The Soul Beasts were already at a disadvantage under the pressure of humans. After this battle, who knows how many more innocent and powerful kin would be needlessly lost. Furthermore, human apprehension and hatred towards Soul Beasts would reach an unprecedented level, making the possibility of future peaceful coexistence even more remote.
Thinking of this, the violet eyes of Gu Yue'na grew a few degrees colder, and a murderous intent surged beneath the surface.
In the deepest parts of the high-altitude cloud layer, thick mist rolled like a churning white ocean.
A massive black dragon, large enough to blot out the sky, was silently suspended within.
Its mountain-like head moved slightly. The eyelids, covered in hard scales, slowly lifted, revealing a pair of colossal golden dragon eyes.
Those eyes, which should have belonged to the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian, and been filled with majesty and power, now held none of their usual composure and dominance. Instead, a highly humanized, playful, and mocking smile flashed within them, as if a supreme spectator was enjoying a magnificent drama personally directed by herself.
"Heh... you've awakened, as expected."
A lazy, comfortable, and distinctly magnetic female voice echoed simultaneously in the clouds and the spiritual plane. This voice belonged to the Lord of Annihilation, Phantylia.
She seemed entirely unsurprised by Gu Yue'na's awakening, even showing a trace of satisfied predictability.
If possible, she would have preferred to possess the flawless Silver Dragon body slumbering at the bottom of the lake.
That body, containing the purest Dragon God bloodline and infinite potential, was the ideal vessel truly worthy of her as a Lord of Annihilation.
However, based on the information she had gleaned from the Black Dragon's memory, the essence of the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yue'na, was extremely unique.
The other party's power level in her peak state could even reach the so-called God King tier of this realm. She was absolutely not someone that the currently limited Phantylia, who had descended only in memory-form, could easily covet or control.
But that didn't matter. Once her perfect plan was executed step by step, plunging this planet into complete destruction and chaos, the so-called God Kings would merely be puppets in her hand.
For now, it was more important and practical to seize a body that was more suitable for the current stage, could better utilize her power, and was easier to obtain.
Phantylia's consciousness examined the Black Dragon body she was temporarily inhabiting with a hint of disdain.
Compared to Di Tian's powerful, dark, yet somewhat crude male dragon body, she actually preferred a female vessel like Bi Ji, one that contained massive life energy and was more elegant and beautiful in appearance.
However, to successfully launch this super Soul Beast Tide that would sweep the continent, maximizing the provocation of the most sensitive nerve of hatred between humans and Soul Beasts, and driving them toward mutual destruction through endless infighting, temporarily borrowing the body of the Beast God, who possessed unchallenged deterrence among Soul Beasts, was undoubtedly the most convenient and effective choice.
"What kind of monster are you?! Get out of my body and give it back to me."
In the deepest part of the Black Dragon's vast sea of consciousness, Di Tian's own consciousness was forcibly compressed and imprisoned in a corner.
He had transformed into his human form, clad in a black robe, but was tightly bound by countless eerie chains forged from phosphorescent blue starlight. Half his body was submerged in a frigid ocean, condensed from his own spiritual power but no longer under his control, leaving him immobile.
He struggled furiously, raising his head to glare at the gigantic, captivating figure suspended above his spiritual world. His eyes were filled with an unquenchable humiliation and towering fury.
The figure was extremely alluring and seductive.
She wore an ink-green cheongsam with a high slit, perfectly outlining a graceful yet powerfully explosive curve.
She wore gorgeous, lotus-like ornaments on her head. Dark gold, plant-like patterns that slowly squirmed like living things were entwined on her exposed skin. Several massive, slowly rotating bloody lotus flowers floated around her, emitting heart-stopping energy fluctuations.
She gently fanned herself with a seemingly delicate fan. Every gesture exuded a mysterious, deadly seduction, yet also carried an air of absolute arrogance and coldness that kept people at a distance.
This was the true spiritual manifestation of the Lord of Annihilation, Phantylia.
"No problem, little lizard, I'll give it back to you, you know~"
Phantylia elegantly covered her mouth with the fan, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with an unreadable smile. Her tone was light and airy, as if placating an ignorant child.
