The Sun Moon Empire, on the outskirts of Mingdu, a massive military staging ground.
The atmosphere of chilling hostility was almost palpable, suffocating anyone present.
On the high platform, Ju Zi stood expressionless in military uniform. Her once lively eyes were now like frozen lakes, reflecting the terrifying military might below—a sight capable of striking fear into the heart of any opponent.
The first sight to greet the eye was the uniform, metal-like tide of the Soul Engineer Corps.
Tens of thousands of Soul Masters, each at least a four-ring level, were clad in standard-issue soul guidance armor, carrying the latest model soul-ray guns or focusing cannons.
They stood in silence, their soul power fluctuations merging into a single, invisible force field that slightly distorted the light above them.
This was the foundation of the Sun Moon Empire's continental dominance, and now, fueled by the technology accelerated by the Desolation Overlord, the refinement of their equipment and the coordination of their soul power far surpassed any previous era.
Behind this ocean of Soul Engineers was an even more awe-inspiring steel jungle—the Mecha Corps.
Thousands of behemoths, towering over ten meters high, stood firmly. Their cold, metallic shells gleamed with a chilling luster under the sun.
They came in various shapes: some shouldered massive cannons capable of collapsing city walls, others had arms modified into high-speed rotating chain saws or huge alloy claws, their joints emitting a low, hydraulic hum.
These war machines were the product of combining soul guidance technology with alien metal craftsmanship. Each one possessed the destructive power and defense comparable to a high-ranking Soul Douluo, serving as mobile fortresses born purely for destruction.
However, what elicited even greater fear and unease were the Anti-Matter Legions, moving along the army's flanks like specters from the abyss.
They were neither purely mechanical nor living beings, but bizarre entities formed of twisted energy and dark matter.
Where they passed, even the air seemed to be corroded by some negative energy, becoming cold and lifeless.
They were the vanguard of the Desolation Overlord, pure heralds of destruction, their very existence constantly eroding the rules of matter and energy around them.
And above all of this was the fleet of colossal, sky-darkening flying battleships.
Dozens of massive warships, hundreds of meters long, hovered high in the air. Their thick armor, numerous cannon barrels, and the complex soul guidance runes flashing on their hulls proclaimed their unparalleled air supremacy and devastating firepower.
They were like moving mountains of steel, casting shadows that covered half the staging ground.
Even more unsettling were the huge shadows circling and weaving through the clouds around these flying battleships.
These were the Doomsday Beasts—gigantic biological weapons with dragon-like features. Their scales shimmered with a metallic sheen, their sharp claws and beaks could tear through the sturdiest armor, and their mouths were brewing an ominous, dark red energy breath.
They were the fleet's most loyal and terrifying escorts, their roars sounding like a death knell, announcing the end of civilization.
Ju Zi stood here, commanding this force capable of overturning the continental landscape.
Theoretically, her contract with Celenova should have ended after the Holy Grail War.
That Desolation Overlord was too powerful; the so-called contract could not restrict her in the slightest.
Ju Zi should have become a mindless part of Celenova's army of destruction, just like those who were assimilated, such as the Fire Phoenix Douluo.
But strangely, Celenova did not do that. Instead of abandoning or assimilating her, she placed her on the throne of the Supreme Commander of the Sun Moon Empire's three armies.
She didn't understand. To Celenova, she should have lost all her value.
In the hyperspace, two transcendent beings were observing all of this.
"Your little toy seems confused."
Phantylia leaned back languidly, as if enjoying an interesting play, a hint of playful amusement on her lips.
Her eyes, which could penetrate the desires and fears of the human heart, easily caught the confusion and hesitation deep within Ju Zi's mind.
"Ju Zi..."
Celenova's voice was cold and emotionless. She stretched out a finger and casually drew a line in the void before her. Space was torn open like a curtain, revealing the boundless starry sky outside, and the Douluo Star, which was undergoing subtle changes.
"She belongs to 'him.' Since 'he' wants to use us to push his plan forward, then we shall go with the flow and let him use us."
The current Douluo Continent, after being reformed by Ruan Mei and having its own cosmic standing elevated, was no longer what it once was.
Space was more stable, the material structure was tougher, and the energy level was significantly raised.
