"Is it finally coming?"
Blood Two had a solemn expression.
With Blood One absent, he was currently the strongest in the Blood God Camp and naturally should step forward to handle any emergencies.
"Where is Blood One?" Xu Yuan looked around and asked.
Although he posed the question, Xu Yuan already had an answer in his mind. At this moment, Blood One—Cao Dezhi—should be near the Abyssal Passage.
"Our leader hasn't returned for at least a week. When he left, he said he was going deep into the Abyssal Passage to check the situation," Blood Seven said with a grave expression.
"Blood One should be able to sense the anomalies in the Abyssal Passage. The preparations the legion needs to make must begin now. By the time the battle truly erupts, I believe Blood One will appear," Blood Three said.
She seemed to have unwavering trust in Blood One.
Xu Yuan didn't dwell on this point.
He estimated that Blood One was already deeply immersed.
The moment the Abyssal Tide arrived wouldn't be the hardest time for the Blood God Legion, nor could the impact on the Abyss Legion be mitigated by Cao Dezhi alone.
Instead, the changes within the original Dreamspace at the instant of the Abyssal Tide were of great significance to him.
What would happen if a virtual space built upon a spatial channel between two planes suddenly had its foundation altered?
Currently, the original Dreamspace existed based on the soil of both Douluo Star and the Abyss. If the Abyssal Tide erupted, the entire domain where the original Dreamspace resided would be covered by the laws of the Abyss, influenced by the Abyss, and temporarily transformed into a part of the Abyss.
In that case, the original Dreamspace would rely solely on the Abyss.
However, while the foundation changed, the state of those integrated into the space remained unchanged.
Xu Yuan hoped that Cao Dezhi wouldn't be overly startled and detach from controlling the original Dreamspace through the Seven Forbidden Techniques, but instead continue to persevere until that moment arrived.
"Using this opportunity, it should allow him to see many things clearly..."
Upon receiving the news, the Blood God Camp issued orders immediately, and the entire Blood God Legion sprang into action.
In just ten short minutes, all soldiers of the Blood God Legion completed their assembly.
Such a large-scale mobilization also made every soldier realize the truth.
"Warriors of the Blood God Legion!"
The Blood God Legion gathered on a square facing the Abyssal Passage.
This place appeared to be a square, but in reality, it was a killing battlefield.
If the Abyssal Tide were too fierce, the battlefield would extend here. In other words, this square was stained with the blood of countless soul masters and was the last line of defense they fought desperately to hold.
In the high sky in front of the square, a figure flew in mid-air.
Around his body, even the void seemed to stagnate. A brilliant set of Battle Armor condensed out of thin air.
The Battle Armor clung to him as if it were alive, then energy spread outward, enveloping the entire area of the square in energy. Any area covered by this energy turned into a domain.
"Void Mirror Condensation Armor, Domain Manifestation, this is four-word Battle Armor!"
Each soldier gazed fervently at the figure in the high sky, their hearts filled with boundless enthusiasm.
This was the ultimate power of a soul master!
Under the appearance of Zhang Huanyun, a four-word Battle Armorer, the morale of the entire legion instantly stabilized. The oppressive atmosphere caused by the impending Abyssal Tide dissipated, replaced by surging hot-blooded restlessness.
Xu Yuan watched this scene unfold, his heart stirred.
"Does Zhang Huanyun's domain inherently have a motivational effect?"
After all, Zhang Huanyun was a special existence. He was only at level ninety-eight, yet he had fused with four-word Battle Armor—a feat not achievable by ordinary soul masters.
So far, among those who could achieve the status of a four-word Battle Armorer without being Limit Douluo, there were only a few.
Aside from the lack of materials, whether one could withstand the pressure of four-word Battle Armor was crucial because compared to three-word Battle Armor, four-word Battle Armor represented a qualitative change. A single piece of Heavenly Forged metal already possessed true life characteristics, let alone a full set of Heavenly Forged metals crafted into Battle Armor.
Such a set of Battle Armor itself had grasped some profound principles of spatial laws, possessing certain life instincts and traits. When faced with catastrophic destruction, it might even exhibit some self-selection.
