Chapter 297: The Blood Battle of Jialing Pass

Tang San and his party moved at breakneck speed; in just a few days, using the intelligence gathered by Bai He and others, they swiftly annihilated the Spirit Empire's attacking forces.

The Spirit Empire dispatched ten squads for the raid, each squad containing ten elite fighters, and the leaders were Soul Douluo‑rank masters.

But even these elites couldn't last a single round against Tang San; black Blue‑Silver Grass spread everywhere, possessing terrifying devouring power, and even Soul Douluo masters could not resist—it not only killed them, but their bodies were completely devoured.

Outside Jialing Pass, Emperor Xue Ye and Marshal Ge Long, after countless war‑game simulations, finally decided that only a full‑scale assault was possible; otherwise, if both sides continued to hold, the situation could worsen further.

Heavenly Gate Pass has already seen countless bloody battles; the Star Luo Empire has launched countless assaults, tightly pinning the defenders and the Soul Master Corps at the pass. If the Heaven Dou Empire cannot assist in the attack, a sudden shift may occur at any moment, since Soul Grandmasters are extremely mobile; should the Spirit Empire's Soul Master Corps turn its guns to reinforce Heavenly Gate Pass, the battlefield could collapse at once.

In terms of military strength, the Star Luo Empire far outmatches the Heaven Dou Empire; although the number of Soul Grandmasters holding at Heavenly Gate Pass is relatively small, the Spirit Empire still has about seventy percent of its forces stationed there.

Marshal Ge Long, truly a leader among the troops, seasoned by countless battles, deftly maneuvers his forces and clearly understands the relative strengths and weaknesses of each side.

Marshal Ge Long, after a meticulous deployment of the Heaven Dou Empire's million‑strong army, finally launched the largest war in the Soul Master World in nearly a millennium.

All of the Heaven Dou Empire's troops are well‑trained, divided into countless relatively small corps that coordinate with each other, and they began their assault.

Although the Heaven Dou Empire's Soul Grandmasters are comparatively weaker, its military strength still surpasses that of the Spirit Empire; heavy cavalry corps, heavy armor corps, archer corps, crossbow‑carriage corps, catapult corps, and several major corps cooperate in an overwhelming formation, charging straight at Jialing Pass.

The entire Jialing Pass instantly turned into a sea of fire; the sky rained arrows, and countless fire‑red stones, hurled by catapults, pounded the enemy camp.

Bibidong and Golden Crocodile Douluo reacted swiftly; instead of defending the walls, they chose to meet force with force, sending the Soul Master Corps out of Jialing Pass.

The frontmost Elephant Armor Corps stood like a copper wall of iron; even massive boulders striking them could not make a dent, and no amount of arrow rain could breach their defense.

Moreover, the Spirit Empire's Soul Grandmasters are extremely powerful, comprising various different Soul Master Corps.

Under the leadership of the Fire Leopard Sect Leader, countless Fire Attribute Soul Masters pierced the Heaven Dou Empire's army like spears.

The Wind Sword Sect Leader likewise led countless Soul Grandmasters whose martial soul is the Wind Sword, soaring on swords in the sky and virtually dominating the battlefield.

The carnage of this war exceeded everyone's imagination; the Spirit Empire's Soul Master Corps suffered some losses, but the Heaven Dou Empire's troops incurred even heavier casualties when colliding with the Spirit Empire's Soul Master Corps.

Seeing the situation become stalemated, the Heaven Dou Empire's Title Douluo masters rushed onto the battlefield; their power is immense, effectively bridging the Soul Grandmaster gap between the sides.

Tang San moved at lightning speed; especially since Tang San and Bibidong harbored a deep grudge, Tang San quickly summoned countless Blue Silver Grass, forcefully attacking Bibidong.

Bibidong, unwilling to yield, wielded a massive Death Spider Emperor that swung its huge claws, instantly slicing the Dark Black Blue‑Silver Grass into fragments.

Although Dark Black Blue‑Silver Grass possesses extreme devouring power and potent toxins, the Death Spider Emperor also bears deadly poison and dark attributes; the two are evenly matched, and in terms of soul power, Bibidong can suppress Tang San.

Tang San gritted his teeth and directly summoned a jet‑black Clear Sky Hammer, striking Bibidong with full force.

But Bibidong's strength also surpassed Tang San's expectations; in that instant, it transformed into a massive Soul‑Devouring Spider Emperor, forcefully meeting Tang San's attack with its twin claws.

Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer now bears seven Soul Rings—six black and one red—while Bibidong's Soul‑Devouring Spider Emperor also has seven Soul Rings—five black and two red—so in Soul Ring configuration, it is even stronger than Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer.

If anyone watches closely, Tang San and Bibidong's soul powers seem remarkably similar, both bearing a potent Xie'e attribute that ordinary people cannot approach.

While Tang San battled Bibidong, other Title Douluo also began to clash one after another.

Golden Crocodile Douluo and Sword Douluo were already dueling; both possessed Ninety‑Eighth Level soul power, but Golden Crocodile Douluo had an extra Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Soul Ring, making their fight evenly matched.

The Seven Killing Sword's attack is extremely strong; Sword Douluo is universally recognized as the world's top attacking Douluo.

Yet Golden Crocodile Douluo appears exceedingly domineering; its Golden Crocodile martial soul not only wields ultimate strength but also possesses extremely strong defense, making it hard to determine a victor.

Moreover, Golden Crocodile Douluo, being a veteran Title Douluo, reached Ninety‑Eighth Level years ago, whereas Sword Douluo has only just broken through; in terms of soul power depth, it remains weaker than Golden Crocodile Douluo.