This planet could now bear the true descent of God-level existences without causing repulsion from the planar will or collapse.
But Celenova and Phantylia, two Desolation Overlords who had witnessed the creation and destruction of countless worlds, were unwilling to easily set foot on it.
They saw through the essence of the planet at first glance—it had been transformed into an incomparably vast astronomical computer.
Under the shroud of nearly infinite computing power, as soon as they stepped onto Douluo Star, anything they did would be like moving a piece on an already set chessboard. Every action could be calculated, predicted, and even incorporated into the opponent's plan.
This feeling of being under someone else's control made them uncomfortable and vigilant.
Therefore, leaving Douluo Star was a decision they had tacitly agreed upon.
But before leaving, the alliance with Xu Tianran still needed to be fulfilled.
Helping him launch this continental conquest war was both fulfilling a promise and an... interesting observation.
They wanted to see where Xu Tianran and his human empire would ultimately head after acquiring power far exceeding their era.
Would it be absolute destruction, or would an unexpected new life be fostered in the ruins of annihilation?
Regardless of the outcome, the process itself would yield something of value—perhaps data, perhaps amusement, or perhaps, just the fleeting spark called "possibility."
Celenova's gaze once again fell upon the fully assembled army of destruction below. Her cold voice echoed in the hyperspace:
"Begin. Let us see what kind of future this blade, which we personally handed over, can cleave."
Ju Zi's voice, amplified by the soul guidance loudspeaker, spread across the entire staging ground with cold indifference, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if merely announcing an unrelated bulletin:
"All forces, listen to the command—Target, the former Three Douluo Nations. Proceed."
There were no impassioned calls to action, no promises of glory, only a command that was concise to the point of cruelty.
Yet, this icy order was like a spark thrown into hot oil, instantly igniting this sea of steel and destruction.
"Vroom—!"
The soul guidance engines of the flying battleship fleet emitted a low, earth-shaking roar. The massive hulls began to move slowly, like awakened ancient beasts, pushing toward the eastern horizon, escorted by countless Doomsday Beasts.
On the ground, the Soul Engineer Corps marched with heavy, thunderous steps. Metal boot soles struck the earth, raising clouds of dust.
The towering Mecha Corps took heavy strides, the ground trembling beneath them, the friction of hydraulic systems and metal joints forming a symphony of destruction.
And the twisted Anti-Matter Legions silently spread out like ink dropped into clear water. Where they passed, vegetation withered, and life was extinguished.
On the outskirts of this vast, despair-inducing army, a particularly noticeable unit followed in silence.
They were not human, but possessed a ferocious form with wolf heads and human bodies, emanating a chilling, bloodthirsty aura.
The leaders among them had terrifying auras, clearly the Title Douluo-level elders and revered figures of the Holy Spirit Church.
The alliance between the Holy Spirit Church and the Sun Moon Empire was not severed by the death of the former Pope, Zhongli Wu.
To Emperor Xu Tianran, it made no difference who ruled the Holy Spirit Church. As long as this powerful force could be used by him and serve as a sharp edge to tear through enemy defense lines, it was sufficient.
Whether it was Zhongli Wu or Huo Yuhao who controlled it was merely a change in the partner.
Far away, in the dark main hall of the Holy Spirit Church's headquarters deep within the Evil Spirit Forest.
Beibei and Tang Ya stood before a massive projection screen, which clearly showed the horrifying sight of the Sun Moon Empire's grand army setting out.
The steel flood, the monstrous creatures, the sky-darkening warships... all of this made the faces of the two, who hailed from the former Three Douluo Nations, complicated, their hearts heavy as if pressed by a great stone.
Tang Ya's gaze shifted from the screen to Beibei's calm profile, her eyes filled with an unbearable guilt and pain.
It was because she had fallen into darkness and been controlled by the Holy Spirit Church that Beibei had not hesitated to betray the Shrek Academy that nurtured him, even willingly joining this nest of evil soul masters, just to stay by her side.
Beibei felt her gaze and turned his head. Meeting Tang Ya's eyes, which were filled with self-reproach, he smiled helplessly and gently held her cold hand.
He had told her countless times that he never regretted his choice.