"Of course, that's only after I... find a new, more agreeable 'clothing' first~"
She would indeed return it. However, what she returned would definitely not be the original, complete, and powerful Black Dragon body.
A body that had been possessed and corrupted by her, a Lord of Annihilation from the Heliobus race, would have its soul and flesh etched with her unique mark of destruction. How could it remain the same?
By then, what would be returned to Di Tian would likely be a body completely reshaped by destruction, a body of annihilation that even he could not control.
"You bastard, you damned extraterrestrial fiend."
Di Tian was consumed by rage. His soul trembled with extreme anger, and he didn't believe a word of the monster's nonsense.
The other party, using his body, perfectly mimicked his aura and Soul Power fluctuations. Even Bi Ji, who was the closest to him and possessed a keen mind, hadn't detected anything amiss, truly believing that this was done with the Dragon God's silent permission or direct command.
It was because of this that Bi Ji had unhesitatingly executed his command, gathering nearly all the core forces of the Great Star Dou Forest to launch this unprecedented and terrifying Soul Beast Tide against Shrek City.
The Emerald Swan Bi Ji, the Myriad Demon King Yao Ling, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Xiong Jun, the Three-Headed Red Dragon Hound Scarlet King, the Hell Demonic Dragon King Zi Ji, and even the mysterious Demon Spirit... including Di Tian, who was controlled by Phantylia, the Seven Great Ferocious Beasts were practically mobilized in full force.
The number of 100,000-year Soul Beasts under the command of these Ferocious Beasts was also in the double digits.
This force, even if the peak Dragon God Douluo Mu En were alive, would be difficult to resist head-on. Shrek Academy was doomed this time.
But the Soul Beast race would not fare well either.
After this battle, an unknown number of powerful kin would be slain on the battlefield. The high-end strength of the Soul Beasts would inevitably be severely depleted, possibly taking tens of thousands of years to recover.
To be used like this, reduced to tools and cannon fodder for someone else's plan of annihilation, Di Tian felt his lungs were about to burst from fury, and his soul was weeping blood.
Yet, he was powerless to resist, only able to watch everything unfold.
In the spiritual domain, he was completely crushed by Phantylia. Even in his own sea of consciousness, he was like a lamb pinned to a chopping block, utterly incapable of fighting back.
"Hehehehe..."
Phantylia let out a light, pleasant laugh, like the tinkling of wind chimes. She savored Di Tian's futile and painful struggle, her eyes filled with supreme pleasure and satisfaction.
She didn't particularly favor this Black Dragon body, but with some modification and empowerment, transforming it into an apocalyptic beast more aligned with the aesthetics of destruction, it might achieve the so-called True God tier of combat power in this world. At least it would be a decent high-level enforcer.
She gently fanned herself, her gaze seeming to pierce through the layers of clouds, accurately looking toward the magnificent city far away that was about to bear the first wave of the Beast Tide—Shrek City. A cruel and expectant curve appeared on her lips.
The show had just begun.
And despair would be the most exquisite opening music.
The violent tremors stirred up by the Soul Beast Tide, like muffled war drums sounding from the earth's core, instantly spread throughout Shrek City.
The ground trembled, the city walls hummed, and even the air seemed to freeze in that moment.
At the South City Wall, the first to sense this terrifying movement was the Lord of Shrek City, Time Douluo Shi Xing.
He stood at the top of the twenty-zhang-high wall, his gaze sharp as lightning, directed toward the distant horizon.
"This is... a Soul Beast Tide?"
Shi Xing's brow furrowed, his voice carrying an incredible gravity.
"Such a scale, how is this possible!"
As the supreme authority of Shrek City, Shi Xing commanded a garrison of over ten thousand city defense troops and an elite legion composed of three thousand Soul Masters. He was also a pivotal member of the Sea God Pavilion.
He had experienced countless battles, but had never witnessed such a horrifying sight.
The distant forest looked like it had been crushed by a giant hand. A dense, dark mass of beasts surged like a tide. Where they passed, towering ancient trees fell in swathes, and dust and smoke shot into the sky, forming a massive, sun-blotting haze.
