69novels Chapter 457 The Great Battle is Imminent
Chapter 457 The Great Battle is Imminent
Dark clouds loomed over the western coast of the Star Luo Empire.
One hundred miles east of Linhai Port lies a plain called Luoying Plain.
This place was originally one of the largest horse-breeding grounds in the western region of Xingluo, with open terrain, continuous grasslands, and low rolling hills in the distance. Further west, one could see the faint coastline and several port cities occupied by the Sun Moon Empire. But now, there are no herdsmen or cattle and sheep on the Falling Eagle Plain, only a large army.
For the first time in a true sense, the allied forces of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire stood side by side.
The White Tiger battle flag, symbolizing the stars, fluttered in the wind on the north side.
The Swan Royal Banner of Tiandou fluttered in the wind on the south side.
The two empires had fought each other for many years, with countless blood feuds on their borders, but today they had no choice but to turn their spearheads against the same enemy.
Because this time, it wasn't the Martial Soul Empire, nor the Soul Beast Tide, nor even a certain sect, but a strange empire that suddenly attacked from the other side of the sea—the Sun Moon Empire.
On the eastern side of the plain, the allied forces spread out in formation.
At the very front were the heavily armored cavalry of the Star Luo Army.
They were clad in heavy black iron armor, and their warhorses were similarly clad in thick armor, their heads bowed, white breath escaping from their nostrils. Their lances were held at an angle, their tips gleaming coldly in the dim light of the day.
The Star Luo Empire was founded on military strength, and its iron cavalry has always been its proudest force.
In past continental wars, once the Star Luo Heavy Cavalry charged, it was like a torrent of water, enough to crush the lines of ordinary Soul Masters. On the flanks of the Star Luo Heavy Cavalry were the Heavenly Dou Light Cavalry and the Infantry Archer Formation.
The Heavenly Dou Army is not as fierce as the Star Luo Army, but it is better at formation deployment.
Infantrymen with shields in front, spearmen behind, archers lined up on the high ground, and squads of Soul Masters weaved between the ranks, responsible for defense and surprise attacks.
On the high platform behind, Ning Fengzhi, dressed in a white robe, held the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in his hand. Beside him, Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood still like a sword, his white hair fluttering in the wind. The Seven Kill Sword was not yet drawn, but the surrounding air was already faintly sharp.
Gu Rong, the Bone Douluo, stood on the other side, the space behind him slightly distorted, and the phantom of the bone dragon appeared and disappeared.
Dugu Bo was dressed in a dark green robe, his eyes were cold and sinister, and the aura of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent King was coiled behind him. Even from several feet away, the surrounding soldiers could feel a chill that made their scalps tingle.
Yang Wudi, holding the Soul-Breaking Spear, stood at the very front of the army formation.
He has now broken through level 90 and officially entered the Title Douluo level.
The path of the Broken Clan has never been one of fancy tricks.
One shot can break through all techniques.
One shot decides life or death.
Although his soul power has just reached level ninety, when it comes to single-target attacks, even some veteran titled Douluo are unwilling to take a direct hit from him.
Among the allied forces were Soul Saints and Soul Douluo-level powerhouses from the Heaven Dou and Star Luo kingdoms.
Even so, everyone's expression was very solemn.
Because opposite them, the Sun Moon Empire's expeditionary force had already formed ranks.
That wasn't the military formation familiar from the Douluo Continent.
There were no warhorses.
There was no long spear formation.
There were no densely packed archers.
The army of the Sun and Moon Empire is like a mobile steel fortress.
At the forefront stood rows of Soul Masters clad in black Soul Guidance Armor. They wielded short-barreled Soul Guidance Cannons, had folding flight wings mounted on their backs, and their Soul Guidance Cores gleamed with blue-white light.
In the center position were dozens of heavy soul-guided combat vehicles.
The chariots were made entirely of dark metal, with wide wheels and surfaces engraved with soul-guided array patterns. Each chariot was equipped with two large soul-guided cannons, their muzzles slowly rotating, aimed at the allied forces.
Further back was a makeshift soul-guided cannon array.
Dozens of metal towers stand on the west side of the plain, their soul-guiding cores constantly rotating at the top, gathering heart-pounding energy fluctuations.
Along the coast, several Sun and Moon warships were anchored in the near sea. Even from a distance, the massive soul-guided cannons on their bows instilled an indescribable sense of oppression in the allied soldiers.