The glory of Shrek, the revival of the Tang Sect—in the face of Tang Ya's safety and smile, they seemed insignificant.
As long as she was well, as long as he could be by her side, he was willing to descend into eternal darkness.
At the very top of the hall, on the Pope's throne, which symbolized the highest power of the Holy Spirit Church, Huo Yuhao looked indifferently at the army on the screen.
In his arms, he carefully held a swaddling blanket, inside of which was a beautiful, recently born baby, delicate as jade.
It was the child of him and Xiao Wu.
Looking at this army about to trample the land of his former country, a cold pleasure flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
He had waited for this day for too long.
The man named Dai Hao, his biological father, had indirectly led to his mother's tragic fate and death due to his constant absence in order to guard the border, causing him to suffer the world's harsh realities from a young age and never feel paternal love.
Since that was the case, he would personally destroy the belief Dai Hao had protected his entire life, destroying the convictions and achievements he held dear.
He wanted that high-and-mighty Duke to personally witness everything he swore to defend crumble into dust before absolute power.
However, when he lowered his head and his gaze met the pure and innocent sleeping face of the infant in his arms, the cold murderous intent and the fire of revenge involuntarily softened a few degrees.
The arrival of this child was like a faint but strong light, shining into his heart, which had been filled with hatred, allowing him to reclaim a sliver of nearly extinguished sanity.
It was because of this small life that he did not let Beibei and Tang Ya participate in this imminent bloody war.
He needed to leave a relatively stable path for himself in the inevitably perilous future, and for this child.
The journey to the God Realm to save his mother was uncertain; he couldn't possibly take his infant son with him.
And now, the only people he could entrust and trust were Beibei and Tang Ya.
Also due to the child's birth, his original obsession with personally assassinating his father and purging the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had quietly changed.
Total annihilation might only bring emptiness. What he wanted was for Dai Hao to feel a deeper, more prolonged pain—watching the nation he guarded plunge into war, watching his cherished honor be trampled, watching all his efforts dissolve into thin air, all while being utterly powerless.
Huo Yuhao gently rocked the baby in his arms, his gaze returning to the screen.
"Go... to destroy, to plunder, to bring despair."
He murmured, a cruel curve forming on his lips.
"Dai Hao, watch closely what kind of end awaits everything you hold dear."
The curtain of war was raised in the most brutal and direct way possible.
On the border of the Sun Moon Empire, hundreds of super-heavy soul guidance cannons, enhanced with Anti-Matter Legion technology, had already been calibrated.
With Ju Zi's emotionless wave of command from the rear, these ferocious behemoths let out an ear-splitting roar.
The targets were directly aimed at the Mingdou Mountain Range—the natural barrier that the Star Luo Empire relied on to maintain its border security—and the Star Luo Empire's most elite Northwest Army Group, personally commanded by the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, stationed there.
What descended first was not ordinary artillery fire, but strategic-grade weapons capable of changing terrain—Level 9 fixed-core soul guidance shells.
Several streaks of light, trailing blazing tails, sliced through the sky at supersonic speed like falling stars, accurately slamming into the core areas of the Mingdou Mountain Range defense line.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Then came the absolute light and heat, the explosion that annihilated everything.
"BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
An unprecedented roar instantly stripped everyone of their hearing. Gigantic fireballs simultaneously erupted from the main peak of the Mingdou Mountain Range and several key passes, shooting into the sky, as if the earth had opened a gaping, fire-spitting maw.
The terrifying shockwave wildly spread outwards in an annular pattern. Where it passed, hard rock was crushed into powder like brittle biscuits, and dense forests were instantly reduced to charcoal and ash in a thousandth of a second.
The mountains wailed and disintegrated.
Peaks hundreds of meters high were blasted apart mid-section. Boulders mixed with soil poured down like a waterfall, instantly burying the camps, fortifications, and defensive soul tools below.
The earth was ripped open by deep, bottomless ravines, like hideous scars on the planet's surface.
For the soldiers of the Northwest Army Group, this was undoubtedly the true apocalypse.
Many soldiers didn't even get to see the enemy's figures before they were instantly vaporized in the extreme heat, along with their armor and soul tools, vanishing without a trace.