Void Mirror Condensation Armor—because four-word Battle Armor no longer constantly merged within the soul master's body but instead fused into the surrounding void of the soul master's environment.
In the final step of creating four-word Battle Armor, activating and completing the fusion itself was a test. Even waking up this set of four-word Battle Armor required the Battle Armorer to instantly sacrifice more than a third of their blood to nourish it.
Instantly sacrificing a third of one's blood wasn't fatal, but it would undoubtedly put a Battle Armorer into their weakest state immediately. And since this was the first fusion with the armor, it was easy to be crushed by the terrifying pressure of the Battle Armor.
As far as Xu Yuan knew, the non-Limit Douluo who possessed four-word Battle Armor were only Mu Ye and Zhen Hua.
Mu Ye didn't need much explanation; his immense blood essence likely allowed the effect of blood power to replace blood's role in awakening the Battle Armor, and his physical strength could withstand the pressure of four-word Battle Armor.
Zhen Hua, as the direct creator of Heavenly Forged metals, was like a father to them. The inherent pressure of the Battle Armor on him might be somewhat reduced, and Zhen Hua's physical fitness was undoubtedly high.
What made Zhang Huanyun special?
Xu Yuan felt that leading the entire Blood God Legion might be the key, possibly giving rise to a domain trait unique to the legion.
"Warriors, over six thousand years, countless predecessors of the Blood God Legion have shed their blood..." Zhang Huanyun spoke passionately, rallying the entire army's morale.
"Today, the Abyssal Tide has reached an unprecedented level four. It will break through our defensive system. Danger has arrived; we cannot escape, nor should we!"
The Abyssal Tide had levels of differentiation. Levels one and two might not even leave the Abyssal Passage, merely an eruption of Abyssal energy that greatly increased the number of Abyss creatures within the passage.
In reality, it was only at level three that the Abyssal Tide would pose a significant impact on the Blood God Legion.
However, even a level three Abyssal Tide could still be orderly defended against with the extensive array of soul-guided weapons deployed by the Blood God Legion.
The truly terrifying aspect was a level four Abyssal Tide.
At this moment, Zhang Huanyun's mood was extremely heavy.
Level four meant at least the Emperors of the top ten layers of the Abyss would act, accompanied by at least three ordinary Abyss emperors simultaneously.
Moreover, the Abyssal energy erupted during a level four Abyssal Tide could create conditions for the Abyssal Sage King to intervene.
Throughout the past six thousand years, whenever the Blood God Legion managed to defend 'easily' during a level four Abyssal Tide—killing over sixty percent of Abyss creatures and keeping losses within thirty percent—the Abyssal Sage King would be provoked. He would personally intervene, leveling the losses on both sides.
This was the most frustrating part.
It was also the most infuriating.
This was the most despairing point for the higher-ups of the Blood God Legion.
Every time the Abyssal Tide reached level four, they couldn't achieve overwhelming victories while resisting fiercely.
It was simply ironic.
Of course, the most common scenario was that even with full resistance, achieving such fruitful results was difficult.
"Everyone, the new type of soul-guided weapons have been distributed. The Abyss is no longer a disaster. The death of every Abyss creature is a reward for us. Their Abyssal energy will be converted into stellar energy that we can absorb to enhance our cultivation. Each Abyss creature killed is an enhancement for us!"
"All warriors of the Blood God Legion, follow me to defend our home!"
Zhang Huanyun's domain expanded. Behind him, a giant round mirror emerged, radiating light that illuminated the area between the Abyssal Passage and the square. The areas illuminated by the light formed another domain-like space.
The Battle Armor domain overlapped with Zhang Huanyun's inherent domain, raising the soldiers' morale. The invasion of Abyssal energy no longer brought the usual oppressive feeling.
Today, Zhang Huanyun was prepared to challenge that boundary.
New Type Soul-Guided Weapons
Gazing down at his own set of Battle Armor, Zhang Huanyun murmured, "Old friend, lend me your strength."
Within the void affected by his four-word Battle Armor, intricate patterns faintly emerged, densely packed and complex enough to make one dizzy.
Among these patterns, extracting some revealed that they could form core nodes of Xu Yuan's new type of soul-guided weapons.