Wuu—wuu—wuu—
A shrill alarm abruptly pierced the sky, like a desperate bugle call, echoing above the three lines of defense, and then spreading to every corner of Shrek City.
This alarm was etched into the bones of every resident, a generationally inherited memory of war.
As the first line of human defense against the Great Star Dou Forest, Shrek City had endured several large-scale Soul Beast Tides over its long history.
Everyone here knew what a Soul Beast Tide meant—it was the clash of steel and flesh, a brutal selection of life and death.
After every tide, the city walls would be piled with the bodies of fallen soldiers, and the moat would run red with blood. Even Title Douluo had perished here.
Yet, Shrek City did not descend into panic.
On the streets, citizens swiftly and orderly retreated to the nearest shelters. In front of shops, owners expertly lowered reinforced metal shutters. In residential areas, mothers guided their children into underground bunkers. Though their faces showed concern, there was no panic.
Forged by ten thousand years of history, Shrek Academy had established an unshakable prestige through countless victories.
Historically, no Soul Beast Tide had ever managed to breach Shrek City's defenses.
This deep-seated trust allowed the City Defense Army to devote their full attention to battle deployment, without having to spare effort to maintain order within the city.
The southern horizon was completely obscured by a dark mass of flying Soul Beasts. They formed a terrifying formation, like moving dark clouds, rapidly closing in on the city wall.
The air was filled with the unique stench of Soul Beasts and violent Soul Power fluctuations. The oppressive feeling was palpable, heavily weighing on everyone's hearts, making breathing difficult.
On the city wall, the Shrek City Defense Army was making final preparations in a race against time.
"First Soul Cannon Array charged."
"Defense barrier intensity raised to seventy percent."
"Sniper Soul Master Legion in position."
Commands, footsteps, and the sounds of machinery intertwined to form a tense symphony of war.
Defensive Soul Tools, each engraved with complex runes, were fully activated. Light blue energy shields unfolded in layers above the city wall, enveloping the city like an inverted giant bowl.
Three hundred and twenty-eight long-range attack Soul Cannons simultaneously raised their muzzles. The cold metallic sheen glinted in the dim light, aimed at the surging Beast Tide in the distance.
These City Defense soldiers were all handpicked elites.
Although the terrifying pressure emanating from the south caused many younger soldiers to pale and their hands gripping their weapons to tremble slightly, they still clenched their teeth and executed every command in an orderly manner.
Fear was a natural human emotion, but by overcoming instinctive fear and resolutely standing on the front line of the Soul Beast charge, every one of them deserved to be called a hero.
The Shrek City Defense Army had a nominal strength of ten thousand. The most elite three thousand were composed of Soul Masters, mostly graduates of the Shrek Academy Outer Court.
Though they hadn't progressed to the Inner Court for further study, they chose to remain in Shrek City and join the honorable City Defense Army.
Here, the treatment of ordinary soldiers was three times that of the imperial armies, and Soul Masters received five times the pay.
More importantly, as members of the Shrek City Defense Army, they could access some of the Academy's cultivation resources and occasionally receive guidance from Title Douluo-tier experts—an opportunity Soul Masters elsewhere could only dream of.
Because of this, the Shrek City Defense Army was not only renowned across the continent but also possessed a powerful strength that other imperial elites lacked.
At this moment, this legendary army stood ready to defend the home behind them with their flesh and blood.
During the brutal war between the Douluo Continent and the Sun Moon Continent four thousand years ago, the Shrek City Defense Army, with three thousand elites, routed an enemy force of thirty thousand, creating a miracle in the history of warfare.
This glorious achievement was recorded in the continent's military textbooks, and it cemented the reputation of the Shrek City Defense Army throughout the Douluo Continent.
For many graduates of the Outer Court, donning the dark green uniform of the City Defense Army was not just an honor but a shortcut to success.
As long as they served in the City Defense Army for three years, the experience would become the most brilliant part of their resume.
Whether they later joined the military of the Three Great Empires or entered other organizations, they would receive preferential hiring.
Those with particularly outstanding performance even had the chance to be promoted directly to mid-level management positions in Shrek City or even work in the City Lord's Mansion, truly integrating into the core power structure of this legendary city.
