Huo Yuhao strolled through Star Luo City with Xia Die, enjoying a long-awaited moment of leisure.
Star Luo City lived up to its name as a city of ten million people in the morning, with ordinary citizens thronging the streets.
Even during the day, shops in the market displayed their brightly lit signs, aiming to attract attention.
Dream coins and low-end soul tools were indeed changing people's lives; such a scene would have been impossible at least three years ago.
It was estimated that the total population of Douluo Continent at this time was around five to six hundred million.
A city with a population of ten million could be considered extremely prosperous, especially since the city's overall style remained ancient.
Everyone in Star Luo City was waiting for the finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament in a few days, anticipating a high-quality battle between the Shrek Academy team and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
Both the general public and various powerful forces favored the Shrek Academy team.
Although the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had a stronger lineup this year, it hadn't displayed any extraordinary combat power.
Throughout the Shrek Academy team, some members displayed unexpected strength, and even in the finals, one member remained completely unassuming.
No one knew what mysterious power that pink-blue-haired boy possessed that allowed him to hold back for so long.
Some speculated that he might not have any special abilities at all, and was just a spoiled rich kid who infiltrated the team to get carried.Of course, this claim was fiercely criticized by users of the Magic Network.
Even before the reforms, Shrek Academy wouldn't allow a spoiled rich kid to enter the team based on their elders, not even the reserve team.
He must have displayed extraordinary talent in the selection trials; otherwise, how could he have made it into the main team?
Even their final opponent, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, listed him as a high-risk target, planning to unleash a barrage of soul-guided cannon fire from the very beginning of the match to force out his hidden abilities.
A completely unknown enemy would have too much impact on the battle; the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy couldn't afford to gamble.
Unfortunately, it's likely that no one will ever see Wang Dong reveal her hidden power; she's destined to become an urban legend.
As Huo Yuhao told Xia Die, the finals could no longer be held.
At this moment, in the Star Luo Imperial Palace of Star Luo City, Xu Jiawei sat on the throne, looking solemnly at the civil and military officials below.
The Prime Minister, dressed in a red robe with python patterns, stood in the hall, head bowed, recounting the current situation at Tianxing Port.
"Your Majesty!" "
His Majesty Suixing has sent a message through the magic network: a total of thirty Title Douluo-level powerhouses from the Sea God Family have arrived at the near sea!"
"Our level-nine defensive soul tool, Rainbow Blessing, and its accompanying linked soul tools are almost at their breaking point!"
"Your Majesties are prepared to sacrifice yourselves for the country."
After the Prime Minister finished speaking, the officials below murmured amongst themselves.
The military officers were all furious, wishing they could fly to Tianxing Port and wreak havoc on those sea bumpkins.
The civil officials, on the other hand, were discussing how to quell this sudden event.
Xu Jiawei didn't press for details about the situation at Tianxing Port; he could guess that the situation was far from optimistic.
"Has the Sun Moon Empire taken any action?"
"Their high-altitude detection soul tools should have discovered that the defenses of the Mingdou Mountains are weak."
Before obtaining high-altitude detection soul tools, Xu Jiawei didn't care much about such soul tools.
Only after acquiring them could he directly experience their terrifying power.
The feeling of having a god-like perspective on the army made every army that experienced the high-altitude detection soul tool frantically petition for more of the same type.
"Your Majesty, there's been no movement from the Sun Moon Empire.
They don't seem to have any intention of attacking us."
Xu Jiawei suddenly laughed, his voice echoing in the hall.
"Interesting. It seems the Sun Moon Empire also knows about the Sea God Family."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have missed this opportunity."
"The Sun Moon Empire's court seems far more rational than we imagined."
"Pass on my orders: Tianxing Port has done a good job, defending against the Sea God Family for over three days. Now, evacuate as many citizens as possible from the cities along the Sea God Family's advance route."
"Deploy level-nine defensive soul tools in Xingluo City, and place high-grade fixed-position soul-guided cannons in uninhabited cities along the route. Detonate the high-altitude detection soul tools as soon as they see the enemy enter!"
"Two Elders, please contact our allies in the Star Dou Great Forest as soon as possible. We need their help this time."