Cavalry, armor, martial spirits, and soul skills of the Old World.
Warships, soul-guided cannons, flying wings, and soul-guided armor on the other side of the sea.
Two completely different war systems met head-on on the Eagle Fall Plains.
The wind blows across the plain.
The grass blades lay low.
The next moment, a deep war drum sounded from the Star Luo army formation.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The Star Luo General drew his sword and roared:
"The White Tiger Army!"
"charge!"
Rumble—!
Thousands of horses galloping.
The Starry Sky Heavy Cavalry were the first to attack.
Thousands of heavily armored cavalry surged forward like a black torrent, the earth trembling violently under their hooves. Soul power shone from the cavalrymen, and many Star Luo noble soul masters directly released their martial souls, with the auras of martial souls such as the White Tiger, Netherworld Cat, Mad Lion, and Ironclad Rhinoceros erupting in the charging formation.
The Tiandou light cavalry followed closely behind, flanking from both sides.
The infantry formation advanced steadily, shields raised, with Soul Master squads interspersed among them.
This is the most traditional and mature war strategy in Douluo Continent.
Use cavalry to break through the enemy lines.
The Soul Master tears apart the core.
Infantry were used to fill the front lines.
In the past, such a military formation was sufficient to handle most wars.
However, the Sun and Moon Empire showed no signs of panic.
Xu Xuance stood calmly on the high platform behind him.
He raised his right hand and said calmly:
"First round, remote coverage."
The adjutant immediately waved the flag.
The next moment, the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Cannon Array lit up simultaneously.
Inside dozens of soul-guided turrets, blue-purple light was frantically gathering.
A piercing buzzing sound filled the air.
The Star Luo cavalry are still charging.
The two sides were still several miles apart.
According to the conventional warfare in Douluo Continent, this distance should not even be considered part of the combat zone.
But the Sun Moon Empire's soul-guided cannons have already opened fire.
Boom! Dozens of blue-purple beams of light ripped through the sky, like an inverted thunderstorm, crashing into the Star Luo Heavy Cavalry formation.
The first explosion engulfed the hundreds of cavalrymen at the forefront in flames.
The heavy armor was blown apart.
The warhorse was thrown into the air.
Lances, shields, severed limbs, and armor plates scattered in the shockwave.
The charging formation of the Starry Sky Cavalry was blasted open with several huge gaps on the spot.
The cavalry behind them didn't have time to stop and continued charging forward due to inertia, resulting in them crashing into the fallen warhorses and the corpses of their comrades in front of them, causing the entire charging formation to fall into chaos instantly.
General Xingluo's eyes were bloodshot with rage.
"Don't stop!"
"Keep pushing!"
"Closer!"
He knew very well that if the enemy continued to bombard them from a distance, the cavalry would only become targets.
Only by charging close and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Soul Masters and cavalry can the Star Luo Army leverage its advantages.
But the Sun and Moon Empire will not give them a chance.
"Round Two"
Xu Xuance's voice remained calm.
The heavy soul-guided combat vehicle opened fire. This time, it wasn't the long-range coverage from the large turret, but a salvo from the medium-sized soul-guided cannons on the vehicle.
Dense blue and white beams of light rained down on the charging cavalry.
The Star Luo Army formation exploded again.
A Soul Master-level cavalryman unleashed a defensive Soul Skill, attempting to clear a path for the troops behind him.
A gigantic, armored rhinoceros phantom rushed out and blocked the front of the army formation.
But the next second, three armor-piercing soul-guided cannons simultaneously hit the armored rhinoceros phantom.
boom!
The defensive soul skill shattered.
The Soul Master was pierced through the chest and flew off the horse.
The Heavenly Dou light cavalry attempted to flank them from both sides, but the Sun and Moon Soul Masters unfolded their flight wings, and squads of black-armored Soul Masters took to the air, forming a crossfire network in mid-air.
Their short-barreled soul-guided cannons fired continuously, forcefully pushing the Heavenly Dou Light Cavalry back to the perimeter.
A Heavenly Soul King rode out on a Wind Wolf warhorse, his speed increasing dramatically after his Martial Soul was activated, attempting to break into the Sun and Moon Soul Master formation.
In mid-air, a level six Soul Master raised his hand and threw out a small Soul Guidance Bomb.
The bomb instantly unfolded into a circular array of light upon landing.