Given the scale of Shrek City as an autonomous city, maintaining a standing army of ten thousand was already the limit.
Any more would not only provoke unnecessary apprehension and suspicion from the Three Great Empires but also strain the vast resource consumption for Shrek Academy.
Although Shrek City had the largest trading market for Soul Beast materials, it ultimately lacked the tax system and resource reserves of an empire.
The annual expenditure for each City Defense soldier was as high as three hundred gold soul coins, and for Soul Masters, it was eight thousand gold soul coins. This expense accounted for nearly thirty percent of the city's annual revenue.
At the top of the South City Wall, the final Rank 6 Fixed Soul Cannon completed its charging and calibration. The three-meter-long barrel emitted a dangerous red glow, and the complex runes on the cannon sequentially lit up.
The battle formation of three thousand Soul Masters was complete. Various Soul Rings shone and ascended beneath their feet, their dazzling light interwoven into a brilliant sea that illuminated the entire section of the city wall as bright as day.
The eyes of all the soldiers were fixed on the distance—the black torrent was approaching at an alarming speed, and the frequency of the ground shaking grew increasingly intense.
Simultaneously, within Shrek Academy, seven red emergency flares shot into the sky.
Inner Court disciples quickly assembled under the guidance of their teachers, transforming into streaks of light heading straight for the South City Wall.
In the Academy's Communication Center, twelve large transmission Soul Tools were operating at full speed, sending out the highest level of distress signals to the Heaven Dou, Star Luo, and Dou Ling Empires.
The Soul Beast Tide was never just a crisis for Shrek Academy alone; it was a common threat concerning the survival of the entire human world.
Naturally, the Sun Moon Empire was deliberately omitted from this aid request list.
Even if the Sun Moon Empire intended to send troops to help, the Three Great Empires would never allow their armies transit through their territories.
The scars and painful memories left by the war four thousand years ago would not be easily healed by a single Soul Beast Tide.
As the Great Star Dou Forest was situated directly south of Shrek City, the South City Wall naturally became the main battleground against the tide.
But the other three city walls were not slackening their vigil.
Squads of Outer Court students were rapidly reinforcing the East, West, and North City Walls under the command of their instructors.
These young boys and girls were mostly only fifteen or sixteen, still carrying a trace of childishness, yet they were already adept at operating various defensive Soul Tools.
Thanks to the breakthroughs in Soul Tool technology at Sea God City in recent years and the popularization of the Simulated Universe, even a two-ring Soul Master could now exert a considerable amount of combat power with the aid of Soul Tools.
On the South City Wall, Shi Xing's hands were tightly pressed against the cold obsidian battlements, gazing into the distance.
The biting wind whipped his dark cloak, also tousling a few strands of gray hair at his temples.
The Time Douluo, who was usually known for his composure, now showed a hint of unconcealed bitterness on his face.
How many years had it been since Shrek City truly faced a war?
He reflected carefully. At least during the century-long tenure of the two previous City Lords, they hadn't encountered a serious crisis.
He had only been in office for less than ten years and was already facing a Soul Beast Tide of this magnitude—judging by the momentum, it was likely more terrifying than any recorded in the historical annals.
On the distant horizon, the silhouette of the first 10,000-year Scaly Beast had burst through the dust and smoke. Its bluish-gray scales gleamed with a metallic luster in the dim light. Corrosive saliva constantly dripped from its vicious fangs, burning small pits in the ground.
More alarming was the sight of several extraordinarily massive figures vaguely visible within the dark, dense Beast Tide—they were undoubtedly terrifying existences of the 100,000-year tier.
A breeze swept over, bringing the unique, rank smell of Soul Beasts, a mix of decaying earth and blood, causing many young soldiers on the city wall to instinctively hold their breath.
Shi Xing, as a Super Douluo above Rank 95, was already one of the world's top powerhouses. Yet, when he saw the full scope of the Beast Tide, he still felt his throat dry up, unable to suppress a gasp.
Though this Soul Beast army was vast in number, it was anything but chaotic.
