your Majesty, I swear to live and die with the country!”

Many subjects and officials went down on their knees, but the White Tiger Duke wasn’t among them. There were some others who didn’t kneel with sparkles in their eyes.

Dai Hao’s expression was solemn and serious. “Your Majesty, we should only boost our army’s morale, not reduce it. We will protect Your Majesty’s safety, even if it comes to sacrificing every last soldier.”

Xu Jiawei shook his head and said, “I’ve already said that we shouldn’t lie to ourselves anymore. I am very aware of how dire our situation is, and everyone else is equally aware. Pass my order, Dai Hao, to open the eastern and southern gates so that our citizens may leave. We will not hold those who wish to surrender.”

The Star Luo Empire’s Emperor had relinquished his last hope with those words.

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