Om-!
Gravity Soul Guidance Array activated.
The Soul King felt his body sink and his speed suddenly decrease.
The next moment, five soul-guided beams hit simultaneously.
The Soul King fell to the ground.
The Tiandou light cavalry formation was forced to retreat.
On the Allied high platform, Xue Beng's face turned deathly pale.
The prince sent by the Emperor of Xingluo clenched his fists tightly.
They all knew how powerful soul tools were.
But after seeing it with their own eyes, they realized that this was not the kind of war they were familiar with at all.
Before their cavalry even encountered the enemy, they were already being blasted to their deaths.
Their Soul Masters tried to charge, but were killed by the Flying Soul Masters from a distance.
Their communication arrays were disrupted, and the speed of transmitting battlefield commands was far slower than that of the Sun Moon Empire's soul-guided flag signals and mental communication soul-guided devices.
Throughout the entire battlefield, the allied forces were at a disadvantage from the very beginning.
Ning Fengzhi's expression was solemn.
He slowly raised the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in his hand.
Seven-colored light shot into the sky.
"Seven treasures transform into crystal!"
"Firstly: Strength!"
The second rule is: Speed!
"Thirdly: The Soul!"
The fourth is: Imperial Guard!
Fifthly: Attack!
"Sixth: Increase!"
The seventh saying is: The Seven Treasures True Body!
Seven rays of light simultaneously emanated from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
After the Seagod Island assessment, Ning Rongrong's support and control abilities gave Ning Fengzhi new insights.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi is still a seven-ring Soul Saint, but as the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, his control over soul power, range of assistance, and connection of soul skills have reached their peak.
The seven-colored radiance did not fall on one person.
Instead, it spread like a tide throughout the entire coalition forces.
The strength, speed, and defense of the front-row Star Luo Heavy Cavalry all surged simultaneously.
The attack power of the Heavenly Archer has been increased.
The Soul Master team's Soul Power recovery speed increased.
Several Soul Saints who were maintaining large-scale defensive Soul Skills, after receiving the double boost of "Soul" and "Defense", managed to create a Soul Power Barrier to block the third round of artillery fire from the Sun Moon Empire.
Ning Fengzhi stood alone on the high platform, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda illuminating the entire army.
One person can assist an army of ten thousand.
At this moment, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's reputation as the world's number one support skill was truly demonstrated to its fullest extent.
With the amplification, the Star Luo Heavy Cavalry regained their formation and their charging speed increased dramatically. The black torrent that had been scattered by the Soul Guidance Cannon actually coalesced again and forcefully approached the front line of the Sun Moon Empire.
Xu Xuance's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's the Seven-Jeweled Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
The adjutant said in a deep voice:
"The intelligence report states that it is the number one support martial soul in the Douluo Continent."
Xu Xuance nodded.
"Prioritize suppression."
"Third artillery position, lock onto the high ground behind."
As soon as the words were spoken, the three towers in the Sun and Moon Soul Guidance Cannon Array suddenly turned around.
The blue-purple light quickly condensed, its target pointing directly at the high platform where Ning Fengzhi was.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin's eyes turned cold.
"Want to stir up some romance?"
He took a step forward.
Nine soul rings rose beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.
The Seven Kill Sword appeared in his palm.
In an instant, it seemed as if only the sound of a sword echoed between heaven and earth.
"Sixth Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Swords Return to One!"
Chen Xin swung his longsword.
Countless sword shadows emerged from behind him, transforming into a rain of swords that met the incoming beam of the soul-guided cannon.
Boom boom boom!
Sword light and cannon fire collided in mid-air, and the shock wave from the explosion made the flags on the high platform flutter, but not a single spark fell in front of Ning Fengzhi.
Chen Xin stood in the air, dressed in white, his Seven Kill Sword pointing directly at the Sun and Moon Cannon Array.
Immediately afterwards, his seventh spirit ring lit up.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Seven Killing True Form!"
A colossal phantom of the Seven Killings Sword stretched across the sky.
Chen Xin transformed into a sword light, directly rushing towards the Sun Moon Empire's flank artillery array.
Xu Xuance's expression changed slightly.
"The Title Douluo has made his move."
"High-level Soul Master Squad, intercept!"
More than a dozen level 7 and 8 Soul Masters took off at the same time, their flying Soul Guide Wings spewing out flames.