The ground Soul Beasts were divided into three distinct echelons: defensive Soul Beasts charged at the front, agile Soul Beasts flanked the wings, and powerful assault Soul Beasts maneuvered in the center.
The flying Soul Beasts in the sky formed a disciplined offensive array, looking exactly like a well-trained army.
This level of organization clearly indicated unified command by a Soul Beast of extraordinary intelligence.
What on earth happened to the Soul Beasts of the Great Star Dou Forest? Shi Xing frowned, his heart filled with confusion.
The Great Star Dou Forest had been unusually calm in recent years. There had been no reports of 100,000-year Soul Beasts being hunted, nor any major conflicts.
Since the incident involving the Body Sect that triggered a Beast Tide centuries ago, the Great Star Dou Forest had signed a non-aggression pact with Shrek Academy, and all had been quiet for years.
What happened to make the Soul Beasts disregard the treaty and launch an attack of this scale?
"What in the world is going on..."
Shi Xing's gaze, like a sharp sword, penetrated the layers of the beast horde, past the surging 10,000-year-tier Soul Beasts, and reached the skyline behind the tide.
There, several unnerving, terrifying auras vaguely emerged.
The pressure was like a physical mountain, heavily weighing on everyone's very souls—even he, a Rank 95 Super Douluo, felt an unprecedented suffocation.
What could make him so apprehensive was definitely not just ordinary 100,000-year Soul Beasts.
"Even the Ferocious Beasts have been mobilized...!"
Shi Xing swallowed hard. The sound of his throat bobbing was remarkably clear on the deathly silent city wall.
His fingertips unconsciously dug into the obsidian battlement, and the hard stone quietly crumbled under his hand.
"This time, it truly is a massive problem."
He couldn't accurately gauge how many Ferocious Beasts had arrived. He could only pray silently in his heart, hoping the worst-case scenario wouldn't materialize.
If all Seven Great Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Forest were mobilized, let alone just one Super Douluo like him, even if all the Elders of the Sea God Pavilion gathered, they would likely be unable to resist.
Those were existences equivalent to, or surpassing, human Super Douluo, each possessing the power to destroy a city.
A peculiar silence fell over the city wall.
Only the wind whistling through the Soul Cannon barrels, like the wailing of a spirit, intertwined with the distant roar of the surging beast horde, played an overture of despair across the heavens and the earth.
Every soldier could clearly hear the frantic pounding of their own heart, as if it were trying to break free from their ribcage.
The Soul Beast army advanced methodically like a black tide. The ground shook with their unified steps.
The "dark cloud" overhead spread as the Beast Tide approached.
It was an abnormal celestial phenomenon caused by the Ferocious Beasts' aura. The intense Soul Power fluctuations warped the light, cutting the sunlight into fragmented patches, like an omen before the end of the world.
This was clearly a deliberate psychological tactic.
Through the continuous, crushing pressure of their approach, they sought to erode the will of the City Defense Army.
The Ferocious Beasts were well-versed in the art of war. They aimed to shatter the psychological defenses of the garrison before the battle even began, letting fear take root in every heart.
As the distance closed, the momentum of the Beast Tide grew increasingly terrifying.
Even the seasoned elite Soul Masters couldn't help but pale.
Some subconsciously swallowed, their hands tightly gripping their weapons trembling slightly, their knuckles turning white from overexertion.
The ordinary soldiers who were not Soul Masters were breathing rapidly, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
If not for the muscle memory forged by years of rigorous training, some might have already suffered a psychological collapse and dropped their weapons to flee.
Simply judged by their psychological fortitude to hold the line under such immense pressure, the Shrek City Defense Army already far surpassed any conventional army on the continent.
Keep in mind, this was not an ordinary herd of wild beasts, but a Soul Beast army numbering in the tens of thousands—the weakest possessed a hundred years of cultivation, capable of confronting a human Great Soul Master head-on.
Thousand-year Soul Beasts were ubiquitous, and ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts were numerous.
Without relying on the fifty-meter-high magnificent city wall and the powerful Soul Tool arrays, these ordinary soldiers would not even be qualified to stand here.
After all, a soldier without Soul Power, even fully armed, would likely be unable to defeat a single ten-year Soul Beast.
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