stonecrandall Chapter 364 The Three Kingdoms
Chapter 364 The Three Kingdoms
Looking at the scene before him, a cold glint flashed in Tang Chuan's eyes.
Although he was somewhat surprised by the sudden suppression of the dragon's might, his combat awareness was so sharp that he would not let go of such a golden opportunity.
"Whoosh—!"
The next second, Tang Chuan's figure transformed into a golden streak of light, his speed instantly exploding to its limit. He almost clung to the edge of the collapsing flames, crossing the narrow stone bridge in an instant, and appeared in front of the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Serpent, whose movements were stiff with fear and whose defenses were wide open!
Immediately afterwards, the golden dragon spear in his hand, with its sharpness and speed enough to pierce through everything, struck the ten-headed Fiery Sun Serpent with lightning precision, piercing through the most vulnerable point at the neck where its ten heads and body connected before it could react!
"Pfft!"
A muffled thud was heard, but it wasn't the sound of scales breaking.
It sounded more like the forceful piercing of some kind of energy node.
The massive body of the Ten-Headed Fiery Serpent trembled violently, and the flames on its ten heads instantly went out. The fear in its eyes turned into a deathly gray. It couldn't even utter a final wail before that fatal blow, imbued with the aura of a golden dragon, completely destroyed all its life force.
Boom!
The enormous serpentine body crashed onto the shore of the scorching lava lake, splashing up large sprays of lava.
Tang Chuan flicked his wrist, and the Golden Dragon Spear slowly retracted.
Without even glancing at the enormous corpse, his gaze was fixed directly on the heart of the ten-headed blazing sun serpent's body, where a fist-sized, blood-red, ten-colored flame-patterned, blazing orb slowly rose.
It is the essence of the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Serpent—the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Pill, which contains its life's cultivation and is a rare and precious natural treasure of extreme yang and intensity, with endless wonders.
"An inner core!? Not bad, it's quite a good medicinal ingredient!"
With a cold laugh, Tang Chuan reached out and summoned the blazing inner core into his hand. He then enveloped it with his soul power and carefully put it away.
The entire process, from the appearance of the ten-headed Fiery Sun Serpent to its suppression by the aura of the Golden Dragon Spear, and then to its death by Tang Chuan with a single blow and the extraction of its inner core, took only a few breaths.
Standing on the other side of the stone bridge, Hu Liena, who hadn't even fully stepped onto the bridge, was completely stunned. At this moment, her palms, which were gripping the short sword, were covered in cold sweat.
That's... the end?
"How did you do that?" Although Hu Liena knew she shouldn't pry into Tang Chuan's privacy at this time, she couldn't help but ask.
Tang Chuan didn't turn around, but simply said, "Just lucky!"
"Aren't you afraid this thing is poisonous or might suddenly explode?" Hu Liena frowned slightly as she looked at the inner core in Tang Chuan's hand and asked anxiously.
Upon hearing this, Tang Chuan shook his head and said calmly, "This is the snake's inner core. Having lost the control of its original body, it can no longer explode. As for the poison, I'm not afraid of it at all."
At the same time, the scorching heat and mental pressure ahead reached their peak, and a distorted white light could be vaguely seen flickering at the end of the passage, which was the connection point with the outside world.
"Let's go." Tang Chuan walked forward again, his voice still calm and even, showing no hint of joy at the impending escape: "The exit is just ahead, we'll be out soon."
Upon hearing this, Hu Liena's spirits lifted, and the tension that had been building for days finally eased.
She watched Tang Chuan's retreating figure, her emotions churning. If it weren't for this unfathomable Grim Reaper paving the way, she would never have been able to get here so easily.
Despite her apprehension and fear, she could not deny the fact that this help was real.
"Thank you for your help along the way." Hu Liena's voice was low and sincere.
Then, after a moment's hesitation, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind for so long.
"What...what's your name?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Chuan turned to the side, his gaze seemingly sweeping over her from behind his mask, before turning back to look at the white light ahead and uttering two words indifferently:
"Xiao Yan".
As soon as he finished speaking, he stopped and walked toward the white light at the exit.
Hu Liena silently repeated the name—Xiao Yan.
It was an unfamiliar name; there seemed to be no rumors of such a young powerhouse on the mainland. But she knew that it was very likely not his real name.
However, having a name is better than always calling him "Death" or "Feed".
She stopped thinking about it, took a deep breath, suppressed the restlessness in her heart and the slight unease about the unknown after the exit, and followed Tang Chuan into that distorted white light.