Instead of engaging in close combat, they maintained a great distance and launched continuous attacks on Chen Xin using soul-guided cannons, binding soul-guided nets, and tracking soul missiles.
But Sword Douluo's sword is too fast.
"Eighth Soul Skill: Moving Mountains and Filling Seas!"
The Seven Kill Sword unleashed a hundred-foot-long sword beam, tearing through the sky. The combined protective shield of the three Soul Masters was shattered by the sword, and sparks flew from the surface of their Soul Master armor as they plummeted from mid-air.
Chen Xin flashed and slashed with the Seven Kill Sword again.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Divine and Demonic Slash!"
One sword light was like a god, another like a demon.
Two sword beams clashed and struck down, slamming into a heavy soul-guided turret of the Sun Moon Empire.
boom--!
The turret's protective shield trembled violently before shattering with a crash.
The entire turret was split in two, the core exploded, and blue-purple flames shot into the sky.
A deafening cheer erupted from the allied forces.
"Sword Douluo!"
"Sword Douluo destroyed their turret!"
However, the Sun and Moon Empire did not collapse as a result.
Xu Xuance said coldly:
"Don't panic."
"The second and fourth artillery positions are to be repositioned."
"Soul-guided barrier deployed."
"All flying Soul Masters, maintain your distance and restrict the mobility of Title Douluos."
The Sun Moon Empire's army had clearly prepared contingency plans for dealing with high-level Soul Masters.
Title Douluo possess terrifying combat power; they cannot contend with them in a one-on-one fight. However, they can use their soul tool systems to wear down, restrain, and surround them.
Dozens of soul-guided locking beams landed on Chen Xin.
No matter how fast Chen Xin was moving, he could still feel the binding forces coming towards him.
Just then, Bone Douluo Gu Rong let out a cold snort.
"Old swordsman, just keep cutting."
"Leave the defense to me."
The nine rings beneath his feet lit up, and a phantom of a bone dragon coiled out behind him.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Bone Dragon True Form!"
A gigantic bone dragon emerged from the spatial rift, roaring towards the sky.
Gu Rong raised her hand and pressed down.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Spatial Bone Shield!"
One after another, white bone shields emerged from the void, layer upon layer, blocking Chen Xin's sides and intercepting all the tracking soul missiles and soul guide beams.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Soul-guided artillery fire exploded on the bone shield, sending bone fragments flying, but they quickly reformed within the spatial soul power.
Gu Rong's figure flashed, appearing directly in front of the Star Luo Heavy Cavalry.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Bone Transformation Dragon!"
The bone dragon swooped down, its massive body sweeping across the battlefield.
Several soul-guided combat vehicles on the front lines of the Sun Moon Empire were knocked away by the Bone Dragon, their metal shells twisted and deformed, their cannons deviated, and several shells were accidentally fired on the spot, blasting into their own positions.
At the same time, Gu Rong opened a spatial rift, directly transferring a group of Star Luo heavy cavalry to the flank of the Sun Moon Empire over a short distance.
This was the first time the Sun Moon Expeditionary Force had been brought into close combat by a Soul Master from the Douluo Continent.
The Starry Sky Cavalry roared and charged into the ranks of Soul Masters.
Lances pierced through armor, and warhorses trampled the ground. Although Soul Masters were protected by Soul Guidance Armor, they would still fall into chaos once they were charged at close range by heavy cavalry.
However, the Sun Moon Empire reacted extremely quickly. The frontline Soul Masters immediately released their melee Soul Guide Blades and unfolded their flight wings to try to gain altitude.
Small soul-guided arrays landed one after another, and effects such as gravity, slowing, shock, and paralysis broke out one after another. Although the Star Luo cavalry charged into the position, they were quickly caught in a bloody battle.
On the other side, Dugu Bo finally made his move.
He coldly stared at the dense array of Soul Masters of the Sun Moon Empire, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
"No matter how powerful a soul tool is, it still needs someone to control it." Nine rings rose from beneath his feet, and his body transformed into a giant azure dragon, with dark green poisonous mist spreading wildly from his body.
"Eighth Soul Skill: Time Freeze!"
A strange green light swept across the battlefield ahead.
The Soul Master, enveloped in green light, suddenly froze, the charging speed of the Soul Cannon slowed down significantly, and the flames emitted by the flying Soul Tool also slackened briefly.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Azure Phosphorescent Light!" (End of Chapter)