Chapter 478

Tsk, I'm still a step too late!

Kong Deming's face darkened, and he slammed his fist into the wall.

Just now, he received word that Sea God Pavilion Master Tang Wulin led over three thousand soul masters in an airdrop onto the battlefield of the Tian Hun Empire.

In fact, he didn't need scouts to relay the information; the massive commotion of thousands of soul masters airdropping onto the battlefield was something he could clearly sense given his cultivation.

He himself had only just arrived at the battlefield, and his arrival was barely separated from Tang Wulin's group—less than three minutes apart.

Behind him were the peak soul engineer legions of the Ri Yue Di Guo.

The all-female Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion, the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion which ranks first among the Beast King Soul Engineer Legions in overall strength, and the Ri Yue Di Guo's strongest pillar, the Imperial Soul Engineer Legion.

After receiving the news of the Shilake Summons, Kong Deming realized it was no longer possible to gradually commit forces as before; he had to pour all his strength into the battlefield from the start, deciding the outcome in one battle.

His original plan was to rush to the battlefield as quickly as possible, crush the Three Nations' allied forces before the Shilake volunteers arrived, split the strong enemy, and thus seize the initiative in the war.

However, the impact of the two pieces of news—the annihilation of the Claw Terror Soul Engineer Legion and the Shilake Summons—on the Ri Yue Di Guo's high echelons was enormous; even someone of his stature spent considerable time before suppressing all opposing voices.

Despite rushing afterward, he ultimately remained a step behind and failed to launch the war first.

Ye Xi Shui crossed her arms, curled the corner of her mouth into a mocking smile, and asked:

"What now, Kong Deming? Shall we start the war? I'm sure they'll be delighted."

Behind her followed more than twenty black-clad individuals, each exuding a powerful aura—these were the experts of the Holy Spirit Sect.

Apart from Long Xiaoyao, nearly all of the sect's elders were present, the remaining elders were also in attendance, plus the Holy Spirit Sect's sect master Zhong Li Wu and the specially crafted weapon she had just finished making two days prior; this time the Holy Spirit Sect could be said to have come out in full force.

This was not only due to pressure from the Ri Yue Di Guo, but also because the battlefield was the ideal place for Evil Soul Masters to grow.

To Evil Soul Masters, the souls of the powerful are without exception delicacies; on this battlefield, there is no shortage of top-tier experts, and frankly, if the Holy Spirit Sect wins this battle and successfully digests the enemies on the field, their growth will surpass the losses Ye Xi Shui suffered in the previous battle at Ming Dou Shanmai.

Kong Deming glared at her fiercely, speaking in a neutral tone: "Since we've already arrived late, now isn't the best time to start the war; wait two days, until the other soul engineer legions catch up, then we'll talk."

This time they had originally planned to use their elite forces to crush the Tian Hun, Dou Ling, and Star Net allied forces with thunderous speed; to reach the battlefield as quickly as possible, they abandoned the fifteen soul engineer legions following them and rushed ahead at full speed.

Since being a step behind Shilake is now an established fact, it would be better to wait for all the soul engineer legions to arrive before formally commencing the war.

"Hmph, is that so?"

Ye Xi Shui let out a cold snort, said nothing more, turned, and led the Holy Spirit Sect's members toward the camp.

"Our Holy Spirit Sect's people are exhausted from the march and eager to rest, so we'll excuse ourselves for now."

"..."

Watching Ye Xi Shui's retreating figure, Kong Deming's gaze grew increasingly grave. An elder from the Imperial Soul Engineer Legion could not help but say:

"Old Kong, the Holy Spirit Sect is truly arrogant; we really ought to—"

With the annihilation of the two Beast King Soul Engineer Legions, the Ri Yue Di Guo's strength suffered a massive blow, causing the Holy Spirit Sect, originally an ally, to become increasingly overbearing.

Especially given the widespread anti-war sentiment domestically, Xu Tianran had no choice but to rely more heavily on the Holy Spirit Sect, this steadfast war faction, granting them ever greater authority.

In recent days, the Holy Spirit Sect's conduct in Mingdu has become increasingly wanton and lawless, showing no semblance of a patriotic religion, drawing criticism from the Ri Yue Di Guo populace and making these conscience-bound senior soul engineers feel extremely uneasy.

However, before he could finish speaking, Kong Deming glared at him fiercely.

"Shut up; we still need to rely on the Holy Spirit Sect's strength—they're still of great use to us."

In fact, the cooperative relationship between the Ri Yue Di Guo's high echelons and the Holy Spirit Sect didn't start just these past two years; it began hundreds, even thousands of years ago—otherwise Kong Deming wouldn't have assisted Ye Xi Shui in developing the Death God Soul Engineer Device, only recently bringing their collaboration into the open.

The Ri Yue Di Guo has spent countless years seeking to harness the Holy Spirit Sect's power to wage war, unify the continent, and rename this land the Ri Yue Continent; it cannot be halted by a mere trifling loss.

They have long since had no path to retreat.

However, seeing the discontent in many soul engineers' eyes, Kong Deming paused, then after sighing said: "Rest assured, our reason for formally launching the war now is precisely because we have made thorough preparations—this readiness is not aimed solely at those country bumpkins of the original three nations of the Douluo."

Upon hearing his words, lower-ranked soul engineers with little experience were still somewhat bewildered, while some senior veteran ninth-level soul engineers suddenly had an epiphany.

"Old Kong, are you saying high-energy..."

Before he could finish, he saw Kong Deming smile and gesture a 'shush' with his hand; he then realized, hurriedly closed his mouth, though his eyes brimmed with excitement.

Indeed, the Ri Yue Di Guo's delay in launching war was not only to accumulate strength against the original three nations of the Douluo, but also to deal with the Holy Spirit Sect.

Given their understanding of the Holy Spirit Sect, how could they not know how greatly war would aid it? Precisely for this reason, they specially prepared the strongest weapon capable of eliminating the Holy Spirit Sect after the war.

That is the High-Energy Compressed Array Soul Engineer Device.

With this device, even if the opponent is a Limit Douluo, they need not fear.

Externally, the Imperial Soul Engineer Legion fully equipped with humanoid soul engineer devices; internally, the High-Energy Compressed Array Soul Engineer Device—this is the Ri Yue Di Guo's greatest confidence in daring to start the war now.

The achievement built through countless generations of royal effort—how could it be destroyed by a mere brat!

Kong Deming's mouth twisted upward in a ferocious grin, revealing a cruel smile.

Although the High-Energy Compressed Array Soul Engineer Device cannot be moved out of the palace—a major problem—just the Imperial Soul Engineer Legion alone is enough to make the original three nations of the Douluo drink a pot.

"Shilake Summons? Fine, let's have a go and see who's stronger!" (End of chapter)