At the same time, just as Tang Chuan and Hu Liena stepped into the exit and their figures disappeared.
The killing capital has descended into unprecedented madness and chaos!
At first, only some of the lower-ranking fallen ones felt a dull pain in their stomachs and a slight sluggishness in their soul power after drinking Bloody Mary, and their killing intent was harder to suppress than usual. They didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just that the brewing process was a little off today, or that they were not in good condition.
But soon, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!
The dull ache turned into excruciating pain, like having your intestines ripped out! The stagnation of soul power evolved into uncontrollable chaos and backlash, and the nerves that were already taut from long-term killing were eroded by the strange cold poison that had seeped into the blood, like a powder keg that had been ignited!
"Ouch! My stomach hurts so much!"
"Get away from me! Don't come near me! I'm going to kill you!"
"Blood...give me blood! I want more Bloody Mary!"
"Kill! Kill them all! Hahahaha!"
The piercing screams, the frenzied roars, the hysterical laughter... instantly shattered the superficial order maintained in every corner of the killing city.
The excruciating pain and the agony caused by the disordered soul power shattered the Fallen Ones' reason, while the primal killing intent and negative emotions that were amplified several times over completely dominated their actions.
The degenerates, already wary of each other due to a lack of trust.
At this moment, any slight movement could become the trigger for a massacre.
A degenerate man, in excruciating pain, bumps into someone and is stabbed through without hesitation.
A guy with a vacant look in his eyes had his head smashed by a madman laughing wildly next to him!
In a battle for the last remaining Bloody Mary in the tavern, dozens of Fallen Ones instantly clashed, swords flashing and blood flying, turning the entire tavern into a battlefield of carnage.
The scene on the streets was even more appalling.
With bloodshot eyes, drooling mouths, and clutching their stomachs or heads, the fallen ones attacked each other like mad dogs. They no longer cared about skill or weighed the pros and cons; they were driven only by the most primal instincts, pouring their pain and madness onto any living creature in sight!
Blood stained the streets, and severed limbs were everywhere.
Roars, wails, and the sounds of collapsing buildings intertwined to create a symphony of death. The already dark and filthy killing city was now shrouded in an intense atmosphere of bloodshed and madness.
Chaos spread like a plague.
The entire Killing City was in complete chaos, like a boiling pot of bloody porridge!
This massive, indiscriminate, and frenzied killing, triggered by the pollution at the source of Bloody Mary, is consuming the population of the Killing City at an alarming rate, shaking the very foundation upon which this sinful land depends for its existence.
In the deepest core chamber, the blood pool churned violently.
On the throne, the King of Slaughter suddenly opened his blood-red eyes. His pale fingers gripped the hilt of the dark red demonic sword beside him, and he roared:
"Who... dares to pollute the bloodline and shake the very foundations of my City of Slaughter?!"
…………
During the period when the City of Slaughter descended into madness and Tang San and his companions encountered the Rakshasa God's inheritance on an isolated overseas island, the landscape of Douluo Continent underwent a dramatic transformation.
The re-election conference of the seven major sects was held in Wuhun City with great fanfare.
With the near annihilation of the once-dominant Clear Sky Sect, the immensely wealthy Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect severely weakened, and the complete destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the old hierarchy of the three upper sects collapsed completely. Under the leadership of the Spirit Hall, seven new major sects rapidly emerged:
The three upper sects are: the Elephant Armor Sect, known for its defensive capabilities; the Holy Dragon Sect, famous for its Holy Dragon Martial Soul; and the Wind Sword Sect, skilled in wind-attribute swordsmanship.
The four lower sects are: the Fire Leopard Sect, which focuses on strong fire attacks; the Black Tiger Sect, which focuses on agility attacks; the Rock Antelope Sect, which emphasizes both defense and control; and the Bee Sect, which excels in poison and speed.
These seven new sects, without exception, were all forces that had long secretly allied with or explicitly supported the Spirit Hall. Their rise to power signifies that the Spirit Hall's absolute authority in the Soul Master world has moved from behind the scenes to the forefront, completing a legitimate integration and control over the high-level Soul Master forces on the continent.
Immediately following, an even more shocking declaration was released on the mainland.
From this day forward, the Spirit Hall shall be renamed and established as the Spirit Empire!
All the Spirit Hall branches originally located within the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires were closed overnight, and all Spirit Masters quickly withdrew to the newly designated imperial territory.
The territory of the Martial Soul Empire was not created out of thin air, but was forcibly merged from a dozen or so kingdoms and duchies that were originally sandwiched between the two great empires!