Xu Jiawei's angry voice rang in the ears of all the civil and military officials.
The Crimson Dragon Douluo and the Healing Immortal Douluo of the Hall of Elders bowed in unison.
The two disappeared from the court, preparing to seek support from Di Tian and his group.
At Tianxing Port, a magnificent seven-colored barrier firmly protected the entire city and the distant coastline.
The barrier seemed to have flowing rainbows, each color containing terrifying energy.
The amount of Dream Coins consumed every second was unimaginable. Maintaining such a massive defense was beyond the capabilities of even a level nine Soul Tool.
Fortunately, the Star Luo Empire provided support with level eight and level seven Soul Tools, enabling a coordinated defense through linked Soul Tools.
This unique black technology of the Peerless Tang Sect made this place a tough tortoise shell to crack, with large numbers of fixed-position Soul Tool shells constantly flying out to deliver devastating blows to the Sea God Clan's Soul Masters.
In the distance, the sea surged with thousand-meter-high waves, resembling a mountain at first glance.
Massive amounts of seawater churned, white foam filled the air, and the sea breeze carried the salty stench of the sea and the putrid smell of corpses, highlighting the ferocity of the battle.
Several figures stood on the waves, with the current Sea God Douluo, Chen Hanhai, at the forefront.
Chen Hanhai looked at the colorful barrier in the distance, trembling with rage.
He never imagined that these land-based Soul Masters could actually block their Sea God Clan with these strange and ingenious techniques.
That barrier was as hard as a tortoise shell, and was the soul power on the other side inexhaustible?!
Every time he attacked, the rainbow barrier trembled violently, seemingly on the verge of shattering.
But each time, extremely strong soul power and mental energy fluctuations erupted from within the barrier, forcefully replenishing it.
Could this be? Chen Hanhai roughly estimated that they had added at least the soul power of a Limit Douluo level to the barrier at least three times, but he was certain that the strongest being inside was only a Super Douluo.
If there were any Limit Douluos present, they would have already launched a counterattack.
Of course, Chen Hanhai and his group of ocean bumpkins didn't know about Dream Coins; the Star Luo Empire had almost burned through half of its Dream Coin reserves.
"This is truly unbelievable!"
"Sea Demon, how is Sea Dragon? Is there any hope?"
A graceful female figure appeared to the left of the Sea God Douluo, lowering her head, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Clan, clan leader."
"Hai, Hailong has returned to the embrace of the Venerable God."
Chen Hanhai clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.
This result was not unexpected.
The explosion was comparable in power to his full-force attack.
The foolish Sea Dragon Douluo was completely unprepared, taking the brunt of the damage with his massive body.
It would be a miracle if he survived; the gap between a Limit Douluo and a Super Douluo is greater than the gap between a Title Douluo and a Soul Saint!
Sea God Douluo never imagined that before even reaching the shore, he would have already lost a capable lieutenant, three 100,000-year-old soul beasts, and two Title Douluo-level sea soul masters.
The 100,000-year-old soul beasts were dead, after all, just a bunch of beasts; there were countless of them in the ocean, and their soul bones could be recycled and reused.
The three Title Douluos, however, were hit by an eighth-level fixed-position soul-guided cannon during the Star Luo Empire's relentless bombardment and died instantly.
Although these three were few in number compared to the total number of Title Douluos in the Sea God Clan, they were his trusted confidants, making this a significant loss for him.
"Damn land-based Soul Masters!"
"Let's see if you can still unleash Soul Power at the Limit Douluo level!"
Chen Hanhai was truly enraged. His muscles bulged, and the clouds in the sky began to churn, resembling black fish scales. Weak Soul Masters felt dizzy just watching.
Huge waves surged beneath his feet, crashing against the beach layer after layer, battering the rainbow barrier and creating countless sprays.
A blue-gold figure appeared behind Chen Hanhai, a trident made entirely of seawater appearing in his hand.
He gripped the hilt, aiming the trident at the rainbow barrier ahead.
Terrifying Soul Power surged at the tip, and countless tiny black cracks appeared in the surrounding space.
"Heaven and Earth Shattering!"
This was an attack with the ability to penetrate defenses.
