Chapter 463 - 462: Teaching the Holy Spirit Church about Destruction
Now, facing the immense pressure of national domination, the Dou Ling Emperor was actually trying to seize the initiative by lowering his own dignity and begging the enemy for help. This wasn't only an act of desperation, but a complete trampling of imperial majesty. Yet, no one dared advise otherwise—because they all knew this was their only hope, however faint it might be.
After all, the Xuanming Sect had been a prestigious clan for ten thousand years, with deep lineage and no shortage of powerful Title Douluo. Yet the news they had been waiting for was even more dire:
The Xuanming Sect could barely protect itself. Their sect was situated in the former territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire, now fully occupied by the Sun Moon Empire. Under the vast war machine and surveillance network of the Sun Moon Empire, they couldn't even leave their mountain gates, much less openly defy the empire and send troops to help the Dou Ling Empire. That would be suicidal.
When this news reached the Dou Ling Palace, the last spark of light in the Dou Ling Emperor's eyes completely faded. He knew—the Dou Ling Empire was finished.
…
As the Dou Ling Empire sank into despair, the eyes of the entire continent focused on this tense war. The Star Luo Empire made an unexpected move.
Star Luo Empire, Western Border, Mingdou Mountain Frontline Headquarters
On a massive sand table, every city, defensive line, and major military stronghold of the Sun Moon Empire and the former Heavenly Soul Empire was clearly marked.
Lu Jingming stood with his hands behind his back, calmly gazing at the sand table. Beside him stood the highest-ranked generals of the Star Luo Empire, headed by Ye Wulu, sharp-eyed in his uniform.
"A new request for aid has arrived from the Dou Ling Empire, asking us to immediately dispatch troops to contain the Sun Moon Empire's main force,"
a staff officer reported.
All eyes turned to Lu Jingming, the de facto supreme commander of the Star Luo Empire. Ignoring the plea for help, Lu Jingming traced an arc across the sand table with his finger. That arc skirted the main battlefield between the Sun Moon and Dou Ling Empires, stabbing like a sharp blade through the Mingdou Mountains, straight at the Sun Moon Empire's rear—Xinming City.
"Convey my orders,"
Lu Jingming's voice was not loud, but it stunned everyone.
"Abandon all aid plans to the Dou Ling Empire. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th armies, 300,000 strong under General Ye Wulu's command, with the latest soul tool equipment, will immediately cross the Mingdou Mountains and launch a full assault on Sun Moon Empire territory."
His voice hardened, his eyes cold.
"Target: Xinming City. I give them half a month. I want to have tea in Xu Tiannan's palace."
As soon as this order was given, the entire headquarters fell into absolute silence. The generals all held their breath.
To surround the Sun and Moon to save the Dou Ling?
No—this was total abandonment of the Dou Ling Empire, and a strike at the very heart of the Sun Moon Empire.
"Yes!"
Ye Wulu straightened, his eyes aflame with fighting spirit. He had waited for this day for a long time.
Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Empire's main army, led by Ju Zi, had always been the greatest barrier to the Star Luo army. Yet now, it was as if they had gone blind, ignoring the Star Luo Empire's massive military mobilization. Ju Zi herself had already gone to the front lines against the Dou Ling Empire, exposing the entire Mingdou Mountain defense directly to Star Luo.
A massive war broke out across the continent—one that could only be called a grand betrayal.
…
Sun Moon Empire, Xinming City, Imperial Palace
Xu Tiannan listened proudly to good news from the front against the Dou Ling Empire. In his mind, the destruction of the Dou Ling Empire was only a matter of time. He had already begun planning the final decisive battle against the Star Luo Empire, which would determine the fate of the continent.
But then, a military alert with top-level encryption and urgent mobilization of 100,000 troops ripped him from his dreams of eternal domination like a basin of ice water.
"Report—! Your Majesty, 300,000 Star Luo troops have broken through the Mingdou Mountains' defenses and are rapidly advancing into our heartland. The vanguard is less than a thousand li from Xinming!"
"What?!"
Xu Tiannan shot up from his throne. His proud smile froze into shock and disbelief.
"How is that possible?! What happened to the Mingdou defense line? Where's Ju Zi? What are her main forces even doing?! Three hundred thousand troops—such a massive operation, is she blind?!"
His roar echoed through the empty hall like a wounded beast.
"Return… return to His Majesty…"
The officials making the report knelt in terror.
"According to the Southern corps, Marshal Ju Zi… she's at the front, commanding the siege against the Dou Ling Empire… There's no time… no time for distractions…"
"No time for distractions?!"
Xu Tiannan was stunned for a moment, then laughed in fury. His laughter was filled with rage, cold killing intent, and betrayed madness.
"Ha… ha, distracted, what a joke—what an Ju Zi thing to do."
He kicked the solid gold table beside him, sending papers and dishes clattering to the floor.
"They're coming for our home, and as Supreme Commander of the three armies, she doesn't notice?!"
He couldn't believe it.
Given Ju Zi's military talent, the Star Luo Empire's moves should never have gone unnoticed. She did it on purpose. That woman—she betrayed me!
Xu Tiannan's chest heaved, his eyes bloodshot. He wished he could order Ju Zi's execution on the spot. But at that moment, another urgent battle report shattered his last shred of hope.
"Detected in the direction of Beihai—a large, high-energy military force is gathering. Their target… their target is our capital, Xinming."
"Confirm the unit numbers: Fool Legion, Molten Knights, Knight's Return."