"Cao Dezhi, you must block the Abyssal Sage King's attack at all costs. As for the remaining Abyss emperors, I'll handle them myself!"
Zhang Huanyun completely changed his previous strategy from defense to counterattack.
Leading by example, under the integration of his four-word Battle Armor, the terrifying beam of light from the massive mirror behind him instantly became scorching. This light had little effect on the soul masters of the Blood God Legion but melted Abyss creatures like snow under the blazing sun.
Abyss creatures melted away en masse, and the Abyssal energy released upon their deaths was entirely devoured by the domain shrouded by his four-word Battle Armor.
Xu Yuan watched this scene from afar, quite astonished.
Through his connection with the original Dreamspace, he immediately sensed the changes within it. The machine prepared for this moment started operating instantly, requiring no warm-up.
The enormous energy source drove the entire conversion array within the original Dreamspace, running at full capacity in an instant.
This meant that even in the early stages of the battle, the energy from killing Abyss creatures absorbed by the soldiers' soul-guided weapons could be converted into stellar energy without delay.
This was critical and would save many lives.
"Zhang Huanyun, don't tell me you're planning to use this Abyssal Tide to break through?" Xu Yuan watched this scene, his eyes twitching.
Such a terrifying kill efficiency would definitely draw the Abyssal Sage King's attention, right?
With so much Abyssal energy, if he triggers it, I'm afraid the original Dreamspace won't hold up.
However, soon Xu Yuan felt a surge of power within the original Dreamspace—it was Cao Dezhi's strength. He used the Seven Forbidden Techniques to stabilize the space.
Cao Dezhi might not fully understand the Seven Forbidden Techniques, but his strength was sufficient. Using the Seven Forbidden Techniques to suppress the original Dreamspace was highly effective, something Xu Yuan himself couldn't achieve.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath.
"In the end, my strength is still too weak. My own creations are nowhere near as useful as these two guys with Limit-level combat power."
The gap between Limit Douluo and Super Douluo was enormous.
Even when Xu Yuan forcibly unleashed the power equivalent to a level ninety-five Super Douluo, it was lopsided. Relying on the Dragon Soul imprint only elevated his strength to the Limit level, but he hadn't mastered any subtleties, akin to a fixed-installation soul-guided cannonball.
On the other hand, both Zhang Huanyun and Cao Dezhi were Limit Douluo themselves.
No, to be precise, they were at the Limit level.
Zhang Huanyun was only at level ninety-eight, but his four-word Battle Armor allowed him to transcend the gap between level ninety-eight and Limit Douluo, unleashing Limit Douluo-level power.
Cao Dezhi was even more terrifying. He was a quasi-deity with four-word Battle Armor.
Xu Yuan gritted his teeth and charged into the battlefield with the legion.
Jiang Wuyue wasn't with him but instead charged at the forefront with the Iron Blood Corps led by Blood Master. Under the embodiment of his Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul, his whole body swelled to eight meters.
With two-word Battle Armor integration, he resembled a small mech—agile movements paired with terrifying destructive power.
Small Abyss creatures were torn apart by his bloody dragon claws.
On Douluo Star, when able to unleash his full power, Jiang Wuyue's peak strength was already among the elite of Soul Douluo. Stimulated by the blood-boiling aura on the battlefield, Jiang Wuyue's strength even seemed to rise further.
Not only that, due to half a month of hunting with Xu Yuan, even though their strengths were comparable, the leader-level Ba An with more tenacious vitality would still be swiftly killed by his ferocious blood techniques.
He had gained too much experience in killing Ba An.
Sometimes, after killing so many, one truly felt at ease. Even if the power comparison didn't change, it could prevent the opponent from exerting their abilities.
Killing Abyss creatures, devouring energy, and absorbing the converted stellar energy turned the entire battle into an endless cycle.
The soldiers were the same. After using soul skills to kill the Abyss creatures before them, they eagerly absorbed the converted stellar energy, quickly restoring their soul power and continuing the fight.
Even soldiers with slower absorption rates needed only a little time to recover their consumed soul power.
Thus, on this battlefield, the only thing being worn down was spirit.
But on this boundless battlefield, who wasn't in a state of heightened excitement?