Furthermore, the Golden Crocodile martial soul is exceptionally formidable, a top‑grade Beast martial soul, even comparable to the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus martial soul, making it one of the strongest Beast martial souls in the world.

Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, the two brothers, faced the Spirit Empire's Third Offering Azure Luan Douluo and Fourth Offering Lion Douluo; Tang Xiao is Ninety‑Seventh Level, while Tang Hao is only Ninety‑Fifth Level. Although the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul is formidable, both Azure Luan Douluo and Lion Douluo are Ninety‑Seventh Level, and their martial souls are equally strong.

Blazing Lion and Azure Luan are top‑tier Beast martial souls; Lion Douluo's attack is extremely powerful with a strong strength attribute, while Azure Luan Douluo is incredibly fast, its flight speed being top‑notch; both sides are evenly matched.

Clearly, unlike the original work, in this massive battle Tang Xiao cannot employ the Clear Sky formation, since the disparity in Soul Grandmaster numbers is too great; although Tang Hao's body has recovered, he will not possess the Great Sumeru Hammer until a critical moment.

Other Title Douluo each have opponents; the numbers of Title Douluo on both sides are similar, but the Spirit Empire's Six Great Offerings have a higher average soul power than the Heaven Dou Empire, so the sides can only barely balance.

Qian Jun Douluo and Demon‑Subduing Douluo are immensely powerful, both having reached Ninety‑Sixth Level, and the two brothers cooperate with great synergy; only three other Title Douluo from the Clear Sky Sect can barely contend with the pair.

The remaining elders of the Spirit Empire were entangled by the Body Sect; Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and Lin Gong each fought the Demon Bear Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo, and Holy Dragon Douluo respectively.

As for Bai He, whose attack power is too weak, he was assigned to battlefield coordination, relaying various messages to aid Emperor Xue Ye and Marshal Ge Long in controlling the situation.

Dugu Bo was targeted by Spirit Vulture Douluo; Spirit Vulture Douluo's martial soul, the Fire Eagle, is not only extremely fast but also possesses superb flight, and its Fire Attribute somewhat counters Dugu Bo's poison attribute, causing Dugu Bo to hesitate to press further.

The disparity in Soul Grandmaster strength between the sides is enormous; Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong are the key to bridging that gap.

Now Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong are top‑tier Soul Douluo, and the martial souls of the Eight‑Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and Nine‑Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda possess powerful amplification attributes, capable of maximally boosting the Heaven Dou Empire's Soul Grandmasters; thus, when the Soul Master Corps clash, they will not be at a severe disadvantage.

However, the Spirit Empire has far too many Soul Douluo and Soul Saints, all of whom are tirelessly attacking the Seven‑Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul's Soul Grandmasters.

Bone Douluo staunchly guarded Ning Fengzhi; he is the Sect Leader of the Seven‑Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and cannot suffer any injury.

Qin Shuang and Yang Wei likewise guarded Ning Rongrong; they know that Ning Rongrong is Yang Xiong's wife, also the inheritor of the Seven‑Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the future of the sect, and cannot be allowed to fail.

As for the other younger generation, in this massive Soul Master Corps battle they could not shine, only fighting the enemy with all their might; even the highest‑soul‑power individuals like Feng Xiaotian and Xiao Wu had relatively little impact on the battle.

They are essentially all Soul Douluo, and the Spirit Empire's sheer number of Soul Douluo can be said to crush the Heaven Dou Empire.

The Spirit Empire also fields many Support Soul Grandmasters, like the Soul Saint wielding the Golden Scepter that appeared in the Soul Master Competition; although their support ability is not as strong as Ning Fengzhi's or Ning Rongrong's, they have unique qualities and are among the Spirit Empire's strongest Support Soul Grandmasters.

The entire Jialing Pass battle was exceedingly brutal; both sides deployed over two million troops, with Soul Grandmasters numbering nearly fifty thousand—Heaven Dou Empire's army held the numerical advantage, while the Spirit Empire had more Soul Grandmasters.

In terms of total Soul Grandmasters, it already encompasses over sixty percent of the Douluo Continent's Soul Grandmasters, and Title Douluo exceed eighty percent of the total on the continent.

The whole combat was extremely savage; neither side could crush the other, with soul skills everywhere and slaughter all around, blood flooding the battlefield, ordinary soldiers being mowed down in swaths, lives reduced to mere grass.

By contrast, the Spirit Empire's Soul Master Corps was unstoppable; even the strongest armies, when facing a Soul Master Corps, ultimately lack endurance, and their armor cannot withstand the barrage of soul skills.

The war began at dawn; at first everyone was exhilarated, whether Soul Grandmaster or soldier, eager to make a name, but by evening both sides grew weary, even Title Douluo veterans found continuous campaigning taxing.

The battlefield resembled a massive meat grinder; both Soul Grandmasters and ordinary people fell swiftly, and although no Title Douluo perished, many Soul Douluo and Soul Saints suffered casualties.

Even many Title Douluo bore numerous wounds; especially Tang San, who, in his duel with Bibidong, endured the twin claws of Bibidong's Soul‑Devouring Spider Emperor, while Bibidong likewise endured several blows from Tang San's hammers.

However, Bibidong's Six‑Winged Purple Light Wings grant it extremely strong flight, allowing it to suppress Tang San with speed.

If others seemed somewhat despondent, Tang San appeared to grow stronger the more he fought, becoming increasingly exhilarated; especially enveloped by the massive blood‑soaked atmosphere, his eyes seemed to redden gradually, and his Xie'e aura intensified.

(End of Chapter)