Combining his Martial Soul True Body and Limit Douluo cultivation, he was confident that few beings on the entire Douluo Continent could withstand this attack.
Soon, a thin blue-white ray of light tore through space and slammed into the rainbow barrier.
It didn't create any huge waves, and even the sound of it tearing through the air was pitifully small.
However, the rainbow barrier turned grayish-white from the point of impact, countless cracks began to spread, and the sickening sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the heavens and earth.
Inside the rainbow barrier, all the coastal defense soldiers watched in terror as the barrier crumbled, tirelessly maintaining the operation of their soul tools.
Shattered Star Douluo watched the grayish-white barrier expand little by little; he knew that this time they truly couldn't hold on any longer.
Their dream coin reserves were exhausted, their level nine soul tools were groaning under the strain, and most of the linked level seven soul tools had already exploded.
Shattered Star Douluo said to Xuanji Douluo and Dai Hao beside him,
"Let's start the evacuation now."
"Everyone, leave quickly. I'll do my best to buy you time."
Dai Hao hurriedly said,
"Senior Shattered Star, please leave with us."
Shattered Star Douluo shook his head and said,
"The space teleportation soul tool made in Xilu City is indeed unprecedented, but it takes a long time and consumes a lot of Dream Coins."
"Use all your Dream Coins to activate the teleportation soul tool."
"I still have a lot of soul power, enough to support the operation of this soul tool."
"Now I'll be in charge of maintaining the barrier!"
"I've received a lot of favors from the Star Luo Empire over the years, and I've done my duty to this country."
Shattered Star Douluo forcefully took over the soul power supply of the entire linked base, ignoring Dai Hao. He trusted Dai Hao to make the right choice.
Dai Hao saluted Shattered Star Douluo, then immediately led Xuanji Douluo and the other Title Douluo members to activate the teleportation soul tool.
He knew this wasn't the time for sentimentality; as a leader, he had to remain rational and ruthless.
Teleportation soul tools are very expensive; a set requires two, and the entire Star Luo Empire only has one set.
The cost of a single teleportation in Dream Coins is astronomical, so they can only wait for Xilu City to further refine the technology.
As for the Star Luo Empire perfecting it themselves, that's simply a pipe dream. Huo Yuhao only learned the principle of the soul teleportation array through the Space Crown.
With the full supply of remaining Dream Coins, the soul teleportation array was activated, and all the surviving soldiers left.
Shattered Star Douluo looked at the ever-growing gray-white void and gave a bitter smile, saying,
"Limit Douluo? Truly a human-shaped catastrophe."
"Am I really that far from that realm?"
"This guy is stronger than Dragon God Douluo and Dragon Emperor Douluo. Fortunately, the Star Luo Empire and the Star Dou Great Forest have formed an alliance."
The rainbow barrier finally shattered completely, and Shattered Star Douluo was directly blasted away by the elemental turbulence and soul power impact caused by Chen Hanhai's Qiankun Annihilation.
A Limit Douluo's attack is far beyond what a Super Douluo can withstand.
With his soul power nearly depleted, Shattered Star Douluo felt as if his internal organs were bursting, his life force rapidly draining away, and his thoughts becoming chaotic.
Before his eyes, he vaguely saw past events, from his martial soul awakening to countless battles—glory, humiliation, joy, sorrow, love, and hate—all flashing by.
"This life wasn't entirely meaningless, was it?"
Blood choked his throat as he silently watched Chen Hanhai approach, seemingly trying to etch him into his soul.
"Heh, want to make a deal?"
"Give me your body, and I'll fight that guy again for you."
A mocking voice suddenly echoed in Shattered Star Douluo's mind, and a worm crawled along his soul.
"German...?"
Shattered Star Douluo, of course, knew what had happened in Star Luo City; since that day, Gehrman had become the number one target on the evil soul master's wanted list.
"Call me whatever you want, so, want to make a deal?"
"Give me your body, and I promise to give those sea bumpkins a surprise."
"I never go back on my word. You should know about Zheng Tian Academy."
Shattered Star Douluo remained silent for a moment, his consciousness gradually sinking into the deepest darkness.
He voluntarily relinquished all control of his body, leaving behind his final words:
"Okay."
(End of Chapter)
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