Xu Yuan was even more exaggerated than Jiang Wuyue.
His blood essence erupted, integrating with his two-word Battle Armor and mech. He charged into the midst of Abyss creatures.
Stimulated by Zhang Huanyun and the others, Xu Yuan went on a frenzied killing spree. His soul power accelerated its circulation, pushing the Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique to its limit.
Ordinary soldiers could only use stellar energy to restore soul power, but Xu Yuan could simultaneously restore soul power and push his soul power to continue growing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Xu Yuan couldn't distinguish whether it was the roar of his exploding blood essence or the rumbling surge of blood essence within his body.
Outside the mech, the blood essence even condensed into a tangible form.
This wasn't nesting dolls; the amplification effect on combat power was minimal, but it was essential for Xu Yuan's charges on the battlefield.
After all, this was a battlefield, and Xu Yuan charged deep into the fray. Around him were numerous leader-level Ba An, which even human Soul Douluo couldn't confidently handle. In such an environment, he needed this layer of insurance.
Xu Yuan swept with his spear, five black soul rings flashing, a pitch-black halo spreading, covering a hundred-meter range. Within this range, gun shadows multiplied, and blood-red spears reaped the lives of Abyss creatures.
The spear was unstoppable.
However, Xu Yuan still suffered attacks from Abyss creatures.
Soon, tears appeared on his blood essence manifestation, though they didn't penetrate to the mech inside.
Xu Yuan erupted his blood essence, mending the gaps in his blood manifestation.
"Hahaha, if you don't come out soon, I'll breakthrough!"
Zhang Huanyun's laughter echoed loudly.
A bright mirror hung high in the sky, and the terrifying beams of scorching light harvested Abyss creatures with horrifying efficiency.
At this moment, Zhang Huanyun felt utterly euphoric.
His ninth soul skill was a large-scale harvesting skill, formidable and aggressive, with shocking destructive power. Even at this vast scale, peers of the same level had to avoid its sharp edge.
Even though the individual destructive power of this large-scale harvesting skill was dispersed due to its enormous range, it wasn't something peers of the same level could endure easily.
But such a large-scale harvesting skill also meant terrifying consumption.
Previously, Zhang Huanyun didn't dare to recklessly unleash this soul skill during the Abyssal Tide.
Now it was different.
He, Zhang Huanyun, was no longer the soft man who could only release one soul skill!
Right now, his mind was focused on one thing: shoot, shoot, shoot!
Refreshing!
Xu Yuan silently moved away from the core battlefield directly opposite the Abyssal Passage toward the camp, shifting to the side.
Other soldiers of the Blood God Legion moved alongside him.
They all felt that the current commander was frighteningly unfamiliar.
Too crazy.
Ultimate moves were being thrown around like they were free.
Of course, a very important factor was that the stellar energy converted from the Abyss creatures killed by Zhang Huanyun's ninth soul skill could replenish his consumption.
Otherwise, if this ninth soul skill were completely blocked by a powerful Abyss creature—even if injured but not dead—Zhang Huanyun's supply would be cut off. Once cut off once, it would be hard to sustain again.
Did Zhang Huanyun not know this?
He was clear.
But all reason was cast aside at this moment.
Shoot!
Shoot!
Shoot!
Xu Yuan, through the original Dreamspace, felt a powerful energy fluctuation rapidly approaching from the Abyss side and moved further away from the core area.
Zhang Huanyun's gaze flickered as he looked toward the Abyssal Passage.
His soul power was replenished once more.
Without hesitation.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Mirror Light Annihilation!"
One last shot.
The final shot.
Boom!
Behind him, the circular mirror erupted with energy beams once more.
Mirror light enveloped a vast area, and scorching power surged, the energy beams exuding a devastating aura.
The moment the mirror light fell, a massive figure burst out from the Abyssal Passage.
It was a monster twice the size of an ordinary Ba An.
Ba An's Emperor, Ba Emperor, had appeared.
As soon as it appeared, its colossal figure that blotted out the sky soared into the air. Its already hundred-meter-tall body continued to swell, rapidly obscuring the area covered by the mirror light.
Boom!
The mirror light exploded, and the battlefield resounded with Ba Emperor's roar.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)