This newly formed imperial territory, like a sharp wedge, lies between Tian Dou and Xing Luo, completely severing the two traditional empires and cutting off their communication and support channels. Its total area is in no way inferior to either Tian Dou or Xing Luo after their split!
Judging from the map, the Martial Soul Empire is surrounded by enemies from both the north and south, and its situation seems extremely unfavorable.
However, after its founding, the Martial Soul Empire did not adopt a defensive posture. Instead, it showed astonishing aggression and steadily expanded in both the north and south!
In just over ten days, without the outbreak of large-scale legion battles, they have seized vast territories of two provinces from the two great empires by relying on their absolute advantage in Soul Masters to carry out precise strikes and deterrence!
The newly established Martial Soul Empire, in terms of total military strength, naturally cannot compare with the combined national power of the two great empires with their profound foundations and vast territories.
However, it possesses a decisive advantage that is enough to overturn the rules of conventional warfare: Soul Masters!
The power of Soul Masters wielded by the Spirit Empire had reached a despairing level.
Under the founding decree and the oppressive policy that those who did not join were heretics, coupled with the exemplary effect of the new seven major sects, more than 70% of the Soul Masters on the continent chose to join the Martial Soul Empire.
It possesses more than ten titled Douluo, and its Soul Master Legion is unprecedented in scale.
A team of a thousand Soul Masters possesses enough destructive power and strategic value on the battlefield to rival tens of thousands of ordinary elite troops!
Faced with such a disparity in high-end power, the two great empires of Tiandou and Xingluo were furious, but they had no choice but to endure it. They could only secretly accumulate strength and strengthen their defenses, and dared not launch a large-scale counterattack easily, for fear that once their main force was defeated, they would never be able to recover.
The first emperor of the Martial Soul Empire was crowned by Pope Bibi Dong.
This queen, who ruled a vast empire as a woman, after rapidly expanding her territory and establishing her power in the early stages, turned to vigorously integrating the internal forces, eliminating dissidents, and using the terrifying wealth accumulated by the Spirit Hall over countless years as a backing, she quickly trained a new type of army and built a war machine.
In just a few months, the Spirit Empire has transformed from a religious organization into a powerful theocratic empire with a strong military capable of challenging the heavens. It stands as one of the three great empires of the Star Luo, and its overall strength even surpasses that of the former. More than 20,000 Soul Masters are stationed on its two borders in the north and south, and are personally commanded by the titled Douluo elders of the Spirit Hall, making it virtually impregnable.
After the initial integration of internal forces was completed and the strength was accumulated to its peak, the Martial Soul Empire's war fangs once again bit down on the Heaven Dou Empire!
Without a lengthy declaration of war, the long-planned blitzkrieg was launched suddenly!
The Soul Master Legion of the Spirit Empire, as the sharpest arrowhead, coupled with the well-trained new imperial army, swept through twenty-three important cities on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire with overwhelming force!
With their overwhelming force, ordinary armies could hardly withstand the power of the Soul Masters, and cities fell one after another. Urgent dispatches flew to Tiandou City like snowflakes.
The flames of war were finally ignited, shattering the millennia-long confrontation between the two countries on the mainland and creating a tripartite balance of power.
...............
Tian Dou City, Imperial Study.
Outside the window, the sky was gloomy, with leaden clouds hanging low over the eaves of the imperial city, as if they might drip ink at any moment. Inside the imperial study, the atmosphere was even more somber and oppressive than the sky outside.
One urgent document after another, delivered from the border, lay haphazardly on the huge rosewood desk, each stamped with a blood-red mark representing the most urgent military situation.
Several people stood around the desk.
Xue Beng had long lost his usual feigned composure; his face was ashen, his fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of a battle report, his eyes filled with undisguised panic and helplessness. He had only recently ascended this precarious throne, his dragon seat barely warmed, and yet annihilation was already looming.
"Twenty-three cities...twenty-three cities!"
The sound of an avalanche, trembling, shattered the deathly silence: "Only a few days? Twenty-three cities have fallen! Those Soul Masters of the Spirit Hall are simply... simply demons!"
"Your Majesty, it is the Martial Soul Empire." Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi corrected him.
"They are no longer simply a Soul Master organization, but an empire with a complete army, territory, and war machine. This attack was meticulously planned, using elite Soul Masters as the vanguard to break through, with ordinary troops following up to sweep and occupy the territory. It seems that this has been premeditated for a long time." (End of this chapter)