"Resistance along their march collapses at a touch—they're surging straight for Xinming."
Boom—!!!
Xu Tiannan's mind went blank with terror. The Star Luo assault was infuriating, but the deployment from Haiyuan City filled his bones with dread. He knew better than anyone how terrifying those monsters' combat power was.
"Quick! Quickly!"
Xu Tiannan's voice grew sharp and twisted.
"What's the Holy Spirit Church doing? Release the Holy Spirit Church's people! Have them stop the Star Luo army—no, stop the Haiyuan City forces!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
…
At the same time, on the barren plains within the Sun Moon Empire
Huo Yuhao led thousands of core members of the Holy Spirit Church, slowly marching toward the front lines. These evil soul masters wore cruel, bloodthirsty smiles, eager for the slaughter and the feast of souls awaiting them on the battlefield. But none of them noticed the utter indifference in the eyes of the young leader hidden beneath his hood—no excitement, only cold disregard.
At that moment, a formation appeared on the horizon: neat ranks of silver-white humanoid mechas, their lines smooth and powerful, insect-like thrusters on their backs. Flames that never faded burned around them, exuding an aura so terrifying it seemed to burn the soul itself.
Molten Knights.
The mecha heads were slightly different in style—more beautiful, with special emerald flames.
SAM rose quietly into the air, passing with utter indifference over the group of evil soul masters exuding their foul aura.
"Target confirmed: Holy Spirit Church main force."
SAM's electronically synthesized, emotionless voice echoed through every channel of the Molten Knights' comms.
"Mission objective: total annihilation."
"Roger!"
Hundreds of Molten Knights replied in unison.
The evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Church now noticed this uninvited force. They were stunned for a moment, then grinned wickedly.
"Heh heh… Where did these cans come from? They look valuable."
"Kill them, extract their souls, make their souls my flag!"
A Douluo-ranked elder unleashed a massive black mist of resentful spirits straight at the Molten Knights. But what greeted him was a deluge of overwhelming fire.
Hundreds of Molten Knights raised their arms at once. The high-energy beam cannons mounted on their arm pieces unleashed deadly flames.
The battle—no, the massacre—erupted in an instant.
The evil soul masters soon realized, to their shock, how fragile their proud soul skills, resentful spirits, and curses were before that crimson fire. The flames seemed to be the nemesis of their evil power. The moment the spirits touched the fire, they screamed and evaporated into green smoke. The black poisonous mist exploded violently when ignited.
Even more despairing, every one of those "tin cans" fought with terrifying might.
One Molten Knight, confronted by three Douluo-level evil soul masters, didn't even bother dodging, letting their attacks strike his mecha, then reached out and crushed an evil soul master's head with ease. Spinning, he kicked another into a pulp, and finally, with a blast from his thrusters, blew the last fleeing evil master into a bloody mist.
Molten Knights, once equipped with mecha, were no weaker than ordinary Title Douluo. This army alone boasted 500 such warriors.
The Holy Spirit Church's front collapsed instantly.
It was total, one-sided slaughter.
Huo Yuhao stood quietly at a distance, coldly observing the scene. He gave no orders, made no moves—just watched as his nominal subordinates were slaughtered one by one.
Only a few people remained near him, including Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng. Zhang Peng's face was full of shock and fear—he couldn't understand why the sect master just watched their massacre.
"Sect master…"
"Watch."
Huo Yuhao uttered just one word, his voice icy, utterly devoid of emotion.
At that moment, the most beautiful mecha in the sky—SAM—moved.
"Initiate the pact."
Firefly's voice was calm and unwavering.
The thrusters behind SAM erupted with an unparalleled emerald flame, launching her like a backward-flying meteor high into the sky. When she reached several thousand meters, she stopped.
The next instant, countless meteors trailing red tails rained down, covering the entire battlefield. The moment they struck the ground, they exploded violently. The flames converged into a blazing crimson sea.
Within the fire, the surviving evil soul masters were engulfed and purified by the soul-burning flames before they could even scream—leaving not a trace behind.
Despair filled the eyes of the Holy Spirit Church, who gazed at this apocalyptic scene in terror, as if it were a natural disaster. Some tried to flee, but SAM's figure materialized before them like a ghost. The burning mechanical palm easily pinched a Title Douluo. With a terrified scream, her grip tightened—crack!—and the other hand transformed into a blade of fire, effortlessly slicing off an elder's head.
The battle began swiftly and ended even faster. When the sea of fire slowly faded, not a single living Holy Spirit Church member remained—only a few like the Molten Knights and Huo Yuhao stood in the wasteland.
The air was thick with scorching breath. Firefly descended, carrying SAM's body, and landed gently before Huo Yuhao.
"Your mission is over. Let's go."
Her voice regained the clarity of a young girl.
"Mn."
Huo Yuhao nodded in reply. He turned, glanced coldly at the ugly faces of Zhang Peng and the others behind him, and spoke with the same icy tone:
"From today, the Holy Spirit Church no longer exists."
"You will join the Wuchang Division and accept Haiyuan City's reorganization and review. Remember, you only get one chance."
With that, he ignored the Holy Spirit Church's remaining worships and vanished in an instant. Only the ruined battlefield and the confused, fearful survivors of the sect remained, staring at each other.
"Follow me, or fight."
Firefly gazed at the group led by the sect's Grand Worship Blood Scythe Douluo. Her expression was serious, as if she would transform into SAM again at any moment.